HEX: Aspect Of The Void

"Oh god, will we really be alright?" Nathan thought to himself in worry.

The Party left the starting zone and advanced, marching forward in the eerie place. Dead silence played in the air, interrupted only by their clamping footsteps as they kept moving.

After moving for some time, they came upon a vast, empty room. Immediately, the young party members alerted themselves, remembering the words Nathan told them early on.

"It looks like we're here, the first challenge.." Nathan muttered.

The floor suddenly shook as the stony surface cracked and shattered apart. The rocks formed from the debris slowly began to move and gravitate toward one another. The lumps joined with one another, creating a structure that everyone knew quite well.

"Stone Golems!" Nathan smiled.

From the pillars of statues in the starting floor to the unusually stone-filled area, it was a given that the monsters they would encounter would be related to such structures.

Since the Vanishing Dungeon appears every year, Adventurers have explored many floors within it, with each floor having its distinct structure and monster. The Adventurers Guild compiled this information and made it available to those who needed it, at a price of course.

Many people jumped at this opportunity, purchasing the reports since it would make the Raid Conquest relatively easier and safer. However, due to the increase in demand, the cost of the Dungeon Information skyrocketed. This absurd price discouraged many, except those still willing to pay the price. Those who couldn't, decided to take their chances instead. After all… Adventurers ventured into the Dungeon in the past without any need for such information.

Nathan's party did not purchase any information on though. This happened because the all information and Dungeon records the Guild had in stock had already been sold out. The cause of such was his party's negligence. They didn't make their move on time.

But, on a floor like the Second Floor, whether they had the information or not was inconsequential. For such a low-level floor… Nathan already knew everything to know about it.

"You all know what to do, right? Just like we practiced!" Nathan commanded.

"Got it!"

"Roger!"

"Yes"

"Okay"

U-Understood!"

<Nod>

Jack, Desmond, Lucy, Carl, Lydia, and Puck respectively responded.

Immediately, they took formation, spreading themselves to their pre-assigned positions. Puck was at the rear end of the group, with Lydia standing right in front of him, touching her bracelet to activate her Relic.

Desmond, the stealth Relic user, stayed at the far left corner, already activating his Relic to perform his role. Carl was a bit ahead of Lydia, ready to erect his barrier should the need arise. In essence, he stayed in the middle of the Party.

Jack, Lucy, and Nathan we're at the forefront. Since they had the highest offensive capabilities, they would serve as the vanguard and strike the enemy. Nathan and Jack took the right and left corners while Lucy stayed in the middle since her attacks had the widest range.

Nathan observed the group's formation and smiled. They had done this within a moment, not hesitating at all. They weren't as bad as they seemed.

"I'll downplay my offensive capability so that they can fight properly. If I use the 'Blade Of Rupture', I will end finishing the job for them" Nathan thought.

They needed to develop their teamwork and battle experience as much as possible. If he merely 'carried' them, then they wouldn't grow.

The golems finished forming, numbering in nearly two dozen.

"Ten, fifteen, nineteen… Twenty! There are twenty of them... That's perfect!" Nathan smiled.

"Let's begin!"

"Guorghhhhh!!!!" The Golems screeched with their unnaturally formed mouths.

They smashed their rocky fists of the already battered floor, showing their hostility toward the Adventurers. The inexperienced people felt slightly flustered but maintained formation. They believed in Nathan's plan.

"He's always very cautious. For him to be smiling like this… It can only mean one thing…" They all thought within themselves.

"… We can win!"

Changing toward them, the three attack members in the Party brought out their means of attack.

Jack's morphed stick, now turned axe, was already on his hands, tightly enveloped by his tightened palm.

"Oraaaa!!!" Jack yelled, jumping up with his heavy weapon raised.

"Guek?!" The rock golems in his nearby vicinity faced him automatically.

"Eat thisss!"

His axe crashed into the stony body of the lifeless structure, causing it to crack and shatter apart.

However, the separated stones began to move again, slowly attracted to the Golem's battered body.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jack grinned.

He smashed his Axe on the Golem again, causing its body to crack open even more. Its chest region was now entirely exposed thanks to the damage Jack made to it. Within it was a glowing red orb, as small as a little ball.

"That must be the Golem core Nathan mentioned!"

With one final swing, Jack hacked the glowing sphere, causing it to break apart. As the core shattered, the Golem halted its movements and the separated parts of the Golem's body stopped drawing back to the main structure.

<CRASH!>

Its rocky body fell apart, indicating that the Golem was done for. Jack smiled, he won… He actually subjugated his first Dungeon monster.

"This isn't as hard as I thought… I can do this… I can!" Jack clenched his fist with determination, now brimming with confidence.

But, he also knew he couldn't celebrate too early. After all, he had only struck down one of 20…. There were still many others left.

At the same time Jack faced his first Golem, Lucy was also getting herself busy. She wrapped her Relic around her entire body, forming her Battle armor.

"I won't get outdone by anyone!" Lucy said excitedly, wanting to take out the most monsters.

Her body brimmed with power as the dark red scarf covered her body. As strong as steel, as light as cotton… This was her perfect partner.

Quickly, she rushed toward her first Golem, the one closest to her. Without wasting time, she launched wraps of her armor to the rock monster. The part of her armor thrust out and lunged at the target, like high-speed chains. They wrapped themselves around it, constraining the monster.

"Hyaaa!" She yelled, drawing it toward her.

The Golem was moved from its position, forcefully pulled by Lucy's strong wraps. Approaching her at high speed, Lucy prepared herself to hit it as soon as it entered her range. Within a moment, it reached her range and she smiled with excitement.

Lucy leaped into the air and turned her body in a horizontal form. She strengthened her two legs and launched the both of them in a straight thrust, directed at the helpless Golem.

<CRACKKK!!!>

The rock surface of the Golem immediately shattered apart upon impact. At the moment her legs crashed into the monster, she released her hold on it. This caused the entire body of the monster to break apart and scatter all around the room.

The core fell on the ground, making a change sound as it landed. Before the stones had any chance to slowly reconstruct into their previous state, Lucy crushed the orb instantly. The animated rocks lost their motion immediately.

"One down, many more to go! Bring it on ya blockheads!" Lucy shouted excitedly.

While the two were occupied with handling a single Golem, Nathan sighed as he easily avoided the strikes of the countless Golems which swarmed him.

"Ah, how frustrating… I can't even fight…" Nathan muttered.

For the sake of improving them, he yielded any serious combat on his part. He had to match their pace to improve their confidence. After Jack defeated his Golem adversary, and Lucy also succeeded on her end, Nathan used his blade to instantly slash two of the monsters that lunged at him.

Immediately, in a fine line, he split them into two, core and all. The Golems fell apart instantly, giving Nathan enough room to take a few steps back in retreat away from the many Golems around him.

"Now then, I suppose it's time for the second part…" He muttered.

He looked in Lydia's direction and gave her a slight nod. It was finally the moment for her to strike. Lydia saw his nod and gave a slight nod too. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her bracelet even more.

"Jack, Lucy, now!" Nathan shouted.

Upon hearing this, Jack and Lucy launched away from the Golems after respectively killing two in total. They had to follow the plan, even though they were already getting caught up in the moment.

If they weren't careful, they would get swept up in the attack that was to come. As they stepped away, the Golems clustered in a group, as was their formation, and charged at the retreating party.

However, it was no good.

"I'm ready!" Lydia said, her hands stretched toward the direction of the marching Golems.

Her bracelet glowed bright blue, creating an icy mist in her surrounding. She heaved a cold sigh and most of the frost gathered all around her.

The three members of the vanguard dispersed, making way for Lydia's wave of offense.

"Icy burst!!!" She declared.

Immediately, a massive wave of blue mist and flowed from around her and charged straight ahead to the approaching Golems. The cold smoke swept through the moving stones, immediately enveloping their vicinity.

Their bodies slowed down and frost marks appeared on their hard surfaces. Before long, they stopped moving.

"Excellent! Now then, let us continue!" Nathan grinned.