We moved forward, deeper into the ancient, dark, and mysterious dungeon.
The man and woman we had found earlier were still alive—barely breathing, but alive. One of their comrades, however, hadn't been so fortunate. According to the man, their third member had been devoured by a nightmare-like beast—an SS-rank entity lurking somewhere ahead.
Aur lay curled on my head, her tail flicking lazily as we pressed onward. The air grew heavier with each step, the tension crawling over our skin like a silent warning.
Then, we heard it—scraping and hissing. The distinct sound of many beasts crawling across stone.
Moments later, the flickering light from Master's conjured orb revealed the source: a pack of Fire Sliters.
Fox-like creatures with sleek, ember-colored fur, glowing eyes, and tongues of flame constantly flickering off their bodies. Their presence radiated heat. There were nine of them—B-rank beasts, each dangerous on its own.
Aur's crimson eyes snapped open. Without a word, she leapt from my head to the ground, her tiny form glowing faintly with rising energy.
Before Master could say anything, both of us charged forward, blurring into motion.
Instead of drawing my sword, I conjured a weapon of my own—twin blades of ice, forged through concentrated mana and tightly compressed to gleam like crystal. The cold steam that drifted from them hissed as it met the heat in the air.
The Sliters reacted—but too late.
I surged past the first one, my blade slashing cleanly through its neck. The chill of the ice met the heat of its flames in a burst of steam and scorched fur.
Before they could fully register my presence, I was already among them—spinning, cutting, dancing through fire.
One by one, their heads fell. My movements were precise, each step measured and clean.
Five bodies hit the ground before the first even finished collapsing.
On the other side of the formation, Aur was a red blur. Her body twisted mid-air, claws glowing faintly with dark red flame of her own—a strange, unnatural crimson. She pounced onto a Sliter, her jaws clamping down on its neck. She moved like a living shadow, wrapped in burning scarlet energy, tearing through the last of them without pause.
Nine beasts had entered the fight. None were able to walk away.
As the final Sliter's body hit the ground, my ice blades shimmered once—and then evaporated into a cold mist, vanishing like breath in winter air.
I exhaled quietly and turned around. Aur trotted back beside me, flicking off a few red sparks from her fur with a smug little shake.
We walked together toward the Master, who stood with arms crossed, watching silently. He gave a small nod, then turned and resumed walking forward—deeper into the dungeon.
After a brief stretch of silence, the tunnel widened slightly—just enough for Master's orb to reveal a new threat. A group of beasts stood ahead. There were fifteen of them, their black eyes glinting as they stared straight at us.
Towering, each nearly twice my height, with muscular bodies cloaked in thick fur that shimmered with a bluish hue. They stood upright like men, but their snouts, claws, and glowing eyes betrayed their monstrous origin. Magic rippled faintly across their forms.
They were beasts called Helsters.
A-rank beasts—known not just for their strength, but for their cunning. Unlike most dungeon-dwelling creatures, these beasts were capable of wielding elemental magic—mainly wind and water. The air around them crackled with tension, faint gusts brushing across the rocky walls. A thin mist lingered at their feet.
Aur lowered her body, ready to leap—but I lifted a hand.
"Stay," I whispered. She blinked, then slowly pulled back, watching with glowing crimson eyes.
I took a single step forward. The Helsters snarled, muscles tensing, magic coalescing at their claws. One of them lifted a paw and sent a slicing gust of wind toward me.
I didn't dodge. Instead, I slid my hand to the side, conjuring a thin veil of frozen mana, which shattered the moment the gust touched it—but by then, I had already moved.
In the blink of an eye, I vanished from their sight. Then—
Boom!
I appeared behind the nearest Helster, my hand gripping a newly conjured ice lance. I thrust it upward with deadly precision. It pierced through the beast's lower jaw and into its skull, ending it instantly.
Before the others could react, I burst forward again, leaping into the air and spinning. Shards of ice erupted from my palm like a frozen cyclone. Several Helsters were slashed before they could fully conjure their spells.
Water magic surged at me from one of the smarter ones—a sharp spear of liquid formed, aiming straight for my heart. But I raised my palm, and a circular ice rune appeared. The water spear froze mid-air and shattered harmlessly.
Three more rushed me, claws coated in greenish wind magic. They struck in unison.
I dropped low, sliding beneath their swipes, and swept my foot around—ice followed in a circular trail, freezing their legs to the stone floor. With a single upward slash of my blade, all three lost their heads in one fluid motion.
The fight was short—but not without beauty.
My mana control had grown sharper. My reflexes were quicker now. I weaved between them like a ghost, blades of glimmering frost appearing and vanishing with each breath.
Aur watched silently, proud. By the time the final Helster realized it was the last one standing, it tried to run. That was its big mistake.
I raised a finger and conjured a thread of ice—a thin line extending through the air like a wire. It zipped forward, wrapping around the fleeing beast's ankle.
With a flick, I yanked it back—hard.
The Helster tumbled, crashing into the stone. Before it could rise, I was already above it.
One last blade shimmered into existence. And then—silence. The final Helster lay still.
All fifteen beasts were gone. The stone beneath my feet was stained with their steaming blood, slowly freezing where it touched the frost that lingered in the air.
Aur padded over and sat beside me, letting out a soft "hmph."
The master approached, his face unreadable. He looked at the scene, then at me. "You've grown colder. Just like..." he murmured