Chapter 205: A Professional Match

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: A Professional Match

Victor Warner’s face fell as he looked at the meager pile of wood next to the fireplace. "Th-then how long will this last? The first wave has only just begun!"

"Not long enough. We have to be frugal," Seraphina Sinclair said decisively. "We can’t use torches to attack these monsters. What about the oil? How much is left?"

Selene Lawson immediately picked up the leather waterskin and shook it. There was barely any liquid left inside.

"It’s almost empty."

The situation was even more dire than they had anticipated.

Fire was the key to thinning the monsters’ numbers, but fuel was extremely scarce.

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze fell on the monsters ramming against the wooden barricade outside. There were already so many of them. If the fire went out...

It was no exaggeration to say that if the fire died, the instance would be over.

"No wonder..."

Victor Warner finally understood. A trace of resentment crossed his face as he cursed, "No wonder the fucking System made sure to write the monsters’ weaknesses in the log! It wanted us to use torches!"

He continued his angry tirade, "And are these bullshit rules also a trap? Surviving three waves is considered a success. If that’s the case, couldn’t the three survivors just each use the Sunflower’s Clear Kill function once and breeze through the instance? Is it really that simple?"

’Yeah, is it really that simple?’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t know. Perhaps no one would know what traps the System had dug for them until they reached a certain wave.

’But for now... we have to fight.’

Under the monsters’ continuous assault, the wooden barricade emitted a piercing CRACK!

A wooden stake snapped in the middle, revealing a gap!

"The barricade’s broken!" Victor Warner cried out in alarm.

Just as he was about to move forward, a ball of fire suddenly shot past him and rushed toward the monsters!

It wasn’t from the fireplace, and it hadn’t used any wood. This fire...

It was from a Fire Drawing Rune!

The moment she learned these monsters were afraid of fire, Seraphina Sinclair had breathed a sigh of relief.

’What would you call this?’

’A perfect match for my specialty!’

’All my rune painting materials are still stuffed in the Silver Moon Earrings. Even if I run out of the ones I have on hand, I can just paint more while those two hold the line.’

’The only question is how effective this fire will be.’

Seraphina Sinclair focused her gaze. The fireball created by the rune accurately smashed into the gap, instantly igniting the few monsters crowded at the front. The creatures let out shrill howls, rolling around chaotically in flames, and in doing so, blocked the subsequent monsters from pouring in.

Not since burning the Rotting Corpses in the novice instance had Seraphina Sinclair seen a Fire Drawing Rune be this effective.

Flames blazed in the gap in the barricade. The ignited monsters, emitting ear-piercing shrieks, became a temporary fiery barrier.

A nauseating stench, a mixture of burnt flesh and rot, filled the air.

"It’s working!"

Victor Warner’s Spirit was greatly lifted, and the look he gave Seraphina Sinclair was filled with even more awe.

Selene Lawson also let out a sigh of relief, but her worry didn’t lessen as her gaze swept over the pitifully small pile of wood by the fireplace. "How many runes do you have left?"

"Enough," Seraphina Sinclair replied succinctly. With a flick of her wrist, two more Fire Drawing Runes appeared between her fingers. "You two watch for any that slip through. Don’t let a monster sneak up to the second floor."

Her composure was contagious.

Victor Warner tightened his grip on his dagger, his eyes fixed on the gap. Selene Lawson, meanwhile, retreated toward the fireplace, keeping one eye on the dwindling flames and the other cautiously scanning the watchtower for other potential breach points.

The first wave of monsters seemed to be focused mainly on the main entrance.

Lacking intelligence, they charged forward relentlessly, driven only by instinct. ℴ

The power of the Fire Drawing Runes was on full display. Seraphina Sinclair precisely controlled where the flames landed, each rune she threw creating a sea of fire in the gap, effectively stemming the tide of monsters.

The occasional monster, wreathed in flames but still screaming as it charged through the fire, was easily dealt with by Victor Warner!

This wave of monsters wasn’t high-grade; their only terrifying aspect was their sheer numbers.

And Seraphina Sinclair became even more convinced that the System had definitely laid a trap.

’If three waves of monsters are meant to correspond to three uses of the Sunflower’s Clear Kill, then this wave’s grade shouldn’t be this low.’

During a lull in the fighting, Victor Warner couldn’t help but glance at the seemingly endless supply of runes in Seraphina Sinclair’s hands. He swallowed hard and muttered quietly to Selene Lawson, "Master Blacktiger’s reserves... are terrifying."

Selene Lawson didn’t respond. She just silently impaled a multi-legged, centipede-like monster that was crawling up the side and kicked it away.

She was equally shocked, but more than that, she felt a sense of relief.

’If Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t been here,’ she thought, ’if it had just been me, Victor Warner, and some mediocre teammate, we probably would have had to use a Clear Kill on the very first wave, facing this overwhelming tide with so little fuel.’

After some time, the monstrous howls and crashing sounds from outside gradually grew sparse, eventually falling silent.

The dense fog remained, but the suffocating sense of pressure had lessened considerably.

A panel appeared before all three of them at the same time:

[The first wave of attacks has ended.]

[The second wave of attacks will begin in 10 minutes.]

"Pah! Only ten minutes to rest?"

Victor Warner plopped onto the ground, cursing under his breath and panting heavily.

Selene Lawson, on the other hand, hurried to the fireplace and carefully added a relatively small piece of wood, keeping the flame just strong enough not to go out.

Seraphina Sinclair walked to the gap and looked out.

The fog was still thick. The ground was littered with charred remains and viscous fluids, and an indescribable stench permeated the air.

"Something’s not right," she said suddenly in a low voice.

"What’s wrong, Master?" Victor Warner scrambled to his feet, suddenly tense.

Selene Lawson walked over as well, her expression grave. "The fog seems thicker than before. The next wave of monsters will definitely be stronger."

Seraphina Sinclair crouched down and prodded a puddle of dark green slime on the ground with her long knife.

"The monsters in the first wave weren’t very strong. If this is all there is, the System wouldn’t have needed to emphasize that sacrifices are inevitable."

Victor Warner’s face paled. "Are you saying... the next two waves will be extremely difficult?"

"I think so, too," Selene Lawson nodded. "This first wave of monsters was probably just an appetizer. The main course will likely be served starting with the second wave. After all, once you get through three waves, you get the option to leave the instance. If the System serves its ’main course’ too late, not many people will be around to eat it. So the second wave is the perfect time."

Seraphina Sinclair shot her a surprised glance. ’She’s on the same wavelength as me.’

’A smart one, then.’

Seraphina Sinclair averted her gaze and walked to the fireplace, watching the flickering flame.

’Based on the first wave, this wood should last for about seven or eight waves. Of course, that’s all assuming we don’t use any of it for attacks.’

’Without my runes, that last wave would have probably used up twice as much wood. The later waves will be much harder than the first. If we don’t ration the wood properly, we might not even make it through the first three waves required by the instance.’