“So, you didn’t run away? How foolish,” the snake said, preparing for another attack.

  Just as her tail was about to struck again, a loud bang rang out, and rocks started to fall into the cave, dust billowing into their lungs, stinging Nox’s eyes. Tiny stones pinged off the cavern walls as larger chunks crashed nearby, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

  “You wanted to let the cave collapse from the start, right? You missed me on purpose!”

  The monster started to panic, her voice rising over the clattering of falling rocks.

  “But I will take at least one of you with me,” the snake turned her eyes to Lina.

  Regea and Beatrice had already run to the exit, leaving her standing between two destroyed buildings.

  Nox felt the air itself bend around her as the monster’s muscles coiled, each movement drawing the cavern into tension. Stones grinded against each other as her tail drew back, scraping against the ceiling like a whip against leather.

  “No! Get away!” Nox screamed, but he knew she couldn’t. His legs trembled and sweat trickled down his forehead as adrenaline surged through his veins.

  With his last stamina, he dashed forward.

  -You have combined the item Ice armour

  There was one thing he had learned the hard way. Combining ice with any armour made it far stronger, but it would break after the first hit. If a second one came, his body would be utterly crushed.

  Cold flooded his chest, not pain, but a crushing pressure. The ice layer resisted him, rigid, almost alive, pushing back as if warning him. He could feel it sapping his strength, veins tingling with the strain.

  “I must survive!” Nox thought, his vision flickering as he braced himself.

  The last thing he felt was the snake woman’s tail slamming into his chest with full force. The impact didn’t just crack the armour, it pressed the air from his lungs, sending him tumbling backward.

  Ice shards exploded outward in a blinding flash, slicing the air, and his body was hurled like debris against the cavern wall. He could only feel the devastating pain and a pair of hands before his vision darkened.

  At midnight, Nox woke up in a big bed.

  His head throbbed, every breath shallow, as though his body had only half agreed to keep living. The lingering pressure of mana depletion made him feel lightheaded.

  The bed smelled unfamiliar. Herbs, old fabric, and a faint floral note made his nose wrinkle.

  “My friends seem to have made it out alive.”

  He opened his eyes, still half asleep.

  “There are a bathroom, wardrobe, and Lina,” he thought, scanning the dark room with a groggy awareness.

  “Wait…, Lina?” His eyes widened as he realized the situation. She was lying right beneath him, her blonde hair glimmering in the moonlight.

  “What does she think she’s doing?” he wondered, panic climbing his chest.

  As Nox tried to move, his hands were suddenly stopped. When he looked at them, a mixture of shock and embarrassment washed over him.

  “She actually meant the thing with tying me up?” he grew confused, cheeks heating.

  The rope wasn’t tight enough to hurt, just enough for him to be unable to escape.

  “Well, I can’t do anything, so I might as well sleep a bit more,” he muttered. If this was the price for surviving, he could endure it.

  The next morning, Nox woke to the sound of Lina’s steps.

  When she saw that he was awake, she tilted her head with a devious smile. “You were so loud tonight…”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Yeah, I wonder why,” Nox muttered, eyes flicking toward the spot Lina had been lying.

  She paused in the doorway, watching his chest rise and fall before her playful smile returned.

  “Come on. We’re almost adults, and there were only three rooms in the village chief’s house, so I ‘unfortunately’ had to sleep with you,” she said, the sound carrying a teasing lilt.

  “So, why did you tie me up then?” he asked cautiously.

  “Well, you never know what might happen,” she said. “Just kidding, I just wanted to see you tied up in bed. This was part of our deal after all.”

  “Just like the evil princesses in the stories,” he murmured, half embarrassed, half amused.

  Lina stepped forward and grabbed his throat, her fingers firm but not crushing.

  “What did you say, mister?” she asked, glaring at him with feigned menace.

  “Cough, I- I’m sorry,” he stammered. Her grip loosened immediately, warm mana flowing into him. She seemed to check him for internal injuries, before nodding in approvement.

  “Yeah, that’s what I like to hear. I’ll untie you for now, but I think I should have the chance to tie you up again. You weren’t even conscious after all. Don’t you agree?” she asked, not joking this time.

  “Y- Yeah, I agree. Now please untie me,” Nox said, voice shaky.

  After the two went downstairs, the village chief Ambre waited for them. Beatrice and Regea were already eating a large breakfast of eggs and cheese.

  “Was your night good?” they asked instantly, eyes flicking from one to another.

  “Yeah, it was great,” Lina answered with a bright smile, leaving the two staring at Nox.

  Regea coughed into his cup, clearly trying not to laugh, while Beatrice’s grin only widened.

  “It’s not what you think,” he quickly said, clearing the misunderstanding.

  “B- But that’s quite the feast for a food shortage,” he added, trying to change the theme.

  “We were able to recover some of the goods out of the cave. Thank you so much!” Ambre replied.

  After the meal, they prepared to leave.

  “I will contact the academy and guild about the completion of your mission.”

  “Thank you so much. If you need our help, please contact us,” Beatrice responded.

  “I will,” the chief said, waving at them.

  As they returned, the civilians looked at them with gratitude, renewed hope in their eyes, having found meaning again.

  Nox could make out a small tear in Lina’s eye, as she looked at a nearby family. The daughter and son ran around their parents, while laughing loudly.

  When the group stepped through the teleportation gate, a fresh breeze greeted them.

  At the entrance, Altair was talking to another teacher. He matched her perfectly, also tanned and an attractive, young face. She excused herself, hurrying toward the four in relief.

  “Was that your brother Miss Senja?” Beatrice asked.

  “No, no. Just a normal colleague,” Altair shouted, face turning red. She tapped her fingers together, not fitting her role as a strong teacher at all.

  “I- I didn’t expect you back so quickly.”

  “We were just lucky,” Regea said.

  “The lessons will start again tomorrow, so enjoy today,” she said.

  They walked to the entrance hall and Nox briefly checked his updated stats.

  Stigma: Stigma of combination

  Strength: 9,1 (+5)

  Stamina: 7,4

  Agility: 8,2

  Mana: 11,2 (+5)

  Equipped items: Red stone sword (+5 strength), Mana ring (+5 mana), Twin ring of healing meditation

  Skills: Earth spikes, Water release, Wind strike, Wind launch, Freezing wind, Ice crystal, Ice crystal launch, Ice crystal growth, Magnetic field

  “I think I understand partially how combination works” he thought.

  “One of the two skills I use to combine something, determines its form. I always use Water release, meaning I only get things related to ice crystals or particles. Like freezing wind or ice crystal growth.

  “I need more water skills for variety,” he murmured. His mind raced, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he planned the next steps.

  “What should we do now?” Beatrice asked.

  “Let’s go shopping!” Lina suggested, fixing Nox with a sharp glare.

  “Yeah. We can do that…”

  They walked through the academy district, Nox’s eyes widening at the sheer number of students strolling around everywhere.

  “This place is huge,” he thought, stepping into an item store larger than the last, with three floors and floating enchanted lamps softly humming as they passed.

  “Beatrice and I are checking women’s clothes,” Lina said.

  “Alright, let’s check equipment.”

  Nox turned to Regea, who glanced around helplessly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I… don’t have enough money for this,” Regea admitted, voice small.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll pay for you,” Nox bragged.

  Before Regea could protest, he grabbed his hand and dragged him along.

  As they checked the equipment, one item caught Nox’s eye:

  Name: Water boots

  Grade: Rare

  Type: Equipment

  Description: Unlocks item skill water walk: walk on water for 20 seconds, 24-hour cooldown.

  “A skill item? Those are rare. The skill isn’t strong, but it’s crucial for combination. A waste if I pass,” he thought.

  He briefly glanced around and marched into the wardrobe with a water glass.

  “I feel guilty, but it should work.”

  -You have unlocked the item skill water walk

  -You will lose the skill if you remove the item

  He quickly used the skill, placing his shoe over the water glass, then combined it with Wind Strike.

  A faint chill spread beneath his feet, subtle but constant, the air feeling heavier with magic, as though the world was adapting to him.

  -You have unlocked the skill icy field

  Without hesitation, he combined water walk with the new skill.

  -You have unlocked the permanent skill ice boost

  “Hah, twenty seconds are over, but let’s see what these do.”

  -Icy field: Creates a square-shaped ice field. Side lengths equal user’s mana in meters.

  -Ice boost: Increases agility by 25% when standing on ice.

  Things like movement speed, reaction speed and more were all dependant on agility, meaning such a stat increase was substantial.

  “That’s my first permanent skill, meaning it’s always active without costing me any mana at all” Nox smiled, stepping out of the cabin.

  For once, survival wasn’t about endurance. It was about choice.