"It's you!" Nick said, surprise written all over his face.
Arnold glanced at Nick, "Is he the one you were talking about?"
Nick nodded and glared at Kei. He still held a grudge about the incident that happened back at the tavern.
Rayfield appraised the newcomer, "Who are you?"
Kei changed his pose while flipping his hair, "To protect the world from monster infestation!"
He spun around, took another cool pose, and pointed at the ceiling.
"To unite all people in the Eastern Federation."
He winked at the adventurers and the monster army which annoyed the hell out of them, "To denounce the evils of handsomeness and love."
He paused for a bit and blew them a flying kiss.
"To extend my reach to the Goddesses above." Kei said, posing one more time.
Arnold wasn't able to take it any longer and roared, "Enough you bastard! What will you do if we get copyright issues?!"
"You idiot! What will you do if the readers think of this as a fanfic?!" Rayfield said, anxiously.
Kei raised his chin and walked arrogantly towards the adventurers. He paid them no heed and stood at the front lines. He looked at the Bakunawa and snorted in disdain.
"You're just an overgrown snake with wings," Kei said. "Do you really think you're scary?"
The boss of the 20th floor screeched at him. The Bakunawa had enough of this farce and commanded the monster army to attack. The dungeon monsters shouted their war cries and charged forward.
"Water that flows unabated, let your power unleash upon the hated," Tifa said, opening her palm facing the monster army.
Milfa imitated her gesture, "Let the torrential waves roar in fervor, let them know the meaning of true terror!"
The two of them shouted in unison, [Maelstorm!]
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[Maelstrom]
– Engulfs a large area in a violent torrent of water that drags all units to the center and inflicts stun, stagger, disorient, silence and extinguishes all fire. Deals damage per second. Lasts 30 seconds.
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Kei turned his back at the struggling monster army behind him and faced the adventurers. He gave them an arrogant smile and made another irritating pose.
"What are you all waiting for?" Kei asked. "RUN!"
Kei didn't wait for their reply and immediately ran towards the passageway leading to the second floor of the dungeon. The adventurers gawked for a few seconds and immediately ran after him.
"Fck! Oi! Wait for us!"
"Damn! To think I was moved by how cool he was a minute ago!"
"Shameless! Acting like a hero and leaving us behind!"
"Don't let me catch you!"
The adventurers cursed Kei, but they didn't stop running. They were prepared to die just a few minutes ago, but now they were using their remaining strength to escape. The monster army behind them was stranded because of the Maelstorm and some of them perished due to the power of the spell.
"Tifa, Milfa are you ready?"
""Ready!""
The twins began to chant an ancient spell and the magic enveloped all the people that were running for their lives.
"Glide like there's no tomorrow, leave behind all the pain and sorrow."
"Give us the power of flight, aid us in our current plight!"
[Zephyr!]
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-Bloodline special ability – Grants additional 200% movement speed to all targets and allows flight for 5 minutes
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Kei jumped and flew in the air. The adventurers imitated him and everyone flew towards the passageway leading to the second floor.
"Such a strong bloodline ability," Arnold said.
Rayfield breathed a sigh of relief, "It looks like we're not dying inside this dungeon today."
"Dying outside is better?" Nick wiped the sweat on his forehead. While he wouldn't admit it, he still held the hope that he would be able to survive this calamity.
The effect of the Maelstorm faded, but the monster army was still paralyzed by the status effects of the spell. Only the strong monsters were able to recover quickly and run after the fleeing adventurers.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
The Bakunawa roared in anger. It couldn't believe that a bunch of small fries managed to escape under its watch. It flew after the adventurers with a vengeance. It was hell bent to rip Kei and his party to shreds.
With the help of the spell, the adventurers were able to reach the passage towards the first floor with ease. The roars of the Bakunawa could be heard behind them, but they knew that it will not be able to overtake them.
They looked at their saviors who were flying in front of them, and remembered their faces. A debt of life must be repaid no matter what. This is one of the unspoken rules of being an adventurer.
Even Nick who held a deep grudge against Kei decided to forget his grievances. Arnold and Rayfield looked at Kei's party with admiration. Not everyone will be willing to put their lives on the line to save strangers.
"Plea--Please…Sa-save m-me…"
"Mmm? Did you say something Tifa?" Kei asked Tifa who was flying beside him.
"No, handsome young master."
Kei looked at Milfa, and she shook her head. Kei scratched his cheek in confusion, he thought he was just hearing things when he heard the voice again.
"I-It hurts…H-Help. Ple-Please, Help…"
Kei frowned, he definitely heard the voice of a young girl asking for help. He could vaguely tell that she was in pain, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.
'Grandma Sophie…'
The ring on Kei's finger vibrated and the voice of an old woman spoke directly in his mind.
{Speak no more child, you're not imagining things.}
'Where is that voice coming from Grandma?'
There was a short pause before the old voice spoke once again.
{That is the voice of the Dungeon Core,} the old voice said. {A dungeon core that had been corrupted…}