[Guiding Light has decided to help you!]
A faint blue orb of light materialized in front of Alex, hovering gently: It was the [Guiding Light], the spirit that intervened when players needed help finding something.
This was the third time it had appeared for Alex, a rare occurrence that suggested the spirit had taken a liking to him.
As said before, [Lights] are also a type of divinities, some stronger than ever tier-10 monsters.
"Be careful," but right as he was about to follow [Guiding Light], who directed him toward a specific wall in the chamber, Alphox appeared beside him, "I sense a draconic aura around here."
"Huh?"
"I'm saying I can feel the presence of a dragon nearby. I don't know why, but it's strong."
"Thanks," Alex had a bad feeling, if a dragon was here in this early parts of the game, then it meant there must be something important, or dangerous.
Following [Guiding Light] for a few seconds, the blue orb stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary way, then phased through it.
"..." Alex titled his head in confusion.
After a second, the orb appeared in front of Alex, then went back through the wall, repeating the action several times.
"!!!" And Alex realized what it meant by that.
[Have you appreciated Guiding Light's help?]
[Yes] [No]
"Yes!" he instantly clicked on yes.
[Guiding Light is pleased!]
The orb shimmered brightly before disappearing entirely, and Alex followed in its footsteps.
"What are you doing?" Alice peeked from his shoulder.
She couldn't see [Guiding Light], by the way, since the entity had specifically selected Alex as the player it was helping.
Without wasting time, Alex extended his arm forward, then marched toward the wall.
To Alice's shock, his arm passed through it as if the wall wasn't there.
"WHAT?!" Alice's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Stay close," Alex warned, glancing at her, "but watch out. I've got a bad feeling about this place."
Alice hesitated but followed closely as Alex fully stepped through the illusory wall. Read latest stories on m_v-l'e|-novelhall.net
[You have entered the secret area, "Mysterious Temple Hall"]
[Difficulty: Impossible.]
"Huh?"
Alex froze.
The word Impossible flashed ominously in his mind.
This was the highest difficulty an area could have, a clear message to players: You cannot survive this.
I mean, that's why it has [Impossible] in the name.
Usually, if an area has the Impossible Difficulty, it would be safer to just go back.
The dragon, having used a [Camouflage] skill to hide itself, finally realized that these humans were trying to get to the coffin, meaning that it needed to act.
"You won't pass," the dragon roared with a feminine voice before diving toward them.
"Move!" Alex shouted, grabbing Alice by the arm and leaping backward.
Slam!
The impact shook the hall, the shockwave sending both players flying, but thankfully enough that wasn't enough to kill.
Especially because of Alex, who already had a low amount of health from his fight with the [Ancient Sentinel].
"Get out of here, humans, I won't repeat," the female dragon roared again, her blue eyes glowing ominously and blue flames almost escaping her mouth as a threat.
"What are you, a dragon, doing here?" Alex asked, confused.
Dragons were supposed to be rare, legendary creatures. Even the weakest among them were at least tier-5 or tier-6.
"None of your business, don't act like you know what a dragon should and shouldn't do," the dragon took a menacing step forward, its claws scraping against the stone floor.
But Alex remained still, unfazed, his gaze flicking to the coffin behind the dragon.
"Is it about that coffin behind you?" he risked, and the reaction of the dragon to his question, which was another step and a raised eyebrow, confirmed his suspicion.
Whatever was inside that coffin was the real reward.
And the [Impossible] rank came from the fact that, well, not a single player in this game right now could defeat such a dragon.
"My name is Eleonora," the female dragon growled, her wings flared as she charged up a ball of blue flames in her mouth, "Remember that name well as you die."
[Eleonora - Dragon Tribe Member - Level 400]
"Ice Flames!"
Eleonora unleashed a torrent of blue flames, the searing heat freezing the air as it surged toward Alex and Alice.
"Shit," Alex knew this was bad, as the attack was unavoidable, and it would do too much damage to tank it even with the [Stone Fortress].
But just as the flames were about to engulf them, a dark barrier materialized in front of them.
Umbral Shield!
[Umbral Shield: Creates a protective shield of shadows around the user or an ally, absorbing all damage for three seconds and returning 25% of it back to the attacker.]
The flames crashed against the shadowy shield, which absorbed the impact entirely.
The barrier shimmered for three seconds before reflecting a portion of the attack back at Eleonora.
"Huh?"
Fwish! Boom!
-746,372!
The reflected damage wasn't enough to seriously injure Eleonora, but it was still significant, showcasing the sheer destructive power of her attack.
"You little-" Eleonora growled, startled that her flames had been deflected.
Of course, she didn't, after all, [Umbral Shield] wasn't even one of Alex's skills.
It was one of Alphox's, meaning that the [Primordial Shadow Dragon] was observing the situation from his [Pet Space].
Eleonora snarled, baring her teeth as she prepared another attack, her wings flaring once more, and her presence domination the hallway.