“Why is this happening to me?!” Clara cried while running through the forest.

Above her, two little demonic-like winged creatures giggled and pushed at each other. “Our Master is going to die, tee-he-he! What should we do?”

“If she dies, it will be your fault for being so weak, nya-ha-ha!”

“I know you’re programmed to act like jesters, but knock it off! You’re not helping me remain calm!”

“Did you hear that? You’re a nuisance, tee-he-he!”

“She is talking about you, nya--! Hmm? Hey, enemy at our back, nya-ha-ha!”

“WHAT?!” Clara turned for just a second and saw a row of silver fangs chasing her. “N-NO! Do something!”

The red imp reached out his arms, and a magic circle appeared at his back. “Minor Fire Crafting, Blaze! Teee!”

Clara could hear the ball of fire impacting a whimpering enemy.

“Not fair! I was the one that spotted it first! Nya!”

“You’ll get your chance, Freezy! There’s a ton of them!”

“Clara, where are you?” Ashley asked through Party Chat, making Clara cry of joy.

“Little New Sis! Hearing your calm voice is so--” she could not end the sentence, for her feet did not find the ground anymore. Clara rolled down a slope, getting her face and clothes covered in mud. Once she reached the bottom, she was so mad with herself to even swear.

“Are you hurt, Clara?”

“I’m fine… And I don’t know where the hell I am…”

“Could you send me a signal? Anything so I can see your location.”

Clara first thought of a real-life flare, but she did not have one. “Wait… Flammy, do you know the ‘Flarelight’ spell?”

“Oh, yes! Yes, Master! It’s super easy to do, tee-hee!”

“Not fair! I want to please my Master too, nya!”

“You can only cast ice spells, stupid, so back off! Minor Fire Crafting, Flarelight! Teee!”

Although smaller and less bright than the one performed by Amelia, the orb of light looked like a tiny star among the blackness of the forest.

“I’m on my way,” Ashley said at the same time the growls of beasts reached Clara’s ears.

“Oh, my sweet knight, where are you?” she muttered, standing up, and pointing her staff forward.

“Minor Fire Crafting, Flare!” the imp called Flammy cast, incinerating an approaching quadruped monster.

“Minor Ice Crafting, Chill!” the blue imp named Freezy cast, freezing a monster in its tracks. Clara could see an open maw through the newly formed block of ice.

“I can do this… This lot is only level 9… I can--”

A pack of creatures sprung out of the bushes. The Flarelight illuminated their dark-brown fur and showed their enormous size. They’re as big as my Mount! 

While the imps got busy getting rid of two of them, the one in the middle reached their master and threw her to the ground. It sounded like a maddened dog, and it spat saliva at every attempted bite. 

Clara’s dominant hand holding the staff got trapped under a claw, and the other was barely strong enough to push the creature away from her. “I… I…” she was muttering, clenching her teeth. “M-Minor D-Dark Conjure, Bad Touch!”

Her hand glowed purple, and the skin of the monster started swollen as if it was getting poisoned. It backed off, tearing its chest with its claws in a desperate attempt to get rid of whatever was causing it pain.

“Minor Shadow Crafting…” Clara channeled mana at the tip of her staff, from which a black fog started flowing, until becoming a whip.

The monster stood on two feet, snarling at her.

“Devil’s Tail!” Clara luckily stroke the monster’s head, and it got sent flying back to the bushes. “Whoah! Did you see that?” She turned around, but only the Imps witnessed it. They shrugged, as if it was not a big deal. “Whatever. I’ll call you if I need you. Bye.”

Before Ashley and the rest of the NPCs regroup with her, the creature’s body shrank, lost its fur, and showed a naked man’s torso while disappearing.

“Clara, are you okay?” Ashley asked, in an unconcerned tone of voice.

“N-No, I’m not okay!” Clara cried, glaring at his NPC, who showed cuts and bruises on his face and arms.

“My apologies for not being--”

Clara slapped Fabio in the cheek before embracing him. “Don’t leave me behind, ever, you idiot!”

“Miss Ashley,” Bella called. “Do you know where Master Amelia is?”

“Yes, I know,” Ashley replied, turning around. “Follow me. Before more werewolves attack us.”

“I thought they were werebears…” Clara whispered to Fabio. “They’re super big.”

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Running, Ashley led them to the edge of a cliff, from where they could see and hear explosions before they could peek down. The Words of Power: ‘Dragonbreath’, were constantly repeated by a slim figure engulfed in flames, while fighting over 30 enemies.

“What the…” Clara muttered, entranced by what she was seeing.

The red warrior moved gracefully, as if her feet were not connected to the ground, and cast spell after spell in a fifth of the time Clara could.

Her enemy was an army of petite women wearing the same maid outfit. Half of them, armed with twin blades, tried to stab her or slit her throat, and the other group released a barrage of shadow spells.

The woman in red would dodge, cast a fire spell, or endure an attack, over and over again.

“We got late,” Ashley said. “Amelia is gone.”

“Is that a clone, then?” Clara said, astounded. I’ve seen countless Max-Level Battle Streams, but seeing something like this in person is… She swallowed. “First, a bunch of spiders tried to lecture us, then bear-sized wolfmen tried to eat us, and now this?”

“Some are called ‘Housemaid Eliora’, and others ‘Housemaid Eliza’,” Fabio said, staring at his Master. “The same name as the maids accompanying Count Dylak. That should be impossible.”

“What do you mean?” Ashley asked, although her expression did not show signs of curiosity.

“Bosses are unique monsters,” Clara replied. “There can’t be two of the same kind. Even less so, sharing the same, exact name.”

“Could it be a system’s error?”

“An error that duplicates bosses?” Clara snickered. “Yeah, right!”

This time, Ashley showed discontent through her lips and eyebrows, alerting Clara, but they got interrupted by Amelia’s voice, talking to all of them through Party Chat.

“Guys, sorry for leaving you behind,” she said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest, “but I got too impatient and rushed towards the damn mansion. I’m about to enter. I’m telling you now in case the communication gets cut off, like in regular dungeons.”

“Go and save your True Love, my dear,” Clara said, giggling. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Give him a good kiss when you find him.”

“Shut the--”

“Bestie? Hellooo? I’m planning on selling limited edition mugs featuring a picture of your cleavage! Do I have your blessing?! …Hmm? No? Nothing? It seems that she was right… We won’t hear from her until she finds Alan.”

“We’ll leave him in her hands then,” Ashley said, drawing her bow. “Meanwhile, more werewolves are approaching.”

“This will never end!” Clara cried, while summoning back her Imps. But what’s going on here? Why are we being attacked by what seems like an infinite army of clones?

* * *

A kiss? Don’t be silly, Clara. I will rip his heart for making me worry. After making him save in a safe place first… Yes…

Amelia kicked the mansion’s doors open, and these automatically closed once she stepped inside. Before taking another step, she folded her arms and exhaled while looking at the surroundings. She was in the lobby, with many destinations to choose from.

Is this old-fashioned house Eurola’s first dungeon? Not very impressive. My very first dungeon, ‘Le Vignoble de Lorraine’, from my original region, was more visually appealing. She chuckled. I can still remember the face of Marissa when she fell into a pool of--

Her instincts told her of an incoming danger. Calmly, she mana-crafted concealed knives and kept them inside her jacket’s right sleeve.

“Good night, miss. Welcome to this humble manor, property of my lord, Count Dylak. We did not expect visits. Can I help you?” a middle-aged man with silver hair, wearing black clothes, asked from atop the double staircase. His gaze was icy and his expression severe.

Level 10 ‘Butler Marick’... Amelia read. Another Boss NPC… I don’t have the time to talk with a bot.

“I’m here to pick someone up. A User. Where is he?”

The man stared at her, thoughtfully, before replying in a soft tone of voice: “I’m sorry, miss. But there is no one like that here. I cannot help you.”

“The hard way, then,” Amelia whispered, releasing fire from her left hand, burning the carpet. From the flames, three black metallic hound dogs materialized. The process was five times faster than any Summoning or Familiar Calling. “Search Alan.”

Every each of them took different paths, while the butler walked down the stairs slowly, but a murderous glare was gradually overtaking his gaze.

“How dare--”

Amelia swiftly threw the knives, stabbing the butler in the face and chest, killing him. “Shut up. I’m done talking to you.” Sighing, she hid his hands inside her jacket pockets and waited.

And waited…

Two of the dogs reported they had engaged and eliminated an enemy.

The third reported having burned two.

And waited…

Nothing.

“He’s not here…” she whispered, shaking her head. “Is there an underground level, then?” Without thinking it a second more, she indiscriminately emitted heat, combusting everything around her. “Solar Pulse,” she cast, and a final, more intense wave tore the whole mansion down.

She traversed the black, melted terrain, looking for any kind of basement entrance, while her still surviving dogs did the same. But nothing.

Amelia let out a grunt of exasperation, and hastily dematerialized the canine servants. With a wrist movement, she commanded the mana-crafted fire to form wings at her back. She reached the clouds in a matter of seconds, and with gritted teeth, scanned the entire terrain. “Am I still in bed? Drunk-dreaming?” she whispered to herself at the sight of seven more identical mansions scattered through the surrounding area. “Alan… Why do these weird things happen to you?”