"We're here." Jarol said as he pointed towards the castle on the top of the hill in front of them.

"Yea...it's a bit strange though.... I thought it would take longer...maybe we would meet a few of the Demon King's lackeys along the way...but nothing...not a single creature in sight." I mused.

"You're right...it was...too quiet." Sheryl agreed quietly.

"Maybe the Demon King doesn't think there would be heroes here so his patrol groups were more laidback." Jarol suggested.

"That could be a possibility.... Or maybe the Demon King knew we were coming and had all of his lackeys relocate into the castle." Ian replied.

"That makes sense too." Sheryl replied.

"Nah, can't be. I don't think a Demon King would give up a chance to whittle down our strength if given the chance." Jarol argued.

"Well, either way, let's be a bit more prepared for this. Jarol, you want to lead the way?" Ian replied.

"Let me stay at the back. I'll be able to cover your rear better." Jarol shook his head as he explained his reason.

"Hmm, that's not like you. Well, it's okay, I'll lead then. Jarol and Sheryl, you guys stay behind me and cover me." Ian responded after musing some more over his plan.

Ian hoisted his shield up and drew out his sword. Cautiously, he approached the castle doors with Jarol and Sheryl close behind. With a kick, the doors blasted open and the trio charged in. With a few slashes of his sword, Ian decimated the first two werewolves that stood in his way. More werewolves and orcs as well as a few ogres, trolls, and goblins charged towards the intruders. But with the party's stats, these monsters were no match for them. After wiping out the monsters on the first floor, the trio ascended the stairs quickly. They did not want to lose the momentum they had incurred from the battle.

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Floor by floor, the party slaughtered their way effortlessly. Ian felt that something was wrong. This felt...too easy. How could there be so many weak monsters in the Demon King's stronghold? He turned around to look at his teammates and saw that Sheryl did not seem to notice anything wrong. Even Jarol acted like everything was normal. Was it really normal? Was his gut feeling wrong? Could Jarol be right...that the Demon King did not expect us to be here and was unprepared? Ian had an itchy feeling that something was not right with their current situation. Maybe he was wrong. Ian shook his head to clear his mind as he dodged a stray arrow from one of the skeleton archers.

As they continued fighting, Ian's suspicions grew and grew until they finally reached the fourth floor. When Ian knocked back the doors, what laid inside cleared away his doubts. Ugh! Yep...he was right.... The Demon King knew they were coming after all. The Demon King just placed all of the weak monsters in the first three floors to weaken Ian and his party's defenses. Then, the Demon King placed all of his strong monsters in the fourth floor. There were dragons, demons, lichs, minotaurs, and a number of other powerful beasts. From the looks of it, this must be the last floor.

Ian looked at the closed door at the end of the room. "That must be the final boss's room! Guys, get ready! Let's do this!"

"Charge!" Jarol roared as he rushed in, bow raised and firing.

After what seemed like hours, the trio finally killed off all the monsters on the floor. They had lost a lot of health and stamina so Ian decided that they would take a rest before moving on to the final room. Sheryl raised her staff into the air and cast a Restoration Spell to help heal the party's wounds and wash away their fatigue. Once they had rested, the party prepared to continue. Ian walked up to the doors of the final room and pushed open.