〈Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill «Vital Force». Your maximum HP and maximum MP has been increased by 12% for 1 hour.〉

〈Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill «Lasting Second Wind». Your in-battle HP regeneration and MP regeneration has been increased by 35% for 1 hour.〉

〈Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill «Steadfast». You will be unaffected by the first crowd control you encounter. Reduce the effects of all curses and poisons the user experiences by 50% for 1 hour.〉

The various buffs were courtesy of Gram, one of the party's supporters.

'Oh? It's the first time I've seen buffs with such a high duration.'

What surprised Izroth more than anything was not the number of buffs, the stats, or the effects they provided. Nor was it the highly impressive duration. The single greatest aspect was that the buffs affected not just Izroth but the whole party!

Of course, a buff's primary purpose was to make the receiver stronger; therefore, the stats could not be ignored. And, Izroth was not disappointed in the slightest.

'I can see why Sacred Blade called him one of the best utility supports in RML. With buffing abilities like this, he would be welcomed with open arms to any top guild.'

Just taking Lesser Protection and Greater Protection into account, Izroth gained 35% physical and magical resistance. Added to his current stats, it shot his resistances up to a staggering 60%!

"Well, I'll be damned. Your buffs are the real deal, Gram." Colorful Nimbus whistled as he felt a surge of strength pour into him thanks to Gram's buffs.

Next, after doing a quick sweep of their surroundings, with Niflheim as their vanguard, the group made their way deeper into the first stage on a broken path.

As they ventured down the broken path, the first stage reminded them of a graveyard. However, there was a lack of tombstones or marked graves of any kind.

"You think it's true what they say about this place? That it matches our strength and then goes one step above it?" Colorful Nimbus mentioned.

"Hard to say. For one, there's too little information available. Even if we go by the accounts of the beta players that originally discovered the existence of crusades, it's possible that particular situation was unique to them. Seeing as how they did not make it past the first stage, it could be that they just weren't strong enough. In the end, the only way to find out is by experiencing it ourselves." Niflheim stated as he kept his gaze forward.

"There's something roughly 250 meters up ahead from our current position," Izroth said suddenly.

250 meters? He could detect something from so far away? This was the thought that crossed everyone's mind at that moment. However, there was one person who did not seem startled by Izroth's sudden revelation.

"Is it an enemy?" Niflheim asked as he halted his steps, causing the rest of the party to do the same.

After witnessing firsthand what Izroth was capable of during the raid and their battle against the puppets, he doubted there was anything left that Izroth could do to surprise him at this point.

"It's difficult to say since there is some interference," Izroth replied.

Izroth's Energy Vision Sense was once again functioning without a problem after being transported to the first stage. However, the thing he saw up ahead was engulfed in a massive amount of flames. From how it was jumbled together, Izroth was uncertain whether it was all connected or just a bundle of distinct sources.

"Then, if I may," Morrighan said as she walked to the front of the party.

"What do you have in mind?" Niflheim inquired after seeing Morrighan step forward.

"A fresh pair of eyes," Morrighan responded as she pressed the palm of her hands together before slowly pulling them apart.

At the same time, an unstable line of black and purple mana formed in between Morrighan's hands. Then, a few moments later, the mana stabilized and took the shape of an extravagant black wand with a purple gemstone the size of a fingernail embedded near its lower end.

The wand was roughly thirty centimeters in length and thinner than one's finger. It gave off constant pulses of highly condensed mana that made it feel like the wand was alive and breathing.

Morrighan made a slight waving gesture with the wand in her hand as two shadows materialized in the air before her.

Soon after, the shadows morphed into two phantom ravens with a pair of eyes made from purple mana and a third eye placed at the center of its forehead.

"Go," Morrighan ordered.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Caw!

The phantoms ravens shot into the skies before flying ahead.

Once the creatures departed, Morrighan drew a circle in the air using her wand, leaving behind a trail of light-purple mana in the process. Then, when the circle was complete, it spun rapidly as an image began to form within.

'The quality of her mana is extremely pure. To think that there's a player that's already reached this degree of mana application... Interesting.'

At first, the image inside the circle was somewhat blurry and unstable. However, in less than a few seconds, the picture cleared up, revealing an overhead view of the first stage!

Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to the screen conjured by Morrighan.

"It's like a live stream. I've seen some useful recon skills, but this one is like having a pair of drones with high-quality cameras attached to them." Colorful Nimbus commented.

"You do not have to answer if you wish, but I'd like to know if possible. How often can this skill be used?" Niflheim questioned.

There was an unspoken rule among top players when it came to asking others about their skills, which is why Niflheim would not fault Morrighan if she wanted to keep her abilities a secret. Not to mention, any information about a top player, let alone the number one magic caster in RML, could fetch a modest price. This is the reason why top players did not typically disclose their skills to others so easily.

"As many times as I wish. However, under normal circumstances, I am unable to walk while it is in use." Morrighan answered without hesitation.

"I see... Even with this limitation, its usefulness will be invaluable going forward. Thank you for clarifying." Niflheim said appreciatively.

Morrighan slightly nodded as she returned her attention to the magic screen.

It had been nearly thirty seconds since the phantom ravens flew off into the skies. In that time, Izroth and his party were able to get a decent understanding of the first stage's layout.

"That area there," Izroth said as the phantom ravens passed over a massive crevice in the ground that was at least thirty meters wide and spanned several kilometers across.

Morrighan commanded one of the phantom ravens to halt and the other to descend in order to get a closer look at the aperture.

A few seconds later, the phantom raven that descended landed on the edge of the aperture.

Caw.

The phantom raven peered over the side; however, there was nothing but darkness no matter which direction it looked.

Swoosh! Caw!

All of a sudden, the phantom raven leaped from the edge and flew down into the crevice.

5 seconds...

10 seconds...

There was still nothing but darkness showing on the magic screen as everyone watched closely to make sure that nothing was overlooked.

30 seconds...

"Hey, you sure there's really something down there? We could be wasting time here." Colorful Nimbus said with a frown.

"Patience," Niflheim stated.

45 seconds...

59 seconds...

"Just how deep is this thin-"

BOOOOOOOM!

Just as Colorful Nimbus was about to speak again, an earth-shaking explosion erupted from out of nowhere!

Simultaneously, the magic screen turned blurry as Morrighan lost her connection to the phantom raven that dove into the crevice. But, she instantly switched the perspective to the remaining phantom raven that hovered safely in the sky.

However, even without the phantom raven, there was no way for anyone to miss the sight in front of them.

In the distance, roughly 250 meters from their position, a towering wall of blue and white flames reached the skies.

These flames originated from the aperture and traveled across the entire first stage!

Gong!... Gong!... Gooooooooong...

Suddenly, a sound that closely resembled the hand of a clock striking midnight reverberated throughout the first stage.

'It's just as I thought. There's something down there.'

Although it was only for a fraction of a second, it did not escape Izroth's sight.

Just before the phantom raven was incinerated, he saw it—a pair of lifeless eyes blue eyes peering through the darkness.

NEEEEEIGH!

Without warning, a horse's warcry pierced the eardrums of Izroth's party.

At the same time, the blood-red moon in the sky turned blue.

"It's headed this way," Izroth warned.

"Huh? But there's nothing on the magic screen. Can it make itself invisible?" Colorful Nimbus noted.

"No." Izroth pointed towards the ground.

"It's coming from there."

Rmmmmmmble!

Just as those words left Izroth's mouth, the tremors from before started to grow in intensity with each passing moment!