Mina closed her eyes and reached inward.
One by one, the connections loosened.
Rook, Tank, Castle.
The necromantic threads retracted smoothly, obediently, their massive forms dissolving back into stillness as they returned to her shadow. The chamber felt emptier without them, less oppressive, but also less secure.
Only Ghost remained.
The undead scorpion slipped forward, phasing into the stone as if the mine itself had opened its veins for it. Mina felt the faint echo of its senses through their contract, speed, motion, vibration. No fatigue. No hesitation. Just relentless forward movement.
They advanced into tunnels none of them had walked before.
The stone here was darker, veins of ore cutting through the walls like scars. The air felt older and heavier. The sort of place monsters didn't just live in, they claimed it.
Ghost returned first.
Mina's eyes snapped open. "Five," she said immediately. "Soldier-rank Stonebacks at the Chamber ahead from the left tunnel."
Raul's grin came slowly.
"…Five?"
Victor glanced at him sideways. "Don't."
Raul raised both hands. "Hear me out."
Arin already knew where this was going. "No."
"Just listen," Raul said. "No Captain stuff. Just five Soldiers."
Mina folded her arms. "You're not soloing them."
Raul shook his head. "I'm not asking for permission. Let me take this." He glanced at Mina. "You stay out of it, no undead either."
Arin frowned. "You're at ninety-four percent. One mistake…"
"That's exactly why," Raul cut in. His voice wasn't reckless. It was sharp and focused. "If I can't do this now, I don't deserve the rank-up."
Silence followed.
Victor exhaled slowly. "I'll tank."
Arin nodded once. "I'll pull its attention. You hit when it slips."
Raul looked between them, then smiled, genuine this time. "That's good enough."
Mina hesitated… then stepped back. "Fine. But if it turns ugly, I will intervene."
"Deal."
They moved.
The chamber opened wide, ceiling high enough for the Stonebacks to move freely. Five hulking shapes stirred as the group entered, armored hides grinding against stone as they turned, eyes locking onto the intruders.
The first roar shook dust from the ceiling.
Victor stepped forward.
Guardian's Stance anchored him instantly, shield raised, feet planted like iron spikes driven into the earth.
A Stoneback charged.
Victor took it head-on.
The impact echoed through the chamber. Teeth struck Midnight Lake, metal screeching under the force. Victor gave ground by half a step, boots grinding into stone, and stopped.
Another Stoneback lunged toward Arin.
Arin didn't meet it head-on like Victor. He moved.
Timed Step shifted him just enough to avoid the strike. His blade flicked out, catching a tendon, not deep but clean. The monster snarled and turned, right into Raul's path.
Raul vanished.
Flowstep snapped him forward, then sideways, then slipped him inside the Stoneback's guard. His daggers stayed low, nothing flashy, just controlled, deliberate cuts.
First cut: joint behind the knee.
Second: the tendon along the inner thigh.
Third: deep, driving strike under the armor seam.
The Stoneback roared and staggered.
Raul was already gone.
Another monster came for him, tail sweeping wide. Raul ducked under it, felt the wind shear past his scalp, and rolled. He came up on one knee, blades crossing in an X that caught the descending pincer inches from his face.
Muscles screamed.
He pushed anyway.
Enduring Heart surged, not dulling the pain, but cutting through it. Keeping his thoughts clean and focused.
He twisted, tore free, and slashed upward.
Scales cracked.
The Stoneback reared back, furious, and Victor smashed into it from the side, shield-first, knocking it off balance without killing it.
Raul took the opening.
He drove both daggers in, crossed at the neck, and ripped sideways.
The first Stoneback fell.
Four left.
Raul didn't breathe.
Another lunged, this one smarter, circling instead of charging. Its tail flicked, testing range. Raul matched it step for step, eyes locked, senses stretching.
This was where the sparring paid off.
Sparring with Mina had taught him restraint, not to overcommit, not to chase every opening.
The Stoneback struck.
Raul waited.
At the last possible instant, Flowstep snapped him past the blow. He cut once, lightly. Twice, deeper. Then disengaged.
The monster turned too slowly.
Arin darted in, slashed its flank, and retreated just as fast. The Stoneback chased,
Straight into Raul's path again.
Raul dropped low, slid under its belly, and carved upward with everything he had. Blood sprayed hot across the stone as the creature collapsed mid-stride.
Three left.
Raul's breathing finally hit him.
His chest burned, his arms felt heavy, and sweat blurred his vision.
No time to waste.
Two Stonebacks moved together now, tails raised, claws scraping the ground. They advanced in sync, careful after seeing what had happened to the others.
Victor stepped between them.
Guardian's Stance flared.
Both monsters struck.
Victor absorbed the strikes, his shield shrieking with the force, metal plates straining and creaking. He held his ground, refusing to counter or advance. He held.
Raul moved.
He flowed around Victor's right side, then left, using the captain-trained footwork he'd beaten into himself day after day. He struck the first Stoneback's leg, not to kill, but to slow.
Then the second.
Cut. Cut. Withdraw, smooth, controlled, precise.
The monsters lashed out blindly now, formations breaking.
Raul struck again.
And again.
Each movement was efficient. No wasted effort. No hesitation. His Martial Kinesthesia screamed warnings and opportunities alike, his Sixth Sense lighting paths through chaos.
The third Stoneback fell.
The fourth tried to retreat.
Raul didn't allow it.
He chased, careful but unyielding. Every step was deliberate. Every breath steady, controlled, as if the world itself had slowed around him.
The Stoneback turned at the chamber wall, cornered.
Raul came in low, blades flashing.
It never landed a single hit.
When it died, Raul was already moving toward the last.
The final Stoneback was larger than the rest. Scarred and Old.
It charged.
Raul met it head-on.
No Flowstep.
No tricks.
Just steel, timing, and will.
The Stoneback's jaws clamped against his shoulder, glancing, but enough to make him flinch. White light flashed behind his eyes.
Enduring Heart flared, smothering the pain before doubt could rise.
Raul gritted his teeth and surged forward.
One dagger sank into the joint, twisted, and the other swung down in a punishing arc.
The lizard went down.
Silence followed.
Raul stood there for half a second longer, then his legs gave out.
He dropped to one knee. Then both.
His breathing tore out of him, ragged and uncontrolled, lungs burning like they were learning how to work for the first time.
Victor rushed over. Arin right behind him.
Raul waved them off weakly. "…I'm fine."
Mina approached last, eyes scanning him carefully.
"You're an idiot, you know?" she said softly.
Raul laughed, hoarse, breathless. "Yeah, I know… but a successful one."
He checked his progression.
It was 94% before.
Now, 99%.
Raul stared.
"…One percent," he whispered.
Just a breath away from Captain Rank.
There was no stopping it now; it felt inevitable.