Chapter 27

Abyss dungeons are a source of extremely rare items. Most speculate that Abyss Rift makes an appearance when certain hidden quests have been accomplished when fighting field bosses. These two rankers must have accomplished a hidden quest with how they completely destroyed the field boss. Requirements of abyss dungeons are mostly closely guarded secrets. CoA is a competitive game after all so most players who have a semblance of competitiveness will withhold the information or sell it for a price. 

It might be because they took down the boss without taking any damage. It might be because they killed the boss in under 10 strikes. It might be because they finished it in less than a minute. It might be because they both looked incredibly stylish doing it. It might be because they had 2 deadweight watching them from the sidelines. Maybe all of those combined is the hidden requirement and not accomplishing even one of those requirements won't generate the abyss portal. Or maybe the RNG gods had blessed them or something and we just got the portal to appear due to sheer luck. The devs of the game are strictly bound by the law of confidentiality and must abide by a bunch of strict contracts to even be able to work as a developer of the game. That is one of the defining traits that made the game very popular though. They gave priority to secrecy so that the players could explore the game in their own individual ways leading to a thrill and sense of adventure akin to finding uncharted regions and discovering unexpected treasures. Trial and error will be needed for normal players to determine the true cause, but it would be hard considering field bosses don't grow on trees. 

One thing I know is that only these two rankers and their specified parties are the only ones that have access to the abyss dungeon and a max party can only have up to four members. The fact that no one seems to comment on a portal shimmering in front of us is enough proof that other than us, none can see it. Clarissa and I can only see the portal cause we are already Liz's party members from the start.

"What do you plan to do?" I heard Liz ask Ariadne.

"I wish to call for my guildmates, but I doubt they would get here in time before the portal closes as there are no nearby teleportation points."

Liz seems to contemplate for a second before continuing. "Then wanna join our party? I think we have a higher chance of beating the dungeon together!"

"With these two? They will only slow us down," Ariadne glanced at us from the side.

"You know abyss dungeons normalize our stats right?" Liz made a point.

That is the unique feature of abyss dungeons. CoA prioritizes skills above all that is why you cannot brute force abyss dungeons. It takes the ratio of your stats and normalizes them to a certain number that matches the dungeon's level. This means a level 95 won't be weaker in terms of stats versus a level 1, although weapon skill effects and spells are an entirely different matter since a level 1 cannot possibly learn, for example, a lightning storm spell. But in terms of power, a level 95 will do the same amount of damage with a fireball a level 10 does even with set and weapon differences since those are normalized too.

"Yeah, but it doesn't affect our player skills. I'd rather have a low-level veteran player than an average... level 72," Ariadne proclaimed as she identified our levels.

"Trust me, you won't be disappointed by these two!" Liz declared confidently.

"...Fine, only because I have no other choice, but under one condition. I will get the first pick on the loot from the boss if we manage to succeed in defeating it."

"Wha- that's kinda..." 

"What? Do you think it's unfair? I'm being lenient here, you have 2 deadweights on your team. Half the loot is supposed to be mine. You should be grateful for getting my assistance," Ariadne declared haughtily.

"Hey, you cannot finish the dungeon by yourself you know. You also need our help so why don't we all just roll for the loot?" Liz pouted.

"I'd like to see you guys finish the dungeon by yourselves too then," Ariadne countered.

"Maybe we will!" Liz raised her voice.

"Please don't fight you two!" Clarissa chimed in.

"Y-you can have all my loot if you help us," she then gave Ariadne a pleading look that tickled my very soul with how gorgeously cute it was. 

Her gesture shocked Ariadne, and on a completely different note, critically struck me right in the heart. Ariadne scratched her cheeks a little as if ashamed of her own actions, a gesture I know she often does whenever she's a bit embarrassed.

Nice Clarissa! What a move by our resident angel! Not that she knows what she actually did though nor it was her intention to begin with. I guess the proverb kill them with kindness is true after all.

She sighed and finally gave in "Fine, let's just have the normal roll and let the RNG decide the loot distribution."

"Then we better party up, the portal is about to close," I hurried them when I saw the portal shimmering.

Liz quickly invited her to join then we proceeded to enter the portal after adding Ariadne to the party.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The portal brings us in front of a castle that stands majestically atop a hill, its stone walls reflecting the golden rays of the setting sun. It's an imposing structure, a testament to the architectural prowess of a bygone era. Its towers rise high into the sky, their pointed roofs piercing the clouds.

The main gate is an enormous wooden affair, reinforced with iron, and it gives way to a drawbridge that stretches over a wide, deep moat. The water in the moat is still, mirroring the castle walls and the sky above.

The castle walls are thick and sturdy, lined with battlements where archers would have once stood, ready to defend their stronghold. Ivy has started to creep up these walls, adding a touch of green to the otherwise grey stone.

Beyond the walls, I can see the tops of several buildings - perhaps a glimpse of the castle's inner courtyard. There's a chapel with its delicate steeple, the stable's roof, and the high arched windows of what could be a grand hall.

The castle's outer defenses are completed by a series of watchtowers, each strategically placed for maximum visibility. The watchtowers are cylindrical, with conical roofs and arrow slits that allow for a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. It's a sight to behold, a perfect blend of strength and beauty.

"Whoah, it looks beautiful..." Clarissa murmured from behind me.

"It does... be careful though, abyss dungeons are nothing like we have faced before. Stay close behind me at all times," I went into tutor mode.

"You both stay behind us and just focus on both supporting and surviving. Also, I'll act as our dodge tank while you focus on DPS, is that fine with you?" Ariadne asked Liz for confirmation.

Hey! What's with the difference in attitude? She acts as if we would just be deadweight... not that I can blame her since we haven't done anything to prove otherwise. She does make the right calls so I can agree with her battle plan and she does have the skills to operate as our frontline. She also has an aura of reliability and competence so it's probably best if she takes the lead.

"Yeah sounds good," Liz nodded.

Ariadne took the leadership role with Liz being perfectly fine with it due to her easygoing personality. She proceeded to enter the ominous castle gate, clearly wary of her surroundings. Upon entering the castle, we were accosted by a group of armed demon guards. The surroundings are barely lit by candle flames attached to the side walls of the giant hallway, making the battlefield a shadow of flickering lights.

The three demon castle guards blocking our way are all towering figures, standing at least seven feet tall. Their skin is a deep, smoky gray, almost like the ashes of a long-burning fire. Their eyes glowed with a fiery red intensity that made Clarissa shiver when I saw her look at them. Their body is muscular, built like a mountain, and you can see the power radiating from them.

They are all clad in an armor that seems to be made of obsidian, reflecting the faintest glimmers of light, giving them an even more intimidating appearance. Their helmet is adorned with large, wickedly curved horns. They all each held a massive sword signifying their battle style.

Clarissa positioned herself even closer to me, evidently intimidated by the imposing figure of the enemies and their countenance. I, in turn, readied myself for combat.

Ariadne gestured to Clarissa and me both to stay put. "Mages, conserve your mana, we will handle this," she said as she signaled to Liz to back her up.

That is probably the best course of action given that both of them are extremely capable fighters. She makes the best commands in the limited amount of time she has. Her leadership skills have come a long way. Still... I can't help the feeling that we are being treated as a piece of luggage... how depressing.

Ariadne led the charge and Liz followed after her. They initiated with their targets without any hesitation, more than ready to face the three demon soldiers.

The grotesque demon soldiers tower over them, but Ariadne and Liz are undeterred. The battlefield is a chaotic mix of shadows and flickering firelight, casting an eerie glow on the scene.

Ariadne moves first. She's fast, almost a blur as she lunges at one of the demon soldiers. She strikes it accurately in the head, a critical hit and one of the soldiers disappears into red motes of light.

Liz, meanwhile, followed suit. Her rapier dances in her hand as she parries a blow from one of the remaining soldiers. She moves fluidly, each step calculated and deliberate. With a couple of quick thrusts, she pierced the soldier's defenses, and the enemy soldier disappeared into red motes of light.

The last demon soldier, seeing its companions fall, charges at both Ariadne and Liz. But together, they're unstoppable. Ariadne's daggers and Liz's rapier work in tandem and soon, the last soldier is defeated easily and vanishes into motes of red light.

Okay... now you guys are just showing off! I expected that from Liz, being a streamer and all, but not you Ariadne, when did you become so standoffish!?

"Let us continue," Ariadne said nonchalantly as she carried on being our frontline.

We faced more monsters after that, with each wave increasing in difficulty. Most notable were the demon archers grouped with a strong demon knight. The archers managed to get a hit on both Ariadne and Liz due to the knight distracting both of them. We made a quick counterplay by letting Clarissa blast the archers while I quickly healed the damage both of them took. This earned us an approving nod from Ariadne and maybe net us a promotion from being luggage to somewhat usable party members from her.

"You guys are not half bad. I honestly thought this would be a two-man party run."

"Hehe, now do you believe me? They're both good right?"

"T-thanks."

Liz gave Ariadne an 'I told you so' smirk while Clarissa delivered a shy smile in response to the praise.

"Don't get carried away though, abyss dungeons aren't called hell difficulty for nothing. Expect enemies to be stronger the closer we get to the abyss boss," she bashfully looked away from them.

I guess even her prideful nature cannot handle the pure unadulterated cuteness of our angel.

It went on for a while with the difficulty amping up as we explored the castle. We faced some dead ends and traps that Ariadne easily triggered and avoided. She is quite a reliable party mate and a good leader at that, always making the right decisions in the least possible amount of time needed. 

That is until we finally arrive at an imposing room that is evidently different from the others.