System's POV
chapter-584-1

Hundreds of Absolutes stood at the ramparts of the Sanctuary, wanting to see how the Wanderers would handle the Monster Raid that happened almost every night.

Some of them had come simply to watch an entertaining show and see who among the Wanderers would survive the monster onslaught.

Little did they know that Thirteen already knew about the Monster Raid.

Since Vassago, Poca, and the Clones of his Parade of a Hundred Demons had been observing the Sanctuary for the past few days, everything that transpired was reported directly to him.

Instead of being alarmed that a Monster Raid was going to happen at night time, the Wanderers were even feeling very excited. Under Thirteen's training, in their point of view, a horde of monsters was equivalent to free items and free food.

"I wonder what kind of monsters we'll fight tonight," David said with a smile on his face. "I hope they're tasty."

"Indeed," a skinny teenager nodded. "I hope it's a new type of Monster. That way, I can get new items from the kill."

"It's a shame that we didn't get an Avatar after killing that Rank 6 Antlion," a chubby teenager commented. "That was a very nasty critter."

"Hah… don't remind me." David sighed. "If Diana and Lady Shana weren't there, we might have suffered several casualties."

The Wanderers were ambushed by the Rank 6 Antlion when Thirteen went away to scout in another direction.

Fortunately, Diana had been around to take command, allowing them to subdue the monster who even tried to flee after it was seriously injured by their swarm tactics.

Thirteen, who was sitting on top of his wagon, smiled faintly, proud that his subordinates were now battle-hardened warriors.

Truth be told, he knew that Antlion was coming to ambush them. However, he chose to "scout" at that time to see how much all of them had improved.

The Temple of Courage was not a simple trial.

All the Wanderers needed to fight because they would not be able to return to Pangea if they didn't pass the test.

Because of this, he decided to let them face the Ant Lion without his leadership.

'It's a good thing they succeeded,' Thirteen mused. 'Tonight will probably be the last night we will fight together.'

Thirteen planned to challenge the Temple of Courage alone, not forming a party with anyone.

The Boss Room located on the Temple's 13th Floor was a bit special.

The Final Boss would match the challenger's strength, giving them a fifty-fifty chance of victory.

If someone challenged the Boss Room alone, the difficulty would match that person.

If a group were to challenge the Boss Room, the difficulty would also rise drastically, depending on how strong each individual was.

It was quite ironic.

The final floor gave everyone a chance of victory, allowing them to complete their mission regardless of how strong or weak they were.

'Laplace Demon told me to not divulge this information to the others,' Thirteen frowned. 'Knowing Roland, he will definitely party with his Original Party. But there's a possibility that a raid team will be formed, composed of different parties.

'If two or more parties arrive on the 13th Floor, they will definitely face a very strong opponent.'

The only reason why Thirteen agreed to keep this information a secret from the others was due to the fact that once a Wanderer stepped on the 13th Floor, they could no longer die.

This meant that even if they were defeated by the Boss on the 13th Floor, they would simply be ejected from the Temple, allowing them to keep their lives.

'It's almost time,' Thirteen thought as he slowly stood up from his wagon.

The sun had already set, and darkness was slowly descending upon the land.

Then, they appeared.

Over the horizon, countless shining orbs of light ran in their direction.

These orbs of light were the eyes of the monsters, reflecting light.

"Battle Stations!" Thirteen shouted.

Immediately, the Wanderers formed Ranks, preparing to engage the enemies that had come to attack the city.

The members of the Hero Party stood at the front of the formation.

Two Banners, one gold and one white, fluttered in the breeze, illuminating the surroundings.

The effect of Diana's and Shana's banners washed over the Wanderers, giving them the strength and courage to fight this battle.

Siri and Stella also stood at the front lines, while Thirteen remained at the back.

The teenage boy wanted to see just how strong Stella was, so this was a perfect opportunity to see her in battle.

"Brace!" Diana shouted as she embedded her golden flag on the ground before summoning her shield and sword.

The Wanderers who specialized in tanking monsters all lined up beside the Crusader with their shields at the ready.

"Ready!" Erica ordered as she flew toward the sky and summoned dozens of Flaming Spears.

"Aim!" Mildred shouted as the archers, who were located at the center of the formation, prepared to unleash their first volley.

Thirteen narrowed his eyes and waited for the Monsters to get within their strike range before giving the order.

"Open Fire!" Thirteen ordered.

Whistling sounds spread in the surroundings as the arrows of the Wanderers took flight.

Erica had also unleashed her Flaming Spears toward the approaching monsters, ready to roast them into barbecue.

Shana also embedded her banner on the ground, infusing it with her power.

A transparent dome of light enclosed everyone in its protection.

The good thing about the Saintess' barrier was that it allowed attacks from within to hit those outside of it.

Because of this, Erica, Mildred, and all those who specialized in ranged attacks could focus on attacking.

"Interesting."

A middle-aged man with dark brown skin and brown eyes watched the battle from afar with his arms clasped behind his back.

It was none other than the Demonic Salamander, who had taken human form.

Just like the Wanderers, it also planned to enter the Temple of Courage.

But since the Sanctuary was protected by a powerful barrier, he decided to wait until midnight before entering the city.

If the Majin King wished for it, he could make all the Monsters charging toward the city flee in fear by releasing his presence.

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But he didn't do that.

The Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent, who could threaten the Demonic Salamander's life, had suddenly disappeared from Absolute Heaven.

Despite doing his best to investigate, he didn't manage to get any clues as to how the horrifying Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent disappeared without a trace.

He never thought for a second that it was actually one of the weak Wanderers who had defeated the monster that forced him to flee for his life.