CHAPTER 39
I'm just kidding, hindi na pala nag-black out hehe.
The mana-beast's claws slammed again into Silas' barrier, webbing it with cracks. Sweat slid down his brow as he gritted his teeth. "One more hit and this thing is going down."
Sorayael's eyes darted across the space, the uneven ground, the stalactites above, the exposed crystal veins in the walls glowing with latent energy. Her voice rang clear, composed despite the pressure.
Marie slammed her staff into the ground, chanting in a low, precise rhythm. The earth trembled. Green light burst from cracks in the floor as thorned vines shot upward, wrapping around the beast's limbs. It thrashed, snarled, trying to tear itself free.
Silas pivoted quickly, magic flaring between his hands. A translucent wall shimmered into being right as the tail struck, absorbing the blow with a satisfying thrum.
A stream of spiraling fire surged from her palm, weaving through the air like a striking serpent. It hit the beast square in the exposed underbelly, scorching it and making it rear back with a guttural scream.
With a sharp nod, Marie extended her hand. The stone beneath her rippled, and sharpened spikes of earth burst upward like jagged spears. One grazed the beast's side; another sank into its shoulder. It howled in fury.
It lunged again-more reckless, more wounded.
Already moving, Silas cast a glowing sigil beneath their feet. "Done!"
The beast lunged-
Flames erupted in a circle around the beast, forming searing bars that held it in place just long enough for Marie to send another volley of rock bullets into its face. One struck the eye. The beast shrieked.
Then it collapsed. The vines tightened, and the creature dropped with a final, heaving groan.
Silence settled, broken only by their panting breaths.
They exchanged glances.
Silas dropped to one knee, hands on the ground, catching his breath. "That... was intense."
Marie looked up with a small smile. "Not bad for our first dungeon, huh?"
Sorayael nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "We made it through."
But somewhere, deep in the cavern behind them...
Another growl rumbled. Sorayael turned slowly. The light at the end of the tunnel flickered again.
The artificial dungeon pulsed with ambient mana, its conjured walls alive with faint, arcane veins of magic. Zarethian stood still, eyes narrowing as the faint glow of heat shimmered at his fingertips. On one hand, he gripped his sword, -a sleek obsidian blade etched with Aethenroth-forged sigils.
Beside him, Karsen shifted his stance, sword already drawn. Unlike Zarethian, there was no magic swirling in his veins, only honed skill, discipline, and raw combat experience. He didn't speak much, but his focused gaze said enough, "ready"
Celene trailed her fingers along the dungeon's wall, water rippling behind her like a sentient stream.
Unlike the two swordsmen, her magic was graceful-flowing, precise, and deceptively powerful.
With a flick of her wrist, droplets gathered mid-air, hovering like a curtain of silver needles awaiting command.
A low growl echoed from deeper within the tunnel.
Zarethian's fire coiled tighter around his free hand. "Good. I need something to vent on."
Celene's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Just don't burn the whole tunnel down."
They rounded the corner and the creature leapt.
A chimera, fangs bared and claws like hooked blades, launched at them from the darkness.
In a breath, Zarethian was already moving his sword meeting its claws in a shower of sparks as a flame burst erupted from beneath his boots, propelling him upward.
The moment he flipped midair, he twisted metal magic into his blade, forcing it to elongate like a spear.
It pierced through one of the chimera's shoulder joints, searing muscle and bone.
Karsen didn't wait. He dashed low and fast, slicing at the beast's hind legs with terrifying accuracy. His blade flashed in a clean arc, disabling the creature's footing.
Celene swept her arms outward, a torrent of pressurized water spiraling toward the beast's snout. It howled, temporarily blinded, thrashing wildly. She stepped back, weaving a water shield in front of Karsen as the beast tried to retaliate with a tail swipe.
Celene raised a palm, condensing the water around the chimera's legs, freezing them with an audible crack. "Now, Zarethian!"
With a burst of fire-infused mana, Zarethian surged forward, his blade glowing crimson-hot. He thrust it into the beast's chest, the magical metal piercing through with brutal finality.
The chimera collapsed with a heavy thud, smoke curling from its scorched wounds.
They stood still for a breath, the silence ringing in their ears.
Zarethian didn't answer, eyes already scanning deeper into the dungeon.
Somewhere in the distance, a new sharper mana signature flared.
Zacchaeus ran after Ravelia, practically skipping as he tried to keep up with her brisk pace. "You know," he chirped, "if we die here, it's technically your fault. Because someone refused to have a team meeting."
Ravelia didn't even glance back. "Keep talking and I'll make sure you fall into the next pit trap."
She spun on her heel suddenly, making Zacchaeus skid to a halt to avoid colliding into her.
He blinked. "To not die alone in a stone labyrinth of death?"
A sharp sigh escaped her lips. She turned again and began walking, though slower this time, reluctantly allowing him to follow.
The path twisted downward, moss-covered stone lit with occasional glowing crystals.
Magical traps had clearly been triggered-some shattered, some scorched-but whoever had passed through here before them had left a trail of disruption.
And it didn't look like a student group.
Ravelia coughed beside him, already sitting up and inspecting the chamber. "Get up, sunshine. Something's not right-"
Before she could finish, the wall ahead of them shifted, revealing none other than Kieran, standing at the opposite end of the room, sword in hand, eyes narrowing the moment he saw them.
Kieran's glare turned pointed. "What did I say about following me?"
Ravelia, arms crossed, took a deep breath. "We're wasting time. This room... it's a trap."
As if on cue, chains shot from the walls like snakes, slamming into the stone floor and encircling them in a tight perimeter. A magic sigil ignited above, pulsing with mana, an artificial summoning ring.
From the center of the circle, a beast began to form. Stone plates layered over each other, shaped like a wolf but the size of a horse, with glowing blue eyes and jaws that steamed with stored heat. A Construct Alpha.
Kieran stepped forward, blade flaring with fire. "We're going to have to fight together."
Ravelia didn't reply, but her magic already sparked in her hands, icy mist creeping toward the ground.
Zacchaeus gulped and raised both palms. "Okay! I'll do what I do best-panic and heal everyone who gets bit!"
The three of them fell into a chaotic rhythm, their teamwork barely holding through the tension, but somehow, against all odds, they didn't kill each other.
Not yet, anyway.
Crystals floated midair, each one displaying a different group of students as they traversed the labyrinthine dungeon below.
Professors, robed and sharp-eyed, stood in a semicircle, murmuring among themselves while jotting down notes onto magical slates.
The large circular hall buzzed with energy-eager upperclassmen lined the balcony's edge, observing the underclassmen's progress like hawks watching fresh prey.
From the balcony above, whispers broke out among upperclassmen in hushed excitement.
In another projection, Zacchaeus' group was mid-chaos, yet somehow not dying.
The students on the balcony murmured again.
In a quiet corner, hidden from most of the conversation, Azi leaned against the shadowed archway. He said nothing, but his ocean-blue eyes were locked onto the projection showing Sorayael.
She stood like she belonged in command-sharp-eyed, movements crisp, her mana controlled. Even now, guiding Silas and Marie through their next maneuver, she remained collected, unshaken by pressure.
Someone beside Azi whispered, "Sorayael Elaris... she's not just promising. She's terrifying."
Azi gave a breath of a smile, subtle and fond, lips twitching as if suppressing something warmer. He tilted his head, watching the crystal projection shift again as she began carving a new incantation mid-run.
'Of course she is, that's my Feifei,' he thought.
She wasn't just a golden-eyed girl from a burned-down past. She was a storm with purpose and soon, the world would be watching her.
Azi's eyes softened.