Subterranean Dungeon, 12th Floor

  “This feels unfair.” Martyn stood back, watching the girls fight the boss. A level five greater rock lizard, half the size of a house, with six thick legs, its body covered in hard stone, a heavy mace-like tail, and triceratops-like horns at its front.

  It was powerful, for sure, but Amber and Jade were handling it well without his help.

  ‘Then again, this is the st C-rank floor, and we’re well beyond that. I still feel some disconnect that we cleared these floors in one day.’

  Martyn hummed in thought while watching them fight. Amber parried the boss’s tail with her shield, giggling at her level of power.

  Jade’s fire magic burned into the boss from the side. The intensity of her fmes made Martyn wince. She muttered a few words, and a magic circle formed beneath the boss, engulfing it in a tower of fmes.

  The boss let out a cry before dying in the inferno. Martyn watched the experience rise in their status and smiled.

  “Well, this means we can become B-ranked adventurers, right?” Jade shouted from afar, walking up to Martyn. She panted lightly, wiping her forehead.

  Amber joined, just as winded, drinking a fatigue recovery potion.

  “Not quite. To become B or A-ranked, we have to face golems to show our abilities are up to standard,” Martyn said.

  Jade nodded as the group slowly delved deeper into the dungeon.

  Along the way, they passed by no adventurers, none at all.

  “We haven’t run into anyone on this floor,” Amber muttered.

  “Makes sense. The higher we climb, the smaller the pool of people. Including us, there are ten B-ranks in our guild, maybe the same in the other guild in the city, so I doubt we’ll run into other adventurers down these floors.”

  They stopped by a quiet area with water running down the walls into a small pool. Martyn stabbed his staff into the ground, creating a checkpoint for them to teleport back to.

  “Should we go back or try to clear this floor? The boss battle was kind of dull,” Amber said. “Plus, it would help in getting the B-ranked cores we need for Jade’s evolution into a goblin champion.”

  Martyn paused, then ughed. ‘Dull?’ He chuckled to himself; a few months ago, he would’ve considered the fight an epic one of giant proportions, but he agreed.

  He asked Jade, and she shrugged. If she evolved again, they could grow even stronger, which meant they could benefit from it as well.

  “Seriously, this method of ours to become stronger—I’m worried we’ll become too noticeable,” Amber said as they ventured around the thirteenth floor.

  Martyn agreed, but it also became a reason to do so—to be stronger and prepared for anything. As they moved through the catacombs, exploring the vast, luminous caves, the ground shook.

  “Uh, guys?” Jade said.

  Martyn’s awareness spread to the floor beneath him. “It’s a worm monster. Jump.” He said calmly. They nodded and leapt to the sides as the ground tore open, revealing a giant worm made of stone, roaring and shaking the cavern.

  It wasn’t a boss; it was a regur B-ranked monster. He quickly appraised it.

  [Giant Stone Worm, Level 5, Css: Mage, Points: 0, Titles: 2, Skills: 10]? [Mana: 3,200/3,200] [Strength: 61] [Agility: 60] [Vitality: 62] [Arcana: 64] [Psyche: 52]

  ? Titles: Kin Eater, Steel Variant

  “I still can’t appraise its skills, but I got everything else,” Martyn said.

  Martyn revealed its attributes to the group, and they nodded to themselves as the worm faced them, roaring before spewing a bst of acid. They evaded the attack easily. The acid melted the rocks behind them.

  Amber nded and threw her spear at the monster. It cut through the air, bouncing off its stony skin.

  Jade nded next to her and unched a couple of arrows, and the same happened.

  “Steel variant?” Jade muttered, firing off more arrows.

  “It’s got steel skin, either a skill or natural ability,” Amber said, reaching the same conclusion.

  A spark of light flew past them. Martyn appeared on top of the worm as Jade’s arrows bounced off, and he reeled his left fist back, coating it in a thick yer of mana. The space around it rippled as his aura intensified.

  His armor tore off, revealing his muscur arm.

  “If stabbing and piercing won’t work, then how about…” He grunted, pouring two thousand mana into his muscles and magic.

  “Blunt force!” He roared, smming his fist into the monster’s head.

  It dented, and the sheer force smmed the giant stone worm’s body straight into the ground. It spat a massive volume of blood. It howled as he flickered into it, delivering a right hook with the same force, sending its whole body flying out of the ground, crashing into the cavern walls.

  Martyn didn’t stop, quickly blitzing the monster with heavy, cavern-shaking blows before descending with a powerful axe kick that shook the cavern entirely. They were strong.

  [You have gained 25 Exp]

  Strong enough to shake the ground and have enough mana to compare themselves to high or archmages, with physical strength and abilities comparable to knight captains, commanders, and monsters on par with lesser wyverns—and, in some situations, stronger.

  ‘That was so cool.’ Jade gulped, seeing Martyn's muscur arms. Even Amber’s gaze lingered momentarily before she nudged her sister.

  “We might need new armor—better armor. These are standard-grade stuff, the mana efficiency is only 70%,” Martyn said.

  “That’s something we talked about recently. We’ve got a pn for that,” Amber said, and Jade nodded proudly.

  “Although it’s a bit of a disgusting one.” Jade shivered as the monster’s corpse vanished into smoke.

  They ventured further into the dungeon, arriving right at the boss’s chamber. It was light blue; they agreed to clear it ter. With that, they left the dungeon and headed to the guild.

  Guild Hall

  Stepping into the doors, they were met with a somewhat frantic space. Adventurers, young and old, experienced and new, moved around the hall, picking quest sheets and leaving with their parties.

  With winter over, it was only natural for things to get active.

  They made their way through the flow of people, greeting some adventurers they met in the dungeons and just being polite.

  Finally, the queue moved, and they arrived at the front desk. The male elf at the desk greeted them with a smile.

  “Welcome back. How can I help you today?”

  “We’d like to take the rank-up test, please!” Jade said excitedly.

  Martyn chuckled, nodding. They handed the man their badges, and with a quick spell, he nodded in understanding.

  “That’s great to hear! I’m sure you already know that you must face a B-ranked golem together or separately if you’re looking for a group or individual rating. So, which will it be?”

  “Individual tests. That way, we can still get a team rating as well,” Martyn answered.

  The elf nodded, and after getting a few more things sorted, he said, “Very well then. Guild Leader Markus will be the one to take care of your ranking.”

  Amber tilted her head. “Is there a reason the guild leader will be involved?”

  “You three are special personnel, given your titles and recent aid in securing our floating isnd.”

  After a few more questions and sorting out details, they were led to the battle arena, which had been cleared for them to take their test. There, the guild master greeted them.

  “I heard you’re ready to become B-ranked adventurers. The process will be complete once you defeat the golems; I’ll be watching from here and will judge whether you’re capable. The only rules are no magical equipment, only your normal gear,” he said, smiling.

  The group nodded and decided the first to go through a game of rock, paper, scissors.

  “Yes! I’m going first,” Jade smiled. She kissed Martyn on the cheek before running into the arena.

  But the area was empty.

  “Where’s the golem!?” Jade shouted back at them.

  The guild leader smirked. Martyn and Amber stepped back as a wave of mana left his body, and a massive spell circle formed in the center of the arena.

  Jade stepped back as a golem materialized, standing at the same height as a house, its body made of bck stone.

  “Wait, that’s it?” Jade scrutinized the summon. She wasn’t a fool; this was a test, and she had to be on guard.

  Amber and Martyn watched with the guild leader as Jade began firing arrows at the golem.

  It hummed and charged right at her, the arrows bouncing off its body. Jade frowned and leapt up high, firing arrows and conjuring a fming eagle. The fming construct shrieked, lunging at the golem.

  The summon took the arrows, and as the fming eagle got close, it punched the construct, causing a fiery explosion. Jade nded, sending some mana into the ground.

  As the smoke cleared, the golem stood unfazed. Its yellow eyes hummed with intelligence.

  “Resistant to fire?” She mumbled, her mind racing.

  In the blink of an eye, the golem blitzed her. Martyn’s fists clenched as it grabbed Jade by the face before smming her into the ground.

  Then, grabbing her leg, it smmed her into the stone floor repeatedly before sending her flying, crashing into the walls. It got ready to charge again, but the ground beneath it hummed as chains of fire sprang up, locking it down.

  Jade’s head spun as she pulled herself out of the crater. She coughed, adjusting her bearings, and saw the summon slowly breaking the chains.

  ‘That’s about right. I’m a ranged fighter; close combat isn’t my specialty.’ She spat blood, seeing the golem close to breaking the chains.

  She was strong, and her advantage was having more mana. The normal response would be to keep a good distance and wear it down with magic. But Jade wanted to show she could hold herself if forced into close combat.

  She ignited in her body, fring with a red aura, the heat reaching Martyn and the others.

  “Is that Embody Element?” Guild Leader Markus raised his brow.

  “Her magic is level 5,” Martyn nodded. ‘I wasn’t expecting her to learn it so soon or even apply it like that.’

  Amber stood in a small crater of intense heat, her feet up to her knees, hands to her elbows, and eyes glowing red like va. Embody Element was a sign one became an advanced mage; it granted stronger elemental magic, faster casting, and greater resistance.

  “But she’s using it to empower her body like a magic knight or warrior. When we fought, she summoned an elemental to cover for her strength,” Amber mumbled, watching the fight.

  The golem broke free, its body cloaked in mana. It dashed towards Jade. The goblin elite grinned and met the summon halfway. Their fists cshed, sparking the air. It followed with a swift kick to the face she blocked, grabbing its leg and throwing it into a wall.

  It bounced back, charging, and the two engaged in a close-up battle. Jade was holding her own. Each csh left sparks and explosions of fire in the air; every step left molten footprints.

  “It’s not well mastered; she’s draining mana thrice as fast as required,” Markus hummed.

  The fight continued, and with time, Martyn and Amber noticed Jade slowing down. After blocking a blow that sent her skidding back, she panted, sweat evaporating off her body.

  “Alright, that was good,” she smirked, though she acted alright, her body was hurting.

  As she snapped her molten fingers, a ring of fire formed beneath the golem. It jumped to escape but was held down by fming chains as multiple magic circles formed around it.

  “It’s over. Now, burn.”

  Multiple fming arrows solidified, their fmes burning more intensely, fueled by her mana. She released the spell, and all the projectiles moved in unison, drilling into the golem’s body before erupting into a pilr of fmes.

  “She’s stronger than I was expecting. Good thing I activated barriers around the arena,” Markus said.

  Jade released her form. Her body was sizzling with heat, and most of her armor was burned off.

  Martyn gulped, covering his mouth. ‘Damn, she’s hot right now.’

  Amber looked at Martyn with a bnk face, making him chuckle. She didn’t need the bond to read his mind. Once things settled down, Jade came back with a grin. The golem’s body was a puddle of molten stone.

  “Well done, you passed.” Markus smiled at Jade.

  Jade sighed happily, leaning into Martyn. She changed out of her armor into her casual clothes. “I’m tired. Please hold me,” she said cutely, hugging Martyn.

  “I’ll be going next,” Amber said, walking forward.

  “Should I fix the arena?” Markus asked.

  “No, it’s alright,” Amber smiled. “I’ll be quick.”

  “Have fun~” Jade cooed, jumping into Martyn’s arms.

  “Isn’t my armor making this uncomfortable?”

  “Nope~”

  Markus, ignoring the two lovers, snapped his fingers. A different circle formed, and from it, a being of pure energy emerged—a lightning elemental.

  “There’s no such thing as a lightning golem, only a lightning elemental, which isn’t that far off, considering golems and elementals are close retives,” Markus said.

  Jade’s ears perked up at that. ‘Do artificial golems count as monsters?’ An idea came to mind—something she’d have to look into ter. She tapped Martyn, asking him to put her down as her mind wandered.

  Amber stepped up to the lightning elemental. It was a clear magical disadvantage, but her body stayed rexed. With a deep breath, mana erupted from her body. A massive gust of wind and magical energy emanated from her as she transformed into her leviathan form.

  Mana seeped out of her body. The lightning elemental boomed, sending a lightning bolt towards her, but she jumped to the side, avoiding it. Amber’s mana filled the entire arena.

  Her leviathan mana in the atmosphere worked against the Elemental—a purely magical construct. Its body flickered, burning brighter, expending more energy to sustain itself in an environment resistant to its existence.

  Twirling her spear, she leaped at the summon, her bde coated in mana, and swung down. Its body crackled, hitting her with a thunderbolt.

  Amber crashed into the ground, grunting. She rose back up, rolling to the side to avoid a thunderbolt. The Elemental cpped its hands, opening them to form small electro balls.

  Amber weaved past the volley of projectiles, pulling out her shield. She coated it in mana to block the ones she couldn’t dodge. She closed the distance, conjuring a water serpent spell. The construct hissed, smming into the Elemental.

  The battle continued. Amber was doing better, blocking projectiles with her shield and striking back at the Elemental. She also took some heavy blows—a few lightning bolts and a chain of lightning spells that held her in pce, but she broke out of it.

  The Elemental was shrinking in size, unable to sustain itself with Amber’s abundant mana and assault. She whittled the monster down before it vanished from the arena. Her battle was shorter than Jade’s.

  She huffed, coming out of her leviathan form. Her armor was fine but scorched from the lightning. She stood tall and walked back to Martyn with a sultry smile. She wanted praise and was happy when he kissed her.

  “I wasn’t expecting such a spectacle. Pardon my intrusion into your personal life, but are you a dragonkin?” Markus said, eyeing Amber.

  “Yes, I am. Considering our strength, we’re comfortable talking about it if it becomes a topic of conversation. It’s not something we’ll openly share when asked,” Amber answered.

  “Amazing. I’ve only met two dragons in my life and one dragonkin. I’m honored to meet you,” Markus smiled, bowing slightly.

  Amber flushed at the gesture. “Oh, please don’t lower your head. You’re our guild leader,” she said.

  “Heh, true, but considering your strengths—to be well above ordinary B-ranked adventurers—you’re stepping into the world of the strong. And considering your levels too, you’ll easily become A-ranks,” he said.

  Martyn felt proud and, nodding, walked into the arena.

  “I think I can clear this in one minute,” Martyn said with a grin.

  Markus chuckled at his words. “Confindent, huh? Well, if you do, then congratutions.”

  “Heh, if he does, then I’ll do that thing that he wants,” Jade mumbled to Amber but froze, seeing Martyn’s ears perk up and thrill pour through their bond.

  “Fuck,” Jade cursed.

  Markus burst into ughter, summoning his final golem for Martyn. A rge thud echoed through the arena as a hulking mechanical golem twice his size stood in front of him. Its body whirred, coming to life, drawing a sword and shield, ready to fight.

  It took a step, and its body kneeled to the ground.

  Martyn’s body was coated in aura. His palm, open, was slowly closing as the golem creaked and snapped, unable to move. “Sorry, pal, but since we already know how this ends, let’s skip to the end.”

  Martyn felt his mana leave him—three hundred, one thousand, two, four thousand units of mana! The golem’s body creaked, imploding and scrunching into a heap of scrap.

  Martyn huffed, his body covered in sweat. He used too much mana in one go and was slowly feeling the effects of mana fatigue. His muscles stung, and his dragon heart grew tight, but other than that, he was still standing.

  It was over in under a minute. Amber came over, offering her shoulder for him to lean on, which he happily accepted.

  “Well, congratutions are in order. Rest well, and I hope to meet you again. And don’t worry about the arena; someone will come by and take care of it,” Markus said, handing Jade their new adventurer badges.

  “Thank you,” Jade smiled, looking at their new badges. She went up to Martyn and Amber, blushing. Martyn chuckled, saying nothing, and Amber activated a return stone, bringing them back to their room. The trio, after changing, colpsed on the bed, fatigued and wanting a quick nap.

  They snuggled into each other’s warmth recovering their energy. Tomorrow, their home would be complete, and after that, they had a monster to revisit.

  LesserCodex

  [Martyn, Level 3 (102/3,600), Css: Monster Tamer, Points: 0, Titles: 6, Skills: 17]? [Mana: 8,784/8,784] [Strength: 70] [Agility: 66] [Vitality: 72] [Arcana: 144] [Psyche: 72]

  ? [Skills: Dragon heart (1), Agility (6), Muscurity (5), Swordsmanship (5), Basic Magic (5), Strong Mind (7), Soulbond (4), Monstrous Talent (4), Biology (5), Cooking (4), Fast Healing (3), Spatial Appraisal (5), Inventory (5), Extrasensory (4), Space Magic (4), Iron Gut (1), Tinkering (3)]

  Titles: (C) Adventurer, Bookworm, Space Mage, Sage, Breacher, Arcane Resistant.

  [Amber, Level 3 (82/3,600), Css: Knight, Points: 3, Titles: 6, Skills: 7]? [Mana: 8,784/8,784] [Strength: 71] [Agility: 70] [Vitality: 72] [Arcana: 144] [Psyche: 72]

  ? [Skills: Leviathan heart (1) Leviathan body (1) Spear and Shield Mastery (4) Focused Mind (5) Water Magic (4) Linguistic (4) Extrasensory (5)]

  Titles: Leviathan-Kin, Bonded, (C)Rank Adventurer, Water Mage, Monster Girl, Arcane Resistant.

  [Jade, Level 3 (84/3,600), Css: Bcksmith, Points: 0, Title: 5, Skills: 9]? [Mana: 3,600/3,600] [Strength: 72] [Agility: 71] [Vitality: 73] [Arcana: 144] [Psyche: 70]

  ? [Skills: Mana Veins (5), Tough Body (5), Iron Gut (5), Tinkering (5), Archery (4), Enchantment (4), Fire Magic (5), Extrasensory (4), Focused Mind (3)]

  Titles: Artisan, Bonded, (C) Rank Adventurer, Fire Mage, Arcane Resistant.

  [colpse]