23 Monster’s lair
[You have entered the C-Rank gate: Mountain Chain.]
Upon entering the gate, the various teams dispersed, going their separate ways. Hans's team also followed suit, leaving the gate behind and venturing into the dense pine forest.
Before long, they encountered their first opponent: one of the few inhabitants of high-altitude forests, a deer.
It wasn't however just any normal deer:
[Race: Glimmerhart
Title: None
Level: 107
Strength: 37
Dexterity: 69
Endurance: 83
Wisdom: 190
Skills:
{Water Magic path (Tier-4)
Effect: Able to cast various water spells reaching up to Tier-4}
{Magic Coat (Tier-3)(PASSIVE)
Description: A layer of mana surrounds the whole body.
Effect: Negates most of the magic-related damage received from Tier-3 spells or lower.}
Description: A magic beast, specializing in water spells, almost ranks at the bottom of the food chain in this region.
Evaluation: Low C-Rank.]
'Uh, it's the perfect counter for mages,' Hans thought to himself as he gazed at the creature.
'Well, unfortunately for you, it's not me who you'll be facing.' he thought further.
"Everyone take your battle position!" Hans commanded.
Though irritated by the unnecessary order, the team complied.
"David Wilson! Lead the charge and show me your team's capabilities," Hans knew he wouldn't be able to control a team he had just met as good as someone who had experience working with them for months, so he just left it to the expert.
The original squad leader, David, although confused by Hans's intentions and order, did as ordered, and flawlessly coordinated his team's attacks.
Their fighting style was really simple yet efficient: first, the alchemy expert released various compounds, debuffing the monster, the tank would then hold the monster in its place while being buffed by the priest, while the archer dealt heavy damage with his {Heavy Shots}. The blonde lady with the sword just stood in front of the priest and the alchemy specialist, to defend them in case of an unexpected danger.
It took a couple of minutes and about a dozen arrows to slow down the creature's movements before a sword could finally pierce its neck, giving an end to its pitiful suffering.
After the brief struggle and taking down the monster, the squad, however, had to rest for almost twenty minutes before declaring to be ready for another battle again.
By the end of the day, they had hunted a total of twenty-six monsters and obtained eleven cores.
The archer and the blonde teased Hans many times, asking him why he wasn't joining in any battles, and always stood on the sidelines.
Hans simply replied by saying that he was preserving his strength, eliciting a laugh from the two, while others could only stand watching.
Like that, time passed quickly and the night soon fell, they camped just beside a river, and lit a couple of branches to scare off the normal animals.
The group also took turns to stand on guard, ready to spot any possible incoming danger.
At dawn, as the sun slowly started to rise over the horizon, Hans's team was already marching to the meeting point and arrived 40 minutes earlier than the others. The second team to arrive was the one led by the lady, followed by the team of the middle-aged man, then it was the young mage's team, and the team to arrive at the last was the one belonging to the expedition leader, the first team.
Once all the teams arrived, they started exchanging their information quickly before revealing their accomplishments, the first team came back with almost two hundred cores, the third team brought a hundred while the other two brought back about five dozen (60).
Hans's team received some ridicule for their low performance, prompting a small smile on the third team leader's face.
Team 2, led by the lady, had come back with crucial information and reported the sighting of an elite monster, a Fire Wyvern.
Getting the report, all of the teams immediately set off to the wyvern's lair.
As they approached the elite monster's lair, the landscape around them grew barren.
Leading the others, the lady suddenly halted and gazed at a rocky mountain in the
distance, more precisely, she was staring at a huge cave that could be spotted even from miles away.
Standing beside her, Brick Garrison commented, "So it's there huh?"
Hans, who could barely spot the monster's red wing, used his skill, {Piercing Gaze}.
[Elite Monster
Race: Fire Wyvern
Title: None
Level: 120
Strength: 214
Dexterity: 247
Endurance: 197
Wisdom: 212
Skills:
{Fire Breath (Tier-4)
Description: The signature skill of every Fire Wyvern.
Effect: Creates a fire wave from the caster's throat with a wide area of effect and incredible firepower.
WARNING: If the caster doesn't have a body capable of handling it, it could inflict self-injuries.}
Description: An exceptionally strong and agile wyvern that is capable of casting a powerful breath and not just doing rapid aerial movements.
Evaluation: The creature possesses a strong body and has already formed its fourth circle. Stands at the peak of Rank-C.
Note: Since the wyvern is considered a Dragonoid, your skill {Dragon's Nemesis} will be active if you're fighting this monster.]
The entire raid team came to a halt, settling into their usual preparations.
But before doing anything else, the expedition leader fulfilled his duty, inquiring, "Does anyone or any team want to volunteer for a solo battle? If you manage to win, all the loot obtained from the monster in question will be rewarded solely to you."
A hush fell over the crowd. Even the arrogant mage, who initially wanted to try with his team, relented, recognizing the uncertain odds of the battle and was unwilling to risk his team members before the boss raid.
'No one huh? It'll be a troublesome battle.' the leader thought.
Formally, the option to solo was presented to create an opportunity for those in pursuit of wealth and fame, who were willing to put their life on the line to confront the monster. However, in reality, it served only to avoid potential bigger losses during the main battle.
If the participant won, then it would be all solved, and even if they died, the rest of the participants would gain important information to raid the boss.
The fact that no one volunteered meant that they would have to face the wyvern without having any clue about its strength.
'Tch no on-'
"I would like to try," Hans declared while everyone remained silent.
His response flabbergasted everyone, including his team members who watched him in astonishment.
There wasn't a single person who was unaware of his low rank, and yet no one stopped him.
Some, like the third team leader, just wanted to see him make a fool out of himself, while others, like the expedition leader, were simply at a loss for words.
At the end of the day, just allowing him to go to certain death would help them more than stopping him.
Only his team's priest murmured something, but that was disregarded by Hans as he walked away, leaving the expedition team behind him in silence.
Finding the wyvern in its liar didn't take Hans much longer.
In the center of the cave, a huge, ferocious, crimson-colored wyvern was staring at him with a not-so-welcoming expression on its face.
Meanwhile, back at the exploration camp, the leaders were discussing what just happened.
The impartial fourth team leader asked, "Shouldn't we send someone to follow him? At least to gain some info."
But what came in response was a mocking comment from the leader of the third team, who scoffed, "Pfft, hahaha, you think he'll last that long? I'll tell you this, the moment that punk enters the lair he's dead, he might have already been eaten alive by the monster."
Both the first and the second team leaders seemed like they wanted to say something, but what could they possibly say? After all, what the guy said wasn't wrong.
The guilt of letting a low-ranking member face an elite boss alone started to weigh heavily on the first and second in command, making them rethink their actions numerous times.
Maybe they shouldn't have let him go, or maybe they should send someone right now to get him back before anything worse happens to him.
All these thoughts disappeared when a roar erupted from the mountain peak.
This prompted all the members of the teams to turn around as just that one roar made many of the soldiers faint, and even inflicted the state of {Fear} on some of the squad leaders.
"It has begun," Brick Garrison admitted with his head low, feeling quite guilty about what he had done.
While every single person in the camp presumed him dead, Hans was bravely confronting the monster head-on.
He only avoided its fiery breath, deeming it too dangerous for his body to sustain.
As for physical attacks, Hans took most of them head-on, taking this chance to temper the incomplete spell he had gained, {Ice Armor}.
The armor now covered both his arms, and he was using them as shields for the incoming attacks from the wyvern's barbed tail and its powerful legs.
Hans wasn't just passively taking hits, he also counterattacked in every way when he got the chance.
He had managed to inflict a significant amount of damage over time, and the fight had now been ongoing for almost an hour.
Meanwhile, back in the camp...
The third team's leader's inner doubts surfaced while he tried to rationalize the unexpected turn of events, 'What.. is happening right now? Why, why hasn't that arrogant prick already dead? Could it be, he's really facing off against that monster? Nah there's no way, I bet when we get there we won't even find his bones.'
