The forest thickened as the trio pressed onward, shafts of golden light barely cutting through the dense canopy. Every rustle of leaves and distant howl reminded them that they were deep in enemy territory.
“Stay alert,” Veldora said, his shield held ready. “The deeper we go, the higher the monster density.”
“Fine by me,” Ciel replied, his hand flexing slightly, ready to conjure another mana blade.
It didn’t take long for their next challenge. A chorus of low growls erupted from the left.
“Six wolves,” Sora noted, her staff already glowing with chaotic energy. “Two of them look stronger—Level 2s.”
Veldora stepped forward, planting his shield. “I’ll hold their attention. You two tear them apart.”
“Got it,” Ciel and Sora said in unison.
“Taunt!” Veldora’s voice rang out, his shield flaring with faint silver light. The entire pack turned their murderous gaze toward him, snarling as they charged.
Ciel dashed to the left flank, summoning a sharper and denser mana sword with Mana Craft, its edges glowing bright azure.
[Basic Skill – Mana Craft – Beginner (Lv. 8)]
Sora chanted quickly, dark energy crackling around her staff. “Chaos Bolt!” The projectile streaked through the air, hitting one of the wolves mid-leap and sending it tumbling, its form already dissolving.
Ciel met the nearest wolf head-on. His mana sword cleaved through its neck, cutting cleanly, the beast collapsing into particles of light.
Veldora slammed his shield into another wolf, staggering it, then finished it with a sword slash to the side.
The fight lasted less than a minute.
[6 Lesser Wolves Defeated.]
[Loot Acquired – White Mana Stone ×1.]
[Experience shared within the party.]
[Level Up! – Veldora Greyson – Level 2.]
“Hah! First level up,” Veldora grinned, pulling up his stat window. “Five free stat points, huh? I will put them into Endurance and Strength. A knight’s gotta be tough.”
“Congratulations,” Sora said with a small smile, though she didn’t take her eyes off the path ahead. “But keep your guard up. More monsters are bound to be lurking around.”
Ciel nodded but said nothing. His eyes traced the fading motes of mana left behind by the wolves. Even after fighting them, his MP hadn’t dropped below 80%—a testament to his large mana pool.
---
They didn’t have to wait long for their next challenge.
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A guttural shriek echoed through the trees. A group of goblin warriors emerged from behind the undergrowth, their crude wooden shields and jagged blades glinting faintly. Behind them, two goblin archers perched on a fallen log, arrows notched.
“Goblin warriors and archers,” Veldora muttered. “We take out the archers first—Ciel, you with me.”
“No need to tell me twice,” Ciel said, gripping a new mana-forged blade.
The warriors charged, their guttural cries filling the air. Veldora raised his shield to intercept, his Taunt skill once again drawing their focus. Ciel dashed forward, not using Shift but moving with precise steps honed during training.
He reached the first archer in moments and sliced clean through it before it could react.
[Goblin Archer Defeated.]
[Experience shared within the party.]
[Level Up! – Sora Lawrence – Level 2.]
Sora’s staff flared with dark light as she unleashed a Chaos Bolt, instantly taking down the second archer.
[Goblin Archer Defeated.]
Veldora grunted as he blocked a warrior’s strike. “Ciel! Little help?”
“On it.” Ciel’s blade shimmered, carving through a goblin warrior with ease. Sora’s magic blasted another, leaving only two left. The fight ended quickly after that.
[5 Goblin Warriors Defeated.]
[Experience shared within the party.]
[Level Up! – Veldora Greyson – Level 3.]
“Two levels already?” Sora teased. “Don’t get cocky.”
Veldora smirked. “Hey, low rarity class has its perks.”
Ciel glanced at his own status window.
Still Level 1.
---
They pressed on, cutting through smaller groups of wolves and goblins until a heavy growl silenced the forest around them. From between the trees emerged a massive Alpha Wolf, its black fur bristling and fangs dripping with saliva. Behind it, ten lesser wolves fanned out in formation.
“Boss’s right hand,” Veldora muttered, raising his shield. “This will be tricky.”
“Not if we cut off the head first,” Ciel said calmly.
His body flickered—Shift activated. With barely a whisper, he vanished and reappeared directly above the Alpha Wolf, slashing down with all his momentum. The mana blade tore through fur and flesh, the Alpha howling in pain as it stumbled backward.
“Chaos Bolt!” Sora shouted, her attack slamming into one of the lesser wolves. Veldora held the line, shield bashing two wolves that tried to flank.
Ciel shifted again, moving 15 meters behind the Alpha, and with precise, mana-enhanced cuts, he brought the beast down.
[Alpha Wolf Defeated.]
[Loot Acquired – Alpha Fang (Crafting Material).]
The remaining wolves hesitated for a fraction of a second. It was all they needed. Veldora and Sora cut them down one by one, with Ciel finishing the last using a clean thrust.
[10 Lesser Wolves Defeated.]
[Experience shared within the party.]
[Level Up! – Ciel Nova – Level 2.]
[+ 5 Free Stat Points Acquired.]
Veldora leaned on his sword, panting. “Man… your class is on another level. I almost feel like we’re just backup dancers.”
“Hardly,” Ciel replied with a faint smirk. “You’re the one tanking everything. I’m just… making sure they don’t live long enough to hurt you.”
But even as he said that, his thoughts lingered on the slow trickle of experience. He was only Level 2, despite doing most of the heavy damage.
“So this is the drawback of a high-rarity class,” he thought. “According to what they thought in system classes, higher the rarity slower the levelling speed, and dude you have the highest rarity in the world.”
Ciel replied mockingly “Still I am stronger than you.”
Sora butted in “Ok stop fighting amongst yourselves we still have to clear this dungeon”
Veldora replied “ok mam.” Then all three burst into laughter.
A faint glow flickered in front of Ciel.
[+5 Free Stat Points Pending Allocation.]
He dismissed the window for now.
“I’ll assign them later,” he thought. “For now, I’m fine as I am.”
Ciel turned his gaze deeper into the forest, where the air grew heavier with mana.
“All that remains is the mini-boss… and then the Wolf King himself.”
