Zero's eyes narrowed. His instincts told him that he was stronger than he shows.
He descended, each step quiet, deliberate, daggers drawn but lowered. When he was close enough, the cleric turned.
AzureMist's hood shadowed his eyes, but his voice was calm.
"You're... ZeroGod, right?"
Zero tilted his head slightly, a smirk forming.
"Rumors travel fast. I've only been playing for 2 - 3 hours yet I've already made a name for myself? How amazing~"
"I saw the notification. When a Field Boss killed, All nearby players are notified and You caused quite a scene down at the First Floor, I would say your name and game would reach the 3rd, Maybe even the 4th floor."
His tone wasn't impressed. It was analytical, like he was studying him.
Zero's grin deepened.
"You sound like one of those beta testers."
"I just like surviving."
The cleric replied evenly. He glanced toward the dungeon gate as it pulsed again.
"The entry requirement says two players. You here for that?"
Zero stared at Azure, the cleric returned the same cold stare at him. He couldn't help but smirk and be impressed that he found someone insane enough to stare bact at him with the same intensity.
"You heal, I kill. If you can't keep up then you're on your own."
Azure blinked, silent for a second... then chuckled.
"Straightforward. Fine. But I'll warn you. Dungeon Emergence isn't meant to happen on the second floor"
"Perfect. It wouldn't be fun otherwise."
The notification blinked between them:
[Party Request Sent: ZeroGod > AzureMist]
[Party Formed]
ZeroGod (Lv.22 - Assassin)
AzureMist (Lv.18 - Cleric)
"Now... Show me your status screen."
"And why should I do that? We may be in a party, It doesn't mean I have to show you everything."
"I need to know what I'm working with. Besides..."
Zero glared at him.
"A support character who is level 18 in a wild zone without a tank or a fighter somehow managed to survive all the fire type monsters."
Azure met Zero's gaze.
"Wouldn't you find that peculiar?"
Zero and Azure glared at each other, They stared at each other for a solid minute. To any bystanders, It might look like 2 players were about to fight.
Soon enough, Azure sighed.
"I'll only show you my Status not my Skills. And in exchange please show me your Status as well."
"...Fine by me."
Zero and Azure both opened their status, They swiped the screens to the right, exchanging screens with the other.
[Status Screen]
Name: ZeroGod
Class: Assassin
Level: 22
Title: Field Boss Slayer
HP: 220 / 220 | MP: 150 / 150
Stamina: 100 / 100
STR: 5
DEX: 15 (+35)
AGI: 41 (+20)
VIT: 1
INT: 1
LCK: 3
[Status Screen]
Name: AzureMist
Class: Cleric
Level: 18
Title: Guardian of Lux
HP: 180 / 180 | MP: 210 / 210
Stamina: 100 / 100
STR: 5
DEX: 5
AGI: 10 (+15)
VIT: 10
INT: 34 (+25)
LCK: 5
'He placed most of his stats into INT. Other than than AGI and VIT, He's an average Cleric... Is what I'd like to think but it's obvious he has some sort of attack and defensive skill. Strong enough to protect himself.'
Zero flicked the status screen closed, the faint blue light fading from his eyes. The corner of his mouth tugged upward.
"So, you can fight if you need to."
Azure mirrored the gesture, dismissing the status screen.
"And you're as reckless and insane as the rumors say. One point in Vitality?"
Zero laughed.
"If I'm getting hit, I'm already doing something wrong."
The gate loomed before them, a swirling vortex of molten light and shadow, runes spinning like clockwork gears. The heat was so intense that even the ground around it had begun to warp, black glass veins stretching outward like roots.
[Warning: Entry will trigger global system event.]
Do you wish to Proceed?
[Yes] [No]
Zero pressed his finger on 'Yes'. The gate pulsed and opened. The two of them vanished into the Dungeon, the gates closed behind them.
The world reassembled around them in pieces of fire and darkness.
They stood inside a cavern vast enough to swallow a city. The ceiling was lost behind drifting embers, rivers of molten rock tracing paths between black platforms. The air was thick with heat and the faint metallic scent of blood.
[Dungeon: Infernal Depths - Stage 1]
[Objective: Locate the Core of the Inferno]
Monsters stirred along the edges, molten humanoids with hollow chests, their hearts burning like furnaces.
Azure raised his staff.
"Lava Wraiths. Average Level is 23 to 25. Resistant to magic."
Zero's eyes gleamed red in the glow.
"Good. That means I don't have to share the fun."
He blurred forward before Azure could reply, twin daggers flashing like streaks of light. The first wraith didn't even finish materializing before it was split apart.
[CRITICAL HIT! 1,920 Damage]
The second lunged, Zero spun low, carving its legs, then its chest, leaving only embers drifting in his wake.
Azure watched silently, then extended a hand, muttering a short incantation. A pale light flared beneath Zero's feet, not healing, but reinforcement.
[Buff Applied: Blessing of Acceleration - AGI +15%]
Zero glanced over his shoulder mid-fight.
"You buffed me without me asking."
"You'd be slower without it."
He grinned.
"You might actually be useful after all."
"Try not to die before I prove it."
Another wave of Wraiths erupted from the lava. This time, Zero didn't rush in alone he darted between them, herding them toward the cleric.
Azure raised his staff skyward. Light condensed above him into a sigil, then burst downward in a radiant column.
[Skill: Sanctified Burst]
The explosion of light burned through the monsters, their molten bodies dissolving into slag. Hyun-jin whistled.
[1100 Holy Damage]
"Holy damage that strong from a Cleric? Thought you said you liked surviving, not nuking."
Azure gave a faint smirk.
"You don't survive long without being able to fight back."
Their system logs chimed in unison:
[Stage 1 Cleared]
[Proceeding to Stage 2 - The Blazing Crucible]
The platforms began to sink, chains clattering, lowering them deeper into the molten abyss. Monsters came rushing towards them but we're easily dealt with.
"You don't fight like a normal Cleric."
Azure's eyes flicked toward him.
"And you don't move like a normal Assassin."
"Then we'll get along perfectly."
The next platform slammed into place below, a molten coliseum waiting beneath and in its center, something vast began to stir.
A heartbeat. Slow. Trembling. Then, from the pool of magma, it rose.
[Stage Boss: Infernal Behemoth - Lv. 35]
Zero grinned, flames reflecting in his eyes.
"Now this looks fun."
AzureMist sighed, raising his staff again.
"Remind me to question my life choices after we survive this."
"You can thank me after."
Zero vanished in a blur of black and orange, charging headlong into the firestorm.
The Infernal Behemoth rose higher, molten scales clattering like armor forged from suns. Its roar rippled through the cavern, shattering obsidian pillars and throwing waves of heat so fierce that even Hyun-jin's HP bar flickered.
[Ashweave Leathers cannot negate the damage caused by Boss Ability: Heat Surge]
[You will now loose 5 HP per second]
Zero smirked and lowered his stance, daggers glinting orange.
"Big, loud, and ugly. Yep, that's a boss."
Azure didn't answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the monster's chest, the glowing core pulsing behind layers of molten bone.
"That core... it's not just decoration. It's where its regeneration comes from. Destroy that or it'll keep healing"
"Be sure to keep an eye on our HP, I'll prioritize on keeping it off of you and I'll just carve through."
"Not alone."
Azure shot back sharply, stepping forward. The light on his staff flared, wrapping Zero in a faint silver aura.
[Buff Applied: Light Ward - Reduces Damage by 25%]
[Buff Applied: Divine Focus - Accuracy +10%]
Zero grinned, feeling the surge. He vanished in a flicker of a shadow.
"You're starting to get it. I don't dodge fire... I dance in it~"
[Skill: Shadow Step]
He reappeared midair, landing on the Behemoth's shoulder as the creature turned, molten jaws snapping. Daggers plunged deep, sparks and lava bursting outward.
[CRITICAL HIT! 2210 Damage]
The monster swung, massive claws cleaving through the air. Zero dropped down, flipping off its arm just as Azure chanted.
"Lux Radiata! Hasta Lucis, Fer!"
A spear of light crashed into the Behemoth's side, searing through molten armor. The creature roared in agony, momentarily staggering.
[1350 Holy Damage]
Azure's breathing quickened, sweat rolling down his temple.
"That's as long as I can hold the seal! Go!"
Zero needed no further prompting. He dashed forward, feet kicking off fragments of molten stone, closing in on the glowing heart.
He slashed once, twice, then spun into a whirling strike that drove both daggers straight into the exposed core.
[Skill: Flame Edge]
[CRITICAL HIT! 5940 Damage]
The Behemoth screamed, lava spilling from its mouth like a broken furnace. It tried to retaliate, slamming its claws into the ground. The shockwave hit like a bomb.
Zero was thrown back, HP dropping sharply.
[HP: 220 > 133]
Before he could recover, a soft light enveloped him. His HP bar flickered, then surged upward.
[Skill Activated: Healing Radiance]
[+65 HP Restored]
[HP: 133 > 198]
Azure lowered his staff, breathing hard but steady.
"Don't get cocky."
"Too late for that."
Zero replied, smirking as he twirled his daggers. The Behemoth roared again, its entire body igniting. The dungeon shook as molten pillars shot from the floor.
[Boss Phase Change Detected: Infernal Awakening]
[All Resistance Effects Reduced by 50%]
"Tch. It's burning through the buff-"
"Then I'll just burn hotter!"
Zero's daggers flared, not orange, but black.
[Skill: Phantom Reaver]
He dashed through the inferno, every step leaving a trail of blacka flame. The Behemoth lunged, claws slicing the air. Zero leapt onto its arm again, then its shoulder, then its head.
He shouted through the blaze.
"Azure! When I hit the core, hit me with that holy spear thing!"
"You'll be right next to the explosion!"
"That's the point!"
Azure hesitated but sighed nodded grimly.
"Fine you crazy bastard! On your mark."
Zero raised both daggers, crossing them above his head. Energy condensed around the blades, bending the air.
"Now!"
Azure's staff flared.
"Lux Radiata! Hasta Lucis, Fer!"
The spear of light struck at the same instant Zero's daggers plunged into the Behemoth's exposed chest.
The explosion was cataclysmic, black flame and golden light fusing into one blinding eruption. The shockwave tore through the entire cavern, scattering molten rock like rain.
[DUNGEON BOSS DEFEATED]
[EXP +25000]
[Item Drop Acquired: Hands of Infernal]
[Level Up: 22 > 26]
Zero hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop. His HP bar hovered dangerously low, but he was alive. Barely.
[HP: 19]
Azure staggered beside him, panting.
"You're insane."
"Maybe."
Zero said between breaths.
"But you can't deny that it worked like a charm."
The system interface flickered again.
[Dungeon Completed: Infernal Depths]