The next morning, the sun peeked shyly over the eastern horizon of Verna City. The cool morning air did little to dampen the burning excitement within the lobby of the Adventurers' Guild.
Party Noiver stepped inside. There, the three chosen parties, Shadow, Swansea, and Zeff, stood tall, fully equipped in their combat gear. Their faces were etched with anticipation, a volatile mix of fear and the hope for immense wealth.
However, Keyzier's brow furrowed when he noticed two other figures standing beside them: the Guild Master and a woman with glasses, a senior supervisor of the guild.
"Morning." Keyzier greeted flatly, turning his gaze toward the middle-aged man. "Why are you here, Guild Master?"
Donovan chimed in with a puzzled expression, "Don't tell me you're planning on joining our 'picnic' to the dungeon?"
The Guild Master let out a soft chuckle, though his eyes remained serious. "My supervisor and I will be accompanying you. As the leader of this guild, I must see with my own eyes what truly lies within that place. I cannot simply rely on written reports."
Keyzier let out a long sigh and nodded. "Fine, that makes sense. But there's a condition." Keyzier pointed to the three parties behind him. "We've already promised Shadow, Swansea, and Zeff that we'd take them in first. So, you and the Supervisor have to wait your turn. You can only enter on the fourth run, once our promise to them is fulfilled."
The Guild Master smiled understandingly. "Fair enough. I agree."
With that, the large group moved toward Treeze Forest. The journey took several hours, but not a single person complained of exhaustion.
Upon arriving at the mysterious-looking cave entrance, they were met with a bustling scene. Under the Guild Master's orders, soldiers and guild staff were busy erecting large tents and an emergency guard post.
"Because of the extreme time dilation," the Guild Master explained, gesturing toward the tents, "we must set up a base out here. If you are stuck inside for only a few hours, a full day might have passed out here. We need a place to wait."
Keyzier nodded, then turned to face Billy, Viona, Zeff, and their party members.
"Listen!" Keyzier said firmly. "The strategy is simple. I want to see your capabilities first. You'll be fighting on the front lines. If the Rank A and B parties can handle the monsters on the initial floor, then there's hope for other adventurers to enter here in the future."
"So, we're the guinea pigs?" Viona, the leader of Party Swansea, asked while adjusting her shield.
"Guinea pigs that are going to get filthy rich." Novalia corrected with a sweet smile. "Don't worry, if your lives are in danger, we'll step in."
"We're ready!" Zeff exclaimed enthusiastically.
The group entered the cave's mouth. As their footsteps crossed the threshold into the shadows, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The air became heavy, pressing against their skin. The mana density was so high it made the hair on the necks of the Rank A and B adventurers stand on end.
"Insane..." Billy from Party Shadow whispered. "What kind of mana is this? It feels like breathing underwater."
Before they could even adapt, a low growl echoed from the darkness. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared one by one, followed by dozens of others.
"Ambush!" Viona shouted.
Dozens of Black Wolves lunged from behind the rocks. They were twice the size of normal wolves.
"Defensive formation!" Viona immediately commanded her party. Party Swansea formed a solid shield wall, absorbing the initial impact.
Thud! Clang!
"Now, Billy!"
Party Shadow moved like lightning. They leaped over Swansea's shield wall, slashing daggers and short swords at the wolves' necks. Meanwhile, Party Zeff, positioned at the rear, provided magic and arrow support.
Keyzier, Donovan, Novalia, and Evaliza simply stood back, observing with arms folded.
"Their coordination isn't bad." Donovan commented. "That Zeff kid has good timing instincts despite being the lowest level."
Thirty minutes passed. The adventurers were panting, but all the Black Wolves lay dead. There were no fatalities, only minor scratches.
"Can you still go on?" Keyzier asked. "The toys get bigger up ahead. You'll be facing a Black Werewolf."
Viona wiped the sweat from her brow and smirked. "Don't underestimate us. We're just getting warmed up!"
"We can still go on!" they answered in unison.
They stepped deeper. The cave passage widened until they eventually stood before a massive stone door that was wide open. Its scale made the humans look like mere ants.
"Let's head inside." Keyzier invited.
As the last foot stepped into the vast chamber...
Slam!
The stone door behind them slid shut with a thunderous boom that shook the floor. The room brightened in an instant, and in the center stood a three-meter-tall creature. Its fur was as black as the night, its muscles bulging hideously. In both hands, it gripped massive twin swords.
"GRRRAAAAAAH!" The monster's roar created a shockwave of wind.
"Get ready! It's coming!" Keyzier shouted. "Nova, full alert! Don't let them die a foolish death!"
"Understood!"
The Black Werewolf gave them no time to think. It blurred with speed that was nonsensical for a creature of its size.
Clang!
Viona blocked the monster's sword strike with her shield. "It's so heavy!" she screamed, her feet sinking into the stone floor.
The monster didn't rely on physical strength alone. From its right sword, a blast of fire erupted. From its left, a sharp blade of wind shot out.
"Watch out!"
Party Shadow and Zeff scrambled. The combination of physical and magical attacks was too brutal.
"Wind Magic: Wind Cutter!" Zeff tried to strike back, but his magic was simply swatted away by the monster's tough hide.
"Tsk, it's too fast!" Billy complained as his blade met only air.
Suddenly, the Black Werewolf leaped high, preparing to slam both swords, now coated in fire and a localized tornado, into the center of their formation. It was a lethal area-of-effect attack.
"WE'RE DEAD!" a member of Party Zeff screamed.
"Shield of Aegis!"
A transparent dome of light suddenly manifested, enveloping the three parties.
Boom!
The explosion of fire and wind slammed into the dome, but Novalia's barrier didn't even crack. Smoke billowed everywhere. When it cleared, the three parties were still intact, gasping for breath with pale faces.
"Focus!" Novalia shouted from the back. "I'll hold off its attacks; you cut its throat! Don't waste my mana!"
Realizing their lives had just been saved, their fighting spirit reignited. The battle continued with high intensity. Party Swansea held the aggro, Shadow struck at vital points, and Zeff disrupted the monster's movements.
Before they knew it, an hour had passed.
With one final cry, Viona and Billy drove their weapons simultaneously into the Black Werewolf's chest. The monster let out a piteous howl before collapsing and dissolving into black particles of light.
"Huff... huff... we... we did it..." Viona slumped to the floor, her entire body trembling with exhaustion.
In the spot where the monster died, a silver treasure chest slowly emerged from the floor. Everyone was buzzing with excitement about what they were about to receive.
"As promised," Keyzier said, walking closer, "we'll draw lots to see who gets it first."
After a quick coin toss, luck favored the red-haired youth once again. Party Zeff won decisively.
"Open it, Zeff!" Keyzier ordered.
Zeff opened the chest with trembling hands. Inside lay a medium-sized longsword with a blade that radiated two colors: red and green. Keyzier took the sword for a moment and flowed a bit of mana into it.
Woosh! Swosh!
The blade was instantly wreathed in flames that spiraled alongside the wind.
"Dual-element, huh?" Keyzier muttered in awe. "I wonder what the market price for this is. Ten millions Lyra, perhaps? Take it, Party Zeff."
Zeff received the sword with teary eyes. "Thank you, Keyzier! Thank you!"
The members of Party Shadow and Swansea watched with envy, but they knew the rules. Their turn would come in the next rounds.
"Alright, enough celebrating!" Keyzier cut in. "We're leaving now. Everyone, enter door number one to return. Because the second door leads to the next floor."
Keyzier led them toward the stone door on the left.
Outside the dungeon, the day had turned to night. Inside a large, comfortable tent, the Guild Master was lying relaxed on his folding cot, waiting for his turn to enter, whenever that might be. He had just closed his eyes for a quick nap.
Suddenly, the air above the tent distorted.
Zrrrt!
A dimensional rift opened right in the ceiling of the tent.
"AAAAAA!"
Keyzier, Novalia, Donovan, Evaliza, and over a dozen other party members free-fell from the hole like a rain of humans.
THUD! CRASH! WHAM!
They landed in a tangled heap. Unluckily, their landing zone was the very cot where the Guild Master was lying.
"AARRRGGGHHHH.....!!!!!!"
A piteous groan echoed from the bottom of the pile.
"Ow... my waist..." Zeff complained, having landed right on Viona's stomach.
"Move! Your foot is in my face!" Billy grumbled.
Keyzier, who had landed on the very top in a relatively safe pose, looked down. He realized he was sitting on something soft that was making noise.
"Eh?"
They all scrambled off one by one. There, on the cot that now had broken legs, lay the Guild Master, squashed beneath them.
"G-Guild Master?!" Donovan cried out in panic. "Forgive us! We didn't know these were the coordinates!"
"Call a medic!" Novalia screamed in a panic.
"Liza, who can use healing magic, is literally standing next to you, Nova." Keyzier said flatly.
"Ah... I forgot. Hehehe."
Evaliza, standing beside her, could only give a wry smile at Novalia's frantic state.