Mik had somewhat known how despicable the pair was from Sofia’s expnation of her situation when he found her. However, he never expected them to be so btant.

  They’re really doing this now? Aren’t they worried about being killed by monsters?! Mik thought, his face twisting in disgust.

  He looked to Sofia, trying to judge how long it would take for the pair to reach her. Currently she was bisecting foxes flying furiously for her in every direction, too busy to notice the pair.

  Mik couldn’t risk yelling and distracting her or the others. One mistake could mean anyone dying at this point, giving him only one option.

  He gritted his teeth and began to run forward, his battered and worn shoes digging into the hot sand.

  Mik didn’t have time to think or weigh exactly what he was about to do. The only thing crossing his mind in this moment was that he had to stop them from harming Sofia.

  The chains on his arms sparked to life as he manifested his spell and without thinking he hurled his chains in a cross cut.

  Sparking with lightning, the chains flew toward their target, catching the two by surprise.

  Unluckily Dominic was unable to stop his momentum and with the sand, his pivot foot that he had tried to use to turn and dodge sunk into the sand, slowing him down. As a result the chains smmed into his face and body as he screamed in agony, the metal searing to his skin.

  But with both chains wrapped around Dominic, Sasha made a mad dash for Sofia while she was still occupied with the monsters.

  Sofia had noticed the pair after Mik had thrown his chains, but she couldn’t distract herself from her current fight. Not with the monsters growing in level, increasing their threat from before.

  So it was up to Mik.

  After throwing his chains, he had kept up the race to Sofia behind them. Running through the sand as fast as his tattered shoes and straining legs would take him.

  He hadn’t done it since leveling up, but he willed his spell to activate, his arms sparking to life with lightning on each arm.

  “I won’t let you!” Mik roared as he shot forward attempting to tackle Sasha.

  Sasha swang down with the dagger in her hand just as Mik collided with her. He felt the bde of the weapon pierce his skin like a searing shard of molten hot magma taken form. A stark difference to the bde from the Bandit Squirrel from before.

  But he didn’t have time to question the pain or whether or not the strike was some form of skill. As soon as his arms touched the woman, she screamed in agony the same as him.

  His resistance helped somewhat but he still felt the shock of his own spell enough to stiffen, the smell of burnt flesh wafting into his nose.

  Sofia finished off the Laurel Foxes as fast as possible. Turning she gingerly helped Mik to his feet, the fighting still ongoing all around them.

  “Mik! Why would you do that?!” she shouted.

  Mik winced. Moving not only hurt, but was more painful than he remembered. In more ways than once.

  “You don’t have to yell, I’m right here…” he grumbled with a wince.

  However, he had to admit. The pain might be worth having a beautiful girl who smelled as nice as Sofia being worried for him.

  But reality came crashing back quite literally.

  Behind them the sound of another cannonball being fired went off, the projectile smming into the front of the massive Sandworm.

  However, it did nothing to slow down the gigantic monster as it still barreled towards them, swimming through the desert like a fish through water.

  It’s massive maw wide and sharp enough to swallow everyone there.

  Mik took another look at Sofia. It looked like this was the end. Both their stories would seemingly end here.

  He had done all he could against the odds and had at least protected her from the two people from her house that wished her harm.

  But he wasn’t strong enough to stop a Floor Boss all on his own. He was injured, exhausted, and left utterly confused.

  Mik pointed a hand into the air.

  “Are people supposed to be able to fly?” he asked in bewilderment.

  Sofia couldn’t help but rip her eyes from the oncoming death sentence of the Sandworm to look down at Mik in abject incredulity.

  “Did you hit your head when you were stabbed?” As asked as she turned her head, soon her mouth hanging in stark confusion.

  “What in the Mother is that?”

  Before anyone else could notice what the pair had seen, the sound of a thunderous roar came from above. The sparse clouds that had once been there, blown away by whatever had moved so quickly that it had created a force enough to clear the sky.

  The next second a crashing far greater than the cannonball sounded behind them as they both turned their heads.

  And once again they both looked in disbelief. This time accompanied by the rest of the Climbers. Even the monsters froze and stared in sheer confusion.

  There holding the Sandworm back with a single hand was a man with golden hair, deep ruby eyes, and a smile wide enough to reach his ears.

  “It’s going to be okay, I’m here now!” the man beamed.

  “If I’m not a half-por monkey’s ass,” Borik spat, his hammer smming into a frozen Fox’s head, “Is that who I think it is?!”

  “Thank the Gods!” Madaline gasped, sinking to the floor.

  “What do you mean thank the Gods,” Lissandra grumbled, “If he’s here that means…”

  As Lissandra spoke, the temperature all around them dropped. Mik felt significantly colder as he could suddenly see his breath.

  The sound of crackling ice surrounded them.

  Looking around Mike was once again pced into a state of awe. Every monster that was assaulting them. Monsters by the thousands, as well as the Roaming Bosses that lead them. Were now frozen statues of ice.

  “Hello cousin.”

  A soft coo accompanied by sharp steps on top of the frozen desert approached them as the man who easily manhandled the Floor Boss still stood unperturbed by the thrashing beast.

  Lissandra’s face turned sour, “Hello Ga… I see you’ve brought your entire party… And your husband…”

  Mik was taken aback. Sofia was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But somehow this woman, with hair as white as snow, eyes of gold, skin as fwless as a porcein doll. Two exquisite white horns on the side of her head seemed to force his attention to her.

  “Drake, remember there are people still here,” Ga said, crossing her arms, seemingly feeling the eyes on her.

  “Won’t take me but a minute!” Drake yelled with joy, “Time to send you back into that hole in the ground beastie!”

  Mik’s head was spinning trying to keep up.

  Who the hell are these people?! How is he able to stop a Floor Boss with one hand?! How strong of a mage is this woman that she can freeze a whole floor?!

  Mik was nothing but impressed and honestly in slight fear of the woman. He had never seen magic done before he had gained his css. And now he had just seen someone use magic so strong it made his own seem like he was pying at being a mage.

  But he was left speechless once more. The man that had physically stopped the Sandworm was apparently not just a fighter.

  He saw as the man, Drake, snapped his fingers. An array of elements suddenly manifesting into existence around him.

  “A touch of fire. A little bit of lightning zest. A pinch of earth! And we have ourselves a monster killing spell!” Drake bellowed with a ugh.

  Drake physically threw the monster backward. Then aiming with his finger at the monster as his aforementioned spells began to swirl and form a huge fming, electrified, earthen spear at his fingertip.

  “Super Mega Ultra Cool Monster Killing Spear!” he roared, the spell shooting off so fast it left a fming trail behind it as it collided with the Sandworm, both skewering it in one blow and setting it up in fmes.

  “What the- What the- What was that?!” Mik shouted.

  He turned to the woman. By now her face had reddened as she turned away, her hands covering her face.

  “Please… Do not ask me. I can’t bear the embarrassment…” she muttered between her fingers.

  “Don’t mean to piss on your parade, but on behalf of the Brunwick Family. I’d like to thank ya,” Borik said, bowing his head slightly.

  “No problem at all. I’m happy to help little Lissy and her Family. As is Drake. The guild is lucky we were on leave to take care of family matters back at home. Drake insisted we start from the bottom floor and move up to rescue the Climbers,” Ga smiled, her composure returning.

  Sofia, who had been silent for some time now, spoke up. Asking exactly what Mik was thinking.

  “I apologise, but who are you both? Where is the rest of your party, it can not just be the two of you?”

  Ga ughed softly, “Oh no, the rest of our party is helping the other floors. I just happened to win a coin toss…” She coughed, not continuing her story, “But we are the Asura Family. A-Rank Climbers.”

  Mik couldn’t believe his ears.

  “A-Rank?” he parroted looking back at Drake, who was now poking the dead Sandworm Floor boss with his finger.

  Borik spped his hand against Mik’s shoulder, ughing.

  “Don’t let the Lady fool you d. That man there is Drake Asura. Last full blooded Asuran known to exist. He could be an S-Rank Climber if he just finished the rank-up quest. Gods know the guild has asked him enough times.”

  Ga sighed, “Yes, well, all of us agree we don’t want to do that. The guild forces all kinds of frivolous things on S-Rank Climbers. And we already have our hands full. Namely us,” she pointed at Drake, “handling him…”

  Mik finally got to his feet, his shoulder still throbbing in pain. However, the recent barrage of unbelievable events had made him totally forget briefly.

  But once getting to his feet, he stumbled, the adrenaline of fighting for hours at a time constantly had finally begun to wear off. Luckily Sofia caught him, catching him under the arm slightly awkwardly.

  “S-sorry. My legs just sort of gave out. Are you doing alright?” he asked.

  “You are the one in a sorry state, but you ask if I am fine?” she smiled, “I should be thanking you for what you did. If not for you…”

  Mik stifled an exhausted ugh and steadied himself again.

  “After what we’ve been through…” he looked at Sasha and Dominick’s charred yet still alive and twitching bodies, “I couldn’t just let them hurt you could I?”

  Sofia turned trying to hide her blushing ears and nodded silently.

  Breaking up their moment, the sound of someone touching down in the sand from above with a rexed yawn made them turn.

  Drake had come back to the group of Climbers, casually stretching as if he had just taken a light stroll.

  “So how about we take these kids back outside Ga?” he asked.

  “I think it is for the best. How long has your group been stranded at the resting area?” she replied.

  “Around 30 hours I’d reckon,” Borik said, rubbing his chin.

  “It is a testament to your resilience that you all survived for so long. And might I ask what happened with those two?” Ga asked, pointing to Sasha and Dominick.

  Mik frowned, “They tried to kill someone during the fighting. I had to stop them and ended up getting stabbed for my trouble…”

  Drake moved over, looking at Mik’s arm, before pulling out a vial with red liquid. He poured it onto Mik’s shoulder, the wound clearing up in moments before his eyes.

  “W-wha- Did you just use a potion on me? I won’t be able to pay you back!” Mik stammered.

  Drake waved him off, “Meh. So you’re a mage are you?” he asked, his eyes turning wide with interest, “Did you like my awesome dispy of magic?”

  Mik wasn’t sure how to answer. He felt like he was just becoming more and more confused. Mik half expected such a high ranked Climber to be more… Well just more distant? But this man was speaking so casual he felt like he was talking to James.

  And that did nothing but confuse him more.

  “I- I um, yeah. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he finally answered.

  “Right!?” Drake beamed, “I came up with the spell myself! I’ve been trying to come up with a spell to shoot ice arrows from my eyes but its hard to get the spell formations right when they have to come from different body parts…”

  “Drake…” Ga sighed.

  Drake pursed his lips, “Fine! I won’t start… As far as these two go,” he pointed down at the pair, “No one would bme you if killed them.”

  Mik was taken aback, hearing him speak so coldly after being so animated.

  “There is an unspoken rule to not attack others in the dungeon. But that rule is only as strong as the people that walk within it. No one would hold it against you two for taking their lives,” Drake expined, “They gave up their right to their own life the moment they tried. And believe me they will not be the st to try.”

  Drake spped Mik’s back, putting on a smile.

  “A man who protects his girl! You’re going to go far kid! If you ever need someone to learn from, just come find me.”

  Mik looked away from Drake’s gaze, not sure how to answer such an offer. He quickly caught Ga’s face.

  He had thought initially that she was beautiful, but now, she held a face of desperation as she held her hands together. Obviously praying that Mik wouldn’t take Drake up on his offer for some reason.

  “I…” Mik tried to say before being cut off.

  “Don’t answer now,” Drake smiled, “Just think about it. Everyone hits a wall at some point. And I have a soft spot for kids who come from nothing. Hits me right in the soft and gushies. But that’s enough talk.”

  Drake raised his voice, “Alright people! Gather up and start cleaning up whatever you need to. We’re going to escort you to the exit crystal in five minutes!”