5 Stone Guardians (1)

The S-Class dungeon was surrounded by heaps of mountainous terrain and thousands of phylogenetic trees, yet oddly enough, the sounds of nature were muted and replaced with the heavy movements of military-grade equipment. Soldiers marched on with their heavy boots and deadly rifles while tanks whizzed on by. Cameras flown in on drones captured the aerial shots of the tremendous dungeon entrance, ignoring the blazing heat of the afternoon sun.

For classified reasons, only Yudonia's state-run journalists were allowed on site. However, that didn't stop foreign powers from trying to catch a glimpse of the new threat on the horizon. Satellite photos were shared, and cutting-edge technology zoomed in on the S-Rankers standing at the entrance of the dungeon. Apparently, the raid was being filmed live without Aria's knowing. Not that it mattered though.

Zzztttt… Zzztttt… Zzztttt…

Aria's mosimeter beeped sporadically while the montgen number kept fluctuating. The closer she got to the entrance, the more the thin device, which had a clip on to her coat, warned her from proceeding. Though, that didn't kill her hopes. Pressing the red spot on the pure white cloak that the Ranker's Association had specially sewn, Aria allowed herself to be enveloped by a thick bubble-like coating, protecting her from all sorts of mana radiation. All around her, those participating in the raid did the same.

"Everyone we'll be entering the dungeon in five minutes! I repeat! We're entering the dungeon in five minutes! Get into your groups and prepare to depart!" The leader of Group B, as well as the overall leader of the dungeon raid, Guardian Paladin Arius, barked out his orders while bearing his heavy metal shield.

The shuffling of feet was the next thing that Aria heard. The world spun rapidly as men and women rushed into their positions, all in full combat gear and coated in the same bubble-like substance that protected Aria. Since Aria and Yvette were in Group D, the support unit, they were placed far at the back.

"Phew..." Yvette hopped in place, spinning her hands rapidly around to shake away the jitters. It was quite comical, watching a blonde elf doing a poor man's version of a jumping jack, and Aria could help but giggle.

"Anxious?"

Yvette stopped her jumps, switching it up to a standing yoga stretch. "How could I not be? We're about to enter an S-Class Dungeon!" The elven maiden's face was flushed. Was it excitement? Or was it fear? Perhaps it was a combination of both. Nonetheless, there was no denying that Yvette was looking forward to the raid. "Once we conquer this dungeon, we'll be part of the minority in the world that have that accomplishment in their résumés!"

"That's what you're interested in?" Aria chortled.

"I'm not like you!" Yvette protested, her body now freshened up after doing a series of reps. "Only interested in collecting data for your never-ending research! Honestly, how many research topics are you pursuing now?"

"Seven, but right now, I only have one focus." The Archmagus smiled, bringing up her notepad to her nose. "Finding out what the hell is inside of this S-Class Dungeon."

"Right..."

As the clock slowly ticked down, the raid team were finally all in their positions. It wasn't just S-Rankers that were participating in the whole debacle. A-Rankers were on standby to cover the main attacking forces' retreat while regular foot soldiers pointed their guns at the entrance, ready to shoot down anything that escaped from the dungeon. Intelligence outposts were placed as close to the gates as possible while communication lines were tested rigorously. It may be an S-Class Dungeon but the operation to conquer it wasn't limited to just S-Rankers

"Everyone ready?!" Guardian Paladin Arius shouted out through their comms.

"Yes, sir!!!" Everyone screamed back in unison.

"Good! Let's go in!"

Group B, the vanguard consisting of the superhuman tanks and High Paladins such as Finn, took the first step into the dungeon with Group A trailing just a few metres behind them. Led by Rogue Lord Kama, Group A's job was to search for traps and test the Stone Guardians' weaknesses. Group C, the main force of the entire raid, consisting of mana-rich magicians and skilled swordsmen, archers and martial artists were the next to pass through the extensive gates. Being the support unit, Group D couldn't stray far behind either.

Aria's first impression of the dungeon's interior was that it was a run-down crypt. Perhaps in the days when it was first created, the S-Class Dungeon may have been the most sophisticated object of its time. However, much of its walls had already been worn to powder. If there were hieroglyphics in the past, there weren't any now. Which was odd since most dilapidated places would have returned to nature, and turn rife with plant and insect life.

Yet, this S-Class Dungeon didn't have any of that. The air was still dry and untainted by the outside world. Dust was sparse, and much of the ceiling remained untouched by time. For such a phenomenon to happen, Aria could only think of one hypothesis.

'This S-Class Dungeon must have been preserved, or at the very least, sealed by some higher entity. How else could there be not even the slightest hint of nature within?'

Not much is known of the age before humankind. The oldest tale that the world had was the myth of Angels and Demons. However, if that were to be believed, it would mean that civilisation had existed millions of years before. There was simply no evidence, empirical or otherwise, that that was the case.

Still, no one could definitely dismiss those claims. After all, there were still so many questions that had to be answered. What was magic? Why do status boards exist? Why do dungeons keep forming even though there aren't any monsters in the world? Every single question would lead to another, which kept researchers scratching their heads for generations.

'That's why it's so fun!' Aria mused as her lips crept upwards. The Archmagus was born to be a researcher. She loved questioning everything and getting answers that no one else could ever get before.

Zzztttt… Zzztttt… Zzztttt…

The mosimeters on Aria's body started to beep even louder, prompting her to check it periodically. It had now risen from 60 montgens to a hundred, the highest that Aria had faced in her life. Luckily for her, the bubble wrapping of her cloak prevented any harmful substances from frying her immune system. The ancient crypt wasn't well-lit at all and magicians had to cast out floating balls of light to illuminate the path inwards.

They were getting close… Aria could feel it in the air. The raid force took it one step at a time, so much so that even a granny of advanced age could keep pace. But they couldn't risk it. Not when the entire world was watching eagerly, praying for the success of Yudonia.

And then… 'They' appeared.

Delving about a kilometre into the dungeon, the S-Rankers were finally forced to halt their progress as they encountered the first obstacle of the fabled S-Class Dungeon. Fifteen stone golems, each one chiselled down so that Aria could see every crease, every gap, every crack… The techniques used to sculpt these golems were far more advanced than anything Yudonia could produce. Even the legendary Dwarven Kingdom of old wouldn't have any craftsmen capable of replicating such detail.

The first golem that stood in their way possessed a dragon's head and a bear's body. It was unlike any other creature the world possessed, but oddly enough, Aria thought that they golem possessed a primordial feel to its features. Perhaps, this creature once roamed the earth and was one of the progenitors of modern bears.

Next to the dragon-bear hybrid, a giant crocodile golem, thirty-metres long with barbed spikes that stretched fifteen metres high, lay close to the ground like a pet dog to the dragon-bear. It looked awfully similar to the regular saltwater crocodiles that roamed the rivers of Yudonia, but just like the golem next to it, Aria felt that the oddly-shaped creature was a more ancient version.

Standing right behind the two ominously shaped golems, a more familiar figure held the ground. Shaped like a human man, the third golem held a spear in his right hand. Though, it wasn't technically a spear by a modern human's standard. The weapon brandished by the golem was like a stone tree branch with a sharpened end. Adding on the fact that it had been decapitated by some unknown means, that humanoid golem was perhaps the most sickening one to Aria thus far.

Averting her eyes to the ceiling, the Archmagus noticed the only six stone golems to possess wings. Stationary on a protruding platform, two gargoyles, goblin-shaped monsters with the wings of a dragon, watched the intruders intensely. The sockets in their eyes didn't have any colour, so Aria was uncertain if the sculptures were truly sentient, however, it didn't stop her from breaking out in cold sweat while her lips got chapped.

Next to the gargoyles, four stone birds, each one with their own distinct features, were suspended in the air, wholly defying the laws of gravity. One of them was entirely black raven with three obsidian eyes engraved into its forehead. Another had a holy halo to complement its completely white dove colours. The final two resembled a pair of loving phoenixes, one red, one blue. It was a much better contrast.

Those were the golems that were mostly intact. The remaining six statues were broken down, some missing half of their bodies, while others only had their head, such as the one-eyed globe that stared eerily at the raid force. One only had the lower body of a deer, or was it a horse? Aria couldn't tell. Still, they were all monsters from an S-Class Dungeon. Even if they damaged and eroded by the annals of time, they were a potent force to fight against.

Once everyone was in position, Guardian Paladin Arius barked out his orders. "Group A, prepare to launch! Group B, hold up your shields! Those that can cast 'Provoke' do so on my mark! Group C, ready up your attacks! Follow my signal as well! Group D, stay away from the crossfire!" Holding up his colossal shield, Arius readied the S-Rankers with a raised fist.

Slowly, one finger opened up from Arius' clenched fist. The High Paladins and shieldbearers held their ground, brimming out a resplendent holy aura. Some of them even swung their heavy weapons to hype themselves up.

Arius' second finger protruded out. Elemental Archers such as Luke took out a crystal from their stash, creating an elemental bowstring for their handle risers. In Luke's case, he created a flaming arrow from his crystal and targeted one of the two ugly gargoyles on the perch.

The third finger rose. Rogue Lord Kama led his team of elites to the flanks as he unsheathed his deadly dagger. One scout instantly turned invisible and hung on the wall as if his fingers were made out of adhesive glue. They were waiting for the first barrage to end so that they could attempt to target the weaknesses of the S-Class golems.

Four fingers up, and Group C, the most dangerous force of them all, had already prepared all of their charge-up magic attacks. The Arcane Warlock Rhykius summoned out his familiar, a one-eyed spectre made out of the darkness, which coated all of his magic spells with an onyx hue. Other magicians did the same. Summoners brought out their familiars with rapid speeds, while elementalists held on to their charged spells. Even the martial artists, who relied mostly on magically strengthening their bodies, were now ready to strike with their full force. White Sorceress Minerva created a barrier to protect her feeble group, while Aria and Yvette watched on. It was finally time for the fireworks to start.

"NOW!!!"

As Arius raised up his final finger, the man hollered out like a barbarian rushing in for war. At his mark, all of the pent-up power that the raid force possessed were finally being released onto the unmoving golems.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

The entire floor trembled, mimicking that of a magnitude nine earthquake. To escape the trembling, Aria cast a simple levitation spell on both Yvette and herself, suspending themselves in the air while others struggled to stay on their feet. Billowing smoke covered the fifteen stone golems, blocking all line of sight. Without any enhanced goggles, the best that Aria and Yvette could do was wait for the dust to settle.

"Did it work?" Yvette asked after waiting for ten seconds.

"No… No, it didn't." When the black clouds finally thinned out, the outcome became increasingly apparent. Staying completely still without any further blemishes, the fifteen stone golems remained utterly unfazed by the initial attack and behaved as if nothing had happened. No, something did change.

MMMMMNNNNNNGGGGG!!!

Those stone eye sockets of the golems, the ones that creeped Aria out to no end, turned blood crimson. Like poorly maintenance robots, the joints of each statue creaked violently while dust dropped from their limbs. The gargoyles near the ceiling pivoted their heads slowly like an owl stretching its muscles, spreading their wings in the process. The four bird golems that had been suspended in the air decided to finally obey the Newtonian laws and fluttered their wings, flying to the nearby perches, settling next to the menacing gargoyles.

The statues on the floor were no better. Leading the charge, the dragon-bear hybrid and the crocodile golems took two steps forward both of them wreathed with maroon coils of electricity. The humanoid golem acted as a circus master and swung its thorn-like weapon around, dictating the land-locked golems to get into their positions.

"Yvette," Aria looked at her elf friend, her heart mixed with a tinge of excitement and anxiousness. Who wouldn't be? They were now at the pinnacle of all dungeon dives. They were about to...

"It's time to experience an S-Class Dungeon."