23 23. Unexpected Situation

But Orion got confused over some parts Liira explained, so he turned to her for clarification.

"You said one will have to let one of his attributes attain a maximum potential of a hundred points, but what about other attributes?"

Liira had come to terms with the fact that these individuals had no knowledge about the system or anything related to it. Therefore, she kindly took it upon herself to explain things to them.

"No human body is perfect in this world and has many limitations placed on it. So, if one were to blindly add stats to all the attributes at the same time, then even before reaching the halfway point in any of their attributes, their body would have reached its limits, disabling them from adding any more stats to their attributes."

She paused for a moment, allowing them to digest the information she had shared, before continuing.

"So it is advised that one should add stats to only one attribute that suits their talent and make it reach its maximum potential. That way, one could also focus on the path they are walking and don't have to worry about their limits."

Orion and the others comprehended Liira's explanation. 

As they walked and conversed, time passed, and steadily they drew nearer to their destination.

They also shared their names with each other as they conversed, allowing them to get to know each other better.

During their journey, they unexpectedly didn't encounter a single monster. This puzzled Orion's trio, as they had anticipated encountering at least one or two.

However, after asking Liira, they understood the reason. During their approach, it turned out that they had already cleared all of the monsters along the path.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—the broken wall that Orion's trio had been eager to reach since they first laid eyes on it.

To their surprise, the place appeared grander than they had ever imagined. The broken wall they had been following turned out to be the only one standing, and an empty throne made of skulls stood below it as the most eye-catching feature.

The base of it all appeared to be made of marble-like stones, spanning the entire area in a circular shape, resembling the size of a football field. However, cracks now marred its surface.

At the opposite end of the skull throne, there was a circular wall-like structure that shone brightly with red light, illuminating the entire area around it.

"Is that a portal?"

Ryfin pointed to the shining circular wall in the distance, drawing their attention to it.

Liira's expression darkened as she looked at the empty throne, prompting her to share her thoughts with them.

"Yes, it is. This was supposed to be a boss area of the dungeon, but for some reason the boss is missing from here. My team has been here for two weeks now, but we can't find the boss at all, and without killing the boss, we won't be able to leave this dungeon."

Liira's words hung heavy in the air as Orion studied the empty boss arena before them. The broken wall loomed high, with the shimmering red portal glowing ominously in the distance.

'This place is fully empty; there is not a single monster here.'

His grip tightened on his sword's hilt as suspicion gnawed at him.

"You said monsters surrounded the exit," Orion stated, turning a wary gaze on Liira. "But this place is deserted."

Famir tensed beside him, finally catching the undercurrent of unease that Orion had felt all along. Ryfin, too, seemed to pick up on the wrongness of the situation.

Liira stared at Orion, her expression unreadable. At length, she sighed. "I haven't been fully truthful with you."

The words were like a metal vice around Orion's heart. He knew it; he had known all along that something wasn't right.

"Your task..." he began, dread coloring his words. "It was to lure us here, wasn't it?"

Then, a cruel smile split Dion's features.

"Took you idiots long enough to figure it out."

Orion's hand trembled as murderous rage gripped him. Before he could draw his blade, armoured figures materialized around them with readied weapons.

"I'm afraid there is no leaving this place," Liira stated impassively. "My mission was to deliver you three here, no matter what it took."

"You..." His words dripped with venom as he glared at the woman who had deceived them.

"I trusted you, and you betrayed us."

Staring intently at Liira, he yelled directly at her face as he swiftly released his sword, aiming it straight towards Dion.

His goal was Dion knowing with Liira's speed, she would definitely dodge his sword.

But before his sword could reach its target, it unexpectedly plummeted to the ground, creating a small crater upon impact. And before he could make sense of the situation, he felt his body being weighed down by an unseen force, making it difficult to remain standing.

Orion's muscles strained against the invisible pressure pressing down on him, every fibre of his being screaming with exertion.

He gritted his teeth as he pushed against the weight bearing down on his body, but it was like trying to move a mountain. His breaths came in short, laboured gasps as he fought against the oppressive force, his limbs trembling with the effort.

However, despite his best efforts, he couldn't withstand the weight on him and was forced to kneel down.

Looking at Famir and Ryfin, Orion noticed that they too had knelt down under the weight of the invisible force.

"Damn!"

Curse escaped his mouth as he turned to look at the cause of their predicament.

However, despite their struggle, Liira appeared unfazed as she observed the scene unfold before her.

"One should know one thing in this world, and that is to never trust anyone."

She muttered, though it wasn't clear if she was speaking to Orion or to herself.

"What do we have here?"

At that moment, a voice sounded, and a golden-haired man descended from the sky, appearing to be around the same age as Orion and the others. He was adorned in golden armor and boots.

He then turned to Liira, glancing down at Orion's trio.

"Good job; now there is only one left. However, that individual is as strong as I am. So, leave that guy to me."

Liira and Dion nodded respectfully at him, indicating their deference.

He then shifted his attention to the six individuals who had accompanied him, gesturing towards Orion's trio.

"Take care of these three for me while I go for the last one."

With that, he flew into the sky and disappeared.