Aisha finished her chant.
The glowing blade of Cerberus turned a deep, dark blood-red.
She swung the greatsword frantically, each heavy strike leaving a fresh, burning gash on the humanoid target.
The lightweight blade blurred into a crimson afterimage in her hands, weaving a dense, deadly net of steel that completely enveloped the training dummy.
"Hahahaha, incredible! This is amazing!" Aisha cheered, her eyes wild with adrenaline.
Originally, the base power of her Hell Kaos magic wasn't particularly strong, which was obvious from the long, drawn-out chant required to cast it.
Generally, a spell's destructive power was closely tied to the length of the incantation, heavily influenced by the user's Magic stat.
With its raw unmodified power, Hell Kaos could pose a solid threat to enemies of her own level, but it was really only good for instant-killing "glass cannon" types.
If her opponent had a high Endurance stat or used special defensive maneuvers, the spell might not even break through their guard.
In fact, that was the harsh reality of combat in Orario.
Even with magic, it was incredibly difficult to injure enemies above your own level, let alone kill them outright.
Only a certain "yam-colored" elf possessed the fantasy-like ability to instant-kill groups of deep-floor monsters across a massive level gap—wiping out a large pack of Level 5 monsters with a single spell while only being a Level 3 herself.
However, in battles between equals, magic served as the ultimate trump card, holding the potential to deal massive "cross-level" damage if it landed clean.
"Let's do one last test fire," Noah said, checking off a box on his parchment. "Hit the target with a full-power Hell Kaos."
Aisha was completely fired up!
Hearing Noah tell her to go all out, a feral excited smile split her face.
She widened her stance and dropped her center of gravity, gripping the heavy greatsword with both hands and resting the flat of the blade against her shoulder.
Suddenly, she took off sprinting across the backyard.
Noah watched her move.
She was circling the target dummy at top speed.
Even more impressive was the fact that she started chanting while maintaining her sprint.
Concurent Chanting.
It wasn't a specific magic skill or a Falna Development Ability, it was a pure "technique" that high-level mages had to master through grueling practice.
"Concurent" meant doing two things at the exact same time. Usually, a mage had to stand perfectly still and focus all their mental energy to recite a chant, requiring a vanguard to protect them while they loaded their spell.
But what if a mage got separated from their party?
Were they just useless when fighting solo? Of course not.
If a mage's mastery over mana was profound enough, they could split their attention.
They could chant while running, dodging, parrying, or even fighting in close combat.
As long as the physical actions didn't interrupt the vocal incantation and the internal flow of mana remained stable, the spell would activate normally.
Aisha was putting on a clinic.
She was simulating a high-stress, solo combat scenario.
Her chant remained steady and loud even as she vaulted over a pile of scrap metal, proving she was a seasoned veteran of the Dungeon.
The exact second the chant finished, she leaped high into the air, looming over the humanoid target like a bird of prey.
The greatsword in her hand seemed to catch fire, draped in a thick layer of blood-red flames as her mana condensed, converged, and expanded to its absolute limit.
"My thirsty blade's name is Hippolyte!"
Hell Kaos activated.
Instead of firing like a projectile, the crimson magic transformed into a massive, flat, blood-red slash that fell from the sky like a guillotine.
The enormous strike tore right through the training dummy and ripped into the earth, destroying the heavy stone fixtures bolting the target to the ground.
The sheer force sent the heavy Orichalcum dummy flying across the yard.
Looking at the cracked earth and the smoking crater, Aisha couldn't help but stare at the greatsword in her hand, trembling with excitement.
"No, I can't just call it a greatsword," she muttered. "This is Cerberus! Hahaha, this is wonderful!"
Aisha jogged over to the target that had been sent flying.
A terrifying, jagged wound had been carved halfway through its solid metal torso, the edges of the deep cut still glowing red-hot.
"It seems you're satisfied with the final product," Noah said, walking over.
"Ah, very satisfied," Aisha purred.
She leaned on the hilt of the sword, looking Noah up and down.
"So satisfied I actually want to sleep with you. Slurp~"
"Ugh."
Suddenly, Aisha felt a freezing chill run straight down her spine.
A primal instinct screamed at her to turn around. She stiffly turned her head to see Haruhime standing on the porch, looking right at her with a gentle, polite smile.
Even though her eyes were squinted shut in that happy expression, Aisha felt absolutely certain the little fox was sizing up her throat!
"Cough... I'm just joking!" Aisha hurriedly explained, waving her hands. "Don't take it seriously!"
Noah waved his hand dismissively. "No one took it seriously."
'No, no, no,' Aisha thought, breaking a sweat. 'Your little fox definitely took it seriously!'
Aisha had no doubt the fox girl had just been plotting exactly where to hide her body.
Despite Haruhime's pure, innocent, and pitiful appearance, she was actually quite something.
After hanging around the workshop for a few days, Aisha had gradually realized the Renard girl's heart was actually incredibly lecherous—the "Boss" just hadn't noticed it yet.
"Alright, enough talk," Noah said, pulling out a Guild contract. "That will be 170 million Valis."
"Fine by me," Aisha agreed without missing a beat.
'Hm? That was quick,' Noah thought.
She was even more decisive with her money than Finn.
Were the Battle Prostitutes of the Ishtar Familia really raking in that much cash?
...
Noah received the massive payment via a secure Guild transfer later that afternoon.
"Whoa! Talk about a big spender!"
The sudden shout from a female adventurer startled Noah's advisor, Eina Tulle, nearly knocking the glasses right off her face.
She jumped up so fast her thigh bumped hard against the bottom of her desk.
Wincing in pain, she glared at the newcomer.
"Maris! I told you to wait outside!"
"But I've been waiting out there for forty minutes!"
"That doesn't mean you can just barge in while I'm with a client! The other adventurers will be unhappy!" Eina hissed, stealing an apologetic glance at Noah, who was calmly sorting his paperwork.
Hearing the commotion, Noah only spared the female adventurer a brief glance.
Truth Seeker pinged her as a Level 1 from a minor Familia he'd never even heard of.
She was clearly a complete novice who hadn't learned how things worked yet.
Noah wasn't the type of grumpy veteran who felt the need to lecture rookies about Guild "rules."
He just ignored her.
The girl named Maris acted way too familiar!
She completely ignored Eina's scolding and leaned over the desk, nodding toward Noah.
"He's a little hottie. What a relief—I thought some creepy, middle-aged adventurer was harassing you back here, so I rushed in to save you."
"Eh?" Eina was stunned.
Looking at the girl she considered a genuine friend, she suddenly felt a little moved.
Maris grinned, crossing her arms. "After all, you're super popular with the guys, Eina. Plenty of people in the tavern talk about the 'cute half-elf receptionist.'"
"Stop it, that's embarrassing!" Eina's face turned bright red.
"Hehe..." Maris chuckled.
She suddenly turned to Noah and bowed deeply at the waist. "I'm super sorry! I didn't realize you were discussing such important business. I'm Eina's friend. This is all my fault, so please don't blame her for me barging in."
"It's nothing," Noah replied casually, looking back at his papers.
Maris breathed a sigh of relief.
Before heading for the door, she shot Eina a wink. "Don't forget about our drinks tonight!"
"Just go already! I hate you!" Eina groaned, covering her flushed face.
Amidst Eina's complaints, Maris quickly ran off into the crowded lobby.
Eina turned back to Noah, bowing her head. "I am truly sorry about that. She... Maris, she's..."
"It's fine. I said it's okay."
Noah signed the final receipt for the 170 million Valis and handed it back.
Eina, who knew him well enough by now, could tell he wasn't secretly annoyed.
Maris was one of the five rookie adventurers Eina was personally responsible for advising.
'Come to think of it, Maris and Noah had actually registered at the Guild around the exact same time.'
'But the gap in their power, wealth, and status was truly immense.'
...
That evening.
Eina and Maris were sitting in a noisy, crowded pub, nursing cold drinks.
In reality, Maris was doing all the talking, firing off a million questions a minute.
Eina knew the girl meant no harm and was just naturally curious, so she answered the basic questions with common knowledge.
"So, what's the deal with that little hottie?" Maris asked, leaning across the table. "What was with that insane amount of money on the desk? That was enough to buy a mansion in the noble district!"
"You really don't know who the 'Artisan Spirit' of the Hephaestus Familia is?" Eina asked, tapping her finger against her mug.
"For an adventurer, gathering information is a vital part of staying alive."
"Yes, yes, I know, Eina-sensei," Maris teased.
She downed a huge gulp of ale and let out a satisfied sigh.
"But still, I bet he goes to you because you're cute. Elves have it so easy; you guys are all so beautiful."
"That has nothing to do with it!"
"Sigh... I really need to work harder, too. It's been months, and I've only reached the 10th floor." Maris stared into her mug, looking a little depressed.
Eina suddenly slammed her mug down on the table, her expression turning dead serious.
"Maris, I've told you this a hundred times: the biggest taboo for an adventurer is being reckless. You're too impatient. You haven't familiarized yourself with the attack patterns or the traps on the upper floors yet. Do not push any deeper into the Dungeon!"
"Well, who told you to tell me all about that hottie?!" Maris shot back, her pride stinging. "He's already farming the middle and lower floors, hasn't he? We registered at the exact same time! Having someone my age leave me that far in the dust... I have my pride too, okay?"
"Is your pride more important than your life?! You idiot!" Eina scolded, her face flushed from anger and the alcohol.
Recently, her supervisor at the Guild had been quietly evaluating her performance.
A few days ago, he pulled her into his office for a private chat. It wasn't a reprimand, but the things he said carried a heavy weight.
He asked her how she felt about her advisory work lately.
Her proud answer had been: "I feel like I've really connected with the adventurers assigned to me. I hope I can become a source of strength for them."
She thought it was a perfect answer.
But her supervisor just smiled sadly and told her she wasn't ready for the reality of the job yet.
He gave her a piece of advice that kept her awake at night.
"Tulle, as someone who has worked this desk a lot longer than you, my advice is simple: it is better not to invest too much emotion into the adventurers. Otherwise, your job is going to become incredibly painful."
In truth, it wasn't that Eina couldn't understand the grim reality her supervisor was trying to convey.
She just didn't want to accept it.
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