Kael’s demand nearly made Orion burst into tears.
“Boss, it’s not that I don’t want to, I really can’t! The materials for the revival sigil are insanely rare. I’ve only ever managed to craft five of them. I used three before this, just gave you one, and I have to keep the last one for myself.”
“Oh?” Kael rubbed his chin, an unconvinced look on his face.
“Two of the reagents are almost impossible to find: Wraith-Weed and Soulfisher.” Orion grabbed Angler and pulled him forward. “He’s the one who catches the fish. Ask him if you don’t believe me.”
Kael glanced at Angler, who nodded vigorously. “It’s true, Sir Dawnbreaker. The catch rate for Soulfisher is abysmal.”
Seeing Kael was still silent, Orion pressed on. “And the fish is the easy part! At least you can get it eventually if you just grind long enough. But the Wraith-Weed… man, that stuff is a nightmare. I only got my last batch by sheer luck from another player. I have no idea where I’d even start looking for more.”
Kael nodded slowly. He knew Orion was telling the truth. Wraith-Weed was incredibly scarce in the open world; most of it came from Hidden Realms.
During the Van Tassel Hidden Realm event, the other six guilds had all managed to harvest some. Orion must have bought his supply from one of them. Kael himself hadn't kept any from that run, having handed it all over to Lila.
He dropped the subject of the sigils. "Let's go." He led the way, ducking into the dark cavern entrance. The others quickly followed.
Kael moved with caution. In a narrow passage like this, even a single monster could be a serious problem. As they went deeper, the tunnel shrank, creating a growing sense of claustrophobia. Just as he was bracing for an attack, the space ahead suddenly opened up.
With a loud splash, Kael shot out of the water’s surface. He braced his hands on solid ground and vaulted out. Looking up, he found himself in a colossal cavern. It was so vast that he couldn’t see the far walls.
The rest of the party emerged from the water one by one.
Hazel shook the water from her hair, a wide grin on her face. “Haha, we made it through without a single fight!”
Rena came up beside her and flicked her on the forehead. “You coward. You made Dawnbreaker go first the whole way.”
Hazel rubbed her head, muttering, “I was just worried it’d be like that tunnel in the Hidden Realm again…”
Rena and Starbloom stifled a laugh, glancing at Kael. He just scratched his head. Well, he'd had no choice. The passage had been loaded with traps, and someone had to spring them.
“Shh!” Orion suddenly hissed, cutting them off. “Listen. Do you hear that?”
The group fell silent. A heavy, rhythmic sound echoed from the darkness ahead, growing steadily closer.
THUMP…
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THUMP…
THUMP…
Then, just as suddenly, the sound stopped.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for whatever it was to appear. After a long moment, the thumping footsteps started again, but this time, they were growing fainter, moving away from them.
The group looked to Kael for a decision. He nodded at Hazel, who understood immediately and took point, her shield raised. The cavern floor ahead of them was empty. She advanced cautiously, eyes scanning the darkness.
Suddenly, she cried out. “Who’s there? Someone’s attacking me!”
A stream of damage numbers began popping up over her head.
-985
-1035
-858
…
In seconds, half her health bar was gone. Rena and Glytter reacted instantly, casting [Heal] and [Rejuvenation] to pull her health back up. The party stared in shock as her health continued to dip. There was no one around. Who was attacking her? Was it a ranged attack from beyond their 40-yard vision?
While everyone else searched for the attacker, Kael looked up and spotted the culprits. “Above you!” he yelled.
Floating high in the air were five, translucent blue specters.
[Ancestral Guardian Spirit] Level 29
Guardians sent from Beryl Creek in life, their duty continues in death.
HP: 100,000
Physical Attack: 0
Magic Attack: 2,520
Physical Defense: 0
Magic Defense: 2,200
[Ghostly Form]: Cannot deal or receive physical damage. Takes double damage from magical attacks.
“Ghostly Form?” the party members exclaimed. It was the first time any of them had seen a mob with an ability like that.
“Use magic attacks!” Kael shouted. “They’re squishy!”
“On it!” Lunara was the first to react, weaving a quick hand sign before thrusting her palms forward. A cone of fire erupted from her hands.
FWOOSH!
Dragon’s Breath hit the spirits dead-on.
-4283
-4015
-4532
…
Beside her, IronShell took a deep breath, then let out a powerful shout. “Hah!”
A visible wave of pure force shot from his body, slamming into the ghosts.
-6895
-7025
-6911
…
Orion, Angler, and Starbloom joined the fray, launching their own spells. Even Glytter, the healer, was able to contribute a few nature-based damage spells.
The only one left out was Kael. He could only stand by and watch, twiddling his thumbs. He didn’t have a single magic ability to his name.
Thankfully, there were only five spirits. Hazel had no trouble tanking their damage.
[System: You have slain an Ancestral Guardian Spirit. You receive 20,000 EXP.]
[System: You have slain an Ancestral Guardian Spirit. You receive 20,000 EXP.]
…
After the spirits faded, they left behind only essence. Not a single piece of loot or crafting material dropped.
Orion grumbled. “What a cheap-ass mob.”
For once, the women all nodded in agreement. Previously, with Kael’s insane damage output, they barely had to do anything. Now that he was effectively useless, a fight that should have taken five seconds had dragged on for nearly three minutes.
Kael had considered asking Orion to use [Manifest] to summon a creature, but the party had handled it easily enough. He was happy to let them do the work.
After they recovered, the group set off again. Kael gave Hazel a simple instruction. "Go slow. Keep an eye on the ceiling for more ghosts. Don't pull too many at once."
"Got it."
They proceeded cautiously. Over the next twenty minutes, they cleared seven more waves of spirits before finally reaching the far end of the cavern. Before them, the path split into two identical tunnels. Everyone turned to Kael, waiting for his decision.
This time, Kael didn't say a word. He just looked at Orion.
Understanding, Orion reached into his pocket and pulled out three small, carved stones. He closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath. The women watched, intrigued by his mysterious ritual.
After a moment, he tossed the stones onto the ground. They landed in a distinct pattern. Orion glanced at the formation, closed his eyes again, and traced invisible lines in the air with his right hand. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Starbloom couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Well? What did you find?”
Orion pointed to the left tunnel. "There's treasure that way!"
Hazel, hearing this, immediately started walking toward the left path.
“Wait,” Kael called out, stopping her in her tracks.
“We’re going right.”
