Drake’s friend quickly tried to dissuade him from taking the bet. However, Drake was the one who had initiated the betting. Moreover, he also fancied the idea of owning the Doombringer Ring.

Finally, he looked at Clovis and agreed to the challenge.

“Fine… Since you can use that ring, I suppose I can use it too. I accept the bet. Don’t damage that ring. I will also have an appraiser to verify it later. If you’re cheating, you’ll pay a heavy price.” Drake said as his first worry was whether he could use the ring or not.

However, seeing that Clovis could wear it without any problems, he believed he also had the capability to wield it.

“Good… Everyone heard it, and I hope you won’t back out…” Clovis replied with a smile. He didn’t mind not having a contract since if Drake dared to act ignorant later, he would forcefully take his Spell Model instead.

Apparently, Clovis was really curious about the Eagle Eye Spell. After all, he had heard that this Spell could bypass the Magic Zone’s limit. You could see something even if it was beyond your Magic Zone’s range. He found this ability very fascinating, and he also hoped to find a way to overcome his Magic Zone. This Spell might give him some inspiration in this matter.

***

After this long event, their journey went on for a few more days until they reached the area near the Vampire’s Castle.

“Is that the rumored Vampire’s Castle?” Denise muttered as she looked at the castle ahead of them. She couldn’t help but feel chill just from seeing it.

It was the same for the others as they immediately halted on their steps.

The castle was a dark and gloomy sight.

It was perched on top of a mountain, surrounded by thick and stormy clouds. It was made of black stone, with tall towers and sharp spires. It had no open windows, no doors, no signs of life.

It seemed as if it came out of a book where it had only shadows, secrets, and horrors. It was a place of death, fear, and evil.

The Arcanists felt a chill in their bones as they gazed at the castle.

Furthermore, as if the beings in the castle had noticed their arrival, they felt an invisible pressure in their minds as they sensed the threat of the castle.

Roland, the veteran Arcanist, knew that he had to do something about it.

He gathered his energy and used a spell to wake everyone.

“Do not stare at the castle for too long. Enter your Special State if necessary and block the invisible pressure that attacks your mind. If we’re really dealing with Vampires, then they would sense your fears, and you wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Roland spoke aloud as he tried to help the people behind him.

However, it only alleviated their feelings for a brief moment.

They still felt a dread in their hearts as they approached the castle. They saw flashes of lightning and heard rumbles of thunder from time to time.

It was as if nature itself was warning them from getting closer to the Vampire Castle.

“I wonder what kind of creatures are living inside the haunted castle…” Roy couldn’t help but mumble as he tried to calm his heart.

“Indeed… Who would live in such a gloomy place?”

“Well, they could be Dark Magicians… or even Dark Alchemists doing some hideous experiments.”

“As long as we could survive the mission…”

The Arcanists started talking among themselves to calm their nerves while they also stayed vigilant now that they were in the enemy’s territory.

“Let’s stop here to prepare.” Drake suddenly said, which everyone unanimously agreed on.

They prepared their set of equipment and tools that they might need in the battle inside. 𝒃𝙖.

They checked potions, pills, or any consumables that might help them…

Soon, they discussed their strategies.

Even if they were competing for the position of having the most contribution to this mission, they still had to form some plans.

The first thing they had to do was to recon the castle using their familiars, summons, or anything they could use as long as they didn’t physically enter the castle.

After all, they didn’t know what they would encounter… Even Roland warned them that it could be a trap to weaken the forces of the Arcanist Guild in the Kingdom.

With this in mind, they have to be extra careful.

Soon, several summoned creatures, spirits, and mystical Artifacts were used to explore the castle.

“Ha! We have the most scouts…” Drake said with a smirk as he saw the creatures getting in from the cracks of the blocked window and the slightly open door of the castle.

With more scouts, they would find more information within the castle. 𝓪.𝒄𝒎

Apparently, the Ash Squad and Tormentor Squad had Summoners in their ranks, so they were able to send their rats inside. There were dozens of them inside by now.

The Pulsating Heart Squad and Shadow Knight Squad were able to summon some Ghosts to scout for them. Their number also exceeded a dozen.

Meanwhile, the Squads from Kirkham City, had simple methods.

The Blaze Fan Squad had simply used their Mystical Artifacts to scan the castle. They were all Fire Elementalists and quite limited in their Spells after all.

The Revenant Squad and the Torrent Squad, on the other hand, had Shamans on their side, so they were able to do a ritual to summon a scout for them. At the very least, the survivability of these summons would be higher than those of rats or ghosts.

Lastly, the Justice Hammer Squad relied on Pearl, a mysterious female Psychic who had simply controlled a nearby lizard to scout the place.

Then, they waited for their scouts to return and report their findings.

At this time, they hoped to find some clues and information about the castle and the creatures that could be living inside.

“If there’s really a vampire, I hope that it can’t go outside…” Roland muttered as he recalled the information he got about these mystical beings.

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