Velrisa was surrounded by numerous skeletons. They attacked from all directions, yet Velrisa didn't respond much. She simply stood still in her place.
The skeletons leaped and swung their weapons, all aiming at Velrisa.
Snap!
Baam!
A magic orb appeared and exploded a second later. The blast created a powerful gust that pushed all the skeletons back.
Velrisa raised her hand. "My master has finished his battle. I must end this quickly," she said.
In an instant, Velrisa vanished from her spot. Within a fraction of a second, she appeared right in front of the lich she was fighting and grabbed its neck.
"Die!" Velrisa hissed.
The lich was startled. It tried to break free from her grip but couldn't. Swiftly, it began chanting a spell, and a magic circle appeared before them.
Velrisa glanced at it. "What are you trying to do this time?" she sighed.
A massive green serpent appeared behind her, mouth wide open. It was about to swallow the lich in front of her, but just as it began to move.
The ground beneath them suddenly trembled. Velrisa sensed a great threat coming from behind.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What kind of toy is this now?" she muttered.
Baam!
Velrisa's body was thrown back, crashing into the cave wall. Yet she was completely fine—uninjured. She immediately stood again, but when she looked toward where the lich had been...
It was gone.
"He managed to escape," she said.
At that same moment, a grotesque monster appeared at the center of the cave.
Its body resembled a worm, enormous in size, with human-like heads. Not just one—eleven heads in total. Each head had long necks connected to a single body. Beneath it were countless hands, their fingers constantly writhing.
Its appearance was utterly revolting, but the magic energy it emitted was immense. Velrisa's eyes narrowed sharply as she looked at the creature.
"What is this thing?" she muttered.
She didn't waste time thinking. In a flash, she moved and punched the creature's body. Its flesh shattered, but instantly regenerated.
The slime that splattered on her hand was corrosive, leaving small burns on her skin.
"Interesting," Velrisa said coldly.
At that moment, all eleven heads turned toward her. Their mouths opened, and from within each came concentrated bursts of magic aimed directly at her.
Wuuush!
With a single swing of her hand, Velrisa deflected every attack, but the monster didn't stop. It crept toward her, drooling continuously.
The saliva poured down like a river, covering the ground beneath them with a layer of foul slime.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Every mouth spoke in unison, their voices echoing throughout the cave.
"I don't have time for this," Velrisa said coldly.
She disappeared again, reappearing behind the creature. A magic orb formed in her palm, and she fired it at the monster's back. But the moment it struck. the energy vanished. It was absorbed.
A second later, all the creature's mouths opened, and the same type of orb appeared in each one, but twice as large as Velrisa's.
Boooom!
Every orb was fired at her simultaneously. They shot through the air at blinding speed. Velrisa's eyes hardened with focus.
BAAM!
A massive explosion filled the cave. Dust clouds erupted everywhere. When the dust began to settle, Velrisa reappeared. Her eyes gleamed sharply.
There were scratches on her arms. small ones, but to her, it was still irritating.
"You actually made me serious, huh?" she said in frustration.
A green aura surged from her body. Serpent scales began to cover her skin, almost transforming her, but she restrained herself. With effort, she calmed her rage, returning to normal form.
Still, her expression was deadly serious. Being injured by a creature she deemed beneath her was unacceptable.
"I'll kill you," Velrisa said.
A weapon materialized in her right hand. In the next second, she charged forward and attacked the abomination before her.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The monster roared back. It wanted to kill Velrisa just as badly.
**
Crowne walked into the cave, disappointment still etched on his face. He moved slowly. The ground trembled occasionally, but he didn't seem to care.
He tilted his head slightly. "Didn't Velrisa say the beast I need to tame is somewhere near here? Where is it?" he muttered.
He stopped for a moment, thinking. For a second, he thought the beast was the wolf he had fought earlier, but that wasn't the case. This was supposed to be the first beast he would tame, something remarkable for him.
"At least it should be on par with Velrisa or Sylvara," he said, but quickly shook his head. "No. That's impossible. Those two women are anomalies."
He shrugged and continued walking. But after just three steps, Crowne noticed something strange—a section of the wall looked different. He approached it and pressed his hand against it.
The wall trembled and began to shift, revealing a downward passage.
"A secret path?"
He looked around. No one else was there. At first, Crowne thought about calling Velrisa and the others to come with him, but after hearing the thunderous noises coming from their direction, he changed his mind.
He decided to let Velrisa and Sylvara finish their battles. As for him, he would go down alone.
The place was dark. Crowne opened his system, entered the shop menu, and bought a torch for one market point.
At once, light filled the passage, revealing a staircase leading deeper underground. He stepped down carefully, one step at a time, his eyes scanning constantly becouse a secret passages often hid traps.
Crowne had no intention of dying foolishly. He stayed alert.
Sure enough, after only eleven steps, he spotted a trap ahead. A thin string stretched across the path. Crowne touched it lightly, then jumped back.
A second later, dozens of arrows shot upward from the floor, piercing the ceiling. If he hadn't moved back, he would've been skewered.
Crowne continued onward, encountering more traps, but none managed to harm him. His vigilance kept him safe.
Braamm!
Suddenly, the tunnel shook violently. Crowne drew his sword, ready for a fight. But nothing happened.
He exhaled slowly and continued forward.