Endzone: Simulated Apocalypse

With the help of Luna's lights, navigating through the cave was easy. Earlier, when Ragnar and Cyanide were fighting the massive virus tumor, the purple light being emitted from its core was enough to provide illumination for them, but now that the tumor had been destroyed, they were forced to rely on a different source of light.

Luna, naturally, was perfect for that. She had everything in her toolkit, from highly advanced weapons to a whole set of kitchen cookware. Lights, of course, were no exception.

Even after the tumor was destroyed, however, the cave's interior was still filled with the virus's remnants. They didn't affect players or Luna, and Silverfang seemed to be coping fine as well, but Dianna in particular was suffering. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to control herself from being possessed, but after a while, Cyanide decided to simply make things easier by striking her on the back of her neck, knocking her out cold, and carrying her on his back. Task complete.

Soon, they arrived at the exit of the cave, all the way on the other end. It was stuffed full with debris thanks to the last time Cyanide was here and fought Silverfang, but with a good couple of swings from Ragnar's greatsword, the exit was cleared.

And on the other side… they found what would be called a jungle. Not like the forest on the other side of the cave and all the mountains, but a real, Amazon rainforest-esque jungle.

"Holy shit…" Ragnar muttered, and Cyanide shot him a look.

"Never seen a rainforest before?"

"No, not that," Ragnar said. "It's just goddamn hot, without my equipment from Earth on."

"For a Fire Affinity user, I'd imagine you are quite apt at handling heat," Luna stated airily. "I suppose not."

"I am," Ragnar said. "Just… not without my proper equipment—the same equipment I've been wearing for years before coming here. I feel naked without it."

"Ragnar," Cyanide suddenly said as he came to a stop.

"What?"

"… Do you have any way to keep your footsteps quieter?"

"Uh…"

It was then that he realized his footsteps were the only ones making sounds as he walked through the rainforest jungle, whereas everyone else's was either very subtle or silent altogether.

"… Nope," he concluded. "Not really."

Cyanide sighed. "Well, whatever. You can serve as a distraction in case anything comes up, then."

"… Really?" Ragnar shot him a deadpan glare and Cyanide shrugged.

"You're the tank anyway, no?"

"… Fine."

With that settled, the group continued moving through the tropical rainforest, keeping a keen eye around them for any sign of danger. Fresh green shrubs and bushes lined their sides, and large and twisted roots climbed up the nearby trees. The sound of cicadas filled the group's ears, and all around them, nature in its finest shape stood.

"… It hasn't been all that long since we've came to this world, but… it sure feels like it," Kirika said, glancing around in wonder at the natural beauty around them. "Such a raw display of nature… it's been a while since I last saw a place like this."

"Yeah… the forest on the other side of the cave was somewhat unpolluted by the virus before today, but this is something else," Luna said. "This place… it makes it easy to forget we're in a post-apocalyptic, abandoned world of mutants."

"That is because of Envy's presence," Lust stated, hovering around. "Her influence has prevented the virus from corrupting the state of things here."

"Why would the GM station a Sentinel here, though?" Ragnar asked, folding his arms. "If they're trying to keep players away from finding the Sentinels, why put one in a safe haven like this?"

"He's right, it doesn't make sense," Luna said. "However…"

"… It's simple, really," Cyanide said. "This place… it's not a safe haven at all."

"Correct," Luna finished. "The tropical rainforest is widely regarded as one of if not the most dangerous biomes in nature—even above deserts. The amount of dangers that can be found here are tremendous, even without any virus affecting it. Any inexperienced person stupid enough to choose this place as their 'safe haven' will soon find themselves meeting a gruesome end."

"Huh? Like what, giant snakes?" Ragnar scoffed. "If they come, I'll whack their asses. No big deal."

With a laugh, he swung his greatsword over his back, and carried on walking. But then, the entire group stopped as they heard a sound.

"Ssssss…."

The sound… of snakes. Multiple of them.

"Look up!" Kirika yelled, pointing up at the trees. There, coiled around the branches and trunks up high in the air, were six enormous anacondas, staring down at us like predators looking at their prey.

"… Oh, shit."

Cyanide lifted his gun and shot a bullet at one of them, but it bounced harmlessly off the serpent's scaly body. It was clear these were no normal anacondas—somehow, they had skin as tough as metal—fighting them here was impossible.

And if fighting was out of the option, then…

"… Good luck," Cyanide said before dashing away deeper into the rainforest, followed by Dianna and Luna. Kirika dashed by as well with Lust trailing shortly behind, leaving Ragnar the only one who still hadn't moved.

"Wha-?! Hey, you guys- ugh, dammit!"

He knew his limits, and began running as well. He'll be damned if he has to fight those six massive snakes on his own. Bullets didn't even work, so chances are, his greatsword wouldn't do much better without the use of Weapon Arts. And despite how he seems on the surface, he wasn't stupid enough to risk burning down the entire forest and Envy with it by creating a forest fire with his Fire Affinity Weapon Arts.

"Ssss…!"

The six massive snakes, each at least 7 meters in length, chased after the group by sliding along the trees with their huge bodies. Despite their weight, however, the tree branches did not snap or break, and instead provided an excellent terrain for them to ride on as they hunted down their prey.

"Agh, dammit! Is this what they call karma?!" Ragnar cursed in fury as he ran. "Fuck!"