The moment they entered, the world shifted.
Instead of the dark cave-like interior they expected, they found themselves standing in a vast, open field filled with glowing blue flowers. A soft wind blew, carrying whispers of voices neither of them recognized. The sky above was deep purple, speckled with silver stars, but something about it felt fake—as if it were a painted ceiling rather than an actual sky.
Serena looked around warily. "This… isn't real, is it?"
Asher crouched and touched the grass. It felt real. Smelled real. But his instincts screamed otherwise.
"No," he said. "This dungeon is toying with us."
Suddenly, the flowers around them withered instantly, and the once beautiful field turned into a desolate wasteland. The sky cracked, revealing a swirling void beyond it.
A deep chuckle echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"Welcome, travelers. Shall we play a game?"
The voice was smooth, confident, and mocking.
Serena pulled out her daggers. "Great. A talking dungeon."
Asher's expression darkened. "No. That's not the dungeon. That's the boss."
A flickering shadow appeared in front of them. It had no true form—one second it was a tall humanoid, the next it was a mass of swirling mist. Its presence distorted the air, making it difficult to focus on its true shape.
"I am the Phantom King. And in my realm, nothing is as it seems."
The ground beneath them suddenly disappeared, and they began to fall—except they weren't falling at all. Follow current novels on Novel~Fire. (n)et
One moment, they were standing. The next, they were walking upside down on an invisible surface.
Serena clenched her teeth. "This is going to be a pain, isn't it?"
Asher smirked slightly, despite the situation. "Yeah. But that just makes it more fun."
"Na na na! First defeat my minions" Phantom king said and vanished from sight as Asher and looked at each others.
" lest go deep inside" he said as Serena followed after him.
[Illusion Tyrant - Rank A+]
The monster let out a guttural growl, and in an instant, the entire room transformed. The walls vanished, replaced by an endless void of darkness. The ground beneath them crumbled away, making it seem as if they were falling into nothingness.
Serena gasped, instinctively reaching out for balance. "Damn it, it's warping reality again!"
"Not really," Asher said calmly. His eyes locked onto the monster, his Absolute Appraisal skill cutting through the illusion. He still saw the solid ground beneath their feet, the real walls of the dungeon, and the true form of the monster.
The Illusion Tyrant roared again, this time creating dozens of clones of itself, each appearing just as real as the original.
Serena gritted her teeth. "Which one is real?!"
Asher didn't even hesitate. He dashed forward and swung his sword straight through the real body of the monster, ignoring all the illusions. A deep gash appeared across its torso, and the false copies flickered out of existence.
Serena's eyes widened. "You can see it?!"
"Told you," Asher said with a smirk. "Illusions don't work on me."
The monster screeched in rage and unleashed a wave of distorted energy, trying to overwhelm his senses with a stronger illusion. The ground turned into a pit of writhing hands, reaching out to drag them down. The sky above cracked open, revealing horrifying, shifting faces whispering madness.
Serena staggered, barely holding on. "This thing is insane—!"
Asher, however, simply walked forward, unimpressed. "Enough of this."
He raised his hand, and blood-red energy surged around him. With a wave of his arm, his Blood Control ability sent crimson chains wrapping around the monster's real body, binding it in place. The illusions wavered as its concentration broke.
With the monster now vulnerable, Serena regained her footing. "Time to finish it!"
She lunged forward, her daggers coated in flames, and stabbed directly into its chest. The creature let out a final, agonized shriek before dissolving into nothingness.
"Damn, if the minion was this Stronger then just how strong is the Phantom King?" She asked, the monster minion was an A+ rank.
"Probably an S-rank or higher," Asher said as he looked at the minions. "The Phantom King—judging from the way it talks and its speech pattern—is definitely an S-rank or above monster."
They continued walking deeper into the dungeon, encountering more of the Phantom King's minions along the way. Each one was stronger than the last, but Asher and Serena cut them down swiftly, leaving a trail of defeated enemies behind them.
After an intense battle, they finally reached the final chamber.
A massive throne sat in the middle of the dark room, surrounded by eerie blue flames flickering in the air. Atop the throne sat a tall, ghostly figure wrapped in tattered black robes. A dark crown rested upon its head, and its glowing red eyes locked onto them the moment they stepped inside.
[Phantom King - Rank S+]
The temperature in the room dropped instantly. A chilling voice echoed through the chamber.
"You are finally here" he said chuckling.
Asher and Serena stood their ground as the world around them twisted once more. The Phantom King laughed, his voice echoing from all directions.
"Confused? Good. In my realm, perception is weakness. Lose yourself, and you lose everything."
Serena tensed, gripping her daggers. "This bastard is really enjoying himself."
Asher exhaled sharply. "Of course he is. He knows illusions are hard to fight."
The Phantom King suddenly split into dozens of copies, surrounding them in a perfect circle. Each one moved in sync, their indistinct forms shifting between humanoid and mist.
Serena cursed under her breath. "I can't tell which one is real!"
"You don't have to." Asher's eyes gleamed as he extended his hand.
From his palm, droplets of blood lifted into the air. They hovered momentarily before shooting out in every direction, splattering against each Phantom King copy.
One of them flinched.
Before the boss could react, Asher dashed forward, conjuring a blood spear in an instant. With a precise strike, he pierced the Phantom King's chest—only for the spear to pass through like mist.