Nearing A Flawless Victory

Julius wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest rising and falling in heavy breaths. The rush of battle still pounded in his ears, but they had done it. They had survived the second wave and with relative ease too.

His fingers traced the fabric of the Shadow Veil Cloth, the thin, dark material cool against his skin. It shimmered faintly, reacting to his touch. With this, his Stealth skill would be even stronger. He had tested it briefly, vanishing into the shadows for a few seconds, and when he reappeared, his heart had raced with excitement. 

It was hope. This item's description was appetising enough. He read it once more.

[Shadow Veil Cloth – When worn, grants (Terror State).]

[Terror State: Grants bonus speed, resistance to physical damage and reduces visibility.]

Instead of loot as a reward from the wave, they had also received ten Medallions each. Kiera had been the first to check what they could buy, and as Julius scrolled through the glowing system menu, he felt something stir in his chest.

"Look, theirs a new shop in the system. It's called the medallion shop." She spoke softly, in slight dissapointment as she viewed the prices.

[Instant Level Up – 50 Medallions] Price doubles per purchase

Price doubles per purchase [Skill Upgrade – 750 Medallions]

[Tier 1 Healing Potion – 25 Medallions] +25 Medallions per Tier

[You may upgrade equipment with medallions, price varies for equipment type and grade.]

"Fifty Medallions for a level-up? That's daylight robbery," Garrick muttered. He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulder with a grimace. "Not that it matters. We should be able to beat the next wave. We'll be stronger after this all ends, and honestly that last wave was a breeze."

"Stronger…" Yara repeated, turning the Emberstone Ring over in her palm. She slid it onto her finger, testing its weight. "Yeah. We can do this."

Fraero tightened his grip on his sword, nodding. "We've beaten two waves. Just one more, and we're done. We get out of this trial alive. Honestly, I think the sword suits me. Seeing these monsters fall right before me is quite satisfying. We can beat the next trial with no problems whatsoever, now that we've adjusted to this place."

Julius almost believed him.

Then the system spoke.

{Final Wave Incoming…}

He felt his stomach tighten.

{Identifying Enemies…}

The cavern fell silent.

[Ironblood Soldiers – Level 7] (Elite system NPCs. Skilled warriors with tactics and counterattacks.)[The Leader – Level 8] (A force of absolute command.)

Julius' throat went dry as did all the others.

"Level... 7? And not just the boss, all of them are level 7. The boss is level 8 to top it all off!" Garrick raged, stomping the ground in frustration. "Damn, they really are trying to make it impossible for us."

The ground trembled.

Then, from the tunnels, they arrived.

At first, Julius thought they were more monsters. But when they stepped into the light, he saw them clearly.

People, they were dressed like mercenaries.

Five figures strode forward with practiced confidence, their weapons gleaming, their armor battle-worn but polished. These weren't mindless creatures, nor were they inexperienced recruits like them. They were soldiers. Fighters who had already seen countless battles, they were all aged between 30-40 and had numerous battle scars. They only had one mage, who hid at the back, his head hidden under a large hood.

One of them, a brutish man with a massive axe slung over his shoulder, cracked his neck and grinned. "Fresh ones?" His voice was thick with amusement. "Haven't had a good batch in a while."

Garrick exhaled sharply. "They're only five. We can take them."

"No," Julius whispered. "There's no way. Those guys... These guys won't be so easy to plan around. They're humans..."

The system didn't care.

{Begin.}

Garrick roared, charging forward with everything he had. His body shimmered as [Unyielding Wall] activated, turning him into an iron fortress. He slammed into the axe-wielder with full force—

But the man didn't move.

Instead, he caught Garrick's wrist and squeezed hard.

A sickening crack echoed through the cavern.

Garrick screamed. Before he could recover, the mercenary lifted him and slammed him into the ground like a ragdoll. Dust and blood sprayed into the air.

"Who invited the caveman?" The mercaneries began to laugh as Garrick's slumped body trembled on the ground.

Julius barely had time to react before the rest of the mercenaries closed in.

Fraero struck first, his sword a blur as he activated [Undying Bastion], the skill did as it should, increasing his defense and producing a wild counter attack, but his opponent had seen this trick before. He waited out the Undying Bastion, leaving Fraero shocked.

Then came the counterattack. The enemy's sword flicked forward the moment the skill ended. A single, precise thrust.

Fraero barely dodged in time, the blade slicing a thin line across his ribs. His breath hitched, eyes wide.

Kiera nocked an arrow and fired at the mage of the group, aiming for the head. It would have been a perfect shot.

But the mage raised a hand.

A barrier flickered into existence.

The arrow shattered. Before Kiera could react, the mage snapped his fingers, a look of disgust and exhaustion in his eyes.

"When will these youth learn... This fight has been lost from the start. It is not their fault, it is just a consequence of their misfortune."

A fireball erupted from thin air. Far larger than any fireball that Yara had produced, far brighter and far more volatile. In other words, it was a flying death sentence. It's speed was frightening, it accelerated in the air and that meant there was no way out for Kiera.

She tried to move but nowhere was safe, only half a scream emerged before the ball of flames found her in it's path.

It struck Kiera square in the chest. She was flung into the cavern wall and left screaming in pain as her clothes caught on fire. She wasn't dead, but she was being burned alive by the second.

Julius tried to move, tried to help— But then he saw him.

The Leader.