Chapter 19: Master's Friend

"Stay vigilant," their leader commanded, and everyone readied themselves for potential threats.

"Leader, I sense something major is about to go down," one young man remarked.

"I know," the leader replied solemnly. He then instructed Wang Feng to stay close to the group in case of unexpected developments.

"Alright, leader," Wang Feng replied, cursing his luck at the turn of events.

At the same time, Sam, coincidentally, found himself in the same dungeon.

"What's happening in the dungeon?" Sam wondered. He had cleared a dungeon earlier, and Neo's prompt informed him of the floor merging and upgrading.

"What a devious plan," Sam thought with a grin. "Those attempting it are in for a nasty surprise."

He ordered Diablo, Knife, and Small to pause their hunt and wait for the dungeon's upgrade. Intrigued by the impending event, he began to scout the area.

Ten minutes later, a brand-new E-rank floor formed as the dungeon underwent its upgrade, resulting in all the goblins' ranks increasing.

"Use the teleportation item, quickly," mob2 urged.

"Okay," both mob1 and mob3 replied, arranging the teleportation stones in a peculiar pattern.

"What an exhausting day," both mob members muttered before reporting to mob2, "Everything is prepared according to the master's instructions."

"Alright," mob2 responded, placing a strange, green, glistening object amidst the pattern.

All the teleportation stones lit up, and five D-rank players teleported into the dungeon.

In another location, several D-rank players had gathered.

"Leader, do you think they can handle their task?" a D-rank player asked with doubt in their voice.

"Let's wait and see," the leader replied calmly. He understood their reservations and sought to reassure them.

"Don't fret. They may be E-rank, but mob2 will manage everything competently."

Suddenly, another D-rank player exclaimed, "Leader, the teleportation stone has activated."

"Prepare yourselves," the leader instructed.

"Hail the 'Great Devil Emperor'!" everyone chanted as five D-rank players entered the teleportation radius.

As soon as the five D-rank players arrived, a chilling and blood-curdling sensation permeated the area.

"You've done admirably," one D-rank player said with a smile.

"No, leader, it's our privilege to serve the 'Great Devil Emperor'," mob2 quickly responded.

"Indeed, you're correct. Serving the 'Great Devil Emperor' is an honor," another D-rank player chimed in.

"Very well, let's focus on our mission," the third D-rank player urged, and they ceased their conversation.

With malicious intent, they set out to hunt both players and monsters.

...

Sam's POV:

Sam's eyes narrowed as Diablo relayed the alarming news.

"Master, someone is hunting both players and monsters," Diablo reported after his inspection.

"Yeah, I see," Sam replied, his mind racing with possibilities.

After a moment of contemplation, he made a decision. "Protect them if you can identify anyone, otherwise, let them be."

"What could their goal be?" Sam wondered aloud before returning to his own tasks.

Unbeknownst to him, chaos had erupted just outside the dungeon's outskirts due to the ongoing situation.

"Kill them all!" declared the first D-rank player, launching an attack on Su Yanran's group.

In the ensuing struggle, random players were swiftly defeated, and an E-rank player found himself desperately fighting against a D-rank opponent.

"Miss, please run!" the E-rank player shouted urgently, sacrificing himself to buy her some time. Su Yanran's desperate pleas for help fell on deaf ears.

"Hey, what are you doing? Kill her!" the second D-ranker ordered angrily.

"What's the rush? Let's savor the moment," the third D-ranker grinned.

"Yeah, it's been a while since someone sacrificed themselves for another," the fourth D-ranker chuckled.

"Footsteps," announced mob 2 suddenly.

"Sister-in-law!" a loud voice came from the other side.

"Wang Feng!" Su Yanran exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him, her expression quickly shifting to fear.

Tearfully, she urged him to run.

"Another prey has arrived," the fifth D-ranker sneered.

Unbeknownst to everyone, a pair of prying eyes observed their actions.

As soon as Wang Feng and his group entered, these eyes identified him and whispered, "Isn't he the master's friend?"

"Master, I saw your friend," Diablo quickly communicated through telepathy.

"Wait, I'm coming. Recall all the skeletons there," Sam ordered swiftly.

Using his skill, "Absolute Concealment," Sam vanished into thin air. "Let's find out what's happening in this dungeon," he murmured. With his C-rank player stats, he swiftly reached Diablo's location.

Upon arrival, he was shocked by the state of Wang Feng and Su Yanran. Quickly regaining his composure, he barked angrily, "Diablo, incapacitate these players, but do not kill them."

"Understood, master," replied all the skeletons in unison, readying themselves to fight the D-rank players.

"Huh! I sense a chill," the first D-rank player muttered suddenly, his attention drawn to the skeletons.

"Skeletons in the goblin dungeon," reported mob 2.

Hearing mob 2's report, the D-rank players realized that something was amiss.

"Fifth D-rank, appraise their ranks," the second D-rank player ordered, sensing the strong aura of blood emanating from the skeletons. 

"They are E and D-rank skeletons," the fifth D-rank player exclaimed.

After a moment of hesitation, he added anxiously, "I can't inspect the stat points of D-rank skeletons!"