Elliris’s other sense of security came from her ample stock of alchemy potions.
However, as soon as she entered the secret realm, all her single-use items disappeared.
‘Which bastard stole my things! Those were made from alchemy materials I spent so much of my hard-earned money on… Waaaah.’
The main issue was her fragile health bar. This mechanism, where losing health reflected directly on the physical body, felt incredibly real and intense.
Losing the same amount of health felt very different for Marcus or Sophia than it did for her and Nino. The degree of damage caused was naturally different.
Elliris, who was nearly Level 60, had less than 4,000 HP. She had intentionally allocated the free attribute points she gained from leveling up into regular stats like Strength and Constitution to increase her HP.
But it could only do so much. After all, “mage tanks” didn’t exist in this world, and cross-domain classes were even more impossible.
Thinking of this, Elliris dutifully refreshed her three previous buffs. She had to maintain this sense of security as she waited to see what powerful enemy would emerge from the eerie eight-pointed star magic circle.
The light of the eight-pointed star magic circle faded, and a suffocating black mist of necromantic energy rolled in, making Elliris’s every nerve tighten.
What would appear? What kind of enemies had her ancestors fought? Or rather, what unknown creatures would she encounter in her future?
None of this was known, but the current enemy was about to reveal its true face.
As the thick necromantic mist dispersed, a terrifying image became clear. In Elliris’s vision, a translucent spirit appeared. She looked like a woman of bone bleached by bleak moonlight. Her hands were skeletal with long nails, floating in mid-air like a nightmare that had entered the real world.
The spectral frame wore a bridal veil on its head. Within the hollow cheekbones, heart-palpitating crimson blood-eyes flickered constantly.
This appearance, which did not belong to any normal living being, was a masterpiece of high-dimensional necromantic magic. No one knew what hardships this woman had endured in life to become like this after death.
**[Banshee’s Wail]**!
A deafening banshee screech erupted. Massive amounts of death-decay energy were released, and the shockwaves created constant echoes nearby.
Elliris suddenly felt a splitting headache. A sweet taste filled her mouth, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood.
“Tsk! This is what was mentioned in the scout’s report, the one Altair encountered before…”
Her wide, glassy eyes no longer held the composure she had when facing the Frost Troll Warlord. The necromantic energy here was something that would make any pure being feel extreme revulsion from the bottom of their heart.
[Status Window]
Name: Elliris
Level: 59
HP: 3050/3850
MP: 7065/10145
Shield: 616/1116
Status Ailments: Continuous Shadow Damage Erosion (500 HP deducted per minute), Significant Slow (Controlled), Mental Pollution/Breakdown Risk, Healing/Recovery reduced by 75%
In an instant, Elliris’s shield dropped by 500 points. The refreshed continuous damage also dealt 500 direct damage to her health. This shadow damage, which eroded the life and soul, almost completely ignored the target’s defense.
The current situation was dire. She had to find a way to interrupt the banshee’s skill attack, clear the healing curse, and remove the mental pollution affecting her mind and body.
**[Clear Mind]**, **[Remove Disease]**, and **[Holy Hymn]**!
There was no need for Elliris to save her mana now. She continuously cast skills to break crowd control and remove debuffs, alongside effective continuous healing. For a short time, this became a tug-of-war, resisting the damage to raise her health to a safe level.
As Elliris pressed her hands together in prayer, the struggle between death energy and life force officially began.
*Shatter* — Accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering glass, Elliris’s shield gradually failed. Shadow damage began to erode her flesh directly.
The golden holy light flickering in her palms was like a lamp in the long night. Healing particles constantly resisted the impact of the incoming necromantic energy.
Elliris knew that her light-healing magic could not stop. Once it did, the massive necromantic energy would break through the holy light’s defense and swallow her without mercy.
Blood began to seep from the corners of Elliris’s mouth, but she gritted her teeth. She channeled her mana to keep the Holy Light Magic Barrier expanding, slowly pushing back the range of the banshee’s skill. She knew that as long as she could endure until **[Banshee’s Wail]** ended or find the banshee’s weakness, the battle would reach a turning point.
**[Current shield has been broken… HP -500, -500, -500…]**
**[(Holy Hymn) effect is active: HP +653, +653, +653…]**
Elliris’s mana dropped rapidly at a visible rate. After just 10 minutes of the skill struggle, she had already lost 5,000 mana.
She crouched on the ground, nearly losing consciousness.
Her palms and back were drenched in cold sweat. In her panic and struggle, she continuously recited the church prayers her mother had left her to maintain her sanity.
‘Calm down. I can’t lose my mind. If I lose control of my thoughts now, it’s really over.’
Fortunately, the banshee’s attack finally ended after 10 minutes. The specter seemed to realize its opponent was troublesome and stopped its single-pattern skill attack.
“Are you kidding me?! Just what kind of monster are you?”
Elliris’s pupils constricted. She gasped for air and stubbornly straightened her back, then tried to check the banshee’s status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Banshee
Level: 90
HP: ???
MP: ???
[???]
[???]
[???]
This was likely the first time Elliris had encountered this with her Appraisal Eye. Even when facing the Necrotic Amalgam before, she could see its skills and talents. It wasn’t that her unique skill was malfunctioning; rather, the banshee was undoubtedly able to hide its abilities from prying eyes.
But the large Level 90 displayed made it impossible for Elliris to underestimate her foe.
It was the feeling of being played with by an unknown creature. What kind of thing had she provoked?!
Had her ancestors faced such powerful enemies? Her mother had never mentioned a banshee of this strength!
From the boss battle in the Arden Forest to this point, she had been challenging enemies far above her level. Now, in this arena-like secret realm trial with no way to retreat, she was forced into a duel against a boss 30 levels higher than her.
Having lived in this world for 6 years, Elliris no longer wanted to complain about her “Hell Mode” growth difficulty. Over the years, she had grown used to it.
At least she had a trump card left—**[Desperate Prayer]**, which Mother Felicitala had taught her!
This was a new skill her mother had given her before leaving during their last reunion with Sophia. It was an instant-cast skill that cost no mana and recovered 80% of her HP immediately, though it had a 6-hour cooldown.
“There’s still a chance! I can’t give up!”
Elliris cheered herself on. This was her resolve. Even if she had to face a god in the future, she wouldn’t lose her courage. At the very least, she had to act with a clear conscience and see things through to the end.