When the immense cloud of dust began to dissipate, the state of the battlefield became visible. What had once been a frozen garden was now transformed into chaos: melted water everywhere and small cracks on the ground forming patterns resembling the tracks of a giant bird? Everyone present was protected by a crystalline shield that Adia had summoned at the last moment, a bright and vibrant force field. She remained at the forefront, her staff firmly planted in front of her.
Adia, Ezequiel, and Gat watched in disbelief as the animal had caused such devastation. Only thanks to Eduard's insistence and the trust Adia placed in him, despite their shared past, had they managed to survive. "That was incredible," the onlookers murmured, their voices filled with awe. But then Eduard broke the silence: "Where is the doggy, Podbe?" All they could see was the robot bird lying motionless on the ground. Suddenly, Dior emerged from the rubble, his face covered in soot and an expression of overwhelming fury. In one hand, he held Podbe by the neck. "You, beast, have thwarted my plans for the last time," he growled in a deep, raspy voice. "It's time for you to die," he added, tightening his grip even more.
The children—Marie, Lidia, and Rino—along with the two scientists, slowly rose to their feet, their faces reflecting fear and helplessness. "Oh no! What does he plan to do with the poor dog?" they whispered anxiously. Podbe's companions began to move toward him, determined to free him before Dior's grip ended the hound's life. However, something strange was happening: Dior squeezed with all his might, but the dog seemed unaffected. "How can it be that you're not dying when I'm squeezing you with all my strength?" he shouted, now using both hands, yet still there was no result.
Podbe slowly turned his head toward Dior and looked at him with a defiant expression. Dior stepped back, frightened, and released the dog abruptly. Before he could react, Podbe delivered a direct headbutt to Dior's jaw, knocking him unconscious to the ground. With that blow, the steel bird was finally defeated. Upon defeating it, Podbe leveled up, recovering all his health points and mana to reach levees their maximum value of one hundred. Additionally, his hardness ability had made it impossible for Dior to harm him with the grip, and the blow he delivered was so powerful that it knocked him out instantly.
His companions ran toward Podbe, filled with joy and relief. Even the children approached to pet him, while Gin and Dani, who had initially distrusted the hound, now showed affection towards him. Marie observed him curiously, wondering what secret this dog held to possess such strength. Perhaps something in the object carried by Agent B-Twelve had granted the hound superpowers. She was lost in thought when Ezequiel called her, pulling her out of her trance.
"I see why this dog is so important to you," said Ezequiel, his tone filled with understanding. "He must hold the key to helping Nick." Marie nodded. "Perhaps. We'll need to run some tests when we get back to the base."
Although Podbe appeared to be in perfect condition—his wounds had vanished after leveling up—Eduard decided to give him a sip of his magical brew as a precaution. Meanwhile, Lidia instructed the children to search for the access card among the rubble. The three youngsters, led by Rino, set off in search of the precious object. "What do we do with this guy?" asked Gat, pointing to Dior, who lay unconscious with swirling eyes and missing a couple of teeth due to Podbe's blow. "I think he won't cause us any more trouble," Adia replied confidently.
The search team began inspecting every corner until Elena spotted a glimmer beneath one of the giant bird's wings. She approached cautiously and picked up the card. "Here it is," she announced, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Yes!" the other three cheered, thrilled by the discovery. "Great work."
With the card in their possession, everyone prepared to continue their journey. "But what's the way forward?" asked Marie, looking around. "Even though we've destroyed everything, I don't know where the exit is," admitted Adia. "Leave it to us," interjected Gin. "Dani and I will figure it out." "How can we trust you?" questioned Marie, crossing her arms. "This organization is falling apart," added Dani. "They jump ship quickly when things go south," remarked Lidia, her piercing gaze leaving the two scientists visibly nervous.
Swallowing hard, Gin and Dani responded, "Don't worry, we won't do anything harmful. After sharing these experiences, the company probably already considers us traitors, so we have no choice but to support you." "Fine," said Marie, though she still hesitated. "But take Rino with you." Rino muttered sarcastically under his breath, "Again in one day I'm going to be a babysitter, fantastic." "Did you say something?" asked Lidia, glaring at him. "No, no," he quickly replied, lowering his head and following the two scientists toward the control room, climbing the stairs that barely remained standing.
When they reached the top, they found the door partially open. Rino and Gin had to push hard to open it completely, and only Dani could squeeze through due to his shorter stature. Once inside, Dani began examining the control panels. He pressed a button, and sure enough, the cameras activated, showing all areas of the floor except where they were, as the explosion had destroyed those cameras. "Now, let's find the way out of here," said Dani, focused. The other two, holding the door open, urged him to hurry. "Patience, I don't know much about this panel; every floor is different," Dani replied, while Gin nodded in agreement.
After several failed attempts, during which he activated speakers and opened and closed doors, Rino lost his patience. "We've been at this for a while now, hurry up! We need to get to the top floor to find the child." "I'm coming!" Dani replied. Finally, he pressed a button that revealed a door identical to the one they had entered through. "Done, I found it," he announced with a triumphant smile, quickly exiting, while Rino and Gin let go of the door.
"Which way is it?" asked Rino. "According to the monitor map, it's through that wall," Dani replied, pointing to a blue wall. "But how are we supposed to get through there? We'll need something to break it, you big idiot!" Gin exclaimed, raising his voice. "Don't yell at me, I think I know who can do it," Dani responded, pointing to Podbe.
The three approached the group, and Gin addressed the hound, though staying behind Lidia out of distrust. "Little dog, can you destroy that wall? Well, not destroy it completely, just break through the outer layer since it's a hollow wall, but made of hard concrete."
The dog growled softly, but Adia stepped forward and asked him kindly. The hound trusted her and licked her hand in acceptance. First, he tried using his hardness ability, which was still active, but only managed to make a hole. Reia suggested, "Maybe you should use your other attack." "Alright," he said. "Firehead," and he charged at the wall, destroying it instantly. "It's incredible; I think combining Hardness and Firehead gives a stronger attack power." "So it seems," Reia commented.
Once the wall was demolished, a path became visible, and at its end stood a door. Everyone began walking toward it, and upon arriving, they saw the stairs leading downward. Meanwhile, Podbe and Reia conversed in their white space, reviewing system notifications on a screen.
"Congratulations, you're now level seven. You've earned one skill point, and thanks to the extra quest, you've unlocked a new attack called Golden Claw Slash," Reia informed him. "That sounds interesting," Podbe replied enthusiastically.
Reia continued, explaining: "When you use your claws, they glow golden like the sun and can cut through solid structures as if they were butter. But since it's still level one, I don't think it will be very powerful," she added, trying not to disappoint him.
"What about the skill point? Where should we assign it?" she asked to change the subject. "Let's put it into Vitality so we can move faster and maybe increase our Health Points," Podbe responded, his eyes wide and hopeful.
"Alright, but I'm not sure that it'll raise the health bar." Once assigned, there was no visible effect. Reia said nothing to avoid hurting the hound's confidence. Changing the topic again, she said, "Well, we're close to where Aiden is. We'll see each other soon." "Yes, that's right," the hound replied with a sincere smile.
Will they be able to save Aiden in time, or will someone—or something—stop them at the last minute? Join us in the next chapter.