Every member of group three tensed at the word “enter.” The anticipation seemed tangible. The Tank hunters went through the portal first, and Zash joined them soon after. As he walked through the portal, everything went dark in a moment, and he felt like he was being pulled very far very fast. It only lasted for a moment before he arrived in the new place. But it wasn’t his surroundings that interested him, it was the message that popped up from the hunter system.
“A large amount of mana has forced the system to update.
Please note the following changes:
Use of status levels for Strength, Stamina, Speed; average of 10 for un-awakened humans.
Use of status level for Mana; average of 0 for un-awakened humans.
Raise levels by exertion and continued training!”
After rereading the message once again, Zash quickly pulled up his status window while his curiosity increased by the second.
“Strength --- 12
Stamina --- 9
Speed --- 10
Mana --- 5”
Zash tore his gaze away to his surroundings; it looked nothing like he had expected. Rather than a goblin’s cave like he had expected, he found himself in the middle of an enormous octagonal room. He glanced towards the other trainees, who wore similarly puzzled expressions. Just then, the last of the recruits arrived. Evidently, they were receiving the same notification Zash had by the looks on their faces. It went from anticipation while entering, to confusion and then awe quickly. Then Major Clark arrived. His expression changed too. It went from boredom, as if it were another dull day to full on anger and… fear. His demeanor was affected too, in a far more noticeable way. As soon as he took stock of his surroundings, he started swearing up a storm. Every trainee jumped and looked at him.
Eventually, Major Clark addressed the entire group. “This was supposed to be a simple goblin dungeon, but we’re not in one of their caves. Although rare, portals have been known to switch the destination unpredictably at times. We seem to have ended up in a Gauntlet-type dungeon. And, based on the size of this room, I’d hazard a guess that it’s d-rank.”
As the recruits started murmuring among themselves, he continued, “So, to deal with this turn of events, I will take a more active role in the raid. Tanks, form a large circle and defend the mages. Mages group in the middle. Swordsmen and other physical damage dealers should be outside the main circle whenever possible so they can fight effectively. Hold the monsters off and be careful!”
No sooner had he finished giving instructions than a message appeared for each hunter: “Wave 1 of The Beast’s Revenge Gauntlet has begun!” A multitude of beasts spawned in at that moment. Dozens of nine-foot-tall orcs with huge battle axes began to run at the group. Meanwhile a large pack of wolves, each at least five feet high, posed a more pressing enemy with their incredible speed. At the back, biding his time was a giant cyclops at least thirty feet tall.
Zash hesitated momentarily. How could they ever handle this one wave, let alone a multitude of them? If this was just the beginning, would any of the raid party be left alive by the end? Silencing such thoughts, he drew his sword and resolved to only focus on the enemy. One by one, he would fight whichever monster was in front of him and win. However, he quickly realized this was the wrong approach. As he faced off against a wolf, he had just managed to pierce its heart when he heard, “Zash! Behind you!” Swinging around, he instinctively slashed and decapitated a wolf that had jumped at him. He revised his plan to fight any enemy that approached him and chided himself for leaving a blind spot. His sword disappeared in a blur as each wolf that approached him lay bleeding on the floor, mortally wounded.
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Before long, he had reached an orc. Its battle axe swung towards him, and he ducked, feeling the wind as it whistled above his head. With a quick counter, he feinted to one side, but redirected his sword cutting off the orc’s arm. Enraged, it continued fighting, but Zash jumped into the air and sliced its head clean off. Looking around at his other trainees, he realized they were doing ok at the moment. Zash went back to his business, circling the room while defeating the packs of wolves and multiple orcs along the way.
Then, the entire room shook. Zash searched for the source. It was the cyclops. It was marching towards the center of the room where the mages were gathered. They all turned their attention to the cyclops; no other monsters remained. Zash sprinted towards it to help, when he saw two massive fireballs fly towards and hit the cyclops in the eye. Turning to look, he realized it was Major Clark. Clearly, he was no pushover, and it showed as he fired again. This time the cyclops stumbled back, and Zash ran in for the kill. He stabbed through the eye, piercing the brain and killing it instantly. After glancing around for any other threats, he rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. A message popped up in front of him:
“Your stat’s have increased!
Strength --- 12 --> 13
Stamina --- 9 --> 11
Speed --- 10 --> 12
Mana --- 5
Next wave spawning in 42 seconds.”
Exactly 42 seconds later, the next wave spawned. It had the same monsters, but there looked to be more of them. Repeating the same strategies, they finished wave two far faster than the first wave. The grind continued through waves three and four. When wave five spawned in, Zash could immediately tell a difference. The wolves were gone; the number of orcs had tripled, there were a half-dozen cyclopes, and there was a huge werewolf waiting to attack. Zash realized the previous levels’ boss, the cyclops, had been replaced with a werewolf. However, he kept to his strategy, fight in the moment, and don’t worry about the next enemy until the first is finished. Remarkably, the trainees finished this wave as well. But was it Zash’s imagination or were the orcs getting faster and stronger. By wave 15, he knew it was no coincidence. The enemies were certainly getting stronger, but Zash continued to level up. By now, a few trainees had gotten injured, and they lay in the middle of the floor, waiting for the raid to be over so they could be treated. A few of the mages were healers, and they did their best to help, but it was an urgent matter to get them to safety.
Major Clark shouted out, “Just a few more waves! Just a few more!”
Before long, a message was sent out.
“Wave 20 will spawn in 10 seconds!
Warning: Boss approaching!
Notice: The Final Wave is now Spawning!”
A chorus of excited shouts escaped the lips of the trainees, but Major Clark knew better, “It’s not over yet! Be careful! This one’s going to be tough!”
This time a single monster spawned. It was instantly recognizable as a griffin, with its lion torso, and eagle wings and head. Its beak was fearsome, its claws sharp, and it moved as fast as lightning. Within moments, the number of injured doubled as the griffin slashed at them. Zash readied to fight with the rest of them, and Major Clark began hurling fireballs at it. The griffin treated them as an annoyance, and quickly dodged them. Meanwhile, Zash sprinted at the griffin and engaged in combat. His body knew where to go instinctively, and he felt the wind of the claws as they whooshed by him, missing by fractions of an inch. As he dueled, he recalled everything he had read and been taught by Edward. As the fight dragged on, Zash felt himself growing tired, and resolved to make a final effort. As the griffin swiped at him, he dashed under its wing and behind it, and with a mighty blow, he sunk his sword into the griffin’s back. He held on for dear life as the griffin thrashed around, but it grew more and more docile until finally, it lay there, lifeless on the ground.
“Congratulations! The Gauntlet The Beast’s Revenge (Rank C) has been cleared!
Calculating rewards…
Main contributors (by percentage)
Zash Ward – 47%
Randall Clark – 32%
Lauren White – 8%
Other – 13%”