'Why? Why did it come to this?...'

Spencer gazed at his twin sister who was being stripped of her clothing by one of the Hobgoblin Warriors. Wendy was unconscious and was not aware of the Fate that was about to befall her.

'Wendy...'

Spencer tried to move his body to save his little sister. However, a foot pushed him back down. The young boy raised his head, only to find a gnarled staff pointed at his forehead.

The Hobgoblin Shaman said a word, and Spencer instantly felt drowsy. The strong urge to sleep corroded his willpower, and before long, his body gave way as his consciousness sank into darkness.

However, before he lost his consciousness entirely, he managed to activate the emblem on his uniform, and prayed that someone would be able to come and save his little sister from harm.

As Spencer laid on the ground, unmoving, the other Hobgoblin Warriors had gathered around the unconscious girl. Lust could be seen in their eyes as they looked at the young and slender lady who would soon become their new Broodmare.

When the Hobgoblins were about to do the deed, two whips of Dark Magic lashed out at them from the shadows. The Hobgoblin Warriors cried out in pain as they were all sent flying into the wall of the dungeon.

A Hobgoblin Shaman who was a meter taller than the other Hobgoblins appeared in the passageway. It carried a jeweled bronze staff in its hand, and its light-green eyes glowed with power.

This Hobgoblin Shaman was vastly different from the other Shaman's that could be found on the Fourteenth Floor. If William was here, he would definitely tell his party to run away and not engage it.

For it was a creature that was just as strong as the Guardian Deer, Spire, that lived inside the Enchanted Forest.

The tall Hobgoblin Shaman spoke a few words to the Hobgoblin Shaman who had already knelt on the floor. The vast difference in power made it submit itself willingly without resistance.

The tall Hobgoblin Shaman ordered the other Hobgoblins to carry the children and send them to where the other captives were being held. It also explicitly ordered the Hobgoblins not to touch Wendy, for its Master had already set his eyes on her.

Although the Hobgoblin Warriors were reluctant, they didn't dare defy the Shaman's orders. Spencer, Brutus, and Bruno, were carried like a sack of goods on the Hobgoblin Warriors' shoulders.

The tall Hobgoblin Shaman personally picked up Wendy in a princess carry as it took her to the place where its Master had gathered the other captives.

When they arrived at the location, the shaman covered Wendy's body with a robe, before placing her inside a cage. Spencer and the rest were also locked up in different cages.

After seeing that everything was in order, the Hobgoblin Shaman cast a "Deep Slumber" spell on all the captives, so that they would continue to sleep. Its Master had already made his own arrangements and it only needed to play its role for its Master's sake.

Suddenly, it received a new order from its Master to leave the Fourteenth Floor and head towards the Fifteenth Floor as soon as possible. Its Master added that it should continue to travel to the Nineteenth Floor and stay there until further notice.

Although the Hobgoblin Shaman was confused by this new order, it still followed it without fail.

Clearly, its Master didn't want anyone to know of its existence. It was a creature that roamed between the Fourteenth and Nineteenth Floors of the dungeon to do its Master's bidding.

The reason for its existence was to provide its Master with new slaves that its subordinates had captured inside the dungeon. That was the role it played, and it was more than happy to do its Master's bidding.

------

"Let's hurry!" William urged his party as they ran across the Fourteenth Floor of the Dungeon.

Along the way, students of the academy--that were also on the same floor--followed behind them. They had received a distress call coming from a student, and it was standard procedure to come to their aid.

This was a strict rule that was implemented in the Hellan Royal Academy when a batch of students were exploring a dungeon. They were duty bound to rescue their schoolmates once the distress signal had been activated.

Right now, more than twenty students of the Royal Academy, ranging from First Years up to Third Years, were heading to the spot where the signal had been sent.

Kent had noticed their movements and a slight frown appeared on his face. He, and his group, followed behind the students and asked them what was happening.

The student he asked briefly mentioned the situation. Kent listened patiently and nodded his head in understanding.

His group's expressions suddenly became serious, but Kent gave them all a stare that shut them up. Kent placed his hand inside his pocket and touched a red jewel the size of a quail's egg. A minute later, he removed his hand from the pocket and continued to follow the students who were making their way to the Western Part of the dungeon.

A Third-Year Martial student was in the lead as he held his sword in his hand. He spotted two Hobgoblin Shamans ahead as well as six Hobgoblin Warriors. He immediately gave his party the order to attack and ensure that they would be finished off as quickly as possible.

These Third-Years were a regular party that explored the Goblin Crypt. They could be called veterans when fighting against Hobgoblin Shamans and they took the lead in rescuing their fellow students.

The Hobgoblin Shamans fired their curses, but they were easily intercepted by the magic of the Clerics who were among the group of students. The numerical advantage played in their favor as they disposed of all the monsters that blocked their way.

The group stopped at an intersection where the path was divided into three. They didn't randomly choose a direction. Instead, they asked the red-headed boy where they needed to go.

"Where should we go next?" the Third-Year-Martial Student, Harrison, asked William--who seemed to be aware of the missing student's location.

"The left one," William replied. "My friends are only two hundred meters away from our location. We're almost there."

Harrison nodded and led the way. Five minutes later, they found several Hobgoblin Warriors who seemed to be guarding a man-made enclosure.

There was no need to say anything and a fight broke out immediately. William and his party joined the clash. All of them were feeling anxious because they knew the identities of the missing students.

Surprisingly, there were no Hobgoblin Shamans present in the enclosure. The dozen Hobgoblin Warriors were easily dealt with and Harrison, and the other students, destroyed the "cages" where several people lay unconscious.

"Wendy!" Wake up!" Est held the unconscious girl's shoulder as he shook her awake. "Wake up!"

He was very careful in shaking her, for the girl had only a robe draped over her body. Est's senses had told him that aside from being completely naked, Wendy was still a pure maiden. The Hobgoblins weren't able to taint her, which made William and the others sigh in relief.