5. The Two-Faced Sophie

Mai furrowed her brows, feeling a tingling sensation in her heart.

"My name is Mia." she lied.

"Mai and Mia are the same letters. Potato, potato." Sophie remarked.

She glanced at the crack, ignoring Mai, who clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and shot Sophie a sharp look.

When all the spiders were defeated, it happened.

*Crack*

The crack expanded into a round black portal with swirling smoke, resembling a black hole.

The Swede furrowed his brows at the sight.

"A portal? Strange."

Suddenly, a colossal head emerged—a woman with pale skin and sharp, long black teeth. Her eyes had a purple glow, and she wore a red bikini. As the entire body surfaced, it revealed a large hairy spider. The creature had a woman's face with human arms, holding a small black trident in its right hand.

"Weaklings. How dare you kill my children." it spoke with an angry female voice.

"It can talk."

"Wow, it can talk."

"It's a boss; of course, it can talk."

A boss that could speak was unprecedented in the world. If it could talk, it meant it was more intelligent than the other monsters, posing a significant challenge.

Mai looked around and noticed she was the only healer left, placing immense pressure on her.

The boss raised its trident, and a black smoky beam shot out, forming ghostly figures with red eyes and long fingers. They flew toward the group and entered the mouth of the first person, disappearing into his body. The man coughed and held his throat, trying to spit it out. Suddenly, he turned toward the group and began attacking them.

"Fuck, he's possessed. Kill him."

"Keep him away from me."

The melee fighters struck with their broken weapons, and spellcasters cast various types of shields that held them temporarily.

*Bam. Bam. Bam*

The man hit hard, and slowly cracks began to appear, breaking them.

Seeing this, the boss smiled.

"Just one is enough. I don't need to waste time here."

It turned around and crawled back into the portal, which did not close.

Suddenly, long, sharp claws grew out of the man's hands, his skin forced aside, and blood flowed from his palms. His eyes turned bloodshot, and froth formed around his mouth. His breathing became rapid, and he began making strange, hoarse moaning sounds.

Mai furrowed her brows at the sight, reminded of the affliction she had seen on TV.

Suddenly, a pair of large black leathery wings sprouted from the man's shoulders, a thick tail emerged from his rear, and large black horns protruded from his forehead.

"A gargoyle?" Sophie exclaimed, covering her mouth.

The gargoyle attacked maliciously, and as its claws swiped, a person began to petrify.

*Smash*

The gargoyle struck hard on the petrified man, turning him into small stones on the ground.

Everyone raised their eyebrows at the sight, standing close together.

Even Mai, who had become aware, remained at the back, as far away as possible.

The next person the gargoyle hit didn't petrify; instead, her skin turned black.

*Poof*

She crumbled to powder and disappeared on the spot.

Mai couldn't heal anyone in time, and no one could react. She looked down at the ground, not wanting to witness more. She heard screams, cries, and calls for help, feeling ashamed that she wasn't strong enough to banish the gargoyle with a snap.

"Argh, Sophie, help me."

Mai looked up and saw David's legs breaking out in boils and sores, bubbling, and chunks of skin flying when they burst. He screamed in pain, writhing while clutching his leg.

Sophie bit her lip, bending down and shooting Mai a sharp look.

"Heal him."

Mai's heart pounded faster, and she walked over to David.

*Clang*

The Swede parried an attack, keeping the gargoyle busy.

Mai bent down, biting her lip, feeling nauseous.

David's leg looked like a bubbling lava or a bubbling tomato soup. She held her hand over him, releasing Essence that formed a white mist around the leg. David's screams lessened, but the boils didn't disappear, and they were still alive.

Mai felt a throbbing in her head, holding her forehead. The mist disappeared, and the boils broke out again; one exploded in front of her unexpectedly. She felt something land on her coat near the chest, and a sinking feeling in her stomach followed.

David screamed again in pain, and Sophie shouted coldly, "Heal him, for fuck's sake. Are you an idiot?"

"I'm only a C-rank." Mai apologized immediately.

"And so what? A heal is a heal. How can it be so fucking hard?"

Mai tried to heal David repeatedly, but as her headache worsened, she stopped. Dizziness overwhelmed her, her stomach cramped terribly, and a tingling sensation hit her heart.

Sophie bent down, suddenly squeezing Mai's throat, shocking her. They locked eyes, and Sophie's eyes now looked bloodshot.

"Heal him, or there will be consequences." she coldly ordered.

Mai pushed her hands away from her throat, massaging herself and apologizing repeatedly for her incompetence.

"I can't. You can see it doesn't work. Even an idiot can see it."

Sophie stood up, gritting her teeth, and glanced at the Swede.

*Bang*

The gargoyle was hit hard on the horns, which crumbled, and then the rest of its body disintegrated into dust.

*Vroom*

The portal disappeared, and the dome vanished. Everyone sat down to rest. Sophie's group, except for David and the Swede, were the only survivors.

The Swede looked at the dust.

"No pearl." he lamented.

"Our lives are more important." Mai commented.

"You can say that. David is dead." Sophie's eyes were filled with tears.

Mai looked at David, now lifeless on the ground, curled up in a ball. "Sorry for being useless."

It wasn't because it was Sophie's group, but it bothered her, nevertheless. Once everyone had rested enough, they decided to leave the place, but Sophie insisted on accompanying Mai. Mai didn't want Sophie to know her address, which was nearby, and did everything to shake her off, but she insisted. The Swede left them first.

"Can we talk for a moment?" Sophie asked with a flat tone.

Talk? Mai had nothing to talk to her about; she had made her life a living hell in elementary school. She shook her head and declined.

*Whoosh*

Suddenly, Sophie conjured a flaming sphere, her expression turning into a sinister version.

"Die, you whore."

Mai quickly reacted to the words and sprinted away in the first direction she faced, which happened to be the playground. She ran until her legs cramped, and she had to take a break to catch her breath on the playground.

"David was my boyfriend, but you killed him. You're a whore and a murderer, Mai."

Mai turned around and saw Sophie with her group.

"Is she the one, the whore from your elementary school?" asked Mads 1.

"She's slept with all the guys, making her a whore."

"Disgusting."

Mai was an adult now, having left her childhood behind. Sophie had been the biggest bully in school, and everyone knew it. Mai had been her main target for half of elementary school. So, Sophie hadn't changed on the inside. Thinking about it made Mai break into a smile.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?"

Sophie's anger reached its maximum, and she hurled her flaming ball towards Mai, hitting her in the chest. A burning sensation spread across her body, and she lost her balance, landing on a crocodile-shaped wooden structure with her back. It burned, yes, but not as much as she expected; it only stung a little. She looked up at Sophie.

"I'm just a Hunter, but the others are Predators." Sophie's words sent chill down her spine.

A Hunter hunted people. A Predator killed people. It could be compared to Player Killing in a video game.

"Kill her." ordered Sophie, gritting her teeth.

Mai only had time to see the men conjure elemental spells before everything went black for her.