Chapter 3

Search.

It was still on. Late at night and on the verge of collapsing, we were forced to search for the currently missing boss room.

Eight hours have passed since the labyrinth boss battle; our men still exhausted from it, the on-going search and a poor nights rest; it was a recipe for disaster. It was a strange occurrence for everyone, as never before had we been forced to search so hard for a single spot on a map. But the commander kept encouraging our men with his foul yet effective orders. It was for some strange reason that everyone complied to the instructions given by the poor leadership. Not happy with the previous battle, it was as if the commander wanted to reach the boss room before everyone else.

So is it like that!?

And now thinking about it, to everyone it was no secret that two of the biggest clearing guilds had their share of problems between each other. Maybe this was the reason for our agony; a competition to see whose men endure the most. On one side it was our ALS, and on the other, the [Dragon Knights Brigade]. Opposing groups since the start, word has it that these problems began from the very beginning, in the first floor boss battle.

The commander of the ALS being Kibaou, and his reciprocal contrary: the leader of the DKB, a man named [Lind]. Both being described as arrogant and greedy players, it was probably no wonder they clashed since the beginning.

Yup….. No question about it; it's like that…

And now without doubt, and because of their personal fights, we were now in a contest to see who finds the boss room first.

It's like an arms race! And we´re caught right in the middle...

"Leader, come on! If we don't hurry, were gonna be in big trouble!"

"…Yeah, sorry. Guess I was daydreaming again"

Moving along the harsh terrain, we kept mapping out the unknown ground. Hard and uneasy, traversing thru the grounds was almost like hiking, as large rock formations often blocked the road. And on top of that, with every turn, more and more mobs seemed to roam the land.

Swish!

"Zero! Fall back! Token! Take his place!"

"Sir!"

"Formation V! Advance towards the right and watch the flank!"

Taking on the arrangement, we quickly adapted to the enemy's movements. Currently in a deplorable condition, we had endured many dangers along the way. And now, taking the head of the formation, I took the most of the hits of the two mobs, two [Rage Cyclops]. Tall, muscular monsters, they were unarmed but dealt heavy blows with their bare hands; as a result, we were taking backbreaking damage.

"…Sir! …I´m in red! Zero and Token are in red as well!"

"We don't have any more crystals!"

"Only four potions left!"

Dammit! ...Think! Think! ...

Desperately searching for a safe zone, we were pushed back several meters down a small hill. Taking the opportunity, we used our newly found momentum to briefly escape our doom. The cave-like surrounding were harsh and we hadn't seen a safe area in kilometers. However, with extreme luck and as if a miracle had happened, I spotted a safe zone twenty meters away. Not hesitating at the imminent danger and with a hoarse yet commanding tone, orders immediately came out of my mouth; to which my men responded rapidly.

"…Take the healing potions and head towards that safe zone! …Ray and Kato! Follow behind and protect them! …I´ll hold them off!"

"But Sir! …"

"…I said go Dammit!"

"….Fine!"

Knowing that they would join in when they were fully healed, I just had to delay the two monsters for a little while. But with every passing second, the algorithms that drive the monsters would update, making my job harder.

Clang!

A fierce blow was parried, but another soon followed. Hitting with great power, the creatures were complementing their weaknesses and switching with more and more precision. Even my AGI was almost inutile in the situation, as I felt that the lashes were zoning in closer each time they were executed.

Clank!

But with the remaining strength I had, I scarcely dodged them. It wasn't the same fighting with a team then to fight alone; I had plenty of experience on one-to-one battles, yet none with two adversaries. Parrying was all I could do, for the most part, as they would rain down hits one after the other, making it difficult to land one myself.

It's just like that last time! But there aren't any trees to save me now! ….

"But I´m not so helpless this time! …Now come and get it!"

Followed by my war cry, the figure lunged forward, as the first one moved in with killing intent; anticipating its sudden movement, my foot trailed with a bright light as I activated [Repel], a one-hit unarmed martial arts skill, and unleashed it onto the first mob´s chest, knocking it off balance; at the same time, I also activated [Vertical Arc], a two-hit combo, as I traced a "V" shape onto the second mob´s body.

The loud growl came too late, and now fully defeated with the culmination of hits ending with mine, the second mob burst into tiny pieces; but the first was far from done, as I only shook it off from me. With my uneasy stance, I tried to use once more my newly found martial arts skill, but failed to activate it, as the mob had already seen my intention. Gathering his fists, he burst forward an attack.

Bang!

Taking max damage, it impacted in the middle of my chest, sending me directly towards the ground. The combination of my light armor and my sword also hitting the ground was a clear sign of the extreme danger. With the force of the blow, my weapon had bounced far from me; my HP in red and my heart pounding fast; it was in that tiny moment that I suddenly thought about death. The giant sized fist gathering for the finishing blow, another loud growl rang in my ears. But from out of nowhere, another cry rang, as I felt a cold sensation passing fast by the side of my face.

Shluk!

A bladed-staff hitting its target sliced near my shoulder, with a piercing sound followed by a loud shattering impact soon after. Its trail still visible, its brightness was combined with the multiple polygons flying past. The mob that seconds ago was on the verge of ending me, was now defeated.

Overtaken by the heart-pounding surprise and joy, I didn't hesitate to fall on my back.

THAT was too close! …..

Lying for a short moment to regain my breath, I took the hand stretched out in front of me.

"Come on man! We´ve gotta head back and re-supply; we´ve taken heavy damage"

Appearing at the last second and saving my life was none other than Ray. His covert appearance came as a miracle, just in time to save my life. Accepting his help and standing once more, we prepared to teleport back, as it was too dangerous to go on foot towards the labyrinth exit.

"Right! Let's teleport back… How are the others?"

"Their HP is half-full; a while more and they'll be fine…"

"I´ll have to explain everything to the commander. He´ll be pissed! …But it's the only way… Alright, let's move out!"

12:15 am

No one in sight. [Carac]´s main plaza was empty, not even a single soul. The floors second biggest town was the closest to the labyrinth entrance. Stationing in the town nearest to the dungeon tower was a strategy well-known and played. But this time, the few rooms in Carac were now full with clearers and weren't enough to accommodate the large force, so majority of them ventured towards other towns.

However, as the two main guilds were now in a race to find the boss room, those few rooms must have been booked by them with advance. And also planning ahead, two bases were set up. And now as we ventured into town, effectively, only two apparent restaurants were the only buildings with lighting.

But which one is the ALS base?

Not wanting to start even more trouble with the other guild if we entered the wrong restaurant, we waited for moment. Not realizing that we were still standing in the middle of the gate and just as we were about to move out towards the closest restaurant, the teleport gate shined and six players begun materializing.

Zap!

The system prevention code activated, as we were repelled by purple lights from the fierce thrusts that the players made trying to push us by force.

"Move! You idiots are blocking the way!"

Without a word, we dispersed and got away from the gate.

A six man party began to move out of the gate; all equipped with distinct heavy armor and high-level artifacts, they also wore an even color: blue.

The distinct color of the "rival" guild, they were without doubt DKB members; and on top of that, there was a possibility that they might even be an elite party of their guild from the looks of their equipment.

"An excuse me would´ve been nice!"

With the unpleasant moment we just passed, Kato didn't hesitate to burst his discomfort.

Suddenly stopping, the six man party turned. Giving a short arrogant laugh, they stood few meters apart from us, as if trying to intimidate. One of their members unsheathed a sword, and soon enough was gaining closer to us. I knew this might start an unwanted confrontation; and soon enough, Kato stood as if he had intentions of starting that same fight. Rapidly approaching him, I lightly took him by the shoulder in order to stop him from making a scene.

"…K, back down. Remember …They can't do anything to us here; there's no need for a face-off!"

"…He took out his sword! …It's like they're asking for it!"

"That's precisely what they want! …But we´re not gonna give them that joy, now are we!?"

"…"

Backing down, I let go of my comrade and turned to face the inciters who were still seemingly trying to engage in a fight.

"DKB members! The name is Christopher, captain of the ALS and leader of this party…I apologize for the inconvenience …There is no need for an altercation…"

After a short silence, a deviling voice confronted my intent for a peaceful solution. The dark, sword-wielding figure stepping up, he unequipped his helmet and revealed his face. A cold stare coming from his eyes and a bone chilling aura came from him as he yelled out.

"Pitiful! An ALS member ordering us to back down! …Ha! I don't think so! …You ALS dogs must be taught a lesson!"

Unsheathing their weapons, the other members looked really prepared to pick a fight with us; but it was useless, as we were inside an inner area protected by the system. Holding off my men from doing the same, I tried once again to bargain with the other players.

"It´s useless! We´re in a safe zone, so you can't even scratch us! …I kindly advice that we both forget this incident and return to rest"

With another consecutive long silence, the air seemed to get heavier by the second. A battle brewing and threatening to spark in any moment, it was unclear how it would be solved. Gripping his weapon tighter as I recited, it was more than clear that he was angered by both my words and the obvious truth; the lead member of their group answered with rage.

"Not by chance! ….Now that you started this, I will end it!"

"…Look, I apologize for being in the way, but it's not worth it to fight over something so small…"

Also stepping up to confront the player, we were now at arm's reach, the perfect separation to begin a duel. Stopping at the same length, he stood and looked at me, as if analyzing.

"Ha! You pathetic little…Wait! …You wouldn't happen to be the one they call Silver Eyes now would you?!"

Staring at me hard, he approached even more; and with the sudden surprise, I couldn't find the words to fend back.

"…?"

Wait! He knows who I am?

"Oooh man! How I´ve been waiting for this! …THIS just got more interesting! …..I definitely can't let you go without a duel!"

A macabre laugh coming from his mouth, he readied his fingers to materialize his window; it was now evident that this situation was going to get real.

A duel!? …Well if it's a duel he wants, a duel he will have!

But before the mysterious angered player had the chance to open his window, the clanging noises familiar to our ears came to us. Stopping meters from the other aggressive members, a few figures stepped in and didn't hesitate to issue orders. And as the rest of the blue dressed men marched in, a large figure yelled out.

"… [Erebus]! Report to base immediately! And stop messing with such scumbags!"

Clearly a senior member of their guild, the enraged figure in front of me had no other option. Even more furious with the restriction upon him, he had no choice but to yield, and yet he still held out his weapon in anger; waving it at me, he said his final words.

"Argh! ...Next time we meet, you won't have the system to protect you! ….Move out!"

Ordering his men to refrain, they headed towards the closest restaurant; precisely the one we were going to enter a while back. Quickly barging out of sight, I Suspired out loud, as I felt great relief.

A bit molest form the altercation that happened, yet trying to keep a cool head after such a situation; I faced my men with a détente smile.

"We were going to face an encounter any way you look at it! ….But the good news is that we now know where the base is….Come on, let's report in"

Finally going in to report, we headed towards the second restaurant. Quickly forgetting the happenings of a few minutes ago, the small two story building came to closer view; its wooden finish made it look like a warm place to stay. Walking in, we were met with another squad and four other members, including Kobatz; all gathered in a single table, they were discussing in low voices.

"It's in the western area of the labyrinth!"

"Here is the map"

"The NPC we met tipped us about the boss; he said it was inferior to the labyrinth boss!"

Barely able to hear them, we scurried inside unnoticed.

They found it!? Inferior? …It could only mean one thing: ….The boss room! But how!?