Outside the dungeon, the Mana Knights Rederic, Alistair, Cedric, Eldric, Gideon, Ivander, Jasper, and Mage Marcus stood in disbelief, their minds swirling with confusion.
Packs of creatures wandered the area - hyenas, warthogs, hippos, and lions - adding an extra layer of danger to the already tense atmosphere.
However, Wallace would freeze them in fear whenever he encountered those packs of creatures, leaving the Mana Knights wondering how he managed to intimidate the intelligent animals.
Yet, no matter what answer or theory they could think of, they cannot seem to find it.
They are not sure if they should just watch from the side, so somehow they wanted to try it—however, they cannot play anymore.
Their time is done for today—they could only come back tomorrow.
However, just as they believed they couldn't be more bewildered, Wallace suddenly returned to the spaceship.
"Why is he back?" They all thought.
Their eyes followed his every move, trying to comprehend his actions. And then, unexpectedly, he discarded his only weapon - the knife.
The group exchanged puzzled glances, their minds racing to understand the reason behind his seemingly irrational decision.
Why would he abandon his only means of defense?
And why did he go back to the ship?
They have grown weary of repeatedly instructing him what to do in their minds, so now they simply desire to perceive whatever insights they can glean from him.
While they pondered these questions, something unexpected caught their attention.
Each of their holograms, which monitored Wallace's every move, witnessed him retrieve something—something important.
The Mana Knights Rederic, Alistair, Cedric, Eldric, Gideon, Ivander, Jasper, and Mage Marcus felt a surge of surprise and confusion wash over them.
They had tirelessly searched for a way to advance to Level Nine, speculating that perhaps absorbing a facehugger could lead to their desired outcome.
However, the creature's acidic nature made that idea seem impossible.
Yet, the sight before them shattered their assumptions and gave them another realization on what to do with the facehuggers.
An armor?
Inside the ship?
It felt as though a heavy object had fallen on their heads with a strong impact, sending shivers through their very brains. Their memories flashed back to the container they had noticed earlier, next to the knife they had taken.
At that time, the container had been tightly shut, concealing its contents. But now, it stood open, revealing the coveted prize within.
How had Wallace managed to open it?
Drawing from his experience, Rederic felt a glimmer of insight. "Don't tell me," he began, his voice filled with excitement as if he couldn't wait for tomorrow to come, "that we can get that armor once we reach a certain level? Or maybe by defeating a multitude of pack animals? Or even by slaying a facehugger?"
The possibilities raced through their knightly heads, like an explosion of excitement and greed within each of their souls.
…
Meanwhile, the Mana Knights were proven correct—the armor did exactly what they thought it was made to do: soak up the blood of the acidic facehuggers.
As Wallace moved forward, his senses sharpened, ready to wipe out any alien danger that dared cross his path.
Whenever he spotted a facehugger that would leap from his blindspot, his instincts would take over, he would swiftly get rid of the abominations before they could grab him.
However, Wallace's bloodlust went beyond the alien arachnid.
He needed to level up; after all, once he's out, he would need to face the real world mission tomorrow.
If it can make the Mana Knights level up, maybe once he is out, maybe he would level up too.
Soon, his bloodlust spread like wildfire across the vast grasslands of the Savannah, his Battle suit tearing through the peaceful scenery in a wild frenzy.
The once-beautiful scene turned into a chaotic battleground as the creatures of the wild watched their impending doom unfold.
First, he encountered an elephant, its majestic figure towering above him. The creature's eyes widened in fear as Wallace's clawed glove hit with deadly accuracy.
The clash of metal against flesh echoed through the air, and the elephant collapsed to the ground, its life extinguished.
Next, a hippopotamus emerged from the depths of a nearby river, its massive body charging towards Wallace with a mighty roar.
However, the Battle suit's impenetrable defenses proved unbeatable. With a powerful swing of his arm, Wallace sliced through the thick hide and bone, silencing the beast's defiance forever.
A crocodile, lurking in the shallow water, snapped its jaws at Wallace, trying to drag him under the murky depths. But the hunter became the hunted.
With lightning-fast reflexes, he dodged the predator's attack and seized the opportunity. The crocodile's fate was sealed as Wallace's grip tightened around its scaled neck, suffocating the life out of it.
A herd of buffalo stampede toward him, their hooves pounding the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
Undeterred, Wallace stood his ground.
One by one, the buffalos succumbed to the weight of his relentless assault from his bladed claws, their powerful bodies no match for his deadly attacks.
As the grassland turned crimson with the blood of the fallen creatures, Wallace's rampage continued, leaving destruction in his path.
His mission became a gruesome symphony of death, each kill accompanied by a surge of adrenaline and an insatiable hunger for more.
The sun began to set, casting an eerie glow over the battlefield.
Exhausted but exhilarated, Wallace paused to take in the devastation he had caused.
The once-thriving ecosystem now lay in ruins, a testament to the fury of the young Vamstroja-machine.
Yet, even as silence settled over the ravaged landscape, Wallace knew his mission was far from complete.
[ Ding!
[ Vamstroja Wallace reached the peak of level eight… ]
[ An unknown/hidden condition should be met to reach the level nine… ]
…
The Mana Knights Rederic, Alistair, Cedric, Eldric, Gideon, Ivander, Jasper, and Mage Marcus stood in shock as they witnessed the horrifying massacre at the hands of Baron Wallace.
Blood stained the ground, and lifeless bodies covered the once peaceful courtyard.
It was a scene of unimaginable violence, a proof that Wallace, this young looking Baron, was a menace.
As the group processed the gruesome sight before them, their eyes were drawn to the flickering screen displaying Wallace's level, which had reached its highest point at level eight.
The system urged him to uncover the unknown, to find the hidden requirement that would push him to level nine.
The words taunted them, challenging them to unravel the secret that lay within.
"Well, that's how it is," Mage Marcus muttered, after trying out to find the clue, they finally found it. "We just needed to cause a massacre..." His words was like an incense of realization to Mana Knights.
Rederic nodded in somber agreement, realizing that his own past deeds were far less brutal and the creatures he killed were far too little compared to what Wallace had unleashed.
Yet, despite the horror they had just witnessed, the group couldn't help but be fascinated by the idea that solve the problem of discovering the hidden requirement.
After all, right before their eyes, Wallace had achieved seemingly miraculous feats.
They wondered if he held the key to solving the mystery, as they too had found themselves trapped in similar situations within the game.
"What could be the reason?"
Alistair's voice broke the silence, his eyes fixed on Wallace's determined gaze.
There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes, as they all shared the same feeling, wondering if Wallace possessed the insight to unravel the hidden quest that had plagued them.