We were a group of ten adventurers. A little big for a party but we were the perfect team and had all the basic classes covered. We had two rangers, one scouter, two shielders, two attackers, two mages and a good healer. 

 

I was pretty confident in my little team, sure our levels weren’t the best, not to mention our adventurer ranks were still lacking but a dungeon was measured based on the basic four man adventurer teams’ strength level so I was sure we could overcome it with numbers and great synergy.  

 

Our leader was a mage named Khan, he wasn’t the strongest in the team but he was definitely the smartest, not to mention he had been to this dungeon at least a few dozen times. Even some of the other party members have been to this dungeon before. 

 

There was only one rule. If we encounter Marvel just buy sometime and run. Marvel wasn’t very strong but his defenses were pretty good. Due to his dragon-like skin a couple low level adventurers like us couldn’t even hurt him. 

 

I always wished that it was any other creature that was the dungeon boss, then we could really beat a dungeon boss with our numbers. The increase in strength we would get from defeating a dungeon boss alone was satisfying enough not to mention the rewards for the body parts of a pseudodragon. 

 

We entered the Dungeon at about midday. The first few floors was a dense forest only inhabited by the white baboons who just threw poop. They were a little annoying but long as you didn’t get too close they weren’t much of  a threat. 

 

“Hey is it me or does this place feel a little different?”

 

The one to speak was a Mage by the name Truth, 

 

“Come on Truth, don't tell me a little fog and you’re already scared?”

 

The one to mockingly reply was our scout and he ignored Truth’s concerns and stepped forward,

 

But the moment the scout took a step forward a giant log pierced through the dense fog came swinging with its sharp tip. 

 

Less than a second later and the log had already impaled our scout. 

 

“AAAARG!”

 

The scout screamed in agony as his body was picked up by the hole in his abdomen. 

 

The rest of us tried to jump to the side to dodge the still swinging log that had our scout in the air. 

 

“Cut him down now!

 

Healer be on stand-by!”

As always our leader Khan remained calm and collective while giving orders. 

 

“Be careful this place must be rigged with a few traps now.”

 

The party was a little shocked, after all this was a low level dungeon they had all been to a few times, since when did it have traps?

 

The team complied with the leader and went to cut down the log to try and get the scout some medical attention but the moment someone moved we were attacked by a hail of stones. 

 

The stones weren’t pebbles, they were rocks as thick as a grown man's head. Just one hit from them made a few of us stumble over coughing up blood. 

 

The worst part was, due to the dense fog we couldn’t even see where the hail of stone was coming from.

 

Not like it would matter since the rocks were being thrown from almost every angle. 

 

“SHIELDERS!”

 

Once again the party leader was a beacon of hope as he shouted for people to play their parts.

 

Almost immediately the two shielders raised their shields and activated their skills. 

 

“Earth wall!”

 

“Light of protection!”

 

The moment they activated their skills the rest of the team huddled around the shielders. 

 

The entire party was surrounded by a glow of light that raised their defenses while a wall made of earth hovered around them. 

 

The party ran forward trying to escape the range of the monkeys. Everything seemed okay until Khan looked around and started counting.

 

“Damn it! 

 

Someone else is missing!”

 

We looked around a little confused. Everyone started counting and then it hit me

 

“It’s the other Ranger that was supposed to cut down the scout!”

 

Everyone looked around in a panic trying to figure out just when she got nabbed.  

 

If it wasn’t for the thick fog they could have operated much more effectively. But that’s when it hit Khan. Traps, coordinated attacks, and using the weather to their advantage? There was no way this was just a coincidence.

 

Khan eyes sharpened as he looked at his party members

 

“Guys, I think there's a dungeon leader nearby!”

 

The moment he spoke a thick burly hand with silver fur pierced through the thick fog grabbing one of the shielders by the head.

 

The moment the shielder was grabbed only a figure could be seen as it jumped back into the trees. 

 

A few seconds later a battered body fell down from the tree tops. 

 

When we circled the body it was the body of the ranger. Her body that before glowed with beaty was now completely broken and bent out of shape. 

 

Whatever took her was inhumanly strong.

 

We formed a circle looking at her dead body. I had to admit just the site of it left me a little shaking. 

 

But just when we thought it couldn’t get worse another dead body fell right on top of hers. 

 

That one was in an even worse state. His body had been completely mangled and his head slightly bashed in. 

 

“Please… please kill me!

 

So… so much pain”

 

The rest tried to turn away after hearing the words their own party member was saying. 

They had shared so many memories with him, how could he look at them now and beg for death. 

 

Khan was the first to nod. He whispered a few words and instantly the shielder was covered in a block of ice.

 

“Form a defensive circle now!”

 

He wanted to be angry at the leader for finishing our team mate off but even us had to understand it was just a mercy. It was just how quick that he did it that irked us. 

 

But he didn’t give us enough time to process it, since he was already shouting orders. 

 

The moment we formed a circle again another hail of stones was sent flying. 

 

The only difference this time was that we were prepared. 

 

With the earth shield protecting us we tried to move out of the forest. With our range attacker out we didn’t stand much of a chance against the monkeys unless we were willing to climb the trees but that was as good as a death sentence. 

 

“They took out our scout, ranger and shielder first” 

 

That’s way too smart for a bunch of wild beasts. 

 

They got almost all the important party members… except”

 

That’s when Khan looked up and pushed the healer out of the way. 

 

Almost immediately a log with sharpened tips swang past the place the healer was standing.

 

“They are after our supports first!”

 

Khan shouted but it took us a few moments to understand what he really meant. 

 

“That means monsters are using tactics meaning the dungeon leader is highly intelligent.”

 

The moment they realized this another thick burly hand pierced through the fog ready to grab the shielder by his head but this time the hand was attacked by an ice ball traveling at high speeds. 

 

The shielder gulped as the hand was deflected. 

 

“I said they are after the supports! Be on guard!” 

 

Khan shouted once again to clarify. 

 

“Let’s keep moving and get out of this fog!”