Chapter 22 | Iris’ Advancement Task, Sudden Attack
After a few hours since Alicar received his advancement task, the atmosphere became much calmer as Iris and William continued fighting and gaining experience in the forest.
The trio moved through the scorched terrain with practiced efficiency, taking down monster after monster as they pushed deeper into the territory of level 9 and 10 creatures.
And eventually, after a particularly brutal battle against a massive Stonehide Gorilla, they both hit the same milestone as he did: Level 10.
"Finally," William sighed in relief as he watched his level grow, and the notifications appear around him with satisfying chimes that echoed in his mind.
He had been fighting for hours, his muscles aching and his sword arm trembling with exhaustion, but the reward was worth every drop of sweat.
He announced that his advancement task was to defeat 100 Lv.10 monsters, which indeed would take a long time, but was not impossible with enough dedication and effort.
"You’re the first one among us that can actually rank up here," Leon’s eyes widened with genuine excitement as he processed the information. "It might take weeks or months, but if we play this right, you’ll be able to gain new powers!"
William felt at the top of the world at that moment, because after completing his advancement task he’d grow much stronger and be able to level up once again.
Perhaps eventually he’d be strong enough to defeat the Sun Beast and escape this nightmare realm that had claimed so many lives already.
As for Iris, her expression darkened as soon as she saw her advancement task, her face paling with visible concern.
And when the others asked her what it was, she hesitated for a moment, clearly weighing her options before speaking.
"I also have to kill a legendary-rank monster," she said with a sigh, her voice heavy with frustration and resignation. "Same as Alicar."
"Damn..." Leon scratched his chin, his expression thoughtful as he considered the implications. "Horrible luck for you both, but it’s fine, you’re still strong enough to handle most things here."
With that done, the entire group had leveled up, meaning they had no reason to continue hunting any longer except to gather food for the coming days.
"You’ll have to focus on training your current abilities, and also make sure William ranks up," Leon nodded with faint hope in his eyes as they began walking back toward the cave.
The journey back was relatively quiet, with each of them lost in their own thoughts about the challenges that lay ahead.
Meanwhile, Iris and Alicar stood next to each other, their steps synchronized as they moved through the dense forest.
And while they were walking, Alicar heard Iris whisper something to him, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.
"My advancement task," she began as she sent over the panel to Alicar, her eyes darting around nervously to make sure no one else was listening. "It’s... weird."
"...?" Alicar gazed at the panel that she had sent, his curiosity piqued as he read the contents.
[Advancement Task:]
[Have Soulless complete his Advancement Tasks: 0/3]
’...!’ Alicar’s eyes widened in genuine shock at what he was reading, his mind racing with the implications.
Iris had lied to the others about the nature of her task as to not arouse any suspicions, but now Alicar understood the true meaning behind her words.
Since she was linked to him as a "vessel" through the contract, that meant that she would need him to rank up to be able to follow him through the tiers.
"More than anything, you said only have one task while it says three," Iris pointed, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Does that mean...?"
"Yeah," Alicar nodded, his expression serious as he met her gaze. "I got three."
Seeing as though Alicar didn’t say anything else, Iris simply nodded, accepting his silence without pushing further. "Alright, we’ll find a way to complete them. We’re a team after all!"
"Sure..." Alicar smiled faintly, appreciating her unwavering support in the face of such daunting challenges.
They defeated a few more monsters on their way back to the cave, though none of them stood a chance anymore at the strength of their group.
The creatures that had once seemed terrifying were now little more than obstacles, easily dispatched with a single combined attack.
But as they reached the half-way point of returning, Alicar suddenly stopped in his tracks, his body freezing with instinctive fear that ran through his veins like ice.
"What?" Leon turned back to make sure Alicar was okay, his hand already raised in a defensive stance. "Is there a strong monster nearby?"
An overwhelming feeling overcame Alicar’s very being, and instinctively, he looked up, just to see that the black sun in the sky was beginning to ripple once more.
Alicar simply pointed upward, his voice barely a whisper as his heart pounded in his chest. "It’s gonna attack."
As soon as this happened, everyone turned their gazes upward, and indeed, the black sun turned into the shape of the sun beast once more.
Its white eyes pierced the entire secret realm, locking into Alicar’s group for an instant with cold, predatory focus that made their blood run cold.
It knew they were here, and it could immediately launch at them to kill them all, Alicar knew that with absolute certainty.
Which is why he immediately tried to activate his class’ process to recruit Leon as a vessel, his mind racing with desperate urgency as his mana surged.
But right at that moment, the sun beast turned its gaze to another location, and its eyes flashed with malevolent intelligence.
ROOOAR!
It roared loudly, the sound echoing across the entire forest and shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Then with a powerful dive it rushed toward that location with incredible speed, its massive form disappearing into the distance.
"We’re saved," William sighed in relief, holding his chest as he breathed heavily, his face pale with residual fear. "That thing is terrifying... even a Tier-1 Awakener might not be able to beat it."
"...No," Leon mumbled to himself, realizing something in his gaze that the others hadn’t noticed yet. "It..."
BOOM!
Before any of them could understand what was happening, a terrifying explosion erupted ahead, shaking the ground beneath their feet with devastating force.
It sounded distant, but based on the location where it was coming from, a horrible realization dawned on them with crushing certainty.
"THE CAVE," Leon shouted in panic as he rushed forward, his legs carrying him faster than they had ever moved before, his face twisted with desperation.