Ezra’s shocker of a performance in the last round had raised the stakes even higher, and that match had quickly become the talk of the city. This drew in an even larger crowd for the third round in which the contestants were set to participate in six different dungeon raids.With the spectators shouting and cheering them on, the contestants entered the arena in pairs. Apart from Ezra and Sam, there were five other pairs, consisting of the best Gunners on this side of the world.“Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to another exhilarating round of the Grand Dueling Tournament! Today, our contestants will fight in pairs again, but they won’t be dueling each other. Instead, each team will choose a dungeon and clear it before nightfall,” the announcer’s voice boomed across the Arcadium as trumpets blared in the distance.Moments later, six stone arches appeared in the middle of the arena, each carved out of a different kind of material and having its unique distinguishing features.The one
The forest seemed to close in around them as Ezra and Sam headed down the snaking path winding between the trees and hedges. Apart from the occasional chirpings of birds and insects, they could sometimes hear distant howls.Ezra scanned the shrubbery as he trekked through the looping vines and overhanging branches leaning over their path. So far, the coast looked clear, with no enemies in sight. But the complete absence of smaller animals and snakes indicated something was amiss.“Why couldn’t we just be teleported straight to the dungeon? Why would they make us search for this grotto?” Sam asked in an annoyed voice. It was clear that despite coming from a family of peasants, he wasn’t used to long walks through the forest.“They are giving us time to prepare,” Ezra replied promptly before increasing his pace. “I swear these people just take pleasure in—”Snap! Grrr!A twig snapped behind them, followed by a low growl. As Ezra and Sam turned around, they saw a pack of Black Wolf Dogs
Sam’s breath stuck in his throat as he looked at the colossal monstrosity standing in the darkness. It was well over fifteen feet tall, and its arms were as thick as tree trunks. In its left hand, it held a wooden torch, while its right hand was gripping a massive wooden club with a bulging top.“That does not look good. That does not look good at all,” Sam gasped, his voice reduced to a squeaky chirp. “How are we even supposed to get past it? Do you think there’s another way around it?”Ezra pulled out the cork from a filled vial and gulped an Awakened Shadow Wraith Potion. As the bitter black liquid went down his throat and mixed with his blood, it boosted his reflexes and sharpened his senses.Tossing the vial away, Ezra replied, “We are not going around it. We have to kill it.”Sam’s eyes widened at the mere thought of going up against that humongous brute. The troll looked like a giant hunk of muscles, and the club in its hand could easily smash through any armor.The leather wrap
“Let’s get moving. No time to waste,” Ezra said, calling out to his partner.Sam was still frozen in his spot, his heart racing inside his chest and his legs trembling in fear. Even though he had only watched the fight unfold from afar, it made him re-evaluate his situation.“I think I am not supposed to be in here. You just killed that troll effortlessly, but I am not sure I would have lasted even a minute against that brute,” he spoke in a quivering voice. Clearly, he wasn’t too eager to continue his journey through the cave.Ezra turned around and asked, “You know we can’t go back until we clear the dungeon or run out of time, right? Are you sure you want to stay here all alone?”“When you put it like that…I guess I am better off sticking with you,” Sam whimpered like a scared pup and joined Ezra near the cavern entrance that led deeper into the troll dungeon. “Do you reckon there will be more such giants up ahead?”"Plenty more."Ezra picked up the torch the troll had dropped and e
“What kind of stupid firearm needs to be enchanted after every few shots?” Ezra cursed, his voice laced with frustration as he tried to pull the trigger once again.Yet, even after exerting all his strength, he could not manage to move it an inch from its position. The trigger was stuck, and no matter how hard he tried, it simply wouldn’t budge.“God damn it!” Ezra eventually put the sniper away and switched to his shotgun. He was about to jump down when he saw Sam slowly getting back on his feet.Despite being whacked away by the Cave Troll, Sam looked completely unharmed save for a little dizziness. Even he could not believe he was still alive. There was no way any ordinary human could have survived such a brutal blow.“How…is this possible?” Sam questioned in disbelief as he touched his chest and took a few deep breaths to feel his ribcage. All his ribs were still intact, and there wasn’t a single bruise on his skin.Not only had Sam been whacked away by an enormous bone club, but a
If Ezra’s previous experiences of dungeon raiding had taught him anything, it was that the strongest creatures always guarded the treasure in the final chamber, and this Rock Troll was no exception.“Alright, it is two against one. We can kill this one easy peasy,” Sam huffed, taking things more casually than he should have. Slaying the Cave Troll had worked wonders for his confidence, making him throw all sense of caution out the window.Ezra, however, was smart enough not to jump into a fight without gathering any intelligence. Instead of rushing in for the attack, he scanned the Rock Troll with his Dragon Eye skill.[Dragon eye activated!][Target identified: Ancient Rock Troll.][Type: Heavily armored primal guardian.][Strengths: The Rock Troll is capable of crushing enemies as large as griffins and ogres with its powerful fists. Its rock-hard skin makes it extremely resistant to physical damage. Explosives may work on it sometimes, but the Rock Troll can regenerate from any wound
Ezra felt like the whole cave was spinning around him, and his eyes were swimming with tears. As he looked up, he saw the hazy figure of the Ancient Rock Troll as it pulled back and prepared to charge at him.Unable to stand up straight on his feet, Ezra had only one option left: to roll away at the very last moment and hopefully avoid being crushed under the troll’s feet. But since he could barely gauge the distance in this condition, he was bound to miss-time his move.As the Rock Troll roared and broke off into a grinding run, Ezra reached into his inventory and pulled out a legendary scroll. Raising his head, he lifted his right arm and unfurled the parchment. “Activate Legendary Scroll: Toxic Entanglement!”As soon as he spoke those words, the scroll crumbled to dust and released its magic. The troll was forced to a sudden grinding halt as black vines spontaneously sprouted from the ground and wrapped around its arms and legs, breaking its run.Graoar!”Roaring like an aged lion,
As the congratulatory messages flashed before Ezra, his thoughts went back to Sam. The rookie had done his best to assist him at every step despite having no experience of raiding dungeons. But one cruel blow ended his life in the most anti-climactic way possible.“I am sorry. I should never have allowed you to pair up with me,” Ezra said remorsefully, his voice heavy with grief. He tried to push the boulder off Sam’s back, but it was so heavy it was impossible to move it even by an inch.“Damn it!” Ezra sighed, his frustration ringing clear in his agitated voice. Even as drops of sweat rolled down his forehead and drenched his suit, he continued pushing against the boulder, hoping against hope that he would be able to roll it off the corpse. “Come on! Move already!”“Your partner is already dead! Getting that boulder off his back won’t bring him back!” Marlin interjected, doing his best to calm Ezra and help him see reason. “Sam knew what he was doing when he joined your team and deci