MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

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As the devil summoning kept progressing, the basement turned into a nightmarish scene.

Somehow the devilish mana was contained inside the magic circle, but the aura it emanated spread all across the room.

It was unbearable! It felt like they were drowning inside a pool of rotten eggs. But Seraphine didn't care about any of that. No, she worried about him instead.

Jack was still in there, and god knows what suffering he was facing!

On the side, both Igor and the florist were sighing as one would at a funeral. Their eyes were full of sorrow and pity as they looked at the magic circle.

But then they hardened their gazes, seemingly preparing for a fight. They definitely knew something!

Jack had instructed them not to talk or move. Seraphine grabbed a coarse paper from her inventory and sent a plane-shaped message toward the NPCs. She needed answers ASAP!

They gave her a sympathetic look as they replied. Her heart skipped a beat as she read:

1. The longer the ritual lasted, the stronger the devil's grasp on the victim. By now, Jack was assuredly a goner.

2. To save him, they would need an exorcist, but there were in the village, nor could they call any.

3. To get rid of the devil, they would have to destroy Jack utterly. If he were unlucky, perhaps his soul wouldn't survive such an ordeal.

4. Entering the magic circle was suicide. It would subject one to the same devilish trial, and they would most likely succumb to it.

God! This was so freaking bad!

She couldn't understand. He had always been so amazing, as if he had everything under control! What had changed this time around?! Had the devil found his weakness?!

Time was running out.

Stay behind and pray? Rush inside and try to save him?

Chances were that heading inside would be catastrophic.

Chances were that she would get cursed and perhaps fuck her account.

The logical choice was to cut her losses and wait, to let him fend for himself in there.

Yes, it was the logical choice.

But so what? As she remembered his pained face, all hesitation left her.

She took a step forward…only to be stopped by an old man. He silently shook his red hood from side to side, gesturing her to stop. Amidst the worried and terrified expressions, he was still perfectly serene.

Had he seen through the magic? Nope. His level was far too low for that. Did he know anything about devils? Neither!

All he "knew" was that the Demon King was invincible.

This was the power of faith.

They entered into a stalemate, staring at one another.

None of them were budging….

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Inside the magic circle, a devil was going insane. It had been so damn close!

Who the fuck was that old man?!

Seriously, who the fuck was he?!

The poor devil couldn't understand. It had lived for millenniums and perfectly knew how to manipulate humans to do his bidding— or so it had thought!

What was happening with the world?! Since when were humans so cunning?!

Why was being a devil so difficult nowadays?

At this moment, it felt like crying!

( ╥﹏╥ )

No, it already was crying….

It watched that hateful red guy with resentment.

If only it weren't for him, its plan would have succeeded!

But just as it was despairing, something incredible happened!

The foolish girl suddenly accelerated, bypassing the red guardian entirely! This was such great news!

As the guys in the back moved to intercept her, the devil found itself cheering for the foolish girl.

"You can do it! You're almost there!" It silently shouted.

The others intended to block her, but the foolish girl was fast, so fast! Then she finally reached the magic circle.

As she entered the devilish demonic energy, the devil found itself laughing. Finally, fucking finally! Now it would have a chance at life!

No, it wouldn't only survive. It would draw strength from her, it would corrupt her, and it would use all this newfound power to destroy that horrible guy!

It would make him pay: it would torture him endlessly! This would be so much fun!

The devil cackled as it plunged the foolish girl into a nightmare, one she would never wake up from!

"Muhahahahaha!" ? The devil cackled evilly.

It was a laugh it had copied from that dastardly mortal….

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The foolish girl was now stuck in the illusion realm, one that looked exactly like the world she was hailing from, Infinite.

She had committed a horrible mistake earlier by revealing her weakness: she cared about that mortal. She cared about him so much that she had been ready to risk her life for him.

The devil would reward her noble sacrifice and allow them to meet!

Obviously, it wouldn't be the real one, but it would be impossible to distinguish from the original.

After all, the devil had been forced to observe the mortal so much that it knew everything about him. It knew the way he spoke, moved, and even flirted!

Oh, this would be so ironic! All the suffering he had caused the devil would come to bite him in the ass! Hahaha, this was the best!

The devil created the best opportunity for them to meet up.

It created a nightmarish dragon and sent it after the foolish girl, forcing her to run for her life. The creature was so powerful that her only option was to run in despair.

Then came the next step: it brought him into play.

The mortal came out of nowhere and charged straight at the monster.

But this was a trial, so the devil made it look like an impossible fight.

Yet, the mortal never gave up, and he made sure to protect her. He would never let the evil monster eat his beloved!

He was the perfect example of a great hero, and the foolish girl would fall for him for sure!

She did, hard.

She looked at the mortal lovingly.

Soon would come the fall...

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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! ?

Day 3: Drinking Stone Cold Coffee ☕ (3/4)