Chapter Twenty: Camouflage

Shawn and Ava have reached the third level of the dungeon, where they will fight some skeletons who are controlled by dark magic. This time, Ava used her skills to cut them into pieces; however, they were going back to their normal state.

"Step back, Ava," Shawn ordered, as he got an idea on how to defeat those monsters without letting them come back to life, though they were already dead a hundred times. "I have a plan."

Ava stopped behind her boy. She watched Shawn carefully as he would defeat those skeletons, studying every move he made and familiarizing herself with how he'd fight, especially when he said he had a plan.

Shawn used fire magic to burn them in just one single blow; he turned them into ashes, leaving no trace of their existence in this world. In that way, they weren't able to regain their bones.

"How did you do that, Shawn?" Ava asked with amazement in her voice. "You didn't even use a spell or magic circles to defeat them. Are you really a magician or what? Can you tell me your secrets?"

Shawn smiled, wondering if Ava was just telling a joke. He knew she wasn't like that—someone who wanted to learn from others? Where was her pride?

Although Shawn also couldn't believe himself or how he possessed such strong magic, he was more confused about Ava. As far as he could remember, Ava would never let him win over her.

"I think it came from this ring," Shawn replied honestly. He found it complicated to lie to Ava; it might be because of his feelings towards her.

"Can I try that too?" Ava asked, pointing at the ring on Shawn's finger. She was about to ask if Shawn would like to propose to her with that ring, but she changed her words instead by saying, "I just want to know if that works; you trust me, right?"

"Yup, of course. But" Shawn hesitated. He knew that this ring possessed such strong power that it could cause a lot of trouble if given to the wrong person. His curiosity even grew about why Ava acted like she was someone else.

Ava remained silent. She maintained eye contact with Shawn. She started to think that after all the troubles they had entered together, all the enemies they fought together, through highs and lows, happiness and heartbreaks, this man never trusted her. Shawn didn't even inform her he was going to this dungeon, so why would she expect something like that?

"I knew it from the start, Shawn. You act like you love me, but the truth is, you don't really trust me, right? You didn't even tell me about your plans, so why would I expect you to lend me your power?" Ava started her speech dramatically.

"That's not what it is, Ava. I trust you, really. I just can't, you know. I hope you understand," Shawn replied, trying to explain his thoughts but unable to properly express them because he didn't want to hurt the woman he loved.

"If you do, then why can't you?" Ava asked, hoping for a better explanation from Shawn, while tears were already forming inside her eyes, waiting to stream down her face.

Before Ava could cry a bucket of tears, Shawn moved closer and cuddled her as tight as he could. He didn't say anything, but he apologized for not trusting her. Shawn didn't want to look like a bad guy in this animated scene.

"I'm sorry, Ava. We've known each other for a long time, but here I am, still hesitating to trust you. I promise, from now on, I will always trust you," Shawn apologized, with his eyes closed.

However, Shawn was surprised and panicked at the same time when Ava suddenly grabbed the ring from his finger and distanced herself. He wondered if she was just playing around to get revenge.

Actually, this woman wasn't Ava. She was one of the demon lord's servants, a witch who could transform and copy others' appearances without any flaws. She was also the woman who had been spying on Shawn when he was staying in the capital.

How this woman could move in and out of the dungeon was a complete mystery. Perhaps it was because she wasn't sealed like the other servants that she had the freedom to go wherever she wanted but chose to remain loyal to her master.

Shawn had no idea about this. The woman acted exactly like she was Ava from the moment they met, from the way she talked and moved until she showed him her true colors. She transformed into a demonic witch with two horns and long claws, wearing a red dress that resembled her thirst for blood.

"Hahahaha!" The witch laughed jarringly. "Thanks for trusting me, little boy. But the game is over now. Before you say goodbye to this world, I want you to know who your assassinator is."

The witch introduced herself to Shawn as Ruby Spark, a demon general who served as the right hand of the demon lord. She has been serving him for thousands of years, and she has remained loyal until now.

Shawn was shocked and speechless at the sudden change in the atmosphere. He couldn't believe he was being cheated all this time. So this was how it felt to be cheated by the people he trusted?

Shawn wondered how unlucky he was to experience being cheated at this kind of time when he needed a loyal companion. He really thought this woman was Ava, ignoring his hunch that kept telling him something was wrong.

"Tell me, little boy, what's your last wish?" Ruby asked in her devilish voice, as if she had been from hell, the place where demons reside.

"Please, give me back my ring!" Shawn begged, not for his life to be spared but for the ring that he considered more important than his life.

Shawn felt like he had lost his strength after that ring was removed from his finger. How foolish of him to share such valuable information with the enemy! It seemed like he didn't learn from his past.

"Do you want this ring back?" Ruby showed how she gently put the ring on her finger. "Sorry, but that's an exception. Just wish for something else. This is your last chance, so think wisely." She smiled at him, displaying her demonic aura.

Shawn didn't know what to do anymore as he heard some footsteps approaching towards them. He knew it belonged to those skeletons. Just by hearing them, he was already losing hope, thinking it would be his last.

"If this will be my last chance, I wish to live another life where there is no danger!" Shawn exclaimed, hoping that Ruby would grant his wish.

"And who told you this will be your last, Shawn?" The old man, wearing a long, loose outer garment that resembled a black robe and a magician's black hat, asked as he slowly walked out from the dark. "Good grief that I wasn't too late."

"Geezer?" Shawn asked in a curious tone, wondering if he was seeing something real or perhaps it was just his imagination. Those footsteps actually belonged to the old man. "What are you doing here?"

"What else?" the old man asked. "Of course, I'm here to save you and Ava. What has gotten into your head to enter such a dangerous dungeon, huh?"

Although the old man had been at Shawn's age when he usually acted impulsively like a daredevil who enjoyed doing dangerous things, their stories were different from each other, and he kept worrying about these youngsters, who had nothing to do with their lives but to cause him headaches.

"Do you mean Ava followed me here?" Shawn inquired, removing his attention from the witch, who was preparing to attack them.

Ruby Spark thought that she was about to hit two birds with a single stone. She knew that this old man was the strongest magician in this world, so she didn't hesitate to use dark magic against them.

"Hahahaha! Enough of talking!" Ruby exclaimed as she released her dark magic towards them.

Fortunately, the old man managed to teleport to the next level of the dungeon with Shawn before they could die. Shawn wondered why the old man didn't send them outside the dungeon, so he asked.

"This dungeon is covered with strong dark magic, and I'm not strong enough to teleport outside, especially because this dungeon is meant to be finished by defeating each level," the old man explained.

"Do you mean it's hopeless for us to escape?" But before he could scream those words, Shawn began thinking about how the old man knew such things. Had he entered here before? Did he manage to get out alive? But why didn't Leo tell him about it?

"I know you're confused about what's happening right now, Shawn. But we don't have time for that; we should get here out alive before the demon lord finds out," the old man added.

"But what about Ava?" Shawn asked in a worried tone. "You've said that she followed me here. Can you tell me where she is? We can't just leave without her."

"I've taught Ava how to escape in dangerous situations, so don't worry about her. Besides, she has an assassin skill, so I believe that she will find us soon," the old man replied hopefully. "Let's keep moving instead."

Even if the old man had a strong belief in Ava's level of survival, Shawn wasn't complacent about it. Shawn didn't really expect that all this time he would be with a witch who was planning to end his life.

On the fourth level of the dungeon, the man wearing a violet robe was waiting for someone to disturb him. He was holding something similar to a grim reaper's scythe. The Duskian called him 'priest of death,' and he was about to fight Shawn and the old man.

Just like the guardians, priests of death were also classified into two types: the light and the dark. The light ones were those who did good things for the land, while the dark ones served the demon lord.

The priests of death possessed strong magic and mana that could kill anyone who got hit by their laser-like attack. They could perform saintly magic, and some of them might even possess additional skills such as healing power and protection.