Izik fell rather ungracefully with a loud thud on a cold floor. Groaning, he pushed himself to stand up and looked all over his surrounding. He found himself in what seemed to be a dimly lit and cold corridor with no one from his guild to be found.
"What's going on?" he muttered with a sigh. Activating his skill Guild Tracker, a window popped up before him that showed the map of Lovelia. On the map were five small red dots that indicated where his guild members were but because the skill was still at its lowest level, he couldn't figure out who was who. He can also see a huge glowing light blue one on the map which indicated where he was. Apparently, he's on the sixth and last island.
He suddenly heard Aleksi's voice through the ear cuff. "You guys, okay?" Izik almost forgot about the existence of the artifact. "Seems like we're separated from each other, me and Smythe are currently on the first island."
"Don't forget the fact that we're surrounded by Noire, Guild Master." Smythe sighed. "Augh, they look disgusting as ever."
Izik began walking in the corridor, figuring out where he was. The corridor was only lit by torches and looked endless with metal doors lined on each side. By the look of the metal door and the small hole in it that was perfect for eye view, Izik could guess where he was.
"I'm on the second island," Ryo quietly commented. "I can go there and help."
"Thanks," Aleksi replied. "We can slowly regroup."
Kameron joined the conversation, "I think I am inside the building on the third Island."
"I'm in the island's small hospital?" Izik could hear the fake smile in Quinlan's voice. "And by the looks of it, I will have a company soon.
The metal doors swung open and the corridor was suddenly filled with low fog. The silence was eerie and unnerving. Izik turned to check a room, walking inside, he was welcomed by a cramped space with cold metal cuffs lying on the floor. The walls were decorated with carved lines that counted days.
"It seemed like I am in a prison," Izik informed the others.
"Of all places?" Quinlan snorted. "Were you a bad kid, Error?"
"Maybe," Izik replied. "Oh, since you're already in a hospital, ask them if your head needed some fixing."
"Nice one, Error," Kameron chuckled even Smythe and Aleksi were laughing softly.
[ !!!! ]
The metal door slammed close. It almost made Izik jump in his place as he turned to look at it.
A window popped up.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ PRISON ESCAPE
→ Defeat the mini-boss WARDEN and escape the prison
Event Duration: 30m
Rewards:
— 800 Gold Coins
— One (1) ACTIVE SKILL
Good luck! ]
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"Don't worry, I assure you my head is still as good as new," Quinlan's retort was the last thing Izik wanted to bother himself with. As he could hear and feel something was coming.
His eyes read the window again. The reward money was a lot bigger, he noted. Maybe this was much more difficult to defeat, unlike the Plague. Izik could easily teleport out of the room but he decided to stay in it. Something was compelling him to remain inside and it must have something to do with his passive skill Primal Instinct.
Izik began to hear heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor accompanied by the sound of keys.
"We only defeated one mini-boss and we're scattered together, so expect that you might encounter the other mini-bosses," Aleksi spoke again. "Fight when you think you can but if you think it's beyond what you're capable of, run. It's not being cowardly, it's knowing your limits and fighting smart. We'll deal with it together later." It always felt like another person whenever Aleksi was speaking like this and was this serious. Izik could only imagine the horrors that he must have faced on the raids he had been on before for him to speak like this.
Maybe he should stop thinking of Aleksi as your regular village idiot but whenever he thought of the guy and how goofy he could be, Izik can't help but not take him seriously.
"Let's all meet on the fourth island, until then I want you all to prioritize your survival," Aleksi concluded. Izik couldn't help but wonder if all Guild Masters were like Aleksi.
[ !!!! ]
His trail of thoughts was cut off when he suddenly felt enormous dread fill him. He could feel his skin tightened and his very being shaken. Such a strong presence, he thought. The killing intent swamped the whole place and it almost felt like it was shaking.
Izik held his breath the moment he saw a figure through the small peeking window of the metal door. The monster stopped from its walk and turned to look directly at Izik. Its eyes were carved out hollow, its skin was rotting and falling off and its hair was black and long and full of tangles.
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[ 🔎 WARDEN ]
[ → A mini-boss that haunted one of the islands of Lovelia. ]
[ Class: Demon
Level: 70
Size: Medium
Element: Fire
Special Ability: Absolute Confinement ]
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Izik doesn't like the special ability he was reading aside from the fact that he's already not a fan of the gruesome look the monster possessed. The thing doesn't even have eyes and yet he could feel its stare down to his soul. A shiver ran down his spine.
Not to mention its element was also fire. Usually, when it came to having a similar element it boils down to how efficiently and effectively you can control it compared to your enemy.
The Warden turned away and continue his walk. The moment he passed the door, it swung open as if telling him to leave. Enticing him even. Seeing something like that would have any normal human being running for their life however Izik deduced that the only way to avoid the warden attacking him was to remain inside the prison cell.
After all, he's a Warden. He would want his prisoner to stay where they're supposed to stay and be obedient.
A sigh escaped his lips, he thought that maybe he could finally get the sentiment of Kameron and Smythe. Fighting demon-type monsters require more brain power compared to the beast type who only knew to attack and kill their prey that they would mindlessly use whatever skill they have.
Summoning the system, he checked on his skills. He leveled up three times due to the Plague meaning he should have at least 6 attributes points available to level up some of his skills. He thought of every way to distribute the points however, he knew he would have to prioritize increasing the level of his offensive skills.
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[ ⬆️ Upgrade Skills ]
[ Are you sure you want to upgrade the following skills?
Once a skill is upgraded it can't be reversed.
• Heavenly Fire [ Level 6 → Level 10 ]
• Fire Wall [ Level 1 → Level 3 ]
Remaining Attribute Points: 0 ]
[ Yes ] | [ Cancel Upgrade ]
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"Staying here won't do anything. I am on a time limit after all," Izik pressed the yes button and walked out of the cell. He saw the Warden's back at a decent distance. The monster was wearing a tattered military uniform complete with a visor cap, carrying with him a sword.
Letting out a deep breath, Izik summoned a Fire Wall that ignited on both sides of the corridors, effectively setting the whole building on fire. Izik thought the fire would be the same as any other fire but he was surprised that even his Fire Wall was made of Heavenly Fire. It glittered beautifully, looking divine with how light the color was
[ !!!! ]
Izik was barely able to dodge when the Warden turned to him, launching a swift attack. Its sword landed on the concrete floor, smashing it. Izik jumped back, sliding on his feet. The Warden didn't give him time to breathe as it began throwing attacks which Izik successfully dodged or blocked using his chain.
Teleporting behind the monster, Izik launched his daggers, wrapping its chain to its body. The Warden turned to look at him and that's the only time Izik noticed how half of its lower jaw was missing. The guy looked like an absolute horror.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ You only have 20 minutes to complete the event ]
[ EXIT × ]
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Ignoring the window, Izik summoned Heavenly Fire that traveled through his chains, ready to devour the Warden. "Sorry, we're on a time limit here."
[ !!!! ]
Izik's eyes widened as the Warden broke free from the chains. The metal pieces flew everywhere. Before Izik could process everything the Warden was already rushing to him with its sword. Shit, Izik thought as he teleported behind the guy, running as fast as he could. He could hear the Warden running after him.
Had he become too confident all because it had been easy for him to defeat monsters the moment he entered the dungeon?
Of course, the Plague was easy to defeat because that monster was not a combat-forward monster. Its strength lies in the success of its dome and its parts. It was the kind of monster that was never meant for heavy combat.
Opening his bag, Izik summoned Rakon. He quickly infused it with the Heavenly Fire
[ !!!! ]
Teleporting, Izik landed behind the Warden, slashing the sword, and cutting its back. He should have upgraded his Sword Mastery, he bitterly thought. He just lost his weapon and now he's forced to use a weapon he's not really that comfortable with.
Not giving the Warden a chance to collect himself, Izik overwhelmed him with attacks. Until it pushed him into the corner. To the monster's credit, he was able to regain his composure and was now countering Izik's attack.
Izik had to retreat every now and then. Although his weapon was definitely Class A, the weight difference between their sword was still different. Rapier swords were on the thinner side while the Warden use the standard swords used by the Royal Guards which were twice the thickness of his weapon.
Afraid that his weapon will shatter again, Izik would teleport whenever he felt the need to but unfortunately for him, the Warden's speed was nothing to joke about and so was its instinct. He wished he could just make him stop moving.
The Warden pointed his sword at Izik who was prepared for its attack. Instead, a magic circle appeared on the ground he was standing and before he could even teleport, all of his movement was suddenly restricted by glowing red chains. The Warden activated its special ability, /Absolute Confinement/.
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[ 📣 EVENT ]
[ You only have 10 minutes to complete the event ]
[ EXIT × ]
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Izik chuckled in disbelief, "Oh, how the tables have turned." He wanted to scream.