Chapter 13: Chapter 11

I saw an angel standing alone under the shade of an oak tree a little further away from the entrance of the crowded dungeon. A dungeon cave that leads to the next town with many players camping at the entrance in hopes of finding the same leveled party members to help them in defeating the boss. The boss is a little bit difficult since it can be considered an initiation for newbies to earn their right to become intermediate players of CoA. 

I identified said angel. 

Clarissa

Hp: 100%

Mp: 100%

Lvl: 28

Guild: none

Duel wr: 0%

wins: 0

matches: 1

Team Rank matches wr: N / A

1v1 Rank matches wr: N / A

id#:**********

Introduction: I'm new to this game so please take care of me. Also, I don't like duels so don't invite me to a PVP match, please!

"Sorry, I'm late! Have you been waiting long? "I asked apologetically.

"No, it's ok, I just got here," Clarissa replied

What's with this setting? And what's with that reply, is this some kind of a date?! No no no we're just going to a dungeon to do main quests and level up, nothing to be gung-ho about. Entertaining guests at my apartment took a lot longer especially with Lenna pestering me for a sleepover so I'm a little late at our agreed time. I can't just shoo them away and say I'm going to meet someone, that would be rude. We had a good time though and watching a match as good as that renewed my motivation to play and improve my skills.

"Then let's go to the entrance. This dungeon will be a little harder than usual so stay close to me at all times." I suggested.

As we approached the hustle and bustle of the entrance to the dungeon, the noise of the players became louder. There are many players today, especially so since it's a weekend.

"Need healer please add me"

"Any healer here?"

"Need tank!"

"Need only 1 more support!"

Honestly, all the newbies want to become DPS which is why we always lack healers or other support in this area. Though I can't really judge them since I was a DPS myself.

As we were nearing the entrance, 2 men approached us. One was wearing a newbie knight set with a sword on his left plus a round silver shield on his right and a helmet covering his entire face. He has a stoic posture and a serious atmosphere around him.

You could only equip 1 weapon as your main one, giving you the option to use its weapon skill so he probably has a shield weapon skill which is why his shield is equipped in his right arm, or I could be wrong and he is just left-handed. Some dual-handed weapons are considered as one main weapon though like dual daggers and such so it is counted as a single main weapon but let's get back into sizing up these guys.

The other guy was wearing casual newbie traveler's clothing and a scimitar attached to his belt. He has handsome rugged features and a demeanor full of confidence. I immediately thought that he was too artificially handsome. He probably fiddled a lot with the character avatar customization. I identified them both.

Hecct

Hp: 100%

Mp: 100

Lvl: 32

Guild: Round Table 

Duel wr: Hidden

Team Rank matches wr: N / A

1v1 Rank matches wr: Hidden 

id#:***********

Introduction: This player has no introduction.

Xeno

Hp: 100%

Mp: 100

Lvl: 30

Guild: none

Duel wr: Hidden

Team Rank matches wr: N / A

1v1 Rank matches wr: N /A

id#:***********

Introduction: Any female players can add me anytime ;)

"Hello ladies, Looks like you two could use some help. How about you two join our party and we'll carry you? I'll promise I'll protect you girls from any harm." Xeno said confidently then winked.

I might have swooned there and then if he was cute. But he's not really my type. So I crossed my arms and remained unimpressed while Clarissa hides behind me clearly wary of the man's straightforwardness. Good, she should be always on her guard against these kinds of people. She's amazingly cute so a lot of strangers may suddenly approach her with ill intentions.

His friend suddenly butted in when he realized we were cautious of them both.

"Forgive me for my friend's rudeness but you two seem to lack party members and we also lack support players. May I ask that we form a party to help each other out?" Hecct asked politely.

"I'm not a support though."Clarissa chimed from behind me.

That is right, she's a pure DPS-oriented fire mage. I suggested that she focus on increasing her int stats and mp so that I could just aggro the monsters while she dishes out most of the damage for our party. That is the most efficient build for our party since I'm already a healer and can act as a dodge tank.

"But you're a DPS mage and your friend is a support healer is she not?" he rebutted.

Clarissa just nodded silently. He must've known our role judging by the color of our staff orbs.

"Then it would be perfectly fine. So would you please join our party?" he pleaded.

I deliberated if we should join or not. We don't really need their help in finishing this dungeon, heck I could even do it solo. But it would not do any good for Clarissa to be overly reliant on me. She needs to meet different kinds of people in-game, both rivals and party mates for her own personal growth. Also, one of the best parts of playing VR games is meeting new kinds of people you both share the same hobbies with and I want her to experience it fully.

After pondering for a moment, I conceded.

"....Fine we'll join, but the loot should be evenly distributed." 

"Of course. My party loot is already set to be evenly distributed to party members regardless of who gets the last hit or has the most DPS." Hecct explained.

After a brief introduction and Hecct cementing our battle positions, we headed for the dungeon.

In CoA, dungeons are only available for at most a party of 4 people. Upon entering a dungeon stage, you teleport to a new dungeon instance, meaning only 4 players may exist in the specified dungeon no matter how many enter said dungeon. Other parties that enter the same dungeon as you at the exact same time are separated into another instance of a dungeon that is generated specifically for them.

Upon entering the dungeon we were teleported to the inside of a limestone cave. The ceilings are full of stalactites with an alluring blue-green glow while the ground is littered with stalagmites of the same color.

"Beautiful" Clarissa murmured

"It is, but we're not here on a picnic so keep your guard up. There are monsters everywhere." Our impromptu leader Hecct reminded us.

He charged forward leaving us behind with Xeno.

"Is it ok for him to go ahead on his own?" Clarissa anxiously asked.

"Don't worry, he's actually a veteran player, I'm pretty sure he can even solo this dungeon if he wants. He just wants to help new players like you who don't seem to have a front-liner. What a softy right?" Xeno informed us.

Our battle plan was that he will first check the area ahead of us and aggro all the monsters he could. He proposed that the two of us stay back and focus on monsters that get past him while Xeno protects us. Quite a bold battle plan but if he really is skilled, I'm sure he can pull it off. It also means I don't have to do much so it works well for me too.

"How many times have you tried this dungeon?" Xeno asked

"It's only our first time" I replied.

"Really? Well, then it's your lucky day! We will save you two the hassle of dying a bunch of times in this dungeon." he bragged.

He's pretty laid back and relaxed for someone going dungeon diving, he must really trust his friend's skills or he might even be a veteran player himself.

as Xeno was conversing with us, A group of goblins approached our front liner Hecct. There are only 3 of them but will be hard for a newbie to defeat all three at them at once.

He rushed forward without any caution. He did a quick precise stab at the head of the 1st goblin, killing it instantly then he blocked the 2nd goblin's attack with his shield while simultaneously slashing the neck of the 3rd goblin which instantly killed it. That leaves the 2nd goblin which he also killed instantly by stabbing its head. All of his attacks are quick headshots, he's pretty skilled and experienced to be able to pull that off.

"Whoa he's so fast, I can barely follow his sword," Clarissa said with awe.

Is it just me, or are his eyes glowing red while slaughtering those goblins? Is that a cosmetic item or does he have a thing for goblins that his eyes glow even when we can't see his face through that helmet?

"Told ya he can handle his own!" Xeno stated proudly.

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The dungeon run continued just like that with Hecct leading ahead of us and Xeno leisurely chatting with us. Only 2 to 3 goblins or a single hobgoblin at most got past him and was easily defeated by Clarissa with a fireball or two. Xeno and I haven't even done anything. With the way the dungeon run is currently going, I doubt we even need to do any work.

That's fine I guess, it means I can just leisurely appreciate the sights of the cave and let Hecct do all the heavy lifting.

My leisure walk did not last long however when a group of 5 goblins and 3 hobgoblins in our front blew a horn. Then after a couple of seconds, a sudden crash resounded from our back. We took a look at the origin of the noise and saw an 8 feet giant ogre emerging from a destroyed wall, a giant club in its hand. With the goblins in our front and the ogre at our back, we are sandwiched.

"Shit, it's been too long since I last finished this dungeon, that I forgot about this part. I'll take care of the hobs. Xeno, stall the Ogre and buy time for me to back you guys up!" Hecct shouted

"Finally some action! You ladies just sit back and just enjoy the show. I'll give you girls a front-row seat view of why they call me, 'The Lightning Demon Slasher'." he stated smugly

Oh, he even has a moniker. Only skilled people have those from the CoA community. I was right, he's also a veteran player who is only smurfing like his friend.

He rushed to face the ogre while brandishing his scimitar then he astonishingly....... tripped and fell to the ground face-first.

"Are you okay!?" Clarissa yelped in surprise

".....Lightning demon slasher huh" I watched him unamused.

Don't hype me and just fail spectacularly like that. It was such a newbie mistake too. Focusing solely on your opponent and not paying any attention to your surroundings might be your undoing. I'll remember to use him as an example when I teach Clarissa the importance of paying attention to her surroundings when in a fight.

"Fuck! why is there a rock lying around he-!"

As he was standing up, he didn't get to finish his sentence as the ogre hit him on his side with its club full swing like a batter would a baseball. he flew far away from us and slammed into the nearby cave wall. Homerun, I guess.

Xeno

Hp: 37%

It's a good thing he survived that, I'll just heal him later after I take care of this ogre.

"What the heck are you doing Xeno!" Hecct panicked

"Stay there and aggro those goblins, I'll handle this ogre," I ordered

"Wait! I'll back you up in a bit, don't engage it!" he pleaded.

I ignored him and rushed towards the ogre. I was extra careful to look at my surroundings this time since it would be extremely humiliating if I trip and fall just like that guy lying on the wall over there.

As I approached the ogre (while not tripping of course) it swung its giant club overhead at me. Time slows by as I focused intently on its movements.  I could almost fall asleep on how slow it was. I leaped away towards its side to dodge the blow since the shockwave might damage me and swung my staff full force at the back of its knees. The hit made it kneel enough for me to reach its head with a dagger for a critical hit. I pulled the dagger out of my belt and instantly used it to stab the ogre in its ear. The dagger pierced its head for a fatal blow.

Ogre

Hp:41%

"Tssk!"

Still alive huh, this guy is pretty tanky. Even though I had plenty of dex stat since I'm increasing it this early stage of the game for more efficient farming, it was still able to survive my full forced dagger thrust into its brain.

Roar*

The ogre howled. He's enraged. I took a step back in preparation for his retaliation when a fireball flew straight at his head.

"Nice shot!" I complimented Clarissa

Ogre

Hp: 5%

She waited for me to aggro the ogre while she chanted her spell. Then fired her shot at the best possible timing she can when the ogre's full attention is on me. A normal newbie won't be able to make a coordinated play like that.

Looks like all the tips and tricks I taught her weren't for naught. She's absorbing everything I'm teaching her like a sponge. She's pretty talented in her own way.

"Th-Thanks!" she replied cheerfully.

The ogre flinched from the headshot and I didn't waste a moment. I hit his body with my staff, any hit would do since he only has 5% hp. The Ogre let out a final death cry and disappeared into blue motes of red light.

"Where is the ogre?" Hecct worriedly asked 

Looks like he just finished taking care of the goblins.

"We already took care of it," I replied.

"That fast?" he said in disbelief.

"Looks like the saying to not judge a book by its cover is true. Never thought both of you could kill the ogre this quickly," he added.

"Looks like I did my part in creating space for you girls to handle the ogre. All according to plan." 

Xeno said as he cooly walked towards us like an action movie protagonist as if nothing had ever happened. He didn't do anything though.

"You didn't even do anything." Hecct read my thoughts.

"S-shut up! Want me to beat you again in PVP?" Xeno admonished.

"You won 1 out of 10 times, and it is only because you convinced me to fight you without any weapon." Hecct rebuked.

"Reasons! A win is still a win no matter your disadvantages. It just meant that I mentally outplayed you into giving me an advantage!" Xeno made a point.

"More like I took pity on you since you wanted a single win so badly." Hecct countered.

They continued to bicker until we arrived at a large locked door akin to a castle gate with 2 large keyholes. On its left and right are 2 paths. If I remember correctly, these two paths would lead to 2 different keys needed to open the door for the boss fight.

"The two paths would lead to 2 keys needed to open this door," Hecct explained

"I would've proposed that we stick together and acquire the keys one by one, but seeing that you girls are pretty skilled, I think we can split up here for a faster run," Hecct suggested.

"I completely agree, would you come with me, my Lady? I promise to not let any harm befall upon you and to protect you with my life." Xeno winked at me seductively.

"No, you come with me, these two have great synergy, and I wouldn't want you to mess up their combos if you went with them. Besides you're the weakest link to this party." Hecct instantly denied him.

"Tsk! I just got unlucky all because of a rock! Let me at least redeem myself and show my cool side to these girls!"

"You can do that at the boss fight later. Let's go. The faster we finish the dungeon the better the rewards."

He pulled his friend away from us and went straight to the left path. if I remember correctly, that path is annoyingly full of traps. I guess he's still helping us in any way he can, what a kind-hearted guy.

"Looks like we're on our own again. The cave is dark so there might be other ambushes from monsters. Keep your cool and don't be scared of enemies that might get close to you." I coached her.

"I'll be fine. I won't be scared if I'm with you 'cause I know you'll always protect me." she smiled at me innocently.

What the hell is with that response?! Honestly, is she doing this on purpose? Is she secretly the last boss of this dungeon? I swear she's more dangerous than the monsters were about to face in here.

After a brief moment of me calming down and recovering from the critical hit I just received, we headed straight to the right path. As expected, the path was straightforwardly easy, only monsters like goblins, wolves, and hobgoblins are there. Our synergy is also constantly improving since we have been playing together for the past week, making the monsters we encounter easily dealt with. The only thing that poses a little bit of a challenge is the gargoyle at the end of the path that holds the key. It was tanky and my dagger was not able to pierce its stone hide. We were able to beat it quite handily though with Clarissa's spells and me aggroing it and acting as a dodge tank while doing some chip damage with my staff.

"Good work, you're improving quite fast." I praised Clarissa.

"It's all thanks to you for teaching me. But I think it's still not enough. I'm still nowhere as good as you right?"

"You're advancing at a good pace. No one starts off good at something, you just need time and experience playing the game, and I'm sure you could catch up to me in no time." I gave her an encouraging smile

"R-right! I'll do my best to not let you down." She replied resolutely

We backtracked to the large locked door from where we came. When we arrived, There was no one there quite yet. After waiting for a short minute or two, our other 2 party members arrive.

Hecct

Hp: 84%

Xeno (poisoned)

Hp: 12%

Xeno's health is very low probably due to the poison. He likely was hit by some traps. He's a bit slow and inattentive so it's more than plausible. Good thing we finished early or he might have died in a couple of minutes. This is one of the main reasons why having a healer is very crucial at parties.

"Oh, good timing! I thought we will have to wait for a bit. Can you cure Xeno? he's been badly poisoned." Hecct requested.

"What happened?" Clarissa asked worriedly

"I told him earlier before the dungeon run to bring a temporary buckler for him to be able to block the poison arrow traps but he didn't listen."

"'The Lightning Demon Slasher' doesn't need any shield! Shields will only slow down my lightning-fast moves and reflexes! I only rely on my dodging skills. I was just a bit distracted so I got hit that's all." Xeno reasoned.

Hecct sighed

After casting cure on him,(wherein he thanked me rather flirtatiously) I healed the team to full health in preparation for the boss. We then proceed to use our respective keys to unlock the door.

"Are you guys ready?" Hecct asked.

"Y-yes!"

"I'm always ready."

"...Ready."

Creeeaaaaaak*

The giant door to the boss dungeon opened.

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