Dungeon Gate

"Does your dictionary have the word "Shortcut" in it?" Luca said and the usual irritated look on her face overflows.

"If we take that path, they'll be dead meat before we could even reach the entrance." She added.

Leaving Kyle with a dumbfounded reaction because he didn't expect her to rebut that way and she has a good point.

"Well said."

Is the only response Kyle made.

But something unexpected appears on Kyle's screen.

[Active Side Quest (Event Type): Click Quest for more Details]

'A side-quest? And also an Event?' He thought.

But due to them in a hurry, Kyle disregards the notification and immediately proceeds on going after Luca that is already advancing.

The shaking of the cave continues as Luca is leading the group as they take the short route she mentioned earlier.

Behind her are Kyle, Alex, and Emily that are also in a hurry as they try to catch up with her, but for some reason, Emily opens up a conversation with Kyle about his sudden decision of helping a foe and what's worst an outlaw.

"Hey, are you sure about this?" She said.

Kyle just answers Emily casually.

"Yeah, why not?" He answered.

Because for Kyle, everything is just about giving and receiving. He gives some help to eliminate the boss, then he gains EXP and rewards for it.

For him, this is just a game and so too for the others, except for Luca that already experienced how brutal and cruel this game could be.

As the group takes the route Luca suggested, Kyle pops his Quest Window to check the quest he received.

The Quest Log window appears in front of him, he then presses the highlighted quest and the quest details appear on another window right next to the Quest Log's main window.

[Active Side Quest: Helping an Outlaw Event]

[Quest Details: Help the outlaw "Luca" on recovering the Jewel of Vulcan and prevent the opening of the Dungeon Boss Room.]

'Huh? A quest generated for helping Luca?'

[Rewards: Additional 10 Status Points, 10 Skill points]

'Okay, that's nice.'

Kyle continues on reading the quest details and something about the details almost blew his mind off since it isn't radical and completely irrational.

[Sub Objective: Prevent the door from completely opening]

[Objective Rewards: if the opening of the dungeon is prevented, preserve all players that are about to enter the dungeon.]

[If not prevented, you can only preserve your party members]

'Just what the heck is this?' Kyle thought after reading the quest that pops out of nowhere.

"We're almost there." Luca said while pointing to a warp gate in front of them.

The group dashes straight to the warp gate and was instantly transferred to a hidden corridor close to the dungeon entrance.

"There they are!" Luca said and immediately dashes to the one that is holding the jewel, the Guild Master.

But before she could charge forward, Kyle grabs Luca's shoulder to stop her, and then he asks her if she has a plan on how to tackle that many opponents.

"Okay hold it, do you have a plan on how to defeat them? You don't plan to face them head-on do you?" Kyle asked and Luca answers him bluntly.

"I do, charge forward and slash them one by one."

"Wow, that's so bold of you." Kyle said while having thoughts of how simple-minded she can be.

But because of their quick conversation, the jewel was successfully inserted into the door's socket and a creaking sound followed by the trembling of the ground as the entrance slowly opens.

Luca shudders her shoulder removing Kyle's grab on it and then charges forward to the crowd that is waiting in front of the gigantic door for it to completely open.

"And… there she goes." Kyle said as he watches Luca commence her attack.

"Okay team, Bravo will create a cover fire to support Echo that is currently charging while Charlie will protect Bravo in case the enemy plans to neutralize her."

But before he can continue, the two girls interrupted him.

"Wait, who's Bravo?" Emily asked

"And who's Charlie and Echo?" Alex added.

"You know, you really had to bust the mood don't you?" Kyle said.

Kyle then points to Alex and said.

"You are Bravo…" He said and then switches his pointing finger to Emily.

"You are Charlie."

And then he lastly points to Luca.

"And that is Echo." He finished explaining to the girls and then he inquires to them if everything is clear.

"You got it?" he said and the two females replies to him in unison while saluting.

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"Okay let's roll out!" Kyle said.

While Kyle and Alex march forward, Emily having deep thoughts stayed behind.

"Wait!" Emily shouted forcing the two to stop and turns back to her.

"Who's going to be Alpha?" She asked.

Kyle then points to himself without the slightest eagerness on his face because of Emily's question while Alex reacted in a way that a person who also doesn't know who is who would do.

"You're looking at it." He said and he then dashes towards the gigantic door.

Alex, as instructed to her, using her skill "Fireball" begins her bombardment to the enemy, dealing a massive amount of damage to each individual while at the same time, Kyle runs alongside Luca that is approaching the enemy line.

Due to Alex's recent offensive, the enemy is now wary of their presence, as they began arranging their ranks, placing the Shielders in front to defend the crowd from the incoming attacks.

"Shielders don't let them pass!" The Guild Master said as he orders their tanks to fend off the two that are coming towards them.

The Shielders then created a line and places their shields in front, creating a wall that blocks the path of the charging foes while at the same time, readying themselves for any incoming attack.

Kyle noticed that the Shielders are somehow doing something similar to what Emily used that time when she shielded him from the Red Dragon's fire and realized that it is what he thinks.

"They're doing the "Art of Defense"!" Kyle shouted to Luca.

"I know, and they are now sitting ducks." Luca answered him confidently

Luca pounces to the line of Shielders and uses one of her siege skills.

[You Used: Wall Breaker]

Having a nasty smile as she lands, Luca slams her sword to the Shielders, creating a strong shockwave that throws the other Shielders nearby.

"See? Their sitting ducks. They can't even help themselves get up." She said then laughs at the Shielders that are stranded on the ground since they can't still move due to the immobilizing effect of the skill they used.

But it doesn't end there, the attack continues as the Warriors of the opposite side dashes towards Luca and Kyle.

Kyle manages to dodge several attacks and also parries some, while Luca is the one that is devastating the charging opponents, and with the help of Alex's supporting attacks, the two managed to last yet the fact that they are still outnumbered is still there as the crowd now surrounds them.

No matter what Luca and Kyle do, they still can't move forward closer to the door, and what's worst, it is on the verge of completely opening.

Adding up the pressure, a timer on the quest [Helping an Outlaw] appears on Kyle's screen, stating the remaining time he has left before it completely opens.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 2 minutes and 29 seconds]

Kyle clicks his tongue in annoyance as he looks on the timer on his quest.

'Tsk! Two and a half minutes left and the door will be completely opened.'

He charged forward but was stopped by the Shielders that have already have recovered from the recoil of their skill.

Looking at them scrambling as Kyle forces his way through while the mobs are stopping him, Carol on the other side watches Kyle with a worried face and sighs that the Guild Master noticed it even if he is staring at the huge door that is slowly opening.

"You know the guy?" He asked and Carol answered him briefly.

"Yes, he's the one who helped me in a town event back in Florence." Carol said.

Making the Guild Master roll his eyes in the direction of Carol and then he replies.

"Is that so?" He said and then continues on staring at the door.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 1 minute and 22 seconds]

'Damn it! I can't move forward.'

Luca also noticed the door that is just a few seconds away from completely opening and shouted to Kyle urging him to move forward as she creates a way for him to pass through.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 1 minute and 0 seconds]

"Hey! Follow my lead!" She shouted and dashes forward to the blocking crowd, swinging her sword relentlessly throwing bodies after bodies as she charges.

Creating a small gap, Luca uses her body to shove away the crowd that is clustering themselves to them.

"Move now!" Luca Shouted.

Kyle throws his dagger close to the door and then blinks outside to it.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 0 minutes and 38 seconds]

Appearing in front of the gigantic stone door, Kyle immediately reaches for the jewel yet someone instantly restrains his movement and strongly shoves him on the side, throwing him as he rolls to the ground.

And when Kyle took a look at the person, he saw the Guild Master standing in front of him.

"I don't think that is a good idea." He said.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 0 minutes and 6 seconds]

"Looks like your time is up." He added.

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 0 minutes and 1 second]

[Time Remaining Before the Door Opens: 0 minutes and 0 seconds]

[Sub Objective: Prevent the Door from Completely Opening] [Failed]

And the sub-objective became opaque while a red "X" appears on the end of the Objective stating that Kyle didn't manage to complete it.