Chapter 72: The Offer
Maria stood directly in front of the swirling dark purple portal, which spun like a giant whirlpool. Glowing runes encircled it, emitting such an intense magical pressure that the surrounding air trembled. Dion gave a hand signal to his members, and they began to prepare.
"Everyone, stay alert. Don’t let your guard down—this is an S-rank portal," Dion said in a low but firm voice.
Maria took a deep breath, then stepped into the vortex first. Her body was sucked into a space dimension that seemed to fold time and distance. A few seconds later—followed by Dion, Lisse, and the rest of the Hollow Fang members—they all disappeared into the portal.
Moments later...
FLASH!
The blinding light that clouded their vision began to fade. They slowly regained their sight. They had all appeared in a massive cave. The place felt unfamiliar to Maria. She knew she had been to a similar dungeon before, but the atmosphere was different.
"This... isn’t the same place," she said firmly. "We entered the wrong dungeon!"
The cave walls were lined with dimly glowing purple crystals, and humid heat radiated from every crack in the rock. Around them, faint rustling sounds echoed. Maria and the others quickly realized they were being watched. Swiftly, they drew their weapons.
"Are you sure?" Dion asked.
Maria’s face was serious. "Yes. This isn’t the same place because there was supposed to be a horned woman tied to the wall. This is different, but..." she swallowed hard, "it’s just as terrifying as the previous dungeon."
Their eyes kept scanning the surroundings. Even Dion, the strongest among them, swallowed hard. His face paled slightly, and his hands trembled. He could feel it—hundreds of eyes were watching them from the darkness of the cave.