Chapter 214 Radiant Forest
The next day, the dungeon gate grew increasingly tense as the awakeners gathered in significant numbers. They were ready to enter the dungeon. The raid leader, Jacob Blake, stood in front of them.
"My fellow warriors, before we stand here, 500 great warriors have gone there. But not a single one of them returned. We are the last hope!"
Jacob began with a mediocre speech to the awakeners. He spoke about the importance of their task, how they were the last hope to protect this land land from the threat emerging from within this dungeon. Some awakeners yawned, as if they had heard speeches like this many times before.
They consisted of 65 people divided into different groups according to their abilities. There were fifteen casters with different affinities, ten tanks who would be the first line of defense, fifteen melee fighters who would take on an offensive role, five healers to keep the team's health in check, four assassins tasked with swiftly dispatching monsters, and six all-rounders with flexible roles.
While Jacob was giving his speech, soldiers also guarded the location, waiting for all the awakeners to enter the dungeon.
Klaus and his men gathered in the back.
As he was almost bored to death listening to the raid leader's speech, suddenly his cousin Edward came with three companions. Their appearance made some members of the Rays of Hope wonder, given that Edward was a very famous figure in their country.
Naturally, Klaus immediately put a smile on his face. But before he could ask what the purpose was, Edward kindly said, "Klaus, let me introduce my friends."
Edward introduced them one by one. The short-haired woman was Ava, the young man named Daniel, and the old man was Mason.
Frowning, Klaus wasn't sure why Edward was doing this, but he went along with it anyway. "Nice to meet you, guys." He then had Olivia, Justin, and Joanna introduce themselves to them as a formality.
Ava enthusiastically said, "Joanna! You're Klaus's sister, right? Edward talks about you a lot."
Daniel respectfully added, "We will do our best to assist in this raid." He seemed stiff as he introduced himself.
Meanwhile, Mason appeared somewhat apathetic and only nodded briefly.
Edward explained his intent, "We want to build chemistry before entering the dungeon. Anything can happen in there. If the raid doesn't go smoothly, at least we already know each other."
"Of course," Klaus replied.
Although Klaus smiled warmly, he sensed there might be hidden motives behind his cousin's actions. However, he didn't disrupt the atmosphere with suspicion.
After the introduction session was over, Jacob Blake also concluded his speech. Then, they all entered the dungeon.
...
They held their breath as they stepped inside the dungeon. Giant trees towered overhead, with leaves that were as yellow as in autumn. However, the air felt warm, as if they had entered an eternal spring. The sky was almost invisible because of the dense foliage, but light managed to penetrate the leaves, bathing the awakeners in golden light.
Their reactions upon entering the dungeon were varied. Some of them were mesmerized by the strange beauty of this environment. They observed beautiful plants sprouting from the ground, and small creatures roamed around them. There was awe in their eyes as they tried to comprehend the uniqueness of this world within the dungeon.
Dropping her jaw, Joanna was amazed by the breathtaking scenery before her, "I should have brought my phone."
Sylvia also showed the same expression. "Wow, I never knew there could be a dungeon like a fairy tale."
However, not all awakeners felt admiration. Some of them felt uncomfortable with the profound change in the environment.
"Stop making dumb faces!" Jacob yelled, breaking their awe.
Naturally, the awakeners shook their heads, snapping out of the view of the beautiful forest.
"Remember! We are inside the dungeon," Jacob continued. "Don't act like amateurs!"
Meanwhile, Klaus remained in his calm expression. Ever since he first entered the dungeon, he felt the magical aura of this forest, as if the forest was hypnotizing them.
"Are you okay, Joanna?" Klaus asked.
The little sister nodded. "I'm okay. But my head hurts a bit."
Hearing that response, Klaus began rolling his eyes at his other guild members, and they all showed the same symptoms, including Justin. Only Sylvia, Akio, and Gavin seemed fine.
"Justin, distribute the medicine I gave you yesterday," Klaus ordered in a whisper.
The guild master nodded. He then accessed his spatial ring and pulled out a wooden box. Inside were 100 neatly arranged glass bottles filled with yellow liquid. He handed five bottles to each of them.
"Drink every three days. If you're not experiencing a headache, don't drink it and save it for when you do," Justin told them cautiously.
"What's this thing, anyway?" Joanna asked.
"It's some kind of potion to give you buffs. No need worries about it."
However, the blonde-haired girl narrowed her eyes. She still didn't trust the medicine.
"Just drink it, Joanna!" Klaus raised his voice. "There's no way Justin put poison in it."
After hearing her older brother's scolding, Joanna quickly down it without a second thought. The other members followed suit.
Justin shook his head as he saw that girl's behavior.
Then, Klaus drew close to Gavin.
"What's up, boss?" Gavin asked. He sounded awkward as he spoke face-to-face with Klaus. He still wasn't used to it.
"Do you still remember what you need to do if the situation suddenly goes wrong?" Klaus asked.
Gavin nodded. "Yeah, I do."
They continued their journey cautiously, traversing deeper into the Alpha hunting grounds. Unbeknownst to them, a hidden creature with pointed ears lurked behind the foliage, secretly observing them.
During their journey, it seemed that there were no threats lurking. They only encountered cute little creatures like horned rabbits, brightly colored sparrows, and fluffy white squirrels. The animals were so adorable that some awakeners could hardly resist trying to hug them, even though they remained focused on their mission.
However, when they entered a forest filled with giant mushrooms glistening with crystals on their caps, the atmosphere suddenly changed. They felt an extraordinary tranquility, as if they were floating on white clouds.
"Oh, mama, is that you?"
"Marlene, come here, my dear."
"Shit. I'm so sleepy. I wanna sleep."
What they didn't realize was that the mushrooms were releasing spores that could induce hallucinations. The awakeners were caught up in their deepest desires.
Klaus and his team appeared unaffected by the hallucinations. At the same time, they noticed that something was amiss with the other awakeners, who seemed dazed. Justin quickly reminded them to stay alert.
"There's something wrong here. Stay focused," Justin said.
Klaus glanced at Gavin, and the man nodded as if they were communicating through their gaze.
While Joanna was about to take the initiative to check on the other awakeners, Klaus stopped her. He shook his head at his little sister, who nodded in compliance with her brother's command.
As they were immersed in the illusions caused by the spores released by the giant mushrooms, a dramatic event escalated the situation. Above the trees, a group of elves appeared with their arrows ready to be fired.
"Fire!" One of the elves shouted.
As soon as they heard the shout, they snapped out of the illusion's effect. At the same time, the arrows rained down on them suddenly. The situation became even more chaotic as many of them fell or were injured.
"Hold your ground!" Jacob yelled, ordering his subordinates to stand firm.
Some casters tried to use their skills to create wind or wooden barriers to fend off the arrow attacks, but unfortunately, they were too late to do so. Only Klaus's group of casters managed to protect themselves quickly, allowing them to withstand this sudden onslaught.
While the wounded awakeners tried to rise, others quickly prepared to fight back. But their resistance proved futile. The elves got the high ground, freely launching deadly arrow volleys, while the awakeners suffered severe damage. Many of them fell on the spot.
The longer they held their ground, the more they struggled to put up a fight. Some casters from Klaus's group began to show signs of weakness. They couldn't sustain their protection much longer.
Klaus felt that the time had come. He then shouted loudly, "Now!"
As his voice echoed, Gavin heard the command. He then gathered mana energy in his hands, and his entire body radiated chaotic blue electricity. The others panicked as they witnessed his transformation.
Jacob and Edward also noticed it, their eyes widened.
Thud!
A colossal lightning bolt suddenly struck from the sky.
For a moment, the entire forest seemed engulfed in blinding white light. Thunder shook the entire area, and the arrows fired by the elves turned to ash, drowned out by the roar.
As the light began to dim, the giant trees had been shattered and scorched, and charred corpses littered the ground. The sudden attack by the elves had been thwarted. However, there were no signs of life left in the area.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺