'Five minutes... I'm not too far from the coordinates. If I move now, it should only take me-'

Riiiiiiiiiiii...!

​​

Suddenly, a high-pitched ring invaded Izroth's ears. The next moment, everything around him descended into total silence as Izroth's Soul Sense went off.

The world around him was spinning as it became difficult for Izroth to maintain proper balance.

'Something is affecting my sense of perception.'

Izroth closed his eyes and activated his Energy Vision Sense. Right now, he had a total loss of his hearing ability, and since everything around him was constantly spinning, his eyesight turned into too much of a liability to trust. However, after Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense, he could not help but inwardly frown.

'There are a few lifeforms nearby, but none of them possess a flame great enough to influence my senses directly. However, to escape my natural detection range and that of my Energy Vision Sense... Is it that thing?'

There were several powerful monsters hidden within the Hollow Soul Grove. The Scorching Earth Liger and Silvertip Hystrix were two of the strongest, but even they paled in comparison to the strongest flame Izroth sensed at the grove's center.

Since he had other priorities, Izroth decided that it was best to ignore that creature and focus on the Scorching Earth Liger and Silvertip Hystrix. After all, Izroth did not doubt that whatever lived at the center of the Hollow Soul Grove was its ruler!

'Based on its flames alone, if I were to confront it with my current strength, I would only have about a 20% chance of winning.'

There was another reason Izroth chose to avoid the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove. Although he had not seen the creature's physical appearance, Izroth was sure—it was a member of the dragon race!

Of course, it was nothing compared to a true dragon like the third prince of the Dragon Palace, Kayn. Nevertheless, the blood of the dragon race ran through its veins, and Izroth understood that he could not afford to disregard it with his current strength.

'It wouldn't take long for the nearby outposts to notice the scale of disturbance and send people to investigate if it is that creature. But, something's off...'

Izroth held doubts that it was the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove who was targetting him. Firstly, according to what Izroth read in the Amaharpe Palace Library, those who possessed even the thinnest of a dragon's bloodline were proud by nature.

Would such a proud creature or individual launch a sneak attack on someone it undoubtedly presumed to be weaker than itself? It didn't add up.

'To move this deep into my range of perception before I noticed their presence... Unless it's a member of the Phantasmal race that's stronger than Aru, there are only three other possibilities. Either the gap in our strength is too far apart, they are employing a magic item, or... They are still outside of my detection range.'

Izroth immediately ruled out the first two options. For one, the Phantasmal race could not harm others due to a restriction placed on their race.

As for the difference in strength, Izroth dismissed this as well. If the gap between their strength were truly so vast, then there would be no reason to place him under the effects of an illusion.

At first, Izroth had a vague hunch that he was put under the effects of an illusion; however, as time went by, he confirmed his suspicions.

One may be capable of fooling his five senses, but it was an entirely different matter when it came to deceiving his Energy Vision Sense and Soul Sense.

When Izroth opened his eyes, he was greeted by pure darkness as his hearing returned to him. Lurking within the depths of this darkness were ghostly figures with piercing red eyes. But, the strange thing about these creatures was that not a single one possessed a flame visible through Izroth's Energy Vision Sense.

There was also the fact that after the initial disruption of his senses, Izroth's Soul Sense did not go off again. This meant that the threat was hidden extraordinarily well or that the illusion itself posed no genuine direct threat to him. After understanding this point, Izroth came to a swift realization.

'I see... If it's her, then I suppose that's also a possibility.'

From what Izroth knew, Meng Jiang had gone to great lengths to ensure that the movements and preparations made by their Sacred Beasts went undiscovered. However, there was one major anomaly outside the predictions of Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts—the hidden strategist of the Headhunter Syndicate.

This type of attack felt too strategic and sneaky. While there were monsters or NPCs capable of pulling off such a timely assault, the more Izroth thought about it, the more he considered a different possibility.

Woosh! Woosh!

Suddenly, dozens of thorny vines erupted from the earth beneath Izroth and wrapped around him. In the blink of an eye, Izroth was covered from his neck to ankles in a thick cocoon of vines.

At the same time, the ground began to soften as Izroth felt himself slowly sinking. It was as though he was abruptly caught within quicksand where each grain weighed the same as a ball of lead.

'A bit interesting.'

Just as this thought entered Izroth's mind, the vines continued to grow until they completely encompassed him. The moment it did so, the softened earth hardened and formed numerous black crystals. Then, from the vines, tiny buds rapidly sprouted. Some of the buds even started to blossom into black roses.

Afterward, everything fell silent as the darkness faded, revealing a figure with concealed attire and a unique facial mask whose body released a faint rattling noise whenever they moved. It was the same lifeless doll that Vault referred to as The Nightmare, Black Dream, one of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate!

"I expected more of a challenge. I guess the rumors were just baseless nonsense after all. Well, it's fine. Once someone is trapped in the Blooming Nightmare Rose, it's impossible to escape." A lifeless voice echoed from beneath the concealed attire.

The Blooming Nightmare Rose was an illusion, just as Izroth suspected; however, it differed from the illusions that most players were used to confronting.

Unlike other illusions, Black Dream's Blooming Nightmare Rose brought mere illusions to life. The more one struggled against the illusion, the faster it would transform into an inescapable and deadly reality!

"When the last Nightmare Rose blooms, his fate will be sealed." The lifeless doll stated.

"Oh? What's this? A puppet?" A voice sounded from behind the lifeless doll.

"?!" The lifeless doll's body rattled. Although its face was incapable of displaying emotions, one could tell from its jolted actions that it was surprised by the sudden appearance of the voice at its back.

Without hesitation, the lifeless doll dashed forward to create distance between itself and its assailant. Its gaze was immediately drawn to the area where it successfully trapped its target, but it was shocked to discover that nothing was there!

"Impossible...! My Blooming Nightmare Rose—it's gone...!" The lifeless doll exclaimed.

Not just the Nightmare Rose, but even the terrain returned to normal as the darkness completely resided.

However, before the lifeless doll could process what was happening, its body went limp as its eyes turned dull.

"I lost control...? ... Can't... be..." The next moment, the lifeless doll fell to the ground motionless as its last few words faded away.

'To launch the first strike when they are supposed to be the ones being ambushed—it looks like I underestimated her foresight.'

Izroth stood over the lifeless doll as he briefly studied it.

'It dropped its guard and revealed itself too soon after catching me in its illusion. Though it saved me some trouble. Whatever it is, it was able to get this close to me undetected. Still, for a puppet to cast such a compelling illusion when its owner is nowhere to be found...'

It did not take more than half a breath for Izroth to understand how the illusion worked of the Nightmare Rose worked.

Once he grasped the underlying principles, it was simply a matter of using his Space Defying Tread to travel through the Nightmare Rose to safety.

However, what Izroth had not anticipated was that the nearby enemy he was searching for turned out to be a lifeless doll!

'Hm...?'

Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gaze landed on something strange yet familiar that was carved into the unique mask of the lifeless doll.

'This symbol... What is it doing in this place?'