...

After Morrighan severed the remaining Hydra heads, Izroth, Sacred Blade, and the others focused on eliminating the massive influx of more than 500 skeletal warriors that spawned from the Hydra's teeth.

While the skeletal warriors were numerous, in the end, they were no match for the party without the Hydra's back-up.

As for the Immortal Hydra, once the last of the skeletal warriors were taken care of, its large body sunk back into the lake. However, even after being severed and having its HP fall to 0%, the Hydra's main middle head did not die! And, no matter what attack they threw at it, the middle head was immune to their damage.

The middle head's gaze locked onto the party just as it sunk back into the lake along with its body.

"How creepy. I guess it isn't called the Immortal Hydra just for show. As expected of a World Class beast." Colorful Nimbus commented. He then released a large sigh of relief as the Hydra's middle head submerged underwater.

"If it was this troublesome in its sealed state, I wonder how strong it is once the seal is released. Better yet, who could even manage to seal a beast like that at full strength?" Sacred Blade questioned curiously.

"There is a deep history in this world that we as players know very little of. We know what we know and what we do not know we must attempt to understand. Until then, all we can do is continue to speculate and keep searching for answers in our own way. But, regardless—this is our victory." Niflheim stated.

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have defeated «(Sealed)The Immortal Hydra»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 Level Emblem!〉

〈System Alert: All enemies on the second stage of the «Crusade» have been cleared!〉

〈System Alert: Transportation process will commence in 30 seconds!〉

After nearly one hour since their arrival, Izroth and his party finally cleared the crusade's second stage! This was something no other party had done before in the history of RML—even those who participated in the beta did not make it past the first stage, let alone the second. This was a huge achievement!

〈System Alert: Transporting...〉

...

Once the transportation countdown concluded, Izroth and his party landed back in the waiting room.

The moment they got back, Colorful Nimbus plopped down on one of the nearby benches attached to the walls.

"That was tiring." Colorful Nimbus released a long sigh of exhaustion.

Thanks to the Hydra's poison breath, blood, and fire breath, Colorful Nimbus had to deal with micromanaging everyone HP. The entire time, he did not have a single moment to breathe! So when the opportunity to rest finally presented itself, how could he not immediately collapse from fatigue?

Gram, the party's other supporter, also took a seat. Although he had not spoken a single word, one could see the weariness in his expression.

"Eh? How the hell are you guys still standing after all of that?" Colorful Nimbus inquired as he looked at the four still standing without showing any signs of fatigue.

Besides himself, Colorful Nimbus figured Niflheim would be just as exhausted as he was considering he had to hold so much aggro for an extended period of time. Even Izroth, who had a full trip inside the lake and Hydra's body seemed to be completely fine!

"Hm? Don't tell me you've never heard of the Ocean Spring Pill?" Sacred Blade asked.

Sacred Blade did not know about Morrighan, but as ex-core members of Blue Oasis, he and Niflheim consumed an Ocean Spring Pill. As for Izroth, since the pill belonged to his Mystical Realm Palace, it would be crazy to assume that he did not take one himself.

"Ocean Spring Pill? What's that?" Colorful Nimbus frowned.

"It's a pill that greatly reduces your fatigue. It also provides some assistance in helping to resist crowd control effects. It's one of the most popular grade two pills sold at Palace Master Izroth's Mystical Realm Palace." Sacred Blade informed.

"Damn, such a miraculous pill exists and I didn't know about it? I knew I should have dropped by the Mystical Realm Palace before the event started! Guess that's what we get for starting off in O'Tohelm, huh, Gram? Hey, Palace Master, got any of those Ocean Spring Pills you want to share over there?" Colorful Nimbus requested.

"Sure," Izroth said as he removed an Ocean Spring Pill from his inventory.

When the scent of the Ocean Spring Pill reached his nose, Colorful Nimbus already felt some of its fatigue-relieving effects. Even without seeing the system information, he could tell that it was a high-quality pill!

Colorful Nimbus shot up to his feet and hurriedly walked towards Izroth.

"What a generous gift. Palace Master Izroth is indeed a great man and-" Colorful Nimbus said as he approached Izroth and held his hand with a smile.

"That'll be 10 gold coins," Izroth stated.

"...A great man-"

"Ten."

"..."

...

In the end, Colorful Nimbus paid ten gold coins to acquire the Ocean Spring Pill. Gram also happily paid to obtain a pill for himself. And, after consuming the pill, the two were filled with a new wave of energy.

"I feel like I can fight for hours now! Hahaha, what a great pill! Ten gold for this really can be seen as a generous gift, Palace Master!" Colorful Nimbus said excitedly.

"I am glad that you all seem to be enjoying yourselves." Guide's voice sounded as he abruptly appeared behind Colorful Nimbus.

"?!" Colorful Nimbus was startled as he quickly turned around.

"You have a problem with appearing before us normally?!" Colorful Nimbus scowled.

"Ah, my apologies. It has been quite some time since I've had the pleasure of entertaining such guests." Guide said calmly as he walked towards the room's center.

He then continued, "Congratulations on your completion of the second stage. However... I see that your prize remains untouched."

Guide stopped before six golden chests that looked several times more extravagant than the bronze chests that appeared after the party cleared the first stage.

"Can it be that you all... plan to challenge the third stage?" Guide questioned as his tone turned serious and the atmosphere grew heavy.

"Why do you ask? Is there something we should know about the third stage that you haven't told us?" Niflheim queried.

"No, I have told you all that I am capable of disclosing. However, as your guide, I would like to give you some friendly advice before you make your choice." Guide said.

"Oh? And, what friendly advice is that?" Niflheim questioned.

"For the third stage, do not think about winning against what you face—that is my advice. Whatever you decide, as your guide, I wish you the best of luck. I shall root for your success." Guide answered as he vanished into thin air with the last of his words fading away.

"Don't think about winning? What's that supposed to mean? Is he trying to say we're too weak to beat the third stage?" Colorful Nimbus frowned.

"Perhaps. Or, it could be a situation similar to the Hydra we faced. While we emerged as the victors, we did not necessarily slay the beast." Sacred Blade chimed in.

"Then, why didn't he give us the same warning before we faced the Hydra?" Colorful Nimbus mentioned.

"That's..." Sacred Blade furrowed his brows as he was uncertain how to respond to that question. Indeed, if it was a similar situation, why did the Guide not warn them at that time?

"Don't overthink it. At this point, we can only speculate but that will lead us nowhere in the long run. My opinion as the party leader that you've elected is that we should take those golden chests and run. I'm sure that whatever we get from those chests will have made this trip and our efforts more than worth it." Niflheim stated calmly.

"So you're saying we should just give up on the third stage?" Colorful Nimbus said in a tone of displeasure.

"Precisely. If we're looking at it from a logical standpoint, we should not get lost in our greed. If we fail to clear the third stage, then all our efforts will have gone to waste. Sure, we get a couple of Level Emblems for our troubles, but the cons still outweigh the pros." Niflheim explained.

The waiting room became silent after Niflheim's words. A few moments ago, the answer seemed obvious, but now... Was attempting the third stage truly the route they should take?

"But-" Niflheim broke the silence.

"That's just my opinion as the party leader since it's my responsibility to make sure everyone understands the potential risks. However, personally—I would prefer not to end things here wondering what could have been. I don't know about the rest of you, but coming this far and giving up when we're this close to the finish line would leave a bad taste in my mouth. If it's this party, I have no doubts in my mind... We can clear the third stage!" Niflheim declared confidently.

〈System Alert: Player Niflheim is ready! [1/6]〉

"This is my resolve."