After the team wrapped up their business in the mall, they headed back to their first destination—their original plan.
"So you guys are entering this red dungeon?"
And as soon as they approached, the newbie, Hazel, asked with a little reluctance in her voice. It was obvious, since from their knowledge, red is the hardest dungeon of all.
It might have more and better rewards, but the risk didn’t match the reward.
And that’s why, even though it stood out in the open like this, right in the middle of the parking lot, nobody dared to enter it.
"It’s fine, it’s fine!"
Therese patted Hazel’s back, cheering her up.
"We already cleared a green dungeon before this in under half an hour, and powered up from the rewards, so this should be doable!"
"Really...?"
Her doubt was only natural.
After all, her party, which had 15 people at first, was reduced to just four after they tried clearing an indigo dungeon.
It even took them over three hours just to reach the end.
Furthermore, after they’d gotten some rewards, the other three tried to force Hazel into becoming their meat slave, both as a measure to lessen the loot competition and to relieve themselves.
It didn’t work, though, since she turned the tables on them fast.
She raised her gaze, turning to Raive who already had a hand on the red dungeon’s gate.
"Clearing a green in half an hour..." She whispered to herself. "If they’re this good, then maybe..."
"Alright, everyone, let’s enter!"
Right then, Raive called to them with a smile. It was time to move.
"Yes!" They responded in unison.
"Ok." Even Hazel nodded a beat later.
Of course, they still hadn’t gotten the help of Raive’s "precognition" at this point. However, after scouring the mall, they were now much better equipped than before.
Each of them wore Kevlar vests and other protective gear like knee-pads, elbow pads, and shin guards. They even wore Airsoft tactical helmets, each with a built-in flashlight.
Not only that, they’d even forgone their previous attire—which wasn’t really fit for exploration—for proper uniforms instead. They replaced their leather shoes with combat boots, and wore what looked like faded brown camouflage combat uniforms.
Even Hazel, who just joined them, and Hershey, who was smaller, were treated the same.
With this, they should survive even if they got surprise-attacked on entry.
As they discussed beforehand, Shymine entered first.
Her task was to jump in and freeze everything around her indiscriminately. Then, if it was safe, she would dispel her ice and wait for everyone else to enter after 10 seconds.
"...Three, two, one... zero!"
After Raive’s countdown was over, he entered first.
Of course, having learned from a past mistake, he didn’t jump inside, in case he ended up sliding across thin ice.
And as soon as he entered...
"You’re here."
Shymine’s voice called to him. But her tone was pretty grim.
"This... might be trouble, leader." She added.
Raive looked around, before nodding with her, sighing. "Yea, this definitely spells trouble."
The location of the red dungeon was no normal space. It wasn’t a cave like the green dungeon, nor was it some sort of underground facility like in the trials.
Instead, it was...
"A grassland?" Khamish muttered quizzically.
"Beautiful...!" Hershey gasped, with stars sparkling in her eyes.
Right.
The entry point seemed to be the middle of a wide grassland.
No matter which direction they looked, all they could see was endless green grass, with patches of colorful flowers here and there, making for a beautiful scene—one that extended all the way to the horizon.
"This will take a long time to clear, for sure..."
Therese sighed, already feeling pain in her feet just from thinking how much walking they would need to do.
However, Hazel, who entered last, just spent a single glance and understood what Raive and Shymine were talking about.
"No, I don’t think that’s what they mean."
A grassland that extended from horizon to horizon. The first dungeon had been a maze, with its monsters all plant-type.
She pointed a finger toward a nearby patch of flowers, about 50 meters away, and declared.
"Those things are all monsters."
"Huh?!"
Hershey, who almost ran towards it to pick one up and admire it, quickly rushed to Raive’s back, pulling at the hem of his blazer. It seemed that the beautiful scenery almost made her forget where they were.
Inside a red dungeon.
"Everyone, at the ready."
Raive called, pulling out the aluminum baseball bat he’d prepared. It wasn’t just a call to make them enter battle formations, but because—
"They’re coming!"
The monsters’ attack was starting.
Visually, they couldn’t see anything moving around them. However, Raive wasn’t one to be easily duped by appearances. He’d already eaten 11 stat-up candies, after all!
Everyone moved into a circle, keeping Hershey, the only non-combatant, in the middle.
Khamish was holding two machetes, looking fierce.
Therese held a long metal pole, almost like a spear.
Only Shymine and Hazel didn’t have weapons with them. After all, their abilities alone were fatal enough.
"Where are they...?"
Therese whispered warily.
Raive focused instead, closing his eyes and relying on his other senses. His sense of hearing picked up faint sounds coming from the ground, like something was digging through it.
He could feel vibrations through his feet.
After the sensation got stronger, he flicked his eyes open and shouted.
"It’s underground! Everyone, disperse!"
"What?!"
However, Raive’s warning came a second too late.
He, Shymine, and Hazel managed to jump away, but the other three stood still, confused. Raive realized his mistake a second later.
SHWOOCK!
From the ground, sharp vines... no, roots, quickly rose. Almost like a spike trap activating. Six of them to be specific.
Three missed, but the other three...
"Bro...ther..."
"Shit...!"
Hit their target cleanly.
Like meat about to be barbecued, the roots pierced the three from below, and came out through their shoulder, back, or straight through their skull.
"Gah!"
Hershey was lucky enough to survive, but with the vine piercing through her back, it was doubtful whether she could even heal herself.
As for Khamish, although the root came out of his shoulder, it had definitely passed through his heart first. He died instantly.
Same with Therese, who already had a bloody root peeking out of the top of her head.
Their deaths came so fast, nobody even had the time to process what had just happened.
"Shit..." But Raive was already sure what he needed to do. "I’ll just... die."
He could already feel the roots moving underground. He was sure they’d already locked onto their present locations. And he had no intention of dodging.
The earth below him rose unnaturally, before a root shot up fast.
THUD!
"...!"
But at the last moment, someone pushed him away, sending him forward a few meters. As he flew, he glanced back at where he’d been standing, seeing a familiar woman with blue hair, wearing an expression that was both desperate and relieved.
"Live..."
That’s the only word she could get out before the root shot up, literally shattering her head. Brain matter, blood, and pieces of her skull flew around, scattering into a bloody mess.
"Shy...mine..."
Raive thought he’d already gotten used to death.
But in that moment, he didn’t think so.
Seeing someone try to save him from death, dying in his place, made his cold heart shatter. He wanted to shout, to cry, and to tear the roots apart at the same time.
Complicated emotions mixed into a single one, turning his expression into complete blankness.
It was the moment Raive’s resolve changed.
He didn’t want to die easily anymore, to restart the loop powerlessly. Instead...
"I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL...!!!"
He roared to high heavens.