[Dana point of view]
There are students, knights, and adventurers who have shown symptoms of mirage mana poisoning. They have a silvery deposit on their skin that cannot be removed until the excess mirage mana they have absorbed is removed. They also exhibit a range of emotions from anger to depression to anxiety and the like. Some began to harm themselves, while others began to harm others.
"Oh Goddess above, please heal them" [Saintess Rumia].
Rumia helped is really crucial. Of course, they all came prepared, but no matter how prepared you are, unexpected things happen and it can ruin you or your team. A missing potion, a trip that causes your equipment to malfunction, and even just suddenly stumbling into a dead end with no way out. Strangely enough, there aren't any major casualties or injuries. Even Kat and Rumia agree. It's like something is keeping them from getting killed, but what?
Fortunately, our group has been relatively safe so far. I can tell it's because of Rumia and Siti. Rumia, being the favorite daughter of the goddess, means that the goddess will always help us, while Siti, being an apprentice witch, is very good against this kind of environment. Poltergeists, ghosts and the like don't stand a chance against her.
As we descend to the third floor, the mana becomes even thicker. It's not like the Devil King's, but it's suffocating, to say the least. Apart from insects, there aren't many life forms that have adapted to the darkness and crushing intensity of the mirage mana. Of course, the monsters here are even more complex.
Our first opponent on this floor is a group of puppets dancing and slashing their weapons at us. They multiply and multiply, and with the Mirage Mana around them, their attacks quickly penetrate our defenses. It's a difficult and annoying foe, but
"Gungnir, head my call! Thunderstorm!" [Dana].
Their patterns, though many, are sometimes predictable, and when they line up perfectly, that's when I throw Gungnir and finish them off in one fell swoop.
Veronica analyzed the pattern and wrote it down in the Magic Mapping Device. She wanted to complete the entry for this monster, but even she knows how dangerous it will be for us to actively hunt this monster.
Besides the puppet, there are also a porcelain doll and a life-like doll, but they don't want to harm us directly. It likes to play tricks on us. One time it calls for a rain of slime, and another time it tries to play hide-and-seek with us, only to lock us up in a small room. Even if it doesn't harm us directly, I have to crush it, or else it will bring trouble after trouble. When I chased it, it deliberately led us into a room where
"Diana!? No! A doll that looks like her!?" [Dana]
"Why is the doll... Look out!" [Kat]
The doll that looks like Diana takes out her scythe and starts attacking us. The puppet, the dolls and other furniture like monsters start to swarm all of us.
"Welcome to my playground. Let's play!" [Doll Diana]
"It would be cute if it was the real Diana saying that!" [Liya]
The doll that looks like Diana is very agile. So agile that it puts the real Diana to shame. The silver lining is that it's not as good at magic as the real Diana, but somehow it can still use all kinds of magic. Her fighting style, though different, somehow felt similar.
"Table. Chair. Chandelier. Smash them" [Doll Diana].
With the doll command, the aforementioned furniture tries to crush us, but we quickly dodge the attack. Kat and I will be in the front, attacking and defending those behind us. Rumia and Siti provide various support, especially healing and buffing, while Liya and Veronica support the four of us. If the buff isn't enough, they'll give more buff, if not, they'll attack.
"House! Let us play House! I'm the mother and you're my daughters, and daughters should always listen to their mother! Now, change positions!" [Doll Diana]
Only Rumia is strong enough to resist, while the rest of us are jumbled away. The environment began to become like one in our house...
"Dana! Catch this!" [Doll Diana]
"Wait! Are those cockroaches?" [Dana]
"Liya. Catch this boulder!" [Doll Diana]
"Dodge! Wind dodge!" [Liya]
"Kat! Don't shoot Thunder! Bad kitty! Water ball!" [Doll Diana]
"Kyaa!" [Kat]
"Princess Siti. Your uniform will be torn apart if you don't dodge this" [Doll Diana].
"How could I dodge all those plates! Earth Dome! Shield me" [Princess Siti].
"Veronica. How about we read a book together" [Doll Diana].
"Help! The book will crush me!" [Veronica]
"Saintess Rumia, you are a good child. Here, a teddy bear for you" [Doll Diana].
"The bear is full of curses, so no thanks" [Saintess Rumia].
"Everyone, it's time to dance! Now dance until you can't anymore!" [Doll Diana]
The floor suddenly caught fire, and as we tried to get a foothold, the doll clapped, amused that we were "dancing". Still, something is bothering us...
"It is no fun to dance alone. Dance should be with a partner! Marionette, puppet, dance with them. You also need proper clothes for dancing. Poltergeist, make them sparkle" [Doll Diana].
As if avoiding a fire and lava on the ground wasn't enough, now it's sending puppets and poltergeists at us. The puppet tries to hurt us with its weapon, while the poltergeists try to make us wear a monster made of clothes.
"Hahahahaha. You guys are dancing more frantically. This is good! Good! Fie, it's your turn!" [Doll Diana]
"Wait a minute..." [All]
The doll looks like Diana. Can use all kinds of magic. This environment it used is similar to my house. It even knows our name. Of course, it can read our minds, that's a possibility, but with Rumia here, I don't think any monster is capable of that, so...
"DIANA! Come out of this instance now!" [Dana]
"Boo... You're no fun." [Diana]
"No fun. No fun at all" [Doll Diana]
"Explain!" [All]
"Wow... They really are mad at you" [Calypso]
"Meow " [Fie]
"Well..." [Diana]