CHAPTER 43: PERCHEL ZONE 5

"But how many did you prepare?" Selene Whitmore asked, her eyes scanning the table as if expecting an endless supply.

"Well... I just prepared till I was out of money," Kael Vi-rel replied casually, leaning back against the wall. "Let’s recover our stamina, magic, and mental health first," he added, his voice calm yet commanding.

"Let’s use a buffer potion before we proceed," Kael Vi-rel suggested, picking up one of the glowing bottles and shaking it slightly. The liquid inside shimmered with faint sparks.

Selene Whitmore raised an eyebrow, tilting the bottle in her hand. "Well, I know it’s in the contract, but do you always have this much money to spend?" Her voice carried disbelief, tinged with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Clara Winslet was busy gulping down the potion, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. Each swallow made a faint sizzling sound as the magic inside activated.

"Huh... why is she looking at me like that?" Kael Vi-rel wondered, his mind briefly distracted. I can’t get over how Selene Whitmore is acting... and Clara just seems completely unbothered.

Clearing his throat, Kael Vi-rel quickly shifted the topic. "Ahem... the boss’s name is Perchel. You could call him an ideas monster or, more accurately, a ghoul," he explained, his tone serious and measured.

Selene’s curiosity was piqued. "Well, I just happened to get that much money to spend?" she asked, her voice carrying both skepticism and awe.

Kael Vi-rel nodded. "Yes... but it wasn’t exactly easy. You’ll see soon enough why spending a lot is necessary."

Selene Whitmore’s eyes widened. "Did you somehow earn millions or what?"

"Basically," Kael Vi-rel said, lowering his voice as he glanced around. "The dungeon must be Rank B, but its level might have increased to Grade A when the dungeon’s difficulty shot up. That makes it much more dangerous than usual. So please follow my orders carefully. One mistake, and it could all end badly."

"Alright," both girls said in unison, their voices sharp with determination.

Kael Vi-rel muttered under his breath, I can’t tell them that they’re going to take on an awakening Perchel who might have leveled up with high probability... this is going to be riskier than I planned.

"Well, let’s go to the boss room now. Also, make sure you’ve used the buffer potion too," Kael Vi-rel instructed, his hand gripping the massive wooden door. As he pushed it open, a gust of cold wind blew past them, carrying a faint stench of decay and old stone.

They stepped inside cautiously. The room was vast and dimly lit, the faint glow from the far end barely illuminating the walls, which were cracked and scarred from past battles. Standing in the center was a monster its twisted body frame was almost humanoid, but the gnarled horns and elongated claws made it terrifying to behold.

The ghoul’s eyes locked onto them, glowing faintly in the darkness. Suddenly, a thick black smoke erupted around their party, swirling like living shadows. Kael Vi-rel felt the hairs on his neck rise. This is bad... really bad.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted, shoving both girls to safety.

Selene Whitmore moved with surprising speed, narrowly avoiding the first onslaught. Clara Winslet, however, wasn’t fast enough. The attack came in a blur, the air around it warping as if reality itself had bent. Instinctively, Kael Vi-rel leaped to the side and scooped Clara up, carrying her away from the strike just as the ground where she had stood shattered into dust and debris.

Selene Whitmore leaped to a safer position, her eyes wide with fear and awe. "We couldn’t even see its attack just now!" she yelled.

Kael Vi-rel’s mind raced. Clara Winslet couldn’t even respond to that speed... what kind of destructive power is this? An undead ghoul with skills like this... isn’t this game rigged?

A metallic chime echoed throughout the dungeon: Ding! You have come across an awakening undead ghoul with space control abilitiy.

Kael Vi-rel barely had time to react before the ghoul struck again. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a strike that would have obliterated the room’s stone floor in a single blow.

"Be careful!" Kael Vi-rel yelled. "It’s using a space control ability it’s an S-class skill!"

Selene’s eyes widened in shock, her hands tightening around her weapons. She could feel the oppressive power radiating from the ghoul, warping the very air around them.

Kael Vi-rel clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside him. How the hell does an undead ghoul have an S-class skill? Even though it’s Rank A now, how is this fair?

The ghoul moved unpredictably, warping space in its vicinity. One moment it was across the room, the next directly in front of them. Dust and debris swirled violently, as if the room itself were rebelling against the creature’s presence.

Clara, still trembling from the near-death experience, whispered shakily, "Kael... how are we supposed to fight this?"

Kael Vi-rel glanced at both girls, his expression resolute despite the tension. "Stick close to me. Don’t act recklessly. Trust the buffer potions. We can do this—but only if we stay sharp. Watch the space around it; it’s not just powerful, it’s clever."

Selene Whitmore nodded, her usual composure shaken but her determination unwavering. "Understood," she said firmly.

Kael Vi-rel inhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the challenge before them. The dungeon fell silent for a brief moment, the calm before the storm. Then, with a guttural, echoing roar, Perchel lunged forward.

"Move!" Kael Vi-rel shouted, shoving Clara behind him and rolling to the side. He felt the ground tremble under each strike. The air itself seemed to bend around the ghoul, making every step and attack more dangerous.

Selene was already anticipating its movements, dodging with agility that belied the danger. But even she was struggling to keep up with the ghoul’s spatial manipulations. Kael Vi-rel could feel the tension building in his chest every heartbeat a countdown to the next devastating attack.

This isn’t just a fight, he thought grimly. This is a war against space itself... and if we’re not careful, we’ll be erased before we even understand what hit us.

Clara coughed, brushing off dust. "It... it’s like the room itself is attacking us," she muttered, her voice barely audible.

Kael Vi-rel gritted his teeth. "Exactly. But we have to adapt. Follow my lead, keep moving, and remember your potions. Don’t let it control your mind its S-class ability is as much psychological as it is physical."

The ghoul snarled, the shadows around it thickening as it prepared another strike. Kael Vi-rel tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the surge of magic from his own enhancements. Time to end this... or at least survive long enough to force it into a mistake.

The battle had truly begun.