"So, you''re saying a masked man, monster-like creature is hunting you guys?"


    "Y-yes!"


    At first, Evadne found it ridiculous how Katia described the being that was chasing after them. A masked monster? Aside from the asional orcs and goblins wearing helms, and their respective shamans wearing masks, the way Katia described what was chasing them was undoubtedly human.


    A cloaked figure, a muscr build with tinge bronze skin, and purple eyes that glowed along with his sinister purple aura.


    No matter how much Evadne thought about it, all the things she described were just traits of a very powerful aura master. The only difference being its monstrous voice and sinister aura.


    "That sounds like a powerful aura master. Are you sure it''s not just a skilled mage or someone proficient in dark magic?" Evadne questioned, trying to rationalize the description.


    Thebyrinthine nature of the dungeon was known for harboring formidable opponents, both monstrous and human.


    "But the voice, the aura... It felt more like a monster than a human. And the way it attacked Liam, it was brutal and ruthless," Katia exined, her eyes reflecting the fear she had experienced.


    Evadne frowned, pondering the situation. A skilled aura master disguising themselves as a monster? It sounded both peculiar and unsettling.


    Not to mention, the wounds she noticed on Liam all indicated that it was a human who had attacked them after all.


    No monster could leave such dense magical scent all over the wounds on Liam''s body, unless it were a dragon—which, as far as she knew, didn''t exist here in the dungeon.


    Even if a dragon polymorphed and entered the dungeon, there would be no chance that it would escape the watchful gaze and senses of the professors, especially Principal Victoria, who was a certified Archon.


    Whatever magic was fired at the two in front of her, the density of its traces indicated that it was a mage with at least a simr level of power to the principal.


    But still...


    It was a bit hard to believe. She herself didn''t notice such a presence entering. Aside from the sudden high mana fluctuation that led her here, there was no other evidence.


    However, seeing Katia''s and Liam''s situation, she still had to consider it as being the truth for now.


    After all, whatever it was that suddenly entered the dungeon, they had already encountered firsthand and even sustained some injuries in the process.


    Tsk... Evadne clicked her tongue in annoyance as she realized she ended up involving herself in trouble. Although Evadne could just leave the two of them here and go back to her business, now that she had already met them, it made it hard for her to leave, especially knowing that she could probably change their fate.


    "Where is that blue-haired junior when you need him?" Evadne mumbled, thinking about Tristan. She truly wanted to pass this burden to that nosy kid, as she was sure that guy would dly help these two out. Sighing, Evadne clicked her tongue again.


    "S-senior…?" Katia called out to her in nervousness, and judging from the way she was looking at Evadne, she was truly afraid of being left behind.


    "For now, follow me; let''s get out of here first."


    "W-what about Jasmine and Crystal?"


    "Forget about them. Based on how you described the monster you met, the two of them are probably dead. It would be best if we get some help from the professors first and assess the situation if possible." Suddenly, Evadne got closer to Liam, carrying him like a piece of rice sack. Evadne gestured for Katia to follow her.


    TING…!!!


    SWOOSH….!


    A loud piercing sound suddenly engulfed their ears before a gust of wind blew just a few inches from Evadne''s head. A streak of purplish-white light traced through the dimming dungeon as the continued trace of the strike made a huge explosion in the distance.


    Turning her head in shock, Evadne looked behind her, only to see a devilish smile on a masked figure. The coated figure pointed its fingers at her, while a pale purple smoke dissipated from its fingertips.


    ''If I didn''t react fast enough, my head and this guy on my shoulder would''ve probably died just now.''


    Slowly, the figure walked closer to her.


    "Haha…." Evadne let out a faintugh. "Hey junior, take the kid and call for the professors," said Evadne as she tossed Liam to Katia. The masked figure continued to approach, its sinister aura growing stronger with each step.


    Evadne prepared herself for another attack, her hand subtly reaching for the weapons on her back.


    "W-what about you, Senior?"


    "Don''t worry about me, just go!" Evadne dered with determination. In her left hand, she wielded a great sword, while a battle axe rested in her right. Though an unconventional weaponbination, for Evadne, a master and expert in nearly every known weapon, it was an easy choice.


    "P-please be careful, Senior…!" Katia pleaded as she quickly ran away, carrying Liam behind her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she cast onest worried look over her shoulder at Evadne.


    ''Be careful?'' Evadne almost burst outughing at the idea of someone worrying about her. It had been so long since anyone had expressed concern for her well-being. But, oddly enough, she found that it wasn''t such a bad feeling after all.


    The masked figure continued its relentless advance, the palpable aura of malevolence surrounding it creating an almost suffocating atmosphere. Evadne, however, weed the challenge with open arms, relishing the surge of adrenaline that pumped through her veins.


    The dense purple aura emitted by the masked figure''s body seemed to defy thews of the dungeon. It was an otherworldly power, one that Evadne hadn''t encountered before. The ws of aura forming on its fingertips hinted at an ominous intent, sending shivers down the spines of those who dared witness the confrontation.


    In the face of this overwhelming power, Evadne''s own aura, normally a force to be reckoned with, paled inparison. Yet, an indomitable fire burned within her. The thrill of facing an opponent that surpassed her own abilities only heightened her excitement.


    As the masked figure closed in, Evadne''s heart raced, her senses heightened to their limits. Goosebumps adorned her skin, a testament to the raw energy pulsating through the dungeon air. She could feel the malevolence, the hunger for a challenge emanating from the mysterious opponent.


    With a quick nce over her shoulder, Evadne confirmed that Katia and Liam were now at a safe distance. A twisted grin spread across her face as she reveled in the chaos she was about to unleash.


    "Hahahahahaha! Finally! I''ve always thought this dungeon was a bore, but let''s have some fun, shall we?" Evadne''sughter echoed through the cavernous space as her aura exploded in a burst of mes. The glow of her red eyes intensified, giving her an otherworldly and demonic appearance.


    Ever sincest year, and even now, none of the monsters in this dungeon posed a problem for Evadne. Not the regr monsters, nor the bosses.


    Once she took something seriously, whoever or whatever it was would inevitably face defeat, and she would emerge victorious. This had been the story of her life.


    That''s why she truly appreciated Tristan defeating her at the previous jointbat exams. Throughout her life, she had always been a winner.


    To have someone defeat her meant she still had room to grow, and for some reason, the masked assant in front of her stirred the same sensation of defeat that only Tristan had managed to evoke.


    Drunk on the thirst for battle, Evadne stared at the masked figure. The ground beneath her feet took on a reddish-orange glow as everything in her surroundings seemed to slowly melt away.


    Despite the odds stacked against her, Evadne didn''t entertain the thought of losing. It was a feeling she couldn''t ept, even in the face of fear and the possibility of death.


    The anticipation of defeat had always been a driving force for her growth, a reminder that there was still more to achieve and conquer. In this dire situation, Evadne''s resolve only strengthened.


    The aura of challenge and the thrill ofbat surged within her, overriding any fear that might have held a lesser warrior back.


    ''I don''t feel like losing''


    ''Truly, fighting the strong is the only fun thing in the world...!!''


    Evadne''s thoughts resonated with exhration as her excitement reached its peak. The grip on her weapons tightened, and with unyielding determination, she lunged straight at the masked monster.


    "DON''T YOU DARE DIE, BASTARD!!! HAHAHA!" she roared, shing and striking downward with all the ferocity she could muster. An explosion erupted, shaking an entire floor of the dungeon, and the quaking force reverberated throughout the surroundings. A colossal pir of fire ascended, illuminating everything within a ten-kilometer radius of the dungeon as if the sun itself had descended from the heavens.


    …..


    "C-cut off Liam''s l-limbs?"


    "W-we can''t."


    Upon hearing my proposition, Crystal and the orange-haired girl quickly denied my offer. Their reactions were unexpected; I thought the grip of fear had already overwhelmed them.


    However, the mention of Liam''s name seemed to bring back a bit of their rationality. It appeared that these two harbored genuine affections for Liam, and I couldn''t help but wonder what he had done to make them fall for him so deeply.


    They even chose to ignore the fact that Liam had left them behind.


    ''Love truly was blind'' I mused.


    Sighing slightly, I raised my hands as an aura de manifested.


    Observing the condensed mana in my grasp, Crystal and Jasmine shivered, closing their eyes in eptance.


    Despite hoping that Crystal, being the seemingly more rational one, would betray Liam, their love for him proved stronger.


    It was disappointing, as I had envisioned witnessing the look of dread on Liam''s face from their betrayal.


    Oh well, I guess, these two might serve better as offerings.


    "Master Adrian…."


    A voice called out beside me. Surprised, I turned to look at my right to see a swarm of crows slowly manifesting and forming into a blonde-haired beauty. Behind her was a swarm of reddish butterflies with dark patterns, also slowly turning into the form of a ck-haired beauty. Their red eyes stared at me for a few seconds before looking at my feet as they bowed their heads slightly.


    "Schwi and Sasha?"


    I recognized Schwi, the blonde-haired beauty in front of me, but it took me a bit of time to recognize the person behind her, wearing a maid uniform.


    "It''s an honor for you to remember my name, Master Adrian," Sasha said with a slight bow.


    ''Don''t be. Honestly, if you weren''t the only maid I saw sticking around Schwi, I would''ve alsopletely forgotten about you….''


    "Is the kid there already?"


    I asked right away, knowing their purpose was mainly to report to me the status of that dumb kid.


    "Yes, master. Everything is going ording to n. Now we just need to make sure Tristan meets the orc lord without anyplications," confirmed Schwi.


    I smiled slightly at her confirmation. Although the orc lord was a bit hard to control right now due to its rampaging state, I could just bait Tristan myself to his location. Truly, this y is about to go wild.


    Schwi got closer to me before handing me a stone-shaped sword. I grabbed hold of it and could immediately feel the Sword of Light Authority inside me reacting.


    I guess it''s trying to synergize, huh? Even I myself was getting excited, but this thing wouldn''t be used right now.


    I quickly pushed it inside a dark hole I manifested.


    Despite my sister''sints about making her domain my storage, I didn''t have much of a choice, as it was quite an important item, and I also hated carrying backpacks.


    Sniff…!


    Sniff…...!


    Hearing the sniffing and crying from both Crystal and Jasmine, a sudden sinister idea came to my mind.


    "Schwi."


    "Yes, Master?"


    "Turn these two."


    "I''m afraid I can only make two kin right now, Master. Any more than that, and I would lose my control over them."


    "No, you misunderstand. I don''t want you to turn them into vampires. Turn them into ghouls instead. You can do that, right?"


    "Yes…..."


    My smile couldn''t leave my covered face as I stared at the two cryingdies. They all screamed in fear as Schwi''s dark ws cut their throats. They shivered and quivered as the venom in Schwi''s hands slowly turned them into the living dead.


    Ah, I wonder what face he''ll make seeing these lovely creatures tear through his flesh.


    ''Ah, I can''t wait~!''


    ….


    Walking slowly while humming, I was in a really good mood as I followed the two ghouls in front of me.


    Even though Ghouls were just upgraded zombies, as they mostly retained the strength of when they were alive, their intelligence was that of a 3-year-old child; they could understand but not enough.


    Fortunately, their creator''s words were absolute to them. So, when I asked Schwi to order them to hunt Liam, they immediately tried to find him the moment they sniffed Liam''s severed arm.


    Hm~! hhm~! hm~!


    Humming while making way there, my tracks stopped as the two ghouls suddenly halted.


    "What''s wrong?"


    I tried asking, but as expected, they didn''t reply.


    Well, what did I expect? Looking in front of where they stopped, I scrutinized my eyes, trying to see in the distance.


    Just as expected, Liam was there, unconscious on the ground, and Katia was also there, crying in front of a red-haired woman.


    As I was quite far away, I couldn''t tell who it was just by looking at her back. Is that why those two stopped? I pondered as I observed the two ghouls.


    Although they were emotionless, they refused to move forward, like wild animals aware of the territory of a monstrous beast.


    Were they afraid of the red-haired woman? Seriously, how pathetic…...


    Sighting my targets, I leaped and got closer.


    I was around 200 meters away from them now. Seeing as they still hadn''t noticed me, now would be the perfect time to strike.


    Gathering and condensing my mana into the size of a bullet, I fired off the mana bullet at their retreating figures.


    ''Well, isn''t she quite good, despite being a few meters away she actually dodged my mana bullet? Even Kaksan couldn''t dodge it''


    Walking closer to them, I condensed my mana ws, preparing for closebat.


    However, as I slowly approached, I began to realize who it was that was helping them.


    ''Haha… maybe I shouldn''t have done that?''


    I quickly realized it was senior Evadne that I was facing.


    Suddenly everything became bright as if the morning sun raised itself in the dungeon everything was suddenly hot as senior Evadne''s aura surged out of her body.


    Her devilish grin made me gulp the drying saliva inside my mouth.


    Before I knew it….


    A FUCKING SUN WAS RIGHT ACROSS MY FACE NOW!!!


    "HAHAHAHA!" sheughed maniacally, like a drug addict having the time of their lives.


    ''THIS FUCKING! STOP LAUGHING, YOU BATTLE-CRAZED MANIAC!''