Afterlife Dream

The Fire Golem Lair entrance was located at the farthest map in Lava County. All players were given one chance every week to get the raid dungeon key, but they were allowed to participate in as many raids as possible.

The level 50 raid, "The Wrath of the Fire Golem" was accessible for a party of minimum one person and a squad of maximum thirty people who were level 50 and above. The raid dungeon was open two times a day, at 10.00 and 16.00. Two hours were allocated for each party or squad to complete the raid. After two hours had passed, the people inside the raid dungeon would be forcefully teleported out of the map.

Just as Livina said, they were not running as a guild. When I arrived at the Lair entrance map, twenty-nine other people were already waiting for me. I counted at least nine to ten different guilds. As soon as I showed up, I was quickly invited to the squad. It was not too bad for a first-run set-up. Each party had a Healer, a tank, and four DPS attackers. I could see what Livina meant when she said that they made exceptions for Healers. While the tanks and the DPS attackers were mostly level 70 and higher, the Healers were only around 60. I didn't know their skill build. Unless they all scampered through the first job like me and saved skill points for the second job, it was very unlikely that they reset their skills and thus had decent Heal.

My party consisted of a Spear Master, two Shinobis, one Bow Master, one Crossbow Master, and me, the Healer. I was pretty confident in my own ability. Why? Because I had studied this one boss for ages while preparing for my first raid. I read all the guides, I watched all the raid videos. I knew all his attacks, I knew the best strategies to win the raid. I could have led the squad, really.

The level 80 Spear Master in my party was the highest level player in the squad. He went by the ID ZhaoYun. While we were waiting for the clock to strike 10 AM to enter, he turned to look at me. He looked me up and down, sizing me up based on my appearance. To be honest, I did not look that dashing with my common equipment. I was only level 60. I was not planning on investing a lot into my gears at my current level. Not unless I really had to.

"Antares, what level were you in the original version?" he asked without beating the bush.

"Fifty-two," I answered.

"Hmm."

I know what he was thinking about. Even in the original version, no one would ever rely on a level fifty-two player to conduct a serious run.

"What about you?" I raised my eyebrow. "What level were you?"

His face darkened slightly, but then he answered, "Ninety-five."

...

God damn. A level ninety-five player? He was a pro!! I resisted the urge to click on his character info then and there to find out why this gem was lying in the dust and not, say, joining a guild as prominent as Twelve.

He was instead in Friends guild. Livina's guild.

"Have you ever participated in any raid run before?"

"Nope," I said. "But I have seen all the videos and guides and..."

"Forget all about it," he interrupted my attempt to appear less like a newbie. "In this new Afterlife Dream, even the bosses come alive. Things are not that simple anymore."

...

What a statement.

Were things simple in the original version? I mean, come on. If things were that simple, then why were so many players bleeding to get even a Fire Golem helmet?

ZhaoYun did not have time to explain further, as I also did not have time to argue about the simplicity or complexity of the raid run in the original version. The clock struck ten and a booming sound resonated throughout the entrance cave.

"Insolent intruders! Have you no fear of death? I shall teach you a lesson for interrupting my slumber."

The Fire Golem's angry speech was followed by the game's mechanical voice.

"Welcome, Adventurers. You are currently standing in the entrance cave to the level 50 raid : 'The Wrath of The Fire Golem'. Please click on the NPC now to enter with your party. A maximum of thirty people in the same squad may enter the map. You have two hours to defeat the Fire Golem. The timer will start as soon as the first player enters the map, and the Fire Golem will be summoned within three minutes.

Good luck, adventurers!"

Livina started shouting, "GO GO GO! CLICK ON THE NPC NOW!!!"

I hurried to click on the NPC.

"Do you wish to enter the 'Fire Golem Lair?"

Yes. Yes, I do.

After clicking on the Yes button, my head started to spin.

"Whoa, what the hell," I mumbled while trying hard to keep my eyes open.

Three seconds later, I bumped my knees on the ground and grimaced from pain.

I looked up to see an open map. The erupting volcanoes that served as Lava County's background scenery were now in front of our eyes, spewing hot lava and sulfuric ashes into the air.

I dabbed at my forehead. A layer of sweat had appeared on my face. It was so hot in there. The air was suffocating. Almost as if I were standing in a real volcanic area.

We grouped up within the map according to our assigned parties. ZhaoYun was the leader of our party, so we just followed him wherever he wanted to go.

At the center of the map, a huge crater formed a fighting pit. The five parties spread at the perimeter and waited for the Fire Golem to spawn. After three minutes were over, the ground started to shake violently. I had to spread my legs to prevent from falling down.

"Look at that!" One player cried as she pointed at the biggest volcano on the map. Hot, black ash shot out, forming a big black cloud above it as pressure was building up inside the volcano. Not long after, a series of explosions were heard and hot lava sprayed out of the crater.

A roaring thunder was heard, then a blinding lightning bolt cut through the sky. The volcano split in the middle, and then a big ball of magma sprang out and landed in the middle of the fighting pit. All of us inadvertently retreated a few steps out of fear.

The steaming, giant ball of magma was bright red when it first landed. It cooled down after exiting the volcanic furnace and turned into a grey-black giant rock with bright red veins all over it. Only that it was not a giant rock at all. All of us sucked in our breath in fear when the ball slowly unfurled itself and the Fire Golem straightened up and stood before us in its grandeur. Twenty feet tall, with a muscular body made of lava rock. His shoulder width was two-thirds of his height, with sharp spiky rocks that merged into shoulder armors that covered each shoulder . Bright red veins spread from his left chest to his whole body, dimming and brightening gradually with every heartbeat.

Hot steam sprayed from his nose when he breathed. The Fire Golem opened his eyes. His eyes were reddish with fiery eyeballs. The monster scanned his surroundings. Before anyone recovered from the shock of his presence, he moved toward a group with super speed and flung them thirty meters away with a sweep of his large hand.

The other players screamed in terror and started to run away. I heard Livina's panicked cries in the middle of the chaos.

"PINKLADY, HEAL YOUR PARTY! IT IS FINE! DON'T PANIC! WE CAN STILL MAKE IT! YOU JUST NEED TO KEEP ATTACKING AND HEALING!!!"

But it was clear that most of these players had never joined the raid before. They might be expecting fairly meek bosses that stabbed and pounced on them but not the kind that smashed them against the wall and broke their ribs or something. I saw three parties scattering around in panic, leaving only two that were still trying their best to defend themselves and attack the monstrosity. ZhaoYun's party and Livina's party.

ZhaoYun swung his spear in front of his body and shouted, "Iron Body!"

Pearly, translucent light appeared on top of our heads and slowly traveled down to our feet, giving a warm and invigorating sensation when it touched the skin.

Our HP and MP bars just doubled. I quickly healed everyone up and took an MP pot to fill my MP bar.

"Attack, dodge. Attack, dodge," ZhaoYun said to the four attackers in our party. They nodded silently.

ZhaoYun turned to me.

"You. Heal, dodge."

I did not need to be told twice. I cast Divine Guard on everyone, Mana Guard on myself, then we charged toward the Fire Golem.

"Guys, please don't go too far from each other," I pleaded, suddenly recalling my bad experience from the first Love Dungeon. "I wouldn't be able to heal you in time otherwise."

"Listen to him," ZhaoYun said before he ran off and stabbed his spear into the Fire Golem's back.