*SVEN’S POV*

We’ve been going through the dungeon… Sadly, I was hit by an arrow that apparently was poisoned, and it paralyzed me. Even with me being paralyzed, Chae Nayun, one of the best cadets of Cube still made it far into the dungeon, even when I’m just a burden… She could go all the way…

“God, where did that arrow even come from…”-Grumbled Chae Nayun who was carrying me.

“You can leave me behi-”-I tried to say to her that she could leave me here.

“Leave you behind? If you know you’re a bother, just stay put.”-But she interrupted me.

“What should we do?”-one of her teammates, Damian, asked.

“Wait here for now. I think the Dungeon’s Boss is up ahead. Can you see it?”-She said while nodding towards the front, before letting me down leaned in one of the walls of the dungeons.

Everybody looked ahead, and just as she said, we all could see a monster. A big monster made entirely of lava, a Lava Golem. It was an intermediate-rank 5 monster, something we couldn’t beat even if I wasn’t paralyzed.

“We won’t be able to beat with just us. Another team should be arriving here soon. Let’s join forces then.”-Said Chae Nayun while sitting on the floor, as far away as she could from the monster to not alert it.

“But what if no one chose the same pathway as us?”-Asked another member of the team.

“That shouldn’t be possible. At least two more teams should be coming here by design.”-Answered Chae Nayun. “Remember, we’re…”

She continued speaking, but I couldn’t hear her anymore. Somehow, every sound slowly started fading, and even my eyes were slowly closing until everything went black around me.

{What’s… Happening?}-I thought, until everything I was feeling suddenly stopped. My own self-loathing, the guilty feeling I had towards my teammates, even my own inferiority complex that I’ve been carrying since coming to Cube, all just seemed to disappear.

I was finally calm… Tranquil… Without worries pestering my mind again, and again.

[Child, don’t you want to get stronger?]

A sudden voice woke me up from my calm state, making me open my eyes, or at least, feeling that I did.

Two orbs of light that seemed to look right into my own soul appeared in front of me.

{What…?}-I didn’t know what to say… It was so sudden… Being in this vast and black space, with only those orbs of light looking at me as if they were a pair of eyes.

The “eyes” suddenly curved, right before reaching into my own, as if something suddenly went inside me, but I still could see the eyes right there, in front of me.

Suddenly, every problem, every worry that I’ve had, everything that I hated myself for, my family’s hope, my country’s expectations, everything passed in front of me.

[Wasn’t it painful? I can give you power.]-The voice reached directly into my heart as if it was talking from inside of me.

I suddenly started tearing up, feeling all the surging emotions from the visions that passed in front of me. Only one thought was present in me.

{I want to get stronger!}

I want to meet the expectations of my country, the expectations of my family. I want to stop hating myself for not being enough, I don’t want to drown myself anymore in this sense of hopelessness and defeat.

[You only have to pay a little price, far smaller than giving up everything.]-The voice whispered once again in my heart.

I could only nod to it.

{I want it. I want power! Please!}-I thought while reaching my hand towards the two orbs of light in front of me.

[I’ll give to you everything you hoped for, child]-Said the light, gently caressing me with warmth.

{Yes…}-I simply answered before losing my conscience.

What Sven didn’t know, was that his exchange with the strange light would make him scream and have a seizure, alerting the golem, which turned its attention towards his teammates.

***

*CRISTOPHER’S POV*

“The 10 minutes already passed, is everyone ready?”-Choi Minseo asked while standing up.

I still have that weird feeling while looking into the hall at the other side of the corridor’s exit, but I can’t do anything to stop my teammates.

“Sure.”-I answered shortly as I too stand up.

“Let’s go then!!”-Pinky shouted while springing up and stretching her arms.

“I’m ready to go too.”- Mark also answered while standing up.

“Finally!”-Park Min-Ho said while standing up and stretching. “We could’ve finished this faster if it wasn’t for you wanting to rest.”-He told me.

“We’re not being graded for who finishes first, so don’t worry too much.”-Ro Ji-Sung told him.

“He’s right. Let’s go. The same formation as when we entered the mock dungeon.”-Choi Minseo said while positioning herself.

“Fine…”-Park Min-Ho barely muttered.

{I know some people call me an asshole, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything to him apart from talking a few words… Heck, I usually evade him just to not punch him in the face…}-I thought while going to the front, right beside Ro Ji-Sung.

After everyone was in position, we slowly walked towards the entrance to the hall.

I activated Observation and Reading just in case, not showing my dragon eyes. I still have that bad feeling.

{Fuck this…}-I thought as I entered the big hall.

The place was wide and long, like a big corridor with rock columns going supporting the ceiling at both sides, and just in the borders of the corridor, two lava rivers going who knows where.

A little further in the corridor, you could see some kind of big circle, like a fighting arena, and then another corridor just ahead of it. It was more like a platform. Over it, a monster was sitting down while resting, with both eyes closed.

It was a red lizardman, a big one standing at least at 2,50 meters. It was covered in leather armor and had a cape covering part of his face and his body, you could see its long tail out of the cape. He was resting while supporting himself over a glaive.

“Hey… Just to ask… This was a fake dungeon, right?”-I ask without taking my eyes off from that lizard.

“Yes, why?”-Rachel answered while tilting her head and looking at me.

“Is there a way for it to transform into a true dungeon?”- I ask again.

“No… It shouldn’t be possible, at most, some monsters or animals that get inside could evolve with the mana concentrated here.”-Answered Ro Ji-Sung.

“…*sigh…*”

“Did you see something…?”-Minseo asked again, that’s almost the only thing she asked me since coming here.

“Yeah… The boss… Are you ready to fight a two and a half meter lizardman with an equally big glaive?”-I asked them.

““““…””””-They, apart from Adrian, just looked at me.

“You have to be jo-!”-Tried to shout Lee Ha-Yun. But Adrian used his hand to cover her mouth.

“He’s… not joking. And don’t shout. We… better don’t wake that thing up…”-Adrian said. As a sharpshooter, he does have a great sight, not better than me, but he at least should be able to see it. “Try putting a little bit of mana on your eyes… You could probably see it…”-He finished while taking his hand off Pinky’s mouth.

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Everyone tried to look further, and they indeed could see the thing.

But… What worried me was not that lizard… My problem was with the text that appeared when I entered the hall…

[You’ve entered the Dungeon Lava’s Trial]

[Mana concentration goes up. Corrosion is expanding.]

[Boss monster powers up.]

[Boss monster evolves.]

[Boss monster declines pact with a Devil.]

[Connection with the Demon Realm is cut.]

“*sigh…* We better wait for other teams to come here…”-I said.

“Why? Are you afraid or something? We’re strong enough to take down that thing. Lizardmen are not that strong, barely low-high rank 1 at much.”-Park Min-Ho said while taking out his crossbow.

“That thing is not a mere lizardman, you idiot. Or haven’t you seen where we are? What? Do you think a normal lizardman will be in a fucking room full of lava? They would die dried up even before we made it here…”-I retorted at the bastard that was slowly getting into my bad side.

“…”-He just stayed quiet, not knowing what to say

“He’s right… I haven’t heard of lizardmen in such an environment…”-Answered Ro Ji-Sung. “That guy won’t be normal… And taking into account that he’s the boss monster… We should really wait for another team…”

“I… I… I agree… That guy… It gives me the creeps…”-Said Adrian, still with his sight on the monster.

“Stop looking at it! It will wake up!”-Said Lee Ha-Yun to Adrian in a low, but still in an alarmed voice.

“…”-It seems Adrian took the warning too seriously, as he immediately turned his word.

{*sigh…* It already knows we’re here… He’s just playing with us. Look at him. And I thought I was the chuuni here…}-I thought while sitting down.

“What are you doing? We should go back to the cave… Be as far away from him as we can…”-Said Adrian while looking at me.

“Doesn’t matter. He already knows we are here.”-I answered to him while crossing my legs and putting my sword over them.

““Wh-what!?””-Both Adrian and Pinky shouted at the same time.

“What… do you mean?”-Cautiously asked Rachel.

“Look again at him. Maybe you’ll be able to see his open eye.”-I said to him while closing my eyes.

They all turned and indeed, the monster had one of its eyes open, looking directly at us.

“…”-Everyone just stayed quiet.

“Why… Why isn’t it attacking us?”-Rachel asked.

“It is waiting for us to go to that platform. It only opened its eye because he heard you talking about leaving this place. I’m sure that if we move out of here, he’ll follow us. So better wait for another team to come here.”-I said.

“How do you know that?”-Choi Minseo asked me.

“Because he’s too full of himself. Thinking he knows everything… I vote for us to leave. I don’t want to wait for that thing to attack us here.”-Said Park Min-Ho.

“No. Idiot. Though that monster is indeed too full of himself, look at his pose and all. He’s just there, waiting for us to challenge it, thinking it can win against all of us at the same time, that’s why he isn’t even bothering to move.”-I answer without even giving a glance towards the idiot. “Though, if you wish, you can go and challenge it by yourself. I won’t move until another team comes here.”-I said to them all.

I’m pretty sure this guy isn’t a mana puppet. He’s also intelligent. Not a mere monster. Probably a great warrior from some kind of lizardmen tribe. He doesn’t look like a king, so that’s good.

“You’re probably just scared. I’m sure it won’t be that hard to fight that thing, is a mana puppet after all.”-Park Min-Ho says.

“*sigh…* You’re an idiot. The fuck did I do to you? I’m just warning everyone to don’t attack it until another team comes. Do you see that thing? The glaive? No normal monster carries a weapon like that. An old spear? Probably. A glaive like that? *snort* As if. But, then again. If you wish to attack that thing, go. I’m not intervening.”-I finally answer while glaring at him.

“…”-He just glares back at me. “Who’s-”

“Stop.”-Rachel intervened, interrupting him.

“*tch…*”-He clicked his tongue, but chose to shut his mouth.

“We’ll do as he says. We’ll better wait for another team here. Still, everyone stays focused in case that thing moves.”-Choi Minseo said while glancing at everyone before sitting down.

Everyone sat down too, waiting for the next team to come.

{I don’t get it… My presence shouldn’t affect a fake dungeon… There’s no way… It was a controlled space…}-I thought while waiting for the next team to come. {Unless… Wait… Now that I think about it, this Combat Training was influenced by some Djinns from Cube… Which means… This is just a mad coincidence… *sigh…* Fucking luck of mine…}

In the worst case, I would just have to fight this thing while the rest try to attack from afar.

Just as I was thinking that another team came close. I opened my eyes while looking at the entrance.

“Wait is over.”-Mark said while also looking towards the entrance.

{Such a surprise…}-I thought while looking at the team that came through the door.

“Mm? What are you all waiting for here?”-Said who I suppose is one of the team leaders.

“For you, actually.”-Ro Ji-Sung answered. “We need help fighting that thing.”-He explained as he pointed towards the monster, that, for the record, now had its two eyes open.

“What’s… that?”-Olivia, who was part of the team that just came, asked.

“A lizardman, or at least, some kind of lizardman. It’s the boss monster of the dungeon.”-Said Choi Minseo.

“And you need our help for that?”-Olivia asked doubtfully while raising her eyebrow and glancing at me sideways.

“What are you looking at me for?”-I asked her.

“Well…”-She started, before shutting up at my glare.

“You know her?”-Mark asked me.

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, man!”-He shrugged.

“Anyways. I’m Gary, a temporal team leader. So… Do you have a plan or something? I mean… You have Rachel with you… Being the third… I don’t know what kind of monster do you think that one is…”-Said Gary, the one that entered and said hi first. He is a tall guy, with a lot of muscles and was carrying a shield and a mace with him. He had black hair.

“Right now. We don’t know too much from that monster. Apart from that, it knows that we’re here and he has a big glaive with it. Also… It is bigger than any lizardman we know of… Being supposedly at 2,50 meters tall. Though, we haven’t seen him standing yet, so he could be bigger, or smaller.”-Rachel answered.

“Damn… That’s a big one…”-Gary answered. “So… Do you think we could defeat it with all of us? I mean… I also haven’t heard of a lizardman capable of handling these temperatures… So, I don’t think it is a mere mob… Even if it is a mana puppet. And don’t know if you noticed it, but we are not precisely complete here…”-He said. And three members of the team averted their eyes. As I looked since the start. Olivia joined one of the teams with a missing cadet.

“You know… Now that we’re all here… I should probably tell you all something. That thing? That thing isn’t a mana puppet. It’s real.”-I said while calmly standing up, deviating the theme of the missing cadet.

“…”-Everyone just stared at me.

“What?”-I asked.

“*sigh…* You know… You should explain yourself better, not just drop bombs like that as if it didn’t have anything to do with you…”-Olivia answered while putting her hand in her face. “Then again… That’s just you being an asshole, as usual…”-She said while looking at me.

“Why didn’t you say that before!?”-Pinky shouted.

“I was waiting for everyone to be here. I don’t like to repeat myself.”-I answered while shrugging.

“*snort* You’re lying. How would you know if it is a mana puppet? Stop trying to gather attention.”-Park Min-Ho answered while glaring at me.

“Whatever dude. I already told you. If you’re so sure about yourself, go and attack it. I’m getting tired of you.”-I said while glaring back. Until a hand pulls me back while grabbing my arm.

“Okay, okay, stop. You don’t win anything by fighting him.”-Olivia said to me after pulling me back. “So… Do you have a plan?”-And then she asks.

“Why would you ask me?”

“Well, you pretty much know why right?”-She answered.

“*sigh…* I’m sure Pinky there should have a better plan than me.”-I merely throw the ball towards Pinky.

“Stop calling me Pinky! And no. I don’t have a plan against that thing!”-She shouted at me.

“You sure love to annoy people, it’s that like a profession for you or something?”-Olivia asks me while looking at the angered pinky.

“As if. I’m not that good to call it a profession.”

“Okay. Everyone, stop. We need to finish this soon. I’m still not convinced that that thing isn’t a mana puppet. It’s just impossible for a real monster to be here. At least not one as strong as that.”-Interrupted Choi Minseo while looking at us.

“I too think so… It’s impossible for a monster like that to appear in this fake dungeon. Maybe if it was one of the first monsters like the salamanders, the slashers, or the peanut flames, maybe, but the boss? No way…”-Gary continued.

“Exactly. So, what are we going to do? We better plan before attacking him. What do you think Rachel?”-Park Min-Ho continued after smirking at me.

“…”-She just glances at the monster a little while before turning at us. “I think the warriors should try to keep its attention while everyone that’s able to attack from afar, tries to take it down.”

“That could work…”-Said Gary while rubbing his chin. “My team has three people with shields, I included. And I see that you also have one. So, we could try to keep him as far away from the sharpshooters as possible, and the other warriors could also help with stopping it and even making some damage. What do you all say?”- He asks everyone.

His team all nodded, including Olivia, who nudged my arm.

“What?”-I ask.

“It’s really not a mana puppet?”-She asks me while whispering

“Nope. That thing is real.”-I answered her.

“Okay. Everyone. Get ready. Get in positions. Anyone who’s able to attack from afar, do it. Warriors. To the front. Any melee support like me, wait for an opening to attack. Those with shields will go first so they can keep the mana puppet on its site.”-Choi Minseo shouted.

{They didn’t believe me huh… Oh well, they’ll have to believe soon enough… And thinking about it… The guy’s already standing up.}

Just as I thought, the Lizardmen was quietly standing up. And yup, I was right, the thing was 2,50 meters at least, and that’s just its height, not taking into account its long tail.

“So… Not to worry you guys, but the monster is ready. Just waiting for us.”-I said looking at them while pointing towards the monster.

“…*gulp…*”-Someone gulped hard, when they saw the monster. And I’m pretty sure it was Park Min-Ho. Freaking pussy only likes to look like a great guy in front of the girls…

“Well… Let’s go…”-Said a somewhat hesitating Choi Minseo.

{This will be fun…}

“This will be fun…”-My thoughts unconsciously go out of my mind.

“…”-Olivia just nudged at me while glaring.

“What?”

“It’s not funny.”-She said before going towards the rest of the sharpshooters.

“… Whatever.”-I just shrugged while going towards the frontline.

“Oh Mark, you here again?”-I ask the guy.

“Yeah… It seems that I’m perfect for attacking from behind the shields… *sigh…*”-He says kind of dispirited.

“Mmm… Well, it’s not like I don’t why… So, good luck man. Try to not be in the path of that glaive. You would end up losing some limb, or even your head.”-I said while shrugging at the end.

“…”-His face went pale “You sure know how to cheer someone up…”-He said to me with his pale face.

“Everyone. Ready. Let’s move!”-Choi Minseo shouted. We all moving with her command towards the lizardman.

The lizardman, by the way, readied its glaive and waited for us at the center of the “arena” or platform, or whatever that thing was.

{Let’s do this. Lizard.}-I thought while smirking as I look at the lizard that declined a contract with a Devil. Probably overconfident of his victory.