Both Tim and Grace were doing well holding their ground, fighting back to back and slowly advancing. Tim deflected another spiderling’s leap with a sharp swing, while Grace, using her chipped blade more like a bat than a sword, sent another crashing to the ground. Despite their effort, the sheer number of spiderlings was overwhelming, and it was hard to get more clean one-hit kills. Even the spiderlings they knocked away were only slightly maimed and cracked.

  Far away at the entrance, Enya stood at the edge of the cliffed slope. She steadied her breathing, her fingers tightening as the spell circuit within her palm filled with more and more mana. Her eyes darted between the now-alerted royal guards and the battle taking place with her minions.

  She had about 20 points of mana usable right now, and roughly 100 more in excess from her Soul-Energy. This meant she could fire off multiple bone spears with ease.

  Above her palm, an 8-mana powered bone spear circuit flashed, sending a rush of energy instantly forward.

  The ground beneath the closest royal guard, the one she attacked previously, rumbled once against, before a giant bone-spike ruptured out of the ground. The spiderling, however, noticed the vibrations, and immediately leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the spike, as debris flew everywhere. It hissed, and the other royal guard hissed in unison, both of them now locked onto Enya.

  “Damn it!” Enya seethed.

  “Language,” Pell said.

  She ignored him, focusing instead on the spell circuit flaring to life in her palm. This time, she funneled the full 10 points of mana into the forming bone spear—the maximum the spell could hold. Unlike her summoning spell, Bone Spear wasn’t upgradable, as its lack of a letter grade on her status screen plainly indicated. It was as strong now as it would ever be. While the spell had proven its worth time and again, relying on it as her sole offensive magic was beginning to feel like a liability.

  “Alright… let’s try this again!” she muttered, determination sharpening her voice.

  The mana-charged spear quaked with energy as it erupted from the ground, this time aimed at the second royal guard. Yet, just like its counterpart, the spiderling sensed the vibrations beneath the earth and leapt clear, the spear narrowly missing its mark as it shot skyward in a spray of shattered stone.

  “Got you!” Enya shouted, her eyes gleaming as she activated the second part of her plan.

  Skill: Recast has been activated.

  The bone spear, still mid-lunge, vanished in a flash of pale light and reappeared underground, repositioned directly beneath the guard’s trajectory. Before the creature could complete its evasive sidestep, the spear shot upward with a violent crack, striking straight at the underside of its carapace. The impact sent the royal guard flying several feet into the air before crashing down in a tumbling heap.

  A triumphant grin spread across Enya’s face—only to falter as the spiderling scrambled upright almost immediately. The only evidence of her attack was a shallow graze marring its crystalline underside.

  “What?” Enya gasped, disbelief flooding her voice. Her strongest spell had barely scratched it. The first guard, originally perched on a stalactite, began skittering forward, its many legs moving with unnerving speed as it locked onto Enya’s position.

  Her expression hardened. She needed a new strategy, but her options were limited. If a 10-mana Bone Spear barely scratched the royal guard, then surely her minions’ iron swords wouldn’t fare much better. The only other tactic she could think of was a coordinated attack—a barrage of bone spears launched simultaneously by herself and her minions. But she hadn’t had time to refill the spell circuits engraved on their skulls.

  Her eyes flicked to Tim and Grace. They were still fighting, locked in a grueling clash, but their progress had slowed. Most of the spiderlings had swarmed them, and the relentless assault was wearing them down. Then, amid her heightened focus, Enya noticed something strange.

  The spell circuits on her minions—the ones she’d filled back in the city—felt full again. Her gaze narrowed on them, sensing the mana pulsing within. When did that happen? She didn’t recall recharging them. Did the circuits regenerate on their own? And if so, where was the mana coming from?

  It didn’t matter. The current situation didn’t allow her to think more deeply on it. What mattered was that they were ready. And to add on top of it—they were filled to the maximum of 10-mana.

  The royal guard was closing in fast, covering the distance between them in massive, skittering strides. With a deep breath, Enya funneled mana into both her palms, forming two fully charged, 10-mana Bone Spears. She reached out with her mind, strengthening her connection to the minions still in the fray. Their circuits hummed with energy, and she felt the mana stored within Tim and Grace's skull engravings—enough for two more spears.

  Behind her, Pell stiffened, his glowing sockets locked on the enormous royal spiderling rushing toward them. He glanced at the spell circuits sparking in Enya’s hands, realizing she was about to make her move. Still, the critical moment to strike was slipping away with each passing second.

  Josier, meanwhile, leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, carefully watching everything take place. “Hey… be careful with that spell, the ground—“

  The instant the royal guard reached the edge of the slope, Enya unleashed her spells.

  The circuits in her palms flared, activating the spells. Simultaneously, the engraved circuits on Tim and Grace pulsed, unleashing their stored mana. Four bone spears erupted from the stone floor, timed perfectly to catch the spiderling in mid-charge.

  The ground trembled beneath the combined force of the spells. Jagged bone spikes shot up from the earth in a deadly pattern, surrounding the spiderling. Each spear targeted a vulnerable angle—the legs, the torso, the underside—leaving the guard with nowhere to leap. It tried to calculate where to leap, but the myriad of eruptions from beneath seemed to confuse it, leaving it exposed.

  The royal guard screeched, its crystalline exoskeleton vibrating with an ear-piercing resonance as the bone spears struck true. One pierced through a foreleg, anchoring it to the ground, while another scraped along its side, leaving a deep gash that oozed a strange, shimmering ichor. A third spear shattered against its armored torso, while the fourth lodged itself firmly in the creature’s underbelly, forcing it to stagger back.

  “Hey!” Josier called out sharply from behind.

  “Stay back!” Pell shouted, stepping instinctively in front of Enya. His bony arms encircled her, pulling her close as the ground beneath them began to tremble ominously.

  “Pell! What are you—” Enya’s protest was cut short by a sudden jolt as the slope gave way beneath their feet.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The tremors from her spell had loosened the stone, causing an entire section of the slope to crumble. The two of them tumbled down in a chaotic spiral, the world spinning wildly as they slid closer into the chamber. Muffins, who was standing to the side, also slipped and fell.

  Pell clung to Enya, shielding her as jagged rocks and debris pummeled him instead of her. They both rolled until finally coming to a stop a few seconds later. The injured royal guard skittered a few feet away, its limbs flailing as it struggled to right itself.

  Josier, on the other hand, landed higher up, balancing precariously on a section of collapsed stone. His posture was less composed than usual, but he managed to steady himself, his expression cool despite the chaos below.

  Enya scrambled to her knees, her eyes darting between Pell, who was shakily pushing himself upright, and the spiderling, whose screeches signaled its growing frustration. Muffins was still recovering and also getting back up, but their sword was now trapped under rubble.

  “Are you two alive?” Josier called down, his tone as casual as if he were asking about the weather.

  “Define alive!” Pell groaned, clutching his side as he staggered to his feet.

  His next retort was interrupted by the royal guard lunging forward, its crystalline mandibles snapping inches from Pell.

  Josier tensed and was about to make a move, but he felt something change. He hesitated and paused. Something was telling him that the situation was going to be okay.

  Seeing the spiderling come at him, Pell flinched, raising an arm to shield himself, and to everyone’s shock, the creature’s attack failed to do any damage. The mandibles clamped down on his forearm but skidded off as if meeting unyielding steel.

  Pell stared at his arm in disbelief. “What the—”

  A white misty aura began to permeate his arm, the same anomaly that had appeared when he was attacked by that repulsive adventurer back in the city. For some inexplicable reason, he was able to block the spider from crunching down and shattering his arm.

  Enya, who had rolled away after the fall, looked up at them. Her eyes let her see what was going on. She focused hard, and she felt a familiar energy radiating from Pell.

  Soul-Energy.

  But why was Pell radiating the same Soul-Energy that she had within her body? She was given access to it from her class, so why did Pell also have it? Did this mean other people had the capability to harness it, or was it something else?

  Pell grunted, and punched the spiderling straight on its face. A loud cracking noise erupted, but not from shattering bone. The spiderling was sent flying a few feet backwards as its face cracked. Pell noticed that his fist was covered in the white misty aura, but slowly disappeared immediately after the punch.

  Enya watched. The Soul-Energy that was radiating from Pell completely disappeared after that punch. She couldn’t sense anything else anymore.

  “The hell is going on? What happened to me?” Pell asked, gaze flicking from the royal guard and his own fist. The white mist had disappeared.

  “Pell!” Enya called out.

  He turned, noticing her beady yellow eyes staring at him. “What?”

  “I’m going to try something! Can you fight the spider?” she yelled.

  “What the hell are you talking about? I ain’t a fighter. I don’t know what the hell just happened but I’m not going—“

  “Please! I have a plan. You’ll be fine!” she said, pausing, “—I think!”

  Enya channeled the Soul-Energy within her body. There was a skill that she had that could still utilize Soul-Energy.

  Skill: Transfiguration of Soul [Passive]

  Harness soul-energy as a power source to forge, mold, or refine materials. You can also use soul-energy to help assist in the bending, shaping, or restructuring of materials with enhanced precision.

  [Soul-Energy Cost: Variable]

  She had worked with bones before as a crafting material—a recipe which involved crushed bone dust. If bones counted as a material for her crafting, then they should also be a conduit for her Soul-Energy.

  Enya extended her hand, sending a concentrated wave of Soul-Energy toward Pell. The misty aura swirled around him, sinking into his skeletal frame. As she worked, a realization dawned on her. She had imbued Pell with Soul-Energy once before—but not directly.

  Back when his skull had been cracked in the dungeon, she’d been forced to repair it before placing his soul, extracted from the dungeon core, back into his body. She’d used the Gravemoss Poultice, a salve crafted with her Soul-Energy and other ingredients, to mend his skull. The rest of his body had been created entirely with Soul-Energy, a modified application of her summon skeleton spell.

  Her other minions, however, were different. They were constructs of pure mana, summoned by expending her magical reserves. Even the trio of minions she relied on now had been recreated through the use of mana potions. Unlike Pell, they lacked any connection to her Soul-Energy.

  The effect was immediate. Pell’s body began to glow faintly as his bones absorbed the energy. A pale, ghastly light illuminated his frame, spreading across his arms and legs. He stared down at himself, watching as his skeletal structure transformed.

  The coarse texture of his bones smoothed out, hardening into a substance that looked almost metallic. His movements, once slightly jerky, now seemed fluid, as though his body had been reinforced from the inside out.

  Soul-Energy: 198/200

  Soul-Energy: 184/200

  Soul-Energy: 173/200

  System Notification: Crafting Complete.

  Bone x 206 has been successfully upgraded into Soul-Forged Bone x 206

  Item Name: Soul-Forged Bone

  Tier: Bronze

  Rank: A-

  Effect: A bone that has been infused with Soul-Energy, greatly increasing its durability and compatibility with other magical sources.

  Enya’s eyes widened as the notification flashed before her. Soul-Forged Bone? She hadn’t expected her energy to upgrade his very composition, treating him like a crafting material. But there was no time to dwell on the implications.

  Pell flexed his fingers, testing his newfound strength as the faint glow of Soul-Energy pulsed through his frame. “What the hell is happening to me?”

  “You’re stronger now!” Enya shouted, her focus sharp as she finished imbuing Pell.

  The royal guard screeched again, the sound reverberating through the cavern as it braced itself for another charge. Its sharp legs scraped against the ground before it launched forward, mandibles wide and gleaming.

  “Go kill it, Pell!” Enya yelled, desperation edging her voice. “You got this! I can repair you if you die!”

  Pell shot her a glare over his shoulder, his jaw—or what passed for one—tight with irritation. “This isn’t what I fucking signed up for when I said I was okay with going to the hunting grounds!”

  Still, the anger faded as fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. The massive spider barreled toward him, its glossy eyes reflecting the faint glow of his enchanted bones. Pell squared his shoulders, standing firm as the creature closed the distance.

  The royal guard lunged, its mandibles snapping toward his chest. Pell raised his left arm just in time, the chitinous jaws clamping down with a sickening crunch. But instead of shattering, his steel-like bones held fast.

  “Not today!” he growled, cocking his other arm back. With a burst of power, he punched the spider square in its cluster of eyes.

  The force of the blow sent the creature flying. It tumbled through the air, legs flailing, before landing in a heap near the other royal guard, right at the Spiderling Queen’s feet. The injured spider lay twitching on its back, its legs splayed out in the air.

  “Holy shit,” Pell muttered, staring at his fist in disbelief. He had just done that. A monster that could crack skulls like eggs had barely scratched him, and he’d sent it flying like it was nothing.

  His moment of awe was cut short by a piercing chorus of screeches. Enya’s gaze snapped toward the source—a growing horde of spiderlings skittering into the chamber, their glossy bodies shimmering altogether like an array of flashing lights.

  A notification chimed in her mind, but she didn’t need to check it. The scene in front of her said it all.

  Tim and Grace were gone. Their broken forms lay crumpled on the ground, surrounded by unmoving spiderlings. They had taken down a few before falling, but their absence left a gaping hole in her defenses. Now it was just her, Pell, Muffins, and Josier against the Spiderling Queen, a royal guard, and over a dozen spiderling fighters.

  “Hey, kid,” Pell said, backing up slowly as he kept his gaze locked on the advancing horde. “If you can do whatever you did to me, can you do the same to that other skeleton? Or maybe summon some more? I ain’t a madman who thinks I can take all these things on my own.”

  Enya nodded, her mind already racing. If it had worked on Pell, there was no reason it couldn’t work again—especially if she poured her Soul-Energy directly into her summons. It might be risky, but they didn’t have any other choice.

  The queen skittered a command, and suddenly, the entire horde of spiderlings, and royal guard began to charge forward.

  Pell took a defensive position, and Muffins stepped beside him for support.

  “I can fend off a few of those spiderlings while you prepare your new summons,” Josier said, leaping over to the side of where the spiderlings were coming from.

  “Thank you guys!” she said, prepping a newly formed spell circuit, fueled with Soul-Energy. “Alright! Three more Soul-Forged skeletons coming up!”