The group tensed imdiately as the distorted figure fully revealed itself from the shadows. Its body was semi-transparent, constantly shifting and glitching like a broken illusion. Long, spindly limbs and a featureless head with multiple glowing slits for eyes made it look utterly unnatural.
[Phantasmal Wraith (Corrupted) Lv. 83]
"Level 83!" Adam warned sharply. "Everyone get ready!"
Ignis ignited her flas brighter, Lilith’s silver threads spread out aggressively, Isolde summoned blood tendrils, and Azrynn drew her bow taut. Adam’s body glowed faintly as he prepared to transform if needed.
The Phantasmal Wraith hovered silently for a mont, its multiple eyes scanning the group. Then, without any warning or provocation, it opened its jagged maw and let out a blood-curdling, otherworldly scream.
"KRRRRIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE——!!"
The terrifying screech echoed through the ruins, making the air itself vibrate. Before anyone could attack, the monster phased straight through a solid stone pillar as if it didn’t exist and disappeared into the wall, vanishing completely.
The chamber fell silent once more.
Azrynn lowered her bow, her face pale and her body visibly shivering.
"That... that was terrifying..." she whispered, voice shaky. "It just passed through solid stone like it was nothing. I’ve never seen anything like that before..."
Lilith covered her mouth with the back of her hand, letting out a soft, amused chuckle.
"My, my... look at you trembling, dark elf. How cute. Are you scared?" she teased with a mischievous smile. "I thought Dark Elves were supposed to be brave warriors of the underground."
Azrynn’s cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassnt as she straightened her posture.
"I-I’m not scared! It’s just... unnatural. Monsters that can ignore physical matter like that are the worst kind."
Ignis laughed lightly. "It did look pretty creepy though..."
Adam exhaled and relaxed his stance, though he kept his senses sharp.
"It didn’t attack us. Maybe it was just checking or warning us. Either way, we should stay alert. Things like that are probably common the deeper we go."
He glanced at the Compass of Desire again. The needle was still pointing forward, deeper into the ruins and beyond.
"Let’s keep moving."
The group pressed on, leaving the chamber where the Phantasmal Wraith had appeared. The further they ventured, the more the ruins seed to change. The corridors grew narrower, the air thicker with a heavy, suffocating pressure. The glowing runes on the walls flickered more erratically, sotis going completely dark for several seconds before sputtering back to life.
The mist from the Wasteland had begun seeping inside, curling around their feet like living smoke. The temperature dropped noticeably, and an unnatural silence blanketed the area even their footsteps sounded strangely muffled.
After nearly twenty minutes of careful exploration, Isolde suddenly stopped walking. Her crimson eyes narrowed as she looked around, the flower on her Crimson Blossom Crown pulsing uneasily.
"...The atmosphere is getting heavier," she said quietly, voice low and tense. "It feels more oppressive. Like sothing is pressing down on us."
Adam nodded, his own senses confirming the sa thing. The Compass of Desire in his hand was vibrating slightly, the needle still pointing stubbornly forward.
"You’re right," he replied. "The deeper we go, the stronger this feeling becos."
Lilith’s silver threads spread further outward, probing the surroundings.
"It’s not just imagination," she added. "The mana here is twisted. Corrupted. Whatever power once protected this place has long since failed."
Ignis looked around nervously, her flas burning a little brighter to push back the encroaching darkness.
"I don’t like this place... it feels like the ruins are watching us."
Azrynn gripped her bow tighter, her yellow eyes scanning every shadow.
"This is one of the signs that we’re approaching the true deep zone of the Wasteland. The boundary between the ruins and the worst parts of the distortion. We need to be extrely careful from here on out. Illusions will get stronger, and the monsters... they won’t be as passive as before."
Adam stored the compass for a mont and clenched his fist, draconic power subtly rippling beneath his skin.
"Then we keep moving. We don’t have ti to turn back now."
They walked for what felt like hours.
The ruins had long since given way to jagged, lifeless stone, cracked and stained by centuries of unnatural decay.
Ignis trudged beside Adam, her fiery hair dulled by the oppressive atmosphere. Her usual bounce had faded into a weary shuffle, and her flas flickered weakly, as if even they were tired of the endless grey.
"Ugh... this is so boring," she muttered, kicking a loose rock. It skittered across the cracked earth and disappeared into the mist without a sound. "We’ve been walking forever, and all we’ve seen are rocks, more rocks, and so creepy ghost thing that didn’t even fight us."
Lilith glanced at her with mild amusent. "Would you prefer it attacked?"
"Yes!" Ignis threw her hands up. "At least that would be sothing! I’m so bored I could set sothing on fire just to watch it burn!"
"Please don’t," Adam said flatly, not looking back. "We don’t know what’s in this mist. You might set off sothing we can’t handle."
Ignis pouted but didn’t argue. She kicked another rock instead.
Ahead of them, Azrynn stopped suddenly. Her silver hair swayed as she tilted her head, yellow eyes narrowing at sothing in the distance.
"What is it?" Adam asked, moving to her side.
Azrynn pointed. "There’s sothing up ahead. It looks like... bones. Very large bones."
The group approached cautiously. The mist parted reluctantly, revealing a sight that made even Lilith pause.
Bones. Massive bones, half-buried in the cracked earth, their surfaces pale and weathered but still remarkably intact. A rib cage the size of a small house curved out of the ground like the arch of a forgotten temple. A skull, long and serpentine, lay on its side, its empty eye sockets staring into eternity. Spines, claws, and fragnts of a massive tail were scattered across the area, so buried so deep they seed to rge with the stone itself.
Ignis’s eyes widened. "Whoa... these are dragon bones, aren’t they?"
Adam stepped closer, running his hand along one of the ribs. The bone was cool beneath his fingers, but beneath that coolness, he could feel a faint, lingering warmth—a residual pulse of sothing ancient and powerful.
[Ancient Dragon Remains]
[The bones of a long-dead dragon, preserved by the unique magical properties of the Wasteland. The creature’s essence has long since faded, but its remains still radiate a faint, lingering power.]
Adam withdrew his hand, frowning slightly. "Ancient dragon remains. Preserved by the Wasteland’s magic."
Lilith circled the skull, her silver threads probing the empty eye sockets. "Fascinating. A creature this large... it must have been truly magnificent in its pri."
Isolde remained at the edge of the group, her crimson eyes fixed on the bones. Her Crimson Blossom Crown pulsed faintly, as if reacting to sothing in the air.
"There’s sothing else," she said quietly. "Near the rib cage."
Adam turned. Growing from a crack in the stone, nestled between two massive ribs, was a plant unlike any he had seen before.
Its stem was dark, almost black, and its leaves were a deep, shimring purple that seed to glow faintly in the grey light. At its center, a single flower blood, its petals a brilliant crimson, edged with gold. The flower pulsed softly, like a heartbeat, and a sweet, almost intoxicating scent drifted from it.
Azrynn’s eyes widened. "What is that? I’ve never seen anything like it."
Adam approached carefully, his system already analyzing the plant.
[Sunset’s Might – Rare]
[A legendary plant said to grow only on the remains of ancient dragons. The flower absorbs residual draconic energy from the bones, condensing it into a potent essence within its petals. When consud, the essence permanently increases the consur’s physical strength.]
[Effect: Strength 5]
[Warning: The plant is protected by a potent paralytic toxin delivered through thorned vines. The toxin can immobilize most creatures for several minutes.]
Adam read the notification, then a slow smile spread across his face.
"Strength 5. Permanent."
Ignis’s head snapped toward him, her boredom forgotten. "Wait, really?! That thing can make us stronger?!"
"Permanently," Adam confird. "But it’s protected by paralytic thorns."
Lilith’s crimson eyes glead. "Paralytic? That could be troubleso."
Adam shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "For most people."
He stepped forward, ignoring Lilith’s warning glance. The mont he reached for the flower, the plant reacted. Thick, thorned vines burst from the soil, wrapping around his arm, his wrist, his fingers. The thorns pierced his scales, delivering their paralytic toxin directly into his bloodstream.
[Poison Thorn – Activated]
[Toxic compound detected. Neutralizing...]
[Status Effect: Paralytic Agent – Nullified. Immunity override in effect.]
[Venom of the Void – Complete immunity to toxins and poisons confird.]
Adam didn’t even flinch. He flexed his fingers, and the vines, unable to affect him, loosened their grip. He plucked the flower from its stem with casual ease, holding it up to the light.
"Nice try."
[Sunset’s Might successfully harvested!]
[Warning: The flower’s essence will begin to degrade within 24 hours. Consu before then for maximum effect.]
Ignis bounced on her heels, her golden eyes fixed on the flower. "Who gets it?! ?! Can I have it?!"
Adam held the flower out to Ignis.
"You’re our main physical fighter. This will help you hit harder."
Ignis stared at the flower, then at Adam, her golden eyes wide.
"Really?! You’re giving it to ?!"
"You deserve it." Adam smiled faintly. "Besides, you’ve been complaining about being bored. Here’s sothing to make the next fight more interesting."
Ignis snatched the flower with a delighted squeal. She examined it for a mont, then, without hesitation, shoved the entire thing into her mouth.
"Mmff—!"
She chewed, her cheeks bulging, her eyes watering. The flower’s petals dissolved quickly, leaving behind a faint, warm aftertaste. Ignis swallowed, then gasped, her whole body shuddering.
[Ignis consud: Sunset’s Might]
[Strength 5]
[Current Strength: 72 → 77]
"Whoa..." Ignis flexed her arms, her flas flaring brighter. "I feel... stronger!"
Adam nodded, satisfied. "Good. Let’s keep moving."
As they continued walking, Ignis bounced along beside him, her earlier boredom completely gone.
"Adam! Adam! Do you think there are more plants like that?!"
"Maybe."
"Ooh! I hope so! I’m going to eat them all and beco the strongest dragon ever!"
Azrynn watched Ignis’s excited bouncing with a small, bemused smile. "She certainly has a lot of energy."
Lilith’s lips curved. "She’s a dragon. Energy is what they do."
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