Within the mist, a dark church, surrounded by spectral flames, flickered in and out of visibility.
"Necrochurch?" Seraphina expressed surprise.
They knew that the BOSS of Phantom Ruins, the Ghost Wizard, resided within the Necrochurch, a fact they had learned before entering the Phantom Ruins.
However, they hadn't expected to stumble upon it so coincidentally.
John remained silent, opting to allocate all his newly acquired free attribute points into spirit.
[Class]: All-Class Magus (god-tier)
[Attributes]: Strength 75, Stamina 103, Spirit 175, Speed 70
[Talent]: Divine Favor Tome (SSS-level)
[Skills]: Spring of Soul lv10, Mana Recovery lv10, Pyrokinesis lv10, Aquakinesis lv10, Zephyr Shield lv10, Vine Thorn lv10, Ice Spear lv10, Wind Flow Spell lv10...
[Equipment]: Gale Staff lv5 (bronze-tier), Giant Stone Bracelet lv5 (bronze-tier), Hound Paw Necklace lv5 (iron-tier), Black Water Ring lv5 (iron-tier), Mysterious Iron Beast Leather Armor lv5 (iron-tier), Mysterious Iron Beast Leather Belt lv5 (iron-tier), Grass Shoes (iron-tier)...
John had recently acquired a few iron-tier pieces of equipment, among which only the Black Water Ring and Grass Shoes were currently wearable, providing him with a total of 15 spirit attribute points.
Along with the 5 fixed spirit attribute points and 10 free attribution points gained from leveling up, his spirit attribute had reached 175 points, marking a modest increase in strength.
John dropped his initial casual demeanor, turned to Seraphina with utmost seriousness, and said,
"Miss Winters, I can save you here, but once we enter Necrochurch, I fear I may be stretched too thin. Therefore, I suggest you leave first. There's no need to take unnecessary risks here."
Having finally encountered Necrochurch, John naturally wouldn't give up.
He was just worried about a repeat of the earlier incident.
Here he might still manage to save someone, but facing the BOSS would require his full concentration, making it impossible to keep protecting Seraphina continuously.
Seraphina had regained her composure from the sudden incident earlier and shook her head, saying,
"I have life-saving items with me; you don't need to worry about my safety. What happened was just an accident; I'll be more careful from now on."
If it weren't for her distraction, she wouldn't have faced danger.
Moreover, she possessed several precious life-saving items.
Even if she were to be killed in the dungeon, she could use these items to forcefully exit the dungeon, albeit at a cost.
John said no more, understanding that the daughter of House Winters wouldn't joke with her own life.
Without further delay, John went all out, unleashing skill after skill, as they quickly made their way through the mist towards Necrochurch.
The closer they got to Necrochurch, the more monsters appeared in the mist.
Their vision was limited to just a few meters ahead, darkness enveloping them completely, with the dense sounds of monsters' roars and the creaking of coffins opening and closing around them, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Seraphina subconsciously quickened her pace, closely following behind John.
John glanced sideways at her.
Despite Seraphina's attempt to appear calm, John could still see a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
He understood that although Seraphina was stronger than her peers, at the end of the day, she was just an eighteen-year-old girl who would naturally be afraid of such things.
It's just that Seraphina had strong self-control and usually didn't show it.
John suddenly became curious and asked, "Why do you insist on following me?"
It was clear to John that Seraphina had no need to be here, which puzzled him the most.
Seraphina paused before replying, "I wanted to see your current strength and the gap between us."
Lifting her head, Seraphina looked at John with a determined gaze, "The gap might be big now, but I believe that one day, I will surpass you!"
Seraphina's confidence and pride were restored.
John's strength did not lead her to despair; instead, it ignited her fighting spirit even more.
She had come to understand that if a genius could be easily surpassed, what significance would there be in overcoming them?
It was only a formidable opponent like John who was truly worth pursuing and challenging.
Looking at Seraphina, who proudly lifted her chin like a noble swan, John was somewhat at a loss for words.
He certainly couldn't tell Seraphina directly: "I have an SSS-level talent and a god-tier class; you will never surpass me in your lifetime."
That would be too discouraging.
After a moment of silence, John managed to muster some encouragement: "Then, give it your all!"
Seraphina clearly sensed John's perfunctory and dismissive attitude.
She was a bit angry, her beautiful eyes glaring at John as if wanting to say something.
It was at this moment that John suddenly spoke up: "We've arrived."
Seraphina turned her head.
Only then did she notice that a magnificent black church had appeared before them without their realizing.
It was a Gothic church, entirely black, incredibly tall and imposing, seemingly at least a hundred meters high.
With flying buttresses and spires, adorned with many gargoyle carvings, and surrounded by swirling spectral flames, it looked very gloomy and oppressive.
Outside the church, twelve skeletons stood silently.
They wore decaying armor and held bone spears, like sentinels guarding the door.
Though John and she were not far from them, these creatures seemed as if they hadn't noticed their presence, unmoving.
[Name: Skeleton Guard (Common)]
[Level: lv10]
[HP: 6300]
[Strength: 115]
[Stamina: 72]
[Defense: 109]
[Speed: 33]
[Skills: Thrust, Multi-Thrust, Throw...]
...
These skeleton guards were clearly stronger than the ordinary monsters in the Cemetery of the Deceased, likely having been enhanced in some way.
To enter the church, the first step was to defeat them.
"Stay back, don't become their target," John cautioned Seraphina, then without hesitation, his staff lit up with an icy blue glow.
"Ice Spear!"
Frost gathered, and an ice spear charged with cold air swiftly headed towards a skeleton guard.
The skeleton guard did not dodge or evade, taking the hit directly.
"-5189!"
The damage number rose as the hit skeleton guard was sent flying by the tremendous force of the ice spear, crashing several meters away.
Before it could rise again, John pressed the attack with a fireball hurled at it, finishing it off.
[You have slain "Skeleton Guard lv10," earning 3215 experience points!]
The experience given by the skeleton guard was double that of the ordinary monsters, and it also dropped an iron-tier piece of equipment.
This was expected; the closer to the BOSS, the stronger the monsters, the greater the rewards, and the higher the drop rate.
As the skeleton guard was attacked, a notification also appeared before John.
[You have entered the area of "Ghost Wizard lv10 (dungeon BOSS)"]
[Recommended Level: LV10, Recommended Party Size: 5 people!]
Outside Necrochurch, the eleven unmoving skeleton guards, whose dark eye sockets were previously empty, suddenly ignited with eerie azure flames.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! ..."
The once still skeleton guards simultaneously lifted their bone spears, ignoring Seraphina and charging directly towards John.
John and Seraphina hadn't formed a party, so these skeleton guards only targeted John, who had entered Necrochurch, and did not attack Seraphina.
John was well-prepared, his staff lighting up with cyan, green, and blue glows in succession.
Zephyr Shield! Vine Thorn! Aquakinesis!
A cyan wind shield enveloped John's body, and a thick vine suddenly burst from the ground, piercing through the three leading skeleton guards.
Then, the vine tightened fiercely, binding the three skeleton guards together. Before they could struggle, a massive water orb smashed down upon them.
"-5589!"
"-4332!"
"-4269!"
...
A series of damage numbers rose instantly, and the three skeleton guards had no chance to fight back before being taken down by John's combo.
John's experience points soared rapidly.
In just this short time, he had gained over 10,000 experience points.
The terrifying group damage capability of a magus might not be apparent when facing a few monsters, but it becomes evident with larger numbers.
This is why an awakener team can manage without priests or warriors but must have a magus.
The AOE damage of a magus is truly fearsome, ranking among the top across all classes.
And John, a magus with all skills at max level, is nothing short of a monster among magi!