Mikael stifled his ughter and focused oask ahead. He summowo E rank swords from his ste ring, items he had purchased at the Academy using his credits. Amelia followed suit, produg her bow and a quiver full of arrows as she prepared for the uping fight.

  Lyra, who had been silently the exge, couldn’t help but smile. Watg Amelia’s flustered rea and Mikael’s effortless teasing, she thought, ‘Maybe Amelia isn’t so bad after all. I remember my first time in a dungeon—I was so much worse. I was pletely petrified when I saw my first monster.’

  Her gaze softehough a small pang of possessiveness flickered in her chest as she added inwardly, ‘Still, she is spending a lot of time with my friend.’

  Mikael and Amelia exged a gnodded in silent agreement, and ed themselves and their ons in their respective auras. With their preparations plete, they turheir attention to the eight Bonefiends ahead. Amelia nocked an arrow onto her b 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 distaween himself and the monsters with remarkable speed. The startled Bonefiends awoke, but one of them barely had time to react before Amelia's arrow pierced its skull, killing it instantly.

  ed Sword Style – 1st Form: Bde Tempest

  Mikael’s ed swords blurred with incredible speed, slig through the air like a whirlwind. In an instant, the remaining seven Bonefiends were struck by the fshing bdes.

  A heartbeat ter, Mikael’s swords returo his hands. The Bonefiends froze momentarily before blood erupted from their heads, and one by ohey colpsed lifeless to the ground.

  [E- Rank Monster Bonefiend killed: 3K XP received x7]

  Amelia and Lyra stood in stunned sileheir 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??” Amelia excimed, her surprise evident. Her thoughts raced, ‘When we sparred, he never used that teique. Does that mean I’m not even strong enough to make him take me seriously?’ Her fists ched tightly. ‘Genius talent, my ass. He may be better than me now, but I’ll surpass him!’ she resolved, her green eyes burning with determination.

  Lyra, meanwhile, 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 posed.

  Amelia 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 decred fidently 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 posed.

  Mikael smirked, giving Lyra a small wave before turning to follow Amelia. For now, his main priority was clearing the dungeon.

  The group soon arrived at another cavern, eerily simir to the first. This time, however, nine Bonefiends y scattered across the room. The va kes glowed faintly, casting flickering light across the creatures.

  Amelia turo Mikael before they engaged. “Let them e to us,” she suggested. “I want to practice.”

  Mikael nodded, stepping back to let her take the lead. Amelia readied her bow, keeping several arrows within easy reach. She aimed carefully and fired, her arrow striking an unsuspeg Bonefiend squarely in the head. The creature dropped lifeless to the ground.

  Startled by their rade’s death, the remaining Bonefiends roared angrily and turheir bloodthirsty gazes toward the two humans. With snarls of fury, they charged.

  Amelia took out two more Bonefiends with rapid, precise shots before they reached her position. As the remaining six luoward them, Mikael turo her with a fident grin.

  ed Sword Style – 1st Form: Bde Tempest

  Once again, Mikael’s swords became a blur, creating a storm of fshing steel. In mere seds, all six Bonefiends y decapitated, their bodies crumpling to the ground before they could nd a single blow.

  [E- Rank Monster Bonefiend killed: 3K XP received x6]

  Amelia muttered, “Monster!” under her breath, uo hide her amazement. Despite her curiosity about his teique, she refrained from asking. She k was sidered impolite to inquire about another ranker’s skills without permission.

  The duo tiheir hunt, annihiting every monster in their path. Even the elite E Rank Infernalcreep monsters, that were with numerous Bonefiends, proved no match for them. The Infernalcreeps could barely dodge a single ssh of Mikael’s Bde Tempest before succumbing to its relentless barrage.

  For Mikael and Amelia, the dungeon was less of a challenge and more of a battlefield where they crushed every foe with ease.

  At this moment, they finally arrived before a gigantic stone door t several meters tall.

  Mikael turo Amelia and asked, “Ready for the boss?”

  She smirked fidently and replied, “With how easily we’ve been crushing the monsters, how couldn’t I be ready?”

  Mikael her words, ing 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, eg sound.

  The two stepped into the new room. Once again, it was a cavern, but uhe previous chambers, there were no va kes. Instead, glowing red crystals embedded in the walls bathed the spa a dim, eerie light.

  At the ter of the room, illuminated by the crystals’ faint glow, y an enormous beast. It was a ferocious two-headed dog, sprawled on its fs, its fierce red eyes locked oruders.

  The creature’s fur burned like fire, its cws ah gleaming as if capable of shredding steel. Even as it y on its paws, the beast stood over two meters tall, exuding a terrifying, oppressive aura.

  Mikael instantly reized the monster from what he learned in the dungeon exploration css and warned Amelia, “Be careful. That’s a Pyrax, an E rank boss monster. It’s a fire-type with incredible speed, and it breathe fire. Don’t let it catch you off guard.”

  Amelia nodded, already on high alert.

  Notig its new visitors, the Pyrax rose to its full height and fixed its predataze owo intruders, its movements slow and deliberate, radiating menace.

  As it began to stalk toward them, Mikael, as the close-bat fighter, stepped forward and shouted provocatively, “e here! I’m fug tasty!”

  The Pyrax, provoked by the loud taunt, snarled and luoward him.

  But Mikael had anticipated the attack. With a swift sidestep, he evaded the creature’s leap aaliated immediately.

  ed Sword Style – 1st Form: Bde Tempest

  The flurry of attacks struck the Pyrax mid-nding, slig into its massive body and leaving deep, bloody gashes.

  At the same time, Amelia wasn’t idle. She had already loosed an aura-charged arrow that strue 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 fmes aimed directly at Mikael.

  “Careful!” screamed a worried Amelia.

  Lyra ched her fists, ready to cast a spell the moment she sensed Mikael was in real danger.

  Fortunately, Mikael had anticipated the attack. The moment he saw the Pyrax’s throat swell, he moved swiftly out of the path of the fiery torrent.

  Uerred, the Pyrax turs head to track Mikael, determio ie him. At the same moment, several arrows nded on the boss’s back, but they only caused minor injuries, barely pierg its thick hide. The beast ighe pain, its focus fixed oarget that had dared to harm it.

  Seeing the fmes rag toward him, Mikael knew he couldn’t keep dodging forever. He intensified the tration of his aura cloak to its maximum and charged directly at the Pyrax.

  As he he beast, the fmes engulfed him. Uerred, Mikael raised his forearms to shield his fad slid uhe Pyrax's massive body. Some of the fmes licked through his aura cloak, scorg his skin, but the injuries were superficial.

  Seizing the opportunity, Mikael eled 20% of his aura into each of his swords. The bdes exteo incredible lengths, glowing with trated energy, ahrust them upward.

  The bdes sliced through the Pyrax’s flesh as if it were butter. Blood began to flow and the beast let out a pained roar before colpsing onto Mikael.

  Watg 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 moment 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 a it hurtling into the cavern wall.

  The beast smmed into the wall with such force that the entire chamber trembled. But her Amelia nor Lyra paid attention to the shaking. Their focus was entirely on Mikael, now lying on the ground, covered in blood.

  Amelia, having seen his resilience before, remained retively calm. Lyra, oher hand, panicked.

  “Okay, don’t move! I’ll find a healer! Oh no, we’re in a dungeon—we’ll o get you out for proper treatment! Don’t make any unnecessary movements!” 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 panitensified. “DON’T MOVE!” she screamed.

  Ign her outburst, Mikael approached her. He pced his hands gently on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. “I’m fihis 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. Uo tain her emotions, she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

  Mikael was about to pat Lyra's bafort her but noticed his bloody hand mid-motion and stopped. Seeing her worried expression, he decided to ighe blood aly caressed her bastead.

  They stayed like that for a few seds before Mikael g Amelia with a teasing tone. “Amelia, don’t you want a f hug too?”

  Amelia 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 ag like this.

  She replied with a tohat was half-serious and half-joking, “No thanks, not a fan of being covered in blood.”

  Hearing her response, Mikael sidered teasing her further but decided against it, fog instead on f the girl in his arms.

  After a moment, they separated. Amelia, 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 spell on both himself and Lyra. The moment, they stood in their spotless white-and-gold uniforms, as if nothing had happened.

  Lyra, feeling a bit embarrassed by her earlier panicked as, blurted out the first thing that came 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 crified, “I mean, I saved you when the boss crushed you.”

  “Uh, no.”

  Lyra blinked, fused by his response.

  He expined, “The boss didn’t ‘crush’ me. When I was underh it, I pierced it with my swords, and it died. It fell oer that. So, no, you didn’t save me in that sense. But you did save me the effort of crawling out from us carcass.”

  Hearing his crification, Lyra scratched the back of her head awkwardly and muttered, “Ah, okay.”

  With the versation ing up, Mikael addressed both girls. “So, ready to leave?”

  They nodded, and the small group exited the dungeon with virtually no injuries.