As soon as they saw it, they understood that they only have one option: flee.

The slug’s level was much higher than theirs, and they were tired and injured, unable to face it properly. However, the problem was where to run. They couldn’t get out of the dungeon, since their enemies were waiting outside. And, inside, they knew there must be more of those beings.

They backed away while Goldmi was looking this way and that. In her memories, there was a rest area near the entrance. Luckily for them, the slug was slow, and they soon found the refuge and entered, using the same seal as to access the dungeon.

They sat, looking anxiously towards the entrance, which the being approached and even covered, but, as in the game, it couldn’t pass through it. Only then, did they relax. They were safe there, at least for now, although the situation was still hopeless.

“Perhaps we can wait here until those outside leave?” suggested the lynx.

“It must be the best option. But, will they leave? What if they get in?” asked her sister, scared.

Meanwhile, outside, Jrevlo was cursing again and again. It knew that they couldn’t enter the dungeons, as they had tried many other times. The miasma was unable to penetrate the barrier, and the barrier was too strong to be demolished.

“Damn stupid bugs! How could you have let them escape !? You’re useless!”

Although, the truth was that complaints and criticism were of little use against dead creatures with no intellect.

“Wait for them here. Someday, they’ll have to go out!”

A little further, on a tree, it also waited. It didn’t have much more to do.

When they recovered, they cautiously left the rest area, and the elf cast Life Detection. There was a trace not far away, just beyond the entrance, so they decided to approach it, passing through the entrance to the dungeon. Outside, there were dozens of corrupted beings, perhaps hundreds, all of them passively waiting.

Although it didn’t surprise them, it wasn’t comforting to see that their suspicions were confirmed, but it had its positive side. On the one hand, it meant they were going to be there waiting as much time as needed. On the other, they weren’t trying to enter.

“The only option is to grow stronger,” said the lynx what both already knew, and without much conviction. The problem wasn’t what, but how.

To do so, they needed to be able to beat level 20 slugs, no more and no less than 11 levels above, more than two times theirs. The difference was too exaggerated, but it was still their only option.

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Fairly discouraged and scared, they decided to move in the direction of their impossible opponent. At least, they intended to try, to see if they had a chance, if there was a chance of a miracle.

Its prey was inside a side tunnel, so Goldmi wouldn’t have the advantage of distance. So, they decided that she would move away while the lynx peeked out. She immediately jumped back, just enough to avoid the Spittle that had been thrown at her. The fur that had been grazed was immediately corroded, showing the danger of the substance. If it had hit her fully, she could have died. At least, it didn’t expand like poisons can.

The feline ran in the direction of her sister, determined not to be around when the level 20 being appeared, while being its slowness her only advantage. She arrived next to her before their enemy appeared.

As soon as it peeked from the tunnel, one arrow after another began to fly towards the being made of mana. Some without anything extra. Others with Piercing Arrow. Some Ethereal. They soon discovered that the physical attacks did little to harm it, that the body of that kind of slug looked like jelly, and those arrows did little more than pierce it. Only the ones made by mana were effective, although their effect was minimal.

“Get away!” exclaimed the feline, catching the elf with her jaws and dragging her.

She had seen the shudder of that being once before, and knew what it meant. A moment later, the Spittle covered where they had both been. Although at a distance, it wasn’t enough to be out of range, nor to take full advantage of the archer’s range.

They quickly returned to the rest area, discouraged. They needed to rest and recover mana, since Goldmi had spent almost all on more than a dozen Ethereal Arrows, almost all with Piercing Arrow. The result had been discouraging, as she hadn’t even managed to get it lose 1% of its health after exhausting her resources.

The elf forced herself to eat, although she had no appetite, something the feline didn’t suffer from. Though worried and demoralized, that wasn’t enough to take away her hunger, so she devoured the food her sister had previously saved.

Meanwhile, Goldmi reviewed the recently unlocked spells and skills, looking for a solution, a hope. As for the spells, she now had Mana Link and Life Link, which allows exchanging mana and health with pets, with her sisters in her case. The first was at 7 and the second at 5. They can be very useful, but they didn’t solve anything in that desperate situation.

Energy Link is the skill equivalent to the previous spells, and it exchanges energy. Like these, its effectiveness is directly proportional to its level of affinity, and in this case it was 10. Given the large amount of energy of the feline, it was very useful in the game when the elf was short of it.

And the last one was Fallback, a skill that allows to gain a few meters of distance from the enemies in exchange for some energy investment, up to fifteen meters in affinity 10, one meter less for each level missing to reach the maximum. She had it at 8, and, while also useful, it couldn’t help them out of their situation either.

Both saw that invincible enemy pass by the entrance several times, which seemed to be searching the area, perhaps looking for them. They had regained their strength, but were in no mood to try again, as they knew that it was completely useless, that they couldn’t defeat it.

“It has recovered, but not entirely. It’s still wounded,” the lynx suddenly observed.

The elf then noticed the enemy that passed in front of them, from which only the barrier of the rest area separated them. Its health was at 99’6%, which could hardly be considered a scratch.

The sisters looked at each other, their eyes shining again, coming to life. It wasn’t going to be easy. Not without risks. Not fast. But there was hope.