A magic grimoire capable of rewriting common sense without any side effects!
And a necklace that could bind one’s love!
These were the very items the two women had dreamed of obtaining.
Otillia and Sherivelle’s breathing grew rapid, their eyes fixed solely on those two treasures.
Their previous wariness and their concern for Amivy’s strange behavior were instantly cast to the wind.
As if drawn by an invisible magnet, the two took a step away from Ian’s side.
Their gazes became hazy as they began walking toward their respective goals like machines.
Otillia reached out, her icy blue eyes reflecting the black grimoire.
She could already see a future where she was the only one left in Ian’s consciousness.
Sherivelle stared obsessively at the necklace, her red pupils mirroring a pink nebula.
She could already feel the ultimate satisfaction of fastening that necklace around Ian’s neck—a bond of souls from which he could never escape her control.
Ian was the last one to see the full view of the treasury.
He didn’t stop the two women from leaving his side, as Otillia had already tried to stop Amivy earlier.
It was impossible to hold them back.
His primary goal now was to figure out how to break the illusion before him.
‘Why am I so certain this is all a facade?’
‘Naturally, it’s because of the System!’
‘The Third Mission hasn’t even lit up yet.’
‘According to the original plot and the System notifications, the Holy Sword should be on the 99th Floor, suppressing the Evil Dragon!’
‘How could the Holy Sword Excalibur possibly appear here?’
‘While I don’t know what Otillia and Sherivelle are seeing, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. How could a random treasury just happen to contain the exact items everyone wants most?’
‘Even a wishing well requires a coin first!’
Seeing Amivy, Otillia, and Sherivelle about to reach for the objects of their desire, a sharp glint flashed in Ian’s eyes.
He no longer hesitated.
Instinct told him that if he let them touch those things, the consequences would be dire.
He took a deep breath as white-gold flames erupted from his body.
**”PSEUDO-COMBUSTION STATE!”**
In the next instant, Ian’s figure vanished from where he stood.
His fist, wreathed in pale white-gold flames and carrying all his current strength, slammed into the brilliant blade of the “Holy Sword Excalibur” without any fancy tricks!
*Thud—!!!*
There was no crisp sound of metal clashing.
Instead, it was a dull, heavy sound, as if he had struck rotting leather.
Immediately following that—
*Crack… crack-crack…*
Centered on the point where his fist met the sword, the entire “Holy Sword,” the crystal platform beneath it, and the entire “treasury” shattered like a broken mirror, instantly covered in countless web-like cracks!
*Screee—!!!*
An indescribable shriek rang out!
The sound didn’t resemble any known creature.
Under the horrified and suddenly clear gazes of Amivy, Otillia, and Sherivelle, the “Holy Sword,” the “mountain of treasure,” the “grimoire,” and the “necklace”… all those luxurious and beautiful sights vanished like bubbles!
In their place was a cavern—one far smaller, dark, and damp.
The air was thick with a heavy, nauseating stench of blood and decay.
In the center of the cave, there was no treasury.
There was only a massive, bizarrely shaped Demonic Creature.
It looked like an Illusion Jellyfish that had been magnified thousands of times.
Its translucent, illusory body twisted and writhed, emitting a hypnotic, multicolored light.
Numerous slimy tentacles dangled from its body, shimmering with the same hallucinogenic glow.
In the very center of its umbrella-shaped body, where a mouth should have been, was a massive, blood-red maw filled with rows upon rows of sharp teeth!
The “treasury” they had seen, including the “Holy Sword,” had actually been a vivid hallucination created by this monster’s illusory abilities, combined with their inner desires.
At this moment, the monster seemed to be suffering from a backlash because Ian had violently shattered its illusion.
Its body jerked violently as it let out a pained roar, and its hypnotic lights flickered unsteadily.
Its terrifying central maw was aimed directly at the three who had just regained their senses and hadn’t fully grasped the situation, dripping with foul-smelling saliva.
Amivy’s hand was only inches away from that giant mouth.
Otillia and Sherivelle were also standing dangerously close to the tentacles!
Cold sweat instantly soaked the backs of the three women.
Just as the strange Illusion Jellyfish recovered slightly and prepared to attack, a fierce blast of White-Gold Dragon Breath instantly pierced its core.
The Illusion Jellyfish didn’t even have time to make a sound.
Its massive, translucent body contracted violently.
The hypnotic, multicolored lights died out instantly, like a lightbulb losing power.
Then, its body began to rapidly collapse and melt, turning into a pile of foam that gradually dissipated.
The battle ended as abruptly and thoroughly as it had begun.
The cavern returned to darkness, save for the faint, deep blue glow of the dissipating foam.
Once all the foam had vanished, a Deep Blue Gemstone about the size of a ring lay quietly on the ground.
Still shaken, Amivy, Otillia, and Sherivelle remained frozen in their positions, their minds blank.
The transition from a dream-come-true paradise to a horrific reality, followed by Ian’s instant kill of the monster, was far too much of a shock.
Sherivelle was closest to the gemstone.
She was the first to snap back to reality and subconsciously took a step forward, carefully using her Spatial Mana to lift the Deep Blue Gemstone into the air.
The gemstone was cool to the touch and smooth.
Its interior seemed to contain a swirling nebula, making it incredibly beautiful—as if it possessed the power to control a person’s consciousness.
It was impossible to tell that it had just dropped from the body of such a monster.
“Could this be…!”
Sherivelle gasped after staring at the blue gemstone.
However, the moment the words left her mouth…
*Rumble—!!!*
The entire cavern began to vibrate violently without warning.
Large and small rocks, along with stalactites, began to snap and crash down from the ceiling!
The ground rose and fell like waves, splitting open!
The tremor was too sudden and fierce.
Amivy reacted quickly, but she was standing in the area that collapsed first.
As the feeling of weightlessness took hold, she knew she likely wouldn’t be able to escape.
Amivy didn’t hesitate.
Using every ounce of her strength, she shoved the two ladies beside her toward Ian.
“Masked Man, I leave the two ladies to you!”
Ian, who had been on high alert, successfully caught the two.
He didn’t hesitate for a second.
Once he had the two women, he was already running toward the exit.
‘Don’t call me heartless. Amivy is the protagonist; her falling into a pit is just a “plot point” in the story. But if I fall with the female lead, that’s an “accident.”‘
Even though Ian was pushing his limits, the speed of the ground’s collapse far exceeded his estimations.
As he reached the entrance, the unexpected happened.