The Sila Labyrinth.
After making their way through some of the maze, Serix and the group of players finally reached the last floor.
Ragz carried Shin on his back.
Serix made sure no one got left behind.
They were extra cautious because most dungeons had a tendency to change paths unexpectedly. The only thing they were certain of was that they were in the Sila Labyrinth, which they knew thanks to a notification that appeared as they were teleported.
But now, they were faced a critical decision.
Serix took charge of the conversation.
"Listen, everyone, if we decide to backtrack now, we might end up going further into the labyrinth and risk getting lost on different floors. We were lucky to get teleported close to the last floor. If we keep moving forward, the only thing standing between us and escaping this dungeon will be the final floor boss."
Serix considered the possibility that this could be an event organized by the game management, but it didn't seem likely. If it was, he would've heard something from his reliable sources.
Still, he decided to go along with the idea, hoping that if they could defeat the floor boss, they'd be able to get out of this tough situation.
Aqua looked on the mysterious door that separated them from the dungeon's final boss.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely fine with this idea…"
She looked deeply concerned.
Ragz rolled his eyes, already annoyed. "Here we go again."
"Not now, buddy…" Serix softly told him.
Then, the calm elf looked at Aqua.
"What's the problem?"
"We don't have a guidebook with us. Which also means we have zero information on the boss we're about to fight."
"Oh…" Serix realized her problem with the plan. "That's not going to be an issue, alright?" he told her.
Still, Aqua wasn't convinced. "You don't know that…"
"Does it really matter?" he asked her.
"Of course it does, what if we're dealing with a BBR here? We'll all be left to die."
There was no way for a player to distinguish between an Open Boss Room (OBR) and a Barrier Boss Room (BBR).
That's what made it fun.
But in this situation… was it really?
It didn't sit well with Aqua.
Having a guidebook was crucial for dungeons, as preparation and game sense were the keys to winning in MMORPGs. From Aqua's point of view, even knowing just a little about what they were up against would give them a good idea of which strategies to use in battle and how to apply them effectively.
The golden eyes of Serix carried confidence.
"You don't have to worry. We're not alone in this. We've got each other."
It almost felt like he was promising her.
Ragz nodded with approval and gave a sly grin. "And besides Serix hereʼs a level 50 player. The final boss in this dungeon won't be more than level 15. We can't lose even if we wanted to."
Aqua's eyes went wide like flashlights.
"Woah, you're really a level 50 player!"
Her words echoed through the room, making everyone look over at Serix.
He let out a chuckle while scratching the back of his head, a shy grin spreading across his face.
"Yeah, that's right. But it's no biggie…"
The casual and humble way he talked about it made it easy for anyone to underestimate just how skilled and experienced he really was.
"Right now, our main focus should be on taking down the final floor boss."
Aqua gripped her staff tightly. "Yes!"
Other players replied as well.
"Yeah!"
"You got it!"
"Let's all do our best and get outta here!"
"I couldn't agree more."
The nine players stood in front of the boss room, ready for whatever challenge was ahead.
Serix looked over his small team, making sure to take in each and every member.
"Okay, so we've got four Warriors: two Knights, one Berserker, and one Swordsman,"
He meticulously outlined the group's composition.
The group also consisted of three Mages.
"Mhmm, two support mages and one versatile mage…"
Finally, there were two Rangers, and both were really good archers. They specialized in long-range attacks and were also known for their quick movements.
… AHEM~!
Serix cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak.
"Remember, take a few minutes to review your status and equip any necessary items. We need to be fully prepared the moment we step into that boss room."
They needed to organize their gear in case they had to face a Barrier Boss Room.
As everyone started to move around and check their equipment on their menu boards, Ranger 2 raised his hand, pausing for a moment before speaking.
"Um, excuse me. Can I ask a question?"
Serix smiled, glad for the interruption.
"Shoot."
He said, and then chuckled at his own joke, which made Aqua and Ragz look at him in confusion.
No one laughed at his little joke.
"Hey, I thought that was a pretty good one…"
He tried to defend himself in the loud silence.
Unfortunately, both Aqua and Ragz seemed unimpressed.
"NO."
They both spoke in perfect unison.
Serix gave the two of them a frowning look from the side.
"Whatever. You guys are boring anyways…"
The moment passed, and Serix cleared his throat to refocus his attention on Ranger 2.
"Alright then, you have a question?"
Ranger 2 asked his question calmly.
"Since we're kinda worried about this being a BBR, wouldn't we have to carry this guy with us?"
He pointed at Shin with his thumb.
The peacefully sleeping boy was sitting against a wall, with his arms crossed.
Serix frowned and thought for a moment.
"Hmm…"
After rubbing his chin, he nodded.
"You've got a good point. After we defeat the boss, we won't be able to return the same way we came in to get him."
Before anyone had a chance to think too much about it or speak up, Aqua stepped forward.
"I'll take responsibility for Shin. We can carry him into the boss room with us."
She spoke very firmly.
"That's crazy!" Ragz's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Serix raised a hand to signal Ragz to quiet down.
"It's actually not a bad idea. But it does put…"
"Shin." Aqua told him.
Nodding, Serix continued. "Yes, it does put Shin in danger."
Aqua shook her head then smiled. "I can use my support magic to shield him from harm. If we can all keep the boss engaged long enough for us to defeat it, then we won't have to worry about his safety."
The elven swordsman nodded thoughtfully.
"That works, I guess? But keep in mind it'll greatly limit your ability to fight."
It was a valid point, one Serix couldn't ignore.
But Support Mage 2, who was standing next to Aqua, spoke up.
"I'll assist Aqua. That way, we can protect, um, Shin while still supporting you and the others in fighting the boss."
"That's a solid plan." Serix grinned.
The group exchanged nods of agreement.
━ ━ ━ ━
Two minutes later…
Everyone was checking their equipment.
Meanwhile, Aqua was carefully looking over her very average character sheet.
|| S T A T U S ||
Basic Information]
• Character Name: Aqua
• Race: Elf
• Class: Mage
• Sub-class: Support Mage
• Level: 9
• HP: 428/428
• MP: 206/206
• EXP: 15/1,125
Stats]
• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 7 ( +2 )
• Intelligence: 25 ( +8 )
• Vitality: 8 ( +3 )
• Agility: 8 ( +1 )
Magic Skills]
• Healing Touch: Restores 50 HP to a single target (Cost: 25 MP)
• Cleanse: Removes a single negative status effect from a target ally (Cost: 10 MP)
• Buff: Increases a single target ally's strength by 10% for 3 minutes (Cost: 15 MP)
• Mana Shield: Creates a protective barrier that absorbs 50% of incoming damage for 1 minute (Cost: 90 MP)
Extra Skills]
• Arcane Knowledge: Increases intelligence by 5%.
• Aura of Calm: Reduces mana cost of all skills by 10%.
• Expedite: Increases casting speed by 10%.
Equipment]
«Hood of Enlightenment» (+2 Intelligence, +1 Agility)
«Robe of Serenity» (+1 Intelligence, +1 Vitality)
«Gloves of Wisdom» (+2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity)
«Leggings of Harmony» (+1 Intelligence, +1 Vitality)
«Golden Adept Staff» (+2 Intelligence, +1 Vitality, +1 Dexterity)
|| C L O S E ||
"I really should get better gear…" Aqua sighed heavily.
Serix raised an eyebrow as he watched her mumble something. "Is uh, everything okay?"
She quickly nodded. "Everything's fine, don't worry."
"O… Okay then," Serix replied.
They stood before the towering doors of the boss room.
Serix, wearing his blue leather swordsman outfit, unsheathed his crystal-forged sword.
He turned to his comrades.
"Listen up, everyone. There's only one thing I need to say to you all: let's win this!"
One by one, they nodded.
Their faces showed they all wanted the same thing.
Ragz was already excited. "COME ON!" he roared.
Taking a deep breath together, they placed their hands on the huge stone door.
As they pushed with all their strength, the door creaked and slowly opened, revealing the terrifying sight inside.
At the far end of the dimly lit room, surrounded by shadows, stood the final floor boss: Xalgun.
Suddenly, the room, which had been dark, lit up as the torches on the walls flared to life with bright blue flames. The final door slammed shut with a loud bang, trapping them inside.
… DUUUUUUUM~!
Support Mage 1 tried to use his teleportation crystal to escape, but it didn't work.
"My teleportation crystal isn't working…"
Ragz sighed heavily. "So, it really was a BBR after all."
A faint chuckle escaped Serix's lips. "Yeah, it's unfortunate, but we can definitely handle it."
Suddenly, the Versatile Mage stepped back in fear.
"N-, No… that's not possible!"
His hand trembled as he pointed at the details floating above Xalgun's dual-horned head.
|| BOSS DETAILS ||
- Level: 25
- HP: 700
- MP: 300
- Attack Power: 100-105
- Defense: 70
- Magic Power: 50
|| C L O S E ||
Aqua frowned and turned to Ragz.
"Didn't you say it would be at most level 15?"
"Ugh, what am I, Miss Hoshigawa? Sometimes, I really don't get how this friggin' game works."
The brute man ignorantly stroked his thick beard.
A soft voice from Serix as he spoke. "No need to worry. We're still several levels higher than it. We've got this."
… TREMBLEEEEEE!
Before they could talk things over any more, Xalgun suddenly jumped from where it was standing.
────BOOOOOOM!!
With a loud roar, it launched its first attack by using its Extra Skill, [Spectral Minions].