57. GARRETH, NEW TEAMMATE
[Activation Mode: Harpy’s Wing]
Ethan jumped as far as he could, and a pair of wings from the shield carried the young man effortlessly to the path to the Blue Stone. Cries of joy could be heard from Ethan's lips as they overcame the obstacles.
"Awesome!" exclaimed Dane as he high-fived Ethan. "Come on, let's hurry to the blue stone and save the others!"
The two young men hurried down the stony corridor toward the blue stone that seemed to be the source of light for the Blue Beacon in the Outer Maze.
They saw a staircase leading up to the blue stone. Without wasting much time, Ethan and Dane climbed the stairs and reached the large area of the blue stone.
Beneath the blue stone was a portal, while across from them was a view of the inner maze. Ethan and Dane could see the pattern of the maze from where they stood.
"Chloe!! Miriam!!" Ethan yelled, hoping their friends could hear them.
"Garreth!!" Dane added.
Shouts of reply came from the maze. Dane and Ethan tried to locate their teammates. From the middle of the maze, Chloe and Miriam's hands could be seen waving. Soon Garreth did the same.
"Garreth! I want you to wait until we can get Chloe and Miriam out!" Ethan yelled.
"Make sure you don't leave me!" Garreth shouted back.
This time it was Dane who answered loudly. "No, we won't leave you!!"
Ethan's eyes returned to Miriam and Chloe who seemed to be trapped by something. Ethan called out to them again. "Chloe! Miriam!"
"Where to?!" they both shouted back, seemingly frantic.
"Keep going forward and then take the path to your left!" Dane instructed.
There was no response from Chloe and Miriam, but Ethan could hear their footsteps following Dane's directions. It wasn't long before Dane's guidance led Miriam and Chloe to the blue stone.
The appearance of the two women was completely disheveled, with blue stains almost all over their bodies.
"Are you two hurt?" Ethan asked.
Miriam and Chloe shook their heads, both breathing a sigh of relief when they reached the area of the blue rock. Only Garreth followed Dane's voice.
"What's with the gunshots and the screaming?" Ethan looked alternately at Chloe and Miriam. "Honestly, you really scared me. Especially when you called my name."
"Frogs," Chloe replied curtly.
The blonde didn't bother to explain, instead she walked over to Dane. Ethan's eyes turned to Miriam and her face immediately dropped and reddened.
"We came to a place full of blue frogs. There were hundreds of them, it was really scary," Miriam explained. "They were jumping on us, sticking to our clothes, ah... it was really disgusting."
"Thank God, I thought it was something really dangerous."
Miriam pouted. "Frogs can still be dangerous animals, Ethan."
Ethan just tried to hold back his laughter and nodded. Then he patted Miriam on the shoulder. "The important thing is that you're safe. As soon as this is over, we'll move on to Level 16."
But Miriam's relieved expression turned grim. It was on this level that Miriam experienced failure and had to retreat several levels. Suddenly, the redhead felt cold all over.
"Miriam? What's wrong?" Ethan asked.
Miriam shook her head. "Ah, I just want to get back soon. The blue frog blood stains are starting to smell bad."
From the end of the stairs, Garreth's figure appeared, not much different in appearance from Miriam and Chloe. It seemed that Garreth had also encountered a lot of frogs while traversing the maze.
This made Ethan feel a little guilty towards Dane, because their obstacles were much more dangerous compared to the paths taken by Miriam-Chloe or Garreth.
The five of them stood in a line facing the portal in front of them. Ethan's friends suddenly pushed his body forward to step into the portal first.
"Come on, Chief! You go first," the others ordered.
Ethan nodded, then took a deep breath and exhaled quickly. "Here we go."
As soon as Ethan stepped into the portal, his body was immediately sucked into the darkness. His body spun around until he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.
…
[You have reached level 15, prizes will be given to the winners according to the ranking]
[Top five rankings: Ethan Mannon, Dane Randolph, Miriam Shore, Chloe Simmers, Garreth Newton]
[First Place, Gold 10,000, Blue Beacon Spark]
[Second place, Gold 8,000]
[Third place, Gold 6,000]
[Fourth and fifth place, Gold 5,000]
Upon reaching The Medieval, a hologram screen appeared in front of Ethan's eyes, followed by his status.
[The Lobby: THE MEDIEVAL]
[Name: Ethan Mannon]
[Age: 22 years]
[Classification: Tank]
[Status: Novice +4]
[Gold: 167,400]
[Armor: Shield Treachery's Iron Bulwark level 25]
[Item: Harpy's Wing, Wizard's Crystal, Blue Beacon Spark]
[Power: +200]
[Buff: Harpy's Inferno, Wizard's Lumen]
[Skill: Eternal Shield +5]
[Special Item: Skip Level +1, Time +2 hours. One role +1. Albert Inherit Sword’s level 2]
Ethan furrowed his brow, wondering about the Blue Beacon Spark. What is its function in the game? His attention was diverted by the appearance of his other friends from the portal, which then instantly disappeared. Chloe could be seen staggering, holding her head.
"My head," she moaned softly.
Before they could speak, the hologram screen reappeared.
[Starting at level 15, there are items needed for the main game. Each item can be found in The Casual]
[The level 15 mission requires an oxygen tank.]
[Good hunting]
After the screen disappeared, Ethan's attention turned to Miriam, who looked very despondent. Carefully, Ethan tapped the red-haired woman on the shoulder.
"We're going to find that oxygen tank, Miriam. Just relax," Ethan said.
"That's not what I'm afraid of. You know yourself, the Level 16 mission is terrifying. I couldn't even get through it," Miriam sighed heavily. "And now the mission has changed, I don't know if my previous experience is valid anymore."
Dane looked at Miriam sympathetically. "At least we're here for you, Miriam."
"Well, we just have to find the oxygen tank together. So when will we meet at The Casual? Tomorrow?" Chloe interjected, redirecting the conversation to a more focused and scheduled topic.
Garreth immediately raised his hand. "I'm in."
Miriam, Chloe and Dane looked at him hesitantly. It wasn't that they objected to Garreth's presence, but his classification as a Finisher made Garreth a real threat.
Noticing that Ethan's friends seemed a little uncomfortable, Garreth lowered his hand. "Well, I guess you don't want me to join you."
"It's not like that, but we're a team. If you can put aside your individual nature, well... of course it's fine to complete any mission together," Ethan explained.
Garreth nodded. "I'll just eliminate other players so we can stay in the top five."