After some time had passed, the big man suddenly jolted awake with a scream.
"Aaaahhh! My neck hurts!"
"What just happened?"
Clutching his neck, the bewildered and panicked man struggled to his feet.
It seemed he couldn't remember what had happened at all.
Seeing that he had regained his sanity, his two friends immediately rushed over and hugged him, then began explaining everything.
"You suddenly lost your mind and started screaming like you were terrified of something."
"We were really worried about you."
Hearing their words, the big man froze in shock and said,
"I remember just walking normally."
"Then all of a sudden, it felt like I fell into a nightmare, and everything around me changed."
"Hundreds of skeletons surrounded me and rushed at me, trying to kill me."
"And then… I woke up on the ground with my neck hurting."
Listening to his story, the other two grew pale.
Only then did they understand why such a thing had happened.
From a distance, Zev and Subedei heard everything and exchanged astonished glances.
Subedei, in particular, fell deep into thought.
The spirits weren't directly attacking them.
They merely flew past them, releasing demonic whispers as they went.
The fog thickened even more, and nothing could be heard except those hellish murmurs.
"Demonic whispers…"
Those words echoed in Subedei's mind, and it seemed as though he had realized something.
"Yes…"
He murmured to himself, then looked at the others one by one before speaking loudly.
"I understand now. It's not that the spirits aren't attacking us."
"They're attacking us in secret."
"They're assaulting us by bewitching our minds with those demonic whispers."
"I kept wondering why we could still hear them even when we covered our ears."
"Now it finally makes sense."
The other three weren't quick to believe Subedei's words, but it was the explanation closest to the truth.
Even if they doubted it, Zev believed Subedei completely.
"That's right. In a place like this tower of horrors, there's no such thing as a monster that won't attack."
Hearing this, everyone nodded unconsciously.
At that moment, Zev began carefully observing their surroundings, as if he had realized something else.
They had already experienced the terror of this place called the tower.
They knew this had to be the correct answer.
Now that they understood what was happening, they decided to kill the spirits as quickly as possible.
Having grasped the true danger of the Whispering Spirits, Subedei came up with a brilliant idea on how to deal with them.
He explained his plan to Zev.
"Zev, instead of using our skills at the same time, we should take turns."
"That way, we can kill more spirits and prevent them from gathering around us."
"What do you think?"
Zev nodded in agreement.
The two of them began alternating their skills, killing the Whispering Spirits one by one.
[You have slain "Whispering Spirit".]
They killed them with ease.
The phrase one strike, one kill suited them perfectly.
As countless notifications appeared, Zev's and Subedei's mana began draining rapidly.
At that point, Zev stopped everyone and decided to halt their advance and rest for a while.
After drinking water and taking a short break, Zev was able to confirm what he had suspected.
While they remained seated, far fewer spirits gathered around them.
"Let's wait here until morning," Zev said.
Everyone nodded and sat down to rest.
Of course, everyone except Zev and Subedei slept soundly.
After a few minutes, the others began to understand what Zev had meant.
The number of Whispering Spirits circling them was decreasing.
Along with that, the demonic whispers softened considerably, bringing them a sense of calm.
Everyone waited anxiously for morning to come.
Naturally, the ones who wanted dawn the most were the other three.
This place was far too terrifying for them.
They couldn't sleep, couldn't fight—
all they could do was stare at the Whispering Spirits.
They lived in constant fear, not knowing when they might become bewitched.
Before long, the fog began to thin little by little.
Seeing this, they hoped that the Whispering Spirits would fade away along with it.
But the night was longer than they had expected.
Although the spirits diminished, they did not disappear completely.
The three weakest among them were possessed by the demonic whispers several times.
Their faces twisted in terror as if they were seeing something horrifying.
One after another, they went berserk, swinging their swords wildly.
Whenever one of their friends tried to approach and knock them out, they ended up getting injured themselves.
As they struggled, unsure how to subdue them safely, Zev and Subedei stepped in, precisely striking their necks and knocking them unconscious.
Zev and Subedei used their mana every time it recovered, and as a result, exhaustion quickly set in.
Their eyelids drooped, their swings slowed, and they clearly looked drowsy.
Eventually, the fog faded away, and rays of sunlight appeared.
Along with it, the Whispering Spirits rapidly thinned out and vanished.
Seeing this, everyone rejoiced.
At last, the demonic whispers disappeared completely.
Relieved by the peaceful silence, they collapsed onto the ground.
Even Zev and Subedei couldn't hold on any longer—they fell backward and immediately fell asleep.
Knowing they had survived thanks to those two, the other three went out to prepare food.
Several hours passed quickly, and the skinny man woke Zev and Subedei.
"Wake up. Eat something."
Hearing this, Zev and Subedei slowly opened their eyes and sat up.
They ate quickly, exchanging not a single word.
After finishing his meal, Subedei lay back down and fell asleep again.
Seeing this, Zev didn't say much and remained alone on watch.
After some time, Zev woke Subedei and went to sleep himself.
"Subedei, wake up."
Hearing his voice, Subedei slowly opened his eyes.
Zev looked at him briefly, said nothing more, and lay down to sleep.
Subedei stood up and leaned against a nearby dead tree, quietly observing his surroundings.
Time passed quickly, and as evening approached, Subedei woke the others.
"Everyone, wake up!"
Startled by his shout, they jumped up and grabbed their weapons.
Realizing that Subedei had called out, they quietly rose and prepared for battle.
All of them stood silently, gripping their weapons tightly, waiting for the Whispering Spirits to appear.
Soon, fog began to seep in from all directions.
Along with it came the demonic whispers once again.
This time, however, they ignored it and moved forward.
With experience on their side, Zev and Subedei refrained from killing every spirit they saw.
Only when the number of spirits reached a certain point did they act, wiping them all out.
They moved far more efficiently than before.
But suddenly, one of them became possessed by the demonic whispers and began screaming,
"I'll kill you!"
"I'll kill you!"
Shouting those words, the big man swung his sword and charged straight at the skinny man.