“Who did you let in here?” the man asked, turning around. His gaze was sharp; his tone was edged with malice.

  Gwen furrowed her brows, looking back at him. Her hands were still extended, channeling mana into her recovery spell, soothing the stone monster.

  “I—I didn’t let anyone in!” she replied with a stutter.

  The man’s eyes narrowed. He turned, looking ahead at the ground.

  The dusty prints were faint, but there were tracks. He followed them to the last one he could see. But then it stopped near the center edge of the clearing. His eyes skipped ahead and noticed a small, dusted impression a couple of meters forward.

  “Tell me where they went. Or else you won’t be leaving the cave for another month,” he said.

  Gwen gulped, head flicking back and forth between the man and the beast she called Rocky. Only when the man’s head turned to face her again did more color drain from her face.

  “She’s hiding behind the wall back there,” she said, gesturing with her head as her hands were still busy with her spell.

  He faced where she gestured toward the back of the cavern.

  “Come out. I won’t ask twice,” he said. His voice echoed off the walls.

  Veronica sighed, slightly annoyed. Seriously, all I wanted was to get some money.

  She stood up and stepped out into the open, neither scared nor panicked.

  His eyes met hers.

  “Who are you? Why are you here?”

  Veronica crossed her arms. She didn’t like the man’s authoritative tone, nor did she like the situation that seemed to be unfolding.

  “Name’s Veronica. I’m an adventurer who took a guild commission to kill the monster to your left.” She nudged her chin toward the wounded beast. “That thing has already killed quite a lot of people.”

  The man stared at her for a long moment.

  Then he let out a short, humorless laugh.

  “Killed?” he said. “That’s a strong word.”

  Veronica didn’t look away. “Hmm… no. It isn’t, actually. Murder is a strong word. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  He didn’t twitch at the light accusation. Instead, he glanced toward Rocky. The creature had stopped moving, resting low as it struggled to recover. The crystal spires on its back still glowed faintly as Gwen’s spell continued its work. It mumbled softly, unease rolling through its massive frame.

  “They attacked us first,” he said absently. “Every single one of them. They drew steel, hurled spells—they wanted to carve him up for profit. A shame, really. Blinded by greed. You adventurers have no sense of self-preservation. If they had simply turned around and left, they’d still be breathing.”

  Veronica hummed, unconvinced.

  “Lines up with what I was told,” she said. “Which makes this all the more interesting.”

  His gaze slowly returned to her.

  “She claimed you’re just a miner,” Veronica continued. “Yet none of those deaths were reported. Their bodies are still in this cave. Their gear, too. You didn’t even bother dragging them out.”

  The man’s expression hardened.

  “That’s not my responsibility.”

  “It is when you’re hiding it,” Veronica replied. “People went missing. The guild sent more teams because no one knew what happened to the first.”

  Silence stretched between them.

  Slowly, the man lowered his gaze to Gwen. His eyes narrowed, a small fracture breaking through his stoic expression.

  “So,” he said quietly.

  Gwen flinched.

  “You’ve been talking to her,” he continued. “For how long, I wonder.”

  “I—I was just trying to get her to leave,” Gwen said quickly. “Without fighting. It’s dangerous—especially if the cave collapses. I didn’t tell her anything important, I swear.”

  The man continued to stare at her, his expression once again unreadable. He was contemplating; that much was clear.

  Finally, he spoke.

  “Rocky,” he said. “Get up.”

  Gwen’s eyes widened. “Wait—no, please. He’s not ready yet. He needs more time to recover after being harvested.”

  “I said,” the man repeated, his voice colder now, “get up.”

  Rocky let out a low, pained rumble. Its massive limbs shifted, stone scraping against stone as it tried to rise.

  Gwen shook her head, panic creeping into her voice. “Please. If you push him now, he’ll—”

  The man lifted his hand.

  Veronica’s eyes narrowed. She saw it then: a set of metal rings on his fingers.

  He pointed at Gwen.

  She screamed.

  Her spell shattered as she clutched her chest, doubling over while pain tore through her.

  Rocky roared.

  The sound was raw and anguished, even more so than Gwen’s cries. The beast lurched fully upright, the crystals along its back flaring bright white as it turned away from her, and faced the man.

  “Enough,” the man snapped. His eyes were sharp now, annoyance and a creeping anger sharpening his features.

  Rocky froze.

  The man’s gaze shifted to Veronica.

  “Kill her,” he said, pointing at her. “And I’ll make it stop.”

  Rocky hesitated. Its body trembled, claws digging into the stone. For a brief, terrible second, it looked between Gwen—wailing in pain—and Veronica, the uninvited guest.

  The hesitation lasted only a moment before it turned and stepped past Gwen, baring its teeth at Veronica.

  That was when things clicked into place.

  Veronica understood.

  She clicked her tongue. “A binding ring,” she murmured.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Binding rings were trinkets used to discipline slaves. By placing a binding curse upon a slave, the wielder could activate the ring at any moment to inflict excruciating pain. The agony the slaves experienced was more of a mental stimulus and had no true physical effect on the body.

  However, many slaves would break and fall into madness after consistent use. The mortal mind wasn’t made to endure such atrocity.

  The main problem was...

  “You forced a binding ring onto her, didn’t you?” Veronica asked.

  Binding rings, unlike documented slave contracts, could be used forcibly. While most slaves were registered legally, binding rings had no such limitations. Anyone—even a child—could pick one up by accident and activate it.

  “No. She is my registered slave. But it matters not. You die here today for trespassing,” he replied.

  That was a lie. An obvious one, Veronica thought. Especially considering that Gwen bore no slave bindings at all to identify herself. But it didn’t matter much now.

  Rocky roared, its fury and protectiveness for Gwen surging to the surface.

  Veronica uncrossed her arms, spell circles forming in both hands as two wings flared behind each.

  Rocky lunged.

  The massive beast lowered its head and thundered forward into a charge. Each step cracked stone as its bulk barreled toward her, legs kicking up dust as it gained momentum.

  It was far faster than something its size had any right to be, Veronica noted.

  She planted her feet and raised both arms. The spell circles flared as her mana rings spun. They burst apart; two condensed fireballs launching in perfect unison, streaking across the cavern before slamming into Rocky’s head.

  The impact detonated hard.

  Flame and pressure folded inward, exploding against its stone-plated hide in a concussive blast that sent smoke and wind billowing outward.

  For a heartbeat, Rocky vanished behind the smoke. All sound vanished as the shockwave swallowed the cavern.

  Veronica’s ears twitched.

  The smoke burst apart as Rocky continued its reckless charge. Its stone hide was blackened, several crystal edges fractured—but it didn’t slow. It roared like a feral lion chewing through scrap metal.

  Veronica kicked off the ground, her body twisting midair. Sage’s ascension enhancement surged as she narrowly avoided a deadly chomp. She cleared several meters before the beast swung, sending a sweeping arc of a crystal-laden forelimb at her.

  A translucent barrier snapped into place just before the blow landed.

  She skidded backward, boots carving shallow grooves through the stone as the shield fractured with a sharp, glasslike crack. Mana rippled violently through her arms.

  “Tch.”

  She flicked her wrist.

  A condensed blast of wind detonated against Rocky’s shoulder, blasting chunks of crystal free. The creature staggered half a step, then recovered immediately, roaring louder as it charged again.

  She formed another barrier.

  The impact came as its entire body slammed into the shield.

  Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface before it shattered completely.

  Yeah, Veronica thought grimly. It’s as strong as it looks.

  Her muscles coiled. She kicked off again, her body flashing away and reappearing dozens of meters to the side as Rocky slammed its head downward, shattering the ground.

  [Ascended Body remaining duration reduced to 12 seconds.]

  “Damn it,” she muttered at Sage’s warning.

  She should’ve had a few minutes left, yet that single evasive maneuver had overtaxed it this much?

  Rocky growled, a churn of stone like several miners working the same ore vein.

  Veronica refocused. She raised her hand, lightning crackling around her fingers. A Tier-3 spell formed as she aimed at the mysterious man.

  He’s controlling the strings. Kill him first.

  Before she could fire, Rocky roared, already recovered and charging again. Her eyes snapped left, locking onto the monster.

  “Damn it,” she snapped. “So annoying!”

  She redirected her hand, aiming the spell at Rocky instead.

  For a moment, silence reigned.

  Then a crack tore through the cavern, like several cannons firing at once. Light flooded the space as a bolt of lightning formed and detonated in the same instant.

  The spell struck Rocky square in the chest, exploding outward in a web of blinding arcs. Thunder followed an instant later, the sound slamming into the cavern walls hard enough to rattle loose stone from the ceiling.

  Rocky roared in pain.

  Its charge faltered as its massive body was knocked back across the cavern floor, stone limbs scraping violently as electricity crawled along its hide. The crystals embedded in its back flared white-hot, light bleeding from their fractures as mana surged chaotically through them.

  Its legs collapsed, the sound like the creak before a coming earthquake.

  Veronica stood straight, eyes narrowed. She took a careful breath and locked her gaze back onto the man. She raised her hand, preparing another spell.

  A Tier-2 spell blasted free—a crackled follow by a condensed beam light.

  The man, however, was watching her. He bared his teeth and bent down, grabbing Gwen with one arm as he snapped his cloak around both of them before Veronica’s spell fully formed. A moment later, the beam shattered, cracking against a shield of mana.

  “Seriously?!” Veronica blurted.

  She fired two more beams. Both slammed into the same barrier, barely cracking it.

  The man released his cloak and straightened, sneering. “Haha. It’s useless. You can’t kill me with spells that weak,” he said, clutching the fabric.

  Veronica saw it clearly now: this man was loaded with artifacts and magical trinkets. Her eyes flicked to the large mana crystal on the ground, the one he’d sheared off Rocky earlier. Unlike the Sasphere crystals embedded in the walls, that one was filled with true mana.

  Whatever Rocky was, its body could produce legitimate mana crystals.

  He’s been using Rocky and selling the crystals, Veronica realized. He was likely loaded in profits and expensive protective gear.

  The man glanced at Rocky, now lying defeated.

  “Hurry it up,” he said casually, his voice carrying even over the reverberating cavern. He lifted his hand slightly, the ring glinting. “If you don’t kill her soon, I’m afraid the poor girl’s going to slip into a coma again.”

  Gwen cried out as another surge of pain crashed through her.

  She lay on the ground, completely incapacitated. And yet her hand was still raised.

  A spell circle shimmered faintly as she continued pouring mana into it.

  Rocky slowly began to recover, cracks along its body repairing and mending themselves together.

  Gwen’s shoulders shook, her teeth clenched hard enough that the strain might as well have echoed through the chamber.

  “Rocky—” Gwen gasped. “Please—just—”

  The ring flared.

  Gwen screamed, the sound raw and unbroken as her body curled in on itself. Her spell flickered, but it didn’t stop.

  Rocky roared in response.

  Despite its condition, its body snapped upright, driven by desperation rather than strength. It charged Veronica once more.

  Veronica’s brows lowered as she unleashed a Tier-3 blast of concussive wind, knocking Rocky off its feet and sending it barreling backward. It slammed into the wall, shaking the cavern and sending rocks and debris tumbling from the ceiling.

  “You idiot! Are you trying to cave us in?!” the man shouted.

  “Then call off your stupid monster!” Veronica snapped back. Quickly, she became irritated.

  She hadn’t meant to do that—holding back was the one thing she was terrible at. If she could kill the monster, she would have, but the thing was ridiculously durable. It would require larger spells to take down. The problem was that the cave was too close of collateral to take that risk.

  Veronica formed a Tier-3 fire bead and launched it; the spell flew as quick as her light spell.

  The man’s hand was already on his cloak; he raised the fabric once more. Another shimmering barrier appeared. The bead struck head-on, erupting into a burst of fire that licked around them—

  And still, the barrier held.

  He chuckled. “Money really can buy you anything.”

  Veronica cursed under her breath. Whatever artifact he was using to project that shield had her pinned. She was confident she could break it—but the spells required would tear through the cavern walls and risk a collapse. Worse, Gwen was still right beside him.

  And it was obvious now: she wasn’t here by choice.

  The man kicked her. “Hurry up and heal him, you useless woman!”

  Something in the cave pulsed.

  Veronica’s senses snapped to it, a massive mana signature swelling to her left. Mana spiraled into a growing vortex as she turned toward Rocky. The smoke around him thinned, revealing crystal spires swelling larger, brighter, burning white. His body cracked and fractured, stone splitting under the strain of injury and fury.

  Rocky roared.

  It was low and guttural. His form no longer looked solid, but more like a massive boulder webbed with fractures, ready to shatter at any second.

  “Rocky—!” Gwen screamed.

  Veronica’s eyes flicked back.

  Gwen shot up to her feet, catching the man off guard.

  Her teeth were bared, blood streaking down her chin as she clenched her fist and drove it straight into the cloaked man’s face. He went down hard.

  “Y—you—!” he shrieked.

  Another punch smashed into his nose.

  Gwen dropped onto him, clenching his collar and raining blow after blow as he struggled beneath her. He landed one hit in return, his fist catching her square in the cheek—but she didn’t stop.

  She kept punching. Again. Again. Again. His nose broke with a wet crack, blood splattering as her knuckles split raw.

  His fingers twitched; the ring flared up once more.

  Pain ripped through Gwen. She cried out and was thrown backward, collapsing off him as her body seized. The man coughed and staggered to his feet, broken teeth clattering to the ground, blood pouring down his face.

  “You wretch—”

  A sharp scream drowned him out.

  He turned just in time to see it—a spiraling hurricane of wind tearing through the cavern, the air warping and screaming as it barreled straight toward him.

  He reached for his cloak, yanking it up—

  But there was nothing. His hands closed on empty air; the cloak was gone.

  His eyes dropped low toward Gwen.

  It was right there; she was holding it. She’d unclipped it when she grabbed him.

  Through clenched teeth, she smirked at him.

  His eyes went bloodshot. “You—!”

  That was all he managed.

  The vortex hit.

  His feet tore off the ground as the Tier-3 spell smashed into him, hurling his body through the air. He twisted violently before slamming into the cavern wall behind him.

  The sound was catastrophic; dozens of cracks overlapped at once as bones shattered on impact.

  His body slid down the stone, limp and useless, leaving a dark smear in its wake.