Kaizen didn't feel the need to tell Mirthor that he wasn't actually a Summoner, because it didn't make sense for him to tell him that.
Should Kaizen tell that he was not a Summoner, the facts of him being completely unarmed and with a Hellround Summoner at his feet would become much more surprising. Besides, Kaizen didn't completely trust Mirthor and his companions yet, so he thought it would be better to at least keep that information advantage.
Nevertheless, there was an information advantage that Psyker had and he wished he didn't keep it to himself, because while it was still an advantage, that information might make this quintet of adventurers change their minds about exploring this dungeon and thus returning to the surface.
Looking over his shoulder at the three runners behind him, Kaizen stated:
"Before we start exploring, I have to reveal something to you, something about what I saw the first time I came here."
Mirthor and all the other members of his group were immediately curious.
"What did you see?" Gear asked. She was the person with the sternest tone among everyone in her group, and apparently also the most experienced.
"Right at the beginning of the tunnel I entered, I found life-size humanoid statues that immediately made me stop moving forward. The details of these statues' clothes, expressions and even their hair strands were so impressive that they shocked me. As soon as I encountered these statues, I also heard the characteristic squeak of a snake, but this sound echoed throughout the hall. I have never seen, nor heard, anything of the sort in all the places I have explored in this world, and my best guess is that there is a jellyfish around here."
Everyone was clearly surprised.
"Are you sure? Have you seen it?" Aulenarca, the Maga of the group, stepped forward and questioned Psyker. She had brown hair and a red cape as bright on her back as her mesmerizing eyes.
"I didn't exactly see her. I left here before that so I wouldn't become a statue like the others."
Aulenarca put both hands on her waist and stated:
"I read in a recent report that an Asian guild composed only of Orc's encountered a Gorgon in a dungeon. They were strong, so she was destroyed by them and I heard that her head was sold for a few hundred thousand dollars because it was a unique and Legendary Rank item. However, this whole auction took place on the Black Market and when the item was transferred to the buyer, he found out that the rumors about it being of a Legendary Rating were false. In other words, although Gorgons are extremely rare and do exist in this world, they are not that scary if they are not Mythic or Legendary Rank."
Mirthor looked thoughtful about that. "Are you saying that even if it is this thing...a gorgon, it is still possible for us to defeat it with this group?"
"Yes, we are strong, we will be able to defeat it. However, in Greek Mythology there are three Gorgons, if I remember correctly. One of them was, as Klaus mentioned, Medusa, the most famous among the Gorgons. If Rise Online is following Greek mythology in this case, each of the three Gorgons would be a Boss, so each of them may have different battle mechanics, levels and abilities. Other games have already adapted the Gorgons as low-level creatures, and if that's the case for Rise Online, everything will be simpler for us." Aulenarca recounted.
"That is, we will only find out if they are normal mobs or bosses if we encounter one while exploring this place, right?" inquired Kaizen.
"Yes, there is no other way." The Maga nodded with a confident look.
Mirthor inflated her chest with air, started walking in the direction of the corridors and said:
"If you say there is no other way, I trust you, Aule. I will clear the way for us. Khaduth, accompany me in the vanguard. The corridors are tight, so don't swing your swords normally or you will die if the blade gets caught in any cracks during a battle. Gnorlin, take care of our rear."
All the players in the group immediately began to follow Mirthor's orders without question, proving that he was a leader who had the trust of everyone, even the most experienced person in the quintet, Gear. However, when Kaizen began to walk to accompany them, he noticed that Gnorlin had a disgruntled expression on his face.
As everyone in the group entered the center hallway, Kaizen took advantage of the fact that the vanguard was far away to ask him:
"Are you okay, man?"
Gnorlin had the Monk Class, but his attire was not at all suggestive of his class. He wore light armor with gold ornaments over a dark blue tunic, similar in tone to his hair and eyes.
When questioned by Psyker, Gnorlin smiled, trying to disguise his earlier expression.
"Hehe! It's nothing."
Gnorlin said this, but when he took his eyes off the ground and looked ahead to where Mirthor, Khaduth, Gear, and Aulenarca were, the expressive look of dissatisfaction reappeared on his face.
"If you won't tell me what's getting in the way of your thinking and it gets in the way of my exploration, I won't put my neck on the line to help a hindrance." Kaizen was sincere and direct.
The Monk looked at Kaizen out of the corner of his eye and took a deep breath before confessing his thoughts.
"My style of gameplay is straightforward. I like to fight the monsters at the front of the battle and have the freedom to make the moves I want. However, our dear leader always orders me to stay in the rear of the group. Even when we are exploring places with large rooms, open regions and even forests, he asks me to stay in the rear."
"And you think he thinks you are weak and therefore asks you to stay in the rear?"
"Exactly. Why else would it be? I even thought for a few days that he was trying to sabotage me so that I would ask to withdraw from the group, but that makes no sense, since he was the one who invited me to join just a few weeks ago."
"So you believe he is disappointed in you?"
"I... I don't know." Gnorlin sighed.
After that brief dialogue, Kaizen no longer poked that wound in the poor Monk.
As they walked through the crypt of cramped and confusing corridors, the vanguard found some treasure chests, jars and items on the floor, as well as some giant beetles each over half a meter tall. Kaizen didn't even have to worry about these beetles, as everyone that appeared in the group's path was immediately torn apart by Mirthor, Khaduth and Gear while Aulenarca did the work of a Priestess, healing the minor scratches of those in front of the group.
Since Kaizen was not in the quintet's group, he was not gaining either XP or the loots found on the spot, but at least Hellround was feeding on all the giant beetle pieces left behind. This was a positive point for Kaizen, but not relevant enough to convince him to continue with this.
Seeing that he was not getting anything interesting, nor was he having any fun, Kaizen asked Gnorlin to send a message in the group chat. He did this so that they in the back wouldn't have to exclaim for the others to stop for a bit.
"What is it?" Gear inquired earnestly to Kaizen when all the group members had gathered. "Don't tell me you already want to go back to the starting chamber, it hasn't even been 15 minutes since we left there."
"It's not that. I think we'd better split up." Kaizen stated, causing everyone's eyebrows to rise. "Your main goal is to put together a map and guide about this place, isn't it? You may have noticed that the more we walk, the more this place seems to get segmented and it doesn't feel like we are walking in circles, meaning that this place is much more extensive than we imagined. If we separate, we can cover a larger area in less time than if we are together."
"All right, that makes sense, but what about the gorgon you said is here? We saw the statues, except we didn't hear any snake sounds." Gear countered.
"I don't know. Maybe she has a specific spawning schedule or someone has killed her already. Either way, if she's not here, that's a great sign for us. Besides, I'll be honest with you, I prefer to stay in the vanguard, both to get loot and also to get XP, and since I know you probably don't want a stranger getting in the way of your coordination during the battle, it's best if we split up."
"Are you proposing that we make three pairs, then? That wouldn't be bad, but in case the gorgon shows up, what will we do?" Mirthor asked.
"In that case, it's best if we run and regroup. You are connected in a group, aren't you? Then you can see where each other is on the map and you can chat. So regrouping will not be a problem. Besides, the tactic of shouting for help always works."
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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