Thalia watched James enter the building before she proceeded to enter. However, before she did, she took a look around to see if she could spot any of the Sunbound members who joined in on the exploration.
'That's to be expected. This place is huge. I'm sure they are on the other side.' She thought to herself and then arrived at the main entrance where she saw the notice everyone saw.
Like most, she didn't pay much attention to the warning, and right as she moved her foot to enter, a loud scream came from the inside.
"Eh?"
She abruptly stepped back and away from the entrance. The others around attempting to enter did the same as they peeled their eyes opened to see what happened.
Suddenly, the people inside began screaming and crying as many ran for the exit, coming straight for her.
"Oh no…" Her eyes widened in horror as if this many people attempted to leave the hall, there was going to be a stampede.
Without delay, she rushed to get out of the way, but as fate would have, things weren't going to be that simple.
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
"FUCK! WE'RE LOCKED IN! WE CAN'T GET OUT"
Someone yelled as many people banged on the barrier that appeared out of nowhere and sealed everyone who was already in.
"SOMEONE! PLEASE!"
Thalia heard many of the people scream for help, banging and kicking but to no avail.
'James!' Her heart skipped a beat in fear realizing that James was in there with them. Abruptly she rushed to the barrier and tried to find James in the midst of the madness.
'Damnit! Too many people!'
"AHHH…..!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?"
The screaming and running around within made the ones outside swallow the fear rising from within. Of course, they had been prepared for the dangers, but it did not mean they wanted to encounter them.
'James… I hope you get out of it safe.'
Thalia could only give a silent prayer in hopes that James survived whatever monstrosity the people inside were facing.
...…..
After the first scream and the commotion it brought along caught everyone's attention, the first thing James did was look towards the entrance and when he noticed Thalia and the barrier that resulted from the emergence of whatever was coming, he sighed in relief.
"At least I don't have to worry about her… Now, then what exactly is the issue."
James narrowed his eyes at the path that looked ominous for some reason. He paid no attention to the running and screaming people.
If they couldn't get a hold of themselves, then they had no business being here in the first place. Who ventured into an inheritance ground not mentally prepared to face deadly trials.
For whatever reason, James felt incredibly calm like he wasn't about to face a crisis. He didn't move from his position or retrieve any weapons.
He just stood there and waited for whatever monstrosities that were approaching.
*SCREECH….!*
The screeches came again and James along with everyone stopped their rushed movements and faced the creatures.
Before everyone's eyes were reptile-like creatures with grey slimy scales and green slit eyes that burned with malevolent light.
They walked on all fours and stood half the height of an average man.
On their backs were large pair of wings and from their maws dripped a greenish liquid that sizzled when it touched the ground.
'That can't be good,' James thought, looking at the creatures with a calm gaze.
"What the hell are those things?!"
"How am I supposed to know that?! Just stay clear of whatever is dripping from their maws.!"
The adventurers discussed among themselves to see if anyone knew anything, but everyone was clueless. The one thing they agreed on was the acid that was dripping from their snarling maws.
Of course, they didn't forget their sharp claws and fangs, but that was a given for most beasts.
The people watched with worried expressions as some creatures took to the skies, screeching loudly as they darted in their direction.
"WATCH OUT!"
Multiple creatures lunged at the adventures as people split apart to not be taken together.
*BANG!*
Like missiles, the creatures clashed into the hard floor, missing their targets by large margins. They were fast, but not so fast that the adventures couldn't keep up with them.
At least for the ones that moved first. More of the creatures were still coming from the path and their sizes were increasing as more appeared.
"This is going to be a nightmare," James muttered as he took cover behind one of the large pillars; a simple action many were doing but wasn't going to last long.
The creatures started flying around and began shooting jet streams of their acids towards the people.
That was when the real party started as the screams and calls for help resounded through the large hall.
James watched as the acid fell on an unfortunate adventurer.
"AHHHH…..!"
The person screamed in pain as the others watched in horror the person's skin and flesh melted, revealing the bones within.
The sight was horrifying and the acrid smell of their burning flesh spread around the entire space.
"Heavens… We're so dead."
Someone muttered in the momentary silence that ensued, but the screeching and flying of the creatures left no room for rest.
The brave ones took out their weapons and charged at the creatures, firing spells left and right.
Powerful flame attacks, icicles, stone spikes and melee fighters all threw their best at the creatures. The creatures began falling from the skies whenever they were hit with powerful spells.
"They are easy targets! Everyone, attack the damn creatures!"
Someone called the others out of their fears to band together and kill the creatures.
James moved around, changing pillars once in a while when the creatures reached the location he was and simply observed them from afar.
'I should probably help them, but…'
He didn't feel any desire to do so. The old him would have taken the lead and tried to motivate the people to fight.
But now, he didn't even feel empathy for those who fell to the acidic attacks and claws of the creatures.
'Killing the weak ones is not the problem… But those ones….'
His eyes darted towards the bad boys at the back watching everything like commanders leading their squad.
'They also show signs of intelligence.' He could see it in their eyes as the creatures observed everything with the occasional snarl and screeches that acted as commands for more creatures to join the fight.
*BANG!*
James abruptly turned his gaze to the side when someone was slammed into the hard floor with blood gushing from their chest and lips.
The person groaned in agony as he slowly struggled to get back on his feet when his eyes fell on James. The light of hope burned in their eyes seeing as James remained calm and collected despite the madness around him.
Even with the cloak he had on, the man could tell James was incredibly strong.
"P-please…. H-h-help… me."
Looking at the outstretched hand of the man, James looked towards where he came from and noticed one of the creatures slowly approaching the man with its maws opened, preparing for a jet stream of acidic breath.
He turned to look back at the man, yet he felt nothing; nothing at all. He narrowed his eyes and thought, 'Something is wrong with me.'
He should at least feel something, right? He knew helping the man wouldn't take anything away from him, yet he had no will to do so.
Taking a deep breath, James closed his eyes and then abruptly opened them when the air around him changed.
'Whether I want to help or not shouldn't be something my emotions get to decide!' The moment the thought ended; he disappeared from behind the pillar.
The injured man didn't even see the man he called for help move. One instant he was looking at the man, the next instant, he heard the cutting sound of a sword behind him.
He turned his head around only to see the head of the creature falling to the ground.
*THUD*
"W-what…?"
He muttered in surprise as his eyes turned to the mysterious man who stood beside the now-dead creature with a sword in hand, dripping blood from the kill he just made.
"You should keep a low profile if you want to survive."
The man heard the deep voice of James the next second and because his mind was still in a daze, he could only nod his head in agreement.
Whether the man heeded his advice or not, he had done his part and now that he had decided to help, he planned on seeing it through all the way.
Looking towards the big boys, James marked them as his targets. But to get to them, he had to deal with the small fries that noticed his presence as some turned their hostile gaze at him.
The cries of help and agony still rang loud, but those could be handled by the others. If the big ones weren't dealt with, things would only get worse.
'Let's see how strong I've gotten without the use of mana.'
He smirked underneath his cloak and dashed forward.
Unbeknownst to James, Kaelen had been keeping an eye on James the entire time he was shifting from one pillar to the other.
What about his men?
If his men couldn't handle such creatures, then they were useless to the prince.
He witnessed the move James executed and even he had trouble keeping up with that speed. It was as if everything he knew about the Steller Attunement level was a lie.
'Incredible….'