In front of them stood a massive arch door with an engraved snake beast, which seemed magnificent at first sight but then they realized it might be the hint for the boss. The mature man in front smiled, excited about what will the creature inside has to offer.
He turned back to check out his team members, their startled faces had made him a little laugh. "What are you scared about? This is merely a boss of the first floor!"
No one replied until someone with brown hair stuttered and spoke, "But I heard this Carastes have taken down a lot of teams before us!"
"Should we wait and head back to call another team behind?" A man dressed as a wizard responded, still not sure about their capabilities.
"No!" said the leader—the silver-haired man—looking at each of them. "We can't return now, not without all the rewards we have been through."
"Besides, we are alone here," he said and then look back at the sealed room ahead. "All of them had a different room as well. No one comes to us."
The atmosphere started to change, fear has infected a lad who can't even move. Not because of the boss inside but also other things he keeps silent. Wished at first he told the truth about his abilities and refused the team invitation. He still didn't know what was his skill used for, his role, and what will he do in his unit. It could be a mess later on.
He glanced at the archer girl standing beside him, who appeared as frightened as the rest of them. With her delicate shape and attractive face, she was pleasant to behold. Above her short, shoulder-length black hair, there was an ID name that read Mei Li. She had that silver archer badge which means she is talented with the bow.
Although their leader has the same icon color attached to his name but a sword and shield, Ha Suan, seemed to have a lot of experience. Aside from the Warrior class inherent in his attributes, his charisma undoubtedly made people follow him willingly. It was verified by all his instructions that his team could infiltrate the dungeon that far.
Howard, the one with the wizard robe, however, is different from the other two. He doesn't have a badge or a specific title on his name. Although at first look, he is like a magic-destruction user who turns out to be healer support. Thanks to him that this expedition seems conceivable to achieve.
His "brother", Arknar, who is not a real brother but another wizard, serves as the attacker. He deals damage alongside Mei Li but focuses more on destructive attacks rather than continuous ones. His role is to make a burn debuff that will hurt the enemies over time and increase the melee attack to twice when the burn is still active. However, he needs to manage his mana carefully as it is consumed faster than the healing magic.
Last but not least is Liu Han, a martial arts class that fulfills the roles of both damage dealer and support; unlike the Warrior class which specializes in defense and support. Regardless, this class has never been seen since the game was released, and almost no one except Liu Han has managed to obtain it. Despite this, martial arts classes do not seem to be convenient for him.
"I believe we can do it." Ha Suan swallowed hard and tried to face his dread. "Remember to focus all the time and listen to what I have said."
Everyone set watchful as their leader was about to enter the chamber, but a screaming voice had them stunned for a second. "Wa–wait!"
Almost all the members stare at Liu Han who froze with his face terrified. "It's better that I'm out from this team."
"What? What are you talking about?" Arknar is bewildered and demands an explanation. "You are needed for our team role."
"That's true, Liu Han," said Howard without hesitation. "We need your toxin skill, aren't you the Assassin class?"
That is the issue. Before the teams were settled down, no one knows other users' classes without the badges. Some of them chose to hide all their stats and information. Nevertheless, when comes to the team's event like dungeon or bosses, the search automatically picks a random user that fits the remaining roles. In that case, Liu Han is one of those.
"I... I am not." Liu Han shocked the whole soul in there and made their eyes wide open.
"Are you serious!" Arknar started to rise his voice tone. "Why didn't you tell us before we enter the dungeon?"
Liu Han silenced for a moment, unable to think. "Sorry, I can't continue from now on."
"And let us fail to enter this room too?" Ha Suan responded, recalling the requirement to face the boss. "If one leaves, everyone leaves."
"Without a complete team role, we can't even enter the dungeon, remember?" The face of that mature man comes across as a little bit disappointed and mad. "It's too late now. We must move forward."
That is bad, Liu Han was lost in his chaotic mind. He has to make the decision as soon as possible. He wants to leave and not burden his team, at the same time, it would be a drawback for them. If they forced him to continue with the task, Liu Han was afraid that he wouldn't be able to contribute much.
When he leers to Mei Li, her beautiful face locks on him. She did not talk and choose to shut her mouth in this conversation. Yet, a slight contemplation reflected in her reddish irises. She turned her head away as the two of them stared at each other.
"You can leave when we solve this last ride." He began to open that massive entrance. "Don't waste time!"
The door creaked with a deafening sound, scattering dust as it unfurled. The darkness remained, enveloping them with uneasiness. Liu Han had no choice apparently but to approach and walk through the entrance, carried away by the waves. Suddenly, the door closed, locked, and vanished into thin air, leaving all of them inside.
"Prepare yourselves!" Ha Suan sheathed his silver sword, and they all followed suit with their weapons.
Mei Li held her bow firmly, while the two wizards grasped their staffs and spell book. Each class was given their main and second weapon in their inventory, except Liu Han. He drew an iron blade from its torn case which he had crafted from the lowest-tier weapon he could do. He is completely empty-handed from the start.
Simultaneously, the ground beneath their feet felt soft, gradually becoming heavier and less solid. In an instant, the tiled ground vanished, replaced by a thick layer of sand. The space became visible as if a light switch had been flicked. They now found themselves in the middle of a desert, surrounded by towering dunes.
"What is going on?" Howard was baffled, his voice sounded restless as he noticed something in the distance. "What is that?"
All eyes turned in the same direction to where Howard pointed. There, a strange phenomenon unfolded before them. The sea of sand appeared to have been swept away, resembling a rushing train heading straight toward them. Ha Suan squinted his eyes, observing intently until he finally concluded.
"Watch out!" He shouted just in time, prompting all the members to react swiftly. They rolled, evading the oncoming threat as a creature emerged from the sand. It was a massive snake that lunged with incredible speed and ferocity through the ground, causing the sand to scatter.
Everything was covered in dust. Liu Han was seen lying face down, attempting to get up. He couldn't see anything, unable to discern the monster's movements. Solely relying on his ears, Liu Han heard the sound of sand being dragged and the hiss of snakes.
Out of nowhere, a faintly glowing sphere appeared, hovering in the air. As its light explode, the scene was cleared brightly once more. This mystical illumination was the result of an influential spell cast by the Healer, requiring a huge amount of mana.
When they can catch each other once again, they immediately reunited and noticed an existence enfolded them. An altar, black in color, seemed to have materialized around the team. Four of them shared a similar kind, while one in the center stood larger than the rest with a different form.
"What now?" Arknar's tension intensified as he indicated to that structures.
The creature arose from the dune and began to slither towards the central altar. Its skin was white, adorned with lines resembling basil leaves in color. It ascended upon the statue as if claiming a throne. The serpent stared down at them, its terrifying green eyes poised for attack. The sheer size of the creature alone was enough to instill horror, even more for Liu Han, who had never encountered such a formidable nightmare before.
"So this is Carastes?"
To be continued...
