Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 49: Dark Destination - The Players' Moral Compass

"I don't think you clearly understand the situation we're in," Daisuke calmly began. "We've fallen into a dungeon."

"No, you don't understand the situation," Osten retorted loudly, aggressively poking his armored finger against Daisuke's chest. "We didn't fall that far down; all we have to do is climb back to the surface. You're making the situation appear more dire than it really is."

All of a sudden, a single growl resonated through the darkness. Then another, and another, each followed by a pair of piercing red eyes. Like a domino effect, the stranded adventurers found themselves surrounded by a horde of vicious monsters.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

A blazing ball of fire suddenly hurled from the darkness, its target—Osten, who had failed to control the volume of his voice. It was such an abrupt and unexpected assault that he couldn't properly gather his thoughts. Blitz, the tank from his party, was too far away to protect him, and he knew his sword and armor wouldn't be enough to fend off the projectile.

His gaze shot to the side.

Reflexively, spurred on by a need for self-preservation, he reached for the closest Beastkin and used her as a human shield. Elena felt disoriented at the sudden speed at which her body was dragged to the side. Time slowed, her eyes widening in horror as the flames illuminated the walls as it drew nearer. Instinctively, she raised her arms to protect her face.

PHOOOSHHH!

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

A blood-curdling scream tore from her lungs as the ball of fire exploded against her body, gruesomely burning her arms and face. Osten was thrown back by the blast. The foul smell of burning skin and hair permeated the air. The adventurers flinched back in terror at the intoxicating smell, but the monsters lurking in the darkness were thrown into a frenzy by the appetizing smell of a warm meal.

At the sound of Elena's pained scream, Zephyr frantically leaped from Daisuke's clothes and darted between her and the deluge of incoming monsters.

"ZEPHYR!" Daisuke bellowed, fearing the worst.

But the canine stood his ground, blue eyes fierce, hackles raised, a challenging growl rippling from a maw lined with razor sharp teeth. Elena, the quiet and innocent demihuman, reminded him of a very dear friend, and he felt obligated to protect her, every fiber and cell of his being did.

DING!

[Your Companion, Zephyr, has learned the active skill «Berserk».]

Brushing the notification window aside, Daisuke clicked his tongue. In a swift motion, he leaned forward, propelling himself like a bullet. Through the Eye of Verity, the monsters appeared as a mass of surging crimson mana against the cavern's abyss.

Just in the nick of time, his arms encircled Elena and Zephyr, snatching them from the brink of being swallowed up by the wave of lupine monsters. But the relentless wave didn't stop, nor did it slow—the voracious creatures continued their fierce descent, bearing down upon the hapless bastard still sprawled on the ground.

"Mages!" Daisuke's voice rang out. "Lights! We need more lightning!"

"Ri-Right!" Callista stammered, her staff aglow as she conjured a radiant orb of light suspended in mid-air.

In an instant, the expansive cavern was flooded with illumination, revealing a nightmarish scene. A horde of Inferno Wolves encircled Osten, their ravenous hunger evident as they started tearing him apart akin to a pack of African wild dogs ripping apart a defenseless antelope on the open savanna.

"GHHAAAAAA! HELP! HELP ME!"

Osten's desperate cry was cut short, his throat crushed by a pair of mighty jaws. The adventurers stood transfixed, witnessing the horrific spectacle as Osten's armor was torn asunder, his body subjected to the brutal force of powerful fangs and claws.