Chapter 115: Perfunctory

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Perfunctory

’Good, that means I was right not to be impressed.’

Although Seraphina Sinclair didn’t know what item the guy had offered back then, she was glad she’d made the right call.

As Hannah Morgan listened to the others chat, she suddenly shook her head and sighed wistfully. "If only we could team up with Master Blacktiger."

The Master Blacktiger under discussion: "..."

She gave Hannah Morgan a silent look, not saying a word.

’Actually, your wish has already come true. You just don’t know it.’

’Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t made a move yet. As for saving someone who was jealous of her, threatened her, and even wanted to attack her... someone else could play the saint. She, for one, couldn’t bring herself to do it.’

This was why Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t acted earlier.

Hannah Morgan’s comment, though a bit random, struck a chord with Milo Shaw. "I’m so jealous of Master Blacktiger’s teammates. They probably just get carried to victory, right? Guess we’ll just have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, haha."

After his lament, he abruptly changed the subject, steering the conversation back on track. "So, what did you guys find earlier?"

Milo Shaw’s question pulled everyone’s attention back to their current predicament.

The injured Wraith hadn’t gone far. It still twisted and lingered in the passage ahead, letting out intermittent, malicious whimpers. Its hollow gaze was locked on the Fire Drawing Rune in Milo Shaw’s hand, its expression a mixture of fear and a greedy craving for the presence of the living.

A chilling wind blew from some unknown depth, carrying an even thicker stench of rust and rot.

’Never mind the monster. In the modern world, this place would make a top-tier haunted house attraction.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s mind tended to wander, but the others remained focused.

"The symbols," Hannah Morgan spoke up first, pointing to a tightly shut oak door beside them. "Like I said before, the symbols on these doors seem to follow a pattern. Look at this one, and the others up ahead. The carved symbols are different, but they look related. There’s definitely a system to it. Perhaps they’re trying to convey some kind of information to us."

Her analysis was calm and clear, instantly capturing everyone’s attention. Even Magnus Barrett, who was still panting, and the tense, wary Milo Shaw turned to look.

Seraphina Sinclair followed her gesture and examined them as well. The symbols were indeed intricate and shared similarities, but they weren’t any recognizable human script. Without some kind of key to decipher them, they would be nearly impossible to understand.

’Thinking of this, Seraphina Sinclair suddenly recalled something from the last novice instance. Someone in the area channel had mentioned a Stone Tablet used for recording information.’

’This dungeon should have one too, right?’

She tilted her head back and looked around. The space was enormous, the hallway lined with endless oak doors. ’If we have to open and explore every single one, how long will that take?’

The others continued their discussion.

"Information?" Magnus Barrett’s brow furrowed, and he asked in his gruff voice, "What did you figure out?"

Hannah Morgan shook her head. "It’s just speculation. We still know too little to figure anything out right now. Maybe we should try opening one of the doors..."

As she spoke, she cast a fearful glance toward the hazy white figure down the corridor before adding, "These symbols might also be a form of guidance. We need to find the right path, or... the right door."

"This castle is huge, and there are so many branching paths. We can’t just try every single room, can we?"

Milo Shaw scratched his head. "Who knows if we’ll find a clue or an even nastier monster behind a door." He shook the few runes he had left, his meaning clear: their "ammunition" was far too limited to waste on trial and error.

Chloe Reed, who had been cowering silently in the back, suddenly spoke in a near whisper. "The wind... The smell in the wind, I think it’s stronger up ahead."

He pointed in the direction where the Wraith was hovering, then immediately shrank back as if speaking had taken all his courage.

The smell of rust?

Everyone instinctively took a deep breath. As the chilling air filled their lungs, they noticed the faint, metallic scent of rust did indeed seem to be wafting from that direction.

"The smell of blood?" Milo Shaw’s expression shifted.

"It could be a clue," Hannah Morgan said decisively. "Regardless, it seems that’s the only way forward for us."

She gestured toward the glowering Wraith ahead. "It’s blocking the path. We probably can’t get by without taking it out."

"Shit, then let’s take it down!"

Magnus Barrett said viciously, as if trying to redeem himself for his earlier failure. "Milo, how many of those Fire Runes you got left? Is it enough to burn this damn thing to a crisp?"

Milo Shaw looked troubled. "Just two left... I already used one. This stuff isn’t cheap, you know."

Two Fire Drawing Runes might be just enough to deal with one injured Wraith, but what then?

No one knew how many more of these creatures lay in wait.

A tense silence fell over the group.

’Seraphina Sinclair remained silent for a moment. There was no point in pretending to be useless anymore. If they didn’t push forward, it would be bad for everyone.’

She lifted her gaze to Magnus Barrett, then silently pulled out a Corpse Annihilation Talisman.

’This monster is obviously one of The Undead, so there’s no need for Insight. This rune is designed to counter The Undead—a perfect tool for the job.’

Seraphina Sinclair stood at the very back, her expression unreadable. She held the flowerpot in one arm, while her other hand stealthily tore open the rune.

She aimed at the monster. A tremendous power erupted, just as the rune’s Description promised. A torrent of pure black energy shot toward the Wraith like a sharp sword. The moment it made contact, the energy expanded, creating a tangible sphere of black space!

The flash of light wasn’t particularly bright in the gloom, but such an otherworldly special effect was still impossible to miss.

The others standing in front of her whirled around almost instantly, their gazes all locking onto Seraphina Sinclair at the rear of the group.

Seraphina, however, merely stared at the Wraith with a look of indifference. ’It’s my first time using this rune paper. As for its effectiveness... I’ll have to see how the Wraith reacts.’

The Wraith, now enveloped by the force field, let out a shrill, terrified screech!

Its smoky body twisted and roiled violently, as if seared by an unseen power. It didn’t dare remain, letting out a series of chaotic wails as it tried to flee. But constrained by the force field, it could only watch helplessly as its own body disintegrated!

The entire process was over in two or three seconds.

The passage ahead was now empty, leaving behind only an unsettling chill and the faint scent of blood.

The hall plunged into dead silence.

Magnus Barrett’s mouth hung open, the muscles of his jaw slack, his eyes wide with astonishment and disbelief.

Milo Shaw’s eyes were wide. He glanced at the empty space ahead, then whipped his head around to stare at Seraphina Sinclair and blurted out, "Holy shit?! Serafelle, what did you do? How is it just gone?"

Hannah Morgan’s sharp gaze landed on the hand Seraphina Sinclair now held behind her back, her expression thoughtful.

From beneath his hood, Chloe Reed also shot her a surprised glance.

Seraphina Sinclair calmly slipped her hand back into her pocket as if she had just done something utterly insignificant. "I have no idea. Maybe it just decided it didn’t want to be here anymore."

Everyone: "..."

’That excuse is even more half-assed than your alias!’