{Congratulations, you've reached level 5 of weapon mastery.}
{As a reward, you can choose one of the three skills listed below:}
Fire Pillar: This skill generates a massive fire pillar at a target area, causing damage to all within the impact radius.
Cost: 3 mana
Electric Paralysis: A magic that temporarily paralyzes a target with an electric shock.
Cost: 2
Water Jet: A spell that allows you to launch a water jet toward your enemies.
Cost: 2
"I'll choose Fire Pillar."
{You've acquired Fire Pillar}
As soon as Lucca finished choosing his new skill, Alice spoke, "Now, rest, regain your stamina, and then we'll leave the dungeon. I think we've had enough for today."
"Shit, I'm never doing anything as dangerous as this again! I thought it would be easier to kill a level 40!" Ana grumbled.
"And it was quite easy!" Lucca said with a smile on his face.
Ivy and Alice exchanged a sidelong glance at Lucca, and Alice replied, "You say that because you weren't the one dodging that damn machete."
The group then sat down. After about 10 minutes, they began to move, and Lucca asked, "So, to exit the dungeon, where do we have to go?"
"We need to head to the dungeon's edge," Alice said.
'Ah, so that's what the gray part on the map means,' Lucca thought as he looked at the map. "So, is the edge like a safe zone?" Lucca asked.
"What is that?" Ana asked.
Everyone started looking at Lucca because they had never heard that term before.
'Oops! Looks like I messed up. How do I get out of this mess now?' Lucca thought.
"Ah-Ah," he began making mouth sounds while thinking. "It's like a zone where you can't get killed."
"Not at all! It's usually where most deaths occur!" Alice said.
"I see! Let's go then! We're wasting a lot of time," Lucca said with a sense of urgency as he looked at the map.
In the place where Lucca's group killed the troll...
"Any sign of the newcomers?" the same woman who had made the presentation and lied about the dungeon asked.
"We've lost their trail here. It looks like there was a fight," a hooded man who appeared to be an assassin replied.
"They must have killed some creature or animal here!" the woman said, observing the marks on the ground and the trees.
"Impossible! This region is level 45 and higher. It's impossible for newcomers to have killed whatever they were hunting," a mage behind the woman asserted.
"That won't stop them from trying," the assassin responded.
"Where do you think they went?" the woman asked the assassin.
"It's impossible to be 100% sure, but I'd bet on that direction," he pointed.
"Explain your reasoning."
"It's the fastest path."
"Then go ahead!" the woman ordered.
"We need to catch them at all costs, or else I'll have to listen to complaints from the second and third years all year long," she said loudly and clearly, clearly angry.
Back to Lucca's group...
The group was chatting cheerfully until Lucca said, "Run!"
Everyone began to run, and Alice asked, "What's going on?"
"Someone's coming! How long until we reach the edge?" Lucca asked anxiously.
"If we run, it's about 5 minutes!" Alice replied.
"But it's only 1?" Ivy asked.
"It's a group of 3, but one came ahead!" Lucca replied.
"An assassin or a scout!" Ana said, realizing what that meant.
They ran for about 3 minutes, and Lucca thought, 'I think he's going to catch up in the next minute; I have to do something.'
He turned around and immediately sent a fireball towards the assassin.
The group saw what Lucca did and continued running, but this time they looked concerned.
The assassin quickly spotted the fireball and easily dodged it, saying, "I don't know how you knew I was here, but you won't escape!"
Seeing the worried expressions on everyone's faces, Alice shouted, "Just a bit more, we're almost at the edge!"
The assassin realized they were close to reaching the edge and tried to increase his speed. "I'm not sure if I'll hit, but I have to try! Shower of Blades!"
Four daggers flew from the assassin's hand towards the group. The daggers started losing height but managed to hit Ivy's foot.
"Ouch!" Ivy let out a cry of pain.
Seeing this, Lucca responded, "Alice, take her. I'll try to delay him. I'll retreat at the same time."
Alice took Ivy by the arm, and in the meantime, Lucca thought, 'Let's try out the new skill!' "Fire Pillar!"
A pillar of fire appeared in front of the assassin, but he managed to dodge it and said, "Nice try to slow me down, but it won't work." He circled around the pillar but was confronted by a lightning bolt coming his way. He dodged it but lost valuable time. That was enough for Lucca to reach the edge and exit the dungeon.
Outside the dungeon...
The group sat near the portal, panting and with fearful and traumatized expressions.
"At least we survived that assassin!" Alice said, trying to boost the group's spirits.
"But we didn't do anything to anyone. Why would someone send a group of people after us?"
"From the 3rd and 2nd year!" Lucca said, then he spoke to Ori, 'Keep the names of the three for the future so I can seek revenge on those people.'
(Affirmative)
As Lucca said this, they started remembering the upperclassmen who had seen them earlier, and Alice added, "I should have expected a response like this from the council and the seniors!"