Just before being chased like dogs…
Roman opened his eyes.
Before him, the typical goblin-infested plain was nowhere to be seen.
It was a rocky area, made of lava stones and glowing volcanoes.
His gaze turned to the other three.
"Hey guys, where the hell did we end up?" he asked with a hint of doubt.
"No idea…" Tobias shook his head. "But do not worry, the Rift is a safe place. We will not face monsters stronger than us."
Golia nodded, his gaze wandering around the area. "By the way, care to explain how you are still alive despite being level 2?"
Zun turned his head toward Roman, staring at him deeply.
Roman laughed briefly, "Is it not obvious? Did I not tell you? My talent is too strong, the world had to nerf me…"
The three merely scoffed. By now, they had realized it was better to talk to a rock than to him. He only spouted nonsense.
"I cannot wait to see you face a monster, oh great Mage Roman!" Zun mocked.
The moment he finished saying those words, a roar erupted not far from them.
All four turned their gazes into the distance, but due to the fog surrounding the area, it was hard to see beyond a few kilometers.
"That was scary…" Zun murmured, slightly hunching. "Are you sure we ended up in a low-level zone? You know, in the past, there were cases of groups dying because they ended up in areas beyond their reach…"
A brief silence fell over the air.
"Especially when the group exceeded four…" he added, his eyes briefly falling on Roman.
"Relax, we should be fine, we are four," Golia said, patting his friend's shoulder.
On the other hand, Roman felt strange…
"Am I the only one who feels like we are being watched?" he asked weakly, more a rhetorical question than anything.
But Tobias intervened immediately. "Exactly, I feel the same way."
Silence fell over the area again, broken only by occasional geyser eruptions.
With a cough, Roman drew attention.
"So, we have no choice but to move forward, right?"
The others nodded, and the four began walking in the opposite direction of the roar they had heard earlier.
Caution was never enough, after all…
Shortly after, a group of strange, robust-looking creatures appeared before them.
"Hey, do those not look like lava golems?" Zun asked, his expression a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
The others did not respond. They were too far to see the monsters' levels or their distinct features.
They approached, slowly.
A little later…
"Damn, they are level 20?!" Zun stifled a scream, ready to turn back.
The three of them were barely level 10, not to mention the newcomer, Roman, at level 2…
"What are you worried about, Zun?" Tobias approached, putting an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. "Our Mage Roman said he would handle it, right?"
He emphasized the last words, staring at the newcomer.
Golia smiled faintly, amused.
Roman, however, froze.
Cough.
"You guys seem like low-level bullies…" he grimaced. "I will take care of it, but let me first go to the bathroom to empty my bladder—"
He did not have time to finish speaking before Zun, tired of his chatter, picked up a rock and threw it toward the two golems.
The rock landed next to the golems with a thud.
The two turned toward the group of humans.
A faint growl escaped their mouths, if they could be called that.
Before Roman could focus on the enemy, the three stepped back a few paces, leaving their companion alone to face the two monsters.
"Hey, you bastards, where are you going!?" Roman shouted helplessly.
"I will show you!" he told himself, turning toward the golems. "I will drag one to hell, I swear!"
"Fireball"
Roman launched a fireball. It was not a great move against monsters with "lava" in their name, but it was the only skill he had.
Mana flowed into his body, but this time Roman used more than 10 units.
After all, to even scratch their tough skin, also called rock, a stronger attack was needed.
He channeled a total of 50 mana, a quarter of his reserves.
The fireball left Roman's hand with speed.
It was slightly larger and radiated more heat than a fireball created with 10 mana.
Boom-
The hit landed, but before Roman could celebrate, the golem rushed out of the smoke cloud with absolute ferocity.
Its rock was barely blackened, the dark blue glow on its body completely intact.
"Hey Roman, is that all? You know, if you do not use your secret talent, you will die!" Zun held back a laugh, his belly trembling slightly.
"Exactly, if you die, you cannot enter the Rift for seven days," Tobias added, watching the scene with interest. "Sure, we can come help you, but you have to say the magic words…"
Roman launched another couple of fireballs, this time with reduced power. They were just to create confusion while he did what he did best.
Run.
Fortunately, Lava Golems did not have ranged skills. Their only move was Lava Vomit.
Literally a jet of lava shot from their mouths, but it had a very short range.
Also, they were not very fast… they were still made of rock, beneath which a faint blue glow shimmered subtly.
"You damn bastards, I swear if you do not help me, I will drag you to the grave with me!" the boy shouted, running toward them, only to suddenly slow down—
"Come on, Roman, just say it!" Golia stood up, ready to help the boy. The other two did the same.
It was just a prank.
They wanted the boy to admit that his talent talk was nonsense.
"Damn it, run!" Roman shouted loudly, stopping abruptly, turning 180 degrees, and running straight toward the Lava Golems.
But before the other three could express their confusion, a deafening roar sounded behind them.
ROAR!!
Their hearts leapt into their throats, a cold shiver running down their spines. Zun turned sharply, only to see a large cobalt-skinned dinosaur charging toward them with unleashed fury.
"Damn, run, it is a Cobalt Rex, level 40!"
But as Zun shouted, Golia and Tobias had already moved several meters away, leaving Zun behind.
"You damn worms, do not leave me behind!" his voice was broken with fear as a tear threatened to streak his face.
Amid all this, Roman was farther ahead than all of them. He had easily overtaken the Lava Golems, throwing a few more fireballs to destabilize them.
"This is what you get for mocking me!" he shouted weakly, almost amused by the scene.