"Shit!! Everyone, get into formation," Kamare instructed as Meiru held her spear up front and Kamare drew his two long swords.

"Why can't you just face this weakling?" Ray pouted, stepping forward defiantly.

"Ray, get back!!" Kamare yelled urgently. The Harpy was mere centimeters away from Ray, poised to strike. However, before it could attack...

Ray's hand began to glow bright red, emitting a buzzing sound. With a swift horizontal slash, he cut through the Harpy.

The Harpy, which had been about to devour Ray, stood motionless before splitting into two and collapsing dead.

"What just happened?" someone asked in disbelief.

"I killed the damn bird, as you can see. Now, let’s eat," Ray said, looking disgustedly at the mess of the Harpy’s insides scattered around.

"Ray, if I may ask, what’s your Job Class?" Kamare asked, nervous yet curious.

Ray replied proudly, "I have a fusion Ability: Martial Artist and Fire Mage."

"Now, after we’re done eating, we’re going to find that brat Iris’ group. I’ll make her regret refusing my offer, and that freaking bastard always beside her—I’ll break his limbs until he begs for mercy," Ray said, his eyes darkening and a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"But Ray, we aren’t supposed to kill anyone," Meiru said, looking worried. If they killed anyone, they’d face severe punishment from the family Head.

"Of course, we can’t kill anyone, but it doesn’t say we can’t cripple them," Ray said with a malevolent grin, already plotting where Iris’s group might be.

'I don’t think it's a good idea to mess with their group, especially with him there,' Kamare thought, uneasy.

'Ozymandias… That boy is dangerous. So is Tael; he practically radiates death. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.'

____________

"I'm hungry," Iris complained, sluggishly walking with her teddy bear.

"I want some macaroni and cheese with steak."

'What kind of combination is that?' Tael thought, looking at her strangely and sighing.

"Unfortunately, some of the monsters are poisonous, so we need to find something safe to eat," Krumi warned.

"What about those berries?" Sheila pointed to a cluster of bright green bushes with strange-looking orange berries. Iris dashed to the bushes and began stuffing her mouth with them.

"Iris, wait! Those are poisonous!" Krumi shouted, trying to reach Iris, but Iris was too quick and slid past Sheila.

[ You have discovered Hydra's Poison bush. ]

[ This plant can kill anyone who consumes it within seconds, leading to a quick death. Even touching it transfers the poison.]

Iris paused, shocked, but then quickly resumed stuffing the berries into her mouth.

"Hey Iris, didn’t you hear that those berries are poisonous? Why are you still eating them?!!" Tael yelled, his face filled with worry, trying to figure out if Iris hadn't heard the warnings or if she was too hungry to listen.

"Well, that’s because I have poison resistance," Iris replied with her mouth stuffed full of berries.

And Iris was right. Ever since she started eating, the system had been bombarding her with messages:

[ You have gained +00.1 poison resistance. ]

[ You have gained +00.1 poison resistance. ]

[ You have gained +00.1 poison resistance. ]

Seeing these messages, Iris stopped caring and continued munching on the berries.

Everyone looked at her with a mix of envy and disbelief, but the thought quickly vanished when they saw her bright, cute smile.

"It seems we must find something for us to eat. Ozymandias, come with me," Tael instructed, and the two walked away as Iris, Krumi, and Sheila were left behind.

"We better find some wood and vines for the night. Iris, could you at least try to see if we can build a place for us to sleep?" Krumi said.

"Hmm. Alka, are you there?" Iris asked while picking up some twigs.

"Of course I am. Where else would I go?"

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Alka, could you please help us?" Iris pleaded, waiting for Alka's response.

"...."

"There is a way to help."

"Yes!! What is it?" Iris asked, relieved.

"You can use a Blood Puppet to help you build a place to sleep," Alka suggested plainly.

"But Alka, when I summoned the Blood Puppet earlier, it drained a lot of my MP," Iris said, looking hesitant.

"Right now I can’t provide direct support, so let’s see…” Alka pondered in the dark void.

Alka, sitting in a space, summoned a grey crystal ring, which appeared in her hand. She then pulled out a long peach cloth adorned with beautiful heart engravings.

"Ugh, this is one of the things I stole from the goddess of love in my former world," Alka grumbled, holding the sparkly cloth.

“You shouldn’t help her like that,” Kaguya huffed from the sidelines.

“It’s not bad to help her once in a while,” Alka shrugged.

"Here, you can have it," Alka said, as her hand passed through a small portal that appeared next to Iris, holding the beautiful cloth. To anyone else, it would have looked like a shadowy hand emerging next to the young child.

Iris grabbed the cloth and dashed towards Sheila and Krumi.

___

Tael and Ozymandias walked together in silence until Ozymandias broke it.

"Sheila is blind, right?" Ozymandias asked, his gaze fixed on Tael, who had an indifferent expression.

"She is," Tael confirmed, crouching down. Ozymandias followed suit.

A meter away, Tael and Ozymandias spotted a creature that resembled a deer but had three huge claws on its back and a crocodile-like mouth.

[ You have discovered a Croder. ]

[ A Croder resembles a deer but features three monstrous claws on its back for defense and attack. They are extremely swift runners and primarily herbivorous. ]

Tael found it odd that the dungeon provided detailed information about the monster rather than just its stats. Most dungeons offered minimal information, leaving adventurers to figure things out on their own.

"If Sheila is blind, how does she see?" Ozymandias asked with a serious yet curious expression.

Throughout their time in the dungeon, Ozymandias had noticed Sheila's blindness and assumed her sister would assist her. To his surprise, Sheila moved around as if she could see, which was quite strange.

"Does it have something to do with Iris?" Ozymandias inquired, noticing Tael's lack of response.

"More like Iris’s father, Isakawa," Tael replied, his gaze fixed on the Croder.

Ozymandias shivered slightly at the mention of Isakawa’s name. His father had warned him about Isakawa, emphasizing that meddling with Isakawa’s daughter was dangerous. Instead, he should seek to form a good relationship with her. Smiling, Ozymandias said, "Thanks."

Tael simply shrugged and dashed off toward the Croder.

_________

"It's night already. We should probably sleep," Ozymandias sighed, finishing the last of his Croder meat by the campfire.

"We won't be sleeping on the ground," Tael countered, "It's too dangerous."

"Then where should we sleep?" Ozymandias asked, puzzled.

Krumi, Sheila, and Iris giggled at the boys' confusion. "We have an idea," Krumi said, pointing at a tall tree with a huge cloth floating among the branches.

"It's an item of mine that can float," Iris said proudly as the cloth began to descend. "Everyone should get on," she instructed. They all climbed onto the soft, floating cloth, which gently lifted them to the highest point of the tallest trees. They quickly fell asleep as the cloth swayed softly in the breeze.

In the dead of night, a creature prowled near their camp, sniffing the air and bumping into trees. If someone had seen it, they might think it was mad, but it was actually searching for prey hiding in the trees. Its loud, crashing movements woke Iris and her group.

Under the moonlight, the group moved to the edge of the cloth and peered down, their blood running cold.

"What the hell is that?" Sheila trembled as she saw a dark, black cloud of flame, its aura causing her to turn pale.

[ You have discovered an Almog. ]

[ Almog: A creature that can grow up to 120 feet tall, but this one is only 10 feet tall. It has a massive head with rows of sharp teeth capable of biting through steel but lacks eyes or a nose. It has four front limbs with six long, sharp-clawed fingers and two long tails at its back. Its body is covered in sharp, spiky white bones that expose its nucleus, providing high defense. Almogs are notorious for their bloodthirsty nature. ]

[ Almog / Evolved Form.]

[ Level: 400 ]

[ Class: D ]

[ HP: 300,000/600,000 ]

[ Strength: 458,050 ]

[ Defense: 30,000 ]

[ AGI: 80,000 ]

"This… the dungeon explained the monster again," Tael muttered, his eyes scanning the blue screen that had appeared before them. The others were too frightened to speak, their fear palpable as they stared at the terrifying creature below.

After two hours of fruitless searching, the Almog screeched in frustration and slithered away into the darkness.

"Hah, we're lucky it left," Krumi exhaled a heavy sigh of relief.

Iris and Sheila clung to each other, their faces pale as they remembered the sight of the monster. If they had fought it head-on, there was no guarantee of their survival, even if it had been injured.

"I don't think we could win a fight against that thing as a group. What kind of monster was that? I've never seen or heard of it in any monster dialogue," Ozymandias mused, his brow furrowed. "This Rift is truly a mystery."

"Don’t you think it’s odd? Whenever we encounter a monster, this dungeon gives us detailed information about its appearance and behaviors, which isn’t typical. Most Rifts just provide the monster's stats. It feels like we’re being taught by the Rift," Tael observed, sitting with his legs crossed.

"And something has been watching us, not the cameras our parents placed here, but an external being," Ozymandias added, his eyes darting around nervously.

"How do you know this?" Krumi asked, bewildered. She began to realize that what they were saying might be true.

Tael nodded. "I had my suspicions too, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. Something is definitely watching us."

Krumi frowned. "But that doesn’t answer her question."

Ozymandias continued, "It feels like someone has been scrutinizing our stats."

"I caught that person repeatedly trying to view Iris’s stats," Ozymandias said, glancing at Iris, who looked equally nervous.

"Me?" Iris asked, pointing to herself.

Tael nodded. "Yes, probably because they can’t see your stats."

"One thing’s for sure: we need to get out of this Rift as soon as possible," Ozymandias mumbled anxiously. The longer they stayed, the more unsettling it felt.

"Everyone, let’s leave now. We can’t be sure if that monster will return. With its stats, it’s clearly not something to take lightly," Tael instructed. They all agreed, and the floating cloth moved away from its location as the children drifted back to sleep, lulled by its softness as they floated through the night.

"I wonder how the other teams are doing."

_____________________

In a thick forest with unusual purple trees surrounding them, a group of children lay battered and bruised.

"Ibuki and Cyan, how dare you attack us? Don’t you know we’re a team?!" a young boy shouted, glaring at the two girls. His greatsword was smeared with dirt and blood.

"Oh please, you’re just a bunch of weaklings. Why would we want to be in a team with you?" one of the twins retorted, grinning.