The room was littered with the smoldering remains of the Cinder Bats, the air thick with the acrid smell of burnt stone and ash.
The trio stood amidst the wreckage, their breathing uneven, each of them showing signs of wear from the relentless battle.
Yuno flopped onto the ground dramatically, sprawling out like a starfish. "Man, I hate flying things. Why do they always have to be so annoying?"
Hugo stood a few steps away, leaning against a charred pillar, his gauntlets still faintly glowing.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow but otherwise looked composed. "Maybe if you didn't run headfirst into every attack, you'd have some energy left."
"Energy? Who needs energy when you've got guts!" Yuno shot back, punching the air weakly before letting his arm fall back to the ground. "Besides, I didn't even get burned! My fists are unbeatable!"
Shine, seated on a nearby rock with his sniper rifle resting across his lap, rolled his eyes.
His silver hair was damp with sweat, and his cyan eyes dimmed slightly from overusing his mana.
"Sure, Yuno, let's ignore the fact that you almost got roasted... twice." He shook his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You're lucky Hugo was paying attention, or you'd be barbecue right now."
Yuno sat up, pointing a finger at Shine. "Hey! I handled those bats just fine!"
"Uh-huh." Shine said, clearly unimpressed. "And all that yelling and flailing? That was strategy, right?"
Hugo couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "I'll admit, it's an... unorthodox strategy. But it worked, somehow."
Yuno puffed out his chest with a grin. "See? Even Hugo gets it. You gotta keep the enemy guessing!"
"Guessing whether you're crazy or just reckless." Shine muttered under his breath, drawing a snicker from Hugo.
Despite his bravado, Yuno's movements were sluggish as he stood up, his legs wobbling slightly.
"Alright, what's next? Bring it on! I can go all day!" He struck a pose, though the slight sway in his stance betrayed his exhaustion.
Hugo raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "You're kidding, right? You're about to keel over."
Shine nodded, stretching his arms over his head. "And I'm out of mana. So unless you want me to throw this rifle at the next enemy, we might need a break."
Yuno waved them off. "Bah, you guys are just wimps. Look at Hugo! He's barely sweating!"
"Because I don't waste energy punching things twenty times harder than necessary." Hugo retorted, his tone dry.
Shine laughed, giving Hugo a playful nudge. "Careful, Yuno might think you're calling him dumb."
Yuno narrowed his eyes at Shine, but the corners of his mouth twitched into a grin. "I'm not dumb. I'm just... enthusiastic."
"Whatever you say." Hugo replied, shaking his head with a small smile.
He adjusted his gauntlets and looked around the room, his sharp eyes scanning for anything unusual. "Anyway, we should move. There's no way this dungeon's done with us yet."
As if on cue, the glowing orb at the far end of the room began to pulse faintly in the dark, its light growing brighter.
Shine groaned, rubbing his temples. "Great. What now?"
Yuno cracked his knuckles, his energy seemingly returning with the promise of another fight. "Doesn't matter. Whatever it is, I'll take it down!"
Hugo sighed, his gaze locked on the orb. "Let's just hope it's not more flying enemies."
The three of them exchanged glances, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they prepared for whatever came next.
As the glowing orb pulsed brighter, a sudden rustling sound echoed through the room, cutting through the lingering silence.
Before anyone could react, a thick root of vine shot out from the darkness like a serpent, its twisted form slithering with unnatural speed.
"Incoming!" Hugo shouted, diving to the side just as the vine lashed at the spot where he'd been standing.
"Whoa!" Shine barely managed to roll off his rock as the vine coiled around it, crushing the stone into rubble with an audible crack.
Yuno, still standing, blinked at the sudden attack before grinning. "Finally! Something I can actually punch!" He charged forward, fist raised.
"Yuno, wait!" Hugo called out, but it was too late.
The vine seemed to anticipate Yuno's attack, retreating slightly before darting forward with lightning speed.
It wrapped around his torso, lifting him into the air.
"Hey! Let me go, you overgrown garden snake!" Yuno yelled, struggling against the constricting vines.
He flexed his muscles, causing them to bulge. "Time for the ultimate move: MUSCLE EXPANSION!"
As his body swelled, the vine creaked and strained against his growing frame. "Yeah, that's right! Who's laughing now?" Yuno shouted, but his victory was short-lived.
Another vine shot out from the shadows, slamming into him like a whip and sending him crashing into a wall.
"Yuno!" Shine called out, raising his rifle. He infused it with what little mana he had left, firing a burst of energy at the encroaching vines.
The shot hit its mark, slicing through one of the roots, but more emerged to take its place.
Hugo tightened his gauntlets, stepping forward. "Shine, cover me. We need to get Yuno out of there."
Shine nodded, taking aim. "Got it. But we better do this fast. These things aren't slowing down."
As the two worked together, the glowing orb at the back of the room flickered ominously, as if watching their every move.
Shine braced himself, rifle aimed, expecting Hugo to dash toward Yuno.
"Alright, I'll cover you!" he called, firing another mana-infused shot to clear the vines away from their tangled teammate.
But instead of running to Yuno, Hugo darted toward the darkness, his eyes locked onto the glowing red orb deeper within the shadows.
"Wait, what?!" Shine shouted, his focus faltering. "Where are you going?"
Hugo didn't reply, weaving through the writhing vines with surprising agility. His mind raced.
That orb, it's got to be the source of this mess. Take it out, and the vines should stop.
Shine groaned, taking another shot to fend off an approaching vine. "You've got to be kidding me! You're leaving me to deal with this muscle brain?!"
Yuno, still stuck in a tangle of vines, growled. "Hugo, you traitor! You're supposed to rescue me first!"
"Just hold on!" Hugo yelled over his shoulder, narrowly dodging a vine that tried to grab his ankle.
His heart pounded, but his determination pushed him forward.
The closer he got to the orb, the more intense its glow became, casting eerie crimson light across the walls.
The vines seemed to focus on him now, lashing out with ferocious speed. Hugo leaped over one, slid under another, and punched through a smaller root blocking his path.
Shine gritted his teeth, glancing between Hugo and Yuno. "Unbelievable, fine." he muttered, firing a precise shot that severed the vine holding Yuno.
"Finally!" Yuno dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, flexing his arms. "Alright, time to—"
"Shut up and help!" Shine snapped, shooting at another vine.
Meanwhile, Hugo reached the base of the orb. Up close, it pulsated like a beating heart, emitting a low, ominous hum.
Without hesitation, he raised his gauntlet fist, ready to smash it. "Let's see how tough you really are!" he shouted.
The moment his gauntlet made contact, the orb's glow intensified, and a deafening screech filled the room.
The vines around the area convulsed violently, as if in agony.
"Uh, guys?" Shine called out, his voice laced with worry. "Whatever you just did, it's really ticked them off!"
Hugo gritted his teeth, ignoring the chaos around him. determined to shatter the orb before the vines could overwhelm them.
The red orb flared, its light suddenly growing brighter, like a flashbang detonating in the dark.
Hugo squinted, shielding his eyes as the room was bathed in an intense crimson glow.
In that moment, he saw it.. a towering, grotesque figure made entirely of twisting roots and vines, with hollow, glowing eyes set deep in a bark-like face.
Its movements were unnervingly fluid, its limbs extending and retracting as though the vines had a mind of their own.
Hugo blinked. "That's an Vine Wraith!" he shouted, pointing dramatically at the monster.
Before he could react further, a thick vine lashed out, slamming into his chest and sending him flying backward. "Gah!"
he grunted mid-air, his momentum abruptly stopped by something feathered and massive wing slamming into him from the side.
"Wha—" Hugo turned his head, only to come face-to-face with an enormous hawk-like creature, its wings flaring as it let out a shrill cry.
"A Wind Hawk?!" Hugo managed to gasp, right before the bird flung him into a wall with a loud thud.
From the background, Shine and Yuno watched in stunned silence, their mouths slightly agape.
"H-Hugo!" Shine shouted, snapping out of it.
Yuno, now free of the vines, jumped to his feet, his fists clenched. "Why is he naming them like he's in some sort of game show?!"
Shine groaned, smacking his forehead. "This is NOT the time for dramatic monologues! He's getting pummeled out there!"
Meanwhile, Hugo peeled himself off the wall, his hair now sticking out in all directions.
His expression was as serious as ever, though his slightly dazed movements betrayed the sheer chaos he had just endured.
Both monsters advanced toward him, their combined presence suffocating.
Hugo straightened, wiping dust off his sleeve as if trying to maintain some dignity.
"Alright, Vine Wraith... Wind Hawk... let's see what you got." he muttered, cracking his knuckles.
Shine whispered to Yuno, "He's insane."
Yunn nodded. "Yup. Completely."
As Hugo stood his ground, the Vine Wraith and Wind Hawk circling him, his analytical mind kicked into overdrive.
"Alright.." he thought, narrowing his eyes. "The Vine Wraith it's a D-rank monster… clearly a plant-based entity. Its core weakness has to be that red orb. Its vines are strong, but they lack speed. If I can outmaneuver them and strike the core—"
The Wind Hawk flapped its massive wings, sending gusts of wind whipping around the battlefield.
Hugo's eyes shifted to it. "And you... Wind Hawk, another D-rank monster. A predator of the skies. Enhanced speed, razor-sharp talons, and likely uses wind-based attacks for ranged combat. If I can just—"
SMACK!
Hugo stumbled forward, his train of thought derailed by the sharp sting of a hand slapping the back of his head.
"WHAT are you doing?!" Yuno bellowed, his frustration audible. "You're just standing there like we're in some kind of epic war flashback! MOVE!"
Hugo blinked, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced at Yuno. "I was analyzing..." he muttered defensively.
Yuno's eye twitched. "Analyzing?! You looked like you were about to deliver a monologue or cry or something! Meanwhile, the Vine Wraith almost turned me into a burrito!"
Shine, dodging a vine in the background, shouted, "Less arguing, more fighting, please!"
Hugo sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, but next time, don't interrupt my process."
Yuno groaned. "Your 'process' is going to get us killed!"
As Hugo and Yuno bickered, the battlefield's tension reached its peak.
The Wind Hawk screeched above, flapping its wings furiously, amplifying the winds swirling around them.
Unnoticed by the trio, the Vine Wraith took full advantage of the gale, its vines trembling before shooting forward with blinding speed, three thick roots aimed directly at them.
Suddenly, three vines shot out at breakneck speed.
Shine was the first to notice. His eyes widened. "Uh… Guys?"
Yuno turned, his expression switching from irritation to panic. "Oh, you've got to be kidding—"
Hugo barely had time to process it. "Wait, what is tha—?"
All three shouted at once, each in their own unique flavor of panic, as the thick root aiming them fast.
Yuno: "SON OF A B—!!"
Hugo: "FU—!!"
Shine: "HOLY S—!!"
WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!
The vines smacked into them one after another, sending all three flying backward like ragdolls. As they tumbled through the air.
THUD!
The three of them landed in a heap, limbs tangled and groaning. Yuno sat up first, rubbing his head. "I swear this dungeon is out to kill me specifically."
Shine coughed, pulling a vine off his arm. "I think it's trying to kill all of us, genius!"
Hugo, sprawled out like a starfish, stared at the ceiling. "So… lesson learned. Don't argue in the middle of a fight."
Yuno shot him a glare. "Oh, now you're a genius too?"
Shine sighed, helping himself up. "Can we just focus on not getting obliterated?"
As they scrambled to their feet, the Wind Hawk circled above, almost looking like it was laughing at them.
Meanwhile, the Vine Wraith's glowing core pulsed, as if mocking their disorganized teamwork.
Continue...