Versatile: Alternate World

After a few more minutes of searching, we stumbled upon a path leading downstairs, not too far from the room where we had our unsettling encounter with those corrupted elves. It beckoned us to venture deeper into the dungeon.

"This place is massive. I wonder how it came to be," Akira marveled as we pressed on through the labyrinthine corridors of the second floor.

"Probably formed in the usual mysterious dungeon way, I suppose? Dungeons have this knack for appearing out of nowhere; it's impossible to predict," Sora commented with a casual shrug.

"Indeed," Renatta chimed in. "My grandfather mentioned that this dungeon just sprouted up one day, out of the blue. If he hadn't been exploring, we'd have never known it existed."

As we continued, Renatta abruptly halted and signaled for us to keep quiet and stay low.

"What did you spot, Renatta?" I inquired.

"Take a look to your left," she whispered.

We turned slowly, our eyes fixed on the direction Renatta had indicated. There, we laid eyes on yet another corrupted elf, different in appearance from the ones we'd encountered earlier.

"That's definitely a hybrid," I remarked, furrowing my brow as I watched it move on all fours.

"Yeah, it's a hybrid for sure. Let's handle this quietly with a bow and arrow. Alena, Labo, you're up," Renatta said, her tone serious but composed.

"Got it," Alena and Labo responded in unison, sliding into position and readying their bows. With synchronized precision, they notched their arrows and waited for the perfect moment.

The Corrupted Elf continued its oblivious stride, completely unaware of the impending danger. Then, in a swift and coordinated move, Alena and Labo released their arrows. The projectiles streaked through the air, hitting their mark with lightning speed.

The Corrupted Elf had no time to react. An arrow struck its body with lethal force, and it crumpled to the ground, life extinguished in an instant.

"Let's tread carefully. There might be more lurking nearby," I cautioned, my tone laced with seriousness.

With caution in mind, we advanced slowly, our guard levels at their peak. We hadn't ventured far from our first encounter with a monster when we spotted four more in the distance.

"I've got eyes on four more of them," Akira reported with a hint of concern in his voice.

Taking charge this time, I stepped forward confidently.

"Let me handle this, folks," I announced before slipping into [Stealth] mode and quietly closing the gap on the quartet. My experience with stealth kills wasn't extensive, but I had a decent grasp of the technique.

As I drew nearer, my Versatile Weapon morphed into a dagger, ready for action. I patiently waited for the right moment as the monster shifted slightly to the side. Seizing the opportunity, I sprang into action, seizing the Corrupted Elf by the neck and swiftly executing my tactic: a lethal stab to the jugular, followed by a touch of [Heal].

The Corrupted Elf dropped lifeless, and I vanished into hiding once again, concealing myself from the others' watchful eyes. Seconds passed, and another opening presented itself. With swift precision, I repeated the process, ensuring that the Corrupted Elf had no chance to defend itself. The kills were quick and efficient.

And then came the fourth, following the third, giving me the chance to eliminate them all without raising any alarms.

"Whoa, I had no idea you could pull that off, Bro. I always thought you were more of a hands-on fighter, not the stealthy type," Sora exclaimed in astonishment.

"I just haven't had the right moment to show off my stealth skills, but I've got 'em," I replied casually.

As we kept moving, Akira's keen senses kicked in, and he quickly raised his shield in front of him.

THUNK!

A muffled sound resonated through the area as an arrow lodged itself into Akira's shield.

"Well, it looks like we can forget about stealth now," Pandora said, nodding towards the two sentry towers where Corrupted Elves were acting as snipers, taking potshots at us.

Labo and Alena sprang into action as the Corrupted Elves reloaded their bows and arrows. They wasted no time, swiftly releasing their arrows, effectively neutralizing the threat and putting a stop to the enemy's attacks. Yet, even as they picked off the Corrupted Elves in the sentry tower, it seemed like a never-ending cycle, with a fresh enemy stepping in for each one that fell.

Meanwhile, down below, an onslaught of Corrupted Elves descended upon us.

"Prepare for battle!" Renatta called upon her druidic powers, transforming herself into a formidable white tiger, and charging headfirst into the horde of monsters. Witnessing her transformation, I too tapped into my druidic abilities, morphing into a massive bear, and harnessing the Druid's knack for shape-shifting. With the two of us leading the charge, the rest of our comrades swiftly followed suit.

Alena and Labo held their ground beside Akira, expertly deflecting incoming arrows while simultaneously unleashing a barrage of their own. It was a relentless game of cat and mouse with the snipers, as every time one was taken out, another swiftly took their place.

Pandora and Sora unleashed their abilities, swiftly taking down the Corrupted elves. Meanwhile, Renatta and I relied on our brute force and primal instincts to deal with the threat.

After a few intense minutes, we managed to defeat every single Corrupted Elf attacking us. They dissolved into nothingness, leaving us to ensure there were no reinforcements. With a collective sigh of relief, we reverted to our normal forms and regrouped.

Pixie wasted no time in tending to our wounds as we remained on high alert.

"This is strange... this dungeon seems to be exclusively populated by Corrupted Elves. Could it be some kind of tomb or crypt?" Alena pondered, scanning our surroundings.

"It's a possibility. These Corrupted Elves can't just spawn randomly in a dungeon. It's likely that this place has a dungeon core located within a tomb, using the deceased to create an endless supply of monsters for us to fight. I've never felt such unease before..." Renatta shook her head.

"Are you suggesting we find and destroy the dungeon core?" I asked.

"For now, let's keep exploring. Until we have concrete proof, we should continue clearing this place, even though it gives me the creeps," Renatta replied, examining our surroundings.

I could only nod before deciding to inspect the sentry towers.

The two sentry towers were solid stone structures, so demolishing them without explosives wasn't an option. Additionally, there were rooms inside both towers that piqued our curiosity. Alena and Labo ventured inside to recover their arrows and assess their usability. Meanwhile, I took it upon myself to explore the small room within one of the sentry towers, and to my amazement, I stumbled upon a treasure chest.

I approached the treasure chest cautiously, wary of any potential traps. Thankfully, it seemed that the creators hadn't rigged it with any nasty surprises. With a sigh of relief, I gingerly opened it to reveal its contents: a collection of coins, an elegant garment that appeared to be of elven origin, and a peculiar piece of paper.

As I examined the elven garb for any clues, I was met with frustration as an error message flashed on the display panel. It seemed this particular attire held no discernible information.

"Manato-kun, have you found something?" Alena, who had just descended from the upper floor after retrieving her arrows, spotted me inspecting the mysterious garb.

"Take a look at this, Alena. Doesn't this garment resemble what the elves wear? I remember seeing a few elves in similar attire when we first arrived."

Alena's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Manato, hold on a moment. I need to get Renatta. She absolutely has to see this."

Alena bolted out the door, urgently calling for Renatta. I couldn't fathom why she was so keen on reaching out to Renatta. Did she share some mysterious connection with that peculiar garment that had thus far eluded my understanding?

My gaze shifted to a small piece of paper nestled within the treasure chest. It had been there all along, but my initial curiosity had fixated on the enigmatic garment. Now, however, my focus shifted to the paper; it was high time I deciphered its contents.

A sigh of disappointment escaped me as I scanned the unfamiliar letters adorning the paper. It was a sentence composed of characters from a language I couldn't fathom. While I had a grasp of several languages used within the game and could decipher their words, this one remained an enigma, stubbornly resisting my efforts to unravel its meaning.

Alena had just returned, and this time she had Renatta in tow.

"Why the rush for me to see whatever it is?" Renatta was puzzled by Alena's urgency.

"Take a look at what Manato had in his hands. Isn't that the same robe your grandmother used to wear before she vanished? I remember it vividly from the days when she was just as famous as your grandfather, before her sudden disappearance."

Renatta's gaze fell upon the garment in my hand. When she laid eyes on it, her expression shifted from confusion to sheer astonishment. Without a word, she reached out and snatched the garment from my grasp.

"No way... this is my grandma's robe, the one she wore before she disappeared! How on earth did it end up here?!"