Here is the thing. Gods of Equino unlike most MMORPG online games allowed the players to train their strength and improve their skills by making the game more challenging. This was the purpose of the select level of difficulty function.
If a dungeon was tackled at the highest level of difficulty the experience points and rewards would naturally be ten times higher which most players strived for but couldn't easily attempt.
At that level of difficulty, most players in the party would likely die at the entrance of the dungeon and for those rich folk that have loads of healing elixirs, they would naturally last a little longer. Maybe three to four feet inside the dungeon and no further than that.
And now this great buddha Jin Lin had resigned the entire party to such a fate. Their anger was warranted as they paid good money to have Jin Lin escort them, a hefty fee at that yet this idiot dared to set such high goals.
[Team Chat]
XieXie: Fuck, I joined you guys to gain experience points yet you picked a stupid guide. I should have stuck to my regular guy.
GuppyKing: Hey, fatty what's the meaning of this? Are you going to talk to him or you just going to stand there looking stupid.
Jin Lin frowned reading this and opened his mic saying, "I can fuckin read. What does this have to do with him?"
He spoke clearly through the open mic but the rest of the team responded in the team chat because they were hanging out and only brought their laptops. This gave him a big advantage. Written words are powerful but spoken words are like a bullet train unstoppable with maximum damage.
MengLee: Aiya... Tsk, such a fuckin temper. You know the rules. If we don't win you don't get paid.
Jin Lin naturally knew that but he didn't like how they were treating his friend. Like a mama bear protecting its cub, he retaliated on impulse and now he was paying for his hot-headedness.
"I know the rules..... just don't die," he said dropping this indifferent savage response as he entered the teleportation array that directly led the team into the dungeon.
Outwardly he wore an ice-cold blank expression but internally he was a hot mess chanting, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," as though if he chants it three times like saying the words bloody Mary would have something strange appear.
As soon as he exited the teleportation array the once green lush scene took a 180-degree turn to something straight out of a horror alien sci-fi movie. If one was to compare, it was like the difference between heaven and hell. Right now they were smack in the middle of hell with sinister creatures lurking in the darkness.
"Watch each other's backs and follow my lead," said Jin Lin drawing his twin sabres sheathed on his back.
[Private Message]
FenFen: Lin-ge, are you sure about this?
GodLin: We have done this before just protect them and I will take care of the rest.
FenFen: Wuwuwu dage, we have to win otherwise they will nail my head on a pike.
FenFen: Save me dage otherwise I am so fuckin dead (kneeling down and crying face)
GodLin:?
Jin Lin could no longer bother with this drama king as he issued commands like a well-trained soldier in the navy seals. He had dug this rabbit hole for himself out of impulse and now he had to man up and take charge.
"V formation, stat!" He yelled spinning the twin sabres in his hand. A stream of green flames spread from the hilt of the sabre to the top of the blade. He could sense those creepy creatures making a raucous around them.
The snarling creatures were hiding in the deep dark cave. The only thing the team could see as they stood at the entrance was their crimson eyes that seemed to change location with each blink.
[Team Chat]
XieXie: This is so messed up. Seriously, your boy just screwed us over.
XieXie: Do you know how fast those suckers can get in hard level?
LordChen: it seems shit isn't real yet, because you still have time to chat.
Jin Lin was practically blind to the team chat right now with his character in a vigilant stance like he was silently waiting for armageddon.
Like clockwork, the big boss bellowed in such a way that shook the entire cave after sensing the presence of intruders. The loud roars echoed through the intricate tunnels making the creatures restless. This marked the beginning of the first wave of attack. Though the first wave of monsters were the low-level type they could deal critical damage.
The deformed human-like creatures snarled as they showed their ugly faces to the intruders. The red glowing eyes were especially eerie but their scare tactics had less impact on these veteran players. What was terrifying was the speed at which they attacked. Their speed was at an entirely new level that made it hard for the rest of the team to keep up.
"Fen-er, smoke them," said Jin Lin as he dashed forward like a terracotta warrior with absolutely no fear, "The rest of you hold formation.... oh and try not to die!" As soon as his words fell the rest of the party seemed dissatisfied with his words instantly regretting not having mics so they could express their anger. Like an enraged bull in a bullfighting arena, they saw red and nothing else.
[Team Chat]
MengLee: Fuck, Laozi wants to curse but this mf would probably act blind. Whose fucking idea was it not to bring along headsets?
This was typed down in the team chat but since the five people apart from Jin Lin were at the same house, they raised their heads to glower at Fen Hao. Like the angry bulls, they had finally found their red flag and that flag was none other than Fen Hao.
Lucky for Fen Hao, he didn't see those piercing gazes burning holes into his skin because he was already stuck in game mode.
Disregarding his environment, he took out his twin bladerang which were immediately covered in bizarre electric sparks. At a first glance, one would think he was fooling around with a plasma ball but there was nothing innocent about his weapons.