Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The faint glow of morning began to filter into the cave, casting long shadows and chasing away the oppressive, unsettling quiet of the night. Both teams sat in a tense circle, the dust from the recent battle clinging to their clothes, the weight of alter Drake's words clinging to their minds. He was the first to speak, placing his empty bowl of a recently eaten breakfast on the ground.

"So, we have to go to Vharzun's lair."

He said, his voice flat and direct, a cold statement of fact.

"We don't know where it is, but we can assume it's where your friend Sebastian was taken. And considering the features of this world, and what you have told me, that is where we can find a way to end this scenario."

Drake looked at him, his brow furrowed with doubt.

"But we're not strong enough to go up against a single one of the generals of his weakest son. How can we possibly face him? We need a far better strategy than just going walking to that place."

Alter Drake nodded, his expression remaining completely impassive.

"You are not getting my point."

He said, his voice calm and logical.

"To end a scenario, you don't necessarily have to defeat the "final boss", so to speak. You only have to provide a 'satisfactory conclusion' to the story. If we can end the narrative of the 'Sons of Vharzun', the System will likely consider it a victory. It's a method my team and I have used before with great success."

He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze holding them steady.

"We don't have to face Vharzun. In fact, we must avoid it at all costs. However, by visiting his lair, we can rescue your friend and find whatever item or information is needed to end this scenario within his lair, not by fighting our way through it."

Kazue looked at him, her brow furrowed in confusion and her expression laced with worry.

"You're saying it's that simple?"

She asked, her voice quiet and filled with doubt.

"All we have to do is go inside and find something to end this whole thing?"

A brief, heavy silence fell over the group, and a few members of the 'Black Phoenix' team bristled at her words. Before the tension could escalate, Charles, who had been listening calmly from the side, took a step forward. He was a beacon of polite logic in the chaotic situation.

"If I may."

Charles said, his voice as dry and serious as ever, cutting through the tense silence.

"I can understand your apprehension. However, my little experience has taught me that on the surface, scenarios are exactly what they appear to be. But in truth, they're often far more complicated than that. In high-rank scenarios like this, it's not always about brute force. It's about finding a specific catalyst, like a powerful relic, perhaps due to the setting, that can disrupt the dragonkin reign for a bit and bring the scenario to a satisfactory end, at least for us."

His words, delivered with a quiet and confident tone, made the 'No Name' team reconsider the plan. He had a way of speaking that was blunt yet incredibly persuasive. Drake looked at him, his brow furrowed with doubt, but his eyes were filled with a grim determination.

"If that's the fastest way to get to Sebastian, then let's go."

Alter Drake nodded, his expression remaining completely impassive.

"Indeed. There's nothing more to discuss. Let's move."

With a final, shared glance, the two teams began to prepare. The 'Black Phoenix' team moved with a practiced, military-like rhythm. Teo was the most efficient of them all, his movements quick and decisive as he packed his meager supplies. Alter Li stored some things in his backpack and put them away, while Samantha, humming a cheerful tune, quickly cleaned their cooking supplies and put them away in a bag that seemed much too small for its contents.

They were a well-oiled machine, each knowing exactly what to do without a single word being exchanged. The 'No Name' team, on the other hand, was much more chaotic. Katya simply sat and stared at the dying embers of the fire, her mind a million miles away, and it was only when Kazue put a gentle hand on her shoulder that she began to move. Li packed their supplies with a controlled, tense energy, while Chloe quietly went over to the recently awakened Emir and the silent Empress.

She sat with them for a moment, thinking about what was to come. She felt a mix of fear and excitement. The thought of facing a new threat was terrifying, but the idea of being a part of something and being useful, now for real, was refreshing. She looked at the Empress in Adam's body, who was now slowly stirring awake. The Empress's gaze found hers, and Chloe couldn't help but give her a small, hopeful smile. The Empress simply stared at her, her eyes betraying no emotion before turning away to look at the rest of her team.

The last embers of the campfire died, plunging the cave into darkness, save for the faint glow of the sunlight peeking in through the entrance. With a final nod to each other, the two teams began to prepare for their journey, but Drake stopped for a moment.

He hadn't had time to check his chatbox since the day before, and now that they were on their way, he thought it would be a good time to do so. He pulled up his [Otherworldly Streamer Settings] and opened the chatbox, but what he saw made his heart sink... The chat was completely glitched, with most of the messages being illegible, a series of strange symbols, and corrupted text that made no sense. He thought that perhaps it was because they were in another universe, or at least, that was the theory.

Maybe the "reception" was bad, or something, he couldn't be sure. He tried to speak with his "fanbase", but he received no response. The chat had been completely frozen and glitched after a certain point. He tried to scroll up to where he could read the messages, and finally, he found the last legible part of the conversation.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

It was a heated discussion between his usual fans and what appeared to be some kind of entities that had somehow entered the chatbox. He simply stared at the screen and sighed, lamenting the fact that he couldn't count on that function for this scenario.

With everything finally packed, and a final nod to each other, the two teams began their treacherous journey, walking out of the cave and into the faint, gray light of a new day. The air was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of disturbed soil and the bitter tang of ash. The outlines of a half-demolished forest were now clearly visible—a wasteland of broken trees and twisted trunks that spoke of a violence that was incomprehensible to them.

They walked in a line, with alter Drake and Drake at the front, setting the pace, followed by the rest of the group. The only sounds were the soft crunch of their boots on the dry, brittle ground, the low murmur of the wind, and the far-off, guttural roars of unseen beasts. The 'No Name' team, despite their best efforts, struggled to keep up with the steady, unwavering pace of the 'Black Phoenix' team. They seemed to move as if they were one being, their movements fluid and effortless, a testament to the countless scenarios they had gone through together.

Drake looked at his team, a small frown on his face. He knew they were strong, but they were not like this. They were a family, not a military unit. The contrast was stark, and it made him wonder, for a moment, if they were truly out of their depth. He looked over at alter Drake, who was walking beside him with a serene, almost bored expression on his face.

"So, what's the plan now?"

The blond asked, his voice barely a whisper in the silent forest.

"We follow the ancient road."

Alter Drake responded, his voice low but clear.

"It will take us to the great ruins, where the last remnants of this world's people have gathered. They will not be friendly, but they will have information that we need."

As they walked, the ground became more treacherous, the jagged rocks and broken trees from the recent battle giving way to a more natural, but still deadly, terrain. The air grew colder, and a thin mist began to settle over the ground, making the world around them a blurry, ghostly spectacle. They walked for what felt like hours, taking a tool on some of the 'No Name' team members, their bodies aching and their minds weary, but they never stopped, driven by a single purpose: to find Sebastian and end this nightmare.

In the distance, a faint light appeared, a weak beacon of hope in the desolate landscape. As the two teams drew closer, the light grew brighter, revealing the faint outlines of buildings. But this was no simple settlement. Instead, the buildings seemed to be carved directly into the side of a massive mountain, as if they were a part of the stone itself. It was a perfectly camouflaged fortress, a final sanctuary against the despair of the world. Alter Drake, who had been leading the charge, stopped before a sheer rock face that seemed to offer no entrance at all.

"This is it."

He said, his voice flat. He walked up to the wall, his fingers running along a specific crack in the stone.

"It's a false wall, but it's a good one. It's one of the last refuges that haven't fallen."

He looked at his counterpart.

"I found it a few days ago, but I've only been able to scout the exterior. The entrance is concealed by a series of hidden pressure plates and an anti-teleportation ward. The only way in is by foot."

He carefully pushed on a series of stones in a specific pattern, and a grinding sound echoed in the silence. A large section of the rock wall began to slide back, revealing a dark, tunnel-like passage. As the entrance was revealed, a group of armed sentinels emerged from the shadows, their weapons raised and their expressions full of suspicion and distrust. They were not human, but a proud and formidable race, with sharp horns and long, scaly tails that whipped in the air. Their bodies were covered in thick, leathery scales that glistened in the faint light of the outside world.

"Quickly, sound the alarm! … Halt!"

Their leader, a tall, imposing figure with a large hammer on his back, asked, his voice a low growl that shook the very ground.

"Who are you, and why have you come here?"

However, before hearing any kind of answer, he raised his hand, giving the signal to attack.

The two teams, weary from their journey, stood in silence, unsure of how to proceed. Drake and Kazue tried to explain, but the sentinels, filled with a primal rage, simply charged forward, their weapons raised. Drake used his [Heavenly Vision] to see them, and his eyes widened in shock. These were not simple monsters or even regular soldiers. They were all characters of at least Rank B, as powerful as the Paladin Knights from the previous scenario.

The 'Black Phoenix' team, however, acted without delay. They moved forward, their movements fluid and effortless, without relying on their skills, instead using their superior physical strength and combat experience to neutralize the threat.

Alter Drake, alter Kazue, Teo, and Charles moved as one, their bodies a blur of motion as they dodged and weaved through the attacks of the sentinels. Taking down the guards without seriously harming them, simply knocking them down with a series of precise blows and grab locks.

Finally, just as the last of the sentinels fell, a powerful, awe-inspiring force emanated from within the settlement, called by the alarm that was activated from the start, causing the very ground to tremble. It was a focused power aura, one that was strong enough for them to feel, but one that didn't seem to be released to the outside world.

A figure appeared from the darkness, walking towards them with a fluid, graceful motion that was almost inhuman. He was what everyone would call an Elf… With long, straight white hair that fell to his shoulders and golden eyes that seemed to glow with an inner light. He was dressed in a simple, but beautiful, robe of crimson and gold, and his face, while young and unmarred, was filled with a deep, weary sadness. Drake used his [Heavenly Vision] on the man, and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the information that was presented to him.

The Elf, Arion, stopped before them, his golden eyes filled with a raw, powerful anger.

"Who are you?"

He asked, his voice a low, melodic growl that held a chilling undercurrent of power.

"And why have you come here to violate our peace?"

Nikolai stepped forward, his expression calm and his voice filled with a persuasive charm that seemed to come to him naturally.

"We are travelers, my lord."

Ge said, his voice polite and measured.

"We mean you no harm. We were simply looking for refuge. We did not know this place was a sanctuary."

Arion's anger seemed to dissipate a little, but his suspicion remained.

"And you expect me to believe you? That you, a group of weird-looking humans who are covered in blood and dust, simply stumbled upon the last refuge on the continent?"

Nikolai nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Indeed. But we have proof that we are not a threat."

He then looked at Teo, who immediately produced a small, glowing orb from his bag. It was a fragment of the Dracling's essence, a token from the battle that they had won the night before. Arion's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the orb. He had seen its kind before, and he knew that only a user of immense power could have defeated a Superior Dracling like that. He then looked at the two teams, at their tired but resolute faces, and a small, weary smile appeared on his face.

"Very well."

He said, his voice a gentle, ancient sound.

"I will take you to our Elder. He will hear you out."

With that, he turned and led them into the settlement.