HealerMiko stepped forward, her character's movements graceful. "Hi! I'm Miko. Nice to meet you. Velara said you're a hybrid build?"
"Something like that," Max said carefully. "Still figuring out the mechanics."
IronVanguard, the tank, crossed his arms. His voice was deep, probably modified in character creation. "Can you DPS? We need solid damage for this dungeon."
"I can hold my own," Max assured him.
"Then let's move," Velara said. "Corrupted Grove is about fifteen minutes west. And according to the forums, the boss is brutal. We're going to need perfect coordination."
The party set out, leaving the safety of Veridian Gate behind and heading into the darker, more dangerous wilderness.
The Corrupted Grove lived up to its name.
What had once been a beautiful forest was now a twisted nightmare. Trees bent at unnatural angles, their trunk blackened and weeping dark sap. The leaves—where they still existed—had turned a sickly purple-gray, and the air itself felt thick, almost oily against Max's skin.
[Entering Dungeon: The Corrupted Grove]
Difficulty: Rank C
Recommended Level: 7-10
Party Size: 5
[Warning: This dungeon contains corruption mechanics. Extended exposure may increase Corruption stat]
"Stay close," IronVanguard commanded, his shield raised. As the tank, he naturally took control. "Miko, keep your cleanses ready. If anyone's corruption gets too high, we'll need immediate dispels."
"Got it," HealerMiko replied, her staff glowing with soft white light.
They advanced into the grove, and almost immediately encountered their first enemies.
[Corrupted Treant – Level 8] x3
[Corrupted Sprite – Level 7] x2
The treants were massive—easily twelve feet tall, their wooden bodies covered in purple veins. The sprites were smaller, fairy-like creatures with transparent wings that had turned black at the edges.
"Standard pull!" IronVanguard shouted, charging forward with his shield. He slammed it into the nearest treants.
[Shield Bash - Aggro x3]
The treants turned toward him, their branch-like limbs swinging with surprising speed. IronVanguard blocked the first hit, his shield absorbing the impact.
-35 HP!
[IronVanguard: 365/400 HP]
RaidKing charged in from the side, his greatsword cleaving into a treant's trunk.
CRITICAL HIT!
-195 HP!
[Corrupted Treant: 305/500 HP]
Velara activated her Shadowblade abilities, becoming partially invisible as she flanked around to backstab one of the sprites.
-87 HP!
-92 HP!
[Corrupted Sprite Defeated!]
Max joined the DPS, focusing on a treant that was splitting its attention between IronVanguard and RaidKing. His rusty shortsword wasn't as impressive as RaidKing's greatsword, but he made up for it with precision strikes at weak points.
-48 HP!
-52 HP!
HealerMiko stayed back, her healing spells maintaining everyone's health. Green light flowed from her staff to IronVanguard, keeping the tank's HP stable.
[Heal: +85 HP]
The fight was coordinated, efficient. Within two minutes, all five enemies were down.
[Battle Complete]
[Party EXP Gained: 350]
"Nice work," IronVanguard said, checking his status. "Corruption gain: +2. Not too bad."
Everyone checked their corruption stats. Max's had increased by 3—his Voidborn race meant he gained corruption faster, though he also resisted its negative effects better.
They pushed deeper into the grove. The corruption grew more intense—the trees became more twisted, and strange whispers echoed through the air.
More enemies appeared: Corrupted Wolves with three eyes, Possessed Vines that erupted from the ground, and Plague Carriers—humanoid NPCs who had succumbed to the corruption, their bodies covered in dark veins.
The party handled each encounter with growing confidence. IronVanguard tanked, RaidKing and Max provided DPS, Velara picked off weak targets, and HealerMiko kept everyone alive while occasionally casting purification spells to reduce corruption buildup.
"You're pretty good for a hybrid build," Velara said during a break between layers. "What skills are you even using? I haven't seen you cast any spells."
"Passive buffs mostly," Max lied smoothly. "My class is more about sustained damage than burst."
"Whatever works," RaidKing said. "Your DPS is solid."
They reached the heart of the grove after forty minutes of fighting. A massive clearing opened before them, and at its center stood a tree unlike any other—easily a hundred feet tall, its trunk split down the middle like an abyss. Purple energy glowed from within, and the corruption in the air was so thick it was visible as dark mist.
[BOSS CHAMBER DETECTED]
[Guardian of the Corrupted Grove – Level 10 Elite]
"Everyone ready?" IronVanguard asked, checking his potion supply. "This is it. According to the forums, this boss has three phases and can one-shot you if you're not careful."
"Buffs up," HealerMiko said, casting protective spells on each party member. Golden shields of light surrounded them.
[Blessing of Protection: +50 Defense for 10 minutes]
[Corruption Resistance: +20% for 10 minutes]
They advanced into the clearing.
The tree shuddered, and from the split in its trunk emerged the boss—a massive entity that was part tree, part beast, part nightmare. It had a vaguely humanoid shape with four arms ending in blade-like claws, legs like twisted roots, and a head that was just a mass of intertwining branches with a single glowing purple eye at the center.
[GUARDIAN OF THE CORRUPTED GROVE]
Level: 10 Elite
HP: 8,000/8,000
Phase: 1/3
"INTRUDERS," the Guardian's voice boomed, echoing with unnatural reverb. "YOU WILL FEED THE CORRUPTION."
"Engaging!" IronVanguard charged, his shield raised.