Chapter 19 – The Dark Cave (Part 1)
"Serpent's Abode"
Zaphro's POV
We had triumphed.
It took a barrage of skills and perfect party coordination, but the mini-bosses fell one by one under our combined assault. That's the advantage of a balanced team—no matter how fearsome the enemy, strategy and synergy can turn the tide.
As the bosses exploded into a rain of glittering fragments, loot scattered around us like treasure from a shattered vault. And what glorious loot it was.
Boss Drops:
Gladiator Armor (Rare)
Wizard's Vestments (Rare)
Hood of Clairvoyance (Rare)
Sacred Mace (Epic)
Back Items:
Red Cape (Rare)
Horus Cape – Purple Variant (Rare)
Archangel Wings (Rare)
Crystals:
Amethyst: 25 pcs
Ruby: 25 pcs
Emerald: 25 pcs
Jade: 26 pcs
Diamond: 20 pcs
Gold:
120,000,000G Total
We divided the spoils fairly among our party. I requested the Archangel Wings specifically—something I intended to give to Accel. Erik received the Wizard's Vestments, a perfect fit for his current build. We gave Gladiator Armor and the Red Cape to Jin, who up to now was still wearing basic armor. He looked genuinely shocked, but pleased. He deserved it.
Aryus, being a hammer-wielding type, was granted the Sacred Mace, while Verillion took the Hood of Clairvoyance—ideal for his support-heavy role. The Horus Cape went to Ayana, matching her battle aesthetic perfectly.
The gold was split evenly among us. Verillion volunteered to hold onto the crystals, given his meticulous nature when it came to inventory management.
The experience gain was massive. I felt my system pulse with new energy—Level Up.
Now at Level 76.
New Party Levels:
Verillion: 85
Slicer: 76
Ayana: 78
Shion: 79
Aryus: 72
Jin: 74
Erenir: 73
Erik: 72
Out of everyone here, only Verillion and I had reached our ultimate sub-classes. He was now an Elementor, and I… I had ascended to the path of the Infernal Duke—a subclass that granted me one terrifying new ability: Demonic Transformation. Which is just actually the Demonic Angel form that is not to be used. A temptation that I need to fight.
We ventured deeper into the wilderness. Our location on the virtual map placed us near the heart of the forest. According to Calix, the entrance to the cave—our next objective—was hidden somewhere in this region.
The trees grew denser as we pushed forward, ancient trunks rising high like the pillars of a forgotten cathedral. Mobs roamed the surroundings, but we hugged the edges of the forest to avoid unnecessary aggro. Our target remained the same: Mini-bosses. Better loot. Better XP.
Across several skirmishes, we faced down groups of serpentine beasts, werewolves, and grotesque, gargoyle-like monsters. The final group was the most threatening yet—Galinos Serpentine dragons. Their snakelike forms slithered across the terrain with terrifying grace. Though they bore limbs and small wings, they were still more serpent than dragon.
Even so, they stood no chance.
With overwhelming coordination, we felled them swiftly. The loot that dropped was plentiful—mostly rares, but still valuable. We made plans to sell what we didn't need back at Herion Village. Shion had his eyes on a Legendary Armor Set from an NPC vendor—Dragon Killer Armor, a full-plated masterpiece with incredible stats. Ayana, meanwhile, acquired something even more stunning.
Thanks to the passive effect of my Ring of Faith, our last mini-boss kill dropped a Legendary Mage Set: Hecate's Armor Set. The glow in Ayana's eyes as she equipped it was priceless.
Then, just as we were about to move again—I felt it.
A presence.
It hit me like a pressure wave. I wasn't the only one who noticed—my party stiffened all at once. Slicer—Dan—locked eyes with me. He felt it too.
"Everyone, hide! Now!" I shouted, urgently dragging my party behind a thick growth of underbrush near a towering tree.
The sensation was unmistakable. This wasn't a normal mob.
This… this was the same presence that ambushed us before.
The Hellbound Seraphine.
A monster of unfathomable strength.
We activated our Spy Potions, rendering our presence undetectable to most enemies. Then, we waited.
Within moments, it arrived.
A winged figure drifted through the trees. Cloaked in a hooded armor darker than the void, its wings were jagged and black as obsidian. It carried a massive scythe, its edge gleaming with a hunger for souls. It didn't walk—it hovered, a silent grim reaper of this cursed forest.
"If I had to describe it..." I whispered, "...it's Death incarnate."
"Shh… do not move," I warned. "This type of mob is designed to one-shot players. No exceptions."
"Can't we take it down together?" Jin whispered back, clutching his weapon.
"No," Shion replied firmly. "These monsters have over a million HP and stat boosts that rival a GM-level entity. We'd be wiped before we even scratched it."
"Damn… that's busted," Jin muttered.
"Shh!" I hissed again. Any noise could trigger it.
For what felt like forever, the creature hovered near us, scanning the surroundings as if sensing something just out of reach. Then… it left, fading into the dark as if it had never been there.
We let out a collective breath.
And then Ayana pointed toward a curious formation in the distance.
"I think that's the cave entrance," she said, narrowing her eyes.
Sure enough, nestled between moss-covered rocks was an ominous mouth of stone, carved in the shape of a serpent's skull.
"That's definitely it." I stepped forward, the wind curling around me. "Everyone, gear up. We're going in. If this dungeon follows traditional game mechanics, then a boss will be waiting inside."
"And most likely," Dan added, "so is the item we're here to find."
We activated Burning Essence, lighting our path with flickers of arcane flame. Ayana summoned a flame-headed creature—her support pet—which laid down a trail of white fire every ten meters, illuminating our way deeper inside. Dan's pet, a glowing fox-like spirit, followed closely behind, its luminous tail lighting every crevice of the stone path.
So far… no enemies.
And that's what made it more dangerous.
Because in this kind of game, silence doesn't mean safety.
It means something is waiting.
Something big.
Something deadly.
And it knows we're coming.