They were three large holes, dug through the ragged wall, a faint glimmer reflecting from each.
Kate closed her eyes, sniffing through the holes.
"What do you sense, Kate?" Asked Lex.
"They're all filled with various crystalline rocks along with other treasures. Which should we go then?"
"None are safe; they are all teeming with monsters."
"Wait here," interrupted Dane, "I'll go through the one on the left; when I'm done slaying the remaining goblins, you can all join and mine."
Each of the prisoners accepted.
Except Elle, who had a mischievous smirk attached to her face.
Lex watched the green armoured knight enter into the hole on the left.
From the decision Dane took, it was obvious he didn't have a lot of experience with dungeons; if a dungeon never collapsed, it meant somewhere within, the boss of the dungeon was still alive.
"System?" Echoed Lex in his mind.
{Yes host}
The mechanical voice of the system answered.
"I know it's not a total part of your programming, but in order for me to know what to expect, what are the chances of Dane's survival?"
{Suggestion accepted}
{Roughly 50% chance of survival, decreasing as he goes deeper into the cave.}
Lex thought so; Dane shouldn't have assumed there were all goblins.
He would have helped him if he was stronger, but in his current state, he'll only be a barrier; he had to focus on getting the new occupation now.
"Come on, Lex," Kate spoke, walking towards the hole in the middle.
"What are you doing? Kate, you said the holes are teeming with monsters, right?"
"Yes, I know, but are you going to wait for that old knight to die trying to kill them, then we miss the chance of lunging a sneak attack?"
That was a fair point from Kate; Lex then followed her into the middle hole; the other warriors watched in amusement as they both disappeared from their midst.
They walked further into the hole; after a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a little pond adorned with various crystals.
Lex would have been amused at the sight, but was discouraged; laid around the pond were various sacks like theirs, weapons also scattered across the ground close to it.
"Watch out!" Kate screamed, pushing Lex aside; an iced arrow whizzed past his ear; she immediately caught it with her hands, throwing it back at the monster which threw it from deep in the pond.
{Qalupalik magic beasts detected}
{Mana stone output 4}
{Kill as many as you can to get a change of occupation}
{Good luck host}
Lex took a quick glance at the translucent screen as he laid on the ground, "Thanks, Kate," he spoke, staring at Kate, who had already changed to her spotted jaguar form, with a deadly gaze set towards the pond.
Lex moved to the back a bit; this was a bit more dangerous than he had expected; he dropped his sack on the ground, gripping onto his sword tightly.
As he peered at the pond right at his front, the magic beasts began rising from the pond slowly; they had a green scaly skin, which looked weaker than it actually was.
They rushed out of the pond in hordes, with a few who stood behind, shooting arrows at both the jaguar and Lex.
The icy arrows that were shot at the jaguar only broke and fell on impact; the skin of the jaguar was too strong.
The jaguar charged forward towards the magical beasts, who also rushed from all directions.
Lex parried the arrows that were shot at him with both of his swords; although his stance was not perfect, he managed to accurately strike them.
When they got a few meters close to where he was, Lex lunged for an attack, thrusting his sword into the head of a Qalupalik, while using his other sword to shield the sharp nails of another; without hesitation, the translucent screen flickered in front of him.
{Notification: you have defeated a Qalupalik; + four Mana points}
He went for another strike, mutilating each of the monsters mercilessly, while simultaneously dodging the strikes from the arrows.
The numbers of the Qalupaliks increased, overwhelming Lex; they began landing a few scratches on his body.
He was being pulled back; the spotted jaguar immediately joined in, supporting him to withstand the magic beast.
Lex was slightly injured, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face; he had faced death before, and facing it again isn't going to be a problem for him.
Little by little, the numbers of the Qalupaliks reduced, leaving the few archers amongst them left behind.
Kate immediately charged at the remaining few; a frail look crossed their faces as the jaguar pounced on them; still, they didn't relent as they shot more arrows at her.
Lex sat close to the pile of Qalupaliks he'd killed, shifting his gaze towards the translucent screen floating right at his front.
{Notification; Congratulations host}
{Number of Mana stones acquired; 124/150}
{You may now proceed to killing the boss}
"Yes," muttered Lex under panting breaths; he was now close; judging from the number of Mana stones he had acquired, he had killed more than twenty of the Qalupaliks.
He wiped sweat off his forehead as he watched the jaguar stain the pond with the blood of the archer Qalupaliks.
He then walked towards both of the sacks they'd dropped on the ground and started picking up the various crystalline rocks that shone around the pond area.
Lex continuously picked dozens of the crystals from the ground, filling each of their sacks with the precious stones.
He then gazed at Kate, who sat close to the pond, splashing her bare feet on the cold water, which was strangely rid of any trace of blood.
"You know, it's quite strange how you're a jaguar one second, and then the next, you're a human again."
Kate shifted her gaze to the side, "What about it?" She asked, squinting her eyes suspiciously.
Lex then continued, "When you transform to your jaguar form, your furry outfit vanishes, and when you return, it's suddenly back on; how?"
Kate stood on her feet, "I won't tell," she spoke, sticking her lips out while crossing her arms.
"Shouldn't you go out to call the others? I can't sense the boss, so he should probably be in the hole where Dane entered."
"Alright then," answered Lex, "I'll go call them in."
Lex turned back and walked out of the pond area.
Kate proceeded to the two sacks; she grabbed onto one of the precious stones in her sack, admiring it, when there was a loud rumbling sound from the pond behind her; she shifted, turned; right in the lake was a large red Qalupalik!