In the East of lands within the Kingdom of Corolla along the border of fallen lands, on the 99th Floor of the Tower of Trials, another collaborated clearance was made by the Paladin of Lights and the Heroes of the Dawn Guild.
A smack could be heard as a young man was slapped in the face by a woman who had a betrayed look in her face.
Those who were still awake witnessed the whole scene but none of them said a thing. Instead, they decided to pretend that nothing had happened. Thinking it was just a little misunderstanding between the couple and nothing serious, they just let it slide, not knowing that it would cause a problem the very next day.
The young woman went inside her tent and the lad, instead of going after her, went to a bigger tent.
The viewers were astounded by the scenario. It was clear that both of them were so immersed in their feelings that they forgot about the live broadcast. The scene had stirred the viewers and, without their knowledge, they are now top 1 again in the search online.
The woman looked over her status window.
Hina [Lvl SSS+]
Guild: Heroes of the Dawn
[Title: Saintess]
Mana: Fully Depleted
Agility: Suppressed
Vitality: 300
Healing Light Magic: Concealed Fully
!!! You have been cursed by the Tower of Deities!!! Heal will no longer work once Mana is used up.
[Kill or be Killed] [Trial of Deities] (Healing potions will not work at all.) (Mana replenishing potions will not work on any type of healer while inside the tower.) (Mana consumption 2x) (Mana auto-regeneration has been nullified upon entering the tower and will last until the curse was lifted.) Curse effect left: 12 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes.
She sighed. No one will believe her unless a Guild Master will appraise her to see her current status. She had been having trouble ever since entering this tower, and she tried to minimize her nama consumption, but with the last fight with the floor boss earlier, most of their people got critically injured. They expected a solo boss, but there was a Queen Arachnid instead, and she had a nest full of poison spiders. She ran out of Mana before she could heal her best friend and a few other colleagues. She never expected that there was also an after effect that came along with the poison from the spiders. She just hoped that they would all be able to survive the final stage tomorrow.
>>>Back to Yami and his team, who had no idea about what happened last night.<<<<
We walked down the corridor and the view got darker and darker and I only stopped until there was a door of light in front of us.
While we were walking, I felt a tug on my shirt, so when I looked back, I saw Freya holding onto me as she was walking with her eyes closed, hand in hand with Claire, and Cassius was awkwardly tugging the back of Claire's cape as Marcus was happily whistling in the dark with Gab glaring at the darkness around us as a rope was tied on his hips that was being attached to the swordsman. We looked like a human train. If someone saw this, they would think my team were children on a tour. Curious, scared, excited, full of mixed feelings and emotions. Their cute antics make me want to keep them. I wonder how they all met. It would take some time to gain each other's trust, and it was clear that even with the ruse, they would defend each other with all their might.
I stopped walking, and now they were all pressed behind me and the three of us stared blankly when the guys fell over onto the ground. The tension disappeared when the girls started giggling over the intimate position they were in and the guys were blushing so much as they were trying to get up, but with Gab crashing onto them, the two other guys almost kissed each other if not for the swordsman's arms successfully supporting himself even with the archer's additional weight.
The girls clapped in awe.
They immediately composed themselves, but not without Cassius scolding Gab for not minding his steps, so they started arguing like a married couple as Gab insisted he wouldn't fall if not for the rope that connects him to Marcus.
Claire was looking at them and concluded, "It's like a love triangle." and with that being said, the guys looked at her, horrified by the image.
"Please refrain from making assumptions. I'd rather die than be in a relationship with this guy." Cassius responded in a heartbeat as he glared at Gab.
"I hate him," the other one stated, as a fact, as he pointed his thumb in the direction of the other member.
Their teammate just nodded.
"So, who will Marcus choose?" Freya innocently butted in and now, the swordsman was wary of the other guys. Distancing himself whenever they approach him.
"You're annoying." / "You're ugly." for once, both had equal ground about something and Marcus sat on the corner as if he was whining, clearly hurt by what they said.
Claire patted his back, which relieved him a little. That is until she opened her mouth, "You're not attractive, for me either," and the young man was now slumped with rejection.
"It's okay, Marcus." Freya comforted him. "At least, the animals like you." and his soul left his body.
Poor guy. I hope he won't take it by heart. There is someone out there who will like him. Just not his teammates.
"That's enough," I snapped my fingers to get their full attention. "Bring out your weapons and secure your belongings. Remember to always be on full alert. The opponents you will face today will not be like those in the gray dungeons. Animals here will bite back and will be much faster and harder to catch. Enemies here could possibly be cougars and reptiles, but keep in mind that hobgoblins also exist in these areas. There are also packs, so beware. We don't want to trigger a hunt by any type of monster. Be aware of your surroundings as bears might appear. Yes, you can kill them. Yes, you are that capable at your current level, but once you see any animal at all with a star on their forehead or any part of their body, report to me immediately."
"Why?" they all asked.
"They're bad omen." I just leave it like that. I know they might get curious, so if ever they get an encounter with one without notifying me, then, they will have to deal with the consequences, all by themselves.
I let them put on their gear.
I still can't get over the fact that a swordsman was wearing a knight's armor. The image was okay, but his growth will be hindered. I wanted to advise him to abandon everything, but I can't do that. Not until he shows me his worth. I will guide them to bring out their full potential, but there's no need to spoon-feed the team. They will grow as long as the basics are provided.
These guys remind me of my relationship with Kaito. I wonder how he is right now.
------ A Few Hours Later-------
They're children. I work with children!
I watch over them as they run around chasing after rabbits that they want to keep as pets. I don't know what to say anymore. We haven't got into an encounter yet because they keep on getting astray with the cute animals around the area. Two hours had passed and yet nothing. We haven't got a single monster around. Which was a little bit concerning, so I went towards them to see what was going on.
-__-
Marcus was holding a well-behaved rabbit with a star on its back.
He looked at me with an awkward smile on his face. It seemed like he did not understand how deep the meaning was of that warning. I sternly looked at him and called for the other's attention. "Everyone, battle formation!"
They all stiffened. After all, why would I say that when we still have to journey to the innermost part of the dungeon to fight?
"A lot of time has passed, and we have a little time to prepare now." I looked at the time. We still have a few minutes left. "Gab, stay in front! Marcus, let go of that rabbit and get behind him! Cassius! I need you to go to higher ground! See to it that you hit them all in the head and change the target part whenever I say so. Claire, stand next to me to assist with the fight and tell me whenever your Mana is low. Freya, be on standby. If you can heal as they fight, then that's better. Everyone in position now!" It can't be helped as he's already been marked. We can no longer get away from what's to come.
Loud rushing heavy footsteps could be heard and it was heading towards our direction.
They hesitated at first but with the horde coming, they got in position.
The first wave was Horned-Rhino. They were huge and had hard skin. The skins are great materials as they were commonly used in making armors. The thicker the material, the higher the price.
I raised my arm as a signal for Cassius to start firing, and he activated the red archer skill. It is a basic skill that makes the bow look red that enhances penetration of his weapon.
Gab, who was in front, used a wall barrier with his shield and a bigger glowing version of it protected the others from the charging animals.
For this round, only two were needed.
It all got cut short as the Horned-Rhinos had low level difficulty.
After the fight, I took a knife from my inventory and started skinning the animals. I need to preserve the leather well and also collect the horns to sell to collectors. Although I said I'd take the loot from their kills, I did not really mean it to be about the crystal drops. I meant to take the consumables.
The meat is also valuable, so I'm preserving it to either sell or for us to feast on later.
After putting it all in my storage bag, I smiled in satisfaction. These will be enough as it will last for a few days, but having a few more would also help the team improve and gain more experience as well as money when we get out. I can't wait to cook the meat. Hehe.
I looked at my team just to see them looking at me in awe.
Eh?
Oh. It seems like it's their first time seeing someone collect the hunts. Hehe. I will teach them how to do this later so that they'll learn how to survive on their own. I laughed manically in my mind. We're going to be rich with just this job, mwahahahaha!
I composed myself. "The more we get to salvage in your hunts. The easier we get to earn money when we get out. The more money we have, the better dungeons we get to explore later on. Don't be wasteful. It's not like only hunters can do this. Besides, since there is no reset, it means all these goods will be wasted forever. We should always get what we can." After saying that, a howl was carried towards our direction and loud caws could be heard along with swishes in the wind.
I smiled at them. "It seems like we have more visitors coming."
I entered my serious teaching mode. "Defense formation! Cassius, go down! Being on higher ground will make you vulnerable to them. Gab, I want you to focus on those who are on land. You just have to slow them down and the others will do the rest! Claire, I'm going to be asking you to try dual casting. It might be hard but you need to try. I'll be supplying you with Mana Regen. Don't worry about anything and just focus on your skills. I need you to make a water barrier. The more sturdy, the better. If you can maintain it for long, then that would be great. You just need to cast wind slashes at those who get in. It doesn't matter if aerial or on land, just avoid physical fights for now. Ask for healing whenever you're exhausted, as we have Freya to work with that one. You're all going to be very busy." I watched them become more serious, which is good. I don't want them to take this lightly at all. My previous students almost died because of this discovery, but that's a story for another time. "Marcus, attack those who get inside the barrier and make sure that you get to inflict critical damage on them. They'll most likely focus on either Cassius or Claire, so be sure not to let any of them slip from your line of sight. Keep doing that until you can't fight anymore. Freya, close your eyes and feel your surroundings. Don't worry about your teammates. I don't want you healing them when unnecessary." I sternly warned her as her species tend to worry a lot. "They will shout for you and that is when you will act. Practice concise healing. Feel their presence, feel their energy! Be at peace! If you trust them to protect you, then trust yourself that you can help them when needed!"
Growls started to come as well.
"Everyone, commence!"