Over a thousand steps or more, Sora and Amy kept racing up the stairway none stop. They must be reaching toward the very top of the castle by now. Where else could the stairway take them to, unless the path was an illusion to make the players go mad. Some game designers enjoyed playing mind tricks on their customers to make their products entertaining.

“How much further?” Amy asked while puffing out her patting breath.

After watching endless steps flow down his running feet, Sora spotted a tall double doorway at the top of the staircase. Unlike the other doors on the previous levels, the door was bigger with two golden knobs, shaped like lizard heads. Rings hung from their mouths and red gems glowed in their eye sockets.

If the door was fancy inside a dungeon, it usually meant the dungeon boss was behind it. Although predictable it helped the players get prepared for a battle of their lifetime.

Sora approached the door and stopped to let Amy catch her breath.

“Wait!” Amy held up her hand while breathing. “The door….. Might be a trap!”

“Come in,” the sorcerer’s voice echoed from behind the door.

Sora stared at the doorknob and tapped his finger on it. Nothing happened.

If the door was a trap, it could either send Sora and Amy back to the beginning or render their health points down to half to make their battle difficult against the boss. Sometimes that could happen, but sometimes a boss doesn't need a trap to weaken the players. The sorcerer on the other side was ready.

"It is safe," said Sora. "I will go in first."

"Okay." Amy stood behind him as if he was her shield. If anything happens to him, she would be the last one standing. However, her stealth and ambush skills could complete the raid.

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Sora grabbed the knob ring and pulled the door open. He stepped through first with Amy behind his back.

The chamber was all white with marble stones across the walls and the floor. A round red carpet laid on the center below a crystal orb in the ceiling, illuminating the entire floor. Far toward the back was a tall throne seat where a lizard man sat between pillars. He wore black robes and a round silver helmet on his head. His snort was thin and his yellow eyes looked sinister.

Vax

Level: 30

HP: 300/300

Boss

“Welcome to my domain,” said Vax with a dry hissing tone. “You are the firssst onesss who managed to find me.”

First ones?

Susie said she entered the dungeon before she got defeated by a mimic. Maybe the boss meant Sora and Amy were the first ones to reach him.

Amy stepped forward with her hands on her hips. “I suppose you were expecting some company for a long time. You must lonely here.”

Vax chuckled while tipping his purple claws on the arms of his throne. “I do get out, once in a while. But allowing tressspressserss into my cassstle doesss entertain me. Whatever you want here, it isss only your doom.”

“Why did you destroyed your magic school?” Sora asked. “What did you gain from that?”

Unlike most players, Sora has a soft spot for learning about characters and places in SCO. He couldn’t find any novels and textbooks about the game world because the designers wanted the players to learn about the lore inside the game like tourists. Supposedly it helped them to make their game more immersive for their customers.

Not all players were interested in the game lore. They preferred to slay the bad guys and get drunk at taverns.

Sora enjoyed talking to his enemies before killing them. Once they get defeated, their backstories disappear with them.

Vax beamed his yellow eyes at Sora. “Did someone hired you to kill me?”

Sora crossed his arms. “We’re adventurers. We have a representation to learn about our enemies before killing them. Perhaps this will entertain you too.”

Vax laughed. “Ssso you are gentlemen typesss. I don’t mind to ssspeak out my ssstory. I told no one after I vanissshed in my cassstle.”

Amy glared at him. “Listening to monologuing isn’t my thing.”

“I’m staling him so our friends will reach us” Sora whispered.

Amy nodded.

Vax pointed his purple claw up. “It all ssstarted when I opened a portal to a dimensional realm called the Dark Void. Then darknesss greeted me, giving me amazing power. But to keep the power, I had to kill others for their magical life forces. I couldn’t help it, but it made me feel good.”

What came out of the portal that made Vax destroy his entire school?

“Sssatisssfy?” Vax asked.

“Aren’t you going to say more?” Sora asked.

Vax chuckled. “I think I have ssspoken enough. Time for you to die!”

Sora and Amy pulled out their weapons, ready to fight.