A homunculus. That's what Zamir had been called by his friends because of his small stature. In fact, he was the shortest person aside from MamaMia in the party.
For many, it may be disadvantage but Zamir had long become accustomed to his body. What people saw as disadvantage, he had learned to utilize it to his advantage and that was exactly what he was doing right now.
I watched Zamir slip through the small entrance hole like an agile rabbit and then he disappeared from our view. A few seconds ticked by before we heard his voice.
"I am inside the Den. No danger near the entrance. The space is also enough for two people if you're crouching. You can come inside."
Stivi and I looked at each other. Without saying a word, we communicated with our eyes and came to an agreement that I should go to provide ranged support.
I crawled in through the small canal hole and reached the area underground. It was dark and humid and the soil was moist.
I quickly spotted Zamir crouching in a corner. He was holding a bloody and torn piece of cloth. Just as I was about to ask him about it, he gestured to me to keep quiet and follow him.
Zamir walked into a dark tunnel hidden by the shadows and disappeared from my vision.
As we walked further into the tunnel, the sounds of growling pups became clearer. Soon we saw light at the end of the tunnel and we stepped out into a humongous cavern.
The high ceiling of the cave was partially open, allowing air and light to circulate within. After adjusting to the blinding light rays, our gazes landed on the two chests lying right in front of us.
One was a large wooden trunk while the other was a gleaming iron chest.
"Damn!" Zamir whispered as he greedily eyed the two treasure chests.
The one they had opened before was only a small wooden chest and yet they had found four equips and three skill books. So, he was shivering with excitement just thinking of the treasures they may find in the large Wooden chest and the small Iron chest.
Just as Zamir was about to rush towards the two treasure chests, I firmly grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. I was also tempted by the sight of the treasures but I did not lose my mind because of greed.
I surveyed the surroundings first and discovered that this cavern was not just a hidden treasure grotto but this was also the Boss's lair!
Tightening my grip on the older man's shoulder, I directed his attention to the other side of the cavern.
On the farther end, large cages were lined along the wall. They contained Wild Dog pups whose levels ranged from Lv2 to Lv4.
There was also a smaller cage besides these four large cages. A litter of newborn Lv 1 puppies growled playfully in this cage.
When I looked closer, I discovered that the cage also held two Barbarians, one adult and one child.
The adult Barbarian was lying motionless in the cage while the young Barbarian sat next to him with his knees huddled near his chest.
Dried blood stained his face and clothes. His situation was so grim that even the cute puppies surrounding him could not bring a smile to his despairing face.
The reason for his despair was the tall, cloaked figure standing right next to the cage. It was none other than the target of my quest, the Slave of Darkness, Dark Gnoll Dorukh.
Zamir scanned the monster and shared his stats with me and the party.
—-
Dark Gnoll Dorukh (Boss)
Lv 8
Attack: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★☆
HP: 15,000
Skills: Dark Wave, Mind Control, Soul Summoning Vessel
—-
I shivered upon seeing the Boss's stats.
15,000 HP with three and a half stars of defense? It would take ages to whittle such a high amount of HP with the current damage output of our party. The only way we had a chance of raiding this boss was by upgrading the equipment of the entire party to the White-Wood grade.
I almost scoffed derisively at my ridiculous thoughts.
White-Wood Grade equipment was incredibly rare at this stage. Not even all top Rankers had a White-Wood grade weapon or equipment at this point in the game.
It was already incredible that our party had two White-Wood Grade pieces- my Bow and BigSoftie's Shield; but those were low hanging fruits. Trying to equip all party members with White Wood pieces was nothing more than a pipe dream.
If we wanted more, we would have to go to higher leveled maps or grind for a week to collect exorbitant amounts of White Fangs.
Neither way was feasible for us. Due to the level suppression penalty, Stivi and her party who were stuck at Lv5, would be nothing more than canon fodder in higher maps.
On the other hand, we also could not afford to waste another week stuck at Lv5. All other players would have long surpassed our group and it would be impossible for Stivi to maintain her position in the guild.
Thus the only way left was those Treasure Chests…
As soon as this thought crossed my mind, my gaze turned towards the treasure chests in front of us.
These chests were supposed to be rewards for those who complete the Boss Raid. Opening them while the Boss was still alive was nothing short of courting death.
However, now we had to find a way to get the treasures inside in order to raid the boss.
Zamir and I exchanged glances and realized we were both on the same page. He also understood the importance of claiming the treasures inside the chest beforehand, regardless of the risks.
We nodded to each other and began to recon the place to find the best way to steal the loot without attracting the Boss's attention.
Zamir and I spent the next quarter of an hour surveying every nook and cranny of the humongous cavern. We searched and found a few advantageous locations but none of them were helpful to our immediate goal.
Suddenly, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eyes. The Dark Gnoll was moving towards the cages that held the Lv2 to Lv4 dogs. The moment Dorukh was close enough to the cage, the dogs inside started to bark and bare their fangs as if they were wary of the Boss.
It seemed like they would pounce on him if given the chance. Dorukh raised his scepter above his head and began to chant in a language unknown to us.
This only served to agitate the Wild Dogs further and their guttural growls and barks grew louder. It was clear that these dogs were hostile to Dorukh as they had yet to fall under his spell.
At this moment, my eyes landed on the rusty locks on the cages of the untamed Wild Dogs. They looked like they would break with one good hit.
Immediately a plan started to form in my head.