Hunters all around us are separating into groups, readying their gear to climb the towering peak before us.
I turn to my team and draw my sword, it crackles and flickers with flames waiting patiently for battle.
"Ready to do this?"
Bruce and Nessa lead the way. Abby and Maria follow close behind. Arie and I take the rear.
About two dozen hunters make the trek upwards before us in groups ranging from three to six. I don't see any larger, or smaller.
A good amount of the exam participants stay back at the lined-up wooden tables to continue readying their weapons and potions, while others seem to be watching the entrance nervously waiting for their fellow hunters to arrive.
I point my sword in the air and let a wide grin appear across my face.
"Let's face this final dungeon!"
With that, we begin trekking forward.
There's a flat trail about 5m wide that twists and turns up the mountain. It's lined with a dark red jagged rock wall on both sides. There are occasional gaps every 50m or so falling off into either massive pools of lava flowing in from above, or an endless ravine leading into an abyss further than I can even see.
As soon as we leave the resting area, the temperature rises immediately.
Beads of sweat start rolling down my forehead, but I'm more concentrated on examining the bizarre dungeon around me.
The air gets thicker the higher we climb, and the sweat starts flowing more and more down the sides of my face. Now, it is starting to get annoying, but I'll manage... It's been about 20 minutes, and there's still no sign of any threats.
I hear a yell from the front of the group, it's Nessa.
"Hey! Which way should we go?"
The six of us come to a standstill lined up in a row. I cross my arms and look at the path in front of us split into three separate trails.
"Hmmm."
I place my hand on my chin and think while activating enemy detection. I let the radius of my search stretch all the way to the end of the dungeon.
It seems like the teams ahead of us all picked separate paths, and there are also enemies to fight on every one of them.
"I don't think there's a wrong decision here."
I grin as a team of 4 high-level targets pops onto my radar closest to us on the right side. The teams ahead of us have been picking off all the monsters, these are new spawns...
"I think turning right would be our best bet for now."
I point my sword down the twisting trail to the right.
Arie shrugs while Abby and Maria nod in unison. Nessa turns to lead the way as Bruce lets out a laugh.
"Sounds good to me!"
We continue onward right toward the danger. I give them a warning.
"Keep your weapons at the ready, our first fight could be around any corner."
Plumes of steam and smoke rose from our left side indicating a lava pool must have shifted or burned up some type of organic matter.
Other than the crackle of fire from my sword, the only noise stimulating our senses are our own footsteps. We march forward for another 5 minutes or so.
The trail In front of us begins to widen and turn slightly to the right side, then makes a sharp left twisting around the backside of the mountain. This is the exact location of those high-level monsters I was sensing earlier.
I let the dark red flames grow hotter and hotter on my sword as we begin to round the corner. I yell out to Bruce and Nessa up front.
"Get ready. There's something up ahead!"
Nessa points her sword forward, while Bruce positions his shield to block any surprise attacks.
Maria and Abby glow blue and green. A light hint of steam starts to come off of Maria's feet as some of her Ice magic boils the moment it touches the dungeon's floor.
Arie takes out his bow and scans the area, I continue walking forward tracking the monsters ahead with my enemy detection and inspect skills.
[75m]
[Lv. 320]
[Lv. 320]
[Lv. 320]
[Lv. 320]
Cautiously, we all make our way around the bending pathway upwards.
[50m]
A section of flatter ground extends the path even wider creating a very open area. There are half a dozen large sharp pillars of rock scattered around that look like stalagmites growing up from the floor. Yet, there's no cave ceiling, just an endless black sky.
We all stand still in silence for a moment taking in the view... Then a loud roar followed by the clanging of hard metal on rock echoes throughout our eardrums.
Four hideous beasts appear from behind various rock structures and lock eyes on us. They're humanoid creatures.... And seem to be a meter or two taller than me at most.
I smirk and use appraisal on the one running straight at me while it glows golden yellow.
[Lv. 320]
Active Items:
[High Ogre Steel Sword] +350 Strength
[High Ogre Steel Shield] +400 Defense
[High Ogre Armor Set] +500 Defense
[High Ogre Ring] +50% Mental Strength
Active Skills:
Extreme Strength
Buffs:
[Extreme Strength] +50% Strength
[High Ogre's Resistance] +60% Magic Resistance
[Body Raised in Fire] +60% Extra Fire Resistance
I burst into flames activating my berserker and bloodlust skills while calling out to the others.
"Split up, be careful, and only take shots you're sure you can hit. These are some heavy-duty tanks. Slow movers, but one hit from them could take us out for good!"
I run forward at the approaching High Ogre.
It stands about 3m tall, but it's packed with dense muscle mass. I can feel the deadly aura emanating off it from over 20m away.
The monster's skin is a similar color to the rocks all around us, dark red. The shiny metal armor covers its chest, shoulders, wrists, and groin area.
In the beast's left hand there's a large steel shield, and held steady in the right is a long silver sword.
The High Ogre's eyes burn red with anger and its sharp yellow-white teeth stick out from its bottom jaw.
The monster's frame is much slimmer than that of a hulking tank, but its gear suggests it's a defense type. Those buffs say so too....
The golden glimmer of its Extreme Strength buff reflects off my eyes as I eagerly approach it. That skill is soon to be mine.
Suddenly, Arie darts off to my right side towards an Ogre of his own to face off. Without a hint of hesitation, he runs at it with a glowing white arrow at the ready.
Maria and Abby begin charging at a monster of their own. The blond-haired mage leaves a trail of Ice behind her that erupts into steam melting seconds later. The green-haired healer shakes the ground as she summons two large spears of stone by her side.
Lastly, Bruce and Nessa sprint off to the far left to take on the final High Ogre. It lets out a roar glowing bright golden yellow. I watch Bruce ready his shield and swing the massive hammer around in the air. Nessa glows with the same golden aura as the monster in front of her, it looks like she's testing out that strength buff for herself.
I grin, knowing my team can handle themselves and face off against my newest opponent.
The High Ogre locks eyes with me and darts forward with impressive speed. I air-step forward kicking off a dense pocket of wind magic to boost my speed for our first clash.
We rocket at each other as my blade burns bright red while letting out a wave of intimidation.
The Ogre roars and lifts its shield while swinging its sword downwards at me, I grit my teeth and let my blade whistle through the air at my opponent as well.
*CLANGGGGGG*
A deafening clash echoes through the battlefield as our match begins.
My vision tunnels and all I see is the monster before me. I grin ear to ear as I push my sword forward slowly overpowering the beast.
It lets out a loud grunt, realizing it's in a troublesome situation. The High Ogre twists its body with incredible precision letting my blade crash against its shield.
Another metal-on-metal clang rings out as the beast jumps backward to stare me down once again.
It grins at me showing off even more of its disgusting jagged teeth, then charges forward.
I do the same.
This time around, I'll have to try another method. The straight-on brute force attack won't be so easy... Its defenses are high and its battle technique is rather intelligent. I have to throw it off its guard.
I smirk and fly at the beast with my flaming sword raised high above my head. About 3m before impact, I kick off the air with my right foot making a 90-degree turn in the air. This is to position myself on the far side of its shield.
The monster shrieks and swings its sword as a last resort defensive measure while twisting its body to attempt a block.
I reach into my item box to take out a single dagger in my left hand. My item limit has been hit, so no extra stats are added, but it'll still suffice for the time being.
The High Ogre brings its sword downward as I lift my new black shining blade up to hit it.
*CLANGGGG*
I block its oncoming attack above my head as it continues to turn its shield to try and cover its open mid-section.
I grin and thrust my fiery sword into the abdomen of the beast as it struggles with my dagger.
The monster lets out a roar as blood spurts from its wound. It slams its shield against my long blade fractions of a second later, knocking it loose, but the damage has already been done. I see a shift in the Ogre's eyes as it jumps backward again. Fear fills those glowing red eyes as it takes in the actual strength of its opponent.
The monster freezes for a second, then snaps out of it and snarls again shining with that same golden light showing me its crooked smile.
I smirk and let the black dagger rest by my left side, as I point my sword forward getting used to this new fighting style. The combination of my Swordsmanship and Dagger Mastery skills makes it feel oddly natural....
Our duel has just begun.