Mikael stifled his laughter and focused on the task ahead. He summoned two E rank swords from his storage ring, items he had purchased at the Academy using his credits. Alia followed suit, producing her bow and a quiver full of arrows as she prepared for the upcoming fight.
Lyra, who had been silently observing the exchange, couldn't help but smile. Watching Alia's flustered reaction and Mikael's effortless teasing, she thought, 'Maybe Alia isn't so bad after all. I rember my first ti in a dungeon—I was so much worse. I was completely petrified when I saw my first monster.'
Her gaze softened, though a small pang of possessiveness flickered in her chest as she added inwardly, 'Still, she is spending a lot of ti with my friend.'
Mikael and Alia exchanged a glance, nodded in silent agreent, and wrapped themselves and their weapons in their respective auras. With their preparations complete, they turned their attention to the eight Bonefiends ahead. Alia nocked an arrow onto her bowstring and released it with precision at a sleeping Bonefiend, which was blissfully unaware of the impending danger.
As the arrow flew through the air, Mikael closed the distance between himself and the monsters with remarkable speed. The startled Bonefiends awoke, but one of them barely had ti to react before Alia's arrow pierced its skull, killing it instantly.
Chained Sword Style – 1st Form: Blade Tempest
Mikael's chained swords blurred with incredible speed, slicing through the air like a whirlwind. In an instant, the remaining seven Bonefiends were struck by the flashing blades.
A heartbeat later, Mikael's swords returned to his hands. The Bonefiends froze montarily before blood erupted from their heads, and one by one, they collapsed lifeless to the ground.
[E- Rank Monster Bonefiend killed: 3K XP received x7]
Alia and Lyra stood in stunned silence, their jaws nearly dropping as they processed what they had just witnessed. Seven E- Rank monsters, effortlessly dispatched by a ranker who was only at F- Rank.
"Eh??" Alia exclaid, her surprise evident. Her thoughts raced, 'When we sparred, he never used that technique. Does that an I'm not even strong enough to make him take seriously?' Her fists clenched tightly. 'Genius talent, my ass. He may be better than now, but I'll surpass him!' she resolved, her green eyes burning with determination.
Lyra, anwhile, was utterly dumbfounded, her mouth agape. She had never seen Mikael fight before and hadn't expected her "friend" to possess such overwhelming strength.
Mikael noticed their stunned expressions but chose to keep his thoughts to himself, his face remaining calm and composed.
Alia was the first to recover from her shock. Her green eyes sparkled with determination as she stepped forward. "I'll surpass you one day—mark my words!" she declared confidently before striding past him, her posture radiating resolve.
Lyra, still processing what she had just witnessed, silently drifted back to her role as the group's "protector," her expression thoughtful but composed.
Mikael smirked, giving Lyra a small wave before turning to follow Alia. For now, his main priority was clearing the dungeon.
The group soon arrived at another cavern, eerily similar to the first. This ti, however, nine Bonefiends lay scattered across the room. The lava lakes glowed faintly, casting flickering light across the creatures.
Alia turned to Mikael before they engaged. "Let them co to us," she suggested. "I want to practice."
Mikael nodded, stepping back to let her take the lead. Alia readied her bow, keeping several arrows within easy reach. She aid carefully and fired, her arrow striking an unsuspecting Bonefiend squarely in the head. The creature dropped lifeless to the ground.
Startled by their comrade's death, the remaining Bonefiends roared angrily and turned their bloodthirsty gazes toward the two humans. With snarls of fury, they charged.
Alia took out two more Bonefiends with rapid, precise shots before they reached her position. As the remaining six lunged toward them, Mikael turned to her with a confident grin.
Chained Sword Style – 1st Form: Blade Tempest
Once again, Mikael's swords beca a blur, creating a storm of flashing steel. In re seconds, all six Bonefiends lay decapitated, their bodies crumpling to the ground before they could land a single blow.
[E- Rank Monster Bonefiend killed: 3K XP received x6]
Alia muttered, "Monster!" under her breath, unable to hide her amazent. Despite her curiosity about his technique, she refrained from asking. She knew it was considered impolite to inquire about another ranker's skills without permission.
The duo continued their hunt, annihilating every monster in their path. Even the elite E Rank Infernalcreep monsters, that were with nurous Bonefiends, proved no match for them. The Infernalcreeps could barely dodge a single slash of Mikael's Blade Tempest before succumbing to its relentless barrage.
For Mikael and Alia, the dungeon was less of a challenge and more of a battlefield where they crushed every foe with ease.
At this mont, they finally arrived before a gigantic stone door towering several ters tall.
Mikael turned to Alia and asked, "Ready for the boss?"
She smirked confidently and replied, "With how easily we've been crushing the monsters, how couldn't I be ready?"
Mikael nodded at her words, wrapping himself in his aura cloak before stepping forward to push the massive door open. The sheer weight of the door made the veins in his arms bulge as it creaked open with a low, echoing sound.
The two stepped into the new room. Once again, it was a cavern, but unlike the previous chambers, there were no lava lakes. Instead, glowing red crystals embedded in the walls bathed the space in a dim, eerie light.
At the center of the room, illuminated by the crystals' faint glow, lay an enormous beast. It was a ferocious two-headed dog, sprawled on its forelegs, its fierce red eyes locked on the intruders.
The creature's fur burned like fire, its claws and teeth gleaming as if capable of shredding steel. Even as it lay on its paws, the beast stood over two ters tall, exuding a terrifying, oppressive aura.
Mikael instantly recognized the monster from what he learned in the dungeon exploration class and warned Alia, "Be careful. That's a Pyrax, an E rank boss monster. It's a fire-type with incredible speed, and it can breathe fire. Don't let it catch you off guard."
Alia nodded, already on high alert.
Noticing its new visitors, the Pyrax rose to its full height and fixed its predatory gaze on the two intruders, its movents slow and deliberate, radiating nace.
As it began to stalk toward them, Mikael, as the close-combat fighter, stepped forward and shouted provocatively, "Co here! I'm fucking tasty!"
The Pyrax, provoked by the loud taunt, snarled and lunged toward him.
But Mikael had anticipated the attack. With a swift sidestep, he evaded the creature's leap and retaliated imdiately.
Chained Sword Style – 1st Form: Blade Tempest
The flurry of attacks struck the Pyrax mid-landing, slicing into its massive body and leaving deep, bloody gashes.
At the sa ti, Alia wasn't idle. She had already loosed an aura-charged arrow that struck one of the Pyrax's hind legs, crippling its mobility.
"ROOOAAARR!!"
The Pyrax roared in fury and pain, its rage filling the cavern as its glowing red eyes locked onto the small human who had evaded its attack. Its throat began to bulge before it unleashed a stream of flas aid directly at Mikael.
"Careful!" scread a worried Alia.
Lyra clenched her fists, ready to cast a spell the mont she sensed Mikael was in real danger.
Fortunately, Mikael had anticipated the attack. The mont he saw the Pyrax's throat swell, he moved swiftly out of the path of the fiery torrent.
Undeterred, the Pyrax turned its head to track Mikael, determined to incinerate him. At the sa mont, several arrows landed on the boss's back, but they only caused minor injuries, barely piercing its thick hide. The beast ignored the pain, its focus fixed on the target that had dared to harm it.
Seeing the flas racing toward him, Mikael knew he couldn't keep dodging forever. He intensified the concentration of his aura cloak to its maximum and charged directly at the Pyrax.
As he neared the beast, the flas engulfed him. Undeterred, Mikael raised his forearms to shield his face and slid under the Pyrax's massive body. So of the flas licked through his aura cloak, scorching his skin, but the injuries were superficial.
Seizing the opportunity, Mikael channeled 20% of his aura into each of his swords. The blades extended to incredible lengths, glowing with concentrated energy, and he thrust them upward.
The blades sliced through the Pyrax's flesh as if it were butter. Blood began to flow and the beast let out a pained roar before collapsing onto Mikael.
Watching the Pyrax breathe fire on Mikael, Lyra was about to intervene. But when she caught the determined look in his eyes, she held back. However, the mont the Pyrax fell on him, she felt her heart leap into her throat. Without hesitation, she cast a powerful water-based spell that struck the Pyrax and sent it hurtling into the cavern wall.
The beast slamd into the wall with such force that the entire chamber trembled. But neither Alia nor Lyra paid attention to the shaking. Their focus was entirely on Mikael, now lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Alia, having seen his resilience before, remained relatively calm. Lyra, on the other hand, panicked.
"Okay, don't move! I'll find a healer! Oh no, we're in a dungeon—we'll need to get you out for proper treatnt! Don't make any unnecessary movents!" she rambled, her voice frantic.
Mikael, who was still lying on the ground from his slide, looked at her and sighed. Slowly, he began to rise.
Seeing him move, Lyra's panic intensified. "DON'T MOVE!" she scread.
Ignoring her outburst, Mikael approached her. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "I'm fine. This isn't my blood—it's from the boss."
Lyra froze at his touch, her mind struggling to process his words. "You're not hurt?" she asked in a low, incredulous voice.
Mikael kept his gaze steady. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry."
Hearing his reassurance, a wave of relief washed over Lyra. Unable to contain her emotions, she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
Mikael was about to pat Lyra's back to comfort her but noticed his bloody hand mid-motion and stopped. Seeing her worried expression, he decided to ignore the blood and gently caressed her back instead.
They stayed like that for a few seconds before Mikael glanced at Alia with a teasing tone. "Alia, don't you want a comforting hug too?"
Alia snorted, her previously restless heart calming down as she realized he was well enough to joke. He couldn't be seriously injured if he was acting like this.
She replied with a tone that was half-serious and half-joking, "No thanks, not a fan of being covered in blood."
Hearing her response, Mikael considered teasing her further but decided against it, focusing instead on comforting the girl in his arms.
After a mont, they separated. Alia, with a faint hint of jealousy in her voice, remarked, "Look at you two, covered in blood."
Mikael gave a wry smile before casting a Clean spell on both himself and Lyra. The next mont, they stood in their spotless white-and-gold uniforms, as if nothing had happened.
Lyra, feeling a bit embarrassed by her earlier panicked actions, blurted out the first thing that ca to her mind. "I did good, didn't I?"
Mikael raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
Realizing her words didn't make much sense, she clarified, "I an, I saved you when the boss crushed you."
"Uh, no."
Lyra blinked, confused by his response.
He explained, "The boss didn't 'crush' . When I was underneath it, I pierced it with my swords, and it died. It fell on after that. So, no, you didn't save in that sense. But you did save the effort of crawling out from under its carcass."
Hearing his clarification, Lyra scratched the back of her head awkwardly and muttered, "Ah, okay."
With the conversation wrapping up, Mikael addressed both girls. "So, ready to leave?"
They nodded, and the small group exited the dungeon with virtually no injuries.
Author Note:
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