[1/50]
Sylas shot a [Rotting Bolt] at the last approaching [Juvenile Hellhound] ending the first wave.
[Congratulations! You have survived wave 1. You have 10:00 to rest. Do you wish to flee?]
[Yes/No]
Sylas selected [No] as he watched the ten minute timer countdown. 'The team is doing well.' Sylas nodded as he thought to himself.
Swain wasn't even breathing heavily, while the girls had a sheen of sweat on their forehead. Personally, his mana felt near its max so he was in top shape.
The first wave took them just under five minutes to complete as they waited for the stragglers to make their way to the group instead of hunting for them. There seemed to be some way for the hellhounds to find them and the hellhounds were hellbent on attacking them so Sylas left the problem of moving to the crazed hellhounds.
"Sit down, rest up. The next wave should be harder so we need to try and get back to 100%" Sylas instructed.
They sat with their backs against the brick wall. Sylas watched as the bodies of the hellhounds disintegrated while their rest timer ticked down. 'If I'm calculating correctly, our timer rest should be done when the bodies are gone.' Sylas calculated while staring at the ashes floated off the bodies and turned into nothing.
The rest period was over quickly as the ten minute timer reached zero. The team had already resumed their positions without Sylas saying anything.
"Same plan. We got this."
Sylas [Analyze]d the hellhounds spawning in front of him. This time there were level 1 to level 4 [Juvenile Hellhounds], but there were only two level 4s that Sylas could find. What Sylas could find were more level 2 and level 3 hellhounds than the first wave.
[60/60]
'We get more enemies, the max level goes up, and the average level increases.' Sylas mused. 'This might get difficult in the end.'
****
The group was lightly panting by the time they received the System notification stating the second wave was finished. Luckily, it seemed with the difficulty increase of each wave, the rest period would increase as well because they received a 20 minute countdown this time.
With the higher level enemies, the group was able to level more. Jackie reached level 6 while Sam and Diana both hit level 7. Swain showed no signs of getting to level 8.
Swain looked a bit bummed when the girls were discussing leveling up, but Sylas didn't have anything to say to make him feel better. 'He'll be happy when he levels up. It'll probably happen after this next wave.' Sylas thought.
He was right. Wave 3 held several level 5 hellhounds which were enough to push Swain over the last hump and push him into level 8 creating a tie between Sylas and Swain for highest level again.
Even with the extra ten hellhounds, level 5s, and higher average levels, Wave 3 was dealt with quickly and easily. Sylas was able to regain his full mana by the time Wave 4 was going to start so he didn't feel any fatigue.
Swain and the girls were getting sore after having so many intense fights, but it wasn't enough to affect their fighting capabilities.
Wave 4 followed the previous pattern adding level 6 hellhounds, increasing the average level, and releasing a total of 80 enemies.
****
Swain dropped his axe with a loud clang as the final hellhound of Wave 4 fell. His face was red and sweaty, but had a huge smile on it. "Almost there, ladies!" he shouted between heavy breaths and leaned heavily onto the wall behind him.
Fighting 80 hellhounds while some of them were barely weaker than them had strained the group. Each member was sweating while breathing heavily. Swain and Diana had been during the course of the wave.
Sam stepped up, grabbing the medical backpack they brought with them and tended to their wounds to take advantage of her skill [Student of a Healer] which would allow their wounds to heal a bit faster thanks to an increase in vitality.
Sylas smiled as he looked at a System message.
[You have reached level 9.]
He was so close. He could feel it. The accumulation of levels. There was a sensation of his body brimming with power. Tier 1 and his class were right around the corner. Thinking of his future class, he remembered how classes were selected.
[Classes are a path towards the holder's potential. The System selects a class for the being when they reach Tier 1 based on their fighting style, history, strengths, weaknesses, and much more. Classes can be upgraded and/or changed with each tier increase based on a being's use of the class, rank, strength, and more.]
'Basically, the System is saying it knows best, but if you want to be stubborn, you can get good at something else and the System might change your class.' Sylas pondered. With a shiver that went down his spine Sylas quickly thought 'I hope I like mine.'
The 40 minute rest period passed mostly in silence as the group recovered for the last wave. A minute before the timer was done, Sylas stood and spoke with a light tone.
"One left and then the boss. We've done great so far and will continue to do so. I won't let anyone die on my watch." He smiled at the rest and quickly added, "in this dungeon at least. After this, you're back to dealing with your own dumb and risky decisions. Entering this dungeon was mine so you're my responsibility until we're out."
His words elicited a couple laughs from the group as they stood up to join him.
"The plan has been working well so far so we'll stick to it mostly." Sylas looked at the short girl with brown hair, "Diana, try to stick closer to the group in case you or one of us gets hurt and you need to be back here quickly."
[Wave 5 begin]
[21/21]
Before the hellhounds appeared, Sylas already spotted an oddity with the enemy count. The number of enemies had been increasing by ten with each wave, but the final wave had way less and an odd number.
"Oh no" Sylas exclaimed under his breath. The hellhounds spawned 100 feet down the road from them and confirmed his fear.
[Juvenile Hellhound]
[Level: 9]
[Tier: 0]
[Rank: Baron]
The boss of the dungeon spawned with the last wave. A quick [Analyze] through the rest of the pack revealed three level 7, seven level 6, and ten level 5 hellhounds gathered in front of the Baron Hellhound.
Before he could think any further, the baron howled, sending the pack of hellhounds running towards their group.
"Swain, middle. Sam, left. Diana, Jackie, right."
Sylas quickly spit out positions for his team. 100 feet is a small distance for dog-like animals who were already faster than humans before mana was introduced. The four barely got to their positions and braced themselves before the pack was on them.
Sylas shot two [Rotting Bolt]s rapidly as the pack approached. When the pack was less than ten feet away from Swain, the baron barked. The majority of the pack slowed slightly while the three level 7 hellhounds suddenly sped up, each selecting their own target between Swain, Sam, and Diana.
Swain knocked back his foe on the first strike, but Sam and Diana didn't have the strength to do the same. Sylas shot another bolt at the hellhound attacking Sam, while he watched Jackie step up to run interference with Diana.
Seeing the level 7 hellhounds be held off, the baron barked again, but this time far more aggressively. The rest of the pack sped up to engage the group under their baron's orders.
Swain bellowed, "Come at me, bitches!", and then laughed boisterously as every hellhound within ten yards of him turned towards him, snarling.
He continued to laugh as he swung his large axe at the pack of hellhounds that were lunging at him. "I got an AoE taunt skill!"
"Attack while they're taunted!" Sylas yelled as he shot [Rotting Bolt] after [Rotting Bolt] at the pack, focusing on the higher leveled hellhounds and those who weren't affected yet.
The girls started on a frenzy too. Quickly dropping the counter during the taunt's effective period.
[12/21]
Seeing its pack massacred, the baron hellhound howled again, breaking the taunt effect on its pack and sprinted towards Swain.
Sylas shot a bolt at the baron, but he was able to dodge it thanks to the large distance between the two.
"Boss is coming, keep working on the little guys. Swain keep your eyes on the boss."
Thanks to the situation changing, Sylas had to change their plan. He glanced at the counter after taking another shot with [Rotting Bolt], this time hitting the target as the distance had closed tremendously.
[7/21]
A second passed allowing Sylas to hit the baron hellhound one more time before Swain engaged in melee combat.
[6/21]
"Girls, focus on the adds. We'll hold the boss until you can come help."
Sylas didn't receive a response, but he didn't need one. The baron lunged at Swain, who barely dodged as the two meter tall hellhound brushed past him. Sylas shot another [Rotting Bolt], hitting the baron right above his left eye.
He could see the impacts from his previous bots, and the slow spread of the rot. He had hit the baron hellhound's front right leg and left chest area as it was running up to Swain. The rot already ate through the layers of skin on the leg and Sylas could see muscle fibers slowly blackening.
The baron stopped after missing its lunge at Swain, and turned towards Sylas who had just landed the [Rotting Bolt]. With an aggressive growl, it crouched, getting ready to pounce at Sylas who was only ten feet away. The large hellhound sprung forward as Sylas dove to his left.
Swain, who was now being ignored, swung his axe as hard as he could at the baron's back half, landing a heavy blow which caused the hellhound to spin midair and tumble to the ground. Another bead of magic hit the belly of the beast as it tried to regain its footing.
[1/21]
[The boss remains standing. Without its pack, the hellhound is enraged.]
'The girls finished the adds.' Sylas thought, 'But it might not be a good thing if enraged is what I think it is.'
The group watched as the baron hellhound grew larger and gained a red tint around its body. Sylas shot another bolt as he ran towards Swain. He wasn't sure if the boss was still after him, but he'd like Swain to be near if it was.
Unfortunately, he wasn't nearly as fast as the enraged baron hellhound. The boss pounced on Sylas's back as he ran towards Swain, knocking him down and pinning him under its paws.
The group ran forward in support. Diana threw one of her knives, but it bounced off the hellhound's hide. Sam screamed as she ran with the bat in her hands. The boss opened its jaw and dove down at the back of Sylas's head.
Its jaw snapped shut as a larger quad headed axe impacted the bridge of the massive hellhound's snout. Continuing to growl, the boss's red eyes snapped to Swain as he used his taunt again. "Get off him!"
Sylas felt the weight lift off his back and rapidly took a deep breath. He could see the boss step past his body out of the corner of his eye so he shot up from the ground.
The group made a circle around the boss at the moment. Swain at its front, Sam to his right, Sylas to her right and almost directly behind the three meter tall hellhound, then Jackie and Diana finishing the circle.
All but Sylas made an attack with their melee as the boss nipped at Swain's head. Swain deftly changed the trajectory of his axe to meet the boss's mouth, knocking it away.
Sylas shot a bolt, hitting the back left haunch. The rot spread faster than Sylas previously saw.
"I think it's taking extra damage right now" Sylas concluded, "But it's probably doing more too."
"Aye aye." Swain replied through gritted teeth as we swung his axe again.
"Aim at rot in its front leg if you can."
This time the response he got wasn't verbal, but visual. A second after he finished speaking, the boss lost its footing and fell forward. Its front right leg now barely hanging as it tried to stand up again.
The team wouldn't let this opportunity pass by without taking advantage. All four melee combatants were able to land a hit while Sylas shot a bolt at the back of the boss's head. It was hard not to hit what he aimed for with the hellhound this close and this large.
The baron shot up on its three remaining legs and kicked its hind leg out behind it, hitting Sylas squarely in the chest. The hit sent him flying ten feet back into the wall where he slid down into the black sand at the bottom.