The group stepped into the second layer, the massive building looming before them like a fortress of ancient stone.

This building was vast but not vast enough, restricting Max's ability to fly as freely as he could outside.

His wings twitched in irritation, but he kept his expression calm, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes.

The cavernous interior of the building was dimly lit, with faint greenish light filtering through cracks in the walls. The ground was uneven, littered with rubble and broken statues, and the air smelled of damp earth and something faintly metallic. It didn't take long for their enemies to appear.

Trolls. Massive, hulking creatures with thick, grayish skin and glowing yellow eyes. They lumbered out of the shadows, their movements slow but deliberate. Each one carried a crude weapon; a club, a spear, or a massive stone hammer. Their regenerative abilities were infamous; without fire, they were nearly impossible to kill.

The group immediately sprang into action. Julio's starfish pets floated ahead, their beams of light cutting through the dimness.

Nicholas transformed into his half rhino form, his fists igniting with flames as he charged forward, while Jimmy summoned his monkey pet and began casting defensive skills .

Kane's team wasn't far behind. They pulled out fire enchanted weapons and scrolls, their preparations evident.

Even Max couldn't help but notice how well equipped they were. Fire arrows, flaming swords, and explosive scrolls, they had it all. Everyone, it seemed, had come prepared.

Everyone except Max.

They didn't know about the dungeons information, but because they always go inside dungeons, they learned to be perpeded.

But for Max, even though he knew about the dungeon in detail, he never considered it a big deal, and subconsciously ignored it.

'well, that's a mistake on my side.'...

"heyJulio, you got anything fire related for me, a simple dagger will do."

Julio shook his head apologetically, he only had one scroll that would enchant his pets with the fire attribute temporarily.

Other members of the group, also shook their heads at Max. Having no spare items, while Jimmy didn't even prepare.

Max sighed as The trolls roared and the battle began, their thick skin resisting most attacks.

But the fire made all the difference. Flames erupted across the battlefield, searing the trolls' flesh and slowing their regeneration.

Max, however, had no fire based equipment. He relied on his twin pistols, their special bullets imbued with a faint fire effect. It was enough to deal with the smaller trolls, but it wouldn't be enough for the bigger ones.

As the battle raged on, Max found it to be an educating experience fighting in this kind of closed Terrain.

He kept firing, while dodging with his wings, but instead of out right flying, he use them to propel himself forward or backwards or in any other direction.

His pistols took a dozens of bullets to deal with a single troll but he managed .

But not for long as The chief of the trolls emerged from the shadows, a towering figure even among his kind. He was twice the size of the others, his skin darker and more heavily scarred. In one hand, he carried a massive stone shield, and in the other, a club. Kkkkkkkkkknk

troll chief roared, his voice shaking the very ground beneath them. He charged forward, his massive stone shield deflecting the flames and attacks from the group with ease. His glowing yellow eyes locked onto Max, who stood at the front, his pistols drawn.

The chief seemed to sense that Max was the biggest threat, or perhaps the easiest target, given his lack of fire based equipment.

Max fired a volley of shots, the bullets exploding in bursts of golden energy as they struck the chief's shield. The fire effect from the special bullets singed the troll's skin, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

The chief deflected most of the shots with his shield, his movements surprisingly agile for a creature of his size. He closed the distance quickly, his massive club raised high.

Max gritted his teeth, his wings twitching as he tried to maneuver in the oppressive dungeon environment.

He couldn't fly as freely as he wanted, and the chief's relentless assault was pushing him back. The others were too busy dealing with the rest of the trolls to assist him, and Max knew he had to act fast.

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"Fine," Max muttered under his breath, his voice low and dangerous. "Let's see how you handle this."

They had been fighting for over an hour now, and the observation artifact locked on Kane should be on cooldown base on the time, so Max decided it was about time as He reached into his space ring and pulled out one of his big moves, a mirror with a golden frame.

The surface shimmered faintly with a greenish glow.

It was the mirror he made not long ago. And Max had been curious about its effects but hadn't had the chance to test it until now.

Max flew up, his wings straining as he maneuvered between the pillars. He used his telekinesis to hold the mirror at a safe distance from himself, just out of caution.

The troll chief roared again, charging at him with his club raised high. Max's eyes narrowed as he opened the seal on the mirror, just slightly enough for a thin ray of green light to shine through.

The beam of radiation struck the troll chief square in the chest.

At first, nothing happened. The chief paused, his glowing yellow eyes narrowing in confusion.

Then, he began to bleed. It started as a trickle from his nose and ears, but within seconds, blood was pouring from every orifice. The chief let out a guttural scream, dropping his

club and shield as he clawed at his own body in agony.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

His massive frame convulsed, his skin bubbling and warping as the radiation took hold. The pain was unbearable, driving him to madness.

The troll chief's screams echoed through the cavernous building, a horrifying sound that made everyone freeze in their tracks. Even the other trolls stopped their attacks, their yellow eyes wide with fear as they watched their leader writhe in torment.

The chief's body began to mutate grotesquely his limbs twisted, his skin split open, and a second head began to sprout from his shoulder, its features distorted and monstrous.

Max hovered in the air, his expression a mix of fascination and mild surprise. He hadn't expected the radiation to have such a dramatic effect.

The troll chief, now a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and bone, tried to end his suffering by slamming his own head against the ground. But even that didn't work. His body continued to mutate, his screams growing more desperate.

Finally, in a last, desperate act, the chief grabbed a jagged piece of stone and hacked at his own neck, severing his head.

But even in death, the radiation continued to work. The chief's body dissolved into a pool of viscous, bloody liquid, bubbling and hissing as it spread across the ground. The sight was horrifying, but what happened next was even worse.

A hand, pale and twisted, emerged from the pool, clawing at the air as if trying to escape.

The chief's screams echoed once more, a final, agonized cry before the hand collapsed back into the liquid, which then solidified into a grotesque, lifeless mass.

The battlefield fell silent. Everyone, Julio, Nicholas, Arabelle, Jimmy, Kane, and his team, stared at the scene in stunned horror. Even the other trolls, who had been moments ago roaring and charging, now backed away, their yellow eyes filled with terror.

They looked at Max, who floated calmly above the battlefield with a curious expression, the golden framed mirror back in his hand, and they fled.

The sound of their retreating footsteps echoed through the building, leaving the group alone in the eerie silence.

Max landed softly on the ground, his wings folding behind him. He glanced at the pool of liquid that had once been the troll chief, then at the others. "Huh," he said, his tone casual. "Didn't expect it to be that effective."

The others stared at him, their faces pale. Julio's starfish pets floated nervously around him, their lights flickering.

Nicholas, still in his half rhino form, took a step back, his flaming fists extinguished.

Arabelle lowered her sniper rifle, her hands trembling slightly. Jimmy's monkey pet clung to his shoulder, chittering nervously.

Kane broke the silence first. "What… what the hell was that? I felt a burning sensation even though I was so far, and it wasn't like heat. I.... " he asked, his voice shaky.

Max shrugged, tucking the mirror back into his ring. "a piece of equipment, as for what it does, it's called Radiation. Nasty stuff, apparently. "

Max used the mirror with deliberation from the start he never used anything other then his guns, although at the start he just played like this because he didn't need to do anything else.

However after the talk with Xrak, he wanted to solidify the image of someone relying on equipment solely, that way when he deal with Xrak's clone it won't be attributed to him but to his equipment, that way hopefully he wouldn't garner and immediate attention.

The others exchanged uneasy glances. They had always known Max was dangerous, but this… this was something else entirely.

The casual way he had unleashed such a horrifying weapon, the way he had watched the troll chief's agonizing death with mild curiosity, it was chilling.

"Let's keep moving," Max said, his tone calm and unbothered. He walked around the pool of liquid, his boots crunching on the rubble. He made sure he stayed far away from the spot hit by the radiation.

The others hesitated for a moment before following, their fear of him now outweighing their fear of the dungeon.

As for the three affected by his passive, the hold his passive had on them only deepened with this show of strength.

....

As they moved deeper into the second layer, the atmosphere grew heavier, the greenish light dimming further.

The others stayed close together, their weapons ready, but Max walked ahead, his pistols holstered and his expression relaxed. He didn't need to fight anymore, the trolls had made it clear they wouldn't dare approach him.

The group's dynamic had shifted. As Max stood back no troll daring to glance twice towards him. While the rest kept fighting.

...

Not long after, the battle was over and the team was resting, trolls were strong but had an obvious weakness, so they were faster in dealing with them compared with the undead.

Between the fighting and the rest, over 5 hours passed, and the cooldown of [World of Mirrors] ended, over that peri Max spent the time instructing, Lucy and mok.

While standing in a corner, Max activated [World of mirrors], and immediately pulled Lucy and mok out of the pet space, and after giving Lucy a space ring, and mok a piece of paper, he immediately pushed them inside a mirror before anyone could notice.

'just like I told you guys, I can't have any mistakes.'

'ok'.

At the same time Max pulled an eye catching ring and place it in his middle finger.

The gem on this ring was actually a mirror, which was confusing.

Max walked to the group.

"alright people it's time to deal with the boss, and get this over with."