Knowing the cave is rigged with man-made traps, Arka went in cautiously expecting more. And to Arka's hunch, this is no, normal cave where you can find treasure.

It's a dungeon.

In dungeons, you're supposed to run with a competent party — a small group of people.

Right now, there's just two of them; Unknowing what is there to expect in the cave due to the lack of information of the game.

Arka assessed their situation.

Her, a Kampilan swordsman, and Banelfsing—

—Wielding dual Kukris...? Arka thought.

In Helsfate, there are countless weapons you can choose from. Each weapon affects the type of damage a player can inflict on the game against different types of armor or the type of enemy a player deals with.

As of now, there was still a lack of information about which weapon types would be most effective against what. Arka was still awaiting any tier listings that would be publicized to know what would be the best way in the beginning parts of the game, or for any basic info of each weapon type. Everybody in the game was still experimenting.

Arka uses a Kampilan, a single-edged long sword.

"Do you have a ranged weapon?" Arka asked Banelfsing.

"Yeah, I have a crossbow. But I haven't practiced using it yet," Banelfsing said.

"I see," Arka said. "Then... nevermind... what I said..." she said.

"Oh. Okay... but, why the careful planning?" Banelfsing asked.

"Well, you see... I think we're in a dungeon... and I think we have... to maximize everything we got... Especially since it's just two of us," Arka said.

I mean, why would there even be traps in a cave? She thought.

"Ah, so that's the situation..." Banelfsing said. "Then, I'll try and use my crossbow when the time is right," He said.

Arka nodded.

About ten minutes passed on their exploration. No other problems have occurred. Arka and Banelfsing have laid low being cautious of any further traps and other unseeable things in the cave.

They've passed by several triggers already, amounting to three. Two string traps on the ground that sets off arrow traps, and a wall trap hidden with poison-tipped spears. They've also circumvented a big chasm hidden in the darkness of the cave.

Their footsteps echoed steadily in the dark cave, as the only thing that helps pave their way in the darkness is the torch Arka held— their only light source.

Arka can't help but feel increasingly that what they've come for is nothing but a stupid idea... a suicide mission. Her doubts surfaced. But she doesn't show this concern of hers in front of the person following her from behind. Unyieldingly, she continued to move forward with Banelfsing behind them.

Besides... there's no turning back now, and it would be bothersome after going so far. However, the one thing that they both have to worry about most is the death of their avatar; Wherein death means the loss of equipment and about 80% of their hard-earned currency. There are no banks in Helsfate based on what she has found, so far.

The avatar's death is the one that worries Arka. After grinding for so long— after hunting the numerous monsters she's cut down. She'd have to fight with everything she has if she wants to save this hard work that she has accumulated.

What if they encounter an unwinnable fight then? Why did she still decide to tag along for the adventure?

Is the reason for her absence of fear and recklessness due to her being self-aware that all this is just a game?

Perhaps it is... but still it's—

"A-Ara!" Banelfsing yelled out to Arka's present username, Arakar. Without a moment to lose, Arka turned to Banelfsing and see what was happening.

Arka's eyes darted everywhere, along with the torch she held in her hand as she saw her surroundings

A large group of monsters are suddenly approaching from behind Banelfsing, and eventually, behind Arka. Along with it, echoes of the traps resounded in the cave. It seems they were triggered.

The monster groups that approach are of different species.

An uneven pair of groups approached both on Arka and Banelfings's side in the cave. There were three on Banelfsing's and four on Arka's.

In total, seven of these beasts that approach on ground level possess six, small, humanoid arms, with a wide, and roundish, belly as their torso. The center of their bellies has a large, mouth with carnivorous-like teeth. Their heads are comparable to a neck of a bottle, with their eyes popping out like a crab's. Their bloodshot eyes look straight at their prey. They seem to have no control over their jaws as they jiggle along with their pinball-shaped head as they run, close to the ground with a height of about 3'8".

As Arka witnesses this, the corner of her eye caught something else. She illuminated her torch in the direction it came — more creatures came out of the gaping holes in the cave walls.

The first you could notice from them is their large humanoid-like arms, both with a pair of three claws that seem to retract from their three wicked fingers, with a head like that of a bald human's. With eyes shaped in a dark and blind rage enveloping them. Their mouths, toothless — stretch past their cheeks as their skulls lean back. Whenever these creatures open their mouths, it exposes their tongues that stretch up to half a meter. Their torso resembles that of chests of starving men, and their bottom half is that of a curved, fleshy tail that mimics a scorpion's. They come in two, disorganized groups of three, across the cave's walls as they come out of these holes.

Her eyes struck wide-open; with her mouth, almost agape. She couldn't believe what she was seeing at that instant, as this unintelligible event's embedded in her memories.

Arka quickly unsheathed her sword.

But then—

The ground beneath the two of the party member's feet immediately crumbled. And as it did, a pair of huge, eyes blinked open and gazed up at them with their feet in their giant circular mouths. Upon an overall view, it seems to resemble a face. This face was its actual body, possessing long, sharp thorns surrounding all of it. This creature started sucking on one of their legs slowly, like quicksand. As it does this, the rims of their face stretched out two vine-shaped tendrils that then wrapped a strong grip on Arka's and Banelfsing's legs.

Arka's HUD showed her, and her party member's HP each decreasing in quick increments from this creature.

Arka turned her sword upside-down and immediately stabbed the creature that was sucking her into the ground right into one of its eyes.

Her sword pierced through, as its eye bled, uttered a cry, and it immediately died.

She quickly made her way to cutting off the tendril wrapped on her leg. She held on to one end of it, and cut it— all done in one fell swoop. After that, she pulled out her leg which was buried past her ankle in the creature's mouth.

By the time Arka finished this creature, 78% of her HP remained.

She then focused on her party member. "Go for the eyes!" Arka shouted in a blood-curdling cry.

Banelfsing held onto his daggers. However, because his daggers were short, crouching could prove fatal at the risk of losing his balance and being impaled by the sharp, thorn-like armor on the creature's flesh. He had no choice but to let this creature have his leg sink into the creature's mouth to get closer.

Once he had enough reach, he went for the kill to stab the creature in the eye. However, the dagger he held was suddenly wrapped with the creature's tendrils.

This was the time when he felt it was fortunate of carrying a second dagger.

He skewered the other dagger at this creature in the eye. Along with it, His arm sunk in deep into this beast's innards.

The creature died and made its final cries.

Banelfsing had 56% HP left by the time he finished the creature.

Banelfsing pulled himself away from the dead creature's mouth. Luckily, he still has his leg, being able to stand up after that. He felt the monster's saliva through his steel-toed boots. But he didn't focus on that, instead, he remembered—

"Ara—!" He turned to Arka.

After Arka sliced one of the pot belly-like creatures in half with a strong and swift, angled vertical swing, she hopped back near Banelfsing's back. Both fighters, with their stances at the ready.

They kept near each other, circling, about to face these cryptic creatures.

Only mere moments remain before these creatures come in contact. Arka and Banelfsing didn't know a perfect approach to facing these new creatures. They heard the pounding of their chests as it rang in sync with their ears. They breathed heavily because of the surprise encounter.

What they do know, however, was that in the back of their minds... whoever loses their composure, means sudden death.