As Augustus accepted the invitation to join William's party, chaos ensued. The party members hurled insults and blamed Augustus for something he didn't do, claiming that the Irregulars were the reason they were stuck in the dungeon.
"F*ck you, Irregular! We're in this dungeon because of you guys." One of the men cursed at Augustus, his anger palpable.
More and more members joined in, fueling the fire of anger and resentment towards Augustus. But Augustus was not one to back down from a fight.
He stood up to the disgruntled party members and boldly spoke his mind, his eyes burning with intensity. "Why blame the Irregulars for something that you used to do by yourselves in the past? Long ago, you guys cleared dungeons without relying on Irregulars."
"Isn't it because of your own weakness that you must depend on them constantly? They may have unique powers, but that doesn't give you the right to rely on them for every single task." Augustus challenged the crowd, his voice unwavering.
"You guys stole our resources, you even got blessed by our goddess, but instead of helping us, you killed our people and threatened us with your power," one of them interjected.
"Do you really want to know why the goddess supports the Irregulars? Because you guys are pathetic. That's why even your own goddess lost hope in you. Why else didn't the goddess bless you guys and instead send Irregulars here? Or are you saying the Goddess made a mistake?" Augustus retorted, his words striking deep.
With that statement, most of them were speechless, their beliefs faltering.
'These people need to wake up. The Exonians need to wake up. The mindset that Irregulars are superior is stopping them from taking control.' Augustus really didn't want to give this bullshit speech.
"There are so many of you here, but none of you dare to fight me. The Irregulars don't have numbers on their side, but there are millions of you guys. How did you guys even get overwhelmed by the Irregulars?" Augustus continued to incite their anger despite their silence.
He spoke with a mocking tone, challenging them to face him in combat. And even though Augustus wasn't confident that he could take them all on alone, he stood his ground, determined to make his point.
"Stop, Augustus, that's enough," William intervened, holding his blade against Augustus's throat. "My people are at fault, but do not insult Exonian. We tried our best."
"You tried your best? Show me your best, then. All of you, attack me together. I'll do my best not to kill you guys."
Augustus released his Ice Qi, sending a shiver down the party members' spines.
One of them couldn't hold their anger and launched an attack at Augustus. "Tornado Blade!" he summoned a gale of blades towards Augustus.
William stepped in to help Augustus block the attack and got injured in the process. "Stop! We're here to clear the dungeon. Since we share the same objective, we should help each other for now."
Ignoring William's words, Augustus attacked the man who launched the Tornado Blade. They clashed, their blades pressing against each other.
The man's hand trembled as he tried his best defending against Augustus.
To show dominance Augustus pressed the man down with overwhelming strength, making him kneel.
Another guy stepped in to help him, launching a Fire Blast at Augustus, which Augustus blocked with Aura.
'Wow, they're really ganging up on me. At least now they're fighting back.' Augustus didn't plan of getting beaten up either so he decided to beat the one that tries to attack him.
Augustus swiftly knocked the man in front of him by kicking him in the stomach. The man groaned in pain before he could hit the ground. Augustus then ran towards the mage that launched fire at him.
Seeing the mage was about to get attacked, the tank stepped in and blocked Augustus's path. "Body Slam!"
['Stunned' Debuff applied]
"I stunned him! Everyone gets him!"
Augustus cannot move for a second as and people are quickly surrounding him.
'They're really doing it, huh?' Augustus said as he activated his Frost Domain Palace, creating a protective barrier around himself to buy some time until the debuff was removed.
While the Frost Domain expanded, those who stood within its boundaries found their feet frozen in place, unable to move.
'Now that they're fired up, I should also do the same.' Augustus wasn't content to simply wait and defend. He raised his Dawn Blade, covering it with a thick layer of ice that turned it into a blunt weapon. With a fierce determination in his eyes, he began to move around his domain, striking at his attackers with powerful blows.
The mages and hunters who tried to attack him were quickly thwarted by Augustus's ice wall. Their attacks can't even budge against the wall he created, and they soon found themselves struggling to break through the tough ice, being trapped inside unable to move.
Meanwhile, William could only watch in disbelief as Augustus single-handedly dominated his party members.
But Augustus wasn't finished yet. With a devilish smile on his face, he used Dawn Blade's skill on them, showering them with the healing power of his Blinding Light to mend their wounds.
As everyone surrounding him was healed again, Augustus caught the gaze of the person he had just beaten up moments ago. The person looked at Augustus with pleading eyes, hoping for mercy as he apologized, "I'm sorry..."
However, Augustus didn't accept the half-hearted apology and didn't hesitate to proceed to beat him up again.
"Time for round two!" Augustus knew he had proved his point, but he couldn't resist the urge to teach them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.
The mage and the hunter nonchalantly remained inside the barrier that Augustus had set up for them. They were unmoved by the frantic screams of their teammates. "I'm good inside here," the hunter huffed out a frosty breath.
Once Augustus Qi ran out, the frost domain palace disintegrated, leaving everyone on the ground writhing in agony, except for the mages and hunters who had been hiding.
['Qi Fatigue' Debuff applied]
[-50% All Stats]
As the dust settled, they emerged from their hiding spot and scurried to safety behind the healers, fearing that Augustus might beat them up.
"Now they won't complain anymore," he smirked at William, who looked on in admiration.
"Y-yeah, thank you for not killing them," William muttered with an awkward smile, impressed by Augustus's skill and power.
After the grueling "battle", the others settled down to rest, with Augustus using Squishy as a pillow while Gorlak kept watch.
As they rested, William ordered the other members who were able to move to loot the bodies of their undead foes. This time, item drops didn't appear inside Augustus' storage instantly, meaning that the items needed to be collected manually.
Excitement rippled through the group as they each uncovered unique items from the loot. "I found a rare staff!" exclaimed one, while another proudly displayed a Tier-1 socket gem.
Augustus was intrigued by their discoveries. He had been stuck with the same items repeatedly and had never seen anything similar to what they had obtained from the monsters.
Although Augustus had occasionally acquired rare items from small mobs, it was a rare occurrence, like a 1 in 200 chance.
After a well-deserved rest, the party was eager to press forward again. Including Augustus, the Qi fatigue didn't last long as he didn't force himself to exert more Qi.
"You guys follow your usual formation and I'll watch from behind to see where I can support you," Augustus planned to observing their capabilities and joining in to help only when necessary.
None of them objected this time, and William agreed to Augustus's idea as he knew Augustus is unfamiliar with the party formation. "We're fine with that. Let's go, everyone. We'll head directly to the boss chamber."
Their progress was smooth, thanks in part to Augustus and Gorlak's aid. They moved directly towards the boss chamber, ignoring any non-aggroed monsters along the way.
Augustus couldn't help but speculate on the differences between his dungeon and theirs. It seemed that the dimensions were not quite the same, except for the boss chamber.
They passed by several guarded chamber containing treasure chests, 'There is Death Skeleton, guarding the treasure.' Augustus noticed the party paid no mind to the treasure as the continue to walk past them.
The party pushed on, eager to reach the boss chamber as quickly as possible. It was a quick and easy journey, much to the surprise of the party members who were used to long, arduous treks through the dungeon.
"We made it!" exclaimed one member of the party as they arrived at the entrance to the boss chamber, their heart pounding with anticipation.
The party had finally reached the entrance to the boss chamber. However, they refused to acknowledge Augustus and instead praised the Gorlak for its swift assistance.
"Thank you, Gorlak. You were a big help," one of the party members said with a smile.
William then commanded the party to rest and recover their mana and energy before opening the gate. "Rest up and eat up! We need to be in top-notch condition again."
While the others were resting and eating, Augustus inspected the gate and noticed the runes etched on it.
"Gorlak, do you know how to read these runes?" Augustus asked the monster.
"Yes, it's an ancient language commonly used by monsters. It contains a hint on how to defeat the guardian behind the gate," Gorlak replied.
"Please translate them for me," Augustus requested, eager to learn about the boss he was going to face.