How long will it take?

Cyrus struggled to his feet, his shield still raised in defense against the lich's relentless barrage of dark magic. The Death Tyrant Lich was powerful, that was for certain. The Lich chuckled, amused by Cyrus's struggle. "Your pitiful attempts at survival only prolong your inevitable doom," it taunted.

'I would be a goner If I didn't have a way to deflect those projectiles. Thank god I received a shield as the reward' Said Cyrus

Cyrus ignored the taunts, focusing on the Lich's movements. The Lich began to chant an incantation, its skeletal fingers glowing with dark energy. Another group of undead minions rose around the room. The minions charged towards him, their decaying limbs flailing wildly. Cyrus's unleashed overloaded heat ability, engulfing the minions in flames once again.

The minions screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground. The Lich hissed in frustration, its attacks becoming more frenzied. It launched bolts of dark energy, sending Cyrus scrambling for cover.

Cyrus dove behind a nearby pillar, gasping for air as he tried to catch his breath. The lich's power was immense, and Cyrus was barely holding on. "You cannot hide from me, mortal," the Lich sneered, stalking towards him. "Your fate is sealed."

Cyrus gritted his teeth, pushing himself up from behind the pillar. He had to keep moving, had to keep fighting. He charged towards the Lich, by using the book shelves as foot hold. But as he leaped towards him, the Lich disappeared in a burst of black smoke. Cyrus stumbled, nearly falling to the ground as he tried to regain his balance.

"Is that all you've got?" the Lich's voice echoed through the chamber, taunting him.

Cyrus's heart sank as he realized the truth in the Lich's words. He couldn't touch the Lich, couldn't even come close. The Lich's power was too great, and Cyrus was no match for it. But he couldn't give up, not now. Not when so much was at stake.

"You underestimate me, Lich," Cyrus growled, tightening his grip on his shield. "I may not be able to touch you, but as long as I still stand, I can still fight."

The Lich chuckled, amused by Cyrus's bravado.

Cyrus wasn't running out of options, rather, he had no options. He knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. But he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up.

***

Meanwhile, on the 9th floor lobby...

"How much longer are we supposed to wait? This is unacceptable!" exclaimed Brutus, his anger palpable.

Clout attempted to placate his companion. "Please, Brutus, try to remain calm. The sacrificial counter is still at 99, but we must trust the process."

"Calm? How can I be calm when we're at a standstill for two hours!? We can't even send another sacrifice until the first one has been consumed. What in the world is taking so long?" Brutus retorted, frustration clear in his voice.

"..."

The tension in the air became almost unbearable. The players stood in uneasy silence, their eyes locked on the sacrificial counter, waiting for it to finally reach the hundredth mark.

"Miss Aurora, are you certain that he wasn't the one who killed the queen's ant?" asked the assistant hesitantly. "Considering how long he has been surviving inside, there is a chance that his-"

"Enough!" Aurora snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Do you not trust my judgement? This disgusting man is nothing but a pretender lacking any sort of manners. I'm sure the boss is just toying with his last meal."

Clout fell silent, chastised by Aurora's sharp rebuke. She had always been fiercely protective of her image, and she wasn't about to let anyone undermine her authority.

"Rest assured," said Aurora, "the door will open very soon. Just give it a moment."

The group of anxious players shifted nervously as they waited for the critical moment. It had been a tense few hours, but Aurora words offered a glimmer of hope. As they watched the door, willing it to open, a sense of anticipation filled the air.

Three hours had passed.

Four hours had passed.

Five hours had passed.

Six hours had passed.

"AAAGGGGHRRRR!" Brutus bellowed, his patience finally reaching its breaking point. With a loud thud, he punched a random player in the face, sending the unfortunate victim hurtling across the room.

"Brutus!" Clout reprimanded sharply, his voice carrying a note of exasperation.

"What?" Brutus snapped back, his anger still simmering.

"Ha~," Clout sighed, "Clair, take a health potion and go give it to the player that Brutus hit."

"Okay." Clair said, quickly moving to help the injured player.

Clout turned towards the group of players in the room and addressed them, "I apologize for my companion's actions."

One of the players retorted, "Ah! I can't take this anymore! We've been trapped here for six hours!"

"It was your team's decision to use this unknown player as a sacrifice." A player responded agitated. "Are you willing to take responsibility if we end up stuck here and dying of hunger?"

Another player chimed in, "That's right! We can't even leave because our way back has been blocked!"

"Take responsibility!" The players echoed in unison, their frustration boiling over.

"You bastards!" Brutus snarled with malice. "You want me to do to you what I did to this guy? Huh?"

"Come on then!" one of the players challenged. "You think we can't take you on if we band together?"

The offender hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected response. "W-What! You-"

"BRUTUS!" Clout interjected with a fierce glare, conveying his disapproval of the aggressive tone.

"...humph!" Brutus huffed, sulking.

Clout turned to face the other players and spoke in a reassuring tone. "I fully understand your concerns, but please rest assured that we are in the same predicament as you. We are all stuck here together. I have access to a dimensional storage and enough supplies to sustain us all for at least another day. I doubt this will take longer."

"Fine, will believe your words for now." Said a player.

"..."

'Cyrus...' Clout muttered to himself, his expression turning grim as dark thoughts consumed him.

***

"W-WHY WANT YOU FALL DOWN ALREADY!?" screamed the lich, his united voices hurling out of his mouth as he shreaked in anger.