When Banri's group reached the layer two area of the dungeon, they all leveled up to level 7. They received a substantial amount of experience points as a reward for defeating the boss, Shadow Spinner, in layer one.
As they continued walking, they encountered various fierce monsters. The monsters in layer two were noticeably at a higher level than those they had previously faced.
Small scorpions started attacking them.
"Be careful, the tails of these scorpions are highly venomous," Sunade reminded her companions after checking the information about the scorpions attacking them.
As they continued walking in layer two of the dungeon, they noticed that the mobs they encountered were becoming stronger and tougher than those they faced earlier at the entrance of layer two.
They reached the middle part of the area and noticed massive, giant-sized rocks blocking their path. They tried to find a way around by moving to the left and right, but there was no other way through.
"What should we do now?" one of the group members asked.
But before anyone could answer, the enormous rocks began to shift slightly, causing them to step back in fear that they might be crushed by the massive boulders.
They immediately felt a sense of dread about what was happening around them. But they gathered close together, ready to attack if any fierce monster appeared from the giant rocks.
They immediately felt a sense of dread about what was happening around them. But they huddled together, prepared to attack if a fierce monster emerged from the giant rocks.
From between the massive stones, which seemed to part with their movement, emerged a creature that looked like a half-scorpion, half-human. It had a terrifying appearance, with the body of a scorpion but the upper torso of a human, and its face resembling that of a monster.
**Scorpixus Beast**
[Mini Boss]
[Monster Type: Half Scorpion, Half Human Beast]
[Weakness: Piercing Attacks, Poison Antidotes]
System: [When the party is ready to attack the mini boss, please press the hologram button in the air.]
"What? This is just a mini boss? If that's the case, we still have to face a final boss in this layer," one of the members said, frustrated.
Even Banri felt nervous. What if they failed? But he tried to push away negative thoughts, believing that, like in layer one, they just needed to work together, think of a strategy, and stay calm.
"Be quiet. You have nothing to fear. Maybe you shouldn't have come here to Grimland if you're going to be such a coward," Sunade said irritably.
The male member's frustration was evident. His face flushed with anger.
"Hey, you! Even if you're a girl, if I can't control my anger, I'll definitely deal with you!" he shouted at Sunade.
"Tsk, who are you trying to scare? Come closer so I can smack that annoying face of yours," Sunade taunted.
The man was about to charge at her, but other members quickly restrained him, holding him by the elbows.
"Hey, let me go! I'm going to teach this annoying girl a lesson," he struggled.
"Can you please stop? She's a girl. Also, nothing will be resolved if you act out of anger. Be patient," said Noga, the group leader.
The man calmed down a bit, and Banri looked at Sunade. He couldn't see any sign of fear in her. He saw bravery in her, even in situations where they were fighting fierce monsters. He hadn't seen her panic or show fear.
This was in stark contrast to when Banri first met her in the real world on the release day of Grimland, where she seemed scared and clueless amid the chaos of people in line that day. It seemed her persona had suddenly changed upon entering the game world.
Banri realized that it was indeed possible for a player's personality to change dramatically within the game compared to real life. He thought such transformations only happened in virtual games, but even if you were inside the game, you could still change your persona in an instant and embody the ideal self you wanted to be.
This was something that secretly impressed Banri about Sunade. He didn't realize he had been staring at her until Sunade raised an eyebrow at him.
"Do you have something to say? Do you also want to lose your temper like that guy who's lost hope and gone crazy?" Sunade said grumpily.
This made Banri stop and realize he had been staring at Sunade for a while. He quickly looked away, flustered.
"A--ahhh no, not at all... I just wanted to say that no matter how strong the monsters we encounter here, I believe in ourselves and our team. T-that's all I wanted to say," Banri stammered, nervous about Sunade's grumpiness.
Thankfully, he managed to come up with a response and explanation quickly.
"Tsk, at least you're not like that guy," Sunade replied sharply. Pointing the guy she had an argument.
"Hey, can you please stop already!" shouted the member who was arguing with her.
"I'll do whatever I want. It's not my fault if you get triggered. Do you think I give a damn?" Sunade taunted mockingly.
This only fueled the man's anger further, and he was ready to hit Sunade. Suddenly, Noga shouted.
"CAN YOU TWO PLEASE STOP IT ALREADY? IF YOU DON'T, I'LL DISBAND THIS PARTY AND YOU CAN DEAL WITH YOUR OWN LIVES!" Noga, the group leader, yelled angrily, causing both of them to fall silent.
"Guys do you still want to continue this? Because if not, I'll disband the party and find better members. Is that what you want?" Noga said, this time in a calmer manner.
"I think we just need to stay calm and work together. If you ask me, I want us to continue and make our party work well together," Banri said.
"Alright, let's vote. Raise your hand if you want to continue, and those who want to return to the Capitol of Grimland should keep their hands down," Noga said.
Four members raised their hands, while three did not, including Banri, Sunade, Noga, and one other party member among those who raised their hands. Meanwhile, the member who had argued with Sunade and two others did not raise their hands.
"Majority wins, we will continue." Noga declared. The three members who did not raise their hands had no choice but to accept this decision.
So, they decided to confront the mini boss. Noga pressed the hologram battle button in the air.
["Humans are disgusting creatures. All of humanity must be eliminated until no trace of them remains, I will wipe out humanity!"] - The mini boss Scorpixus beast growl and shouted.
"Tsk, and it's coming from you, someone with a human-like form!" Sunade said sarcastically.
They all then rushed at the beast together. Their battle was now a matter of strategy and wits to figure out how to defeat the mini boss.
Despite their efforts, they managed to deal some damage to the mini boss. When its HP decreased, it suddenly dug into the ground and began to slowly sink and hide beneath it, one of the Scorpixus Beast's powers.
"Stay alert; that creature might attack again from underground," Noga warned.
They kept their eyes on the ground, knowing that at any moment, the mini boss could attack from right beneath them, making the situation extremely dangerous.
A few minutes later, one of the group members suddenly screamed. From the ground, he was impaled by the venomous tail lf the Scorpixus Beast, with blood pouring endlessly from wound on his back.
They quickly approached, but just as they were about to help their comrade, he swiftly disappeared and was dragged underground by the mini boss.
Their eyes widened in shock and horror at what had happened.
"What will happen to Ino?" a member asked, trembling, but no one had an answer, as none of them knew.
"Will Ino die? What if the mini boss kills him? Will he not be able to return even in real life?" another member asked, terrified.
"I—I don't know…" Noga said, confused.
Moments later, the ground opened again, and Ino was expelled with such force that his body slammed against the upper part of the dungeon before falling to the ground, his lifeless body shattered. The group members screamed in terror at the sight.
System: [One member of the party has been killed. As a result, the party has been defeated, as they do not have a resurrection scroll to revive the member.]
"What the f*ck! Ino's dead? Damn, just like that?" one member said in disbelief.
"Resurrection scroll? If we had one, Ino could come back, right? Where the hell can we get that damn resurrection scroll?" said a tearful member, Ino's close friend.
He approached his friend's lifeless body.
"Hey! Ino, wake up, damn it! You said we'd finish this game together! F*ck, don't be like this!" he shouted while holding Ino.
"Answer me!!!!" His loud wail echoed throughout the dungeon.