The silence that followed was loud.
Virgil looked around for help from anywhere, but in the end, he could only try to divert the topic and avoid it.
"Haha, anyway, who are you guys? It's our first time meeting, right?" He said, looking at Damien and the girls.
Damien looked him up and down strangely, turning his eyes to the rest of his people afterwards.
They were definitely an interesting group, holding such a dynamic even while realizing their situation.
They acted like youngsters who hadn't even hit 20 yet, but that couldn't be true, right?
Actually, it wasn't impossible for weaker people to enter the realm, since everyone's strength would be regressed the same. There were several advantages and disadvantages of both being weaker and stronger.
"You can call me Damien," Damien finally said, nodding at the group with a smile.
Rose and the girls introduced themselves as well, using the same succinct method as him.
"Nice to meet you all!" Virgil said energetically, bowing his head slightly.
"Since we've all ended up in this situation, shouldn't we work together to find a way out?" He suggested.
Damien raised his brow.
"Work together?"
"Yup! I'm sure our strength combined can deal some damage to that Ghost King, right?"
"Ha!"
Damien scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Did this kid enter the sub-universe without doing a single ounce of research?
The Ghost King wasn't an existence they could fight. From what had been gathered, he was at least at the peak of 3rd class, a level where he could squash them like ants!
"I'll pass on that offer for now. We'll let you know if we reconsider," Damien finally said, shaking his head.
The first strategy wasn't fighting, that much was certain.
He looked at the girls, seeing the agreement in their eyes.
They had a tacit agreement on what to do next.
Their hands interlocked with the ones next to them, and their mana flowed between the connection they all shared.
Space bent and refracted the light in the surroundings, an air of Yin spread and disguised the area in fog, the auras of life coming from their bodies vanished completely, and finally, an illusory domain wrapped all their previous defenses up into a tight package of concealment that many would be hard-pressed to see through.
Of course, Bertram wasn't left out either.
"W-where'd they go?!" Virgil exclaimed.
"Haa, you can't actually be this stupid. It has to be a bit. Don't tell me it's not," the bald man sighed in frustration.
"Calm down, Marcus! It was just a joke!" Virgil hurriedly replied.
"Yeah, well now isn't the time for that. Since they've hid, we—"
Marcus' words were cut off by a sudden tremor that spread through the ground.
His face went ghastly white.
"We have to hide!"
He looked to the two women in the group, who hurriedly used their magic to cover their group in several barriers that separated them from the outside world.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, the booming thudding of footsteps rang out in the near distance, approaching closer with insane speed.
It came out of the shadows as if it was birthed by them.
It was a warrior with skin as pale as a corpse. It was dressed in the clothing of a barbarian, with red markings forming ominous patterns on its skin.
The bottom half of its face was covered in a thick beard and it had a mane of long and wild hair. Its eyes were nothing more than white slits, and on its neck, it wore a necklace made from the souls of those who invaded its domain.
'Holy shit.' Marcus thought, his body trembling in inherent fear.
The Ghost King! This was the Ghost King!
He held a massive staff in his hand like that of a village elder, but the bloody cleaver on his back was enough indication that he was nowhere near sagely!
The nine living souls hiding at the edge of his territory held their breaths, even Virgil's usually upbeat face solemn.
The ghoulish and deathly aura coming from the Ghost King was suffocating them through their defenses.
'Leave…just leave…!'
It was a thought shared by everyone in the group of four.
The Ghost King raised his head slightly.
Sniff!
Sniff!
His nose flared twice, and—
"You."
BOOM!
He moved, rapidly appearing at the barrier's edge and towering over the hiding spot of Virgil and his group.
"Come to me."
BANG!
His massive arm slammed down, shattering every barrier set up to keep him out in a second.
"Scatter!"
Upon Virgil's orders, the four spread in different directions, flying out and using the shockwave from the Ghost King's attack to boost them even further.
"We have to fight! Follow me!"
With battle starting, there was no more conflict within their group.
Perhaps Virgil was a brainless fool in normal life, but if it was battle, he was a peerless genius!
It was this, combined with something more mystical, that drew these three to join his party despite his personality, and now was the time for him to prove their choice the right one!
Virgil launched himself into battle ahead of his peers, leading them without fear or hesitation.
"From the left, stun him!"
"Yes!"
The two women in the group were named Amber and Diana. They took the left together and raised their staffs, casting magic that struck the Ghost King in the form of a large purple Phoenix.
Bang!
"Hm?"
The Ghost King barely showed reaction. He turned to the girls and swept his arm out, using the reach of his massive staff to stack them from afar.
But at that moment, Virgil pounced, arriving behind the Ghost King and jumping up, slashing his sword in a complete circle to build power and slice the enemy's throat in a single move!
Screeeech!
Sparks flew from the sword's path as it connected with the target. The Ghost King took no damage, but it was sure that he was offended by their actions.
Such mortals dared to attack him?!
Proposterous!
The group of four had a good party balance, with two fighters and two mages attacking together. Whenever Virgil needed support, Marcus could always be there to aid him, while Amber and Diana could give them overarching support from the back and attack when they saw a chance.
Damien observed them carefully, but spent more time dissecting the Ghost King's reactions to their onslaught.
'Hmm…isn't this a bit…game-like?'
He didn't know if it applied throughout the sub-universe, but the way the Ghost King was moving definitely had a pattern.
A close-up melee hit would be met with a stomp or swing, while a long-range attack was met with an attack from his great staff or mana.
The cleaver on his back showed no signs of coming out, indicating something like a second phase.
'I heard all the living beings in this realm are killed and revived whenever the Impulse Wave passes. Could the reason be…'
Damien frowned as the thought formed in his mind.
Was it a good thing or a bad thing?
The only way to find out was to face it directly.
'Well, I guess it gives the Severed World a more fun feel, which is strange to say with how this damn place has been assaulting us since we got here, but it is what it is.'
Virgil's group was able to hold out for a surprising amount of time without taking too much damage, long enough for Damien to gain a basic understanding of the Ghost King's attack patterns.
What better use was there for strange adventurers than bait?
Now that he knew what fish he was trying to catch, it was time to start reeling it in!
"Go."
A single word left Damien's lips.
And his shadow responded.
