Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 519: The Nightmare That Wears A Crown [Part 3]

An hour after leaving the cave, the group was forced to seek shelter. Medina had detected demons in their surroundings, and they didn’t want to risk it.

The gaze that had locked itself on Alex’s body had disappeared some time ago, but the teenage boy could sense that the creature was somewhere nearby and had merely concealed its presence.

“I have something important to say,” Sean said to get everyone’s attention. “Truth be told, an oracle told me that there’s a high chance that I will lose my life in the Shadow Forest.”

“What?!” Ron looked at the Hero in shock. “Then why did you still come here?!”

“Because there’s always a chance that it won’t come true,” Sean replied. “Also, she said one more thing that made me reconsider taking this trip here.”

“And what is that?” Medina asked. “Although not all prophecies from oracles come true, what can possibly convince you to go to a place where you might die?”

Sean took out the ornate box that Ron had given him before they parted in Arian City.

He opened the box and showed the Dawnseeker Party the two silver rings placed inside of it.

“She said that if I come here with these two rings, the human race will win in the war against the Demon Lord,” Sean stated. “As you may already know, if a Hero dies, another one will take his place.

“They call us humanity’s greatest Champions, but in reality, we’re expendable. Just like how a powerful Demon Lord appears from time to time, so do we. That has always been the case since the ancient era.”

Everyone listened to his revelation without interrupting his speech. Clearly, he had more to say to everyone after he showed them the ring.

“Remember this—no matter what happens, even if I die today, these rings must not fall into the enemy’s hands,” Sean declared. “If it does, the Demons will win this war.”

“What can those rings do exactly?” Fran asked. “Do they hold some kind of power?”

Sean nodded. “They do. These rings are the Gaia Rings.”

“What?!” Medina gasped in shock. “Those are the legendary Gaia Rings?!”

Sean took out the two rings from the ornate box and pressed them against each other.

Everyone then heard a faint click, which made them realize that the two rings were actually meant to combine into one.

A silver ring with a golden amber at its center. And if one looked closely, they would see a pattern within the amber that looked like the roman symbol “XXI”.

“The one who can wield the power of this ring will help us win this war,” Sean explained. “Unfortunately, the ring doesn’t react to me, which means that I’m not its destined owner.

“If even one of these rings falls into the hands of our enemies, they can use it to find the other half. I asked Ron to get the first half of the ring so I can look for the second half hidden here in the Shadow Forest.

“We found it, but before we could leave safely, the enemy also found us, leading to this situation.”

There was a hint of bitterness in his tone. If only Sean could activate the power of the ring, none of his party members would have died in battle.

“So you went to this forest to retrieve the other half of the ring that I handed to you.” Ron nodded in understanding. “Couldn’t you have asked a Rank S Adventurer Party to search for the missing half instead?”

“If you were in my place, would you have done such a thing?” Sean asked. “Can you put the fate of humanity in some random Adventurers and Sellswords? I can’t do that. The lives of many people are at stake.

“I only have one reason for telling you all these things. To those who can escape among us, protect these rings at all costs.”

Having learned the gravity of the situation, everyone understood what they needed to do in case of emergencies.

“I will keep the rings in my pocket for now,” Sean stated. “But if I were to fall, remember, take the rings and escape the forest no matter what the cost.”

The Hero’s words and gaze were so serious that it reflected his resolve. In the end, Ron and the other members of Dawnseekers promised to heed his request.

After resting for a bit, the party once again resumed their escape.

The demons were still at large, but they also didn’t want to remain inside the forest until nightfall.

The Shades would be active by then, and the last thing they wanted was to be found by the Shade Reaper King. If that being were to come, they’d undoubtedly be stuck in a very dire situation.

Suddenly, Medina’s sharp hearing heard a whistling sound, prompting her to grab Alex and push him down on the ground.

“Everyone, duck!” Medina shouted

The members of the Dawnseekers didn’t hesitate to heed her warning and crouched low on the ground.

Unfortunately, the members of the Hero Party were slower in this regard, and one of them was hit by the arrow.

A cry of pain escaped the Sorceress’ lips as an arrow hit her arm.

More arrows came their way, but Ron was already on the move and deflected it with his sword.

“They found us!” Carlo clenched his fists tightly. “How many are they, Medina?!”

“Thirty,” Medina answered before nocking an arrow on her bow. “Brace yourselves, Orcs are coming!”

Without a moment of hesitation, the elf fired a barrage of arrows at the nearest Orc charging in their direction.

“Ack!” As multiple arrows hit their mark on its chest, the Orc stopped in its tracks and soon collapsed on the ground.

Just as everyone thought that things couldn’t get any worse, the sound of horns spread in the surroundings.

“Damn it!” Carlo cursed as he smashed the head of another Orc using his fist. “They’re calling for backup!”

“Run!” Ron ordered. “We can’t stay here! Medina, lead the way. Carlo and I will cover our retreat!”

The beautiful elf grabbed Alex’s shirt and pulled him as she made her escape.

“Rhea, take Carla and follow Medina,” Sean ordered. “Take this with you!”

Sean tossed the ornate box to the Cleric, Rhea, who nodded in understanding.

She had already used her healing magic to treat Carla’s injury, but the tip of the arrow was soaked in poison.

Although she successfully detoxified her friend, the Sorceress was in no condition to join the battle, so they ran away with the ornate box entrusted to them.

The sound of weapons clashing against each other echoed in the forest as the ladies made their escape.

Suddenly, Alex once again sensed the gaze locked on his body, which made him shudder uncontrollably.

“It’s back!” Alex said to the elf that was carrying him like a sack of rice. “The gaze is back!”

“Hang on tight!” Medina replied. “Wind Walk!”

A gust of wind wrapped itself in Medina’s and Alex’s body, making them lighter and increasing their movement speed.

The Sorceress and the Cleric used similar skills to boost their mobility, increasing their chances of escape.

Unfortunately, a powerful presence stopped them in their tracks.

“No way!” Rhea’s face paled when she saw the creature blocking their path.

A three-meter tall Shadow Creature emerged in their path. It hovered in the air, wielding a death scythe.

Although the Shadow Creature looked like a congregation of black mists, there was a vague yet distinguishable shadow crown on top of its head.

Sean had mentioned that the Shadow Reaper King was like a Nightmare wearing a crown, and seeing it in the flesh made Alex realize that he didn’t exaggerate in his description.

“Shade Reaper King!” the Sorceress screamed in fright after seeing the monster that killed her friends.

Medina gritted her teeth as she put down Alex on the ground. Running away from such a powerful Shadow Creature was suicide, but fighting it was akin to suicide as well.

“Pull yourselves together, Carla, Rhea!” Medina shouted. “We have to fight this thing if we want to live!”

Her shout made the two members of the Hero Party realize that she was right.

They really had no other options but to fight for their survival.

“Here. Please take this and keep it safe.” Rhea handed the ornate box to Alex, whom she deemed was a non-combatant due to his age.

Medina smiled and lightly patted the teenage boy’s head before whispering something in his ear.

“If you see an opportunity to escape, just run,” Medina whispered. “I know you have a general idea where the military camp is, so head there as fast as you can. Don’t worry, we will follow behind you once Ron, Carlo, and Sean catch up and support us.”

Alex nodded in understanding. He had absolute faith in his party members, and once they fought together, he believed that they would be able to defeat even a Shade Reaper King.

“On my signal,” Medina said as she took out two elemental short swords from her storage ring.

Since they had no vanguard, she would play that role and allow the Sorceress and Cleric to support her from behind.

Alex really had no intention of leaving so soon, so he tightly held the dagger Medina had given him earlier.

Fran was also chanting Fae Magic, ready to assist her friends in battle.