Chapter 212: The Last Room of the 1st Level They collectively agreed to auction the Enchanted Tablecloth and other acquired items, splitting the proceeds among the group.
The Chalice, however, found its new owner in Rever, as he was most likely to benefit from its unusual powers.
Despite the practical advantages of the Chalice, Rever soon found himself unwittingly becoming the center of amusement when his facial hair grew noticeably thicker with each indulgence.
His newfound beard, while unexpected, became a source of laughter among the group.
"Is there no end to this place?" Rever muttered, frustration etched on his face as he gulped down another potion, whisking away the remnants of the drink lingering on his lips. "All the potions I bought from the tavern have been consumed now."
"Patience, Red Dragon," Victor chided him, his voice calm. "We’re about to enter the last room."
"Finally!" Rever huffed, exhaling sharply. "It’s about time."
"I can’t believe we made it this far," Yuzuro said, her voice tinged with both exhaustion and hope as she replenished her MP with a potion. "I just hope we can clear the second level as well."
"What are you talking about?" Rever lectured her, a glimmer of determination in his eyes. "Of course, we’re going to clear the second level too."
. He grinned without a care, his canines glinting in the dim light. "Who knows, maybe we’ll be the first ones to clear this dungeon after all. Buwahahahaha!"
"By the way, I think the system is about to log us out," Yuzuro changed the topic and ignored Rever, her voice laced with worry. "What will happen then?"
Victor reassured her. "Just like in the previous dungeons, our items will freeze, and our time here will pause. Everything will resume once we log in again. By then, all spells and skills that are limited in use per day will reset after twenty-four hours have passed in the game.
"But if you log in before the twenty-four-hour mark, your skills and spells will remain the same."
"I see . . ."
The group came to a halt in front of a wide door, undoubtedly the entrance to the last room before the second level.
"Alright, everyone, I hope you’re all ready to face whatever boss is waiting for us on the other side," Victor declared.
Xin, Rever, and Yuzuro were slightly taken aback.
"T-there’s a boss?" Yuzuro stuttered, her eyes widening in surprise.
Victor only looked at them, a grin playing on the edge of his lips as he crossed his arms. "Did you think we would advance to the second level without defeating a boss?"
Rever and Xin exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "Yeah."
Victor gave a wry sigh. "Listen here . . . the reason that even top guilds couldn’t advance to the final floor is because of this very challenge. So, be prepared."
With one full push, Victor opened the heavy door.
As Xin and the others stepped into the last room of the first level, they noticed that the air was quiet and unsettlingly still.
Before them lay a single, shimmering magical gateway, drawing them forward with its potent spiritual force.
The portal pulsed with an inexplicable power as they approached, offering to carry them to the next level of the mysterious Bizarre Tower.
A mixture of anticipation and anxiety hung in the air as they braced themselves to confront the challenges that lay beyond the barrier.
As they prepared to step into the tower, the portal began to whirl with vivid colors, beckoning them to enter uncharted territory.
But just as they were about to cross the threshold, the candles illuminating the place were suddenly snuffed out by a mysterious, chilly breeze, shrouding the area in darkness.
"W-what’s going on?" Yuzuro asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"Yuzo, get behind me," Rever said, his tone grim as Yuzuro quickly complied, seeking shelter behind him.
Xin swiftly created two Basic Golems to aid them in whatever they were about to face.
Frustration marred his expression as he couldn’t create more, needing to conserve his materials for the challenges yet to come on the higher levels of the tower.
In the enveloping darkness, Xin, Rever, and the others had no problem seeing, their eyes adjusting to the lack of light.
Yuzuro, however, retrieved a [Torch] from her inventory and lit it, providing a flickering light source in the gloom.
For a minute, silence reigned, broken only by the echo of the occasional footstep.
Then, Rever, Midnight Duchess, and Victor noticed a shadow darting and leaping around them before vanishing into the darkness again.
"W-what was that?" Yuzuro asked, her torch trembling as she waved it in front of her, trying to dispel the surrounding shadows.
Once more, silence fell upon them, the only sound being the distant peals of a child’s laughter echoing through the room.
Yuzuro shivered and gasped, a chill creeping down her spine.
Midnight Duchess, with her keen senses, observed a shadow slithering toward them on the floor.
"Look out!" she warned, her voice sharp with urgency.
But her warning came too late.
From one of Rever’s own shadows emerged a childlike figure, moving with eerie swiftness. The apparition clawed at Rever’s face before he could react.
"Augh!" Rever shouted, stumbling backward, his hands instinctively covering his wounded face. Pain etched across his features as he suffered significant damage to his HP, losing several hundred points in the attack.
"Hikari, heal him!" Victor barked, his voice urgent and commanding.
Yuzuro, still in shock, didn’t immediately register that it was her account name that Victor had called.
"Yuzuro!" Victor shouted again, snapping her out of her daze.
This time, Yuzuro shook off her shock and swiftly pointed her staff at Rever. "H-heal!"
"What is that?" Xin asked, his eyes still struggling to keep up with the elusive shadow darting too quickly for him to follow.
"It’s a Shroudling," Midnight Duchess said.
She had managed to track the shadow’s movements for a brief moment and, utilizing her [Monocle], captured its stats.
She then quickly shared the information with everyone.
As soon as its name was spoken, the shadow began to coalesce, gradually taking on a discernible form — a small, human-like creature.
Xin and the others exchanged incredulous looks.
"A child?"