Chapter 17

Chapter 17,

Deserted

Koshiro's POV

"Is it really okay for you to carry those?" My brows furrowed worriedly asking Goro.

"It's fine. We don't want you guys to be exhausted especially when we ran into a battle in the road," he replied awkwardly.

"Indeed, that's right, but our physical strength and stamina are weak compared to you," Gin also awkwardly replied.

"I wonder about that," Hiruki smiled forcibly.

I'm sure that I know what he meant. His physical strength is out of the ordinary above all of us here. To be precise, he's likely to be the strongest Knight I've ever seen.

"Speaking of the conversation. Gin, did you do this?" Goro asked as he looked perplexed by what's in front of us four.

As I directed my gaze there, surprise enveloped me, "This is. . ." I stated having a clue.

"Hiruki, where are we?" Gin asked, but Hiruki's face days he don't know either.

"I never encountered this function before. Maybe a new update?" His voice is trembling in fear as he took a step back.

In front is a desert which was never here to begin with. It was also not in the map, not a small piece of sand. One more thing is surprising, and it's the big temple in front of us.

"We are Deserted!" I spoke out of the blue.

"What?" Goro asked.

"This is a secret function on the new version of the game that's last released this week. It's a rear occurrence. It happened to me once, but the place varies everytime I played it. This lever is harder than hard, beware," I slowly explained.

"Let's just turn to the next—" Gin stopped before he finishes.

"You can't." My body is trembling in fear. The first time I played this, I clearly lost the game and now, I only have one life!

"Let's enter, a sandstorm is approaching!" Goro warned us pointing at south where the Sandstorm is.

"Then, we'll have no choice to accept the hidden challenge!" Hiruki stopped us.

"Maybe we can teleport?" Gin asked.

"I can't, we're in another world right now." My statement shocked them.

Another option is given, "Maybe the Sandstorm was just a fluke?" Goro looked serious.

"No. The only options are two: Accept or accept. In other terms, die or die." My statement scared everyone including me.

"There are always an option!" Gin fights back.

"There's only three options existing in this world: Do or do not, Yes or no and both," I stated sighing.

"Why not teleport where no Sandstorm exists?" Another statement came form Goro.

"No. The Sandstorm will be covering this whole world. Your option is included in do not and no." Everyone fell silent realizing what my words meant. Indeed, if you came inside, you chose do and yes, but if you chose to run, you chose do not and no.

"There," I pointed at the temple.

"The outside is where we stay and plan our schemes and the inside is where we execute it. Some part outside are not touched by the sand to begin with," I stated out the plan I had in mind.

Goro nodded, "We won't lose anything from that. Let's go," he persuades us.

As we enter there, the Sandstorm came next us and it's a good thing that we immediately came near the temple.

"Gnomes that dwells below, grant us shelter and protect us from harm, earth wall," Gin chanted summoning a big one piece of rock with a hole in it connecting a way inside.

"Will we be okay with this?" I asked.

"Can someone widen the inside?" Gin looked confused by the space created. Indeed, it might not be enough for us four.

"Wind magic is fine, right?" The three nodded in agreement.

"The great wind that blows, I summon forth your power, Whirlwind!" I channeled Mana in my palm and a gust ow wind was created and the surroundings seemed pulled but its strength is not enough to pull big objects.

The whirlwind I formed came inside the rock and slowly carved the inside creating a bigger place, then disappeared. As we came inside, the place already had designs made by the Whirlwind's scratches by spinning that made it looked like a designer created it.

"Is this necessary for our fight?" Goro asked as Gin puts a stone door to lock the place and Hiruki created a light source so that we could see.

"Yes. Some underlings of the boss inside might come out to check. Everyday, unlucky Knights from all over the world are sent into the Great 13 bases." Everyone fell quiet listening to me.

Once again, I spoke, "I have only played against eight of them, but for some reason, I can only play 12 times and if I fail consecutively, my account's data will have nothing left. Not even a single trace," my words made everyone tremble slightly and I could sense that they are trying their best to hide it.

"Will we be okay?" Goro's words was a bit frightening not just for me, but for all of us here.

"My brothers never told me anything about he game directly, but they would give me words that might help me and it's up to me if I'm able to decode it." Everyone gave their attention to Hiruki who spoke barely hearable.

Once again, he continued, "My brother's words about a deserted place goes like this: 'Do not lose consecutively, if you may, or this it'll be your doomsday. Give no kindness or you'll regret when he shows up, you'll see no sun set'. That's all," The way he said the sentence was scary but when he said the last words, his look was like an old man who was joking about a rumoured monster or whatsoever.

"So what's our plan? We don't know who in the 12 species we will deal with," Goro shrugged.

"By the underlings," Hiruki gave his words indicating that he understands what he meant.

"Let's go," Gin le us towards the wall and created four small holes enough for us all to see through.

What we saw are beings with many tentacles similar to the monster creation A9344X from project 'Mirai'. What differs the two is that it looks like a zombie with red eyes and it's veins sprouting everywhere it's bodies and covered in bloodstains colored black.

"This could be bad," I spoke barely keeping on my ground.

"Any way?" Gin asked filled with worry.

"I-I have f-fought it before, b-but. . ." my voice trembles in fear.

"Then were safe now," Goro gave out a heavy sigh.

"No, not yet." Everyone was shocked by what Hiruki said, "What the hell happened when you fought that guy," he questioned me.

"I-In that game, you can't feel the what the character feels, but y-you could imagine it. T-That time, I didn't really fought it." Everyone was shocked. I spoke once again, "After losing the fourth one, in the forth g-game, before I could dodge or make an attack, I was killed on the spot," My voice trembles more and more.

"Calm down, Koshiro. Think calmly and let us devise a plan to defeat it. We can't just stand here and die," Hiruki calmed me down and ruffled my hair.

"Your messy hair suits you more," Gin came closer pressing his elbow in my side smirking while chuckling slightly.

I smiled back, "Well then, let's give it a try," I also chuckled.

"Fist one is for the underlings, right?" Goro spoke making us all nod.

"Here's our plan. . ." I told them out plan to defeat the enemy along with it's underlings.

***

"Let's get ready," Goro exclaimed as he head outside and attracted the underlings attention.

The underlings came attacking Goro as we use Hiruki's transportation to fly I to the inside without being noticed while Goro takes care of the underlings. Even if they saw us, they wouldn't possibly reach us from this height.

As we arrived in the inside, a fearsome aura greeted us along with where it came form. The monster right there was a being with a crab's body, a head of a turtle and monkey and multiple tentacle-like things like its underlings but way more bigger and durable-looking than it's underlings.

Seeing us, it immediately attacked us and there weren't enough time to evade, so the barrier surrounding us faded after breaking easily. It's appearance is more intimidating upfront.

Not giving us a time to speak, it attacked once again after regaining it's composure. Some tentacles were left near him which means that it's to protect itself.

"Party from hell," Hiruki chanted swiftly and briefly.

Club music came out of nowhere and zombies and different monsters that seemed human and some are even Western Ghosts. There were witches and vampires and all sorts of Ghosts and supernatural beings from west.

Realizing the enemy, the every supernatural came attacking it, but it's thick crab shells defected the magic. It tentacles attacked every single one of those Hiruki summoned, but it was as planned.

Fireballs came launching from the sky but it was also deflected. Not long, Gin came floating up having different elemental magic from primary to the smallest unit of elemental magic.

Note: Elemental magic have primary and that is the Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. Next to it is the combination of two primary element known as the secondary. Some examples are lightning from water and fire magic and ice magic from wind and water magic. Two secondary elements can create a tertiary and primary and secondary can create Special tertiary element and so on.

Gin attacking all together with his elemental magics, it made the shell cracked and almost all the tentacles perished and the monkey's head was eliminated. That's the Great Sorcerer for you.

I came out of nowhere to give the finishing blow and Hiruki used his blessing skill and Gin used light magic to enhance my footsteps and fire to make the blow stronger. I was even carrying Goro's sword. But before I could kill it, I felt a sensation don't even want to feel anymore. The tentacles already passed through my body and I couldn't move as it carry ms up.

"KOSHIRO!!!" Gin tried to come to me screaming my name.

My vision is fading along with my consciousness and darkness enveloped me not letting me comprehend what he was shouting.

Why did it end up like this? Everything was just fine moment ago. It was playing in my hands. But why? Why would it slip out of my hand?

***