As Arya swung her longsword, a fierce battle erupted within the secret chamber. The strange creatures around them seemed to be provoked, quickening their pace and surging towards the uninvited guests from all directions.
"Maintain formation! Hold your ground!" Hank quickly directed everyone to adjust their positions. "Shieldbearers, defend in the front, archers, prepare to provide support! Mages, conserve your mana and only attack the most critical targets."
Sophia and several mages quickly gathered their magical power. "Wall of Flames!" In an instant, scorching waves of fire condensed in the air into a semi-transparent shield, protecting everyone inside.
The monsters crashed into the wall of fire, letting out bloodcurdling screams before turning into wisps of smoke and disappearing. This gave the group a precious chance to catch their breath. However, the sheer number of monsters clearly wouldn't give up so easily.
"Hey, you guys look pretty weak." James casually chopped down two monsters, then winked at his teammates. "But seriously, we seem to be stuck in some kind of vicious cycle..."
Just then, an old soldier passing by stopped and observed for a moment before exclaiming in amazement, "I've never seen such a fighting style before! Everyone has a clear role and their movements are so synchronized! It's just like a well-trained professional team!"
On the other side, a young girl present nodded repeatedly: "That's right. Especially that little girl with the sword—she's a natural leader! I wish I had such a brave and decisive friend!"
Just as praises were rising, the pressure, which had seemed to ease up considerably, suddenly increased again: it turned out that several exceptionally large leader-level monsters had appeared among the new batch of monsters! The latter clearly possessed stronger bodies and more acute sensory abilities than their ordinary subordinates.
"Oh no, this is a huge problem!" Carl was the first to realize the gravity of the situation. "Get out of the way—"
A huge fist came hurtling towards him, nearly hitting him. Fortunately, Mark rushed forward in time and managed to block it, but the powerful impact still sent him staggering back several steps before he could barely regain his footing.
Sofia immediately cast another high-level spell to help defend against the attack: "Storm Barrier!" Amidst thunder and lightning, a rotating wall of wind, radiating a bright and dazzling light, was formed, once again blocking the enemy's fierce attack while also causing area-of-effect damage.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Arya led the remaining armed men in a counterattack. "Don't let them get close!"
"Wow... they can even conjure up magic of this level so easily...?" Exclamations of admiration rippled through the crowd watching the spectacle from afar.
"That beautiful woman who cast the spell is practically a goddess!"
"Those soldiers are really amazing! They're as fierce as ancient heroes!"
Although the situation remained tense, this sudden praise and support only fueled everyone's ambition and made them even more courageous and fearless.
Finally, after a fierce battle, all the giant monsters fell at their feet, and the remaining ordinary enemies also disappeared without a trace.
Just as the joy of victory had not yet faded, the entire space suddenly began to shake violently.
"Watch out! This building is about to collapse!" The guardian reappeared and anxiously urged everyone to leave immediately.
"Don't worry, everyone, follow me!" Karl was the first to react and led the others to sprint towards the exit.
Just as everyone was out of danger, a series of loud rumbling sounds came from behind...
However, the mysterious figure who had been silently observing the entire process revealed a cryptic smile: "Interesting, extremely interesting..."
"What other terrifying things will we encounter? How many secrets does this temple hold?" Sophia clenched her fists, countless questions rising in her mind.
The guardian then turned to the crowd with a meaningful look: "Congratulations on passing the test, but even greater challenges await you... Please prepare to face the real challenge."
After saying this, he vanished, leaving behind a group of travelers with varying expressions of surprise and confusion, exchanging complex glances...
"We must never give up," Arya finally broke the silence and declared. "As long as we are united, no difficulty is insurmountable!"
As Arya finished speaking, the air around them seemed to grow even heavier. A low, ancient melody quietly permeated the air, sending a chill down one's spine.
"What exactly was that guy talking about as an even bigger challenge?" James asked in a low voice, cautiously observing the changes around him. His words, though soft, clearly resonated with his teammates, a hint of unease flashing in their eyes.
Hank took a deep breath and patted the shoulders of his companions: "No matter what, we've come this far, so we can't back down now."
Just then, they suddenly heard a commotion of voices in the distance, as if more people were rushing towards them. "Someone's coming!" Sophia warned in a low voice. "Things are getting complicated." Everyone quickly sought cover, preparing for the unknown twists and turns.
Before long, a group of ragged, panicked refugees stumbled into view. "Help us... the monster is coming!"
An old man pointed behind him with a trembling arm and said, “Those monsters… are more terrifying than any we’ve seen before. They are intelligent and extremely cunning.”
Hearing this, everyone present felt an unprecedented tension. Even the usually composed Arya now showed a hint of seriousness in her expression. "We have to do something to help these people get out of this predicament."
Just then, a child ran to the front, looking up at Arya and the others with eyes full of admiration. "Big sisters, you guys are amazing! Just like the warriors in the stories, even the fiercest monsters are no match for you!" His words eased the surrounding panic slightly, and even a glimmer of courage ignited in the eyes of several young people. "That's right, with such powerful warriors here, what's there to be afraid of? Let's help! At least we can buy everyone a little more time."
Faced with this sudden request and these naive yet pure words, even knowing that the road ahead was fraught with danger and hardship, no one would choose to abandon these innocent civilians. "Alright, then let's fight side by side! But first, please listen to my instructions on how to allocate tasks to maximize effectiveness." Arya quickly devised a series of meticulous plans based on individual abilities and the conditions on the ground…
After a short rest, the group set off again under Arya's leadership. Although everyone knew that the enemies they would face next would be even more formidable and complex, the mutual trust that came from the bottom of their hearts gave them immense strength.
As they ventured deeper into the underground palace, they saw dilapidated stone carvings and strange symbols etched on the walls. Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie, Karl suddenly noticed a faint, flickering, ghostly blue flame in the distance. "Oh no, that looks like some kind of magical trap..." he thought, about to warn everyone to be careful, when a booming sound came from above—
"What happened?" Hank asked, trying to steady himself.
Immediately afterwards, countless pebbles cascaded down like a waterfall, accompanied by billowing dust that obscured everyone's vision. When everything returned to calm, the scene before them had completely changed... It was the interior of a vast, hollow space entirely composed of strange crystals, scattered with broken statues and unknown mechanical devices.
In the very center of the room stood a stone slab radiating intense, pulsating energy. More importantly, standing before the slab was none other than the mysterious guardian who had vanished earlier. "So all of this was under your control? Then what exactly is this so-called true test?" Arya demanded.
The guardian smiled and slowly turned around to look directly at her. "That's right. From now on, the most exciting part of your adventure begins. If you want to know the answers, you can only do so through your own experience. As for how many secrets and opportunities are hidden in this space, that's for you to discover..." After speaking, the guardian's figure gradually disappeared into the air.
At this moment, everyone's gaze involuntarily converged on the stone slab radiating a soft light. "Is this the key to the next stage?" Hank asked doubtfully. "We have to try to find out the result!" Sophia said firmly.
Just as the three approached the core stone slab, preparing to further explore its mysteries—
Suddenly, the light sources in the entire space became even more blinding, and a deafening alarm blared in their ears. "Looks like the game's only just begun..." James grinned slyly, then drew his sword, preparing for battle. "Yeah, yeah, let's see what exciting and thrilling stories await us!" Arya replied, gripping her longsword tightly, her tone filled with determination and fearlessness.
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