Chapter 28: Ruins
At the ruined frontage, before meeting Steve, we were walking around: Sonia, Mel, Ginger, Alisha, and I at the front.
After completing our objective, everyone wanted to test their improvements since the last time. Upon seeing my progress.
"Mel was a powerhouse; don't get on her bad side; she's got serious firepower!" I muttered to the group, though it seemed the only one not showing improvement was me.
Despite obtaining the best item, I hadn't enhanced my combat skills or myself. If anything, I noticed a slight improvement; I could run more than during the entrance exam.
"Did we take down five monsters on the way here? Why don't I feel thrilled?" Ginger questioned, still unsatisfied, scratching her head.
Why aren't you hurt? Because you have a double buff and a double heal. If Ginger gets caught by a dragon or an instant kill skill, she'll be taken out before getting healed. Her mouth might seal her fate permanently.
"D-don't say that, Ginger! It was terrifying being caught by a monster!" Alisha exclaimed, trembling at the memory and occasionally losing her balance, falling onto her backside whenever she heard a monster. Sometimes she'd cling to me, with Mel also finding reasons to stick close.
As we saw the structure made of rock, it was also like sand; it was like a pot to create a house, and some buildings are made of pure rocks.
"Is this a ruin?" Sonia asked, clearly puzzled by our surroundings. "How were we supposed to navigate this area?" Sonia continually ask.
Steve's heading in here, but we've got a tracker on him from Sonia. We remained alert as long as not meet Steve, we are probably not so safe. ruins are known as monster undying monsterhouse. no one in the history complete a task even a powerful people are scared to be in the ruins but this wormhole is exempted, even this was the blue wormhole it was for training purposes. so the difficulty of the hardest of it will be just easy and level 1, compare to outside wormhole. in a green wormhole will be level 3, higher than this blue wormhole.
"Why do you have to go in there, my husband?" Why is she calling me that? Also, why is everyone hearing it like it was a normal thing?
"This is the area where we can find many monsters, but there is someone we need to pick up here! "I said.
"The tracker shows Steve is about 20 meters beyond that wall of ruins."
People exploring for historical significance might object and threaten legal action over privacy concerns, but this was a matter of life and death, not history.
Suddenly, an unexpected occurrence arose within my party.
"My bracelet's offline!" Ginger exclaimed, her worry apparent. I reassured her, holding her shoulder with a serious expression.
However, it wasn't just Ginger's bracelet; all the bracelets were offline. This had something to do with the ruin. This was why people perished in wormholes—not solely due to monsters, but often because they got trapped in ruins or dungeon caves. But the weirdest model I created is the open dungeon.
I have a vague familiarity with this ruin. The floor plan resembles a supermarket from my hometown in the past life. It's something I recognize but with monsters lurking everywhere. That's all I know.
With everyone here now, we might have a chance at victory, as long as we're out by dusk or we're dead.
"This is our only shot at earning points! You could become more than just a captain in a rescue team; once this is done, people will flock towards you. They'll want to sponsor you!" I said.
"If that's the case, why not give it a try? We've already tasted the reality of life-and-death situations," Ginger responded. Well, Ginger almost faces death, and if fear consumes her, it's better for her to fight back.
"L-L-Life and D-Death?" Alisha stuttered, shivering, attempting to activate her bracelet, only to find it offline.
I held her hand, offering reassurance. "Don't worry, we can handle this. If you leave us, we won't be able to do it!" I looked into her eyes and she averted her gaze. That's probably a 'yes' from her, right?
Wait, Mel, don't be mad at me. Why are you stepping on my foot? It's hurting a bit.
Ouch, that hurts.
"Alright, just make a hole in that wall, and we'll call Steve; I know he also wants to earn points!" I pointed at the wall with my index finger while massaging my foot where Mel had stepped.
I said this, but it just means Steve needed to work with us and carry our group. If he gains more sponsors, it might help him end this novel without financial problems. Me, as someone from an orphanage, money is crucial in this life, and I hope for sponsorship assistance.
"Okay! Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaah! Sword slash!" Ginger utilized her skill; the dust from the impact was overwhelming, but it created a successful hole.
Bam*bam*bam*bam*bam*
"Okay, stop, stop!" Ginger, it's almost out of control; the hole might even fit a human. It was a success, but there's an issue; it's too big.
As the smoke cleared, we spotted a young man in battle against a one-sided onslaught.
Slashing at the monsters, four green goblins and one hobgoblin surrounded Steve.
"Heavy sword slash!" He cut through half of the four goblins.
He was really strong. But the boss monsters were even stronger; it's like a level 10 fighting a level 3. It's better to make Steve stronger than what I already know; I'll share everything I know about him as a swordsman. Mel improved significantly after the tips and tricks I gave her, displaying real talent.
"Stamina!" Sonia cast a spell on Steve.
"Heal!" Alisha attempted to heal Steve.
"Rapid fire!" Mel shot an arrow at the hob-goblin, hitting its foot, and legs, and piercing its neck. It collapsed to the ground, catching Steve's attention on the other side of the wall, peering through the hole.
He rushed toward us, appearing distressed, complaining that achieving the score was impossible. His group had already left the exam after completing the objective. Elina was more cautious during this exam because it's normal for students to die here, and more students perished this year compared to last.
But as they say, high risk brings high returns.
Steve knew Elina was the type to blame herself when things went wrong.
"How are we supposed to score 0.001 for killing a monster in this area?" Steve lamented about his kill count.
Despite killing over 56 monsters, he had only earned 0.56 points. The group needed to collect 10 monsters, and for students seeking sponsorship, they had to eliminate monsters swiftly or take down a significant number. The group's name had to top the category of either fastest kills or most kills.
"I know what yields the highest score here!" I declared. Their expressions shifted from excitement to shock.
"How did you get that information?" Sonia questioned, skeptical about my source.
I smirked in response. "Let's just say it involved some secretive exchanges," I hinted, opting not to elaborate.
Steve grew more serious. "Are you certain about this information?" He asked, gripping my shoulder with a serious expression.
"Yeah, we can do it, but we need more members. We can't accomplish it with our current limited team," I asserted confidently.
"Alright, let's give it a shot," Steve and Sonia were enthusiastic, contrasting Mel, Alisha, and Ginger's reservations.
However, it would be better to look at the composition of our party.