Into the Ruins

"Hoo..."

Gazing at the spirit dust scattered across the ground, Rhode wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a touch of exhaustion. Along the way, the trio had encountered quite a few Wraiths—fifteen or sixteen in total. If they had been a fully equipped five-man party, this wouldn't have been an issue, but with only one combatant under his command, Rhode couldn't simply have a tank hold the line while everyone else poured on the damage. Instead, he had to carefully lure them over one by one, have Lize cast positive energy to weaken their defenses, and then strike them down as quickly as possible. Since Wraiths were at least level ten elite monsters, even with their defenses lowered, these undead were difficult to handle. To maximize his lethality, Rhode had to rely on the stat bonuses of his Star Trace and ensure every strike hit a vital point.

However, humans are not machines. Even in a game, such high-intensity combat would consume a great deal of energy, not to mention that Rhode was using his own body this time. In a game, one could simply restart upon failure, but here, failure likely meant death.

The pressure was almost too much for Rhode to bear. He looked up at the ruins shrouded in mist and, confirming there were no more monsters for the moment, let out a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Rhode, should we take a short break?"

The young girl following close behind looked at Rhode with concern. As a Spirit Master, she didn't fully understand the significance of every move Rhode made, but she could still feel the immense pressure he was under.

"No... not yet..."

Rhode shook his head. Although the minor monsters in the area had been cleared, he still felt a faint sense of danger. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly, yet he couldn't pinpoint the source of this lingering unease. By distance, they hadn't reached the boss's territory yet, so they shouldn't be in any real danger. Furthermore, Rhode was quite familiar with the distribution of undead here; logically, the monsters in this area should have been wiped out.

So, where was this sense of danger coming from?

Rhode looked around again, but found nothing. Just then, the fat merchant beside them suddenly cried out.

"Eek!!"

"What is it?"

Rhode and Lize turned around in a hurry. Mace was pale, clutching his travel bag with one hand while pointing a trembling finger toward the thick fog behind them.

"J-just now, there was a black shadow there..."

"A shadow?"

Lize looked in the direction Mace was pointing, but beyond the dim sunlight filtering through the fog, she saw nothing.

"I don't see anything..."

"Get down!!"

At that moment, a realization struck Rhode. He finally understood where the danger lay. He shouted, grabbed the girl's head, and forced her down.

"Whoosh!!"

Almost simultaneously, a black shadow streaked through the air. Rhode could feel the cold claws grazing his scalp, leaving a sharp, stinging sensation.

Damn it!

His heart sank to the bottom of his chest. He knew exactly what this sense of danger was: a Gargoyle!

Legend had it that the Mist Ruins were once a bustling, glorious town, but it had been abandoned following the decline of trade routes. Later, a mage arrived, seeking to save his beloved lover by researching forbidden necromancy within the abandoned town. The research ultimately failed, and the mage died, but the necromancy did not cease, creating the dense fog and the multitude of undead.

In this entire dungeon, the most dangerous entity was the Gargoyle the mage had left behind to guard his relics—a level fifteen rare elite!

If he were in a party back in the game, Rhode would have been thrilled. Rare elites were incredibly elusive; sometimes you could run a dungeon dozens of times without seeing one. But now, he felt a chill run through him. This was a level fifteen rare elite, and a flying monster at that. It was agile, and unlike the incorporeal Wraiths fueled by negative energy, Lize's positive energy would have little effect on it. Coupled with a body made of obsidian that was exceptionally hard, normal attacks would deal very limited damage. It was clear this would be a bitter struggle.

In the game, Rhode had run the Mist Ruins over thirty times without ever seeing a Gargoyle, so he had subconsciously forgotten about it. He never expected to encounter one on his first trip here.

Was this good luck or bad luck?

Rhode had no time to dwell on such questions; the danger was right in front of him.

A frontal assault was a dead end. He wasn't even level ten yet; challenging a level fifteen monster was an impossible task. Even with the bonuses from Star Trace, his attack power was limited.

"Run!"

Without hesitation, Rhode issued the order. He grabbed Lize and shouted, "Follow me! Keep your heads down, don't look up!"

Retreating was impossible now. The only way out was to find the Gargoyle's control hub and destroy it. While escaping its attack range was an option, Rhode looked at his party configuration and realized he had no one capable of easily drawing its aggro—if only they had a Ranger or a Thief.

But now was not the time for complaints.

Led by Rhode, Lize and Mace stumbled forward with their heads bowed. The surrounding mist began to churn again; clearly, their movements had caught the attention of the Wraiths. Four or five of them emerged from the fog, heading toward the trio.

"Lize, attack! Don't stop!"

"Yes!"

Although casting spells while running was difficult for the girl, she gritted her teeth and extended her right hand. Soon, three or four streaks of white light manifested in the air, striking the Wraiths. Rhode immediately lunged with his sword; accompanied by a series of shrill cries, the obstacles turned to dust and vanished. At that moment, a system notification flashed before Rhode's eyes.

[Experience points 1900/1800, level up available, Level 8]

Rhode had no time to check the notification. More Wraiths were emerging from all sides. Although they were hesitant and sluggish under the radiance of the Holy Light, their sheer numbers compensated for the disadvantage.

Unlike the sluggish Wraiths, the Gargoyle was unfazed by the holy radiance. While also a product of negative energy, as the mage's guardian, the Gargoyle's hard obsidian exterior was enough to resist most holy power. After missing its first strike, it had locked onto the group, following closely behind them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike—compared to undead that attacked on instinct, a construct with combat intelligence was far more troublesome.

"Aah!!"

Just then, Mace stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. The Gargoyle, which had been waiting in the shadows, swooped down instantly. Its two sharp claws lashed out like lightning toward the fallen merchant. When Mace turned his head, all he saw was the shadow looming over him.

"Oh heavens..."

Although the Gargoyle was fast and Mace had closed his eyes, ready to die, the attack failed—a faint, golden barrier appeared out of thin air, blocking the Gargoyle's sharp claws. Then, several bright blades of light shot through the air, slamming into the Gargoyle with a loud thwack. Caught off balance, the Gargoyle was sent flying backward, crashing into the group of Wraiths. By then, Lize had already hauled the merchant—who had been ready to go greet his ancestors—to his feet, and they continued to run.

"Here!"

Under the "encirclement" of the Wraiths, Rhode finally managed to shake off most of the undead. He looked up and quickly spotted his target: an abandoned church, the place where the mage had conducted his experiments. According to Rhode's memory, the control hub for the Gargoyle should be inside.

But such a place was not easy to enter.

Just as Rhode reached the church entrance, he felt a darkness fall over him. He instinctively activated Shadow Blink to retreat, only to see a pitch-black Gargoyle crouching where he had just been standing, its hard claw having smashed into the ground, shattering the sturdy bluestone tiles.

"This is going to be the death of me."

Rhode cursed inwardly as he scanned his surroundings. Just as he expected, the gargoyles that had been decorating the sides of the church entrance were gone from their pedestals. He could guess where they had gone.

To run into two at once, he should buy a lottery ticket today.

If he lived to see it.

"Get inside quickly and find the central control device!"

Rhode commanded Lize and Mace while staring down the gargoyle in front of him.

"Those Wraiths shouldn't bother you inside. I'll keep these two busy. Use this chance to get in, find the central control device, and destroy it. Watch out for traps."

"But... Mr. Rhode..."

"That's an order."

Rhode coldly cut Lize off. Gripping Star Trace, he swung it forward, and a blade of pure white light erupted. As Rhode attacked, the gargoyles shrieked and flew up, dodging his strike and clearing the path to the church.

"Go!"