One thousand two hundred players marching into the burial site naturally couldn't be hidden. People everywhere realized that Dream Avenue and its allies were planning something big. Even in the global chat people guessed correctly that the three guilds prepared to face a world boss. But what could they do? It was too late to intercept them.
With the big guilds mostly focused on the battle in the south they didn't have much manpower to spare. And many scattered players had no reason to provoke the guild alliance. Stealing loot from the world boss? Was that easy? Would Dream Avenue let them? No. The alliance was obviously prepared, playing such a beautiful move.
While the casual players applauded, many guilds were cursing. They cursed themselves for blindly rushing towards the south and not forming plans on their own. Why didn't they think of making use of the opportunity to silently hunt another world boss? Well, although many guilds thought so they also knew that it was unrealistic. Even if they could come up with the idea, where would they so easily get a suitable world boss?
World bosses were not that common. Even if a guild discovered a world boss, it's location would be leaked after a while. Even the strongest guilds couldn't monopolise world bosses. For example, Dream Avenue would send a team of about 300 players to fight Vren every week. Yet even so there was one time where they arrived too late and Vren had already been defeated by an alliance of two smaller guilds. There was nothing they could do but vowing to hurry up the next time.
Thus, many guilds wouldn't be able find an unknown world boss suitable for their levels even if they wanted to. The only ones not troubled by this issue were Dream Avenue who could always rely on their all-knowing living encyclopaedia.
Liam once again amazed everyone with his extensive knowledge. Even though the interior of the pyramid changed every day, Liam still seemed know it like the back of his hand. Well, there were only 14 variations after all. Sooner or later the burial site was bound to be completely mapped out.
From some statues seen in the first chamber Liam could tell which of the 14 variations they entered. Usually, the stone tablet they received from Zara was used to decipher certain markings on the wall which allowed one to pass the complicated labyrinth, but Liam didn't need all of it. If this were a quest with his friends, he might have let them figure it out, but with so many impatient people following behind them Liam would rather hurry up.
The large crowd rushed through the labyrinth. Monsters? Traps? Sub-bosses? Everything faltered before the might of 1200 players. After circling left and right, up and down, they finally reached the central chamber. This chamber alone appeared more spacious than the entire pyramid seen from outside. Obviously, the space inside had been altered. For common people such methods indeed seemed like the work of deities. Only the beings at the very top – in player terms from level 90 onwards – could think about tempering with space like that.
However, the players didn't think so much. Although Fate of Crunaboul could be as realistic as a real world, it was still a game. Let alone altering space, even if time were chaotic, it would be considered normal. Why would the players care about the mechanisms behind this if there was a world boss to kill?
"Is this the central chamber?"
"Finally. Could that guy over there be the world boss?"
"Hmm. Old man, skin like stone, tight mage robe - seems to fit the description of Tuechou."
"Guys, what are you saying? This is obviously a statue."
"So what? Wouldn't be the first statue I've watched coming alive."
Discussions spread as the players poured into the chamber. Liam waited until everyone had arrived before he approached the tall statue in the centre. It was indeed depicting Tuechou, but Liam was not afraid that it would come alive. He retrieved the stone tablet from his inventory and placed it in the hands of Tuechou, which formed a bowl in front of his body.
Instantly the entire chamber began to tremble. The statue's eyes lit up with a yellow light and a terrifying pressure spread which made it almost impossible for anyone to move.
"Told you! It's about to move!"
"Get ready guys!"
"Warriors, ready your weapons!"
"Mages! Prepare your spells!"
Commands spread through the crowd. The players fought against the pressure to take out their weapons. Just as everyone thought the fight was about to start, the floor below their feet suddenly tilted by 45 degrees, turning into a ramp.
"Ahh!"
"Out of the way!"
"I'm sliding! I can't stop!"
"Hahaha I love slides!"
The scene was incredibly chaotic. Some people became enthusiastic while others tried desperately to stop sliding and regain control. However, no matter how much they struggled they couldn't prevent themselves from sliding. It was as if friction had taken a break from its duties. No matter what the players were wearing, be it metal, cloth, or leather, everything slid down the ramp.
The ramp was way longer than only the original chamber. It was a downwards path, dimly illuminated by a few torches on both sides. After dozens of seconds the floor finally came into view.
"Careful!"
"I'm coming! Make way! Make way!"
"Ah!"
"Take your foot off my back!"
The end of the slide led to a spacious cave. The players were carried by inertia, spreading over the stone floor. The first few who came to a stop felt their hearts skip a beat. They hastily sprung up, doing their best to get out of the way. But with so many people it was obvious that some were too slow. A traffic jam formed at the bottom of the ramp as the players collided with each other.
Liam and his friends were somewhere in the centre of the crowd. Cyclone was lying on her back with her feet in the air, supported by Silver Blade's back, laughing happily. Watchful Eye was next to Silver Blade retaining a taciturn expression, making sure no one came too close to the young miss. The exception was Liam though, who was on the other side of her, sitting shoulder to shoulder. Back to back with him was Quickstep, with Silent Acacia, who lost balance right from the start, lying in her lap. Radiant Shield was the most stable of them all. He even managed to catch Balm as she was about to fall on Cyclone's head. Only Bloody Edge was split from the group, sitting side to side with Earthquake and Cherry Blossom.
"Smiileee! Aaand pause! Haha, I got everything recorded! Great! Great!"
Fortune laughed happily. Somehow, she had managed to stay on her feet, sliding down the ramp as if she had a snowboard, recording the entire scene, obviously focusing on her friends. Silent Acacia jolted. He struggled to sit up, asking awkwardly:
"Ehm. Fortune. How about you don't put this into a video? After all we don't want others to know how to get to the world boss, right?"
"Oh really? Is that the only reason?"
"Yes, of course."
"Nah I don't believe it. I think you don't want others to see how you slipped and had to be held by Quickstep all the way down. But really, there is no need to worry. We live in a modern society after all. It's perfectly normal for a man to be dependent on their girlfriend."
Silent Acacia noticed the eyes of his friends on him and only felt even more embarrassed. Eventually it was Cyclone who couldn't hold back her laughter, and the others quickly joined her.
After a while the traffic jam gradually dissolved as the players spread out. Liam and his friends also arrived on solid ground, gaining a unique appreciation for the forces of nature. While a few stragglers still had not arrived, the friends studied their surroundings. They had surprisingly entered an underground city, arriving on a vast plaza. The city appeared to be even more ancient than the burial site itself. Almost no building remained intact, rubble was everywhere. The meticulously paved floor was cracked all over. Weed had taken hold throughout the city. Only the river to their right roared unceasingly.
At the other end of the plaza were broken walls of a once majestic building. But now there was only rubble left except for a single structure which was still intact. It was a black obelisk. There were a few sarcophagi surrounding it and a strange sphere made from an unknown red material was floating above it. The sphere was round with multiple lines spreading in all directions, clearly symbolizing a sun. Suspended in the air it revolved slowly, shining a warm light on one of the sarcophagi.
Finally, all the players had left the ramp and entered the ancient city. Suddenly a click echoed through the underground world. The main sarcophagus began to tremble. The sun sphere shone brightly. The lid of the sarcophagus was pushed away and a withered hand broke out.