Before the raid started, Aleksi talked about more of the monsters that they will or might encounter in Lovelia.
Izik remembered Smythe shuddering while saying in disgust, "This is the type of dungeon I hate." Her words piqued his curiosity, wondering why she said such a thing.
"Given the dungeon's lore," Kameron joined the conversation. "Don't tell me we're going against the undead?" the brunet looked concerned.
There are thousands of kinds of monsters in the dungeons and they kept discovering more, however, the popular ones were the beast type which could be in any element, then there was the undead, there were also chimeras and homunculus. Each monster has its own capabilities paired with known weaknesses.
Aleksi shook his head, "We're going against demons." Somehow, even when Izik was not well versed with monster knowledge, he knew that demons sounded worst than undead.
"No," Kameron was visibly upset while Aleksi only shrugged. "I'd rather go against undead monsters." Izik kept his face straight, remembering any information he might have read about demon types of monsters.
"As you know demon-type monsters they're good at anything related to hiding skills such as stealth, cloaking, and stalking. So, you all better stay alert." Aleksi only grinned while Smythe and Kameron were both groaning in complaints.
"Those bastards love to do sneak attacks," Kameron rolled his eyes. Izik briefly remembered reading something about the monsters however since his curriculum in Bizevau was for Laics, they never really focused on dungeons and monsters. They only had some introduction before their professor moved on to another topic.
One thing was for sure, he'd have to spend a day studying dungeons and monsters.
✦✧✦✧
The monster was made of dripping black goo and has multiple eyes all over its body in different sizes. Opening its mouth, it let out an ear-shattering shriek. They were all quick to jump away from it. Izik retracted the blade back as deep purple liquid spluttered out of its cut.
A window popped up as soon as his feet landed on the ground.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ LAND THE FINAL BLOW
→ Land the final blow on the first monster that you encountered in your raid
Event Duration: 20m
Rewards:
— 200 Gold Coins
— One (1) ACTIVE SKILL
Good luck! ]
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He really needed to quickly get used to the system. The windows still manage to surprise him every now and then. His lips curved on a smile, eyeing the rewards that were waiting for him if he managed to meet the condition of the event. Izik activated Perspective.
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[ 🔎 NOIRE ]
[ → A grim-looking monster that was believed to be a soul that's in despair. Its loud shrieks are a call for help. ]
[ Class: Demon
Level: 20
Size: Large
Element: Dark
Special Ability: N/A ]
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Izik was unsure if he got lucky that the first monster they encounter was of low level and without special abilities. Whether it was luck or not, he couldn't let the opportunity go.
The monster opened its mouth wide, letting out another shriek making the others back away, covering their ears. Izik doesn't have time to waste and was quick to wrap his chains all over it. He's not planning to solo all the monsters even when he hoped he could just do that since he wanted to level up as fast as he could. For now, he just needed to make sure to get this first kill.
Without holding back, he summoned the Heavenly Fire that covered the chains and instantly devoured the Noire. The ethereal fire burned fiercely until the monster was nothing but ashes and its shrieks were no longer heard.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ Congratulations!
You successfully finished the event!
Here's your reward:
— 200 Gold Coins
— ACTIVE SKILL: Fire Wall ]
[ CLAIM REWARDS → ]
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Izik was quick to claim the rewards, reminding himself that he'll check what the skill later despite having a rough idea of what it could be.
"Error, chill!" Kameron chuckled and Izik was thankful that he had a mask on or they would see him flustered. "We still have tons of monsters to kill." Putting his arm on Izik's shoulder, Kameron smiled. "Also, thanks!"
"How in the world did you know that there's a Noire there?" Smythe asked. "Augh, that shit gives me the creeps."
Scratching his cheek, Izik made a quick lie, "I just happened to be a bit sensitive."
Their little chat was interrupted with a couple of loud shrieks as five Noire showed themselves. "Looks like we got a long night ahead," Aleksi grinned, bumping his knuckle brass against each other before he propelled himself into one of the monsters and landed a fatal blow. The Noire was thrown to the ground, dead.
Before Izik could even move the other members were able to kill the other Noires. "You're not the only one that gets to show off," Smythe smirked, spinning her spear as the purple goo on its blade splattered on the ground.
Izik only smiled, relieved that despite that cheesy choice of name and the ghost members, it seemed like Seasons of the Storm was more than capable than he expected.
As the Noire disintegrated, they quickly darted to the bridge, crossing to the next island. The place was slowly being flooded by a thick fog.
The next island doesn't have any resident houses on it however it has a huge plaza and what seemed to be a worship shrine. It was made of rocks, filled with fresh flowers, even fresh fruits as an offertory, and crowded with lit candles. At the middle of it were sculptures of pagan gods.
"I expected this place to be more abandoned given the lore however I am not sure whether I am happy with this either," Kameron raked his hair, combing it up. "It felt like we are ransacking and raiding a small town and not a dungeon." Izik couldn't even say anything against that.
"Honestly, I'll take caves more than this at any time," Smythe agreed, staring at the shrine. "These kinds of dungeons tend to mess with your mind."
Not wanting to dwell any further about the dungeon, Izik turned to Aleksi. "What's the difference between mini-boss and boss?" he asked.
"It's very straightforward," Aleksi looked happy being asked. "Aside from the vast difference in power and abilities, most mini-bosses are alone. It's rare to see them with minions while bosses usually could summon or are surrounded by minions."
"Despite that, you can never underestimate mini-bosses," Kameron added. Ryo nodded behind him. "Since they don't have minions, they're mostly conscious."
"Conscious?"
"Monsters are only driven by one thing and that's to kill. They don't care what they needed to do as long as they're able to kill. Mini-bosses, on the other hand, use their brains." Aleksi answered as the candle lights died one by one. Thick waves of fog rolled in. The air was filled with an eerie energy. The Guild Master turned to Izik with a smile, "So fighting them is a bit tricky."
Kameron flicked his metal fan open, "Don't worry, not all of them really know how to utilize that so-called brains."
Before Kameron can drive the fog away, the last candle was put out, the island was suddenly shrouded with darkness. Only the stars in the night sky were their source of light. Izik would have loved to lie down and admire it if only they're not in a dungeon. They began to hear mutterings of what seemed to be prayers. It was growing louder each second as if moving closer.
His passive skill Danger Sense blared.
[ !!!! ]
Izik's body moved on its own as he propelled himself into the air. The only one quick enough to react was Ryo. The word 'jump' died in his throat at the sight of a black dome swallowing the island together with the other guild members. His and Ryo's eyes met as they landed on top of the solid dome.
Ryo jammed his sword into the dome but the thing didn't even budge. "Oi! Can you hear me?" That's the loudest Izik heard the guy talk. From the get-go, Ryo wasn't someone who liked to talk.
"Ryo?" Kameron shouted back.
"What's happening there?" Izik asked while Ryo continued to try his luck in breaking the dome.
"Aside from the we can't see anything, the damn prayer is getting louder," Smythe replied. A quick pause and then it was followed by, "And I think I am starting to feel numb."
"That's not good," Izik muttered.
Ryo turned to Izik, "According to the dungeon lore, the plague that swept Lovelia slowly null the five senses until its victim will soon wither away and die." Backing away, Ryo jumped back gaining more force before he stab the dome but like earlier nothing happened.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ BREAK THE DOME
→ Fight the mini-boss PLAGUE and break the dome to save your guild members
Event Duration: 20m
Rewards:
— 500 Gold Coins
— One (1) PASSIVE SKILL
Good luck! ]
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"I don't know how long do we have," Ryo commented, checking the dome.
"Let's just say 20 minutes," Izik replied. He then turned to Ryo, "We would have to fight the mini-boss." The guy only nodded as the two of them began surveying the area looking for the mini-boss. They jumped to the ground, landing with a loud thud. The whole island was still dark and it seemed to have only gone darker with the dome.
Raising a hand, Izik summoned the Heavenly Fire. Willing it to burn big and bright, the fire shoot up in above their heads, creating a fireball that moved in circles giving them the light they needed.
"You're a fire elemental," Ryo said as they encircled the dome. "I have never seen that kind of fire before," the guy glaced at the fireball roaming above them.
"Yeah, it's a bit different," Izik doesn't even know what to say because he had no information about the thing as well. He only knew it's called Heavenly Fire. "What about you?"
"I am only an Enhancer." People usually think that Elementals were the most common type of Hunters but in reality it was the Enhancers. They're the ones who were blessed with abilities that transcended them to being superhumans.
They stopped on their track as they heard a prayer being recited. Moving stealthily, they saw a figure of an old woman covered in white cloak. Her skin were the shade of black, and were sagging down in folds. She looked like the textbook definition of witches.
"That's the mini-boss?" Izik whispered.
"Looks like it," Ryo spun his two Jian swords in his hands, the dangling beads that were connected to its pommel, danced in the air.
Taking a stepped forward, Ryo vanished with a lightning speed. In a blink of an eye, he was delivering a fatal slash on the monster.
The monster was quick to catch his blade with its transformed hand. Suddenly, the old woman was of double the size with bulging muscles. It was now staring at Ryo with bleeding eyes while its lips continued to utter its prayers.
With crazy speed, Ryo seemingly teleported behind the monster hitting the back of its head with his elbow. The monster slammed to the ground, creating crater.
Izik activated Perspective.
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[ 🔎 TOUCH PLAGUE ]
[ → One part of the mini-boss Plague ]
[ Class: Demon
Level: 40
Size: Medium
Element: Dark
Special Ability: Sense Depravation—Touch ]
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It's just one part of the mini-boss!
"I'll leave that to you!" Izik shouted as he broke into a dash only stopping on his track when he saw the same old woman but the only difference this time were its ear was bigger with its lobule stretched downwards, hanging.
Summoning his blades in his hands, Izik launched himself, his leg connected to the face of the monster. The monster crashed to the ground.
Not wasting a moment, Izik was quick to deal damage using his daggers. The blades he threw were caught by two huge hands as the monster morphed double its size. The Hearing Plague tugged the dagger with such force that Izik's body got dragged with it.