Screams rang out around me, both those of the monsters, and those of my allies. Looking at the side of the main force, taking care of the flanks, I could see the situation quite clearly.


    We had the momentum. That charge into the enemy was a huge advantage to us, but it also had problems. Overextension. Like in video games, overextension was just that, when a member oversteps away from his team mates. In our case, stronger teams were overextending and getting  killed.


    Slavos though, alone as he was, was quite skilled to make up for it.


    This was going worse than I thought.


    I swung my spear to the side, lodging the side blade of the spear to one of the chimeric monstrosities, then twisted it and swung it upwards. A line of red arched to the sky as one more beast fell to my spear.


    “Master Chris! Center, not so good!” Nis shouted from behind, all the while still ordering her squad.


    “I’m not blind, I can see that.” I said, squinting to the distant. The fervor was weakening at every minute.


    “Wow, your old man eyes can see that far?”


    “Don’t call me an old man, you’ll get a spanking for that.”


    “Oooh, I’d like to see you try.” She smirked and shot one more volley, the bullets gazing through just pass my head.


    I heard the dying scream of one more chimera behind me.


    “Oh, I am going to hit you later.”


    I then took a stance, spreading both feet apart for stability, twisted my torso and swung the spear to my right, then using the balls of my feet to turn. From those movements, my spear struck a wide area around me. The spearhead sliced the three approaching chimera.


    It was a shallow cut, not nearly enough to kill such hulking beasts, but they did flinch. That was enough for me to strike once more. I placed one foot behind the other, then immediately stepped one foot forward. I let my spear rest in one hand and thrust it forward to one of the beasts.


    That simple attack pierced perfectly through, the spearhead lodged deep between the eyes. With a final roar, the beast fell.


    Martial arts. Unlike spells that required chanting to evoke their effects, martial arts were different. They needed to the player to take a stance then follow a set movement to activate. Players did have the choice not to use martial arts and just attack without any proper movements, but their damage would be weaker. Proper execution of martial arts meant being able to do full damage.


    It was part the reason why those with formal weapons training were more successful in Adonis simply for the fact that they had some combat sense and knew how to use their muscles to attack.


    Of course, this wasn’t a game anymore. I had no idea if martial arts worked the same way it did in the game, but following the proper movements proved beneficial from the stress test yesterday.


    As I finished the movement set for ‘Gale Thrust’, the two chimeric beasts then pounced on me. I used this chance to test one more martial art from memory.


    I took three steps back, dodging their attacks. I then hunched forward, both hands to the handle of my spear and lunged forward one step. The spear shot through, taking one of the beasts to the grave. ‘Counter Pierce’. All basic movements with the spear.


    Of course, now I was in a predicament. After counter pierce, I was effectively defenseless. I could only grit my teeth and take the blow, that was until I heard gunshots from behind me. A moment later, I heard a heavy thud just beside me.


    “Thanks, Nis.”


    “Just doing my job.” Nis giggled. “To babysit a geriatric, I mean.”


    I chose to ignore that last bit.


    I took in a deep breath and returned to the battlefield.


    ~ - ~


    It took an hour until the battle died down. We moved our camp to the remains of the old outpost. Though it was broken, it was still a better defensive point and was much closer to our goal.


    It took another hour before we managed to completely reorganize the force. The reports... it wasn’t a good number, but I guess it was expected.


    If even 180 platinum-ranked adventurers couldn’t survive within the crypt, then our chances with only gold-ranked adventurers were worse. At the very least, our numbers alleviated that deficiency of skill. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The problem was, our only advantage was now done in. Nearly 300 injured, and 60 more killed. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that this was a bad situation.


    To add even more pressure, our mages and scouts reported that the situation within the crypt was nowhere favorable. Mages said that the density of foul mana was incredibly thick, while the scouts mention that the crypt was fortified like a castle.


    There was no way a group of a hundred or so adventurers would break through.


    “Not to mention, it’s a cramped place we can’t fully utilize our numbers. It’s a death trap.” Kyle said tiredly, sweeping away his bangs to the side.


    There was silence in the tent, but what he said was the truth. It was a hopeless situation.


    “Better late than never, I guess, but why the hell did the lodge keep something as dangerous as the crypt open and working?” Kyle asked, looking at each of the faces in the tent.


    Apart from me, Slavos, and Nis, there in the tent was also Adantel, Madriel, and one more guilder that I did not know of. There were also a few platinum-ranked adventurers like Kyle that listened in.


    Adantel sighed and gripped his knuckles. His features showing more than just frustration.


    “It’s no secret, as I’m sure some of you have already guessed, but we use the crypt to train platinum-ranked adventurers. I’m sure some of you remember going to the crypt at your promotional exam?”


    At his words, many of the remaining platinum-ranked adventurers nodded their heads. Some were surprised, some merely nodded their head in understanding.


    “At the time, we thought that as long as we culled it yearly and controlled it, it would not cause a problem. If anything, that it would benefit the city. Human greed it is, I suppose.”


    “Don’t act like you’re not part of it!” One of the sidelining adventurers shouted.


    “Don’t group me in on that despicable council! I had wanted for his death, not this!” Adantel slammed his fist on the table. Cracks appeared and broke the entirety of the table.


    Silence reigned the tent once more. His anger was fully transmitted.


    “His death?” I piped up and looked straight to Adantel. There was something fishy with how he worded it, and as someone who has had enough experience in corporate bullshit, I picked up on it.


    “Adantel, are you telling me you people kept that man alive?”


    Adantel froze, his expression that was one of anger now stiff.


    “Speak clearly, Master Adantel. Did you people keep him alive... for your benefits? No regard of how dangerous it could be to do so?”


    Adantel hung his head and sighed. “If you must know, I was fiercely against it.”


    “Is it just me, or are we missing something? What the hell are you guys talking about?” Kyle was turning impatient by the second.


    “Bastroll. The sleeping lich.” Slavos answered.


    “You’re telling me we’re having this disaster is because the lodge purposefully left him alive?!” Kyle roared and stood up form his seat. Immediately, swords made of magical energy appeared from his hands both in the shape of a saber and an arming sword.


    “Stay your hand, Kyle. It was a decision of the council, one I’m powerless against.”


    “Fuck your excuse! People are dead. Get the fuck out of here before I do something I will really love to do.” Kyle grit his teeth as if he was holding himself back.


    “Don’t you take that tone with me, I am a guilder master of the lodge.”


    “Adantel. I am afraid I must ask you to leave at this time.”


    This time, it was Slavos that spoke. He looked at his peers, their eyes was the same one as Kyle’s. It was evident that something untoward might happen to Adantel should he stay and speak.


    “I must ask you to return to the lodge and ask for reinforcements in haste. I would ask those above platinum who are mere days away. Otherwise, I do not think this ‘siege’ can hold.”


    Adantel was silent for a moment but stood up from his chair. “You’re right. Please do hold out. I will bring you reinforcements.”


    Before he left, he looked at Madriel and the other guilder to his side and told them to return. The guilder promptly stood up and left the tent.


    “No, I will stay here. I will do much more here than cooped up there.” Madriel shook his head.


    “... I see. Then, I pray you luck for the ordeal to come.”


    Finally, Adantel left the tent. The atmosphere within eased up immediately as Kyle returned to his seat, releasing the spells that he had formed in his hands.


    “Now that that’s settled, let’s start with fortifications...” And so the meeting continued uneventfully.


    ~ - ~


    I laid down on the tent given to us by the lodge. Slavos ordered us to rest for the night. His reasoning? We were one of the few trump cards that could change the tide of battle.


    Perks of being strong,  I suppose.


    Beside me was Nis, fast asleep.


    The reason for the Bastroll’s existence, eh? There was no particular reason for his existence in the lore and in the game, we had just put him there as a stealth tutorial boss, but in this world, there was more than just that.


    It continued to support my theory of this world being more than just the world we created, that the world existed before us wandering here. But then, how do things from the game and lore intersect in this world?


    Combining what I know, I think it’s fair to say that everything I know about this world, both the lore and the game, was no longer applicable, or at least, it was insufficient. I can no longer draw conclusions from what I know alone.


    It’s a conflicting feeling knowing this. One one hand, I’m slightly distressed and vulnerable. On the other, I have this sense of wonder and longing.


    What to feel, what to do, why am I here? Questions popping up one after the other, one more unanswered then the last. At the very least, I know what I should be doing at the moment, I’ll find solace in that.


    Protection. Destruction. Either we hold the line against Bastroll’s assault, or we lose our life trying. Now that Adonis was more than just a game, and people lives are on the line, I can’t be doing a half-assed job at this.


    I can’t look at the world as if I was an outsider anymore. I live in it now. I have to do my part.


    I scratched my head. I’m doing way too many things. Learning of the reason we were world-chasmed, turning Nis into a human, protecting what needs to be protecting. I feel like I’m spreading myself thin.


    This world sure is making an old man like me do so much.


    Can you hear me? whoever you are, fine, I’ll play by your rules. I’ll live in this world as a denizen of it. I’ll stop looking at it as if it was a game. So, by the end of it, give me what I want to know, answer my questions.