[Present.]
Carl blinked, the memory fading as the reality of the lava field rushed back. He stared at the holes directly before him. They were about to blow.
"Here we go, don't hold back guys!!" He placed his palms together, channeling every ounce of energy he had.
"Jump!!!!"
With his words, the whole ten jumped in unison. But to their horror, as they hung in the air, the ground beneath them split. A massive pillar of lava shot right from the hole, heading towards them with insane speed.
"No!!"
"....?!"
"Shit!!"
BOOOOM!!!!
The lava shot out, swallowing the sky, enveloping the whole team in a blinding inferno.
WHOOSH!!
From the heart of the fire, ten cocoons made of translucent, golden dragon scales shot out. They smashed into the safe ground beyond the vent line, rolling and steaming with heat.
"...??"
CRACK!
The dragon scale cocoons cracked and slowly fell apart, dissolving into motes of light. The group tumbled out, coughing but miraculously unburned. They all blinked in shock, patting themselves down, and turned to Carl, speechless.
An assassin shouldn't be able to use such defensive skills—especially not AOE ones. That was a fundamental rule taught in every academy class. Yet, Carl had just deployed a barrier stronger than any knight's shield.
Carl exhaled, his eyes closed for a moment. 'Thank you again, Senior sister.' He thought, and stood upright, brushing ash from his shoulder.
"Ok team! Let's keep moving!" He turned to the stunned group, who were all staring at him with open mouths.
"What happened?! We are safe! Don't think too much about it!" He said with a dismissive wave. The nine looked at one another, then back at him. They nodded their heads in understanding. In a dungeon like this, questions could wait. Survival came first.
"Daniel?"
Carl turned to their best scout. Daniel nodded, shaking off his shock, and placed his hand on his forehead again.
"Archer Gaze!!"
His eyes glowed, piercing through the dense, smoky canopy of the forest ahead. He saw humanoid figures walking in scattered groups, their movements coordinated. They held weapons forged from dark metal. He pushed his vision further, straining his mind, until he reached the other side of the forest.
There, a clearing opened up—a field of lush green grass that seemed out of place in this hell. At the center sat a throne made of bones. A humanoid figure sat upon it, a massive broadsword resting at his side.
Suddenly, the figure on the throne snapped his eyes open. He looked directly at Daniel, across miles of space.
"Ahh!!"
Daniel screamed, clutching his head. He dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth as blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
"Daniel!!"
Gabby rushed towards him, her hands glowing with healing light. She blinked, confused. "Wait, I can't feel any injury... Not even internal." She said.
"This is a soul attack..." Daniel gasped. He slowly stood up, wiping the blood off his lips with a trembling hand. "I am lucky I retreated fast... If I was a second late, my soul would have been destroyed." He said, his voice shaky. He turned to Carl and Grace.
"We shouldn't enter this Forest." He said flatly.
"What?" The group was stunned.
"You see... This Forest is like a maze, and in this maze, there are humanoid dragon monsters the same height as a grown man, their strength varies from Lv50 above... And if we pass the Forest, we will meet that guy on the throne. I don't even know his level, but he can use soul attacks." He explained.
"I thought you can't see the levels?" Phillip asked with a frown.
"I can't see anyone who is twenty levels ahead of me... With my current level, that must be their strength." Daniel answered grimly.
"This just got tricky... If we stay here, we can't leave this place!" Mitsuki said, gripping her sword.
"And we will surely die if we enter." Ken pointed out the obvious.
"Ok! We won't know if we don't try! Come on, let's go." Carl said, drawing his daggers. His fear was gone, replaced by the thrill of the challenge.
"We can do it!" Phillip added, cracking his knuckles.
"They are just some levels higher! Lord Hayatobi said as long we have more powerful skills, we can still win." Ken finally added with a smirk, trying to mask his anxiety.
"Yeah, like you have enough points to begin with." Nina cut him off with a dry remark.
"Enough guys... These monsters aren't normal monsters. I am 100% sure they have intelligence..." Daniel exhaled, composing himself. "Let's go then, if we can't do anything, we will run back here and defend!"
Janet nodded. "A fighting retreat. I can work with that."
"Ok! We got a clear plan! If we can't win the first group, we run back here. Of course, they will come after us. We will defend here." Grace agreed.
"Ok! With that settled, Let's bounce!! Gabby and Nina! Both of you will follow some distance behind us!! When a battle breaks out, you shouldn't interfere. If you see we're retreating, be the first to get back here to heal those who gets injured. Understand?" Carl looked over his shoulder at the two Healers. They nodded with determined expressions.
"Let's move!" Carl yelled, and they stepped into the shadowy treeline.
'I have a bad feeling. That creature isn't the Boss here.' Daniel thought, staring at his team.
___
Some minutes after the group disappeared into the forest, the space at the starting point of the lava terrain tore open. The air shimmered, and four figures walked out onto the scorched earth.
"So this is a red dungeon... I have lost count on how many I have cleared." Zoginoi said casually. He removed his sunglasses, pulled out a pristine white handkerchief, and meticulously cleaned the lenses before putting them back on. All the while, his eyes remained closed.
Mirabella observed all his actions, her eyes sharp. He moved with an unsettling fluidity.
"So this is the way." Elizabeth muttered, staring at the geysers that had nearly killed the students.
"I hate child games." Zoginoi sighed. He stretched out his hand towards the bubbling land and clenched his fist.
"Earth gravity! Come out!"
BOOOOM!!!
The ground didn't just crack; it imploded. A massive crater formed instantly, the rock pulverized by invisible pressure. From the depths of the hole, a dark, shadowy silhouette flew out, screeching.
"Hiding before my master is stupid." Zoginoi added, adjusting his cuffs.