Hail Mary

Astaroth, Athena, Gulnur, I'die, and Phoenix all looked toward the ceiling at the same time. The reason they stopped fighting and looked up was plain.

Five minutes after the timer had reached zero for the penalty, the ceiling of the cave they were in started opening up. A giant hole was forming in the ceiling.

He could see sunlight peering into the dark cave, from above. Astaroth then understood what the penalties applied were going to be.

The cave they were in currently, and all the other caverns they had passed through, were now opening to the upper level. The penalties were the monster hordes.

Normally, for parties of pro players, these hordes were not much of a menace. But the current situation brought another element to it.

Since they were in a tournament, everyone considered the others as enemies. The party that had formed here was an anomaly, more than anything else.