[Part 2 - Against the Scorching Serpent]

At the top of the staircase lies a spacious chamber featuring four orangey-red-hued pillars arranged in a square formation at the centre. The floor is reflective and looks like it has a lava-related magic circle design in the middle.

Another two paths, which are closed off by more barriers, lie ahead of where we came in and to the left. Though the left one seems to be walled off this time.

As Sage crosses through the threshold to this imposing room, the arched gate we used to get in slams shut once more.

The torches on the walls light up the room, causing shadows to dance around the pillars. The air smells like sulphur, making the room feel even more unsettling.

I glance around and spot intriguing carvings on the walls showing battles and ceremonies. The sound of bubbling lava echoes in the chamber, creating an eerie ambience that sends shivers down my spine.

“What is this place…?” I ask.

Alden and Teris turn to me, along with the rest of the group.

“This place… is where things start to get harder, especially for you.”

Oh. So things do get worse. That’s a bit unsettling for me.

Violet’s playful visage doesn’t change as she runs around the room like a child in a playground, seemingly unfazed by the ominous surroundings.

“This place is so huuuuge!”

As she twirls around, her laughter fills the chamber, providing a severe contrast to the tension in the air.

“Why hasn’t anything happened yet?”

“Something has to be activated… And I assume Violet is going to be the one to do it.”

We all turn to Violet, who’s looking down on a glowing inscription on the floor, with a curious expression on her face.

“Guys, I just stepped on this weird inscription; what do you think it means?” Violet asks, her voice echoing in the chamber.

Suddenly, a low, rumbling noise fills the chamber, causing the walls to shake. The inscription beneath Violet’s feet starts glowing even brighter in response to her 'unintentional' activation.

The barrier blocking the path ahead of us is starting to fade away, revealing perpetual darkness.

“Oh? Did I start the battle~?” Her voice echoes with a suggestive tone as she teases with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the chaos she’s caused.

“Violet… You’re likely to get Sora killed at this rate…” Elysia warns, her eyes narrowing in concern as she looks at Violet.

“Everyone get as far away from the gate as possible!”

Why am I hearing boss music all of a sudden?

The ground trembles beneath our feet, and like a train barrelling down the tracks, a massive serpent-like creature emerges from the darkness. Its snake-eyes lock onto us with a hunger that sends shivers down my spine.

Save for the bulges of lava leaking from its pores, it's made of igneous rock, firey scales that are a deep shade of orange, and molten magma

“What in the world is that!?” I yell, my heart pounding in my chest as I realise the danger we are facing.

I hear Elysia’s voice cutting through the chaos.

“It’s a scorching serpent, the first boss of this dungeon.”

Why am I in such a high-level dungeon? I feel so unprepared for this.

The ground shakes as the fiery serpent roars, getting ready to attack.

“Get ready, it’s going to attack!”

A blinding beam of searing light erupts from its gaping maw, its scorching heat singeing the air as it hurtles towards me. It’s way too fast for me to dodge. I brace myself for impact, hoping my armour will protect me from the scorching heat.

Instead of feeling searing pain, I gather my courage to watch in amazement as Ember effortlessly splits the beam with her bare hand.

“You’re weak, Sora.”

Ember’s voice resonates with unwavering calmness, her gaze unwaveringly locked onto the serpentine menace.

“Sora, do what you were made for.”

“What I'm made for?”

“Offer yourself as bait.”

…Eh?

The beam vanishes, and Ember eases her shoulders slightly, but her determined gaze remains locked on the serpent, a silent dare in her eyes.

As it charges at her, a fireball suddenly materialises in her hand, directly aimed at the serpent’s head. With a swift motion, she hurls it towards the creature, causing it to recoil in pain.

The serpent hisses angrily, but Ember stands her ground, ready for whatever comes next.

As I use [Analyse], I realise I’m not ready for this dungeon. I should have tried to persuade the party to choose an easier dungeon.

« Serpent of Molten Fire »

─Level: 17

─Skills: Siren Screech, Lava Ray, Magma Bomb… [TOO ADVANCED FOR CURRENT SKILL LEVEL]

─Attributes: HP: 30,330 / 32,000 | MP: 9980 / 10000 | DEF: 325 | M DEF: 225| STR: 230 | M STR: 360 | SPD: 56

“Draven! Now would be the best time to strike it while it’s on Ember!” Elysia says as she forms a weapon of pure light in her hand. The serpent lunges forward, its fangs bared, and Ember braces herself for the impending attack.

“You don’t have to tell me twice!”

Draven responds, raising his colossal battleaxe and charging towards the serpent with determination.

Sage comes in and places a healing aura on Ember, boosting her HP and providing protection against the serpent’s attack.

Then there’s me, the weak one amongst them, trying to find a way to contribute to the battle despite my limited abilities.

I really wish I were stronger…

Draven’s battle cry echoes through the clearing as he swings his axe with incredible force, striking the serpent’s vulnerable underbelly. The serpent recoils in pain, giving Elysia an opening to deliver a powerful blow with her weapon of light.

When checking out my status, I noticed earlier that I retain information from Analyse indefinitely. This seems to be true, as I notice the health change from 30,330 to 25,237.

Suddenly, I feel a bit of hope that I won’t perish again, at least not so soon.

“Violet—

“I know what to do!”

That’s mildly concerning, but I trust her instincts.

“Umbral Barrage!” She shouts as she unleashes a flurry of dark energy beams at the serpent, weakening its defences.

The creature groans in pain but quickly strikes back with a fierce counterattack. In a flash, Alden leaps ahead of me, using a metallic wall to shield me from the attack.

“You alright?” He asks, his concern clear in his tone. I nod, genuinely grateful for his protection.

And just when I think things couldn’t get any worse, the ground beneath us begins shaking violently. The floor cracks slowly, with small chunks of the ground breaking off from the rest of the ground.

Between each crevice is molten lava, and it seems to be rising.

“Uhh, guys?” I stammer, pointing to the growing pool of lava. I notice Alden’s eyes narrowing as he evaluates the situation.

“It would be wise for us to get on a platform before it’s too late.”

He scans the room, noticing the fragmented ground, before swiftly leaping onto one of the pieces. We all do the same, but on different platforms. And like an idiot, I choose a vacant one, only to realise I don’t have any protection.

The serpent roars loudly as it rises from the lava, its scales glinting in the dim chamber light. In that split second, panic surges through me like a tidal wave. I scramble desperately, searching for something—anything—to shield myself from the impending doom. But the ground beneath me is crumbling, and there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

The serpent’s fiery maw comes crashing down towards me, and I can feel the heat radiating off its scaly skin. Panic surges through me as I realise I’m about to be flattened into a pancake and then tossed into a lava bath.

But just when it seems like all hope is lost, Elysia swoops in like a guardian angel, her weapon of light gleaming as she intercepts the serpent’s attack, blinding it for a brief moment before releasing a beam of red darkness at its core.

With a deft movement, she redirects the creature’s momentum, sparing me from becoming serpent sushi.

“It’s on the walls—

“Elysia, watch out!” I yell, as the serpent’s tail whips towards her with alarming speed. She barely manages to dodge it, but the force of the impact sends her stumbling dangerously close to the edge of her platform.

“Thanks for the heads up.” She says, her voice strained with effort as she regains her balance. “We need to stay focused and work together to take this thing down.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I nod, trying to keep my fear in check as I watch the serpent’s movements, searching for any opportunity to strike back.

Meanwhile, Draven charges forward, his battleaxe raised high, as he prepares to deliver a crushing blow to the serpent’s head.

“Here it comes!”

He shouts as he swings his weapon with all his might.

The serpent hisses angrily, but before it can retaliate, Alden steps in, conjuring a barrier of ice to deflect its attack.

However, the effect doesn’t last long as the Serpent breaks free and releases a barrage of searing hot embers from its scales, showering the battlefield with fiery projectiles that explode on impact. But it doesn’t stop there; an orange protective barrier cocoons it like cloth over a fragile vase, shielding it from Alden's attacks.

"Watch out! The embers are highly volatile and can cause serious burns." Alden warns.

But Ember simply stops their movements and absorbs them like it's nothing, leaving me surprised at her incredible control over fire.

Teris, the archer who's been watching from another platform, quickly takes aim and fires a precise shot at the serpent, but the arrow is deflected by the protective barrier, bouncing harmlessly off its shimmering surface.

"But how will we deal with its shield?"

"Doesn't Violet have a shield-penetrating skill?"

"Oh? You mean [Shatterstrike]?"

"Exactly, that should do the trick."

The serpent charges at Violet, who places her hand out in front of her, channelling her energy into the [Shatterstrike] skill.

With a powerful thrust, the shield around the serpent shatters, and Violet's attack pierces its eye, possibly even going straight to its brain.

"Critical hit!"

She celebrates for a moment before quickly dodging the serpent's retaliatory strike as it lets out a deafening screech while it writhes in pain, its movements becoming more erratic as it slowly weakens.

It slithers against the walls, occasionally biting at us with its vicious fangs while also using what I can assume is its [Lava Ray] skill. We all (besides Ember, who's currently bathing in the rising lava for some reason) try to evade its attack while trying to stay on the platforms.

"It's almost dead!" I call out, hoping to be free of this mess as soon as possible.

With less than 1,000 HP left in its health, it is now open to a last-minute attack. Knowing that one more well-placed blow will finally take down the snake, Violet gets ready for the final move.

Violet inhales deeply and discharges obsidian shards from her fingertips at the serpent's head, knowing that this will be the finishing blow. Elysia further immobilises the serpent by encircling its body with light spikes, preventing any chance of escape.

The snake lets out one final, feeble attempt at striking back before finally succumbing to the combined attacks of Violet and Elysia.

The serpent glows a vibrant gold and green hue as an innumerable number of tiny orbs take its place as it vanishes into thin air.

EXP! I can level up with this!

The orbs dance around all of us, shimmering and pulsating with energy, before merging with our hearts in a mystical display. A medolic 'ding' rings out as text floats in front of me; I assume only I can see it, as I can't see the others.

« 10,000 SHARED EXP GAINED »

« +1 LEVEL GAINED [Prog. To Next: 7,763 / 9,600 EXP] »

« +1 SKILL POINT GAINED, +2 ATTRIBUTE POINTS GAINED »

Huh… Only one level… And shared EXP? Is it split amongst everyone? Considering there are eight people here, the original amount would be 80,000 if I'm right...

…

I was robbed of 80,000 EXP?!

… Actually I didn't do much, so that's fair.

I'm torn between feeling relieved and a bit disappointed that I almost died a lot and didn't really do much to help.

The lava in the space sinks and recedes into the inscriptions that started this whole battle, and I turn to see a nude Ember standing there, licking the back of her hand, as if she doesn't care at all about her current state of undress. I quickly avert my eyes, feeling a bit awkward at the unexpected sight.

"Hey… Sora?" Draven takes a few menacing strides forward. "Your weakness is despicable; I'm annoyed that Elysia hasn't abandoned you to wither away. I guess I'll tell you this now: for someone as low of a level as you, joining this guild will be your biggest mistake."

I look up at Draven with an expression of fear as his words cut through me like a knife. The realisation that my own guild member sees me as weak and useless is a harsh blow to my confidence.

But then I remember Ember's words: "You're weak, Sora."

This cycle of doubt and fear is toxic, and I need to break free from it. But how can I if I'm so weak and useless in the eyes of my own guild members?

"Sora, Alden would like to speak to you." Sage's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I nod.

As I step towards Alden in the chamber, I notice Elysia watching me with a curious expression, perhaps wondering what will transpire between Alden and me. But my mind also ponders over Draven's words: "for someone as low of a level as you, joining this guild will be your biggest mistake."

What could Draven possibly mean by that? Is there some truth to his words, or is he just trying to sow doubt in my mind? Either way, I must stay strong and prove myself worthy of being a member of this guild.

Once I reach Alden, Sage appears to be accompanying him, and I can feel my anxiety rising. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for whatever conversation is about to take place.

"Sora, Sage talked to me about the monsters targeting you specifically, which is a strange and rare occurrence. We have decided to task Sage with increasing your protection and providing additional support to ensure your safety."

"I see, thank you for this."

"You're welcome… We don't want you getting hurt, that'll be bad for us…"

Us?

The mention of "us" piques my curiosity, but I decide not to press further at the moment. Instead, I focus on the reassurance that Alden and Sage are taking steps to keep me safe.

"Guys, the path hasn't opened!" exclaimed Violet.

"What?!"

Alden, Elysia, Draven, and I quickly gather around the sealed route, exchanging concerned glances and fidgeting with their gear in frustration. Draven attempts to force it open, but it remains stubbornly shut.

"Why won't the damn thing budge?!"

"It's probably because we haven't actually deactivated the barrier."

"That actually makes… sense… Ember? Where are your clothes?"

Sage, Alden, Draven—surprisingly—and I all look away in embarrassment. Well, I'm not entirely sure about Draven's reaction.

"They burned in the lava."

"How exactly? Isn't your armour resistant to extreme temperatures?"

"You're right. I took them off to bathe."

A heavy, uncomfortable silence fell over the group, the only sound being the crackling of the nearby fire. She bathes in lava? That's unbelievable, even for her.

"Why did you feel the need to do it now, of all times, especially after such a stressful battle?" I hear Violet asking.

"I felt the need too."

I'm not sure if she's being serious or sarcastic. Either way, I don't think I want to know the answer.

"Well, at least put some clothes on."

There's a brief silence before the sound of some sort of fabric and steel clinking together, followed by a heavy sighs, reaches my ears.

"Is this good enough for you?"

We turn around to see Ember back in her usual fiery attire. I question if she will ever fully understand the concept of modesty, but then again, it's not like we have time to worry about that now.

"Yeah. I think we can continue our predicament now… You said it's because we haven't deactivated the barrier, right?" Elysia steps closer to Ember.

Ember nods, her expression serious.

"Yes, that's correct."

"I activated it!"

Can Violet teleport? How did she get to the centre so quickly without any of us realising it?

All of a sudden, the ground shakes, and a loud, rumbling noise echoes through the room. We all turn to the walled-off route, watching as the wall begins to open.

"Finally, we're gonna be out of this room…" I mutter to myself.

As the wall slowly opens, revealing a new path ahead, we all breathe a sigh of relief.

I linger behind the group, my eyes fixated on a bunch of glittering, orange crystals scattered across the chamber floor, particularly around where the serpent perished. As everyone starts to move towards the newly revealed path, I quickly scoop up as many crystals as possible, not minding the extreme temperature, and stuff them into my pockets.

With my pockets filled with blazing hot crystals, I finally tear my gaze away from the ground and hurry to catch up with the group. As I approach them, I can't shake off the feeling of guilt weighing heavily on my chest. They probably think I'm useless; honestly, I can't blame them.

Eventually, I catch up with the rest of the group, who are waiting for me with patient smiles on their faces.

"Sorry for being useless back there." I mumble, feeling guilty for not contributing much to the battle.

"Nonsense, Sora." Elysia says with a reassuring smile. "You did your best, and that's all anyone can ask for."

"Yeah, it's not like any of us expected you to be a pro on your first dungeon run."

I nod, attempting to shake off the persistent feeling of inadequacy eating away at me. They're just being nice because they feel sorry for me, I tell myself. They don't really think I'm capable of anything.

But deep down, I know that's not true. They wouldn't have let me join their guild if they didn't believe in me, right?

After a few moments of walking, we finally arrive at a moderately sized chest perched beside a jagged rocky wall. It's sturdy-looking, adorned with intricate carvings, and glowing faintly with a soft, warm light.

As we get closer to the chest, I feel excitement building up inside me like bubbles in a soda can. We’ve been through so much already, and now, finally, it’s time to reap the rewards of our hard-fought victory.

I share a glance with Alden, receiving a comforting nod from him. It's weird how he often knows what I'm thinking, like he can see right through me.

"Ready to see what we've earned?" He asks.

I nod, my pulse pumping with anticipation. We all gather around the chest, eager to uncover its contents.

Violet extends her hand and cautiously raises the lid, unveiling the contents within. There are a few items inside: moonstones, sunstones, elixirs, and a strange tome-like object.

Beneath them all rests a golden, scale-covered sphere enveloped in fiery shards and topped with a golden crown.

"No way… is that what I think it is?" She asks, barely able to contain her excitement.

A collective gasp fills the air as everyone, in genuine surprise and awe, beholds the ornate ball before us.

"What exactly is that?"

"That's an Emberic Serpentine Core." Alden says, his voice filled with awe. "It's an incredibly rare and valuable item."

My eyes widen in disbelief.

"Wait, seriously? How rare are we talking here?"

"According to the dungeon's drop rates, it has a 0.013% chance of appearing." Elysia explains, her tone tinged with amazement.

Alden nods, confirming the rarity of the Emberic Serpentine Core.

"It's also extremely valuable, as here is one of the only places you can find it. People pay a fortune for it in the market." The realisation of the item's worth sinks in, making me appreciate its presence even more.

I see Violet's eyes light up with greed as she looks at the Emberic Serpentine Core, already thinking about the money she could make. Not just Violet, but Draven and Teris too.

"Guys, hold up." Draven interjects, his voice tinged with eagerness. "Shouldn't we, like, pause our progress or something? I mean, we've hit the jackpot here."

Violet nods in agreement, her mind already calculating the potential profit.

"He's got a point. This could set us up for a long time."

"I agree; maybe we should—" I try speaking up, but Elysia shakes her head as she interrupts me.

"I understand where you're coming from, but I think we should keep moving forward. We can't let this distract us from our main goal."

"I agree with Elysia. We've come this far, and we shouldn't let a lucky find derail our plans. Let's keep pushing forward." Alden steps in, his voice calm and steady.

I can feel the group starting to sway towards Elysia and Alden's side, but there's still some hesitation lingering in the air.

"But think about it, guys. With this core, we could—"

"I understand your point, Violet, but let's focus on the task at hand. We can discuss what to do with the core once we've completed our mission."

Violet pouts but ultimately nods in agreement, knowing when to pick her battles.

Elysia takes the core and presumably stores it in her inventory.

"Alright then, now that that's settled, let's get moving!"

I sigh as I walk behind the group, still thinking about the choice we just made. Why do I have to keep going further into this dungeon? Why can't I just say I don't want to go on?

We keep moving through the dungeon. I'm not ready for what the next miniboss may be; I don't think I will ever be ready for it.