The way back to the return platform was calm. Killing all those monsters over the past two days hadn’t just cleared my path, it had also helped me gain several levels. "I’ll check that once I’m back." I placed a stone on each of the pillars to activate the portal and return. "I’m tired... My whole body needs a rest." I moved my head from side to side to ease the tension in my brain.

  Once I had the mask and robe on, I crossed through the portal’s light and appeared on the other side, exactly where I had entered this dungeon. I headed to the guard post where I could sense the carriage parked. An officer who had been waiting outside quickly ran inside.

  Seconds later, the same coachman who had brought me came out, gave a small bow, and motioned for me to get in the carriage. As we started moving, I decided to speak. I would trust him, just like Camux did. "Are we going to see Baron Camux?" My sudden words made him jump slightly.

  "Yes... Sir. May I call you by your name or what do you prefer?" I noticed some worry in his Imra, as if he didn’t want to disrespect me.

  "I assume you know who I am. You can call me whatever feels most comfortable—as long as no one else is around." I heard him let out a quiet sigh before continuing.

  "Yes, young Lord Maki. We're heading to the closest village near Marril City. Baron Solar told me a few hours ago that he had a dinner planned with his daughter and her friends at a well-known restaurant." I thanked him for waiting those two days and leaned back to rest during the hour-long ride.

  "Young Lord Maki, I almost forgot. There’s a grade 3 mana recovery potion in the drawer under your seat. The Baron left it as part of your reward." I thanked him for letting me know and placed it in my dimensional bracelet. From grade 3 and up, the potions are quite pure, and the risk of poisoning from overuse is nearly zero.

  The trip continued peacefully until I heard a shout from the coachman. "Lord Maki, something’s happening in Azurri Village. I see smoke coming from one side!" I looked out the window and saw thick smoke indeed rising—my instincts kicked in. Something bad was happening.

  "Hurry, please—go as fast as you can. This can’t be good." An attack? What’s going on? Anxiety started to fill me. My friends were in that village.

  As we got closer, I saw the guards fighting a large group of monsters on the opposite side of where the smoke was coming from. My first instinct was to help, but something told me to go toward the fire—that must be the most dangerous area.

  "Sir, get to a safe place. I’ll go on alone from here." Without waiting for a response, I jumped from the carriage, activated my mana to strengthen my legs, and sprinted toward the fire. Before reaching the area, I heard people shouting, and one voice was particularly clear.

  "Please help! Help! Lord Tork is fighting a new group of monsters alone. If no one helps him, he’ll die. Someone, please help!" I stopped dead in my tracks and hesitated. Tork was Camux’s younger brother—Sol saw him as a second father. I had met him at the party, and he’d done his best to stay out of the spotlight. He didn’t like attention.

  "DAMN IT!" I forced my body to turn and ran in the direction the woman was pointing.

  Point of view: Camux

  "Who the hell are you? Why are you attacking my village?" This damn monster tamer had appeared out of nowhere and launched an assault. I was lucky to be here to contain it. Many people had already died, and I couldn’t defeat his cursed electric tiger beast. Fighting a rank 4 monster and a Ruby-rank mage wasn’t easy.

  "As if I’d tell you that." The tamer laughed like a maniac, hurling mana projectiles at me as I fought his beast. "While your guards are busy stopping my beasts on one side... what happens when 200 more appear on the other?" His laugh grew louder. Rage and worry consumed me.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  This bastard was weak in close combat—if not for that damn beast, I’d have killed him already. If what he said was true, we were in serious trouble. I needed to stop holding back and end the biggest threats quickly.

  My mana and Imra burst from my body. My fire affinity burned so intensely that even an emerald-rank person would roast standing too close for long. My fists ignited with flames as I activated every skill I could to close the distance.

  "Damn!" Even though I was trying to end it quickly, the tamer was slippery, and the tiger had high defense and stamina. I needed to hurry if I wanted to save most of the people.

  Point of view: Maki

  I weaved through the people fleeing the danger. When I arrived, I saw a group of various monsters—I could sense their levels even from here. There had to be over 200 of them, ranging from hobgoblins to strange, shapeless things. Fortunately, more than half were grade 2, and the rest were grade 3.

  Lord Tork was doing everything he could to hold off the grade 3s, but even as a Sapphire rank, he couldn’t fight so many at once. Just before entering the battle, I drank the mana potion to recover what I’d lost.

  A few meters from the monsters entering the town, I unleashed my bloodlust. I hadn’t felt this much anger and rage in a long time. My Imra burst from my body, letting every monster know who their enemy was. Not just them—Tork also looked at me, and his expression twisted in shock.

  All the grade 2s charged toward me, and some of the grade 3s followed. Only a few stayed to fight Tork. This wouldn’t be easy. Fighting a group this large in a town was totally different—I usually focused on dodging and reducing their numbers gradually. But now, I couldn’t do that; civilians could be caught in the crossfire and die because of me.

  Rage seeped into my body and Imra. My swords trembled in anticipation. Without holding back, I unleashed my mana pit and let all my skills activate. My body overflowed with Imra and mana—this was all or nothing.

  The nearest grade 2 monsters died the instant they entered the range of my swords. Precise slashes to the head or vital points—they couldn’t react to the speed of someone so far above them. When five grade 3s reached me, things got complicated.

  Bites, claws, fists—all kinds of attacks came at me. Some types of magic from a distance nearly hit me, but I dodged just in time. Seconds felt eternal as I weaved through the smallest gaps, my wounds healing almost as fast as they appeared. I moved within the limited space, avoiding damage and striking with mana-, Imra-, and Law-infused cuts.

  Several minutes passed, and more than half were still alive. My mana reserves were slowly emptying—even the potion hadn’t fully restored them. Things weren’t looking good. I could win, but at what cost?

  "Brother, do you need help? I can send some of my mana to you." Glia’s voice echoed in my head, and my reserves slowly refilled. That eased the pressure of the fight.

  "I can’t send too much mana at once—it might poison you due to our different types. I have to filter it slowly through our bond. I’m sorry." I sensed her concern and simply thanked her for the help.

  I saw that Tork was struggling. Of the nine grade 3 monsters he started with, only five remained. He had killed some, but he was exhausted. His mana tank was likely half-empty, and he was covered in wounds. My clothes and mask were gone in the chaos of battle.

  "Hurry up, Maki!" I reminded myself why I was here. My swords began to dance as fast as my body allowed. I started trading blows. A light wound I could heal—but a mortal strike filled with death mana was a death sentence for them.

  Point of view: Sol

  "I have to go see my uncle—I can’t leave him fighting alone!" My voice came out as a scream directed at Arisa and Marga, who were trying to stop me. We were eating with my father, and everything happened so suddenly. He reacted quickly, and we followed him here.

  "Sol, you could die. They’re grade 2 and 3 monsters—we can’t do anything!" Arisa tried to calm me, but I couldn’t hear her. My uncle was out there, fighting all those monsters alone.

  "Sol, calm down a little! We also have to think about the citizens." Marga lifted my head to make me look at all the people gathered in the emergency bunker. They were all staring at us, terrified.

  "But... but... why can’t I do anything?" I held back the tears. I did everything I could not to cry in front of my people. They couldn’t see their Lord’s daughter fall apart—someone had to be the pillar in times like this.

  Another group of people arrived at the bunker. Arisa and Marga directed them while I stayed lost in my thoughts.

  "Lady Sol!" A guard in charge of evacuations approached me. "A red-haired boy is fighting alongside Lord Tork. Both are badly injured, but they’re about to defeat the remaining monsters. Only a few are left. They’ll win, but..." A red-haired boy? Wait—Maki? That was the final straw. We couldn’t just sit here any longer.

  As I lifted my head, Arisa and Marga looked at me. They both nodded. "LET’S GO!" I calmed the crowd and, with the guard, ran toward where my uncle and Maki were fighting.