Chapter 22: Stay on Guard!

"Listen carefully."

In a tight voice, Ary called out while standing on alert to face the Moonlight Riders.

"I and Mike will attack those beasts."

Ary suggested, then he glanced at Emily and suggested, 

"Emily, while we attack them, you use your arrow to shoot at them as a help."

"Okay."

Emily replied.

Then, his eyes shifted to Erica and Mary. He avowed,

"Erica and Mary, you two will heal us whenever we get hurt. We'll try to finish this as fast as we can."

"We understand."

Both Erica and Mary confirmed it.

Then, Ary gazed back at the Moonlight Riders and commented, 

"Mike, let's go."

"On your command."

Mike replied.

Then, while tightening the grip of their weapons, they both ran toward the beasts.

"Grr!! RRAAARRRRRR!!!"

The beast assaulted them.

"Get the hell away!!"

Mike yelled as he swung his scythe and, with a swishing sound, it only gave a scratch to one of the moonlight riders.

"Damn!"

Mike cursed as he realised that his attack didn't kill the beast.

And after getting one hit by Mike, the beast still had the strength to fight.

He jumped at Mike.

However, 

"Dark Scar of Death!!"

Luckily, Ary launched a slice attack at that beast with his full force, and with a black-colored glint from his blade, the beast had been cut in half with dark blood all over the ground.

"Ding!"

As Ary killed a beast, Alimta made a dinging sound, reporting, 

<Skill unlock:- Sneak Walk>

"Ah..."

Mike was left open-mouthed after glimpsing this.

Ary stood in front of Mike and suggested while glaring at the remaining moonlight riders.

"Mike, It seems like your skill level is lower than this beast. I have a plan. I'll attack the beast and when their strength decreases, you'll give them the finishing blow. Got it?"

"Yeah!"

Mike agreed, and once again, with furious expressions, they ran toward the beasts.

"RAAAWWWRRRR!!!"

The beasts jumped toward Ary.

"Dark Scar of Death!"

Ary launched a slicing blow at one beast, and as expected, the beast got cut in half again.

"Ding!"

Again, Almita made a dinging sound, reporting, 

<Skill boost up:- Dark Scare of Death levelled up from LVL 1 to LVL 2>

Ary smiled after hearing that, but his focus got shifted to Almita and at the same time, a moonlight rider jumped at him, roaring, 

"RAAAAAAWWWRRR!!"

"Wha?!"

Ary reacted, but suddenly,

"Slice assault!"

Mike yelled at the beast and launched a slice attack and a black glint shined from the tip of his scythe with the clinking noise. The beast's body had been cut into half while its body emitted the dark blood of the previous one.

"Haha. Thanks."

Ary smiled at Mike after getting saved by him. Well, truthfully, Ary would be able to defend himself, but he might get injured if Mike didn't attack that beast back at the moment.

"No problem."

Mike replied while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Then, they glanced at the other moonlight riders. 

"Let's finish them off."

Ary stated as he tightened the grip of his blade and stood on alert.

"Definitely!"

Mike remarked while tightening the grip of his scythe. 

Unfortunately, they were ambushed from behind by two beasts. However, 

"Shikneh!"

Swish!

A combo of green and red arrows hit the beasts, and they vanished into thin air.

Ary and Mike glared back, it was Emily's arrows. She yanks the string of her bow and two arrows appeared on it miraculously.

"RARRRWWWWRRR!!"

But even after killing about ten moonlight riders, more beasts appeared from the deeper hole of the dungeon.

"Damn, there are so many. We'll be dead now."

Mike got terrified after seeing so many moonlight riders appeared.

"There are so many!"

Emily freaked out in fear.

"No way...what should we do?"

Mary called out in a petrified voice. Her body started shivering after seeing the beast since she thought they would all be dead.

"Grr..."

Erica silently gritted her teeth in anger, pondering,

'Do those damn deities plan all this?'

After getting into trouble, she would have thought that this was the plan of the deities. However, it was just the training. You must call it a ruthless training session.

"Calm down. Don't give up yet."

Ary comforted him.

He tightened the grip of his blade and commented, 

"Life has endless possibilities. No need to accept defeat just yet!"

"Ary..."

Erica called out after hearing his words, while Mike, Mary, and Emily gazed at him, still petrified.

Ary's serious expression turned furious, and while gazing at the moonlight riders, he yelled, 

"Lifeforce Assimilation- full power!!"

And like thunder, silver light surrounded him, and with full force, he swung his blade toward the moonlight riders, yelling, 

"Strike!!!"

And a powerful shockwave darted from his blade toward the moonlight riders, and with a booming noise, smoke appeared everywhere, and as the smoke disappeared, the land would be seen as full of the dark blood of moonlight riders.

"S-So....lethal..."

Mary called out while gazing at the area with a wide-eyed expression, while Erica, Mike, and Emily were looking at the spot, speechlessly.

"Huff...huff....huff..."

Ary started panting heavily and knelt with the support of his blade. Since he used his full strength, his body became fragile.

"Ding!"

Almita made a dinging noise.

Ary smiled as he thought that it might be some healing ability. However, 

<Skill upgraded:- Status gawking eyes, Nightmare Assault, Ice blade, Fire resistance. All are upgraded to LVL 2.>

Almita reported.

Ary's face shaped a bewildered expression after hearing this. He pondered,

'Will this book ever do something in my favour? Like giving me the ability that I wanted?'

Then, he signed and lowered his gaze in exhaustion.

"Ary!"

Erica stepped toward Ary in worry after seeing him kneel in exhaustion.

"Hmm?"

Ary reacted as his eyes shifted to them.

"Are you all right, bro?"

Mike inquired as he stepped up toward him with Emily and Mary.

"Y-Yeah..."

Ary replied, still panting.

He ended up using his maximum strength just to overcome this danger, despite knowing that there might be more lethal monsters inside the dungeon.

Suddenly, a thought struck Ary's head. He smiled and his eyes shifted to Erica and Mary. He requested, 

"Cast your healing spell."

"Huh?"

They both reacted as they remembered their healing ability. However, out of fear, they almost forgot that they were both healers.

Well, it isn't funny because people usually panic in trouble, and due to that, they end up taking the wrong route.

"Ah, yeah. Sure."

They both replied while showing the tip of their spherical staff toward Ary. They called out, 

"Heal him, Arael/Mataton!"

A combo of blue and green flames surrounded Ary, and within a minute, his exhaustion went away.

Ary smiled and pondered, 

'It seems like Erica has powered up now. She can even be able to remove my exhaustion now.' Then, the reason why she powered up came to his mind, his face turned slightly red, and he pondered again,

'Damn, why did I fail to remove those damn moments?... Though, they aren't too bad.'

"Hah...I'm so weak. Damnit."

In a voice that of a crybaby, Mike called out while making a crying face.

"Hmm?"

Ary reacted as his gaze shifted to him. A smile formed on his face. He commented, 

"Don't think you're weak, Mike. You're strong. If you weren't there to kill that beast, it may have injured me brutally."

"But..."

Mike mumbled, not satisfied by Ary's words.

Ary got up and turned to Mike and claimed, while placing his right palm on Mike's right shoulder, 

"No one is born strong. Everyone trains themselves to be strong. I know you have potential and I'm sure one day you'll definitely unleash it."

Then, a smile formed on Ary's face. He added, 

"Hey, I have an idea. What about training together after this training session? It will be fun, don't you think?"

After hearing this training invitation, Mike jumped up, and with an enthusiastic smile, he replied, 

"Hell yeah, that will be great."

"Hehe. Let's do it after this."

Ary confirmed, then his gaze shifted to the deeper area of the dungeon. He claimed, 

"However now, we will better focus on getting through it. I have a feeling that the monsters inside of this dungeon are more lethal than the Moonlight Riders."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Mike asked since he felt a vibe of terror from Ary's words.

Ary stepped forward toward the deeper area of the dungeon, saying,

"Let's stay together. We'll have to survive till the end."

"Ah, yeah."

Emily replied, and Mike, Erica, and Mary nodded and started following Ary.

While walking inside, Ary pondered,

'This isn't normal training. What had Father Albert planned for us Warriors?'

***

While after reading Ary's thought, the father, Albert, who had been watching them, smiled and mumbled,

"What I planned, huh? hahaha. You'll soon find out...dear Ary."

Chapter 22: Stay on Guard!"Listen carefully."In a tight voice, Ary called out while standing on alert to face the Moonlight Riders."I and Mike will attack those beasts."Ary suggested, then he glanced at Emily and suggested,"Emily, while we attack them, you use your arrow to shoot at them as a help.""Okay."Emily replied.Then, his eyes shifted to Erica and Mary. He avowed,"Erica and Mary, you two will heal us whenever we get hurt. We'll try to finish this as fast as we can.""We understand."Both Erica and Mary confirmed it.Then, Ary gazed back at the Moonlight Riders and commented,"Mike, let's go.""On your command."Mike replied.Then, while tightening the grip of their weapons, they both ran toward the beasts."Grr!! RRAAARRRRRR!!!"The beast assaulted them."Get the hell away!!"Mike yelled as he swung his scythe and, with a swishing sound, it only gave a scratch to one of the moonlight riders."Damn!"Mike cursed as he realised that his attack didn't kill the beast.And after getting one hit by Mike, the beast still had the strength to fight.He jumped at Mike.However,"Dark Scar of Death!!"Luckily, Ary launched a slice attack at that beast with his full force, and with a black-colored glint from his blade, the beast had been cut in half with dark blood all over the ground."Ding!"As Ary killed a beast, Alimta made a dinging sound, reporting,Skill unlock:- Sneak Walk"Ah..."Mike was left open-mouthed after glimpsing this.Ary stood in front of Mike and suggested while glaring at the remaining moonlight riders."Mike, It seems like your skill level is lower than this beast. I have a plan. I'll attack the beast and when their strength decreases, you'll give them the finishing blow. Got it?""Yeah!"Mike agreed, and once again, with furious expressions, they ran toward the beasts."RAAAWWWRRRR!!!"The beasts jumped toward Ary."Dark Scar of Death!"Ary launched a slicing blow at one beast, and as expected, the beast got cut in half again."Ding!"Again, Almita made a dinging sound, reporting,Skill boost up:- Dark Scare of Death levelled up from LVL 1 to LVL 2Ary smiled after hearing that, but his focus got shifted to Almita and at the same time, a moonlight rider jumped at him, roaring,"RAAAAAAWWWRRR!!""Wha?!"Ary reacted, but suddenly,"Slice assault!"Mike yelled at the beast and launched a slice attack and a black glint shined from the tip of his scythe with the clinking noise. The beast's body had been cut into half while its body emitted the dark blood of the previous one."Haha. Thanks."Ary smiled at Mike after getting saved by him. Well, truthfully, Ary would be able to defend himself, but he might get injured if Mike didn't attack that beast back at the moment."No problem."Mike replied while wiping the sweat from his forehead.Then, they glanced at the other moonlight riders."Let's finish them off."Ary stated as he tightened the grip of his blade and stood on alert."Definitely!"Mike remarked while tightening the grip of his scythe.Unfortunately, they were ambushed from behind by two beasts. However,"Shikneh!"Swish!A combo of green and red arrows hit the beasts, and they vanished into thin air.Ary and Mike glared back, it was Emily's arrows. She yanks the string of her bow and two arrows appeared on it miraculously."RARRRWWWWRRR!!"But even after killing about ten moonlight riders, more beasts appeared from the deeper hole of the dungeon."Damn, there are so many. We'll be dead now."Mike got terrified after seeing so many moonlight riders appeared."There are so many!"Emily freaked out in fear."No way...what should we do?"Mary called out in a petrified voice. Her body started shivering after seeing the beast since she thought they would all be dead."Grr..."Erica silently gritted her teeth in anger, pondering,'Do those damn deities plan all this?'After getting into trouble, she would have thought that this was the plan of the deities. However, it was just the training. You must call it a ruthless training session."Calm down. Don't give up yet."Ary comforted him.He tightened the grip of his blade and commented,"Life has endless possibilities. No need to accept defeat just yet!""Ary..."Erica called out after hearing his words, while Mike, Mary, and Emily gazed at him, still petrified.Ary's serious expression turned furious, and while gazing at the moonlight riders, he yelled,"Lifeforce Assimilation- full power!!"And like thunder, silver light surrounded him, and with full force, he swung his blade toward the moonlight riders, yelling,"Strike!!!"And a powerful shockwave darted from his blade toward the moonlight riders, and with a booming noise, smoke appeared everywhere, and as the smoke disappeared, the land would be seen as full of the dark blood of moonlight riders."S-So....lethal..."Mary called out while gazing at the area with a wide-eyed expression, while Erica, Mike, and Emily were looking at the spot, speechlessly."Huff...huff....huff..."Ary started panting heavily and knelt with the support of his blade. Since he used his full strength, his body became fragile."Ding!"Almita made a dinging noise.Ary smiled as he thought that it might be some healing ability. However,Skill upgraded:- Status gawking eyes, Nightmare Assault, Ice blade, Fire resistance. All are upgraded to LVL 2.Almita reported.Ary's face shaped a bewildered expression after hearing this. He pondered,'Will this book ever do something in my favour? Like giving me the ability that I wanted?'Then, he signed and lowered his gaze in exhaustion."Ary!"Erica stepped toward Ary in worry after seeing him kneel in exhaustion."Hmm?"Ary reacted as his eyes shifted to them."Are you all right, bro?"Mike inquired as he stepped up toward him with Emily and Mary."Y-Yeah..."Ary replied, still panting.He ended up using his maximum strength just to overcome this danger, despite knowing that there might be more lethal monsters inside the dungeon.Suddenly, a thought struck Ary's head. He smiled and his eyes shifted to Erica and Mary. He requested,"Cast your healing spell.""Huh?"They both reacted as they remembered their healing ability. However, out of fear, they almost forgot that they were both healers.Well, it isn't funny because people usually panic in trouble, and due to that, they end up taking the wrong route."Ah, yeah. Sure."They both replied while showing the tip of their spherical staff toward Ary. They called out,"Heal him, Arael/Mataton!"A combo of blue and green flames surrounded Ary, and within a minute, his exhaustion went away.Ary smiled and pondered,'It seems like Erica has powered up now. She can even be able to remove my exhaustion now.' Then, the reason why she powered up came to his mind, his face turned slightly red, and he pondered again,'Damn, why did I fail to remove those damn moments?... Though, they aren't too bad.'"Hah...I'm so weak. Damnit."In a voice that of a crybaby, Mike called out while making a crying face."Hmm?"Ary reacted as his gaze shifted to him. A smile formed on his face. He commented,"Don't think you're weak, Mike. You're strong. If you weren't there to kill that beast, it may have injured me brutally.""But..."Mike mumbled, not satisfied by Ary's words.Ary got up and turned to Mike and claimed, while placing his right palm on Mike's right shoulder,"No one is born strong. Everyone trains themselves to be strong. I know you have potential and I'm sure one day you'll definitely unleash it."Then, a smile formed on Ary's face. He added,"Hey, I have an idea. What about training together after this training session? It will be fun, don't you think?"After hearing this training invitation, Mike jumped up, and with an enthusiastic smile, he replied,"Hell yeah, that will be great.""Hehe. Let's do it after this."Ary confirmed, then his gaze shifted to the deeper area of the dungeon. He claimed,"However now, we will better focus on getting through it. I have a feeling that the monsters inside of this dungeon are more lethal than the Moonlight Riders.""Hmm? What do you mean?"Mike asked since he felt a vibe of terror from Ary's words.Ary stepped forward toward the deeper area of the dungeon, saying,"Let's stay together. We'll have to survive till the end.""Ah, yeah."Emily replied, and Mike, Erica, and Mary nodded and started following Ary.While walking inside, Ary pondered,'This isn't normal training. What had Father Albert planned for us Warriors?'***While after reading Ary's thought, the father, Albert, who had been watching them, smiled and mumbled,"What I planned, huh? hahaha. You'll soon find out...dear Ary."