For I Am A Side Character - 124: The Dungeon Reservation Event - Part 2

Wyverns were like the distant cousins of dragons—lesser, but still dangerous. They could breathe fire, sure, but they only had two legs instead of a dragon’s imposing four. That alone set them apart.

But right now, wyverns were the least of our worries.

Unlike most dungeons hidden deep within forests, the one we were headed to sat high up on a mountain. And unlike other dungeons, this one wasn’t enclosed in a cave. It was completely open, an arena for flying monsters to reign free over the sky.

“Stay alert,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “We don’t know what kind of monsters we’re up against this time.”

As we approached the mountain, I noticed something off. The trees around us were rotting. It didn’t make sense—flying monsters didn’t affect the environment like this. Their habitat didn’t usually rot away. So why was this happening? What was causing it?

Before I could ponder further, the faint sound of wings flapping caught my attention. I looked up and saw a group of harpies soaring in the sky, heading in the same direction we were.

“Harpies,” Jessica muttered beside me, her eyes narrowed.

“Let’s keep moving,” I replied. The tension in the air was thickening, and something about the harpies’ presence unsettled me.

The further we trekked, the more sinister things became. A low, almost imperceptible buzzing filled the air, like the hum of bees or wasps—but there were no insects in sight.

Something was definitely wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, a pair of black-robed figures descended from the sky, landing softly before the slumbering wyvern that lay curled atop the peak.

“Hmph. I still don’t get why we’re even bothering with this,” the first man grumbled, holding a strange artifact that resembled a coin tied to a red string.

“Shut up and do your job. You know how the Fifth Fallen Seat is with his schemes. Disobey once, and you’re dead,” the second man replied sharply, gripping a bag of sand in one hand. “Now, focus. Have the others finished placing their artifacts?”

The first man glanced at the artifact. “Looks like four out of seven are done. We need to hurry, or we’ll be behind schedule.”

With a grunt, the man holding the coin activated the artifact. Instantly, the wyvern stirred from its sleep. Its eyes blinked open, only to lock onto the eerie gleam of the artifact in the man’s hand.

In seconds, the wyvern fell into a trance, its massive body frozen like a statue.

“It’s working,” the man said, smirking. But it wasn’t over yet.

“Let’s push it further,” the second man intoned darkly. “Unleash your bounded limits… grow into a beast that rivals even dragons. Become a creature of rot, with wings of poison.”

At his words, the artifact flared with dark energy. The wyvern began to shift, its body contorting grotesquely as it morphed into something far more fearsome. Poisonous horns sprouted from its head, and its once-magnificent wings now oozed rot. Its jaws grew larger, more ferocious, and a wicked gleam flickered in its eyes.

The transformation was complete. What had once been a mere wyvern had now evolved into a monster that could rival a dragon’s strength—a creature born of poison and decay, with an insatiable hunger for flesh.

Before they could leave, a sudden transmission crackled through a communication stone one of them carried.

“What? The orcs… were slaughtered?” the man holding the sand repeated, frowning.

[We don’t know who did it, but it was a massacre. Someone got there before us.] came the response.

“And the artifact?” he demanded.

[It was taken.]

“TAKEN!? Damn it! Fine…Retreat for now. We’ll manage with six boss monsters.” He ended the call, a deep scowl etched on his face.

“Do you think it was the same man who took the other elven artifact?” asked the other robed man.

“It might as well be the bastard who took away the 10th seat’s life. We call him the [Blasphemer] for always getting in our way. For always intruding into our path of a true end…But even still, if the [Blasphemer] was here, it doesn’t matter. Those academy students won’t survive anyway. He is just a single man…he won’t have the time to save the students who are far apart from one another.” he muttered under his breath.

With that, the two men left, their task complete. Behind them, the newly transformed wyvern roared—a wild, untamed beast. Its foul stench spread, rotting everything in its wake as it grew restless, its power unchecked.

***

We pressed on, the rotten trees becoming denser as we climbed the mountain path. Each step felt heavier, weighed down by the creeping unease gnawing at my gut.

The harpies had long disappeared from view, but we hadn’t encountered a single monster since. No wyverns, no harpies, not even a stray goblin. Nothing. It was unnerving. Dungeons didn’t work like this—they were always crawling with monsters. The higher up we got, the more suspicious it became.

“Something’s wrong,” Jessica said, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. Her eyes darted from tree to tree, searching for any sign of danger.

“I know,” I muttered, glancing back at the rest of our group. The silence weighed on all of us.

No attacks. No ambushes. No creatures at all.

It didn’t make sense. We should have been surrounded by now, especially in a place like this—an open-air dungeon on top of a mountain, where flying monsters should dominate the skies. But instead, the only thing we felt was a lingering, oppressive presence, like something watching us from a distance, waiting.

“Shouldn’t we have run into something by now?” asked Kenji as he was, his voice tinged with nervousness.

“Stay sharp,” I replied, my tone firmer than I intended. “Just because we haven’t seen anything yet doesn’t mean we’re safe.”

Jessica shot me a glance, her usual bravado dimmed by the palpable tension. “It’s like they’ve all… vanished.”

Vanished. Or something worse.

My grip on my sword tightened. This wasn’t just strange—it was unnatural. Dungeons weren’t supposed to be this quiet. And the rotting trees… I had seen nothing like it in my time exploring these places.

The faint buzzing noise I’d noticed earlier had grown louder, though still invisible to the naked eye. There were no insects. No sign of what was causing that ominous sound. And yet, it was there, vibrating in the air, crawling under my skin.

Ahead, the path leveled out. We were nearing the summit. My eyes scanned the horizon, and that’s when I saw it.

The wyvern.

Or rather, what used to be a wyvern.

It stood at the very peak of the mountain, its body twisted and grotesque. Poisonous horns jutted from its head, its once-majestic wings now shredded, rotting, and dripping with some vile substance. The ground around it was barren—trees, grass, everything had decayed into blackened husks.

It was like staring at a walking corpse—a beast that should have died but was kept alive by some sick, twisted force.

“What the hell…?” Jessica breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

The wyvern’s eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and for a moment, I thought it hadn’t noticed us. But then its head turned, slowly, unnervingly. Its gaze locked onto us.

I stepped forward, heart pounding in my chest. “Get ready. We’re not dealing with a normal wyvern anymore.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the buzzing noise surged, almost deafening now. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint its source, but nothing appeared. The sound, though, felt like it was coming from the wyvern itself—a terrible, unnatural hum.

Suddenly, the beast let out a guttural roar, loud enough to shake the mountain itself. The sheer force of it sent shockwaves through the air, and for a second, I swore the ground beneath us trembled.

Then it charged.

“Move!” I shouted, leaping back as the wyvern’s massive, rotting body surged forward. Jessica and the others scattered, diving out of the way just in time as the creature’s claws raked through the earth where we had been standing.

It didn’t stop. The wyvern’s movements were erratic, wild, like it wasn’t even fully in control of its own body. Poison dripped from its horns, sizzling as it hit the ground, burning through stone and soil alike.

“Focus on dodging! We can’t let that poison touch us!” I called out, gripping my sword tightly.

Jessica, ever the fighter, drew her sword and stood at the ready, eyes narrowed. “Any ideas, Soril? Because fighting that thing head-on seems like a death sentence.”

“I know,” I replied, heart racing. “But there’s no way around it. We have to take it down.”

The wyvern screeched again, its wings flaring as it prepared for another charge. But this time, something changed. Its horns, already dripping with poison, began to glow with an ominous light.

And then it dawned on me.

This wasn’t just some random mutation. This thing was enchanted—cursed, more like it. Whatever had twisted the wyvern into this abomination was powerful. And it wasn’t done yet.

I raised my sword, magic surging through my veins. If we were going to survive this, we’d need every ounce of power we had.

“Zelisha, back me and the others up. We’re going in!”

Without wasting a second, I dashed forward, aiming for the wyvern’s legs. If we could take out its mobility, we might stand a chance. Jessica followed right behind me, her sword blazing with a reiforced magic as she prepared to strike.

The wyvern roared, the earth shaking beneath its fury. Its body swelled with toxic energy, and as it lunged toward us, I could feel the full weight of the battle crashing down on us.

There was no turning back.

The mutated wyvern towered before them, it was a terrifying beast transformed beyond its natural limits. As its decayed wings emitted a thick, toxic fume, it started to turn the air into something barely they could manage…but Marilyn’s skill helped them keep themselves alive against the beast’s poison.

But that didn’t end. The ground beneath its claws was tainted with poison, and the stench of rot filled their lungs. Even with Marilyn’s magic, they could barely think straight by how foul it was.

Soril scanned the battlefield, his gaze narrowing as he assessed the situation. He could easily dispatch the beast on his own, but that wasn’t the point of this battle. His team needed to face this challenge head-on, to grow stronger through the fight, even if it pushed them to their limits.

He knew it was risky…but to his experience, situations like these were what helped him grow to what he was today.

Jessica, already poised with her twin blades in hand, eyed the wyvern with determination. “Something about that wyvern is wrong. We can’t let it run wild.”

“Stay calm. Don’t get reckless,” Soril said, his voice steady. He took a step back, letting the others take charge. His role would be support—for now.

The wyvern’s roar shattered the air, and without warning, it lunged. Its massive claws swept forward with terrifying speed, aiming straight for Thors, who braced himself.

“Thors, block it!” Soril called.

With a thunderous roar of his own, Thors raised his hammer and swung it up to meet the attack. The impact reverberated through the ground, but despite his strength, the wyvern’s sheer force sent Thors sliding back, his feet digging trenches in the earth.

“Damn, it’s strong!” Thors grunted, struggling to regain his footing.

Zelisha, who positioned herself on higher ground, let loose a volley of arrows aimed at the wyvern’s vulnerable joints. But the beast, sensing the attack, beat its rotting wings, creating a gust that knocked her shots off course. “I can’t get a clear hit!” she called out, frustration mounting.

Kenji, wielding his long stick, darted in and out of the wyvern’s range, his strikes swift but barely effective against the monster’s armored hide. “We’re not making a dent!” he shouted, his face set with grim determination.

“Don’t attack one at a time…we need to find a perfect opportunity to strike.” Soril barked. He could feel the tension rising—this wasn’t going to be easy.

The wyvern, undeterred by their attacks, let out a screech that vibrated through the air. Its tail whipped around like a battering ram, aimed at Jessica. She barely managed to dodge, rolling under the strike with lightning reflexes.

“Tony, we need more defense!” Soril shouted.

Tony, silent as always, had already begun casting. Without a word, he raised his staff, and a shimmering barrier flickered to life around the group. It absorbed the next blow from the wyvern’s tail, but even Tony’s magic was strained under the creature’s overwhelming power. He didn’t speak, didn’t show any emotion—just focused on holding the barrier.

But the wyvern’s toxic fumes were growing stronger, filling the air with each beat of its decayed wings. The poison was starting to seep through Tony’s barrier. But soon enough, Marilyn came and assisted Tony with her own magic, makign him stand strong enough to keep the barrier intact.

“We can’t hold this much longer!” Jessica yelled, slashing at the wyvern’s legs. Her twin blades made contact, but even with their sharpness, they barely pierced its thick, leathery hide. “Its armor is too strong!”

Soril clenched his teeth. He knew Jessica could break through, but the creature’s enhancements were making it nearly invincible. He watched as his team struggled, and in an unconscious act, his hand was hovering near his sword. The temptation to step in was strong, but he resisted. Not yet.

The wyvern, sensing an advantage, unleashed a spray of acidic venom from its mouth. It splattered against Tony’s barrier, sizzling against the magical surface, but drops of it began to leak through, burning into the ground around them.

“Tony, push it back!” Soril ordered. Tony, without a word, raised his staff again, channeling more energy into the barrier. But the strain was showing on his face—he couldn’t hold much longer.

“We need a way to slow it down!” Kenji yelled, striking at the wyvern’s legs with his stick, but it barely seemed to notice his attacks.

Soril’s eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for an opening. They needed to turn the tide.

“Zelisha on my mark, go for the wings! If we ground it, we’ll have a better chance!”

And from this, he had to order Thors and Kenji to attack at the same time to capture the Wyvern’s attention.

All but in an instant, Thors swung his hammer down on one of the Wyvern’s legs while Kenji aimed at a more sensitive area. The Wyvern’s Anus.

It was a cruse decision which made Kenji hesitate, but he had to attack to create a chance for Zelisha.

Once they attacked, the wyvern screeched in pain, especially from Kenji’s strike.

When the chance was given, Zelisha gritted her teeth, and she took aim. This time, her arrows found their mark, striking the weakened joints in the wyvern’s wings. It screeched in pain once more, its wing faltering as it struggled to stay upright.

Jessica seized the moment. “Now! Go for the legs!” With a burst of speed, she spun her blades like a whirlwind, slicing into the soft spots beneath the wyvern’s scales. Her swords pierced deeper this time, but the beast retaliated with a brutal swipe of its claw, knocking her back against a whithered tree.

“Jessica!” Soril shouted as he could see Jessica hurt. Rushing to her side, she groaned with afew drops of blood seeping from a wound on her side, but she was still conscious.

“I’m fine,” she gasped, forcing herself to stand. “We need to keep going.”

Marilyn rushed over, her hands glowing with healing magic. “Hold still,” she whispered, placing her hands over Jessica’s wound. Light poured from her palms, knitting the torn flesh back together.

The wyvern, now enraged, let out a deafening roar and unleashed a shockwave of toxic energy that rattled the ground. The force shattered Tony’s barrier, sending the group reeling.

Soril knew this couldn’t go on much longer. His team was strong, but this wyvern was pushing them to the brink. And he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Stepping forward, Soril drew his sword, its blade gleaming with an ominous light. “Enough.” He locked eyes with the wyvern, his calm exterior hiding the vast strength he had kept in reserve.

Jessica glanced at him, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “You’re really stepping in now?”

Soril nodded. “You’ve all done enough. I’ll take it from here.”

With a speed that caught even the wyvern off guard, Soril dashed forward. His sword moved in an arc, slicing through the poison cloud effortlessly. In a single strike, he severed one of the wyvern’s wings, sending the beast crashing to the ground.

The wyvern roared in agony, but before it could recover, Soril moved again—this time, what followed behind him was Thors and Kenji carrying their weapons.

Without any orders, it was the perfect time ot fully support the attackers. So Tony disabled his shield and put his all in putting on buffs his classmates.

“Hit the vital spots!” from their Thors swung his hammer down like a crashing thunder down at the Wyvern’s head.

Kenji thrusted his staff down to the wyvern’s throat, as it hits, the staff’s power was strong enough that it broke through it’s scales and bend the Wyvern’s neck a little.

As for Zelisha, she made it rain with mana reinforced arrows that were like dynamites for each hit.

Once her arrows fell, each one was able ot burn the Wyvern’s scale off.

And finally Soril came and struck the wyvern’s heart to end it’s life. With a single thrust, the wyvern let out a final, guttural cry before collapsing, its body twitching before it stilled completely.

The fight was over.

Soril sheathed his sword, glancing back at his team. They were exhausted, wounded, but alive. He gave them a short gaze before he turned back ot the wyvern.

Jessica smirked, wincing as she leaned on her swords for support. “Next time, you don’t have to wait so long.”

“We did it…” he said.

And from it, the dungeon was conquered. And everything was caught by the drone following them.

From the drone’s view, their coordination was fantastic.

It seemed like they were able to fully utilize their skills without any sort of hindrance.

At best, this monster was a level that they shouldn’t have been able to take down, but because of Soril being able to cut one of his wings down, it gave them the chance to do their share of damage.

But on the other end, it seems as though they have failed in securing their objective.

“Oh damn…we forgot to secure the dungeon.” said Zelisha.

“I don’t think that’s the main issue.” said Soril.

“What do you mean?”

“Something felt off about this event since the moment we stepped into it’s domain. The Wyvern shouldn’t have been that dangerous and most of all…look around us. The forest is in ruin, a wyvern shouldn’t have the element to do something like this. Ms. Sera never told us about anything like this so something must have happened.” said Soril.

“…What should we do?”

“We need to go back to base camp. I don’t think it matters whether or not we did the objective. For now, we need to return.” said Soril.

As Soril was trying to gain an understanding of the  situation, out on the corner, Jessica opened her phone to see if there was any sort of noticfication sent by their teachers, but what she saw entirely was not what she had expected. “Umm…guys, you better take a look at this.”

“!!”” everyone was bewildered.

What Jessica showed them was the sight of Class-D’s live stream. The one that had the largest viewer count out of all the other streams.

The sight of it was the scene of a few students standing their ground against a beast. With one student who was standing without an arm, one student who was tryign to heal his team, and one student who was raising his shield against the enemy.

What the stream showed was similar ot that of a nightmare…

A beast…

The scene showed the students with a look of fear against a werewolf standing on it’s two hind legs…what baffled this scene was the sight of the wolf holding on to the head of a student.

One was already a victim to its massacre the moment Soril saw the footage.

“Fuck…”

After seeing this, the others turned afraid.

As this happened, Jessica then looked to the other streams,

From class-A to Class-E everyone was fighting against a monster that wasn’t promised by the event.

Something was wrong…and the one in the most danger out of all of them was Class-D.

While Class-A, B, C, and E were somehow alive against the attacks, Class-D however had already lost a few students. Class-D was the one group that didn’t have the assurance of a strong hunter.

Class-A had Jason, Audrey and Jessabelle. They were strong enough to face their monster head on.

Class-B had Conner O’niel who from Soril’s knowledge, was stronger than he looked. With his current strength, he could easily handle against the boss monster.

Class-C had Soril which he had already taken down their enemy.

And Class-E had Will Tucker who with his hidden identity was somehow surviving against the enemy. Although he was stronger than the rest of the other Class-E students, he wasn’t nearly strong enough to face against the monster on his own. So from the scene of the livestream, it could be seen that they were escaping from the boss monster.

But Class-D however were only a bundle of weak simple students. From the looks of it, they were panicking from the lost of one of their classmates.

This whole scene was a mess.

And for some reason, the guild leaders and teachers were nowhere near the event to save anyone.

[Where are the teachers? What are they doing by letting us all go through something like this!?] panicked one of the comments on the stream.

“Something must have happened. If the boss monsters were attacking us and the other class groups, it must be possible that the base camp must also be under attack.” said Soril.

“If that’s the case, then what do we do?!” asked Kenji as he was starting to panic.

“Keep calm…right now, we need to save them.”

“Save who exactly?” asked Marilyn.

“Class-D.” said Soril.

Hearing what Soril had just said, Kenji couldn’t help himself but ask.

“What!?”

“I’m going there…and right now, we can’t waste any time at all…so Jess, I need to give you something.”

“I…I don’t understand? What do you mean you’re going there? How are you going to get there?”

“She’s right Soril, We don’t even know where they are right now? So how are you going to get there?” asked Zelisha.

“And even if you do get there in time, I don’t think you’ll there fast enough to save them all.” said Thors.

“You’re right, it might be impossible to save them right now if I just go and ran there, but with this, I can save them.” From this, Soril pulled something from his storage bag and showed it to everyone.

“Is that a chain?” asked Thors.

“An Artifact. I shouldn’t be showing this to the stream since it’s dangerous. Because some people are out to get this…but I need to give this to you Jess.”

“What is it? And why do you want to give it to me?” she asked.

“I need you and the others to go and get the other Class-Groups.”

““What?””

“This artifact is known to open portals from one destination to another.” as Soril started to explain, he could see that Jessica was a bit overwhelmed…but he didn’t have any time to worry. He needed to act fast.

“I want you to gather the rest of the class groups. Both from Class-A, Class-B and Class-E…and once you get everyone, you need to go to the base camp. Right now, I’m not sure what going on, but I think sticking together will most likely increase your chances of survival. Get to the base camp and find out what’s happening.” said Soril

“And what about you?” asked Jessica.

“Like I said before, I need to save Class-D.”

“Okay, but before you got through this idea, why can’t we go with you and save Class-D together?” asked Kenji.

When Kenji asked the question, Soril was simply quiet…but from the looks of his silence, he had his reasons, although he could not say it to the others.

“…”

“Soril?”

“…It’ll only be a waste of time if we go together. I just need you guys to help the others class groups beat their boss monsters. Start from Class-A.” said Soril. Once he did, he opened a portal and

“…”

“Remember, this artifact is not used for battles. It’s used for escape…so no matter what situation you are in, save yourselves by using the artifact. Don’t go and confront anyone who you think is a stranger!” said Soril as he looked a bit conflicted.

And seeing his expression, Marilyn felt worried over some missing context.

So she asked.

“…Soril, what are you not telling us?” asked Marilyn.

“There’s nothing else to tell…” he said.

And once he did, he used the artifact. Before he could pass through the portal, He also explained how to use the artifact to Jessica.

The artifact was a simple item to use, once a person is of hold of such an item, they can easily open a portal to another location when they know perfectly of it’s image.

And thankfully, because of the stream let out by the drones, Soril had the confidence that Jessica could open a portal to the other class-groups easily as long as she had a view of the land on the stream.

“Jessica, remember…never let anyone else touch the artifact. I’ll meet you and the others at the base camp once I save the Class-D group.”

“Be careful…” said Jessica.

***

On the moment Soril passed through to the other end of the portal, he also had to wear his Aranean armor set. Once he passed through, he came in sight of the werewolf chewing on the arms of one of the students.

“…”

And like what the stream had showed him, one student has already died in this massacre. but most of all…someone was missing.

‘Fuck, I was right…Juel Miller isn’t here…’

Just as what Soril thought, Juel Miller, the brother to Miles Miller…both who had the blood of the elves flowing inside them was missing in this dungeon. He was an important component to the story…so him missing was a failure on Soril’s end.

Seeing that he was not here, Soril was furious.

“Fuck!” he screamed. And to his scream, it attracted the attention of the werewolf.

Glaring at each other, the were wolf spits out one of the hands that belonged to one of the students.

“You enjoying your fucking meal!?”

As he said this, he gripped his hand tight in anger and started walking to the werewolf.

“Grr…GRaaaHH!!” the wolf knew that Soril’s arrival was a threat. He knew all too well that some creatures were just too strong for them to even consider a prey, so all the wolf could ever act on was his own self defense….he screamed and barked at Soril with the intention of scaring him, but Soril, not wanting to waste anymore time, simply took another step…

Once he did, he appeared before the wolf only about a couple feets apart and he grabbed hold of the Wolf’s head, pushing it down straight to the floor.

The force of his arm was so strong it created a crater that left the wolf silent.

The wolf could not react in time to even process what happened.

All the wolf could see was his own blood gushing from his mouth. It splattered to his eyes…so all he could see was red. Not long after, the wolf choked on its own blood before it finally died.

What was left were five students traumatized by this event.

“…Wheres Juel?” asked Soril as his face was hidden by a mask.

“They…they took him.” said one of the students who had his arm torn off. That student in particular was Oliver…the leader of Class-D.

“…” seeing that some were injured, Soril had to help them out first.

So he took a potion from his inventory and started passing it to the majorly injured.

“Drink this, it’ll heal faster.” he said.

“T-thank you…”

“Just drink…and tell me, who took Juel.” he said.

“Black robed men…they came in with the wolf and took Juel away in a flash…we couldn’t tell where he was taken….we were too preoccupied by the wolf in front of us.” as Oliver said this, Soril could hear a tone of fear in his words.

“I’m going after Juel, you and others need to leave this dungeon. Go back to the base camp!” he said.

“O-okay…um, who are you?” asked Oliver.

“…” But Soril simply said nothing and went to chase after Juel.

This was never considered….

He never thought that the cult would do something of this degree…

And having failed to consider this much from such an evil group, he blamed himself for not stopping it before it could happen.