“Orc, ten O’clock!” Arthur shouted.

Turning at the Knight’s instructions, Chloe faced off against a large bulking green monster, wearing tribal clothing and wielding a battle axe in its right hand. Before the Orc could even swing its weapon down, The brawler bawled her fist and drove it straight toward its chest, instantly caving in its rips with a single punch. The Orc stumbled backward in pain as it wheezed with each breath it made.

Just before Chloe could finish the job, three arrows were shot at the Orc’s skull; two of them hitting one eye each, and the last one driven directly between its eyes. The monster stood frozen there for a moment then fell on its back, crashing to the concrete floor with a loud thud.

When Chloe turned around to see the culprit that took her kill, she saw a player standing on top of a car with a bow in hand. It was a woman with a slender body, wearing a green cloak with a hood covering her head, leaving only strands of her brown hair dangling out the hood. The moment the hooded player saw Chloe, she gave a thumbs-up to the Brawler, prompting her to do the same.

Just then, another Orc was about to attack Chloe. It wielded a jagged sword that was currently descending on her rapidly. However, the Orc was interrupted as a ball of fire was launched at its face, exploding after making contact. The monster roared in pain, backing up while covering its face that was burning. Chloe had to cover her nose because she was starting to smell the creature’s burning flesh. She could even hear its skin sizzling like sausage on a grill, making it even more unpleasant.

In the heat of the moment, a purple energy coursed around Chloe’s gauntlets. Then, she pulled her fist back and drove it through the Orc’s stomach, easily piercing through it. Blood and intestines spilled out of its guts as she pulled her hand back, her gauntlet coated in the red viscous substance. As the Orc collapsed on the ground, Chloe heard a familiar chime which was the Kill Notification.

[Orc has been defeated! 225 EXP has been collected!]

After killing the Orc, Chloe spun around to find the person who shot that fireball that saved her life, witnessing another player wearing a magician's cloak and wielding a magic staff as they cast another fireball spell at another Orc. The monster instantly burned to a crisp while falling to its knees, its flesh burning and sizzling all the while. Next to the player that did that, she saw her friend, Lucy launching light bolts at the Orcs, easily killing them as she either struck their skulls or chests, where their heart was located.

She was so proficient in killing them, that Chloe found it a little hard to see that it was her friend, who she saw as delicate, destroying the Orcs in such a way. It was a little frightening how such a fragile girl like Lucy was currently slaughtering monsters as if it was a natural thing to do. Goes to show how the Apocalypse can change a person, even someone as Saint-like as Lucy, who grew up in a church.

Looking around again, she spotted another player. A guy wearing a thief’s outfit, wielding duel daggers. One of the Orcs tried to smash its hammer on him, but the Thief zipped around the monster, inflicting a couple of wounds in the process. When the monster roared in pain and frustration, it slammed against the ground, causing a small tremor that caused the Thief to lose his balance and fall down.

With the player at its mercy, the monster raised its hammer, prepared to drive its weapon down on the Thief and flatten him. Chloe quickly stepped in and dashed toward the Orc, pulling both gauntlets back as a familiar purple energy coated around them. And with a swift thrust, she punched the monster in the stomach, pushing it back from the force as it crashed into a car.

Just before the Orc could pull itself out of the vehicle, Arthur joined the fight and leaped in the air, his sword radiating a bright blue light as if it was bursting with energy. Swinging his blade down, the Knight easily cut down the monster, splitting it from its head down to its torso. As its body split apart, both halves collapsed to the ground, blood and guts spilling out.

After killing the Orc, Arthur wiped the blood off his sword before sheathing it right after.

He then let out a sigh of relief as he looked around, noticing all the monsters were dead. “I think we got them all.”

Chloe scanned the area as well, making sure that no more Orcs were surrounding them. “Yeah, I think so too.”

With no more monsters around, all the players that participated in the fight grouped back together.

“Well, that was pretty simple,” The Hooded player said, pulling her hood back to reveal her long brown hair and amber eyes.

This player was Juliet Summers. She was an Archer Class Player who helped attack enemies from a distance as she did with the Orcs that attacked the group.

“Well, the monsters here were pretty low-level,” The mage stated. “Plus our current party was pretty balanced.”

The mage in question was a man named Ben Singer, a Mage Class that used fire magic. Much like Juliet, Ben was providing support from a distance, attacking the Orcs that got too close to his teammates like Chloe and Arthur.

As for the last member…

“I had the monster back there,” The thief stated. “I didn’t need any help, alright?”

This Thief was Rick Collins. Unlike Juliet and Ben, who were a bit more reserved and cooperative, Rick was a bit more reckless and arrogant, hence why he glared at Chloe and Arthur who stepped in to save him. Instead of feeling grateful, he felt more annoyed at the fact that he was saved.

Arthur and Chloe paid the Thief no mind, not wanting to start an argument with the guy.

“Alright, the warehouse should be close, so let’s keep moving,” Chloe stated. “The sooner we get there, the better.”

All the other players, except Rick, nodded in response. Before they left, Lucy took the opportunity to cast a healing spell on the team. As she did, all of the players' wounds were magically healed, all their cuts and bruises disappearing like they were never there to begin with.

“Thanks, Lucy,” Chloe expressed her gratitude to her friend.

“You’re healing is getting a lot better,” Arthur stated.

“I’ll say,” Juliet laughed. “That and how she was able to handle those Orcs, as well. That Light Bolt spell you use is incredibly powerful.”

Lucy blushed after hearing this, though there was a hint of awkwardness as well. Chloe thought of this as her still not being comfortable with killing monsters. Even though she was effortlessly taking their lives, the brawler noticed during the fight how she looked so remorseful with each kill. Even when she was prepared to kill, she still felt bad for the monsters, even though, to Chloe, these creatures deserved no such sympathy.

Before Chloe, Arthur, and Lucy left the Base to head to the warehouse, they needed to gather more members so they had a better chance at surviving. So, they brought along Juliet and Ben. They were both level 15 players, so they were strong enough to provide the team with the necessary support.

As for Rick…he was an unexpected member.

“I think we’re close to the Warehouse that Tyler told us about,” Chloe said while pointing ahead of them. “That might be the building in front of us.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

As the rest of the team looked ahead, they all soon spotted a large brick warehouse building, pitted between two buildings. The Warehouse was around three to four stories tall and was made completely of brick. Getting close, Chloe and the others examined the windows of the warehouse, curious if there were any lights on inside, to which there were none. Meaning that either there weren’t people inside, or there were but they were keeping a low profile.

“So, this is the warehouse, huh?” Juliet noted, scanning the building from top to bottom.

“Is your [Hawk’s Eye] picking up anything?” Ben asked.

“No, though it only lets me see things in clearer details and from farther away. It doesn’t have X-ray vision or anything like that. Wish it did, though. It would make raiding a building so much easier since I can see all the enemies.”

“Well, we can’t cry over spilled milk, so we should just accept what we have and make the most of it,” Arthur advised. “Anyway, how much metal do you think is in this place? This warehouse acts as both a storage building and workshop, right?”

“According to Tyler, yeah,” Chloe answered. “Though…something seems off about this place.”

Arthur started to look concerned. “What do you mean by ‘off’? You got a bad feeling about this building?”

“I don’t know…” Chloe muttered; her eyes cautiously trained on the warehouse. “but I have a gut feeling that this warehouse has more in store for us than we think.”

“So, what, are you saying we shouldn’t go in?” Rick questioned in a rude tone. “If that’s the case, then what was the point in coming here, huh?”

Chloe and Arthur turn to glare at Rick, his attitude slowly beginning to get on their nerves.

“You didn’t have to come with us, Collins,” Chloe spat. “Juliet and Ben are more than enough to provide support for us.”

The only reason Rick joined the group was to gain some credit and attempt to boost his position within the group. Instead of focusing on survival and helping others, this Thief was more concerned about getting a higher position or role, just to make his life easier. Chloe and Arthur knew about this, but the pair couldn’t refuse to take Rick in, since other Rogue-like players were taken at the moment, or not strong enough to assist them.

Juliet would’ve been enough to act as a scout, but unfortunately, Tyler was worried and insisted that Rick join. Tyler isn’t ignorant of Rick’s personality or his actual agenda, but between gaining a member and losing one, The Knightly Leader wanted to make sure that Chloe and her team had more than enough players to make it back alive.

So, they were inevitably stuck with the Thief.

“Look, Tyler needs metal to help fortify the base, right?” Rick summarized. “So, all we need to do is gather the metal and hit the road as fast as possible.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Chloe said.

“It doesn’t matter. We have a job to do, so let’s do it.”

Without even hesitating, Rick ignored the rest of the team and walked over to the front entrance of the warehouse.

As he did, the rest of the group watched with disdain, clearly annoyed with Rick’s attitude and behavior.

“That sleazy bastard,” Juliet muttered in anger. “All he cares about is his reputation and position. If he wasn’t a high-level player, he wouldn’t act so cocky.”

“You’re not wrong,” Chloe said. “Though, we did come here to do a job. So, we should at least go inside and see if we can complete the mission. If things get hairy, we’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Can we leave Rick as well?” Ben asked, his tone lacking sarcasm.

“…That depends on how annoying he’ll be in this quest.”

With their goal set, the rest of the group followed behind Rick as all of them soon entered the warehouse. The front entrance was a single door that led inside with no sliding doors or anything like that. Opening the door, each player entered the warehouse one by one. Once inside, the group was greeted with a very dark room. Even with the windows providing some light as they beamed through the glass, it wasn’t enough to provide enough illumination.

The group cautiously walked further into the warehouse, cautiously walking forward as they did.

“Jeez, it’s way too dark…” Juliet muttered. “Ben, you think you can provide us with some light?”

“I don’t have the [Torch] spell,” Ben explained. “I chose the [Fire Arrow] spell when I was given the option.”

“Seriously?” The archer complained.

“I needed more firepower, and the Fire Ball spell could only do so much, alright?”

“Shh!” Chloe ordered, telling the others to stop moving. “I think I hear something.”

As soon as Chloe said this, the rest of the group prepared to fight, taking out their weapons and stuck close to one another. As the brawler looked ahead, she quickly spotted glowing yellow eyes in the distance.

“Ben, shoot a fire arrow ahead of you, you don’t have to aim at an enemy, just ahead of you.”

“Got it.” Upon Chloe’s order, Ben shot a flaming arrow ahead of them.

The blazing arrow shot forward, lighting up a bit of the room. As soon as it struck something, enough illumination was provided so Chloe and the rest of the group could see the enemy. It was a small green monster with pointy ears, yellow eyes, and teeth that would give a dentist nightmares.

“A goblin, huh…?” Arthur noted. “Juliet, you mind?”

“Not at all,” The archer said while pulling back an arrow, sending it flying toward the goblin.

The monster could barely react as the projectile struck its head, killing it instantly. As it crumbled to the floor, Rick laughed at the sight.

“Heh, so this is what that bad feeling was, huh?”

“Keep talking like that, Rick, and you’re going to end up eating through a straw. Don’t test me on that, got it?”

This threat was enough to silence the Thief as he kept his mouth shut while exploring the dark warehouse.

“Since this building only has goblins, this place shouldn’t be so-aagh!?”

Hearing Juliet shout in pain, the rest of the group turned around to see her, only to witness an arrow currently lodged into her arm.

“J-Juliet…!” Lucy rushed over to the Archer, preparing a healing spell.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Arthur got prepared for battle, drawing out their weapons.

“Ben, send a couple of fire arrows around! Lit up this place as much as possible, got it?!”

“R-right!” Ben followed her order before launching fire arrows all around them, attempting to light up the room so they could see better.

However, this was a mistake. With each fire arrow he shot, more of the room was illuminated, showing a rather horrifying sight. Dozens of goblins were surrounding them, hiding behind metal pillars and counters, slowly getting closer to the group.

There were far more enemies than Chloe and the others could have anticipated. So much so, that fighting against them was suicide.

“D-dammit…!” Chloe swore. “Head to the door, now!”

Without hesitating, Juliet and Lucy were the first to rush toward the entrance while Chloe and Arthur were behind them, making sure none of the goblins got close. As they ran, the green horde chased after them like an angry mob. To fight back against the goblins, Ben assisted them by shooting more fire arrows and fireballs at them.

As soon as Juliet and Lucy got to the door, they tried to open it to escape, but for some reason, the door wouldn’t budge.

“W-what the hell…?!” Juliet panicked, trying to forcibly open the door. “I-It’s not opening! Why isn’t it working?!”

“Move out of the way,” Out of nowhere, Rick barged in and pushed Juliet and Lucy aside, moving the door nob to open the door, but he couldn’t get to work either. “S-son of a…!”

“Guys! What’s going on back there?!” Chloe called out, killing a goblin with a punch as she slammed her fist on its head.

“T-the door isn’t opening!” Lucy shouted. “I-it’s like it's stuck!”

“Dammit…!” The brawler swore before turning to Ben. “Ben, blow that door to kingdom come, now! Guys, move out of the way!”

The three players at the door listened and moved away from the door, just as Ben launched a powerful fireball at the door, attempting to obliterate it. However, as the smoke dissipated, the group was faced with a surprising sight.

“T-the door withstood that?!” Arthur muttered, horrified by what he had just witnessed.

Instead of being burnt to cinders, the door was practically unharmed by the fire. As if something protected it.

“W-what kind of door is that?!” Rick exclaimed in anger and fear.

Something here was clearly wrong. Chloe could feel it. It was like something was keeping them inside this building for some reason. But what?

As if hearing her question, a panel suddenly appeared, giving the brawler the answer she needed. However, what it said was not something she expected or wanted to see.

[Warning! You have entered an Underdeveloped Monster Nest!]

[Yggdrasil System is now recalibrating changes regarding Monster Nest Quests!]

[Recalibrations are complete! New Quest has been created!]

[Side Quest – “Underdeveloped Monster Nest” – You managed to come across a Monster nest that hasn’t been fully developed yet! Lucky you! Since you were able to locate one, your goal is to now exterminate the nest, including the Monster Boss that resides within it! Until Quest is complete, players are not allowed to leave the area or send out any message to call out for help.

Reward – [Rare Item] and [Extra XP]

Reading the new quest, Chloe’s face turned pale after realizing what she and her group stumbled upon.

They somehow…entered an underdeveloped Monster Nest.

As Chloe continued to stare at the panel, she heard a scream from nearby. Turning around, she watched as goblins got close to Juliet and Lucy, attempting to kill them. Chloe acted quickly and rushed forward, kicking away the goblins while pulling her friends away from them.

Only to see how many more of them there were. All of the goblins were slowly overwhelming the group, surrounding them while their backs were against the wall. The only thing the Brawler could do at the moment…was stare in horror at the sight.

It was at this moment…that this team feared that they weren’t going to survive long in this warehouse.