"Dean Graham, I’m not joking."

Seeing the doubt in the burly man’s eyes, Jia Xiu coughed hard a few times. He then reached into his clothes, pulled out an exquisite silk handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"The opponent is... a Caster."

Jia Xiu’s tone was slow, laced with clear uncertainty.

As an Extraordinary Professional, he had some knowledge of the texts from before the Year of the End, which naturally included Transcendents like Wizards or Mages.

But...

He couldn’t help but furrow his brow as he recalled his recent fight with the black-robed figure.

The enemy’s fighting style was quite similar to the Casters described in the ancient texts, but the Energy they wielded—an Energy that felt terrifyingly close to death itself—was completely beyond his comprehension.

At this thought, Jia Xiu’s gaze fell involuntarily to his own arm.

While the physical Power of an Assassin is far inferior to a Knight’s, their wounds should still heal much faster than an ordinary person’s.

Yet now, the ghastly gray wounds on his arm showed no signs of healing. In fact...

With each passing moment, they were slowly spreading to other parts of his body.

It was like a strange plague, greedily devouring anything that symbolized "life."

Forcibly suppressing the waves of intense pain radiating from his arm—a pain like an Ice Cone piercing to the bone—Jia Xiu frowned slightly and continued.

"But he isn’t invincible. Fisher and I were only defeated because we fell into a carefully laid trap."

The scene of chaotic Magic and surging Energy flashed through his mind, and Jia Xiu pursed his lips.

"Setting aside his strange and unpredictable Magic, he’s physically frail, and his close-quarters combat skills are abysmal."

"And while his Magic is powerful, there are clear openings in his Casting. If I hadn’t sensed another formidable enemy approaching..."

The Assassin’s hand unconsciously drifted to the dagger at his waist, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Give me just a few more moments, and I could have killed him on the spot."

Although Jia Xiu’s severe injuries made his words less than convincing, Graham didn’t question their validity.

This renowned Assassin from the Shadow Veil Organization was not one whose judgment would ever be swayed by personal emotion.

After a moment of silence, Graham made his decision.

Just as Jia Xiu had said, their retreat had been cut off.

Rather than dig in and passively wait for an attack, it was better to strike first and seize the initiative.

Graham, having lived through the early, turbulent years of this region, was by no means an indecisive man.

"You mentioned another enemy, the one that approached while you fought the Caster..."

As Graham spoke, he removed his pauldron, revealing a ghastly gray wound identical to Jia Xiu’s.

"It must be the same one I encountered earlier—the one with the Trait of endless resurrection."

"But aside from that strange Energy ability, the man’s strength is nothing special. As long as I’m careful, I can handle a few more like him. As for that Caster..."

Graham stood, his Armor clanking, and walked over to the rough wooden table.

"I’ll leave him to you."

"Rest assured, Dean Graham."

Jia Xiu’s eyes narrowed, his calm voice laced with a bone-chilling cold.

"I’m eager to see if that bag of bones can get back up after I’ve ground it to dust."

Graham gave a slight nod. The two of them then gathered around the map and began to devise their plan of attack.

"Based on the intelligence you provided and what my scouts have recently gathered, our target should be the leader of the Truth Church, the same one that caused trouble in the River Domain. Their stronghold..."

Graham’s finger tapped heavily on a spot on the map.

"It’s in Broken Stone Canyon."

"That’s a basin."

Jia Xiu added, staring at the crudely drawn map.

"It’s surrounded by low hills, but the center is open and flat."

"As long as we scout carefully, we can prevent them from setting up Magic traps ahead of time."

"In that case..."

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, but the low voices inside the tent did not cease.

While they finalized the details of their march, Roland had already returned to his own tent to inform his companions of his discovery.

As his words faded, an oppressive silence fell over the tent.

Mason frowned in confusion.

To a young noble who had lived a pampered life, concepts like Extraordinary Professionals and Casters were far too remote and alien.

He didn’t fully understand the terminology, but the sense of danger in Roland’s voice was unmistakable.

The shadow of Fear crept into his eyes.

In contrast, Beastman Freddy clearly knew more.

But his simple, straightforward nature left him at a loss for words. He said nothing, but the way his massive, rock-like frame suddenly tensed betrayed his inner turmoil.

The two remaining people in the tent, however, were clearly unfazed by Roland’s description.

"A Caster?"

"Negative Energy?"

Avril raised a delicate eyebrow, her gaze shifting to Vanessa, who had spoken at almost the exact same moment.

"A Caster who can wield Negative Energy..."

The purple-haired Witch ignored the Elf Maiden’s glance, instead murmuring with great interest, her eyes glinting with a curious light.

"It must be... a Witch Demon?"

’A Witch Demon...’

"That’s right."

Before Vanessa could elaborate, Avril jumped in.

"They’re Casters who use forbidden rituals to transform themselves into Immortal Undead Creatures."

"Their greatest secret is the Life Box, a soul container hidden by powerful Magic. As long as the Life Box remains intact, a Witch Demon can be reborn even if its physical body is destroyed."

"And..."

Vanessa then turned to the Elf Maiden, gave her a playful wink, and picked up the explanation.

"They have a natural talent for manipulating Negative Energy. They’re extremely dangerous and almost impossible to truly eradicate. Destroying the Life Box is the only way to put an end to such eternally Cursed creatures."

The information the two of them revealed didn’t surprise Roland.

As someone who had played *World of Warcraft*, he was hardly ignorant about creatures like Witch Demons.

But it was precisely because he understood that he found the situation so troublesome.

Unlike other Undead, a Witch Demon is a Caster. In addition to being immortal, its mind remains almost completely unaffected.

This meant it retained all the wisdom and Casting Ability it possessed in life.

Making an enemy of such a powerful foe, one who lurked in the shadows, was certainly no blessing.

"So... Mr. Roland."

Vanessa rose gracefully from her chair, slipped past the standing Avril, and came to Roland’s side.

A curious smile played on her lips, her Violet eyes filled with pure curiosity.

"Are you going to... fight a Witch Demon? Oh, how very interesting."

Her slender fingers unconsciously twirled a lock of her purple hair.

"Could you take me... with you?"