Half an hour later, as Boran and Boney Stark waited at the cave entrance, they felt a vibration in the dim light. The texture of the air had changed. In the pale light of the phosphorescent mushrooms, a thin purple line appeared and slowly widened into a portal. From within the light emerged a tall figure with fair skin and a dark cloak: William Bennett.
Boran stepped back with relief, while Boney Stark lowered his bow and waved at William. William nodded with a smile, though confusion showed on his face. "I assume you need some help?"
"Yes... Gloomy Hunters are immune to physical damage."
William nodded slightly. "I know," he said calmly. "I've encountered them before. Since we're both in the party now, let's proceed."
As they advanced deeper into the cave, William carefully examined their surroundings. With each step, the hem of his cloak gently glided above the ground.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to come," Boran broke the silence.
"Why did you think that? Aren't we friends?"
"Because of your guild - you said you couldn't form parties with anyone outside your guild."
"It's not that I can't form parties, I shouldn't. No one should know about this little collaboration of ours."
"Your secret is safe with me," Boran said with a smile.
They walked in silence for a while. The corridors had started to narrow again. Next to William, Boran felt both safe and somewhat small. Boney Stark was vigilantly watching their rear. Finally, they reached a vast chamber in the cave. The ceiling was high, and the walls were covered with phosphorescent mushrooms.
"Gloomy Hunters tend to cluster in chambers like this," said William.
Boran nodded.
Suddenly, a dark shadow moved in the far corner of the chamber. Then another... Then another. Soon, four Gloomy Hunters began gliding at different points in the chamber. They all floated like masses of black mist, defying gravity.
William moved without hesitation. When he raised his hand, a purple energy ball formed at its tip. A beam of purple energy shot from his hand at lightning speed. The beam struck the first Gloomy Hunter's body. The creature vanished without even a single cry. The mist cloud hung in the air for a few seconds, then completely disappeared. Within seconds, the room was completely cleared.
Boran and Boney Stark watched in amazement. "Wow..." Boran muttered.
William smiled. "Gloomy Hunters are extremely vulnerable to magic. Let's continue together, more will come."
After several corridors, new Gloomy Hunters materialized from the ceiling and dark corners of another chamber. They took various forms—some appearing as thin columns of smoke, others as ground-hugging mist layers. All of them focused their attention on William.
William stepped forward and struck the ground with his hand. An energy ring formed around him and spread in waves. Three Gloomy Hunters instantly vanished where the wave touched them, their darkness completely erased. Boran and Boney Stark looked at William in admiration.
"This is incredible..." Boran whispered. William, however, was calm as if performing a routine task. "You're exaggerating," he said with a smile. "More will come. Stay calm, stay behind me."
In the successive attacks, William fought alone at the front while Boran and Boney Stark watched from behind. At one point, Boran gathered his courage and charged at a Gloomy Hunter with his shield, but it passed right through again. "Guess it really has to be magic," he muttered to himself.
William used his spells tirelessly. Each attack eliminated a Gloomy Hunter - sometimes with a quick energy beam, sometimes with a spreading wave, sometimes with a spiraling energy vortex. Boran was impressed by the variety of William's spells. He could guess that these abilities were just the tip of the iceberg.
When the twentieth Gloomy Hunter was destroyed, Boran took a deep breath. "This is the first time I've seen a high-level adventurer in action."
William nodded modestly. "I look at those higher level than me the same way," he said with a laugh. "Let's kill the Bone Walkers and the Boss while I'm here. If I'm going to help, I might as well help completely."
"Really? Thank you!"
"When I arrived, you were level 4, now you're 6. Aren't you going to level up?"
"I'll do it when we're finished."
"By the way, what's this skeleton?"
"It came from an item I found. It shoots arrows for me, but usually misses."
Hearing this, Boney Stark lowered his head as if saddened.
William led the way deeper. The phosphorescent mushrooms' light had dimmed, but the soft purple glow emanating from William's hands was enough to illuminate their surroundings.
"Bone Walkers usually travel in groups," said William. "They have less health than Gloomy Hunters, but they can be dangerous when they outnumber you."
Just then, they heard bone sounds from the large chamber at the end of the corridor - the sound of skeletons clattering against each other. Boran reflexively raised his shield, while Boney Stark drew his bow.
"Stay calm," said William. "I'll handle this."
When they entered the chamber, they faced at least thirty Bone Walkers. All were equipped with rotted armor and rusty swords. Red eyes glowed inside their bone skulls. As soon as they saw William, they all attacked at once.
William smiled and raised one hand toward the sky - the cave ceiling. A purple energy ball began forming in his palm. The energy ball grew larger and brighter. Then William suddenly lowered his hand.
Purple energy stars began raining from the ceiling. Each star struck like lightning, instantly destroying any Bone Walker it touched. Within seconds, the entire chamber was filled with purple light. When the light faded, nothing remained of the thirty Bone Walkers.
"Incredible..." Boran muttered. Boney Stark watched William's magic in admiration.
"That quest is done," William said calmly. "Now for the boss."
"A team that came earlier killed the boss, what should we do?"
"Bosses usually respawn three hours after leaving their arena. Has it been three hours?"
"Even longer."
"Then it's already respawned."
They proceeded deeper. The cave's structure had begun to change. The walls were now covered with precisely cut stones, and ancient inscriptions appeared here and there.
"Mur-Azar's chamber is close," said William. "I can sense him."
Finally, they reached an enormous door. The door was made of black metal, covered with complex symbols. When William touched the door, the symbols began glowing red.
"Are you ready?" William asked.
Boran and Boney Stark nodded. William pointed his hand at the door and muttered a spell. The door opened with a rumble.
Inside, Mur-Azar stood on the platform.
"Who dares..." Mur-Azar thundered but couldn't finish his sentence. William had already moved.
First, he spread a purple energy net across the chamber's floor. The net caught Mur-Azar and slowed his movements. Then he joined his hands and raised them skyward. A column of purple energy descended from the ceiling and enveloped Mur-Azar.
"NO!" shouted Mur-Azar. "I AM ETERNAL..."
William snapped his fingers. The energy column exploded and completely destroyed Mur-Azar. Only his sword and helmet remained.
Boran stood with his mouth agape. "In... in one move..." he said.
William smiled. "The level difference was too great. It was easy for me." Then he turned to Boran. "We've completed all your quests. You'll probably gain several levels."
"Thank you, William, really..." said Boran.
"You're welcome," said William. "But this little team we formed has to remain between us, you know that, right?"
"Of course," said Boran. "I won't tell anyone."
William nodded and opened a purple portal. "See you," he said and disappeared through the portal.
Boran and Boney Stark looked at each other. The display of power they had just witnessed had deeply impressed them both. "One day," said Boran, "one day I'll be this powerful too."
Boney Stark nodded supportively.