Chapter 144: Illusion

Words : 1228 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 144: IllusionAnd then, he vanished. Puff, gone. Just like a damned magic trick. One second he was there. The next, he wasn’t. The others caught up and investigated. There was no body left behind. As for the oasis... It was never there. Just endless sand. "An illusion..." Vaelira growled. No one had the energy to search for the man. They just accepted the fact that remaining in the group formation was for the best. No one ran ahead after that. They walked in grim silence. The survivors were few now. Tensions were so thick they could almost choke on them. No one looked at each other besides Kaiden and his girls, afraid of a conflict breaking out. Even the drama queen, Vaelira, had long since given up on picking fights with Kaiden and his team. Every step forward felt heavier than the last. They just kept walking. Because turning back meant crossing the desert again. But then, from one moment to the next, the sands abruptly shifted, parting away. The pyramid, which had always been on the horizon’s edge like a carrot on a stick, was suddenly right in front of them. "Thank the gods..." was all that Jack said before stepping forward with shaky legs. What stood before them was heaven itself. They didn’t even have the energy to stop and marvel at the optical illusion or whatever it was that had taken place. Instead, the group merely stepped inside unceremoniously. The change that took place in their surroundings felt entirely surreal. Gone was the scorching sun, the unrelenting heat, and the endless sea of sand. Instead, they stepped into a vast chamber, one that stretched far beyond what should have been possible within the confines of the structure. The air was cool and crisp, creating an unbelievably sharp contrast to the sweltering desert heat outside. "Finally!" Vaelira exclaimed with an exhausted exhale. She was on her last legs. Eleven people made it to this point in the dungeon. Kaiden and his Valkyries, Elara, Vaelira and her three minions, as well as their dungeon aide. The only other survivor was Dorothy, the brawler who lost her sister to the dune maw’s surprise attack. "Let’s set up camp here. We’ll have rotating guard duty." Vaelira followed her exclamation up. The second day was over, and none had the energy to search for a safer place than this. They were likely in the final stretch of the dungeon; the boss monsters they had to eliminate to close the dungeon gate should be hidden inside the pyramid somewhere. But that didn’t mean the whole place was teeming with monsters. It seemed rather peaceful for now. "How funny would it be if it turned out the boss was in the other direction from the gate...?" Luna laughed with silly giggling, signaling she was likely suffering from a heat stroke. "I agree." Kaiden nodded at Vaelira while grabbing onto Luna’s shoulder, fearing she might just faint. "I’ll start the guard duty." He didn’t trust Vaelira’s team one bit, he wouldn’t allow any of them to approach his girls while they were vulnerably sleeping. "Let’s have two guards, one from each team," Sasha suggested for the same reason. "Sure," Kaiden said, shrugging his shoulders. Having two battle-ready combatants in case of a monster attack was definitely welcome. "I’ll start." To his surprise, it was none other than Vaelira who offered to stay awake instead of dozing off, which her body very clearly greatly needed. Their eyes met for a second, but she quickly averted her gaze and instead addressed her stream, "This is it from me for today; the Vaelira Show will resume in 8 hours." With that, she reached for her mana camera and turned it off. "We’ll do the same. Thank you, guys, for all the support today. It was a really tough day, but your encouragement helped all four of us push through this scorched hell. Tomorrow will be a tense push to reach the boss room as we only have one day to clear the dungeon. See you," Kaiden said. - Princeless Princess: Good luck, and I know you’re very tired, but you should sleep with an eye open! You’re in a dangerous location. - Lady Leia: If you’re going to be rotating guard duty, make sure the girls are aware of the dangers! I don’t trust these Nova Circuit fuckers, they might try something while you’re sleeping. - Kaiden’s Wife: The Rosy Knight will, of course, protect his lovers, even if it’s the last thing he does! Isn’t that right, Kai? "We’re not maidens in distress... Didn’t you bitches see me slice them fugly monsters apart with my badass electric blade?" Luna muttered annoyedly with a vein popping on her forehead. Before the severely irritated kitten could truly get into a catfight with the fangirls, Kaiden quickly closed the stream after wishing them all a good night/day. They set up camps far from each other, showcasing just how little the two groups trusted one another. Dorothy joined Vaelira’s camp as she was also a guild member. Elara quickly raised a tent and began cooking them a refreshing meal before sending the ladies to sleep. A full belly would help them recover better. They only had warmed-up ingredients on them, and the horribly heated water was a drink they never would’ve touched before today, but now, no one even complained. After dinner, a quick washing session happened, using towels and the same water they used for drinking. It wasn’t very clean nor elegant, but Elara couldn’t carry a whole bathtub on her back. At least she brought soap. They scheduled their own guard rotation strategically. Luna would go at the same time Leon did. He was their fastest member; only the Storm Valkyrie or Kaiden had the speed to react if he tried something. Nyx would match Sasha; her [Kinetic Barrier] was the perfect spell to block an arrow shot if she attacked. Lastly, Aria would guard at the same time Jack did. As a tanker, he was slow and lacked long-range attack options. He could only charge at his targets, to which Aria could react very well and kite him with [Lunar Glide] while shouting, awakening them all. They all knew that, tired as they all were, vigilance was a must. With the assignments done for the day, the ladies retreated to the tent while Kaiden stood, grabbing onto his war axe. When he did, he saw Vaelira smile at him and wave in a friendly manner. She was standing right between the two tents, silently asking him to approach the sort of ’neutral zone’. Kaiden wasn’t quite sure how to interpret her behavior. She was acting as if nothing had happened over the past two days. "You know I can restart my stream at a moment’s notice, right?" he grunted, letting her know attacking him wasn’t in her best interest. Instead of taking offense or snapping at his words, she merely nodded. There was something strange in her eyes. Fatigue, yes, but also restraint. A flicker of something he couldn’t quite get a proper read on. Sighing, Kaiden elected to hear just what was going on in that head of hers. He approached the woman. Sёarᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Chapter 144: Illusion

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