Chapter 116: You’re Very Impressive

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: You’re Very Impressive

But in any case, the threat was gone for now.

"L-Let’s go!"

Magnus Barrett spoke up, sounding a little sheepish. For the first time, his tone lacked its usual arrogance, instead holding a hint of subtle apprehension. He shouldered his cleaver and took the lead, heading in the direction the Wraith had vanished—which was also where the stench of blood was coming from. His steps, however, were far more cautious than before.

Milo Shaw put away his rune and hurried to catch up with Seraphina Sinclair. He lowered his voice and asked curiously, "Serafelle, what on earth was that item you used? It was incredible!"

"Just a little trinket."

Seraphina Sinclair’s tone was placid; she clearly had no intention of elaborating.

Milo Shaw wisely didn’t press the matter. Hannah Morgan moved to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Seraphina Sinclair. Her voice was still chilly, but it held less of the distance it had at the start. "You’re very strong."

"Thank you."

Seraphina Sinclair gave a simple reply, her gaze sweeping over the mottled walls and tightly shut doors on either side.

The Sunflower in her arms stirred, turning its head to look where the Wraith had vanished. A thought occurred to Seraphina, and she followed its gaze.

The ground was bare. No drops from this instance, either.

The Sunflower seemed to realize this too, its thoughts tinged with disappointment. ’No yummy things again.’

In silence, Seraphina gently brushed a finger against one of its leaves in a soothing gesture.

The corridor stretched onward. After rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up before them.

It seemed they had reached the old castle’s banquet hall.

The hall was immense. A massive chandelier, long extinguished and shrouded in cobwebs and the wreckage of crystal pendants, hung from the high ceiling. A long dining table was blanketed in a thick layer of dust, its chairs overturned and in disarray. Broken tableware and dried, dark-red stains littered the floor.

The metallic stench of blood was especially thick here, almost sickening.

But what was most striking was the scene in the center of the hall.

The space wasn’t empty. A few items were scattered about.

A few tattered backpacks, several pieces of badly worn clothing, and even... the decayed, shriveled remains of several human bodies, their features unrecognizable!

Milo Shaw sucked in a sharp breath. "Th-This... this couldn’t be the clue the system gave us, could it?"

"Maybe..." Hannah Morgan replied. "We should check the bodies for anything useful."

The words had barely left her mouth when Magnus Barrett’s eyes lit up with greed. He stormed over, shouting, "Let’s get one thing straight! Anything I find is mine. Don’t even think about touching it!"

He violently kicked one of the corpses aside and started rummaging through the tattered backpacks and clothing.

Hannah Morgan frowned but didn’t try to stop him. Instead, she scanned the hall vigilantly.

Chloe Reed instinctively took a step back, clearly disturbed.

Milo Shaw, however, was pleased. He’d been worried the corpses might be dangerous and that no one would be willing to touch them.

’Magnus’s greed is actually a good thing.’

’If he really finds a clue, it’s not like he can keep it secret, can he?’ With that in mind, Milo Shaw kept his eyes glued to Magnus.

Seraphina Sinclair’s attention, however, was drawn to a massive set of double doors at the far end of the hall.

The doors were unlike any they had seen before. They were forged from a dark, dull metal. The symbols carved upon them were not a single, complex rune, but several individual runes arranged to form a hexagram.

It looked like some kind of seal.

Furthermore, a huge, strangely shaped lock was fastened to the doors.

’I’m not sure if it’s actually a seal,’ Seraphina thought, ’but this lock is definitely significant. The harder a place is to get into, the more important it usually is.’

"Quit wasting your time! It’s all junk!"

Magnus finished his search and cursed in frustration, having clearly found nothing of value.

Just then, a soft CLICK echoed through the deathly silent hall, unnervingly clear.

The sound had come from the giant metal doors.

Everyone’s head snapped toward the sound.

The giant lock on the door had... opened on its own!

The latch sprang open, as if turned by an invisible hand.

Then, a voice drifted from behind the doors. It was cold and ethereal, filled with endless sorrow and a tempting allure, echoing clearly in everyone’s ears:

"Come... save me... Open the door... Let me out..."

"I will give you... the Heart of Silence..."

"Just open the door... and you can clear this instance... Come, save me..."

Seraphina frowned slightly. ’This voice is obviously a trap. Surely no one is foolish enough to fall for it?’

The mournful female voice was like a cold spider’s thread, wrapping around their hearts with a bewitching power that struck deep into their very souls.

The words "Heart of Silence" and "clear the instance" held an almost irresistible allure for players fighting for their lives.

Magnus’s breathing instantly grew heavy. Greed and impatience flashed in his eyes as he took a step toward the metal doors without a second thought. "Clear the instance?! What are we waiting for!"

"Wait!"

Hannah Morgan shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. "Calm down! That voice is obviously a trap! What kind of boss begs for mercy and just hands over the reward?"

Milo Shaw snapped out of it and quickly chimed in, "Hannah’s right! It’s a blatant trap! The lock opened on its own! The thing is trying to lure us in!"

Magnus froze mid-step, a muscle in his jaw twitching as reason warred with greed.

He stared at the massive doors, which seemed to promise both endless treasure and a path to survival. A guttural sound rumbled in his throat; he was clearly not ready to give up.

Terrified, Chloe Reed shrank back even further, wishing she could melt into the shadows.

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze rested on Magnus for a moment before shifting away.

’How can anyone actually be stupid enough to believe this?’

Just as she was about to speak, the Sunflower in her arms swiveled its head toward the door, its thoughts echoing once more. ’Bad thing... There’s a bad thing inside... I don’t like it...’

If even the Sunflower could sense the malice, the danger was self-evident.

Seraphina gently patted one of its leaves, letting it know she understood.

’I have no desire to save Magnus, but I can’t just stand by and watch the idiot unleash a monster that would doom us all.’

In her usual, level tone, Seraphina offered her blunt assessment. "The thing inside doesn’t sound like it needs saving. It sounds more like it’s looking for a sacrificial lamb. Or... a snack."

Chloe Reed shuddered violently at the analogy.

The word "snack" seemed to jolt Magnus. He finally cooled his head, cursed under his breath, and took two steps back. But his eyes remained glued to the door. "So what now? This thing won’t shut up, it’s driving me crazy! Besides, it looks like this is the only way through, right?"

He was right. The hall was vast, but aside from the corridor they’d come from, the massive metal doors seemed to be the only other way out. The surrounding walls were solid stone, with no other exits.