How did I turn my victim into a phoenix-like hero?

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"...Is that so? What a pity."

The NPC sighed in disappointment.

"oh oh...."

This was Cass's first contact with intelligent life forms from the dungeon civilization.

Even knowing that the other party would reset to an "!" state after completing the task, I couldn't help but be surprised by the other party's resemblance to a human.

The NPC raises a vessel shaped like a large wine glass.

Cass reluctantly removed a portion of his liver from the ring and placed it in a cup.

The initial inquiry about joining the church is a trap.

If someone agrees to join the religion, the NPC will assimilate them on the spot.

They will become identical to this NPC in appearance and style, lose their individual consciousness, and become followers of the so-called Banana religion, spending their entire lives serving Hertanid.

That's what the information provided by Sirocco says.

This made Cass worry that future dungeon quests would be so troublesome and dangerous, yet dungeon quests were also part of his studies...

The NPC then muttered something under his breath, like a prayer, before nodding his thanks to Cass.

"Thank you for your support. Hertanid will always be watching over you."

Uh, no need.

Imagine a complete stranger staring at you all day long. Isn't that the kind of person a stalker or a pervert?

After listening to the NPC's words, the NPC started walking again. After replenishing the last pile of new candles, he shuffled out of the church.

After the footsteps of the cultists faded away, Cass turned to look at Sirocco and found him still asleep.

Rumble-

The mechanism was activated, and the statue slowly slid backward, revealing a path leading underground.

"This is the hidden area that Sirocco was talking about..."

After a brief look, I noticed that the walls inside were illuminated by bright yellow torches, and most importantly, there were no ghosts.

Cass felt somewhat relieved, and took one last look at Sirocco inside the barrier:

"I'll be back soon."

Cass whispered, following his memory of the information, and entered the passage.

Hearing Cass's footsteps enter the passage, Sirocco, who had been pretending to be asleep, opened his eyes.

He had actually woken up when Cass called his name.

Sirocco packed her luggage and equipment, skillfully tied her long hair into a ponytail, and began doing stretching exercises.

While you're at it, open the watch face and take a look—

Tsk, Mütt survived.

I did not see any boastful news reports about the arrest of members of the Fallen Order.

The released document is an arrest warrant for Mütter, clearly outlining her abilities, skills, and connections...

"Hey, how come this is a direct copy of the intelligence I sent out?!"

Alas, that’s all.

For now, we can put that guy's matter aside. The arrest warrant has already been issued, and that guy won't be moving around in Granada city.

In short, as expected, Cass is now to explore the maze alone.

Just as anti-inflammatory drugs are paired with a strong ruler, and sugar ginseng is paired with orchid.

"The Blade of the Demon" is a weapon exclusively for Cass—the protagonist—to use.

It can mimic free shape-shifting, stretching like rubber or hardening like steel. It will automatically protect its owner and also has the effect of absorbing the enemy's life and magic points.

The only drawback might be that the sword's design doesn't quite suit most people's aesthetic. Personally, Sirocco really likes this sword; in his previous life, he even handcrafted a 1:1 scale model of it.

Like most other works, obtaining an overpowered weapon requires undergoing trials, such as facing a demonic sword head-on. Let Cast handle that part himself.

Sirocco first looked out of the church.

The scantily clad minotaurs lingered in twos and threes nearby, their heavy breathing creating plumes of white smoke, their eyes flashing with a deep blue light—a manifestation of the "nighttime enhancement buff," making them far more oppressive than in the morning.

So forget about running away.

Sirocco looked again at the white ghosts in the church, and with a "whoosh" sound, they stopped floating one by one.

Then, as they descended to the ground, these ghosts were able to stand upright and no longer penetrated the floor, their color changing from white to a chilling crimson.

This is their true form: second-level monsters, "Phantom Specters".

At this moment, their empty eyes were all facing Sirocco.

"Wow, it feels just like giving a speech on stage in elementary school."

Sirocco exclaimed in admiration, counting as he went; there were 31 such monsters in the church, which was neither too big nor too small.

He surveyed the space, drew his broadsword, its silver blade extremely thin on both sides, but unfortunately, he couldn't experience the thrill of cutting through flesh.

These ghosts will switch to combat mode as the passage opens; they are the guardians of the Demon Blade.

The entire team will copy the level of the highest-level player on the field, and there are 31 such monsters.

Sirocco didn't want to be some cool rearguard role.

The teleportation crystal cannot be used in that hidden space.

He also wanted to enter the hidden space with Cass, and didn't want to fight these monsters.

But if both of them go in, the group of ghosts will all go in together.

In the game, these monsters will sneak up behind you, and soon the entire underground space will be blocked by materialized ghosts.

Most importantly, these ghosts will run into the treasure room, which is the room where you obtain the Demon Blade. At that time, you will face both the monsters in the underground space and these ghosts, and you will be surrounded and killed by the monsters.

In short, someone needs to stay behind to attract these ghosts.

On the bright side, these ghosts will drop experience points, 31 points each, and each one that dies will be replaced with another.

Isn't that just like unlimited refills?

"--!!Oh."

A chill ran through my body.

Well, facing so many monsters, Sirocco was actually a little nervous.

However, recalling the bits and pieces of time spent in Maple Garden.

That moment, so close to death.

As if his body had been filled with nitrogen, Sirocco took a deep breath and became much calmer.

These people have simply copied their own level.

“Multiplayer battles aren’t my style, but I have to go anyway. The Maple Knights are far more terrifying than you.”

"Eee ...

The ghosts rushed across the center of the church at a terrifying speed, stepped over the barrier, and surged forward, biting at the distance between themselves and Sirocco.

Sirocco brandished his blade, but it was a feint.

"Gurgle—!!"

Sirocco delivered a flying kick to the first red phantom that lunged at him.

The red ghost was struck in the ankle, losing its ability to move and falling down, followed by the others who tripped and fell one after another.

59. The Demon Blade, the protagonist's weapon.

Sirocco's only chance of winning is that these "phantom ghosts" do not possess intelligence.

"—!"

The red phantom's right hand transformed into a blade and approached. Sirocco dodged with a huge movement and bent over in a hurry.

It swept across Shilock's head, shaving off several strands of hair.

The church is 70 square meters in size, and the dilapidated pews and exposed interior of the building are far from sufficient to provide shelter.

Using the gaps between the red ghosts to pinpoint their location, Sirocco darted into the horde, moving at incredible speed in a zigzag pattern, his broadsword slicing across the necks of each red ghost.

"..."

"--ha."

As Sirocco took a breath, the stabbed ghosts exploded like bubbles in soapy water.

—Ha, easy peasy!—

Sirocco didn't think that way at all.

"Well...."