章 2: Showdown against the dungeon boss Part - 1
As they entered, the color of the dungeon began to transform astonishingly: from green to blue, from blue to yellow, from yellow to orange, from orange to purple, and finally to red. Then, in seconds, it turned completely black, plunging everything into darkness before returning to its green hue.
"..."
The two workers of the hunters' association, charged with guarding the entrance to the dungeon, were stunned.
They rubbed their eyes repeatedly, trying to determine if their eyesight was playing tricks on them.
"Robert, was that an illusion? What happened to that dungeon, or am I going crazy?"
"Victor, I don't think we're crazy because I saw the same thing myself."
"But it's the first time I've witnessed something like that since working at the association."
Victor and Robert find it hard to believe much of what they see; it is as if they are playing a joke in terrible taste.
"What should we do now, report this, or just keep quiet?"
"I think it would be better to keep quiet because if we report this, we might think we are crazy, and we might get our pay cut."
"Yes, we'd better keep quiet. I don't want my salary reduced. I have two children and a beautiful wife to support."
Seeing that the dungeon had returned to normal, they chose not to report this to the main office because it was too obvious that they would not believe them.
Besides, who's going to believe them that the dungeon suddenly changed color? No one, right? They'll say they're crazy or on some drug, and more.
"True, your wife is quite beautiful."
"True, my wife is... Wait!... What did you say?"
"Hahahaha. Let's get back to work."
Victor walked away from the dungeon, laughing. Robert sighed, shaking his head at his partner's impudence.
At least with this, I thought the atmosphere had calmed down a little. They were still surprised but did not want to give the matter more thought.
As they walked away from the place, the dungeon again began to change, and this time, it took on none of the previous colors but turned completely golden.
Robert and Victor, seeing this again, did not know how to react. They exchanged glances for a few seconds, waiting for the dungeon to return to normal.
But a minute passed, and the dungeon did not return to normal.
"So, should we report this to the association?"
"Yes..."
Robert with a tired expression. He pulled out his smartphone to report what happened.
***
"Let's get ready to avoid being taken by surprise. We adopt a defensive formation, as we don't know what this place has in store for us."
Adam stated in a firm voice, initiating the formation; the group quickly reorganized following instructions.
Erik ran to the luggage, effortlessly holding the weight of two heavy bags thanks to the muscles he had developed in his previous job.
This allowed him to carry the luggage without difficulty and burdening the group.
In the center of the formation, Erik looked curiously around to observe how the others assumed their assigned roles.
Adam, with his shield, was in the vanguard. Elio and Luna took up positions on the upper flanks while Aldo, who had not yet uttered a word, guarded the rear.
Sophia, who had not yet taken her position, joined Erik.
"Advance!"
Adam's roar echoed throughout the group, clearly in an attempt to boost team morale.
'Why is he yelling so loud?'
Erik found Adam's shout counterproductive in a place like this, which appeared to be a subway temple yet to be explored.
The others followed closely behind, advancing with determined steps along the path.
As they moved deeper into the dungeon, they encountered some wolf monsters. The group faced them with surprising ease, without even shedding sweat.
"It looks like we were on alert for nothing. After all, we're in a low-ranking dungeon."
"I was a little nervous at first, too, but I didn't expect them to be so easy."
The group members relaxed, striking up conversations and laughing among themselves. Even Aldo started talking.
However, seeing everyone off guard and talking as if they were on a hike, Adam's expression hardened.
"Focus, and don't forget we're in a dungeon!"
Adam shouted with anger and a stern look. The group members have forgotten that they are inside an unexplored dungeon, which had changed rank without their knowledge.
Adam's angry shout made Erik visibly flinch. He hadn't expected Adam to shout so loudly.
'How can they suddenly relax because the monsters aren't strong enough?'
He understood Adam's anger, which was more than justified; how could they be so relaxed in an unexplored dungeon?
The group fell silent after Adam's loud shout.
"Come on, man, relax. Can't you see that all these monsters are too weak to be so tense?" Elio spoke with some arrogance, pointing to the corpses of the monsters.
"Elio, don't get cocky just because you took out some monsters. We're in an unexplored dungeon, so we don't know what we'll encounter later on," Adam said, keeping his tone serious.
"Calm down, old man, can't you see we're all relaxed? And everyone agrees with my point of view."
Elio pointed to the members of the group. They all nodded in agreement, except Erik, who didn't share Elio's opinion.
"Tsk!" Adam frowned with annoyance as he observed the reaction of the group members.
He started walking again angrily, muttering words inaudible to the others.
Seeing Adam's departure, Elio turned his gaze to the group and gave a smile of victory.
The group split in two: Adam advanced furiously while the others chatted among themselves and eliminated the monsters that appeared in their path.
Meanwhile, in the center, Erik remained silent as he collected the mana stones from the monsters' corpses.
After walking for several hours, they finally reached the end of the path. There was a huge stone gate with a carving of a wolf's head roaring.
With all the group members facing the imposing door, they gathered to deliberate and formulate a strategy. They were all aware that they were standing before the entrance to the dungeon's boss monster.
"How should we deal with the boss of this dungeon?" asked Luna, seeking the group's opinions.
"Given our observations up to this point, it is clear that the central theme of this dungeon revolves around wolves," Adam explained with conviction. He set aside all other considerations and concentrated fully on the current situation.
The others nodded in agreement at Adam's explanation.
"So, what will be our strategy for dealing with the boss monster?" asked Sophia, looking for concrete and practical details.
"We will apply the same training we did when we entered the dungeon," Adam stated with determination.
After some discussion and agreement on strategy, they resumed their original positions.
It was evident that Erik was nervous; cold sweat drenched his back, evidencing his uneasiness.
This time, he chose not to position himself in the center of the formation but at a prudent distance not to hinder the impending battle.
With the door just inches away, Adam pushed it hard and adopted a defensive posture, ready to meet any attack from crossing the threshold.
The door opened fully, and the group moved forward, now showing tense and serious expressions, in stark contrast to their tone of voice moments before when discussing strategy.
Once all members were through the door.
BAM!!!
The heavy doors slammed shut. The resulting sound was so shocking that it made the entire group visibly shudder.
"Now, how are we going to get out of here...?"
"Adam, what must we do to get out of this place?"
The rest of the group members also began to panic, and the carefully maintained formation fell apart for fear of being trapped in this place.
Although they had explored many dungeons before, they had never been in one as unfamiliar as this one.
Adam is also scared, but his ten years of experience as a hunter had prepared him for situations like this, so he didn't feel so upset. Besides, this was the first time he had faced such a dungeon.
'If the door has closed, that only means that to get out of this place, we must defeat the boss. However, seeing the current state of the group, it will be complicated.'
Adam as he assessed the situation serenely. His survival over time as a hunter was due not only to his strength but also to his judgment.
"Calm down and take back your positions! Don't let fear cloud your judgment."
Adam in an attempt to bring the group members to their senses shouted, he too is nervous and scared just like the rest.
The group ascended and continued to take their positions with stiff expressions due to nerves.
Erik, on the other hand, was very scared. He felt pain in his stomach and nausea due to nerves.
'Will I be able to get out of this place unscathed? Will I even be able to survive?'
His mind was filled with questions, and his nerves were steadily increasing.
As the group stepped forward, the torches on the walls lit up, fully illuminating the room and revealing its appearance.
The image of a huge wolf roaring skyward on the now-illuminated walls could be seen as figures plummeting from above.
At the back of the room was an altar, and behind it, the wolf statue was struggling to break its chains.
Guarding the altar lay a large wolf with long, splendorous white fur that stretched two to three meters.
The sight left everyone gasping, their throats suddenly dry. Erik, gripped by the nerves that gnawed at him, could no longer restrain himself and...
"Buahhh..."
A guttural sound escaped his lips as he vomited all the contents he had ingested before entering the dungeon.
This unpleasant noise attracted the colossal monster's attention.
"Get ready!"
Adam shouted firmly as he felt the monster's gaze fixed on them with sweat began to pour down his face and back.
The members of the group tensed and calmed down as the imposing being stood fully erect.
"Attack!"
Adam roared with determination, instantly sending everyone hurtling towards the giant creature.
And so the battle began...
…
-- 贈り物
が届きました 
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット