Veiled Deception
After finishing off the mutated snakes and spiders, the trio of adventurers decided to hurry up and investigate further to get out of this dangerous threat. Auriel seemed curious as to why I wanted to use the mutated animals.
"Auriel, you can't underestimate them that easily. The reason they finished those mutated animals quickly is that they are a stable team. Look at how the thief and mage always communicate with each other, and the knight himself keeps the mage in a safe place. It seems they have been working together for a decent amount of time," I explained, emphasizing the effectiveness of their teamwork. "Besides, their souls can be collected by Valtho, so he can make more of his summoned monsters."
Auriel chuckled, "Raiya, you really like to recycle, huh?"
"It's not recycling; it's just basic utilization," I replied with a grin.
"So, what's the next plan?" she asked.
"I already told Valtho to keep his hand and make one of the wraiths get killed, dropping a magic talisman we created. We'll plant a magic circle to help us gather more information," I said, outlining our strategy.
"But won't they find the magic then?" Auriel inquired.
"Don't worry; I used a special magic from the void race that can hide their trace. We need a bait for them to come again. The wraith that drops the talisman is not strong enough to kill them, but enough to make them retreat and report their findings," I assured her.
Auriel then questioned why I wanted to bait the hero into the dungeon. I explained that I wanted to gauge the strength of the heroes and compare them to my dungeon's level. I also wanted to prepare myself for exploring other people's dungeons.
As we discussed the plan, the three of them faced the group of wraiths and ghosts.
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In the perspective of the adventurers:
"Old man, can you hurry up? I can't hold back this bastard for long," the knight said, feeling the pressure of the battle.
"I'm doing my best here. These ghosts are trying to confuse me. Just hold on for a little bit longer. Jack, I've already enchanted your sword and shield with mana. Now you can use them to damage these bastards," the mage replied, focused on his spellcasting.
"On it, old man! COME HERE, YOU DAMN UNDEAD!" Jack used his taunt skill, attracting the ghosts to focus on himself.
"SAM!!! Lock his movement now! I'm shooting my mana blast!" the mage shouted, gathering a huge sphere of mana in his palm and sending it towards the wraith, finally killing it.
"Nice one, old man. Finally, we can return after this," Jack said with relief.
After clearing the remaining ghosts, the trio discovered something left behind by the wraith.
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They found a Talisman of Mana:
The user will have an increase in mana recovery by 5% and an increase in mana base attack by 10%.
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"Old man, it seems I found a perfect equipment for you," Sam said, handing over the talisman.
"Oh, that's why that wraith was stronger than the rest," the old mage replied, examining the talisman.
"So, Jack, old man, what should we do next?" Sam asked.
"Let's go back. We are all tired, and it's enough for information gathering for now. We can report our findings to the upper echelon," the old mage suggested.
---
The three of them quickly gathered themselves and made their way to the dungeon exit to return back to the city. Meanwhile, I ordered the wraithlings to follow them and infiltrate the cities we discovered.
With the barrier removed, infiltrating a place now became very easy for the wraithlings. Most of them were mapping the underground sewage system of each city. Seeing the effect of having a powerful hero made me want to use the last world store ticket to buy another hero token.
---
In another room:
Five people were meeting, and the blond-haired hero seemed displeased with the three adventurers' report.
"So, you three only explored the dungeon without actually finding the dungeon core? Are you guys so useless and weak? All you have to show me is this item dropped by a simple wraith?" the hero berated them.
"Sir, the dungeon is a labyrinth. We dare not venture deeper unprepared, and the amount of information we give you is already significant. We can theorize the dungeon is full of undead and mutated poisonous animals," one of the adventurers defended.
"Yes, sir, I can back up what Jack said," another one added.
"Okay, then all three of you will accompany me and watch how I conquer that dungeon tomorrow," the hero commanded.
"Yes, sir. We will excuse ourselves," they replied, leaving the room immediately without looking back at the other two present.
"Are you sure you can clear that dungeon right now?" the middle-aged man asked the hero.
"Don't worry; those dungeon masters won't have a chance of beating me. I have a pure-blood dragon bloodline. Defeating those useless undead is very easy. And after all, the benefits of killing a dungeon master are quite big," the hero confidently responded.
Agreeing with the hero's words, the middle-aged man just kept silent.
"There is no more space to add those three to your team. I will tell them that they will not be attending the subjugation. You can go and prepare for tomorrow's event," the middle-aged man informed.
"Okay, uncle," the hero said as he left the room with an unwilling face.
"Hmph... useless kid. If only you were more capable or there was an easier-to-manipulate hero. Why should I use an arrogant brat?" the middle-aged man muttered to himself, deep in thought and planning. while brewing a plan of his own