Chapter 3

Fools Gold?

Chapter 3

Fool’s Gold?

"Well, I'll be; Alan was right," said Zeraph. He slowly pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow. Then, pulling it back, he aimed toward the Leprechaun.

Zero had never seen such ugly and dirty-looking Leprechauns before. To him, the Leprechauns had the physical appearance of a small troll rather than the slim stereotypical Leprechaun that people usually know. They were wearing green, but their clothes looked like they had gone through a blender instead of a nice green suit. Even their green hats had large holes the size of his fist.

"Are you sure those are Leprechauns?" Agnis quietly asked, trying not to startle the Leprechauns away.

"Yea. That's what the name says when you identify them to see what monsters they are. They have quite unusually high luck," Alan whispered. He had an identity scroll that allowed him to see what kind of monster it was.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Don't kill it." Alan raised his hands towards Zeraph pushing his bow down.

"Why?"

"Come on, think about it. It might have piles of gold stashed away somewhere."

"That Leprechaun looks like a hobo that can't even find a penny. What makes you think that Leprechaun has a stash of gold looking like that?"

"It could be a disguise," Alan strongly suggested. Everyone could see the greed overflowing from Alan's body. "Let's just follow it. It could lead us to the stash of gold."

Zeraph sighed and shook his head in disbelief. He reached over towards his back to put away his sleek black bow. "If you insist. I don't think we'll be getting anywhere from our little squabble that'll differentiate a poor Leprechaun from a rich one."

While Alan and Zeraph were arguing, Zero noticed more Leprechauns around them. He did not know if they were lucky or something was happening that brought more hobo-looking Leprechauns.

"Hey guys," Zero said with a nervous tone. The Leprechauns were increasing in numbers. Even though he noticed that the Leprechauns weren't over level 50, creatures, for some odd reason, kept on appearing before them. The Leprechaun's eyes glowed dangerously green, almost like a blood-thirsty hyena.

"Guys! We got company!" Zero yelled. Everyone's attention snapped towards Zero. They noticed that they were cornered by hundreds of hobo-looking Leprechauns. In a matter of seconds, the Leprechauns charged forward like lightning. Small amounts of their money, weapons, drops, and monster parts were stolen as they disappeared back into the Forest like ghosts. The one who was hit the hardest was Alan. The Leprechauns targeted him because they could smell money from his bag like a bloodhound.

"What the-!" Screams of his companion's voices rang out in outrage.

"They're thieves! Catch them!" Alan cried out in anger. He swung his arms around, trying to stop them from running away.

"They're just too fast!" Agnis tripped over a fallen log on the side of the road while she was trying to catch one of them. The Leprechaun stuck out his tongue and smacked his butt, aggravating Agnis for not being able to catch them. "Why, you little!" She scrambled up to smack one but failed.

On the other hand, Jack was playing whack-a-mole with them one-by-one with his large hammer, trying to stun them, but he miserably failed. Zero could already see Jack breathing heavily from the wasted energy.

Zeraph, on the other hand, was using his quick draw techniques to slice them in half instead of catching them but did not succeed in killing even one.

Zero knew that this would not solve the problem, a good portion of their money was gone, and they needed to catch one but not slay them like Zeraph. Even his map was stolen from him. A message popped up from Zero's screen.

The Quest to retrieve the Golden Eye has been updated.

Retrieve the map back from the Leprechaun that has stolen it from you. Without the map, it would be very difficult to find the location of the Maze of Geruem.

An ancient contract between the Drezo Regalia and the King has been brought back to life. The King has asked to bring back the Golden Eye in the Maze of Geruem for the Drezo Regalia to truly own the building of Draconis Library.

Difficulty: C

Reward: The 2nd half of the Certificate of Draconis Library.

Failure: The loss of Draconis Library

Zero couldn't believe what just happened; anger flared up in seconds at the Leprechauns. His one-way ticket to retrieve the Golden Eye was gone.

His forehead started to tingle, and at that moment, the unusual skill that he had learned in real life activated, Telepathy. The basic level was where he could read the target's mind for three seconds. His ability consumed a large amount of his stamina and magic. He already felt a bit tired from using this ability and knew he could not use it again for a while.

A clear thought came up in his mind, Left, then a slide to the right. With his left hand, he whipped toward the direction he heard in his mind and slid to the right. Zero caught the bouncing Leprechaun in seconds by its foot as it dangled upside down in the air. His second passive skill of mind reading activated when information about any monsters was shown before him. The only problem was that the window did not always pop up before him. So there was a low chance of seeing the information of the enemy. Zero knew he had to continually hone his skill to effectively use it.

The Leprechauns

Since ancient times, Leprechauns have been known to collect large piles of gold for their own selfish desires. They represent luck and great fortune. However, there is a saying that finding the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow. Catching a Leprechaun supposedly brings luck, but for some reason, these Leprechauns do not have a high density of luck magic surrounding them.

The remaining Leprechauns ran away back into the dark Forest and disappeared.

"Let go!" The hobo-looking Leprechaun screamed while he struggled to get out of Zero's hand.

Zero was having difficulty with the Leprechaun. He threw the Leprechaun towards Zeraph and yelled, "Catch Zeraph! Don't kill him!" Like a hot potato being thrown over to another, the Leprechaun was gracefully thrown towards Zeraph. Zeraph caught the flying Leprechaun in mid-air, and once again, the Leprechaun was dangling upside down by his foot. If Zero had not said not to kill him, Zeraph would have taken his sword and sliced the Leprechaun in half.

"Huhuhuhu. What do we have here?" Alan mischievously snuck up towards the Leprechaun with evil intent. He was already thinking about hundreds of ways to torture the Leprechaun for his gold.

The others angrily surrounded the Leprechaun, hoping to get a couple of hits.

"Give the Leprechaun some space," Zero called out. He squeezed past Jack and Alan.

The Leprechaun stopped squirming and angrily retorted. "I'm not telling you! I'm not telling you!" It yelled repeatedly. "I'm not telling you money grubbers! Pickpockets! Life-stealers!" The Leprechauns continued to cuss them.

"This little minx called us thieves when he did the thieving just a moment ago." Zeraph started a bit dumbfounded at what the Leprechaun was saying. Already Zero saw Seraph's hand go towards his sword, ready to slice the Leprechaun in half. Zero didn't know when Seraph's temper would snap. He would strike like a snake and end their one chance to get their things back.

"Hold on, Zeraph. Let me try something." Zero pushed down his sword. He transformed into his Origin form on the spot. With a flick of his tail, he grabbed the legs of the Leprechaun and threw them up into the air. Then, with his mouth gaping wide open, he snatched him into his mouth. The Leprechaun screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw his evident doom coming towards him in seconds.

Like a caged rat in between sharp teeth, the Leprechaun was hyperventilating and screaming for his life. If anyone else were present, they would think that Zero's group was torturing a small creature to death.

"Oh, shut up. If you don't, you're going to be food soon." Zero growled. He was already starting to activate his fire, making the Leprechaun uncomfortable.

"Why are you doing this to me? I only took a couple of pennies to save my hungry family," the Leprechaun wallowed in despair and created a melodramatic mood. He begged each of the teammates with his sorrowful eyes trying to catch their attention, but none heeded his plea.

"Zero, give it a couple of your famous dragon flames to make him squeak." Alan already had a devilish gleam in his eyes. His product was his life and for the Leprechauns to steal them away was a huge hit. He had a crazy gleam in his eyes, ready to deal some heavy damage if he had to.

Zero fired up his fire breath as red and yellow sparks of fire erupted from his throat.

"Wait. Did you say Dragon?" The Leprechaun called out, completely surprised about what he heard. A fire licked the Leprechaun on his butt, making him squeal loudly like a pig. "Wait! Wait! Wait! I'll talk! Let me speak to the Dragon!"

Everyone stared toward Zero, confused, wondering what was going on. For a Leprechaun to ask for a personal audience with Zero was unheard of.

"Speak," Zero growled. Speaking was a bit difficult with a mouthful of the Leprechaun.

"Oh great dragon, please hear my humble plea." The Leprechaun's voice stuttered. We were once helpers to the great dragons in the ancient past, but now we are slaves to the evil Magician that lives deep in the Forgotten Forest. If you freed us, we would give everything back and even more. The evil Magician Mano already has your things by now. We are forbidden to give back things that we have stolen." The Leprechaun begged; he was already crying out in sadness.

The Quest to retrieve the Golden Eye has been updated.

Retrieve the map by freeing the Leprechauns from the evil Magician Mano. Without the map, it would be very difficult to find the location of the Maze of Geruem.

An ancient contract between the Drezo Regalia and the King has been brought back to life. The King has asked to bring back the Golden Eye in the Maze of Geruem located in the Electric Continent for the Drezo Regalia to truly own the building of Draconis Library.

Difficulty: C+

Reward: The 2nd half of the Certificate of Draconis Library + unknown treasures from the evil Magician.

Failure: The loss of Draconis Library

Zero was elated that he was given a more challenging mission. This meant that he could gain stronger and rare items or weapons, resulting in more gold. Especially considering it has become a chain quest that grew. One thing he liked about NPCs was that they usually never return their words like players. Once a task is given, there is always a reward at the end.

He spat the Leprechaun out of his mouth. "You won't return on your words, right little Leprechaun?" The fire was already forming deep in his throat as smoke came from his nose and mouth.

"I swear!" The Leprechaun crawled up towards Zero's feet and kissed it several times. Zero pranced around, trying to stop him from continuously kissing his feet. "We never go back on our words to the great dragons who have protected us in the past." His eyes sparkled like diamonds as he stared toward Zero. In the Leprechaun's eyes, Zero was already becoming god-like.

"What is your name?"

"Bob."

"Bob? What kind of- never mind. Okay, Bob. Show us the way to where we need to go."

Bob jumped up, elated, and motioned them to follow.

"Is this a good idea to blindly follow the thief that just pickpocketed us a moment ago?" Agnis whispered towards him. "And what was that weird relationship you both were having just a moment ago? The way it was speaking to you was weird."

Zero shrugged, not knowing what to say. Even he was curious about what the Drezo Regalia had with the Leprechauns.

"I don't care. I just want my money and items," grumbled Alan. His brows were furrowed and still in shock from his large loss of items.

They were led off the main road and deeply entered the Forgotten Forest. Alan and Jack were a bit worried that they would be unable to find their way out if they got lost. The fog got thicker, and it became even more difficult to see. Bob continually called out to the group to follow him for hours, guiding them towards their destination. Luckily for them, thanks to the immense luck that Leprechauns have, they were safely led away from monsters that roamed the Forgotten Forest.

Eventually, they came upon a small hidden village made from large mushroom-like huts. In each hut, small families of hobo-looking Leprechauns appeared. Their disheveled and thin faces, ragged clothes, and even their solemn demeanor brought a heavy feeling of gloom to the village. Their usual sparkling, cheerful selves were gone and were replaced by hopelessness.

You are the first to find the Leprechaun's hidden village.

+100 fame

+10 luck

This was the first time Zero had gotten such a message. He has so far not explored many places. Unfortunately, all his group also received the same message.

"Bob!" A female Leprechaun called out and ran towards him.

"Berry!" They embraced each other in a loving embrace.

"Are you alright?" Berry asked, bewildered and almost to the point of tears. She searched around him, looking for any scratches or cuts. But, instead, she found a bit of burnt-off clothes.

"I'm fine," Bob cooed towards his love. "I brought our salvation." He motioned towards Zero's group.

"Who?" Berry peeked over his shoulder and saw Zero in his dragon form that towered over his group. "It's a young dragon," she gasped, covering her mouth in a daze. Tears had begun to form underneath her eyes.

"A young dragon is here!" One of the Leprechauns shouted out in joy. Then, more and more hobo-looking Leprechaun's appeared and surrounded Zero's group. They all glanced in awe towards Zero, for it had been thousands of years since they saw a living dragon.

An elderly Leprechaun who looked haggard and beggar-looking stepped out with a cane in his hand. His heavy eyebrows covered most of his eyes, so it was difficult for Zero to tell if the elderly Leprechaun even had an eye.

"Young Dragon. You don't know how much joy you have brought us to see you alive once again. We had thought the last of your kind had diminished since the Dark Ages of the Demon King's reign. In our times of prosperity, we have worked hand-in-hand as personal butlers with the dragons in proliferating our wealth in our gold. Your race has given us sanctuary and protection because of what we are. In the past, we were hunted down to the brink of extinction until your kind had saved us, and in return, we had shared our gold, luck, and skills."

"Did he just say gold?" Agnis, Alan, and Jack spoke in unison. They glanced back and forth between the elderly Leprechaun and Zero.

Zero suddenly thought of possibly having the contract renewed between the Leprechauns and the Dragons. This would settle a part of the Quest and possibly gain something new. His mind raced with the future endeavors he could do with the Leprechauns. He was already thinking about using the Leprechauns to boost attraction to the Draconis Library to bring in a huge amount of Revenue.

"Please help us and set us free from the evil clutches of the Magician. He has taken our magic, enslaved us for greed, and even warped the land of the Forgotten Forest. This Forest was not like this before."

The Quest to retrieve the Golden Eye has been updated.

Retrieve the map by freeing the Leprechauns from the evil Magician Mano. Without the map, it would be very difficult to find the location of the Maze of Geruem.

An ancient contract between the Drezo Regalia and the King has been brought back to life. The King has asked to bring back the Golden Eye in the Maze of Geruem located in the Electric Continent for the Drezo Regalia to truly own the building of Draconis Library.

Difficulty: C+

Reward: The 2nd half of the Certificate of Draconis Library + unknown treasures from the evil Magician.

Failure: The loss of Draconis Library

Side Quest: Free the Leprechauns from the evil clutches of the Magician Mano

"The forest was not like this before?" Jack cut in. This was the first time hearing such history about the Forgotten Forest. "How was it in the past?"

"Because you are a friend to the young dragon, I will tell you," the elderly Leprechaun stated in a slightly disgruntled tone. They did not have deep trust in dwarves. "This Forest was once known to harbor many legendary creatures that humans rarely saw. It was filled with an abundance of life. However, since the arrival of the evil Magician Mano, the Forest has shifted into a more dark and sinister place. Dark creatures have begun to prowl around day and night. Heavy fog has appeared from the dark depths of the Magician's castle and encompasses the whole Forest like a plague." He sighed a heavy sigh that seemed to suck his life out.

"Do not worry, Elder. I'll do my best to set your people free." Zero said with a kind tone as he lowered his head towards the Elder's face reassuring him that he won't return his words.

"Thank you, young Dragon. Thank you." The Elder let out a huge sigh relieving him of a burden.

"But how are we supposed to find this castle? We don't know where it's even located." Zero asked. He did not want to wander endlessly in the Forgotten Forest for days.

"Do not worry. We can take you through our secret passage that even the evil Magician Mano doesn't know about. Bob. Show them the way."

"Yes, elder," Bob said. "It is my pleasure to serve the young Dragon once more. Please come this way."

Zero's group followed closely behind Bob. The crowd dispersed back into their huts and became a ghost town. Bob pushed aside a hidden passageway that was densely covered by foliage. Without a discerning eye, it would've been impossible to locate the secret passageway that Bob and the other Leprechauns use.

"You know I can't fit in that small hole." Zero peeked in the five-foot size entrance. His Dragon's body could not fit inside such hole. Everyone else could bend over and squeeze their way through, but Zero could not without converting back into his human form. He did not have the luxury to switch out and back into his Origin form without waiting for the cool-down time to be over. He was far away from the floating Draconis Library, so even then, he could not revert back and forth.

"Don't worry, sir dragon. We, the Leprechauns, have served your kind for ages and have special magic that can revert you to your kit days. It will not be as strong, so there are some side effects to the length of time you can stay in your kit form. If that is okay with you, I would like to share my little magic."

"Please. Go on ahead." Zero waited for Bob to cast a spell.

With a language he did not understand, green magic spread underneath him as vines sprung toward him. The vines wrapped around him like a mummy and shrunk him back to his kit form. He was now the size of a small fox.

The reverse magic duration of time is equivalent to Bob's magic. When the duration of Bob's magic is over, Zero will revert back to his full form. The time limit is 15 minutes. All stats are cut in half.

"Heck." Zero held his breath from shock. His origin form stats were cut sharply in half. He was now the equivalent of a level 75. The monsters around the dungeons were above level 120; during the next 15 minutes, the fight between him and the monsters could be a huge problem. His human form was a lot stronger than the form he was in now, but he did not dare to revert back to his human form. There were only 15 minutes that he had to hold out before he was back in his full power.

"I am sorry. Right now, my magic is not enough to keep all your powers converted into your kit form. Until I have them back, there will be a heavy handicap for you." Bob was ashamed of what he had done to Zero.

"It's fine." Zero replied. He knew he had to survive until the magic was over.

"The passageway is only in the beginning part. The rest, you will be able to fit your original body with no trouble," reassured Bob. He was excitedly bouncing around at the thought of seeing Zero in full form again.

Zero felt a sharp tingle in the back of his neck; he whipped around and noticed Agnis dangerous gleam in her eyes. Already he could feel what Agnis might do. He gulped, and the nightmare from his past self replayed over in his mind. "Stop!" He held up his paw towards Agnis.

"What? Why?" Agnis halted.

"We don't have time to dawdle. I only have a short amount of time to stay in this form, and we don't know how long it would take before we come across a larger tunnel. So I don't want to be stuck in a-" He was scooped up in seconds.

Agnis went in first with Zero in her arms. Zero couldn't escape her tight grasp. Bob leads the Zero group through the tight entrance. Jack followed, Alan next, and Zeraph, who had to bow low, so he did not hit his head against the ceiling.

You are the first one to have found an unexplored dungeon.

+100 fame

In the next ten minutes, they tracked through the muddy ground. The ceiling slowly opened up, allowing Zeraph, Alan, and Agnis to stand straight. Throughout the walk, Zero's head was lightly massaged by Agnis's hand. He was turning into mush, purring away like a happy cat. He forgot one benefit of being in her arms when she was not torturing him. The head massage. The holy head massage made his mind go blank. Her long soft fingers brushed through his fur, tingling his head like electricity.

"We're almost out of the tight area and will soon arrive at a large open space," Bob replied.

"Really?" Alan asked gleefully, "I can't stand hunching over for too long. I thought my back would break." He complained.

"We're th-," Bob's voice was cut short. Out before them were humanoid lizard-looking monsters with blind eyes called Earth Lizards. They were crushing, digging, and even expanding the cave walls, making them larger and larger. "The evil magician's guard dogs!" He said in alarm.

The heads of the Earth Lizards turned towards them. They rushed towards them with a hiss. Bob squealed and ran behind the group. Zero jumped out of Agnes's arms while Agnis pulled out her bow and arrows. Zeraph and Agnis were each firing arrows one after another. When the Earth Lizards came too close, they switched to close-quarter combat with their swords. Each clang of their swords sliced through skin and bones.

On the other hand, Alan was grabbing the attention of Earth Lizards that ganged up on Jack. He drew them away, so Jack had an easier time dealing with the mob, while Jack spammed skills that did devastating damage.

Zero zipped through the Earth Lizards, protecting Bob as best as possible. He slashed, tore, and blew the fire that crackled and sizzled the Earth Lizard's flesh. They screamed and gave chase to Zero.

Zero easily brought the two Earth Lizards crashing upon each other by ducking underneath their legs. His claw weapon, at times, gave him an added bonus of a bleeding effect that slowly drained the enemy's health. It took longer for Zero to destroy the Earth Lizards than the others. He was mostly dodging, trying not to get hurt, and added a couple of jabs here and there.

Five Earth Lizards rushed towards Zero; Zero noticed Agnis was finishing off one of the Earth Lizards and was just about to move on to the next one. "Agnis!" He called out towards her, bringing with him five Earth Lizards closely behind his heels.

Agnis stashed away her sword and pulled out her bow. She knocked an arrow and fired continually toward the Earth Lizards. Each hit squarely in their forehead as they faltered and fell. Zero took this chance and bolted over towards the fallen Earth Lizards. He slashed furiously upon the Earth Lizards and bounded away with a finishing touch of the blazing inferno of red fire.

Zero did a simple strike and maneuver tactic trying to keep alive. There were two minutes left till Bob's magic wore off. The group of Earth Lizards working was dwindling down to five, but then loud, heavy footsteps could be heard coming towards Zero's group. An Earth Lizard three times the size of a regular Earth Lizard appeared before them. Two windows popped up in front of Zero.

Mini-boss King Earth Lizard has entered the field.

The second skill of his mind reading ability brought up the information of the Mini-boss.

King Earth Lizard

Level: 165

The King Earth Lizard has various poisonous attacks that could fatally poison its prey. It has a knack for using its tail to trip and hinder its prey so it can dive and drive its fangs into its prey. Powerful tail strength needs to be watched out for. When his health is in the red zone, he will call upon more Earth Lizards to protect him.

"Watch out for its deadly poison and his tail," shouted Zero, who was finishing off one of the five Earth Lizards. In actuality, he knew the King Earth Lizard was more of a boss character for lower-level players, but players who were level 150 and up had a much better chance to handle the mini-boss character without too many players. The only problem was the calling on backup from other Earth Lizards that could hinder the mini boss' defeat.

"What?" Jack was too late and did not see the King Earth Lizard's tail coming towards him from the side. The tail swept Jack off his feet and onto his back in a sickening thud.

Zeraph ran forward with sword in hand and slashed down upon the King Lizard's back. With a roar, the King Lizard turned around, sweeping its tail like a hook towards Zeraph. Playing hopscotch, Zeraph hopped over the tail and scaled its back as if he was walking on the King Lizard. "Black Storm!" he shouted, activating one of his many hidden job skills.

In a whirlwind of attacks, Seraph's speed of his sword draw attack increased by ten folds as ten continuous strikes made their mark on the King Lizard's body. This allowed Jack to roll over before he got trampled on.

Alan ran around agitating the four Earth Lizards whenever they shifted their attacks towards the group. This allowed Zero's group to focus on the King Earth Lizard, while Zero helped Alan get rid of the Earth Lizard till one minute was up. Every second felt like an eternity for Zero; his eyes darted back and forth, watching the timer count down and fighting the Earth Lizards.

It wasn't that his attacks on the Earth Lizards were too slow; he was just antsy to have his full power back so he could join in on the mini-boss fight.

Agnis swept Zero off the ground. Zero had made a mistake in aggravating three Earth Lizards by accident when he sliced through two and the last one he bumped into. By Agnis' quick save, Zero was able to jump back into the fight with barely a scratch.

"Three. Two. One!" Zero shouted with joy. Bob's magic gave way and released the pent-up strength that Zero was holding back. He could feel his power and strength coming back like a gushing tsunami. His fingers, toes, tail, neck, and body extended to their original size. No more was he a small fox-looking creature; now, he was all claws, teeth, and fire.

With a sweep of his armored claws, Zero cut through the remaining life of the two Earth Lizards. His claws dug into the ground springing him forward into a dash, and he went after the third, fourth, and fifth in under a minute. Shortly after, he joined in on the fight with King Lizard.

Zero could see that the health of the King Earth Lizard was halfway down. The speed of the King Earth Lizard increased as he dashed around the open cave, trying to maneuver away from them. Agnes and Zeraph took out bows and arrows instead of giving chase; their archery skills were considered the best because of their species as Elf. So their mark hit every time without the need to give chase.

"Damn Lizard," Jack was breathing a bit too hard. "What do you take a dwarf for, a marathon runner?" His stubby legs and the heavy armor made it difficult for him to give chase.

Alan only helped at certain times; he was a merchant, not a fighter. He knew he did not have the strength, speed, archery skill, or defense to fight a mini-boss. All he had was a sling and a dagger. "I'll be here next to Bob and protect him." He called out. Bob turned towards Alan, a bit untrusting in Alan's words. Zero could understand why, though; Alan was the one who was the first one trying to strangle him for his money and items that were stolen. So why wouldn't he use him for a possible shield a couple times?

Dashing forward like a hell hound, Zero matched speed with the King Earth Lizard. In actuality, he knew he could run faster than the rate he was going now. With each strike with his claw weapon, damage on the mini-boss had begun to fall rapidly along with Agnes' and Seraph's attack.

Poison spit was shot towards Zero's face; Zero had to swerve at an unnatural angle to get out of the range of the Poison spit. He did not want to be at the butt end of the poison spit and get a deadly poison.

His teammates' health was already down by a quarter; the damage the King Earth Lizard gave was serious, but his attacks were slow, so it was easier to dodge them. The health of the Mini-boss finally became dangerously red. Then, with a sudden halt, the King Earth Lizard breathed in deeply, filling his belly with air.

"Stop him! He's going to call for reinforcement!" Zero yelled; he bulldozed his way towards the mini-boss with outstretched claws. Agnes and Zeraph followed suit with blades in hand; Jack was nearest to the mini-boss. With his mighty hammer, just like ringing a gong, he swung his hammer towards the King Earth Lizard's belly.

"Hammer Falls!" The pent-up air that the King Earth Lizard had was let loose in that one impact from Jack, but they were too late. The ground shook from impact, and the King Earth Lizard was pushed to the wall. The King Earth Lizard's voice also erupted while calling for backup. Simultaneously Agnis and Zeraph rushed in with their swords and yelled out their skills. "Black Storm!" "Holy Wrath!"

Seraph's whirlwind of attack and Agnes' dual sword attack encased in blazing blue fire repeatedly attacked in one spot, creating critical damages stacked upon each other. Zero followed with his claws shredding through the skin, and with a torrent of fire, he encased the whole lizard in flames.

You have leveled up.

You have leveled up.

Zeraph, Agnis, Alan, and Jack also received two levels up. Unfortunately, they did not have time to rejoice. Fifty Earth Lizards stormed towards them, cornering Zero's group and making escape difficult. Zero quickly snatched up the loot from the ground. He could already tell that the monster parts were rare items. With a quick inhale of breath, he spewed out flames in a circular path around them, creating a fire wall. The flames kept the Earth Lizards at bay as they paced back and forth like prowling animals ready to pounce.

Bob and Alan safely got in the fire circle before being shut.

"We can't stay here forever," Zeraph replied hurriedly. He and Agnis were firing arrows quickly, one after the other like a machine gun. So many fell, but the crowd was still thick with Earth Lizards.

"I know," Zero replied. He was still spitting out the fire to keep them at bay. "I'm still thinking!"

Some of the Earth Lizards became brave and tried to cross over, but instead were completely engulfed in flames. When they crossed the barrier, Jack rushed forward with his large hammer and played baseball with them. Then, they were sent flying back out the firewall and back into the crowds.

"Sir dragon! Up there!" Bob yelled, jumping up and down. He was pointing towards another entrance that they could fit in.

Zero understood in seconds. "Everyone scale or I'll throw you up there!"

Zeraph and Agnis strapped their bows back on and pulled out two daggers. They both gracefully scaled up the wall and climbed into the tunnel. Alan was having a difficult time climbing up the wall like Zeraph and Agnis, so Zero came over and grabbed him. He tossed Alan into the tunnel, where Zeraph and Agnis caught him with one throw. Alan was cussing up a storm while he was in the air.

"Wait." Jack held out his hands. "You're going to throw me too?" He squeaked. "Wait. Wait. Let me be ready first." He breathed in and out, trying to calm his nerves.

"I'm the type of guy that likes to stay on the grooooouuuuuuunnnnnnndddd!" Zero snatched him off the ground and threw him as well. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury to dally when the firewall was about to go out any minute.

Zero followed, using his claws to pull himself up into the new entrance. The Earth Lizards broke through and were right behind him, hissing with anger. Some jumped and snapped at Zero's tail, but he was able to smack them back before they could bite into him. He crawled into space. "Let's go."

"Hey Zero, I got a bone to pick with you." Jack was shaking his fist at Zero.

Zero was already ahead of them and went forward, following after Bob.

"Why that little," Jack grumbled under his breath. Agnis patted his back.

"At least you're alive," Agnis replied.

"Alive is a matter of opinion."

Zero's group continued forward towards their destination while Jack was grumbling with disapproval, kicking rocks around.