Meanwhile, the number of players gathered at the portal had steadily dwindled—until only Blue Smoke's party remained.
"It's our turn," Blue Smoke said as she turned her eyes to the screen. The system prompt hovered before her, asking her to select the dungeon raid's difficulty. "What do you think, guys?"
In Arsen's mind, choosing a lower difficulty was the safer route—it would give them a strategic advantage. But his thoughts were abruptly cut off when Blue Smoke selected Hell Mode without hesitation.
"What are you doing, Blue Smoke?" he snapped, eyes wide. "You know this quest isn't something we can clear easily, and yet you choose the highest difficulty?"
Blue Smoke smirked at him. "Hehe, but what if we do complete the quest? The rewards could be incredible."
—
After stepping through the dungeon portal, the five of them found themselves deep in the heart of a forest. Though it was still daytime, the area was unnaturally dark. Shadows clung to the dense trees, and every rustle of leaves made them tense. They moved cautiously, fully aware that monsters could ambush them at any moment.
Not many players dared to choose Hell Mode—most had gone with Easy. That meant only a few parties were present in this dungeon. For Arsen, that was a small relief; one of his biggest concerns—being noticed by enemies because of nearby players—was no longer an issue.
The forest was eerily silent. The only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves and the occasional gust of wind brushing through the trees.
In the distance, an old, decaying mansion stood like a shadow against the landscape. At Blue Smoke's signal, the group began to move.
Arsen kept a bit of distance from the rest of the party, carefully concealing his presence. That way, if a monster launched a surprise attack, he could respond with a stealth strike.
Up front, Darium walked side by side with the swordsman. Among the group, those two were best suited to absorb the brunt of any sudden ambush.
"Let's keep it this way for now," Blue Smoke said in a hushed tone, referring to their cautious movement and the need to avoid making unnecessary noise that might attract enemies.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, a series of sharp explosions echoed through the forest. Instinctively, Blue Smoke's party turned toward the source—it came from near the mansion's entrance.
Another party had arrived.
They all quickly realized the same thing: a trap had been triggered. Dozens of arrows were now raining down, all targeting a single area near the gate.
"It's already begun," Arsen muttered to himself, eyes narrowing. He had a hunch—that had to be Moon Blade's party. But why go in headfirst like that? he wondered. Are they really that confident in their strategy?
The clash near the mansion escalated, but Blue Smoke's team veered off toward a different path, avoiding the chaos entirely. It was a smart move, especially considering how limited their strength was in Hell Mode.
"Stay sharp," Arsen warned quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The tranquility of the forest was shattered in an instant. The four members of the party turned to Arsen, their faces filled with curiosity. But that expression quickly faded as monsters materialized around them. They were baffled—how had Arsen detected the monsters before they appeared? They were close enough to be the first to notice if players or creatures approached, yet it seemed Arsen had already sensed them.
Without wasting time questioning it, the four of them raised their weapons, ready for action.
Six ghouls emerged from the shadows, all around level 2. Given their numbers, it was clear the monsters had the upper hand.
Bang!
The monsters swung their arms, launching their attacks, but Darium was ready. He quickly positioned himself, his shield absorbing the blows with a heavy clang. The combined force of their strikes pushed him back slightly, but his strength was enough to withstand the damage.
Roar!
The battle cry erupted from Darium as he activated one of his skills—Roar. The skill was designed to draw the monsters' attention, pulling their aggro away from his party and onto him. He knew it was crucial to keep the focus on himself, ensuring his teammates remained safe from the incoming assault.
Blessings!
At the back line, Blue Smoke was already chanting, her voice steady and focused as she cast her spell. Her wand began to glow with a soft blue light, and with a quick flick of her wrist, she directed the magic toward Darium and the swordsman. The buff skill activated, boosting their attributes by 8% for the next two minutes.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With the buff coursing through him, the swordsman didn't hesitate. He unsheathed his blade with a smooth motion and immediately activated his own skill—Swordplay. The skill heightened his swordsmanship proficiency by 10%, sharpening his technique and making his strikes even more precise.
The swordsman's blade sliced through the ghouls with deadly precision, their heads falling to the ground in a single, seamless strike. His movements were so swift and calculated that the monsters never had a chance to react.
Single Shot!
From the backline, the marksman let loose a perfectly aimed arrow. It flew through the air and struck a ghoul square in the head, causing it to explode in a blink of an eye.
Name: Velnar Level: 1 at 95%
Arsen observed quietly from the shadows, noting that his experience bar had increased. He was now just 5% away from reaching level 2. It made sense—whenever players joined a party, they all shared the experience from monster kills. He'd received less EXP than the others, though, since he hadn't actively participated in the battle. He had merely watched from the sidelines, staying out of the fray.
They're good.
Arsen couldn't help but feel impressed by the group's skill. It was rare to find players of this caliber. Their coordination and proficiency were so on point that Arsen didn't even need to join the battle. He could simply watch from the sidelines. What stood out even more was their knowledge of how to handle the monsters—beheading them with precision was the most efficient method.
Darium, his face twisted into a malicious grin, began collecting the ghouls' cores. "If you're not going to do anything, you might as well help by taking these cores," he said, tossing Arsen a glance.
Arsen looked at him without saying any single word.
After several minutes, they resumed their dungeon raid and halted once they reached their destination.
It was the rear of the mansion, where the only things in sight were soldiers clad in silver armor, wielding spears, along with a lone watchman.
"I thought they were monsters?" Arsen asked, eyeing the soldiers guarding the area.
"Yes, they're undead skeletons," Blue Smoke replied, then added, "You know the plan—take out the watchman. We'll handle the soldiers."
The group had skilled marksmen, but using arrows risked alerting the other watchmen nearby.
Arsen already knew how to deal with the watchman. He began moving in, silently concealing his presence, while Blue Smoke's party readied themselves to take down the two undead skeletons.
Swish!
Suddenly, Blue Smoke's party was startled as the watchman's head hit the ground with a dull thud. It happened so fast they couldn't even follow it with their eyes.
"Was it really that easy?"