Cye rubbed her hands, reag out for the elite. But suddenly a cold shiver rand down her back.

  “Ah what’s this?”

  A ghostly wail sounded in the room. Like bck smoke a blurry ghost rose from the body of the demon. It stopped for a moment as if branding everyone’s faces in its memory before rag through the wall.

  Cye was frozen in pce, ing almost close enough to touch the ghost.

  “Ok. Don’t worry, its gone.”, forted Liam with an amused smile.

  Cye let out a deep breath while asking with a shivering voice:

  “What was that just now?”

  “A ghost.”

  “No sh*t sherlock.”, excimed Cye, annoyed. “But why was it there?”

  “Because it possessed the demon. That’s were the ge in status came from.”

  “So, did we fight the demon or the ghost?”

  “If you ask who was in trol I’d guess the ghost.”

  “Scary. I hope I never have to experienething like this.”

  Suddenly Liam let out a cough, causing his friends to look at him suspiciously.

  “What? I didn’t even say anything.”

  Luckily the awkward atmosphere got interrupted when Cye received the loot, promptio speak up in dissatisfa:

  “And what is this supposed to be?”

  She held up a small idol in the form of a demon. It was made from a red stone and had the number 4 on its forehead.

  “This is the clue for this puzzle.”, expin Liam.

  Silver Bde looked at the idol in Cye’s hand, uanding quickly.

  “So, the red ring should be activated as fourth?”

  “Right.”

  “Doesn’t this mean others have to search the entire byrinth, remember its yout, kill the elites, and then activate the rings?

  What a waste of time!”, excimed Cye with raised eyebrows.

  “We should t ourselves lucky, for we have Mirage by our side.”, ented Radiant Shield.

  “Right, with the expert here there is no way for ao clear the dungeon before us!”

  “Almost feels like cheating…”

  Liam felt rather awkward with everyoalking about him in such a manner. He hastily interrupted them.

  “Ok ok. Don’t exaggerate. If we stay here any longer, we might still get overtaken. Acacia, let’s leave.”

  The others found it amusing seeing Liam like this. But when Silent Acacia left the room, everyaiheir seriousness, fog on the dungeon.

  Subsequently the party tiheir way through the byrinth. With Liam’s knowledge they soon arrived in a room decorated in blue. After pressing the button, a demon carrying a mighty thunder spear appeared.

  It ossessed as well, its ghostly abilities threatening the mages a few times. However, the party, already ba their peak state, dealt with it steadily, killing it without casualties.

  The same se repeated a few more times. Fighting ah demon in the red room, wood demon in the e room, gold demon in the purple room, fire demon in the green room, and finally a wind demon iurquoise room.

  Whe demon fell and the st ghost disappeared from the byrinth, a rumbling noise echoed through the world. The entrance suddenly closed, cutting off the path.

  The friends were fused when they suddenly felt the entire room move. After a few seds it stopped and two openings appeared.

  In both dires one could see other rooms, lined up ly.

  Suddenly a voice could be heard ing from one dire.

  “Well done, adventurers. I see you figured out the meism at the same time as I did. endable.”

  A hint of embarrassment could be heard in her words as Onrabell flew into the room. Without waiting for an answer, she hastily left for the other side.

  “Adventurers, don’t waste time! We ’t let these infernals succeed with whatever pn they are brewing!”

  Everyo amused as they quickly followed the major, passing the seven rooms and arriving before a rge gate adorned with ominous, blood-red magic circles.

  “Another puzzle?”, asked Balm, inwardly hoping for a yes.

  But Onrabell’s words disappointed her:

  “Adventurers, I feel a strong pathering behind this gate. You better take a rest. Be prepared for a tough fight.”

  The party took the major’s warning seriously. Although their spells were mostly off cooldown, they rested for a few mio recover their mental exhaustion.

  Liam slowly massaged his temples, feeling a headache creeping up. But he gritted his teeth and tinued, determio clear the dungeon.

  The him but didn’t ent. Soon, everyo prepared. Under Liam’s lead they pushed opee before them.

  A spacious, unadorned hall got revealed. Its high walls reached towards the bck river in the sky, allowing only a fes towards the side where light could shihrough.

  In the dark hall a se in the ter appeared rather spicuous. One could see a rge magic circle eg seven main nodes.

  The seven ghosts which escaped the byrinth earlier sat within the nodes, surrounded by a grey-red light.

  Boom!

  Everyone flinched as the gate behind them suddenly smmed closed. Instantly an eerie, raspy voice could be heard, eg through the room.

  “Pesky intruders! You try to stop me? Hahaha, you walked straight into my trap.

  Remain, a my servants take over your bodies!”

  Onrabell scoffed at the air:

  “Coward who doesn’t dare to show their face! e out! Those few ghosts won’t be able to stop us.”

  Only a long ugh answered here, which gradually grew quiet.

  At the same time a pulse of magic erupted from the circle in the ter. The seven ghosts were suddenly sucked towards the ter, colliding with each other. A rge amount of mana was sucked form the bck river in the sky.

  Pressured by the mana the ghosts fused together, f a siity. Quickly a 3 meters tall ghost appeared in the hall. It had four arms and three faces, two of which were attached to its heavy, grey chest pte.

  A bck banner rose behind its head, drawing mana from the bck river. Its bck cws sharp like a scorpion’s spike were difficult to dete the dark room.

  With a swing of its arms, bck arcs shot against the ground, leaving behind deep ruts.

  Finally, the party members felt the ability to move again. Silver Bde dutifully used her [I] against the boss.

  [Seve Ghost ServantRank: Sub-Boss

  Level: 23

  HP: 5700/5700]

  “Why are it’s Hp so low?”, asked the tank puzzledly.

  “That’s the tradeoff for its high physical resistance!”

  “Doesn’t this mean this is our time to shine?!”, excimed Cye joyfully.

  “If you mao finish your casts, sure.”

  “What do you…”

  Before Cye could speak further, the ghost servant directly showed off its first skill. With a wave of its hand, ice spikes shot through the air.

  The party members felt reminded of the ice demon. However, pared to earlier the ice spikes were not only more numerous but also faster.

  “Careful!”

  Silver Bde could only let out a shout as the attack arrived before her.

  “You ’t block them…”

  Cye just wao remind her friend wheched the first ice spike sm into Silver Bde’s shield, breaking into hundreds of little crystals. The mage had question marks in her eyes.

  However, when Radiant Shield tried to block as well, the ice turned illusionary, passing through his body. Silent Acacia behind him was surprised and received a painful blow to his chest.

  [-1211!]

  The hunter watched in horror as nearly a third of his HP disappeared.

  Eerie ughter could be heard from the ghost servant’s three faces. They looked down on Silver Bde eared before its body, smming her shield against the ghost’s legs.

  The others had been waiting for the tank to take the initiative. Cye’s and Fortune’s magic attaded on the boss’s grotesque faces.

  [-230!]

  [-145!]

  Watg the mages, Liam quickly gave them orders before they could start their casts:

  “Cye, Fortuand within the light. Oo the left and the other to the right.”

  The two women turheir heads towards the small areas where light fell into the hall through the gaps above. Without asking any questions they immediately plied.

  Meanwhile the others began to attack the ghost. Bloody Edge suddenly appeared behind the boss, apanied by four bright daggers, which stabbed into its back. In one smooth motion his hands fshed, cutting into the ghostly armor.

  He frowned as he noticed the ghost’s leg blurring for a moment, making his attack feel as if stabbing into pudding.

  [-433!]

  [-29!]

  [-15!]

  At first Bloody Edge was happy, watg his daggers imbued with holy magic searing the ghost’s body. But looking at the damage dealt by his normal attacks he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “You didn’t joke when you said its physical defense if high…”, ehe thief with a forlorn voice.

  Silent Acacia looked at the arrow he just released with a foreboding feeling. Out of the physical attackers he was the only one whose entire skillset didn’t tain a single different damage type.

  [-118!]