Chapter 114: Looked Down On

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Looked Down On

"Magnus Barrett." The bald, burly man was concise, patting the cleaver at his waist. "I was a pig butcher in my last life. Paid a hefty price for this big cleaver. It’s the same kind I used back then, so it feels natural. End of the day, it’s all just choppin’ meat."

As he spoke, he shot Seraphina Sinclair a pointed, inscrutable look.

Seraphina Sinclair, however, remained calm, completely unfazed by his threat.

The hooded figure tilted his head up slightly, revealing the lower half of a pale face and a sharp chin. His voice was soft, with a touch of hoarseness. "You can call me Chloe Reed."

That was all he said before quickly pulling his hood back down.

’Probably has social anxiety.’

The woman in the long dress gave a slight nod, her voice cool and steady. "Hannah Morgan. I was a white-collar worker and a fan of murder mystery games. I suppose you could say I have some experience with this sort of thing."

Her gaze swept over the Sunflower in Seraphina Sinclair’s arms once more, but she didn’t ask about it.

All eyes turned to Seraphina Sinclair.

"Serafelle Sinclair."

Seraphina Sinclair casually gave a fake name, saying nothing more.

Magnus Barrett sneered at the name "Serafelle Sinclair," clearly a half-hearted fake, but he didn’t lash out immediately. His glare merely grew more hostile.

Milo Shaw, ever the peacemaker, tried to lighten the mood. "Serafelle Sinclair? Cool name, very unique! So, what should we do now—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the heavy main door suddenly let out a deafening CREAK. It slammed open more than halfway, revealing an even deeper and darker passageway beyond.

A powerful, chilling wind howled out from within, carrying a thick stench of decay and rust that nearly knocked them off their feet. In the depths of the passage, a few wisps of ghastly white light flickered, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"It seems our path has been laid out for us."

Hannah Morgan’s calm voice shattered the brief silence. She took the first step toward the door. "Standing around here won’t get the mission done."

"Hey, wait for me!" Magnus Barrett bellowed, striding to catch up, seemingly eager to display his courage. Or perhaps, he just wanted to seize control.

Milo Shaw shrugged, made an "after you" gesture to Seraphina Sinclair and Chloe Reed, and followed them.

Chloe Reed kept his head down, clutching his small Sunflower as he silently merged into the middle of the group.

Seraphina Sinclair brought up the rear, following at a leisurely pace.

The passageway beyond the door was even more oppressive than the foyer. Flanking them were mottled stone walls hung with the tattered, faded remnants of long-decayed tapestries, their once-magnificent patterns barely discernible.

High overhead, a vaulted ceiling disappeared into the darkness. Faintly, from time to time, came a sound like claws scraping on stone, but looking up revealed nothing but pitch-black emptiness.

The passage wasn’t straight, with forks and closed doors appearing at regular intervals. The air grew colder, and the stench of rust grew ever more pungent.

"What the hell is this damn place? Gives me the creeps."

Magnus Barrett muttered, his hand tightening on the hilt of his cleaver.

Hannah Morgan’s gaze swept across a closed oak door carved with strange symbols. "These symbols... they seem to follow a pattern."

"What kinda pattern?" Magnus Barrett asked gruffly, leaning in for a closer look.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced over as well.

Hannah Morgan’s brow furrowed. Before she had a chance to answer, everything changed in an instant!

SCREEE!

A bloodcurdling shriek, one no human throat could have produced, erupted from around the corner ahead!

Immediately after, a blurry, translucent white shadow lunged out, charging straight for Magnus Barrett and Hannah Morgan, who were at the front of the group!

The shadow lacked a physical form, seemingly composed of smoke and malice. Only a twisted, agonized human silhouette was vaguely discernible, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

"What the hell is that!"

Though startled, Magnus Barrett didn’t lose his nerve. With a roar, he reacted in a flash, swinging his cleaver down on the creature!

The heavy cleaver passed through the white shadow without resistance, as if slicing through empty air. It only caused a ripple-like distortion within the apparition, failing to inflict any real damage. On the contrary, the shadow passed through the blade, and a blurry "hand" lunged directly for Magnus Barrett’s face!

Hannah Morgan hastily took a step back, putting distance between herself and the creature.

Magnus Barrett felt a wave of icy malice invade his mind. His vision blurred, and a torrent of negative emotions flooded his consciousness.

Fear, anger, despair!

His movements hitched, and he nearly collapsed.

Magnus Barrett let out a pained grunt. His eyes instantly became bloodshot and his body swayed, the cleaver nearly slipping from his grasp. Having landed a successful blow, the white shadow emitted an even shriller, more terrifying screech and lunged again!

The others were on high alert. But they had all just seen Magnus Barrett’s cleaver pass straight through the creature’s body, which meant one thing: conventional attacks were useless against it.

But since it was focused on attacking Magnus Barrett, the others considered this a small blessing.

Hannah Morgan put on a show of panic but had no intention of intervening. Chloe Reed stood quietly in the corner, anxious but helpless.

It was Milo Shaw, however, who suddenly pulled a rune from his pocket—one that Seraphina Sinclair found exceptionally familiar.

’A Fire Drawing Rune!’

Without hesitation, he tore the rune paper. Flames immediately coiled around his arm, then shot forward at his command, flying toward the monster about to tear into Magnus Barrett!

The flames struck the translucent white shadow dead-on, producing a SIZZLING sound, like cold water hitting hot oil, and spattering everywhere.

The Wraith let out an even more agonized, piercing shriek. The flames burned a gaping hole in its smoky form, and its forward momentum toward Magnus Barrett came to an abrupt halt.

"It’s working! The damn thing’s afraid of fire!"

Milo Shaw cried out in delight, quickly pulling another Fire Drawing Rune from his pocket as he kept a wary eye on the injured, retreating Wraith.

Magnus Barrett seized the chance to stumble back a few steps, gasping for air. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his eyes were still bloodshot, and he cursed, clearly shaken. "Fuck! What the hell was that! It almost got me!"

The Wraith writhed and convulsed in the passageway. The scorched part of its body squirmed slowly, as if attempting to repair itself, but the process was noticeably sluggish.

The empty spaces where its eyes should have been fixed on Milo Shaw—and more specifically, on the rune now glowing in his hand. It let out a low growl full of hatred but didn’t dare to advance.

"A rune? Where did you get that?" Hannah Morgan asked.

Staying on guard, Milo Shaw answered quickly. "I bought it from Master Blacktiger a while back. Haven’t been willing to use it until now."

Come to think of it, besides Blacktiger Ford, no one else sold those kinds of runes.

At the mention of "Master Blacktiger," however, the thick muscles on Magnus Barrett’s face twitched violently.

He stared intently at the rune in Milo Shaw’s hand, his expression instantly becoming a complex mixture of lingering fear and relief, but above all, an almost overwhelming frustration and jealousy that threatened to boil over!

"Fuck!" He spat on the ground, his voice made even hoarser and more grating by the earlier shock and his current emotions. "I wanted to buy one back then! But Blacktiger Ford turned his nose up at what I offered him in a private message!"