CHAPTER 85: FIRST RAID

After the reckless attack of Stelle freed then from the strange loop, the cohort proceeded forward in the narrow corridor.

Fortunately, this time they were finally managed to get out of the corridor as they entered another one which was much wider and looked like a tunnel.

The material of the tunnel was same though, as if the whole dungeon was made from a Corrupted tree.

It wasn’t far from the truth as in the lore, the might Corrupted once grew too powerful and was sealed here after being robbed of it’s body and powers.

It was slowly amassing it’s army here, ready to take revenge.

As they walked with vigilance, they finally encountered their first monster of the hunt.

They stopped and hid behind a curled up root, observing their target first before jumping in action.

There were three tall monsters standing close to each other, still and unmoving. But Max knew once they stepped in their range, they would attack them.

"Duskmaw Hounds!" Max muttered recognising them at first glance.

They were shadow-wrapped hellhounds with jagged bone ridges and ember-blue runes burning along their spines, making a contrast between their obsidian like body and ember blue runes.

"Do you guys know about them?" Max asked through a whisper so as to not alert the monster.

"Sadly, there are no records of them in the library," Charlotte shook her head.

Max didn’t bother taking Stelle’s opinion as if Charlotte didn’t knew about the monster’s there was no way someone like Stelle would know of it.

She had no interest in intellectual things.

"Alright then, listen closely, they are basically undead and they can phase in and out like ghosts. Damnation we are meeting too often of these monsters."

Max cursed silently before continuing.

"Anyways, aside from this their howls reverberate in head so it can cause confusion but with Char, it shouldn’t be a problem. Lastly, they have three skills."

He raised his hand while keeping a side eye on the hounds.

"First is phantom Dash and it’s basically Blink-teleport through obstacles. It is useful in taking advantage of sudden scare and all."

Saying that He unfolded one of his fingers and continued.

"Second is Hunger Howl. It weakens stamina and causes hallucinations. Yeah, so stay away from when they howl. We’ll be safe with Char but it’s better to be cautious."

"Wait! Why are you repeating the skills? I mean, you told this before?" Stelle asked in between.

"Just to confirm the details," Max shrugged and unfolded his second finger, saying.

"Third one is most annoying and it’s called Runepact. If one dies, the others temporarily power up so if you see them forming a group, know that it’s time to retreat. The more we kill, the stronger they’ll become."

Stelle blinked, trying to process the information and asked, "So, you mean we just need to handle them individually?"

"Yeah. Now, are you ready?"

"Born ready!"

"Oh yeah, What about their weakness?"

"Their Blue Runes. Shatter them and they’ll die so please don’t do that unless necessary."

With that, they jumped in action as Charlotte began chanting her Spell and Max launched himself in the middle of the hounds.

He had already seen their Level and knew they were at Early-Stage Second Order, meaning he could still take them all alone.

Meanwhile, Stelle stayed behind to protect Charlotte. Their plan was for Max to lure the hounds closer to them as that would give them enough time to prepare the spell.

Then, no words were needed as the cohort began their fight against the three hounds in their shadowy figures.

The three of the monsters quickly sensed Max’s presence and used their Phantom Dash to arrive before him in a second, planning to finish this early.

As he was prepared for this, Max swiftly deflected a bone made claw on his side through his Everform.

It’s impact still shook his arm, making his guess of them being close to breaking through to Middle-Stage Second Order quite true.

However there was one more attack coming at him.

The third hound had appeared behind him in a blink, its glowing maw wide open, aiming straight for his exposed side.

Max didn’t panic.

Everform...Daggers.

The long double-bladed sword in his hands immediately dissolved into dark mist and reformed into two curved daggers, fitting perfectly in his hands.

He ducked low and spun, the edge of his dagger slicing through the spectral jaw just before it clamped down.

The hound let out a distorted growl, but before it could retaliate, a powerful clang echoed as Stelle’s oversized war hammer came crashing down from above, smashing the hound’s head into the ground like a watermelon.

It wasn’t dead as the Runes were still glowing.

"Boom!" Stelle grinned, the hammer expanding mid-air just before impact. "That’s what I call a good entrance!"

"Didn’t I tell you to stay back?" Max grumbled.

"She has a defensive Artefact. I just remembered," Stelle only shrugged, twirling her hammer back to its regular size and hopping beside him.

The remaining two Duskmaw Hounds snarled and immediately split, circling around the two.

Max clicked his tongue, "They’re trying to separate us."

"No problem," Stelle cracked her knuckles and entered a half-crouch. "I’ll take the left one."

"Don’t push too far!"

As if to confirm his warning, the hound facing Stelle let out a low, eerie growl. A faint ring spread out like ripples in water.

Hunger Howl.

"Block your ears!" Max shouted.

But it was already too late.

Stelle’s movements faltered for just a second, her eyes blinking rapidly as her breathing turned uneven.

Charlotte’s earlier spell couldn’t block the mental attack.

Max didn’t hesitate. He leapt forward, throwing a coin in the air which exploded in a dark flash which Stelle helped in igniting.

She had managed to gain a part of consciousness through sheer will, but it was still tough to fight immediately

The moment of blinding light stalled the hounds long enough for him to yank Stelle back by the collar and throw her behind a curved root.

"Char!"

"Already on it!"

From behind them, Charlotte’s voice rang clear as a soft, golden light swept through their bodies. The hallucination effect faded from Stelle’s eyes and her breathing stabilized.

"Ah... damn," she muttered, rubbing her head. "That sucked."

"Don’t rush next time, idiot," Max muttered, gripping the daggers tightly in hand.

The two hounds regrouped and snarled, realizing their sneak tactics failed. They phased into shadows again.

’Shit! Why they gotta be intelligent,’ Max narrowed his eyes. "They’re going to try the combo next."

He stood up straight and raised his Everform.

Everform...Lance.

The weapon morphed into a long slender obsidian lance with jagged patterns running down its length.

"I’ll bait them. Stelle, use your hammer’s expansion again when I push one into your range."

Stelle gave a thumbs-up and crouched low, readying herself.

The air warped for a second—then the two hounds burst out of the shadows from both sides.

Max lunged, his lance piercing through one of the hounds just as it emerged. The beast let out a shrill screech, its body destabilizing but not breaking.

The other, meanwhile, blinked mid-air to appear above Max’s head.

But just before it could attack, Stelle slammed her hammer against the ground, triggering a small shockwave.

The vibration made the monster miscalculate its landing, and Max twisted, stabbing his lance backward like a spear thrower.

Pierce!

The weapon penetrated deep into the hound’s chest, cracking the runes glowing along its ribs.

[You have slain a Early-Stage Second Order Monster. Gained 20 EXP.]

One down.

Charlotte raised her staff again, her spell already in mid-chant.

A golden sigil appeared in the air, granting a temporary barrier over Max’s body, just as the third hound—the one from earlier—returned with vengeance, its mouth glowing brighter than before.

Max clicked his tongue. "It’s activating Runepact!"

The hound’s strength surged visibly. Its muscles bulged, runes flickering violently like a flame in wind. It pounced at Max with terrifying speed.

This time, Max didn’t dodge.

Instead, he raised his hand calmly and spoke, "Char!"

Charlotte’s chant stopped, and golden vines burst from beneath the tunnel floor, binding the hound mid-air.

It thrashed and snarled but couldn’t break free instantly.

Max held his lance and walked closer. "You caused us some problems, little guy."

With that, he shattered the monsters runes, killing it for good.

[You have slain a Middle-Stage Second Order Monster. Gained 20 EXP!]

Max smiled and did the same with other hound that had it’s skull shattered by Stells, earning a total of 60 EXP in just one fight.

It was worth it.

Of course, all three Mana Shards went to Stelle who carefully stored them away.

"That was quite dangerous," Charlotte said between her breaths as she came closer. "These monsters are much more dangerous than the ones outside."

"It’s because they were Intelligent, a quality that normally most monsters of lower grade lack," Max sighed. "That makes raiding this dungeon a problem."

"We can only move forward and see how the things are further down the line," Charlotte said, finally getting a hold of her breathing.

"I’m more surprised on the number of Spells you can use, it’s like they never end. Not to mention you’re more like a all rounder mage rather than healer."