The tension hung in the air as they pondered their next move. The weight of the situation bore down on them, making even the simplest question feel monumental.
"So, who's going to take it?" Cedric asked, his voice tinged with apprehension as he gestured toward the crown.
"I'll do it," Jett replied without hesitation.
Rey raised an eyebrow, his concern apparent. "You sure you don't want me to do this one? Maybe I'll have plot armor on my side," he joked, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.
Jett sighed, not amused. "Stop treating this like a game. We could actually die here." His eyes scanned the king from a safe distance, calculating the risk.
"What's the plan?" Cedric asked, sharing Rey's concern. "It could be a trap."
"Of course it is..." Rey began, but before he could finish, Jett interrupted.
"Got it," Jett declared, holding the crown in his hand.
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"How!?" Rey half-yelled in disbelief, his eyes wide.
In the span of just a few seconds, while they had been talking, Jett had activated [Tactical Mirage], creating a subtle illusion of himself while darting toward the king. With quick and precise, nearly imperceptible movements, he had snatched the crown from the king's head without anyone noticing.
"You think I'd offer to take something like this if I wasn't confident?" Jett smirked, twirling the crown between his fingers.
A notification flashed before him.
[Holy Key Fragment 1/5]
[Description: ???]
"Cool, looks like we're on the right track," Jett said, his smirk widening as he admired the crown.
For a moment, the group felt a wave of relief wash over them. The tension that had gripped them seemed to dissolve, and for the first time since they entered the throne room, they relaxed.
But the brief celebration didn't last long. A new notification appeared before Jett.
[Warning: The King awakens!]
The air thickened instantly, the ominous weight of the notification pressing down on them as they instinctively shifted back toward a defensive stance. The king, once still and lifeless, began to stir. His black, hollow eyes flickered with a dark energy as a low, unnatural groan escaped his lips.
"Looks like we triggered something after all," Rey muttered, his hand gripping his weapon tightly.
Jett's smirk faded as he readied himself. "I knew this was too easy."
[Temporary Title: Crown Snatcher]
[You have stolen the king's crown.]
[Penalty: 40% overall reduction of all skills and stats. Additional 10% if not related to the Rogue class.]
[Duration: 5 days]
"You have got to be kidding me," Jett muttered, his face twisting into a sour grimace as he stared at the message.
Rey glanced over and couldn't resist. "Hey, you look like you've got a bad case of diarrhea."
Jett shot him a glare. "I just got a 50% reduction on everything. I'm 50% weaker right now."
Rey sighed, smirking. "You have such wonderful luck. Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Jett, despite the situation, managed a grin. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that, prince charming, I can still give you a run for your money even with this penalty."
Before Rey could respond, Cedric interrupted, tapping Jett from behind, his expression tense yet managing a nervous smile. "Stop joking around. We should focus."
"Didn't something like that happen to you the first time we met?" Cedric asked, his tone casual, as if the gravity of what Jett had just revealed hadn't fully sunk in yet.
Jett raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"Well, damn," Rey interjected, still trying to make light of the situation, "I knew you were well off, but I didn't think it was that far."
In a serene yet eerily quiet garden, Elora glanced at the frozen ground beneath her boots, a hint of worry crossing her face. "I hope we're permitted to ruin this garden, though. There's no way we're taking these things down without collateral damage."
"Haven't you noticed?" Rosa interjected, her gaze scanning the surroundings. "We haven't come across anyone for a really long time now. It's like the place has been deserted."
Evelina, weaving between the golems' attacks, loosed arrow after arrow. Each was aimed with precision, striking at the cores of the hulking constructs.
[Snipe]
[Scatter Shot]
She called out, her arrows splitting midair, finding their targets with practiced ease. Despite her skill, she struggled to keep pace. "Really wish you guys would stop chatting and help me restrain these things! These monsters are definitely stronger than I am," Evelina grumbled, her movements growing more frantic as the golems pressed forward.
"I used up most of my MP, but I think I can..." Rosa began, preparing a spell.
"Save it." Elora interrupted, stepping forward with purpose. Her eyes sharpened with focus as she unsheathed both of her blades and stabbed them into the ground. "I'll handle this."
The air around Elora shimmered with icy energy as she casted a spell.
{Ice Garden}
An enormous wave of frost expanded from her position, instantly blanketing the once-beautiful garden in a thick layer of ice. The golems, caught in the sudden freeze, were rendered motionless, their stone bodies encased in frost.
In an instant, the battlefield had transformed into a glittering, frozen wasteland. Even the towering golems had been halted, their limbs locked in place by the thick frost.
"We've got sixty seconds before they break free," Elora said, turning toward Evelina and pointing in the direction she should go. "Move quickly."
Evelina smirked, already on the move. "Sixty seconds? That's more than enough." She dashed forward, her arrows at the ready, knowing the icy reprieve had bought her just enough time to finish the job.
Elora and Evelina exchanged a quick nod before splitting off in opposite directions, leaving Rosa to deal with the last two frozen golems.
"Could've at least taken care of these two," Rosa sighed, flexing her fingers as she prepared a spell. "Guess it's up to me."
She summoned her magic, and with a swift motion, a whip made of vines and thorns materialized in her hand.
{Thorn Whip}
The enchanted weapon wrapped tightly around the frozen golems, the thorns digging into their icy shells. Rosa yanked, shattering the golems into fragments, including their cores. She dusted her hands off, satisfied with the clean destruction.
Meanwhile, Elora charged forward with unstoppable momentum, her swords slashing through golems with pure brute force. Each strike shattered the frozen constructs effortlessly, her raw strength enough to break them apart without magic.
At the same time, Evelina notched a special set of arrows crafted by Cedric, a smirk playing on her lips as she pulled back the bowstring.
[Mark], she whispered, imbuing the arrows with Aura before releasing them.
Two arrows, infused with wind attributes, shot forward with a sudden burst of speed, slicing through the air and piercing through the golems' cores with precision. The added momentum from the wind made the arrows unstoppable. A third arrow, crackling with fire, struck one of the golems. The moment it landed, it exploded in a brilliant burst of flame, reducing the target to rubble.
"How do you like Cedric's elemental arrows?" Evelina asked cheerfully, admiring the swift destruction.
With their teamwork, the group took down the golems in record time. Elora quickly contacted the others.
-Elora- "All done here. We'll meet you guys at the throne room."
*****
Back in the throne room, things were less smooth. Jett, Rey, and Cedric faced a relentless barrage from the golems, soldiers, and the unnerving king, who moved with surprising strength. Despite their efforts, Jett noticed an irritating pattern.
"Hey, guys, is it just me, or are these guys only coming after me?" Jett asked, dodging another attack, only to be blindsided by a group of soldiers who dove at him out of nowhere.
"Jett!" Rey yelled, his voice filled with urgency as he watched Jett get swarmed. Desperation surged in Rey's chest. "Master Dragon, I need you!"
With a roar, Rey's pet, the fierce Master Dragon, burst onto the battlefield. Flames of pure and holy fire flickered from its maw as it took to the skies, ready to even the odds.
*
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Hehehe Jett...