Oh floor within a certain area, Michalis nervously approached his assigrial area.

  Thump ! Thump !

  His heart pounded with intense vigour, as he he designated room.

  Draco had meticulously prepared the areas on each floor where each member of the Bahamut familia would front their assigned monsters alone.

  It was a daunting task, but Draastery of his earth magic allowed him to carve out and isote specific ses within the dungeon floor that he wanted.

  There wasn’t much resistance from the dungeon itself as he wasn’t doing anything particurly destructive to it, so the mind cost for earth manipution remained normal.

  With his superior strength over most of the upper floors and some of the upper middle floor monsters, Draco had mao lure the creatures he desired into the carefully crafted rooms.

  Though it was not a foolproof pn, as the dungeon could still easily spawn unwanted entities within those fined spaces, it was the best he could do given the circumstances.

  In the evening of the previous day, Draco had ehat all the unnecessary monsters had been eliminated from the desigrial areas.

  The other members of the Bahamut familia quietly stood before the entrance, waiting their turn to face their own challenge.

  They were there solely to observe and lend moral support, eae acutely aware of the severity of the situation.

  As Michalis passed through the threshold, he was greeted by the sight of two silver backs within the room, their intimidating frames separated by rge ks of earth to prevent them from interfering with one another.

  Gulp !

  Michalis couldn't help but gulp nervously at the sight of these t, white-furred monsters.

  ‘Draii wasn't kidding,’ Michalis thought, his mind rag with the realization of the challenging task that y before him.

  Silver backs were no easy foes, possessing immense arm strength, det speed and a thick, resilient hide.

  Michalis had faced them in group battles with his familia members, but now he was expected to defeat two of them single-handedly.

  As a dual dagger wielder, Michalis was well aware of the i weaknesses of his chosen ons.

  The short bdes cked the peing power necessary to effitly breach the silverbacks' sturdy defences.

  While his feline-like agility and assassin-like fighting style would provide him with speed and agility, the sheer might and ferocity of the silver backs would prove to be a challenge.

  Michalis khat using his magical skills would be virtually impossible, as the relentless onsught of the silver backs would leave him with no opportunity to focus and t his spell.

  His options were limited, and he could feel the weight of the situation bearing down on him.

  "Are you ready?" Draco asked, Michalis' hesitation at the entrance.

  "Huh? Ah, yes," Michalis replied, startled out of his internal ption.

  "Is onii- perhaps scared?" Vasiliki teased with a cute tone, her pyful jab aimed at rattling Michalis' nerves.

  "Bleh! Don't call me that," Michalis retorted, his face t in distaste at Vasiliki's unwele address.

  Thwack!

  "Ouch!" Vasiliki winced, clutg her head in pain as she turo face her assaint.

  "Why did you hit me?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing as she reized the culprit.

  "Shh, don't disturb his mind just before a battle of life ah," Nikoos replied, his stern gaze fixed on Michalis.

  Vasiliki's expression softened, and she muttered, "I was just trying to ease his nerves." She had noticed the tension radiating from Michalis, a natural sequence of being the first to face his assigrial.

  Michalis, with his keen senses, couldn't help but overhear the words that had softly escaped Vasiliki's lips.

  A small, almost involuntary grin tugged at the ers of his mouth, a subtle rea to her ued remark.

  Vasiliki, ever vigint, quickly took notiichalis' peculiar expression.

  "Huh, why are you staring at me and grinning like an idiot?" she called out, her tone ced with a hint of amusement and mild annoyanbsp;

  "Focus on yht. It would be quite the disappoi if you were the first to fail in this petition," she added, her words carrying a subtle challenge as she fixed him with a poiare.

  Michalis felt a slight flush creep up his neck, momentarily caught off guard by Vasiliki's perceptiveness.

  He cleared his throat, quickly regaining his posure, and offered her a small nod of aowledgment.

  With a light sp on his cheeks, Michalis regained his focus.

  Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the multitude of strategies and tingens that he had made fshed through his mind.

  He khat this ivotal moment, a true test of his skills and resolve.

  Failure was not an option, for the sake of his familia and his own personal growth.

  With a determined glint in his eyes, Michalis stepped forward, his dual daggers firmly gripped in his hands.

  He may have been outmatched in terms of raw power, but he was determio utilize his agility and ing to overe the challehat y before him.

  As the silver backs stirred, sensing the presence of their prey, Michalis braced himself, his pulse quiing with each passing moment.

  This was his trial, his ce to prove his worth and a ce to bee the vice captain of the Bahamut familia.

  With a final deep breath, Michalis charged forward, his bdes gleaming in the dim light of the dungeon.

  The silver backs roared, their massive frames lunging towards the diminutive feline-eared warrior.

  The stage was set, and the battle for Michalis' survival was about to ence.

  ……………………………………………………………………….

  Across the cramped room, the two silverback monsters, akin te, muscur primates, stomped and grunted as they were finally freed, their white fur bristled as they sehe presence of their humanoid feline adversary.

  Their thick, powerful arms swung with devastating force against their chest, as they instinctively tried to intimidate their rather smaller oppo.

  Michalis' igheir taunts as his mind raced, his sharp eyes sing the enviro for any advantage he could exploit.

  The fined space would limit his maneuverability, but it also meant the silverbacks would have trouble using their full strength.

  He khat he o strike quickly and precisely, targeting their vulnerable joints to wear them down.

  Seeing that he wasn’t bag away, the silverbacks took immediately took a.

  With a low growl, one of the silverbacks charged, its massive fist swinging in a powerful arbsp;

  Michalis waited, his muscles coiled like springs, until the st moment.

  Then, in a blur of motion, he darted to the side, his daggers fshing as he sshed at the creature's exposed elbow.

  The bde scraped across the tough fur and skin, drawing a thin line of blood, but the silverback's momentum carried it forward, f Michalis to retreat.

  "Tch!" he grunted as he noticed that his bdes failed to do any signifit damage to it.

  The other silverback roared and immediately did a follow up attack, its muscles rippling as it lumbered towards Michalis.

  Michalis immediately backpedaled, his keen eyes watg for an opening.

  As the silverback's fist came crashing down, Michalis twisted to the side, the blow smming into the stone floor and sending up a shower of dust and debris.

  Seizing the moment, Michalis darted forward, his daggers slig at the silverback's exposed armpit.

  The creature howled in pain, its arm going limp, but it swung its other fist in a desperate terattabsp;

  Michalis ducked uhe blow, his agility saving him from a potentially devastating strike.

  He didn’t have time to deal any more damage as the first silver back on him in an instant, but Michalis was once again ready.

  He rolled to the side, feeling the wind of the creature's massive fist as it narrowly missed him.

  Springing to his feet, he danced around the silver backs, probing for the openings.

  "Gah!" Michalis hissed as the seonster's uninjured fist suddenly swung backwards, its cws grazing against his light armour and leaving a deep gash on it that reached his flesh underh.

  He quickly backed away, his breath ing in ragged gasps.

  The injury to his flesh wasn't deep, but it stung a lot, and he could feel his stamina beginning to wane.

  As the two silverbacks regrouped, Michalis took a short few seds to catch his breath and adjust to the pain, his mind rag.

  He knew he couldn't keep up this frantic pace forever – his limited stamina would eventually betray him.

  The silver backs, obviously immediately sensed his vulnerability, so they pressed their attacks.

  Michalis darted and weaved, his cat-like agility the only thing keeping him ahead of their relentless onsught.

  He o quickly find another opening, another weako exploit.

  The silverbacks quickly charged again, their movements surprisingly agile for creatures of their size.

  Michalis darted between them, his daggers fshing as he scored shallow cuts on their legs and torsos.

  The creatures roared in aheir foarrowing.

  As the first silverback swung its massive fist, Michalis ducked low, then darted forward, driving his daggers into the creature's knee.

  The silverback howled in pain, its leg giving way, and it crashed to the ground.

  The sed silverback, seeing its panion's vulnerability, lunged forward, its powerful jaws snapping towards Michalis' head.

  He mao twist away, but the silverback's teeth grazed his shoulder, drawing blood and elig a hiss of pain.

  Michalis stumbled back, he could feel the fatigue setting in, and he knew he couldn't afford to take a third hit like that.

  Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and charged the first silverback wounded on its knees, his daggers fshing in a blur.

  The sed silverback, sensing Michalis' iion, swung its uninjured arm in a sweeping blow.

  Michalis saw his d, with a burst of speed, leaped onto the outstretched limb, using it as a springboard to unch himself into the air.

  With the knee of one of the silverbacks injured, he khat he only o worry about the sed ohat he was currently fag.

  As he reached the apex of his jump, he brought his daggers down, burying them deep into the joint of sed silverback's uninjured shoulder.

  The creature roared in agony, its two arms now ying limp.

  Michalis nded lightly on the floor, his eyes narrowed at his arget.

  The first silverback, one of its leg still crippled, lurched forward, as if it had been waiting on his dest.

  Michalis expeg this, immediately darted to the side, then dove forward, his daggers slig towards the creature's vulnerable nebsp;

  The first silverback, sensing the daried to block with its arms, but Michalis' bdes found their mark, slig deeply into the gaps on its neck.

  The silverback staggered on the ground, its movements growing more sluggish.

  Michalis pressed his advantage, his daggers a blur as he struck again and again, targeting the same spot.

  Finally, with a gurgling roar, the first silverback colpsed, its life ebbing away.

  The battle wasn’t do as he still o deal with the sed Silverback.

  The sed silverback let out a thunderous roar upon seeing its dead panion and charged, it’s arms were limp but it wildly swung them regardless.

  Michalis dodged and weaved, his movements being more erratic as his stamina waned.

  He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer.

  Deg to put ao things, Michalis feinted a dash to the left, then quickly reversed dire, sshing at one of the sed silverback's knee.

  His daggers found their mark, and the creature stumbled, its movements slowed.

  Michalis pressed his advantage, darting in and out, targeting any part that his dagger could safely pee.

  But the monster's hide felt a bit tougher than before, and his bdes struggled to find purchase.

  ‘Did my attack grow weaker or did this oronger’ Michalis pondered, briefly gng his bleeding shoulder.

  The sed Silverback was ihe only oo injure him not o twice, so due to these injuries, Michalis tinued bleeding as the battle prolonged, weakening his attacks as time went on.

  Each strike after that was met with resistance, and Michalis could feel his strength beginning to fail.

  As the silver back shed out in a st, desperate attempt, Michalis saw his bsp;

  Timing his movements perfectly, he ducked uhe creature's wild swing and drove both his daggers into its exposed throat.

  The silver back gurgled, its eyes wide with shock, and then colpsed to the ground, unmoving.

  Michalis stood panting, his body ag, but the triumph in his eyes was undeniable.

  He had faced the daunting challenge and emerged victorious, his skills honed and his spirit unbroken.

  Outside the room, Draco, Cir, Eleni, Nikoos, Dimitra, Vasileios, and Vasiliki watched with bated breath, their expressions a mix of awe and relief.

  Michalis had safely aplished his feat, and had now fulfilled all the requirements for him to move to the level.