Vell stood in front of the sli lord, his katanas ready.
"My na is Vell," he said, watching it carefully. "What's yours?"
The sli tilted its head. "No… na," it gurgled. "Protect… core."
"I need that core though, soooo... we have a problem."
The sli moved fast.
One arm stretched out like a whip, sparking with lightning. He jumped aside, but the other arm ca at him, cold as ice. He blocked it with his katana, feeling the chill through the blade.
"You're quick," he said, breathing hard. "And smart."
The sli lord's mouth opened wider. "Learn… from you," it said.
He frowned. This thing was getting stronger every second. He had to stop it soon, or it would be too much to handle. But he was tired, and his energy was low from all the fighting.
He looked at his pack. Inside was the container with the nuclear sli. It was dangerous, but it might help.
"I have an idea," he muttered.
[...be careful.]
"I know."
He pulled out the container and opened it. The nuclear sli hopped out, small and bouncy. Its blue and pink colors glowed, and a little burst of energy shot from it.
The sli lord turned to look. "What… that?" it asked.
"Help," he said. He pointed at the dungeon core on the pedestal. "Go there, little one."
The nuclear sli bounced toward the core, each hop sending out small waves of power. The sli lord didn't like that. It moved to stop the tiny sli, stretching an arm to grab it.
Vell's katana struck between them, drawing the boss's attention. "I can't let you do that." He pull back the katana using mana and sent mana slashes at it that did nothing really.
"You...care...for...this...one?" It asked, pointing at the little sli still making its way to the core.
"Yeah, that little one is part of my family now, don't hurt her." He put the blades back in his inventory.
"Family...? I kill..." It charged at the little smile but it got its head blown off. It reford instantly and looked back, seeing him carrying a large blue gun that crackled with mana.
[codex activated. It's been a while master, how are things going?]
"Oh, you are done updating already?"
[Yeah, we don't need mission anymore, I can just do this.]
He felt his body warm up and his injuries and mana began refilling up way faster than normal. "woah, that's neat... almost feels like cheating." He flexed his hands, feeling his mana core being refiled.
[Yes but it still has its limits.]
"Well, thanks to you, I am not going to break my training. I was this close to using my other cores to one shot this thing." He said while charging up his gun further.
[Oh, so that's why you are using that level of power. That's actually a nice way to train against weaker monsters.]
"Yeah, its harder than it should be though, thanks to so people, sigh."
[Hey sis.]
[Hi, so all went well huh.]
[Yeah, I think I keep growing like this, I might be able to form a physical form.]
[Woooow, good for you...]
[What's wrong?]
'She is sealed, so it will take so ti for her get a physical form.' He said, his attention shifting back to the sliming, firing multiple light shots.
[Oh, I am sorry, I didn't know.]
[It's alright, let's just get back to the mission for now, we can catch up later.]
'sounds good.' The codex shifted and turned into a staff but it was mixed with a lot of mana, from the codex core and his main core. "Ti to end this." He crouched ti like a feline, 'this is her move...' He tightened his leg muscles and charged, destroying the ground.
The sli lord's body rippled, sensing the danger. It tried to shift its form, hardening parts of its gelatinous body into shields. "You... strong... now," it gurgled, its voice clearer than before but filled with sothing like fear.
"I was always strong," he replied, twirling the staff in his hands. "I was just holding back."
The boss lashed out with multiple tendrils, each one charged with a different elent. Fire, ice, lightning, and acid all streaked toward him simultaneously.
He didn't dodge this ti. Instead, he planted his feet and swung the staff in a wide arc. A wave of pure mana erupted from the weapon, cutting through all the tendrils at once. The severed appendages fell to the ground, dissolving into puddles of various colors.
"Impossible..." the sli said, backing away. Its body was losing cohesion now, colors swirling more chaotically than before.
He continued his advance, each step deliberate. "Are those your last words?"
The nuclear sli reached the dungeon core now, bouncing excitedly around its base. Small bursts of energy radiated from it, making the core pulse in response.
"No!" The sli lord stretched toward the pedestal, desperate to protect the core.
Vell was faster though. He appeared between the sli lord and the core in an instant, his staff pointed directly at the creature's center mass where the cluster of cores glowed.
"Ti to end this training session," he said calmly.
He channeled a focused beam of mana through the staff. The energy pierced through the sli lord's body, striking the core cluster directly. The creature froze, its body trembling as cracks of light spread from the point of impact.
"You... learn... fast..." were its final words before the core cluster shattered.
The sli lord's body collapsed, losing all form and spreading across the floor as harmless liquid. The various colors separated, creating a rainbow pattern that slowly seeped into the ground.
He lowered his staff, watching as the nuclear sli bounced happily around the remains of its forr boss.
"Well, that was educational," he said, breathing normally despite the intense battle. He walked to the pedestal where the dungeon core continued to pulse with light.
[That went well.]
"Thanks to your update," he replied, reaching out to touch the core. "Having my mana replenished made all the difference."
[You would have found another way. You always do.]
He smiled slightly at that. "Maybe." He placed his hand on the dungeon core, feeling its power thrumming beneath his fingers. "This is a good one. High quality."
The core detached from its pedestal easily, responding to his touch. He stored it in his inventory and turned to the little sli.
It bounced over to him, leaving tiny droplets of glowing residue in its wake. It seed to look up at him expectantly.
"Yes, you're coming with ," he told it, opening the container again. "You did good."
The sli hopped inside, settling comfortably. Through the crystal walls, he could see its colors swirling contentedly.
[You're keeping it, then?]
"She reminds of them," he said simply.
[She?]
"Pretty obvious. You are a girl and can't tell?" He mocked, chuckling a bit.
The dungeon was complete—all monsters defeated, the core claid. It would reset eventually, spawning new creatures for other adventurers to challenge.
"Let's head back," he said, making his way toward the exit tunnel. "We've got what we ca for."
The dungeon sent him outside and moved to reset. "I use to be envious of players, now I am not so sure." He said, walking back to the eting spot. His body ached from the fights, but he felt stronger.
He reached the spot where Regina and Ada waited.
"Master, you're back!" Regina said, looking relieved. "Did you finish the dungeon?"
"Yes," he answered, showing them the container. "And I found this."
Ada leaned closer, curious. "What a strange little sli."
"It's special," he said, putting it away. "Let's wait for the others."
Soon, Luna, Wren, Ruby, Jia, and Jolly ca back from their dungeons. They looked tired but happy.
"We did it, Master!" Wren shouted, her eyes shining. "We cleared our dungeons!"
Luna nodded. "And we killed enough monsters. We can go to the second floor now."
"Good work," he said, smiling a little. "Let's move to a portal."
He led the group away from the dungeon area, following a dirt path that wound through the forest.
"Where are we going now, Master?" Ruby asked, walking alongside him. Her clothes were torn in places from her own dungeon battles, but she didn't seem to mind.
"We need to find a town," he explained. "Portals to the second floor are usually near settlents. The bigger the town, the better our chances."
"Did she tell you that?" Wren asked, referring to Viana. They all looked at him and he nodded.
"Yeah, she is pretty useful."
Jia pointed to a thin column of smoke rising above the tree line in the distance. "Look there. Might be a village."
"Good eye," he nodded. "Let's head that way."
The group moved through the forest, their footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. Though tired from their dungeon runs, there was an energy among them—a shared sense of accomplishnt.
"What was your dungeon like, Master?" Wren asked, curious as always.
He thought about the sli lord and its attempts at communication. "Educational," he said simply.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't tell us much."
"Fought so slis. Got what I needed. What about yours?"
As they walked, each shared stories of their dungeon experiences. Jolly had faced a horde of goblins with crude weapons. Wren and Luna had tead up against animated armor sets in an old barracks. Ruby had navigated a maze filled with poisonous plants.
"I can't wait to reach the second floor," Regina said excitedly. "I've heard the monsters are stronger there."
"They are," he confird. "Everything is. The mana density, the challenges, the rewards."
After walking for nearly an hour, the trees began to thin. The path widened into a proper road, with wheel ruts suggesting regular traffic.
"We're getting close," Ada observed. "I can hear people."
The forest gave way to open fields, revealing a town bigger than they had expected. Stone walls surrounded clusters of buildings with thatched roofs. A larger structure dominated the center—perhaps a town hall or guild house. People moved about, so carrying goods, others tending to animals or shops.
"Nice, let's go."
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