"Fuck!"
Bayek cursed as he dodged the snake's strike. The floor boss was straightforward, having no special attacks. But its bashing and bites were lethal.
The large white reptile head crushed the ground where the Hunter was standing just a few moments ago.
Taking the chance, Drake dashed forward and hit the monster hard with his sword.
"HISSSSSS!"
The snake hissed and turned its golden eyes towards the young man. It raised its head to bite at him, but a sudden arrow pierced its eyes.
"Not on my watch."
Lily growled, unlike her usual self. She aimed and released several more arrows. The traces of elven ancestry in her blood showed up at this moment.
The arrows pierced the snake's head without much resistance. An A-rank archer's archery was nothing to scoff at.
The monster finally realized that it didn't stand a chance against all four of them together... Which was why it rushed toward the weakest member of the group.
"Anne!"
Drake called out to warn the healer. The snake sped up and attacked the woman only to be blocked by a huge sword.
"Hah, as if."
Bayek hissed as he held back the head that was trying to take a bite with his sword.
"Die!"
While the snake was occupied, Drake used a skill to stab his sword deep into the snake's head.
"HISSSSSS!!!!"
The snake easily shook the warrior off. At the same time, Bayek slashed at the giant and forced it to move back.
"Even though I'm an A-rank... !"
Drake panted and stood up. None of them had suffered any injuries until now. It wasn't that the snake was weak, it was more so that one hit from the boss can kill any of them.
Despite being top-rankers, both Lily and Drake were inexperienced. Bayek and Anne were veterans, but only one of them could fight effectively.
The longer they fought, the more disadvantageous it would be for the party.
"Tsk. Lily, Drake! You two run for the teleportation stone!"
"B-but Master-"
"Don't try to argue! Get out of here and get some support!"
"I... Alright!"
Drake didn't want to leave his old Master here... But he had no choice. Biting his lips, he grabbed Lily's hand and dashed towards the teleportation stone.
"Damn it... !"
He cursed his weakness, he cursed his fate. But still he didn't think about giving up.
"We'll get help and return for Master!"
He muttered to himself.
"Yes!"
Lily agreed and they both stepped into the teleportation circle around the stone.
The area shined brightly around them. The green trees disappeared and were replaced by a cold grey wall.
"T-this... This isn't the first floor!"
Drake despaired as he looked at the catacombs in front of him.
--------------------------------
[Target of revenge detected.]
[Intense anger has consumed you and forced you to awaken.]
[Your aura of death has temporarily strengthened the dungeon]
[The dungeon has transformed from beginner to disaster class.]
[Revenge target has broken through floor one]
[Revenge target has broken through floor two]
[Optional revenge target acquired. Eliminating them will provide you with more experience and skills.]
The being slowly opened its "eyes".
Everything around "it" was red. The only thing it could feel was anger, hatred and the wish for destruction.
It couldn't remember what it was, nor could it remember where it was. Or why it was here.
Slowly, the being looked at the skeleton beneath it. The skeleton's legs had been severed, and its bones had deep cracks that could be seen through the rag it was wearing.
Beneath it was a red diagram... All of which looked familiar to the being.
It descended from the air and tried to touch the corpse, but its "hands" passed through the bones.
It calmly retracted its transparent "hands" and turned towards the small crack on the wall.
It vaguely felt the aura of two humans behind it... And it felt hatred towards them. Unhurriedly it dragged its transparent body towards the crack and passed through the wall.
In front of it were a boy and a girl, looking distressed. A flash of anger went through the being's mind... But it stopped itself. The being was calm. It didn't attack them outright.
The real target was on the second floor.
"Drake... What should we do?"
The girl was frightened and the being could feel her fear around her. It couldn't see her face clearly due to the redness in its field of vision, but it felt the pure aura coming from her.
Instantly, the [Vengeful Spirit] recoiled. It didn't want to be near that girl whose blood felt like poison.
"I... I don't know. We can't fight the ghouls without a healer or holy water... We'll get mauled in just a few moments if we try to attack them."
The young man replied after a few moments of silence.
The spirit felt the desperation in his voice. It also instinctively understood that the boy was an easier target compared to her.
So... It floated towards the young warrior and lightly touched his head.
The spirit's memories were hazy... But it knew what its race was capable of by pure instinct.
The moment it touched the warrior's head, a strong force tried to repel its energy. But the spirit persisted and pushed back hard, causing the boy to scream.
"W-what's wrong, Drake?!"
The girl rushed towards him and held him in her arms, but the boy wasn't in any position to answer.
The spirit ignored the girl and kept pushing. The warrior's screams echoed through the catacombs.
"Ugh! N-no... Agh!"
The force in the boy's head pushed the energy back desperately... But due to the boy's weakened morale and desperation, it failed.
Soon, the spirit inserted its entire body into his head. The boy stopped screaming and became limp.
"D-Drake?"
The girl called out fearfully.
Hearing her words, the boy opened his eyes.
"Ugh... Lily."
"Are you okay?!"
The girl seemed relieved that the boy had woken up... But something in her mind cautioned her. Even so, Drake was the man she loved... Despite the warning bells inside her mind, she held him close.
"I'm fine... A spirit had attacked me."
"A spirit?"
Lily looked worried, but the boy just smiled.
"It's fine... It couldn't harm me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah... You can let go of me now."
Saying that, Drake pushed the girl and stood up to show that he was okay. Lily was still worried but decided to let it go.
"Alright, understood."
"Yeah... Anyhow..."
Drake suddenly turned towards the teleportation stone.
"We need to get back to Master. If we all fight the snake together, we can win."
"B-but..."
Lily wasn't so sure... But Drake suddenly punched the wall. It cracked under the strength of his fist.
"H-how-"
The dungeon walls were really strong. Without using high-ranking skills, it was almost impossible to break them. Yet...
"I awakened my true strength after being attacked. My mental capacity increased and so did my power."
Drake explained with a smile, but Lily didn't buy it.
"Weren't you at your peak strength before... ?"
"I only thought I was at peak strength... Come on, Lily. We don't have time to waste. Master's in danger."
Drake frowned and said while looking up. Lily still didn't believe him fully, but she nodded nonetheless.
"Let's go... We can talk about this later."
"Sure, if that makes you happy."
The young warrior smiled and placed his hand on the archer's head. He gently ruffled her hair and let go.
Lily blushed and grabbed Drake's hand before stepping into the teleportation area.
At that moment, all her doubts were gone.