[Mastery: Mental Contamination Resistance Lv2] [Mastery: Deception Lv3] The system notifications finally faded, and Damon let out a long, shuddering breath. That was a close one... too close. He had nearly died—again. That thing in the woods… the grotesque, creeping horror with a voice like dead leaves and tentacles. And just when he thought it was over, he woke up slumped over Xander's back, barely conscious, only to realize his friends were standing face-to-face with a woman that was clearly lying. A suspicious woman, whose heartbeat gave her away. He'd thrown himself onto her just to listen—and it had confirmed everything. Her pulse was off. Wrong. Not human. Her skin was too cold…to fake. She was a Beldam. And the system had already listed her soul as a requirement. [Level Up Requirements] Beldam Souls Consumed: [0/1] He didn't need to connect the dots. It was already too convenient, too neat. He would've gladly taken the risk of killing an innocent woman if it meant keeping his friends alive. But this wasn't an ordinary woman. She was far too powerful. Damon slowly let go of Sylvia as the others watched, their expressions shifting from uncertainty to pure confusion. Each of them looked ready to say something —but they hesitated, waiting. He stepped forward calmly, his breath even, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. Leona was the first to break the silence. She took a deep breath and exhaled like she'd been holding it the whole time. "I knew it... I knew you wouldn't be taken over so easily..." Damon smiled faintly. "I was almost taken over... Lucky for me, I have resistance." He wasn't bluffing. The system had rewarded him with a new mastery—Mental Contamination Resistance. The Mastery Mechanic was incredible, truly. As long as something didn't outright kill him, he could develop resistance to it. 'At this rate, maybe one day I'll have a resistance to everything... Should I start drinking poison next?' Evangeline slowly stood up, still shackled, her voice raspy and strained from all the screaming earlier. "Y-You should've clued us in... I was terrified… I thought you wanted to kill Sylvia… I thought she had you…" "Actually… he did clue us in," came a quiet voice. Sylvia. Her voice was low and raw, her fingers bleeding and bent at awkward angles from clawing at the wooden floor. She kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke. "He did it at the table… The first clue was when he told us to 'have faith.' That was when you and Damon were arguing." Evangeline turned to face her slowly. "You knew…?" Sylvia shook her head with a hollow look. "Not at first. I was terrified too. I thought we lost him. But... he looked at me—and said 'trust me.' He never broke eye contact. It might've sounded like he was defending her, but he was trying to tell us something." Her eyes flicked toward the house. "This whole place was under her influence. The walls had ears." They followed her gaze to the Beldam's house. The power that once radiated from it now flickered weakly—its dark, eerie presence fading slowly with her death. Damon stepped forward and knelt beside Evangeline, pulling out a blackened iron key he'd pickpocketed from the Beldam just before tossing her into the flames. With a soft click, he unlocked her chains. "The final clue was risky… but I had to make sure you guys caught on." Evangeline rubbed her sore wrists as the strength returned to her limbs. Xander tilted his head, curious. "What was the third clue?" Evangeline's eyes narrowed, a mix of irritation and understanding dawning. "He said… the ugly one is Xander." Matia's eyes lit up. "Of course! If he was under her control, he wouldn't be unnecessarily rude. That's something only Damon would do." Damon smirked as he moved from one friend to the next, undoing their shackles. "But," he added, "you guys were too dumb to figure it out." Leona didn't argue. She simply stood up and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, her silence louder than any thanks. "Hey—Leona—I can't breathe—let up a bit!" She reluctantly let go. Damon smiled at her, chest still heaving. "Leona didn't believe I was taken over. But I couldn't confirm her suspicions directly… She's too pure to pull off a scheme like this." Leona scoffed. "Awww, how sweet. That's the nicest way you've ever called me stupid." He bowed with exaggerated grace. "Thank you. I've been working on my people skills. I'm almost a better person now." He glanced toward Sylvia—who, despite her exhaustion, was tending to her broken nails, slowly healing herself with trembling hands. "You've still got a long way to go, you bastard…" Evangeline muttered. He rolled his eyes, raising his arms in mock defense. "Ehm. You're welcome… for saving your lives." Xander looked at Sylvia. "Since when did you know…?" She nodded, her nails now fully healed. "After dinner. He looked at me—I noticed his shadow. After that, I was sure he was okay… well, I had some doubts, but I took the risk." Matia blinked. "Wait, wait a minute. So you never actually planned for us to escape this house…?" Sylvia slowly shook her head. "Why would I make such a momentously, stupid plan? The whole escape was predicated on failure. I was meant to fail, so Damon could gain her trust." Evangeline raised an eyebrow. That was a level of deception that fooled even their closest friends… "Did he tell you his plan? Were you completely sure?" she asked, voice sharp with disbelief. Sylvia looked away awkwardly, scratching her chin. "Hmmm… no. But—but I had faith… and the power of friendship…" Evangeline smiled coldly, lifting her fist at her sarcasm. "I have a strong urge to smack you right now. More than I want to beat the hell out of Damon." Damon groaned. "All that work and this is how I'm thanked? Shouldn't you all be groveling? Showering me with gratitude for saving your lives?" Evangeline sighed. At the very least, they could finally breathe. The tension had eased enough that they were back to making jokes—stupid ones, but still they had gotten somewhat used to the horrors. "So… you were sure your plan would work?" she asked. Damon looked away, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I had a zero percent guarantee. But hear me out… I had faith. Don't look so appalled." Evangeline smiled coldly. Xander sat there quietly, just glad they were all still alive. Somehow, they'd survived another horror. Barely. They almost didn't make it… He returned his gaze at Damon, who was currently being throttled by a frustrated Evangeline. "Now what? We survived, sure. That doesn't change the bigger problem. We still don't know which part of the forest we're in. We've got no solid gear left. Our weapons are practically crumbling." Damon looked over at him, still held in Evangeline's grip. Her soft skin against his head. "Actually, all our problems are solved." Everyone stared at him. He shrugged. "What? I did say the beldam talked too much. Also, aren't those magic weapons and armor?" He pointed toward the far end of the room. Their eyes followed. In the dimming light of the house's fading magic, racks of enchanted gear gleamed—enough to outfit all of them twice over. "We've also got a better map now," Damon added. "And a route to Lysithara. We're not that far from the Whispering City." He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto the hearth. Reaching into his neck, he pulled out his mother's locket, the soft metallic clink echoing in the silence. "We're almost there."