Chapter 127: For Peace of Mind

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: For Peace of Mind

At this moment, the terrifying power of the E+ Level Talisman was on full display!

Within the force field, all was deathly silent.

Only the grating sound of corrosion and the slow, twisted writhing of the vine monsters proved that time was still passing.

To the others standing outside the third area, this was nothing short of a miracle!

And in their eyes, the one who had created this miracle turned around as if she’d done nothing at all and urged them on, "Aren’t you coming yet?"

Hannah Morgan and the others snapped out of their daze. Cautiously, she was the first to step into the third area.

The monsters were just as they had appeared—imprisoned by a mysterious power, unable to move a muscle.

Hannah Morgan darted past a few monsters, staying close behind Seraphina Sinclair. Milo Shaw, on the other hand, was bolder. He stood beside one of the monsters, observing it closely for a moment, and even looked like he wanted to reach out and touch it.

If Hannah Morgan was cautious, then Chloe Reed was just plain cowardly.

His legs went soft, and he shuffled forward, trembling. If getting on the ground wouldn’t have brought him closer to the monsters, Seraphina Sinclair had no doubt he would have crawled past them.

But Seraphina could understand. The situation was a lot like those glass-bottomed bridges at tourist spots; the odds of danger were low, but definitely not zero. The moment you step on, your heart starts pounding. It was perfectly normal to be scared.

Seraphina didn’t offer any words of comfort. This wasn’t the same environment as before.

Frankly, with Chloe Reed’s level of cowardice, it was a miracle he’d survived this long.

Seraphina was the first to step onto the staircase, with the others following close behind. After all their prey had departed, the monsters in the third area behind them began to revert to their stone statue forms.

But the Corpse Annihilation Talisman was still in effect, and because of it, the process was slowed infinitely. Seraphina could even see every single one of the monster’s movements, every minute detail.

It was a very novel experience.

She could clearly see how the Talisman’s power worked and how the monsters were affected by it.

If she had to describe the feeling, it was like a protagonist in a cultivation novel attaining enlightenment.

Seraphina dazedly shook her head. ’It’s like I understood something for a moment, but now that I try to recall it, there’s nothing there.’

She frowned, her mood suddenly souring.

’This kind of strange epiphany is supposed to come with some kind of upgrade, right? I could live without a notification from the system panel, but what’s with this vague, fleeting feeling?’

Hannah Morgan followed close behind Seraphina Sinclair. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at what Seraphina had just done, but that didn’t stop her from elevating her estimation of the woman even further.

’I don’t have any second thoughts about the contract I signed anymore. Following her on this trip was absolutely the best decision I’ve made in a long time!’

Serafelle Sinclair had said letting them follow along was to broaden their horizons.

Hannah Morgan hadn’t said anything at the time, but she couldn’t help but scoff inwardly. Only now did she realize how shortsighted she had been.

’What in the world was that?’

’A Skill? Or some kind of weapon?’

Hannah Morgan stole a glance at Seraphina Sinclair’s profile. Her features obviously hadn’t changed, but the difference between this person and her first impression of her was just too vast.

Seraphina had no time to worry about what the people behind her were thinking. Every step she took was firm, steady, and incredibly quick.

’If we move quickly on the way back, one Talisman will be enough to solve the problem. But if we’re slow, it’ll take two!’

Since she was moving fast, the others behind her had to pick up their pace as well.

The staircase between the two areas was long, but they had taken so much time on their first trip because they didn’t know what lay ahead. Now that they knew it was safe, they naturally had to move at full speed!

The group was still wary upon entering the second area, but they gradually relaxed when they saw the bones were still lying on the ground, as inert as inanimate objects.

Chloe Reed bent over to pick up Magnus Barrett’s Sunflower. The other two, Hannah and Milo, flanked him, watching his every move, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Seraphina, however, kept her eyes fixed on the scattered bones.

’This dungeon is full of jump scares. Who knows if these monsters will rise again once we move the Sunflower of the deceased.’

Thankfully, nothing happened.

Aside from the rustle of their clothing, the only sound was their own slightly strained breathing.

’Nothing else should go wrong...’

With that thought, Seraphina was the first to step onto the staircase leading back to the third area. Now it was just the return journey. ’If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to make it back to the fourth area safely.’

The instant the thought crossed her mind, Seraphina sensed that something was amiss.

’That’s just tempting fate.’

Seraphina glanced back at the motionless bones. They were too quiet, just like dead things. There was no way they looked like they could reanimate.

’Besides... the system has already pulled this trick once. It probably wouldn’t do it again.’

’If the system was going to stir up more trouble, where would it come from?’

Seraphina’s gaze swept across the second area, finally landing on the steps beneath her feet...

She froze, then suddenly stepped back into the second area.

Hannah Morgan and Milo Shaw were confused. They stood at the entrance, watching as Seraphina walked over to Chloe Reed and took the Sunflower from his arms.

Without a word of explanation, she glanced at them and said, "Let’s go."

Hannah Morgan and Milo Shaw exchanged a look, clearly confused about what Seraphina had hoped to accomplish with that little detour.

’What did I hope to accomplish?’

’Peace of mind, of course.’

’If something unexpected happened, that guy Chloe would probably just toss the Sunflower.’

’And then this whole trip would have been for nothing, wouldn’t it?’

The group set foot on the stairs in the same order as before: Seraphina in the lead, Chloe at the very back.

The moment they reached the middle of the staircase, disaster struck!

A sharp CRACK echoed from behind them without warning—not from the scattered bones in the second area, but from the very top step of the staircase.

Like the first domino in a chain, the stone steps began to crack and collapse downwards from the top at an astonishing speed. It was as if an invisible giant serpent was thrashing beneath the staircase, utterly destroying it!

Chloe Reed’s scream pierced the air. "It’s collapsing! The stairs are collapsing!"

Without looking back, Seraphina said, "What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t look back. Just run."

’I knew the system wouldn’t let our return trip be this easy, but I never expected it to destroy the path itself.’

But the stairs behind them only began to break after they’d reached the middle. It was clearly a tactic to shatter the survivors’ psychological defenses!

The steps beneath them shook violently. Rubble tumbled down with a RATTLE, plunging into the bottomless darkness below.

Hannah Morgan and Milo Shaw reacted in a flash, immediately surging forward in a desperate sprint.

Hannah Morgan shot another deep look at Seraphina Sinclair, her eyes fixed particularly on the Sunflower in her arms.

’If Seraphina hadn’t predicted this and taken the Sunflower from Chloe, he probably would have dropped it in his panic. All their efforts would have been for nothing.’