Chapter 48

"Alright everyone," Diabel shouted firmly as he turned to face the group. "This is it. From here on out, things get serious. The mobs in here will be stronger than the others, but they are not our goal." He paused to make sure his next words were clear. "Our mission is the Floor One Boss, Ulfang." He peered out into the crowd of players. "Where's Squad G at?"

Jae and Toyo stepped out of the group and walked up to him.

Taking them aside, Diabel addressed them quietly. "Alright, I'm counting on you guys to keep us up to date on what we're walking into as we make our way to the Boss room. Stay ahead, but not to the point where you can't quickly run back to us if you get in trouble.

"Remember," he added firmly, "the Labyrinth isn't the important part. We just need to get through it as quickly as possible so we can get to the real fight. Don't take any risks, and don't get worn out before the Boss. Sound good?"

Jae and Toyo both nodded. "Not a problem," Jae replied. "We'll make sure the party gets there in one piece."

Giving them a final nod to go ahead, Diabel turned back to the rest of the group, giving direction as they formed up. Without looking back, Jae and Toyo drew their weapons and walked inside.

As soon as they past the doors, the two brothers looked around in awe.

Dimly lit, with only torches at certain intervals to guide them on, it was still easy to see just how large the massive room was. Before them, a red carpet ran along the stone floor, seemingly without end.

Toyo whistled, the sound echoing across the hall.

"This place is pretty cool," he remarked. "Maybe we should move here."

Jae looked at him in surprise. "In this place? Dude, even the torches scream 'sketchy.'"

Toyo nodded as he took one last look around. "You're right about that. See any monsters with that Detection skill of yours?"

Jae shook his head as he scanned the area. "Nothing yet, but my Detection is only level twenty, so I'm not going to take any chances."

Keeping their weapons at the ready, Toyo and Jae kept close together as they moved forward, following the carpet laid out before them.

As they drew deeper into the Labyrinth, Jae could occasionally hear the faint voices of the raid party out of sight behind them. Other than that, there was only silence.

Jae had just sent a message to Diabel, letting him know they were still fine and no threats had been found, when he suddenly heard a rush of wind in the darkness to Toyo's left.

Before he could cry out, a Skeleton Warrior lunged out of the shadows, his shortsword aimed for a stab at Toyo's exposed side. Without hesitation Jae moved to push Toyo out of the way.

It came as something of a surprise then when his hand caught only air.

Jumping high, Toyo cleared the skeleton's attack while at the same time launching his leg forward. His leather boot connecting with the mob's face, Toyo grunted as his kick sent it reeling backwards several feet.

How the hell…

Seeing his opening, Jae pushed his thoughts aside and levelled his spear as he charged forward. Activating his sword skill, Spear Thrust, Jae closed the distance and rammed his spear into the monster's eye. Shattering its skull from the force of his attack, Jae looked on as the shards flew past.

When he was sure there no other creatures nearby, he turned to Toyo.

"How the hell did you do that?"

Toyo blinked. "I'm not sure- oh wait." he grinned in revelation. "Acrobatics. That's the secondary skill I chose. Though if I'm being honest, Naomi was the one who suggested it."

Jae was taken aback. "Acrobatics? I didn't even know that was a skill." He glanced at Toyo in confusion. "Of all the skills to choose? Why that one?"

"I wanted my first sideskill to support my fighting style rather than being something independent of it. Specifically something that would help me fight exactly how I do in real life. But then again…" he paused, scratching his facial hair.

"But then again…?" Jae repeated expectedly as he looked around. He shifted his weight as he returned his glance to Toyo.

"It could also be because of my third skill. I picked Dodge."

Jae shook his head in exasperation. "Next time, let me know what skills you have going on, would you?" He pondered the new information. "It does make sense though. In real life, you fight with speed and rely on your reflexes and rapid movements. Not to mention those stupid fucking spins."

Toyo grinned. "You call them stupid, but I don't remember you ever managing to get a hit against them."

Jae shrugged. "I was going easy on you. It's not honorable to attack an opponent with his back turned." His voice took on a more serious edge. "I'm pretty sure a jump like that was Acrobatics. Dodging isn't fancy, it's pretty much just a simple duck or sidestep. Anyway, we should keep going before the others catch up."

Nodding in agreement, Toyo again closed ranks with him as they continued on, but not before Jae sent another message warning Diabel of enemy contact.

*****

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