The tension was high as footsteps sounded in the cave. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Instantly Radiant Shield's eyes shot wide open.
"You?! You have hidden yourself deeply, my friend!"
"You opened those chests without us noticing?", questioned Silver Blade in surprise.
"Dear viewers, who could've thought that our thief was this skilled all along?"
Bloody Edge wore a proud smile, having gathered quite a few treasures. Hearing their words however, his expression faltered.
"I don't understand your words. All along I followed the plan laid out by Mirage. I never encountered you on the way…"
"So it wasn't you?", questioned Fortune with a mix of relief and disappointment.
"I fear not."
"Then who opened the chests?"
"Hearing you mention such a matter, some of my doubts are cleared. While hunting for treasure I felt a presence sometimes. Now it appears I am not the only thief in these tunnels.", explained Bloody Edge solemnly.
The others nodded calmly.
"Now I really want to see that guy. Maybe we could invite him to the guild if he is skilled enough to avoid all of us.", said Silver Blade.
She glanced towards Liam, noticing him looking towards the back with a frown.
"Did you notice something?"
"Let's not get caught up in it…", answered the veteran while shaking his head.
"Alright."
Meanwhile Black Rat pressed his back against the tunnel walls, sweating bullets. Earlier when he tried to get into the cave he ran into Bloody Edge and was almost discovered.
His thoughts moved wildly as he recalled the time a couple weeks ago when they met in a bandit stronghold. Since then, Hotpot had often been the topic of conversation, and he followed them closely.
Now that he saw Bloody Edge again, he knew that the thief wasn't working alone and was probably working with the other party members he met earlier, thus he quickly escaped into the tunnels.
After a while Black Rat thought it would be safe to return but when he sneaked back, he just happened to arrive shortly after Liam and the others.
Black Rat was shocked when Bleary Mirage almost found him and hastily retreated again.
On the other hand, he was amazed by the man's sharp senses. He realized that Bleary Mirage was most likely the most outstanding member of Hotpot and a spark of competitiveness lit up in his heart.
Black Rat kept perfectly quiet, waiting for the voices to subside before he dared to sneak back. He took out special tools which allowed him to stick to walls and advanced along the ceiling, passing through another opening.
He came just in time to see Radiant Shield collide with a rat the height of a human covered in hundreds of spikes sharper than spears.
Black Rat's eyes scanned the cave and immediately lit up. In a small hollow at the rear of the cave laid a few rocks permeated with silvery veins half-hiding some chests behind them. The thief had found his target, and now he only needed to wait for an opportunity.
Meanwhile Liam was fully focused on fighting the boss. As soon as Radiant Shield drew aggro, he appeared behind the large rat, his ultimate ready, his skills flowing like water.
The rat boss lost almost two thousand HP before holy light exploded above its head.
[-534!]
However, its ability to reflect damage was even stronger than that of the common rats. Liam was hit with five hundred points of damage, causing shock among his friends.
Melodious Edelweiss immediately began using her [Song of Healing].
Meanwhile the others weren't idle. Final Fend swung his weapon, trying to wrap the boss in chains. Unfortunately, his [Chain Lock] skill failed, the boss proving its resistance to spells.
Suddenly Bloody Edge appeared behind the boss. A bright light spread, melting the rat's armor. The thief made good use of the chance, his daggers stabbing deep into the boss's skin.
[-549!]
[-275!]
However, even though the boss' armor had melted, this unfortunately didn't affect its passive, reflecting close to 200 points of damage back on Bloody Edge.
The same painful lesson had to be learnt by Watchful Eye when his staff covered in flames slammed into the rat's flank.
[-625!]
However, the boss still felt the pain as a look at its status revealed.
[Spiked Earth-Eating Rat Boss
Rank: Boss
Level: 24
HP: 4437/8400]
An angry hiss came out of the rat's mouth. It did a small jump, curling up its body into a ball, leaving only its dangerous spikes visible. Borrowing force from who-knows-were the rat's body suddenly rolled through the cave like a cannon ball.
Rocks shot through the air while the rat carved a deep path into the floor, taking aim at Braag.
"Old man, be careful!"
"Who are you calling old?!"
Hearing Final Fend's address, Braag's mouth twitched. He saw the massive spikes aiming for his body and hastily jumped to the side. But his smaller dwarven body proved detrimental as he didn't cover enough distance.
Braag groaned form the pain when the boss's skill hit him. Luckily the game wasn't brutal enough to directly impale him and he was only flung to the side. But the damage was still considerable.
[-1688!]
Watching the scene caused everyone to flinch, especially when the damage was revealed.
But a moment later the healing tick emitted by Melodious Edelweiss arrived although the 226HP didn't allow Braag to immediately recover.
However, as if angered by the bard's actions, the boss immediately changed direction and aimed for Melodious Edelweiss.
The woman was startled noticing the boss's actions, but her reaction was good. She stopped her singing and lunged herself to the side.
"Ouh!"
A low shout escaped her mouth as she collided with the rough floor.
Watching everything happening, Liam showed a heavy frown.
"I understand it with Edelweiss, but you, Braag, should at least try to use Flash Step! If you are hit either way, it doesn't even matter."
"I…"
Braag tried to refute but he knew that Liam was correct. He pulled himself up and apologized with a sigh.
"Don't worry. Now that we have new members, I've already planned more training sessions. I'm sure you will learn."
A shiver ran down Braag's spine while Melodious Edelweiss looked forward to it. She joined the guild in order to grow both as a person and as a player, and would be happy about every opportunity.
Melodious Edelweiss didn't know what the training looked like as Fortune didn't include it in her videos. Noticing everyone's reaction she glanced towards Fortune, who was about to collide with the boss.
The gorgeous woman was still casting her skill. Gritting her teeth she stared at the rat quickly closing the distance.
A grating sound echoed in the hall, accompanying the fierce attack and exerting pressure on Fortune.
She recalled the training and closed her eyes, focusing on the mana in her body. Struggling to uphold her cast, she slowly introduced new mana.
But suddenly her skill threatened to go out of control. She hastily paused the attraction of new mana and concentrated on her skill. A moment later the mana resumed its smooth flow.
Fortune was just about to continue the flash step, when she suddenly felt a heavy impact slam into her chest.
Her eyes shot open as she let out a low shout and soured through the air.
[-1801!]
Fortune was shocked by the massive damage leaving her with only 900HP remaining. Knowing that Melodious Edelweiss couldn't heal as much as balm, she immediately took out a healing potion and downed the bitter red liquid.
[Basic Health Potion x1
Category: Common
Effect: Heals 400HP immediately and 10%(HP) per second for three seconds. Capped at 1000HP
Every adventurer's best friend. Never leave the town without it.]
[+400!]
However, Melodious Edelweiss had moved at the same time. She sang a high note while plucking her lute. Her passive as a bard allowed her to transform her normal 'attacks' depending on what she played on her lute.
Accompanied by the warm voice, a green note glided through the air, falling on Fortune's head.
[+453!]
The mage shot a warm look to the bard, mainly to avoid Liam's admonishing eyes.
"It seems you all got rusty after a three day break. Come, let me explain it again."
As Liam continued talking, the boss made another turn, aiming straight for him. The veteran appeared as if unaware of the danger, letting his eyes wander over the party.
"If you want to perform a flash step, you have to introduce the mana into your body and spread it evenly. Let every cell enter a highly energetic state and then…"
Liam drew out his speech for a moment, waiting until the boss was right before him. Suddenly a few sparks erupted, and Liam appeared some distance away.
"Did you get it?"
Melodious Edelweiss's eyes lit up brightly, looking forward to learning this trick while Final Fend's grumbling voice could be heard:
"Show-off."
Hearing this from her brother Silver Blade couldn't help but laugh.