The reanimated skeletons were vastly more numerous when compared to the numbers the adventurers faced in the previous levels. There were seven hundred and fifty undead skeletons in Level Three. Every adventurer contributed worthwhile efforts in the gruelling battle. In a few instances during the fight, Ivan changed his armour and helmet, utilising the loot drops from the slain skeletons.
"Everyone, gather around me!" Wanyama yelled, his voice strained but clear.
The other adventurers quickly and cautiously hurried over to Wanyama. The runes on his body were glowing intensely as his teammates arrived beside him. Ivan was the last to arrive. He bulldozed his way through the crowd of undead to reach Wanyama's side.
"Go flame!"
A terrific explosion pulsed out from Wanyama, obliterating the last wave of undead skeletons.
Ivan sat on the ground, carefreely landing his weight with an audible thud. His teammates performed somewhat similar actions. The adventurers were all utterly exhausted. More than fifty minutes had been spent battling adversaries in Level Three.
"What the heck, that was exhausting!" Wanyama exclaimed. "My body and thoughts are completely drained."
"Does anyone have water?" Onelight asked, her voice parched.
She and the other adventurers gazed around at their teammates, hoping that one of them had at least brought water.
"Seriously, no one even brought water?" Onelight expressed her profound disappointment.
SheCyclones was experiencing a serious headache and felt profoundly weak. "Who cares about water now? I need to sleep. My head is killing me."
Wanyama also thirsted for water, but he reined in his emotions, stopping himself from complaining. However, he felt a wave of pity for Ivan. He noticed that Ivan was dozing off and even drooling.
'That's a pitiful state to be in,' Wanyama thought, a sympathetic pang in his chest.
"Everyone, we will rest here for a while. "Those of us who aren't too tired should help with gathering the EXP stones," Wanyama instructed.
He looked around, taking in the large amount of EXP stones scattered across the ground.
'This is definitely a problem,' Wanyama thought, wondering when his teammates would be done gathering the stones.
He wanted to sit down and rest, but he decided against it. He, Onelight, Sarah_Ze_Beauty, and Am_I_Me went around, gathering the EXP stones. In the process of gathering, they found armour of higher durability. Their defence grade was 20 points. It took about one hour for the quartet to completely gather all the EXP stones and other loot drops.
Wanyama woke up Ivan when the loot was shared. Every adventurer received a share of eighty-three EXP stones, and the remaining three EXP stones were given to Ivan for his relentless effort in this level.
Ivan quickly absorbed all the EXP stones, bringing his EXP points tally to almost ten thousand.
"Hey guys, can I lie here for a bit and rest? I promise I'm not going to spend a long time," Ivan said audibly to everyone as he lay down on the hard crimson ground.
"No problem, man, take your time." Wanyama didn't object to Ivan's desire.
As Ivan slept, his teammates discussed him. Onelight praised his character, highlighting his bravery and unselfishness, especially when he didn't claim leadership for himself. The others contributed one or two positive observations they had made about Ivan. The topic of discussion shifted after a while; Sarah_Ze-Beauty was responsible for the change.
"I don't know about you guys, but the intense fighting made me incredibly hungry. I'm literally dying of thirst and hunger," Sarah_Ze_Beauty lamented.
BlueBlack sighed in relief. "Finally, someone spoke my mind. In my opinion, I think we were brought here to die. Look at everything that has happened since we arrived here. Everything feels like a set-up. They intentionally didn't tell us to bring food or water on this adventure. What else could be the reason for that other than for us to die of famine?"
Wanyama saw some reason in BlueBlack's words, but his own thoughts strongly opposed that pessimistic reasoning. Instead, he reasoned that this was part of the training. For any long journey, one had to be prepared; one had to pack various amenities necessary for survival. However, he and his teammates had clearly failed to prepare adequately for the journey.
His teammates were not reasoning as he did, and there was palpable but subtle unrest growing within them after hearing BlueBlack's words. It was as if they were being subtly instigated. As a leader, Wanyama had to act before things spiralled out of hand.
"Guys, I don't think we should jump to conclusions. I'm very sure the powerhouses are watching over this raid. When things are about to get out of hand, I'm very sure they will intervene. I mean, have you guys forgotten the whole Bangyu incident? Those guys can control anything."
He hoped that no one would bring up the issue of Baka's death and question him why the overseeing powerhouses hadn't intervened to save the dragon mutant. No one brought up the matter. Wanyama sighed in relief inwardly. The air around the adventurers changed from one of pessimism to an air of positivity.
The adventurers became silent, no longer continuing their discussion. They all prioritised resting well. A few minutes later, Ivan's stomach grumbled audibly while he slept. His teammates looked over to him with amused smiles on their faces.
Suddenly, a system info panel appeared in every adventurer's perception.
>>>>
Side Quest Initiated.
Info: The force that confines and rules over the Vate Prison Realm has been agitated by a collection of stomach grumbles. Their gaze has descended on Level Three. They have observed the blobs of life striding across their territory's surface. They wish not to have visitors die because of the barren terrain of their territory.
Info (2): Blobs of life rejoice! The lords of the Vate Prison Realm have decided to treat you all to a feast. Woe betide those who reject this generous offer! But remember, tread carefully during the feast. Not everything you see is what they claim it to be.
Description: You have been invited to a feast organised by the Lords of the Vate Prison realm in your honour. Do you wish to accept or decline this offer?
The sudden appearance of the system info panel startled Ivan back to full consciousness. His sudden reaction attracted the gazes of his teammates. They had an idea for the reason for his sudden reaction.
Wanyama said to Ivan, "We've been invited for a feast. Do you think we should go?"
Ivan's gaze glazed over, focusing intently on the information that was floating in his perception. He turned to Wanyama after reading the details.
"It's wise to accept the invitation. There's a clear warning about rejecting the offer," Ivan said.
"I wonder, are we going to dine with the devil?" Am_I_Me said with a teasing smile on her face.
She was the first to accept the invite. Instantly, she gradually faded away with a pixel-like effect. The other adventurers followed suit.