"Damn! This dungeon proves quite formidable," Azuki, the esteemed vice commander of Bloom, exclaimed. Turning to Silent Wind, the middle-aged man clad in shadows beside him, Azuki inquired, "Silent Wind-nii, did they truly ventured into this perilous dungeon?"
Silent Wind affirmed with unwavering confidence, "Rest assured, Azuki. I do not lie. I trailed them from their initial exit in the town, observed them entering this dungeon, and also witnessed them emerging three hours later, only to see them enter once again."
Silent Wind, the black-clad assassin had nursed a long-standing grudge against Rem since the fatal encounter where Rem had seemingly killed him. But despite the vendetta, Silent Wind hesitated, lacking the confidence to directly confront Rem. However, fate took an unexpected turn, aligning Bloom at his side in the mission to eliminate Rem.
Rem in Silent Wind’s appearance, audacious act of humiliating Azuki at the bustling flea market became the catalyst for this shift in events.
Azuki, wanting to seek answers, had confronted Silent Wind in a brutal encounter, which consequently leads to a tense dialogue between them that theorized, Rem might have bee the orchestrator behind the flea market debacle.
It had become clear to Silent Wind, when Sora, also had come to meet him, disclosed that someone had impersonated Silent Wind. She had hoped he would join her for the information, but Sora's reluctance to confront Rem didn't align with Silent Wind's burning desire for payback—stemming not only from the PK incident but also from the indelible mark left by Rem's actions as a salesperson buffoon while using his face, which had inflicted a more profound humiliation than the PK event.
At some point, as Silent Wind had laid eyes on Rem again in the courtyard of the Alchemy Association building, he sensed that the long-awaited moment for revenge was finally upon him. Meticulously trailing Ryou and Elsa to Black Mountain, wary of their formidable prowess, he rallied his allies, including Azuki, to ensure the odds were firmly in his favor for the impending confrontation.
Fueled by his own desire for retribution, Azuki had gathered a formidable force of 60 players to encircle Rem upon his exit from the dungeon.
Silent Wind's news about Ryou and Elsa's extended hour of stay in the level 10 dungeon had led Azuki to believe in a potential glitch or anomaly within the dungeon so they also simultaneously entered it themselves, in a bid to strengthen his team.
However, the illusion of sweet victory swiftly transformed into a nightmarish reality as Azuki's party confronted a brutal demise within the dungeon's unforgiving depths with high level horde skeleton all over the place and no possible sight of any glitch.
Following the swift and merciless defeat within the dungeon, doubt insidiously crept into Azuki's thoughts, prompting him to question whether Silent Wind had misled him with erroneous information.
"Staying in this dungeon for over 3 hours is implausible, Silent Wind-nii," Azuki declared with a menacing smile, challenging him to deceive. Azuki's polite remark meant, 'How could anyone venture into a dungeon teeming with undead skeletons at this stage of the game?’
With composure, Silent Wind responded, "He was accompanied by Elsa, the mastermind behind yesterday's auction. There may be hidden secrets between them, possibly a quest that weaken the enemy.”
Azuki fell momentarily silent before questioning, "The one with half green and half blue symbols NPC?"
"Yes, I observed the half green and half red symbol over her head when they died and exited," Silent Wind disclosed with anticipation. "Perhaps we can inquire politely about how he persuaded that NPC to follow him or how he managed to stay alive in this dungeon for a duration of 3 hours," he added with a sarcastic smirk.
A voice from one of the Bloom’s teams in the crowd suggested, "Let's bring his HP down by at least half before engaging in conversation. It might give us an advantage in negotiations."
Seeing the ominous expressions of his friends, Azuki smiled and reassured his guild mates, "Apologies, everyone. I allowed you to enter the dungeon without understanding the repercussions. In order to let our depression out we would kill Rem once we gather information on his activities within this dungeon.”
_ _ _ _ _
Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the Black Mountain dungeon, within the Boss area, Ryou and Elsa stood before a formidable foe—a Larger Skeleton wielding a dark halberd and a towering shield.
**Skeleton Knight (Great Elite)**
Level 10
HP: 1380/1380
Ryou rushed forward and shouted, "Miss Elsa, use…" but before he could finish, Elsa swiftly cast the spell.
[Vine Marsh]
Emerald tendrils, akin to the width of a thumb, surged from the seared earth, deftly ensnaring the imposing Skeleton Knight's colossal frame. These sinewy vines encircled the skeletal figure, briefly impeding its motion. The Skeleton Knight grappled for a mere two seconds before breaking loose, yet in that fleeting interval, Ryou exploited the opening, launching a relentless barrage of strikes that inflicted substantial damage upon the already debilitated monster.
In this battle, Elsa's battle awareness were heightened for combat and there was lack of rigidity from the initial period of the dungeon run. The Great Elite Skeleton Knight could be seen faltering even before the battle reach midpoint. Elsa's magic, intertwined with nature's essence, harmonized seamlessly with Ryou's tactical acumen, pushing the formidable Skeleton Knight to the edge of defeat with every attack as time passes by. The skeletal figure exhibited evident wear and tear from the result of their coordinated assault. The monstrous entity, its formidable HP dwindling like a receding tide, reached a precarious 15%, and predictably, it underwent another transformation, raising its strength to be even more potent.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Nevertheless, Ryou and Elsa in their unyielding and synchronized assault, despite the monster's augmented strength dwindle the Boss' Hp by the second. Elsa's strategic support and formidable spellcasting played a pivotal role and in a mere three minutes, the Great Elite Skeleton Knight succumbed to their joint efforts, with surprisingly Elsa's spell, [Leaf Cutter], delivering the decisive, finishing blow.
"Satisfyingly done, Miss Elsa. You've become very strong," Ryou remarked, a content smile on his face.
Elsa, in response, offered a graceful curtsy, "I am happy that I could be more helpful to young master."
With the victorious air still lingering, Ryou shifted his gaze to the loot dropped by the defeated Skeleton Knight, pondering the potential rewards that awaited them.
He walked near the loots and saw 3 items, an armor, a sword and a skull. He checked the bone armor first, which was literally made of bones.
Bone armor (uncommon rank)
Level 9
Equipment Requirement: Strength 8
HP +130
Mp +15
Defense +5
Strength +3
Endurance +3
Ryou, lacking superior armor options, donned the available gear. The precise alignment of his Strength attribute enabled him to seamlessly equip it. The augmented Defense and added strength might promised to be advantageous in the upcoming, more challenging 'Hell mode' of the dungeon. Moving on, he inspected the intricately crafted longsword, its appearance suggesting it was crafted from the spine of a formidable monster.
Ash sword (Uncommon)
Equipment Requirements: Defense 9
Level 9
MP+20
Strength + 5
Vitality +1
Magical attack +6
Attack speed +6
Intelligence +2
"Just perfect," Ryou mused internally. In need of a second-handed sword, he swiftly exchanged his previous, weaker blade for the newly acquired one. As a dual swordsman, he now wielded the bone-crafted longsword in one handed Ash Sword, in the other was the Bee sword.
Bee sword (uncommon)
Equipment Requirements : +5 strength
Level 5
Agility+6
Strength +1
Physical damage +6
Ryou primarily wielded the Bee sword for its enhanced agility. Turning his attention to the bony skull, its pale white surface gleamed with an eerie shine, exuding a dark aura.
Skeleton Knight's Skull (Uncommon):
The skull emanates dark elemental essence, suitable for crafting various items.
Carefully stowing away the item, he glanced at Elsa and inquired, "Shall we leave, Miss Elsa?"
"Of course, young master," Elsa replied. Following her response, an interface appeared, offering the options to either exit or stay in the dungeon. Ryou clicked on "exit.”
Upon exiting the Dungeon, an ominous foreboding gripped Ryou, his senses tingling as his hair stood on end. Reacting on instinct, Ryou swiftly seized Elsa by the waist and in the blink of an eye, triggered [Jump]. As if in orchestrated synchrony, two towering guardians, armed with colossal shields, swung their massive weapons precisely where Ryou and Elsa had stood mere moments before.
Landing without the luxury of calculating his descent, Ryou found himself amidst the rearguard, surrounded by mages, clerics, and druids. Recognizing the advantage of 'surprise attack', he acted swiftly, unleashing [Shadow Flash]. Three dark beams of light streaked through the air, hitting the unsuspecting mages with precision. Damage counters revealed -25, -23, -26, attesting to the efficacy of Ryou's sudden assault. Amplifying his speed with [Fast Step], he gained a +20 boost to his already impressive movement speed.
Sheathing both swords with deft precision, Ryou surged forward with astonishing speed. In a swift and seamless maneuver, he materialized near the still dumbfounded mages. The razor-sharp execution of [Chop], delivering +45 damage, followed by a subsequent normal swing with +27 damage, left one mage lifeless. The swift demise caught the mage off guard, unable to comprehend the sudden onslaught.
System: You have killed a player, dark karma +1.
Penalty: Two pieces of equipment drop rate would increase by 1%.
The Defense and Agility vulnerability of spellcasters proved advantageous for Ryou as he could killed them swiftly. Leveraging his level and attribute superiority, he effortlessly killed the remaining 2 spellcaster who was hit by [Shadow Flash] before they could react fully. Panic ensued among the surviving magic users, with some desperately casting spells while others opted to flee.
A malicious grin adorned Ryou's lips as he taunted, "Slowpoke." His mastery of skills, rapid attacks, and agile movements sowed chaos and death in his wake, each 3-4 slash claiming the fragile lives of these glass cannon spellcasters.
Azuki, positioned at the forefront amidst the melee, found himself agape at first, his initial surprise morphing into a mixture of anger and astonishment.
Urgently, he bellowed out orders, "Why are you all standing like statues? Rangers, unleash your arrows on him! Mages and clerics, gather here! Guardians and swordsmen, intercept his path!" Witnessing his players exhibiting sluggishness or hesitation, Azuki, with eyes ablaze, hastily exclaimed, "Fuck! Move swiftly, don't be sluggish like snails!”
Observing Rem's swift movements, refined dual swordsmanship, and formidable attack power, Azuki murmured, "Is this fucker an Assassin, a Berserker, or a Swordsman?"
Meanwhile, propelled by rapid agility, Ryou discerned the distance from Elsa so he swiftly unleashed [Snowy Field]. The frigid winds, spanning a 5-meter radius, dealt heightened damage among spellcasters and rangers, escalating the casualties. Sensing another surge in his agility, Ryou intuited Elsa's buff's spell played a role. However, curiosity struck when he detected no further buffs. Glancing at Elsa's side, he observed five melee players approaching her like wolves.
Ryou felt his blood boil, activating [Jump] to swiftly land in the midst of the players. He unleashed a fierce howl, exclaiming, "Pick someone your own size, bitch!”
Amidst the unyielding frost of the [Snowy Field], Ryou, with a formidable level 9, wielded a substantial advantage over the meager level 3-4 players. His agile maneuvers, propelled by a blend of skill and swiftness, made the feeble efforts of the lower-level players utterly inconsequential.
With an almost nonchalant elegance, Ryou adeptly sidestepped their assaults, dismissing their feeble tactics with ease. Their tricks and feints were futile, resembling children attempting to outsmart an adult. Stabs and slashes cut through the frosty air as Ryou navigated strategically, exploiting weaknesses and effortlessly bypassing their defenses. In a mere 10 seconds, the five players were death.
Ryou's fierce gaze bore down upon the remaining players, instilling an unspoken dread that left them frozen in place. Closing in on Elsa, the Bloom's players, gradually awakening from their stupor, rallied together under Azuki's authoritative command.
By Elsa's side, Ryou observed her perspiration and glimpsed a hint of nervousness in her expression. With a reassuring tone, he said, "Miss Elsa, why fear? Consider them as monsters in human guise, no different from the foes in the dungeon that you've killed." His grin exuded confidence, the corners of his lips lifting in assurance.
Elsa mustered a smile, albeit one tinged with a subtle tremor, a departure from her usual radiant demeanor.
A silvery voice, reminiscent of the whisper of snakes, echoed across the battlefield. "Rem, let's cease this conflict. We harbor no intent to harm you; why don't we engage in a more 'civilized' conversation?. Please don't initiate hostile action anymore" The speaker's silvery-tongued words conveyed genuine confusion, as if wounded by Ryou's initial aggression.
Unyielding, Ryou shifted his focus to Elsa. Offering reassurance, he instructed, "Miss Elsa, fear not. I stand by your side." After a momentary pause to assess her response, he added, "Refrain from causing attention to yourself; employ your vines to restrain anyone who approaches, but avoid taking lives.”
Expressing concern, Elsa whispered, "And what about you, young master?"
Azuki interjected, "I don't mean to intrude, but it's impolite to ignore someone.”
Ryou turned to Azuki, declaring to both Elsa and Azuki, "I will go to that guy and kill him."