They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 62: The Mysterious Ritual
At the entrance to the Fifth Stratum, the mage staggered into the stairwell.
He looked utterly wretched.
He wore nothing but his underwear. His robe and hat were gone, along with his staff and even the two enchanted rings from his fingers.
The moment he entered, he dropped to his knees in despair.
“I can’t believe it...”
“I was robbed by Puffcaps!”
When the conflict erupted at the cavern, only the mage, standing at the rear, had seen the faint flash of light beneath Ginny’s sleeve.
In an instant, he connected it to all her earlier peculiar behavior.
But the battle had already begun. Even if he stepped forward and voiced his suspicions, who would believe him?
His temporary companions, who had let the woman wrap them around her finger?
Or the opposing adventurers, who did not know him at all?
More importantly, he had seen Ginny turn and smile at him.
He needed little time to make his decision: abandon them!
It was only a temporary party. He was not about to risk his life over friendships a few days old.
Besides, those idiots had only themselves to blame for letting a woman bewitch them.
Up to that point, the mage still believed he had chosen correctly.
His only mistake was fleeing in such haste that he forgot to take one of the monster carcasses Wells carried.
A Puffcap patrol blocked his path and refused to let him pass. When he tried to force his way through, he barely killed two before tentacles caught him.
He had known the Puffcaps were strong, but not that strong. At the time, he thought he would die there.
Unexpectedly, they spared his life. They merely stripped him bare before letting him go.
It was just too much.
“Damn them! Sob...”
What the mage did not know was that he had been the lucky one.
Ralph’s screams from nearby did not last long.
Wells had not formed a favorable opinion of the captain during their journey. Yet in his present situation, he could not stop himself from fearing the same fate.
Before long, a figure pushed past a mushroom and approached in the glow of Bioluminescence.
“Ginny?”
She looked at him and smiled apologetically.
“You’re awake? Was it Ralph’s screaming?
“Sorry. I’m not very good at Sleep. I didn’t expect him to wake halfway through.
“Don’t worry. I’ll cast another Sleep on you in a moment. I promise it won’t hurt.”
Ginny began dragging the bound Wells away. She lacked the strength for the task, and sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort.
Wells felt as though his mind had failed to understand her words.
The Ginny before him seemed entirely different from the one he remembered. Her sweet smile was gone, replaced by something that looked almost like ... sincerity.
Wells did not know why he felt that way.
He did understand one thing. She was probably going to kill him.
Once she dragged him into the open, Wells saw Ralph and their Dwarf companion.
There was no blood on either man. They lay peacefully on the ground, but their chests did not rise even once.
Wells tried to struggle, but no strength remained in his body. Bound as he was, he could only plead.
“G-Ginny, we’ve never wronged each other. Please let me go!
“I swear I won’t tell anyone. I can even testify that those two died in a monster attack!
“You don’t need to kill me. I have savings at the Adventurers’ Guild. You can have all of it!
“I ... I...”
His words failed when he realized Ginny was completely unmoved. Without speaking, she continued dragging him toward an unfamiliar ritual magic circle.
“A ... a cult?”
Ginny placed Wells in the circle, then replaced the eight cracked fragments of Mana Crystal around it with fresh ones.
She gently lifted him from behind and let him rest against her chest.
Wells’s head sank into something soft, but he was in no condition to appreciate it.
Despair and terror drove him to curse at her.
Ginny ignored every word. She raised her little bell in front of him and gently rang it.
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