Floor 36th, Singularity Laboratory

Arthur couldn't party with Lucy and was randomly allied with one of the contestants, the elven archer, to be exact. Their task was to escort a machine loaded with power cores from location A to B. The machine needs to be unscathed and all the enemies must be eliminated to guarantee their success.

The parasite didn't mind having the elf as a temporary companion because he wasn't just strong, he wasn't that arrogant either. He seemed different from the normal elves and not very talkative, but not a complete mute either.

"How come I don't bother you? I heard Elves abhor parasites."

As he didn't sense any hostility from his new teammate, Arthur curiously asked the elf named Ar'wen.

In response, the elf, who was busy enchanting his wooden that was covered with ivy, shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly said:

"Most elves are what you call 'Religious'. They worship nature and, in particular, Dmitra, who's titled Mother Nature. As a race that has a grim history of corrupting and harming the environment, the elves do indeed loath parasites but that doesn't apply to everyone. I consider myself open-minded and don't judge someone purely based on their races, after all, how is that different from what the Dominion is doing, right?"

"I like your way of interpreting things."

"Thanks for the compliment." Just as he said that, Ar'wen readied his bow and fired three arrows, destroying three machine-like flying centipedes. "4 o'clock, two targets."

"On it." Arthur shot two green bolts of lightning at the enemies, breaking them into dozens of pieces. They were both standing on top of the large and broad machine, which was moving on its own toward the destination. It looked like a vehicle and was loaded with multi-colored sphered that contained large quantities of Dark Matter. Arthur didn't know if all the contestants got the same task but it seemed rather unlikely as it's too simple.

The laboratory was too big and to navigate on your own is difficult as it was like a maze. The system's map was disabled and his sense was restricted due to the Dark Matter negating the spreading of Nether Energy, or any other energy that is weaker, such as Mana or Qi.

So, far, the enemies weren't that strong but the more they advanced, the stronger they got. Their number also substantially increased, so was their appearances. The flying centipedes filled the air but they weren't as troublesome as the neon giants, which were slow but very hard to break. Dark Magic had no effect on them as they weren't living beings and the Natural and Godly lightning grazed them, at most.

Even so, Ar'wen's arrows managed to hinder them and the stronger ones broke down the giants, called Prototypes-R2 with one hit, at times. The elf didn't look strong but he was extremely skilled in archery, he's able to fire multiple arrows simultaneously and change their trajectories even after shooting them.

By far, he was the best archer Arthur had ever seen and was truly a strong individual. Apparently, he doesn't belong to any elven tribe and, like an poet he knew in the past, he's a traveler who received a personal invitation from the Joker.

"This won't do, you need to stop them. I'll support you from here."

It didn't take long for them to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of aerial and terrestrial enemies coming from all directions. Arthur was doing his best to keep them away but he had to hold back a bit as his destructive skills may damage the slowly moving machine, which is quite vulnerable. A single hit from one tiny centipede took a third of its health, which, fortunately, gradually recovers. Apparently, the vehicle has a function that allows it to self-repair but it has to be immobile and not attacked in the process.

The place was over-run with the prototypes and machine insects and due to the blocked path, the moving vehicle was forced to stop. Arthur retrieved the sword he got from Timos, jumped in the air, and slashed one time before quickly storing it. That one attack caused his arm to became as thin as a branch and his body to slow down for a couple of seconds. He felt suffocated and his heart tightened due to the severe consumption, nevertheless, he managed to successfully blast away all the enemies blocking the front.

An unstoppable and invisible gust of sword essence cut down countless centipedes and close to ten giants, rendering them useless. The vehicle started moving again but the fight wasn't over as there were still enemies coming from both sides and behind.

Ar'wen pointed his bow to the roof and pulled the string but didn't fire, he was readying his technique, which took five seconds to cast. When he released it, hundreds of green arrows cascaded upon the enemies, stopping their charge and breaking them.

The parasite transformed into a praying mantis that had a special armor made of empowered golden threads. The insect's two wings were made of green lightning and its sharp claw-like wings had the White Tiger's acid on them. Like a ghost, Arthur flashed from one place to another, cutting the enemies in pieces. His speed was too much for the machines, which either crumbled in one or two hits. The acid was highly effective as it bypassed their tough shell and melted down the cores.

…

*You have completed the task. Please wait until all the cores are unloaded.*

*Bonus task: defeat Prototype-R0 to receive bonus points.*

"What do you say, wanna give it a try?"

Arthur asked the male elf, whose ears twitched as he turned around and faced the parasite.

Ar'wen glanced at the motionless giant machine that resembled a Cerberus. It had three heads made of dark golden metal and looked ferocious, to say the least.

It seemed to be slumbering but if they accept the bonus task, it'll wake up, of course.

"I don't see why not."

The elf seemed like a very easy-going person and didn't consider Arthur as an enemy. They were rivals but, currently, they were allied together and it won't hurt him to obtain more points, if the opportunity arises.

Arthur accepted the task, causing the boss to open its gem-like eyes and glare at them. He was about to lunge at the enemy only for Ar'wen to stop him and say:

"Wait, I've got something that will help you."

He handed him a white pocket that was similar to a charm, it shone with a bright light the moment it made contact with Arthur's hand.

*You received the buff: [Nature's Blessing]: All stats +10% for one hour.

Nature Magic will deal 150% more damage.

Nature Magic has a 30% chance to inflict a damage over time effect for 30 seconds.*

Arthur accepted the buff and transformed into a large thorny treant which rooted itself on the ground and attacked the incoming boss. Thick green vines sprung from below and stabbed the machine, they stopped its mad charge and even pushed it a bit. Since Nature Magic was buffed, he would not mind using it, after all, it's very strong but can easily be countered by Fire or Magma, for example.

Ar'wen jumped on one of the treant large branches and fired his a big wooden arrow which hit one of the cerberus' heads, breaking a part of it in the process.

The fight wasn't easy, however, thanks to their flawless cooperation, they managed to ware down the boss and pulverize two of its heads. It took them half an hour to reduce its heal to a third before it entered some sort of an enrage mode that boosted its damage.

At some point, it reached Arthur and tried to bite down the treant's trunk, however, it bumped into a watery and invisible surface, causing it to bounce off and miserably roll on the ground. It was then bombarded with a rain of arrows that pinned it down on the ground. Arthur followed with his Nature Magic, he made grass grow from the metallic ground, they wrapped around the cerberus and ten or so seconds, the boss was completely bound.

Ar'wen grasped this opportunity and shot a truly powerful arrow that even startled Arthur. The fast arrow was unimaginably big as it spiraled in the air and struck the target, destroying its last head and finishing it once and for all.

"Beautifully done."-Arthur

"Thanks."

The elf jumped down from the brunch and calmly put the bow back on his back, he didn't appear to be tired as he went next to the headless boss to examine it, not bothered by the destruction around him or the twitching body, which was frightening but harmless, nonetheless.

*You defeat Prototype-R0. You will be rewarded with 25,000,000 points.

Arthur MoonStar and Ar'wen will shortly be teleported to the Waiting Room.

Team 13 is the 6th to complete the 36th floor.

Clear time: 3 hours, 48 minutes, 2 seconds.*