CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37 : DUNGEON MODE

Chapter 37 : Dungeon Mode

Silence followed immediately after Axton’s question on the type of dungeon.

Doubt also hung in the air.

"It’s a difficult one though," QueenBee started explaining. "It was smooth sailing at the beginning till it became an obstacle for us after encountering monsters that we couldn’t defeat. That’s when I had the bright idea to get you to team up with us."

’Smart move,’ Axton commended her thought process in silence.

After offering an explanation, the members of the guild looked at Axton, waiting patiently for what his reply would be.

Surely, they needed him but it was not a do-or-die affair.

If he wanted to join them in the end, great. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care less either.

Yes, they admired Axton for his achievements as a player, even more so someone who did everything while playing solo but they were not going to grovel at his feet and beg for his assistance.

That was beneath Dragon Claw.

Theirs was a guild affiliated to the country’s military.

It would be a dent on their pride if they did such a thing.

Unlike the Grand Nexus guild who sought fame and popularity, seeking to establish their dominance in the world of New Eden, Dragon Claw was much more subtle in their actions.

They choose to stay away from the spotlight, operating in a low-key manner.

Their goal was simple, just like Trey had emphasized to his sister.

The Dragon Claw guild’s major aim of establishment was to study the world of New Eden and the manner of life that existed inside this world.

The scientists and the powers involved in the development or better put, linking to New Eden had their speculations about the world.

That was why Dragon Claw was established by the government of the United States to confirm and disprove these theories.

Chasing the top spot and climb to become the number one guild in the rankings was never part of the plan.

Nevertheless, to achieve any of their goals, they needed to grow stronger.

Otherwise, it would all be to no avail.

They were in such a situation where they needed to grow but there was an obstacle that they couldn’t surmount at their levels.

That was why QueenBee had sought Axton out.

He was their sure bet to scaling through and they had no shame in requesting for his help.

The sound of unbeatable monsters was music to Axton’s ears at this point, but he still tried to contain his excitement.

"I already agreed to join you for the dungeon raid," Axton said as stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.

"That has not changed."

Hart smiled and like him, the others were happy with the response.

"Let’s go then!" Hart announced, stepping forward to stand in front of everyone.

He summoned a crystal into the palm of his hand and then placed it into a small hole in the gate of the dungeon.

*Shing*

The dungeon gate brightened up as the crystal slowly dispersed into tiny particles before disappearing completely.

The crystal served like a key to opening up the dungeon.

*Ding*

[Choose your difficulty]

The message was readable to all of them standing before the entrance.

Dungeons had different levels of difficulty that were called modes.

The higher the mode, the harder it was to clear the dungeon in question.

However, the good news about it was that the more difficult a dungeon was, the better the rewards it offered.

[Modes]

[Easy Medium Hard Expert Legendary Hell]

Hart stepped forward to choose when Axton’s voice stopped him. The latter wanted to know what Hart’s decision would be, having recalled QueenBee mentioning that they had it easier when they started.

"What mode are you picking?"

Hart stopped and looked at Axton. "Hard. We’ve scaled through the easy and medium mode, but the hard mode is where we have difficulty."

Axton raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He couldn’t believe that they were not even midway to the modes of this particular dungeon.

Hart continued. "Going through the easy mode was like taking candy from a kid, but the medium was difficult. We had to rely heavily on our healers and had QueenBee not gotten those healing staff from you, I don’t know what would have happened."

’Hmm. So that’s why she bought that many similar items,’ Axton thought as he looked at QueenBee who confirmed Hart’s narration with a slight nod.

Axton walked forward, going to stand beside Hart.

He looked at the gate for a moment and then to Hart.

"How difficult was it?" Axton enquired further, trying to get a better picture and also predict what he would likely face inside there.

"There were common grade monsters mostly but a lot of them were about level 4 and 5 anyway," Hart answered, "I also assume that they would be more as we go, only that we never got the chance to meet them."

Axton’s focus shifted back to the dungeon gate.

"Hmm, I see."

While they seemed to still be waiting for a united choice, Axton’s hand moved.

*Click*

"Huh?"

Eyes immediately widened at Axton’s choice.

"Hell?!"

Hart was shocked.

Axton nodded a few times. "Yes. We will play it in hell mode."

QueenBee was speechless as well.

There was nothing they could do now since Axton had locked in an option.

"Hard mode is already a herculean task to complete. What are we going to do in hell mode now?"

"Choosing hell mode was not part of the plan," QueenBee said, stepping in between Axton and Hart.

While she understood why Axton chose the hell mode, she was displeased with his choice as it was considerate of the people that would go with him.

"That’s not proper," she said, calling Axton out. "We understand that you’re strong, perhaps even stronger than all of us combined but we are not like you."

Axton’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"We are not as strong as you are," she said. "You should have at least discussed your thoughts with us first before picking."

Axton pointed a finger to the side of his head, staring at QueenBee as he asked, "What’s the worst that will happen?"