"Agh. When is this evolved going to show up" Julius complained, "At this rate, it might as well be the boss that's evolved" many in the group laughed, few keeping their glum expressions and despairing eyes. At that point, just like the last run, they still had the spirit to laugh. Darkness corroded the entirety of the endless cave walls, the awakened having bet their lives on their senses since using any form of light would be suicide, the brimming brightness being a huge beacon for the nearby monsters.
It was dark and so were the minds of the survivors. It wasn't like they hadn't seen death, they had seen countless teammates fall victim to the horrors of the dungeons, yet this kind of slaughter was a little more on the sporadic side. In addition to that, they had still to encounter the other evolved monster. None of them knew of the luck they had been given, both Kira Lions and Luna Myers, of whom had fallen during the previous 'run', sauntered through the dark passageway.
"Are we almost there?" Kira asked the group with a slightly worried gaze, seemingly disturbed by the lack of presence from any evolved monsters. Although it wasn't impossible to have more than two evolved, those types of dungeons were extremely rare so most just assumed there were two. Indeed, there were two evolved.
"Isn't that the lair up there? It's a gate, right?" Luna pointed toward a large imposing gate that stood out even in the dimly lit cave. However, knowing this was indeed the Boss's lair, no one laughed or smiled. Quite the opposite, their faces looked as though they were peering to the deadly abyss, drowning in it's infinite sorrow. Even knowing of what was to come, they repeatedly denied it and attempted to convince themselves otherwise.
Reaching the gigantic door, Daniel, who was specialised in strength, used his might to force an opening in the door and allow the others to enter, as well as himself of course. Standing statues, Liam investigated the room and suddenly felt the same ominous feeling as the first time he had entered the mysterious, horrific chamber.
'I have to stay cautious. Although I came back this time, what about the next? Will I truly die the next time? Or will the system save me once more just before I get crushed? I have no coins so I have nothing to exchange for my life' Liam anxiously pondered while looking into the chamber with a look of determination. Just as before, they were encaged in a room of chiselled walls with a magnificent throne sitting at the end of the large corridor. Perched on the seat, the huge titan finished devouring it's subordinate while the awakened watched in horror.
"It's a cannibal" one of them yelled at the top of their lungs in fear, attracting the Titan's attention.
"No....I-It must be...an evolved boss" they once again fell to their knees, giving in to the temptation. If they had no chance, what was the point in fighting it? It was better to wait for their deaths and accept their gruesome slaughter in open arms. Or so they inwardly decided. Yet, one of the group members shouted out, causing them to break free from their mirthless acceptance.
"Do you want to die here? If you want to die, don't bring us down with you. If you value human life at all, fight till your last breathe for us and for your families. Do you really think they'd be able to accept this?" the awakened of whom shouted these words at the others was not Liam, but Kira Lions.
'Did I just...change history?' Liam quickly thought to himself before preparing to fight.
"How can we fight that monster? We don't stand a chance" tears rolled down the innocent girls eyes, her hair completely messed from trembling with her head plunged in the ground from despair.
"We don't have a choice either. We'll never be able to win if we don't try!" Kira retorted in a respectful yet raised voice. From his actions, he seemed rather charismatic as his words formed a pleasant melody in the awakened' minds and persuaded them to join the fight. Due to Kira's help, they returned to being a nine man squad with a much greater chance at defeating the tyrant. Even if it was small, Liam was determined to grasp the only chance he had left to survive this endeavour.
Savagely, like a wild bull, the gigantic Minotaur charged toward the awakened, equipped with a huge sword that parried it's insane height. In an instant, it swung down it's blade toward the group's position in a quick assault, killing the innocent girl who still held the shed tears in her eyes as the blade sliced her body in half. It was so fast, she wasn't given the time to even scream.
"Everyone, we need to attack it at once. We need to use it's blind spots to our advantage and split off into smaller groups. If we keep together, it'll wipe us out in one swing" Kira ordered, the others instantly following his orders without complaint.
As it played out, Kira and Liam were placed in a group of two together. There wasn't much time to plan and so the ratio of groups became muddled yet it was still doable. When the boss took a large swing of it's terrifying sword, another two fell. Their deaths were not in vain, however, as they were able to create a perfect opportunity for the group to strike.
"I don't want to die!" a girl clad in shiny armour grabbed her friends body and attempted to use it as a shield to protect her life. After that, another member had fallen, leaving only five remaining. At this point, Liam and Kira as well as Luna and the others had been able to land consecutive and meticulous attacks, weakening the monster greatly. Due to the excessive abuse to it's body, a huge amount of blood was gushing out of the titan.
"We've almost done it!" one of the awakened yelled, who had sacrificed her best friend, losing focus in her moment of celebration. It was at that moment, something went terribly wrong. The group had made a great blunder. As the beast was about to fall to it's knees, it became mad with fury, it's body beginning to resemble a beast even more. It was then that Kira realised something, something that he realised too late, "It's enraged! It must be a super boss!". While his words echoed in the silent wind, the awakened who had cheered was ripped apart by the raging beast's bare hand until she was transformed into a bloody mess.
'I didn't...I couldn't...I've returned to the present. I no longer have the protection of knowing the future'