“Can’t open it from this side? Then what’s the point of this door? Is it broken?”
Reg was surprised. He had heard that every Catastrophe dungeon had its own quirks.
Could it be that the Mist’s feature was these prompts that kept appearing in front of their eyes?
Kind of considerate, actually…
【Archive Point has been refreshed】
Immediately after, as one of the rookie Demon Hunters got a bit closer to the campfire, a special prompt glowing with golden light appeared before everyone:
“Archive point? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“No need to worry about it, just keep moving forward. Our goal is to find and defeat the Soundseeker King hiding here. Don’t panic, I can guarantee your safety one hundred percent.”
Receiving the next instructions from the Truth, Reg spoke to everyone.
As the strongest Second Rank warrior in the team, he was ordered by the Truth to only make a move during the BOSS fight, leaving everything else to the three First Rank Demon Hunters.
So, the four of them drew their weapons and carefully edged forward into the pitch-dark corridor.
The Level 11 Demon Hunter named Elder took the lead, while Reg followed silently at the rear, observing.
This made the other three quite puzzled, whispering among themselves:
“Hey, Elder, do you think this is a test from Teacher Kavel?”
“Probably. Otherwise, why would Teacher Kavel let us take the carriage out so easily? I bet that young-looking Second Rank senior at the back is our examiner.”
“In that case, we better show what we’re made of.”
“What do you think, should we show off that Combat Formation we just learned last week… Wait, careful!”
Suddenly, a pile of bones ahead started to tremble, then slowly assembled into a Skeleton Soldier gripping a Rusty Iron Sword.
The Skeleton Soldier immediately bared its fangs and charged at Eldon, who was at the front, bracing himself for battle.
But Elder dispatched the Skeleton Soldier with just two swift strikes, not even needing help from his teammates.
“Huh? That was weak…”
With both hands on his sword, Elder carefully inspected the scattered bones, finding that he had indeed taken down the enemy with just two hits.
He thought it would be a tough opponent, but it was just a roadside obstacle.
So, are the mobs in this place all that weak? They’re not even as tough as the Mist Wolves wandering outside…
After walking a bit further and dealing with two more Skeleton Soldiers along the way, the trio finally confirmed that these skeletons really were weak.
Their confidence quickly soared, and they started walking with a bit more swagger.
Eldon began to pick up his pace, getting excited about what the BOSS might look like.
But not long after, just as the group was about to round a corner, with no warning or sign, a Rusty Iron Sword suddenly shot out from the corner, slashing straight at Eldon’s right shoulder!
“Ah!”
Elder let out a scream as a bloody gash opened on his right shoulder, but it wasn’t over yet.
The Skeleton Soldier lying in ambush at the corner swung its sword two more times—three strikes in a row!
Elder’s chest and right arm were both cut as he fell to the ground.
Only then did his two teammates react, quickly taking down the Skeleton Soldier and pulling out their Medical Kit.
Because the Rusty Iron Sword was enchanted with Tetanus Enchantment, Elder not only needed to bandage three wounds, but also had to drink a Healing Potion—a rather expensive item for a First Rank adventurer—which used up nearly half of the supplies in the Medical Kit.
“We underestimated these skeletons. They go down in two hits, but their attack power is off the charts. That rusty sword actually cut straight through Elder’s armor!”
“Be careful, Edell. You didn’t even notice the enemy right in front of you. That’s way too careless.”
“That skeleton was hiding at the corner on purpose—they’re intelligent!”
“They don’t even have brains.” One teammate pointed at the skull on the ground, then shot a questioning glance at “instructor” Reg, asking whether to continue the test.
“Keep moving. The rest is up to you.” Reg, following the Truth’s guidance, replied.
So Kruger, who had just reached level ten last week, took the lead, with Elder falling to the back.
Fortunately, he wasn’t fatally wounded and could still fight a bit with his left hand on the sword.
The four continued forward. After that, at Elder’s insistence, Kruger carefully checked every corner before proceeding, but found no more skeletons lying in ambush.
After slaying three more, they discovered a dimly-lit small room.
Inside the small room stood a very conspicuous wooden Treasure Chest.
“Reward Room?”
Kruger cheered and strode forward without hesitation, but Elder hurriedly called out to stop him:
“Watch the corners!”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re really jumpy after getting bit once.”
Kruger looked down on Elder’s anxious state a bit, and besides, generally speaking, Reward Rooms didn’t have monsters.
But being careful never hurt, so Kruger poked half his head through the doorway and saw a Skeleton Soldier standing in the corner facing the wall.
So there really was a monster lying in wait at the entrance?!
Kruger quickly withdrew his head to think for a moment, then sneered and gave his wounded teammate Elder a thumbs up:
“Thanks for the warning. Leave the rest to me.”
Now that he knew the enemy was hiding in the corner, he could just make a stylish sliding entrance and attack first!
After taking a deep breath, Kruger charged in with his sword, slid to the left, and used a spinning sword technique to strike at the Skeleton Soldier in the corner!
But just as Kruger’s blade was about to hit the enemy, he suddenly felt a chill down his back—followed by a burning pain!
Reflexively looking back, Kruger saw another Skeleton Soldier wielding a Rusty Iron Sword, looking slow-witted and dumb…
“There are monsters hidden on both sides of the entrance? A double ambush?!”
Even with all his past experience dealing with monsters hiding behind trees and rocks, Reg—who had been quietly observing—was startled by such a sneaky setup.
At the Reward Room entrance, the Skeleton Soldier hidden on the right performed a simple yet brutal three-hit combo on Kruger, pinning him in place.
Before he finished, the Skeleton Soldier on the left also attacked!
From the perspective of Reg and the other two, they couldn’t even see the Skeleton Soldiers, only two rusty swords swinging out from either side of the entrance, hacking away at Kruger, blood and flesh flying everywhere—truly a grotesque sight.
“Damn, what’s up with this place?”
“What a treacherous Reward Room! No, wait, this isn’t a Reward Room—it’s a Trap Room!” Elder shouted.
Not daring to charge forward, they could only watch helplessly as their teammate was cut to pieces by two mere mobs.
Within five seconds, Kruger collapsed in a pool of his own blood.
As his life flashed before his eyes, he deeply regretted ever leaving the original path and coming into such a hellish Trap Room, only to be finished off by two skeletons working together.
If only… If only he’d stuck to the original path…
But just before his consciousness faded, a mass of gray Mist with a healing effect seeped from the ground without warning, enveloping Kruger and keeping him alive.
At the same time, a prompt appeared before his eyes:
【You are now in mortal danger. Do you wish to randomly forfeit half your equipment for a free Resurrection? You will be sent to the nearest Archive Point and all wounds will be fully healed.】
A: 【Yes, I’ll pull myself together and challenge again】
B: 【No, I’ll reincarnate as a Female Knight in the Goblin Nest next life】