The 2 seconds in parentheses refer to the stun duration inflicted on monsters. Monsters have very low mental strength—even the bosses' mental strength is negligible—so the stun duration will be doubled. However, monsters have very high HP, so being stunned for two or three seconds doesn't make much difference; you can just keep hitting them.

"Time's up, let's move out!" Two hours later, Broken Saber suddenly opened his eyes.

The team had a total of fifteen people: three warriors, three rogues, two mages, five warlocks, one archer, and the ghost slayer Shadow Blade.

Broken Saber spoke with the NPC and received the quest item "Pandora's Seal." Then, everyone felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, and in the next moment, they were teleported to the entrance of the Demon’s Nest dungeon.

As soon as they arrived, everyone immediately felt a chill rush over them. The cave was dark and eerie, like the gaping maw of a beast. Occasionally, ghostly wails echoed from deep within, sending chills down their spines.

Chapter 005: Rivals

"'Little Bunny Candy' is responsible for protecting 'Shadow Blade' with a magic shield. Along the way, let's save as much time as possible. Avoid monsters if we can; we must get ahead of the European Dream Team. Move out now!" Broken Saber said, leading the way into the cave. The others followed closely behind, while "Little Bunny Candy" fell to the rear of the group. She glared fiercely at John Carter and lowered her voice, saying, "I'm warning you, don't hold me back!"

After speaking, she slowly cast a magic shield on John Carter. Naturally, John Carter wouldn't argue with a young girl; he quickly caught up with the main group.

There were too many monsters along the way. Although the team tried to save time, they still often had to engage in fierce battles with monsters. The fights were extremely dangerous, but John Carter felt as if he were on a sightseeing adventure. He didn't have to do anything—just stood in the middle of the team, protected by the magic shield from Little Bunny Candy, and watched his experience points rise in waves.

This was a level 35 dungeon! A group of high-level players in their 30s were power-leveling him, a level 20 rookie rogue. How could the leveling speed not be fast? Opportunities like this were impossible to find under normal circumstances.

Broken Saber kept checking his watch while fighting monsters, his expression growing more and more serious. He knew the strength of that European Dream Team: the son of a British tycoon, the grandson of a Russian financial oligarch, the heir of the Italian mafia, and the level 36 "Terrifying Ivan"—an expert from Russia's largest mercenary organization, whose cultivation technique allowed him to go without sleep.

That team's strength was absolutely beyond theirs. Judging by the time, they should already be on the second floor of the Demon’s Nest.

Sure enough, not long after, Broken Saber received a message: "Dear Jun Dao, where are you? We've already broken into the second floor of the Demon’s Nest. In three minutes, we'll be fighting the Demon King's minions."

The message was from Terrifying Ivan. Broken Saber knew this guy—in fact, the two were archrivals.

"Captain, we're surrounded by monsters!"

Broken Saber frowned and said in a deep voice, "Break through, at all costs!"

The team members began using some expensive combat potions. The five warlocks buffed the team with War God's Power and Bloodthirst. The warriors held the front line, while the mages, rogues, and archer unleashed a barrage of attacks.

Even John Carter symbolically threw a few explosive potions and poisoned the monsters.

Looking at his experience points, at this rate, it wouldn't take long to level up. John Carter had already reached level 20. He'd been doing quests for the past two months; though the experience was meager, it had accumulated to over 90%. Now, he was about to hit level 21.

The team fought for a full five minutes before finally clearing out the monsters. John Carter also leveled up to 21, but even though his experience bar was full, he didn't immediately upgrade. In "Gods and Demons," leveling up instantly restores all stats, which can be a lifesaver.

"Full speed ahead, enter the second floor! The European Dream Team is probably already fighting the boss—we have to hurry!"

"Yes, Captain."

There were far fewer monsters on the second floor of the Demon’s Nest, but their levels were higher, so clearing them wasn't any easier than the first floor. The team fought hard all the way and finally burst into the Demon Hall after five minutes.

As soon as they entered the Demon Hall, everyone felt their vision suddenly brighten. Streams of lava flowed everywhere, waves of heat rushed over them, and even the rocks they stood on were dark red from years of exposure to magma, burning hot to the touch.

"Thump! Thump!"

Heavy heartbeats echoed from afar, pounding in everyone's ears like a sledgehammer, making them feel as if their own hearts were being suppressed.

John Carter was secretly shocked. If just the Demon King's heart was this powerful, how terrifying would the Demon King himself be?

"Shadow Blade, seal it!" Broken Saber tossed Pandora's Seal over. John Carter caught it steadily. "In a moment, we'll hold off the Demon King's minions—the rest is up to you."

"Don't worry." John Carter's gear was a bit shabby, but he'd played plenty of online games before and had seen many big scenes like this, so he wasn't too nervous.

Just then, the hall suddenly shook violently. Rocks cracked, and magma boiled.

"Roar!"