I stood knee-deep in the muck, about twenty yards ahead of the group. The water was cold and viscous, clinging to my legs like oil.
"Keep moving!" Chen hissed from the safety of a large mangrove root behind me. "Find the mob!"
I waded forward, my hands raised in a posture of surrender. To the untrained eye, I looked like a terrified victim being marched to his death.
But inside my head, I was running the numbers.
Swamp Biome, I analyzed, listening to the distinctive bloop of methane bubbles rising to the surface. Standard mob spawns for an E-Rank dungeon would be Slimes or Mud Crabs. But the boss room... that’s different.
I scanned the water. The ripples weren't moving right. There was a displacement pattern about fifty feet away—something massive was moving just beneath the surface, displacing the water without breaking it.
Predator logic, I thought. It’s waiting for vibration.
I glanced back. Seraphina was standing near the entrance, leaning against a mossy wall. She hadn't joined a party. She had her arms crossed, her silver eyes locked onto me. She wasn't interfering. She was studying the data.
If I used a skill now, she’d see the energy spike. If I fought back against Chen, she’d see the combat proficiency.
I had to play this perfectly. I had to use the environment.
"I... I don't see anything, Chen!" I shouted, my voice trembling. "Can I come back now?"
"Go deeper, you coward!" Chen threw a rock at me. It splashed a few feet to my left.
That was the trigger.
The water fifty feet away exploded.
A roar shook the moss off the ceiling. A massive shape erupted from the sludge—a Swamp Drake. It looked like a crocodile that had been stretched on a rack, with six legs and a maw full of needle-teeth. Its scales were the color of bruised spinach, and its eyes glowed a hateful yellow.
[MONSTER: JUVENILE SWAMP DRAKE]24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAi3o8quAUt
[LEVEL: 8]24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVddjcnJJsb
[STATUS: HUNGRY]
Screams erupted from the students behind me.
"Holy—! It's an Elite!" Mike yelled, backing away.
"Hold your ground!" Chen screamed, though his spear was shaking. "Let it eat Kai! Once it’s chewing on him, we strike the neck!"
The Drake locked onto me. It hissed, a sound like steam escaping a pipe, and charged. It moved shockingly fast for something so big, churning the water into white foam.
I didn't run. Not yet.
I waited.
Wait for the commit, I told myself. Wait for the animation lock.
The Drake opened its jaws. It lunged, launching its body out of the water to crush me.
Now.
I didn't dodge sideways. I dropped.
I threw myself flat into the disgusting water, submerging completely. The Drake sailed over me, its claws missing my head by inches. The wind from its passing shoved me deeper into the mud.
I scrambled up, gasping for air, wiping slime from my eyes. The Drake had landed behind me. Between me and the exit.
Between me and Chen.
"What?" Chen blinked. "Why is it over here?"
The Drake turned. Its yellow eyes weren't looking at me anymore. I had broken "Line of Sight" by going underwater. The aggro had reset. And who was the closest target now?
The idiot holding a shiny, pointy stick.
The Drake roared and charged at Chen.
"Attack it!" Chen shrieked, thrusting his spear blindly. "Tank it, Jace! Tank it!"
Jace didn't tank it. Jace threw his club and ran.
The Drake ignored the club. It snapped its jaws, catching Mike by the leg. The crunch was sickeningly loud, amplified by the gymnasium acoustics. Mike screamed as he was dragged under the water, his health bar flashing red before vanishing entirely.
[PLAYER ELIMINATED.]
Chen scrambled backward, tripping over a root. "No! Help! Kai, do something!"
I stood there, dripping with sludge. I watched them.
"I can't," I called out, my voice flat. "I'm just Level 1 trash, remember?"
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.