In Ezra's Dungeon, they were collecting some loot.
"Ah, your Majesty, you really don't have to pick this up. We can do this on our own," Sorah said.
"Nah, we're the same here; just call me Ezra," he replied as he continued to help.
"Wow, the prince is not just good-looking but also good-hearted," one of his teammates said.
"Let's continue," Ezra commanded.
"So, Sorah, right?"
"Yes, your ma—I mean, Ezra."
"Wow, you're actually one of the top students without magic, huh?"
"Ahahaha, yes, by the power of money, I guess," Sorah replied.
"Sadly, both of us will not be the strongest," Ezra said, a hint of resignation in his voice.
"Well, don't say it like that. I mean, you're in the top 5," Sorah replied, trying to be encouraging.
"Yeah, but the gap between me and the top is too big. I'm just happy to be here," Ezra said, a smile masking his disappointment.
"Yeah, just happy to be here," Sorah added, sharing in the sentiment.
"Ackkkkkk," a goblin's cry echoed as the red-haired guy slayed it with his double swords.
"You're General Marcos's grandson, right?" Someone asked,
"Yes," Marcos answered, determination in his voice.
"I need to be at least in the top 5."
"You let an orphan outperform you!" His father had scolded him when they found out he was just in the top 10.
"I need to win," Marcos thought, pointing his sword at the goblin.
"Tremble, earth, obey my will, shatter the foe, and stand still."
"Ground pull!" An attack that only stunned one goblin, and he swiftly killed it.
"Sir William!" Mr. Clenthus and Mr. Volt bowed to Sir William.
"Thank you, good sirs," he responded with a bow.
"So, how are the students faring?" Mr. William asked,
"They've been in the dungeon for almost half an hour already," Mr. Clenthus replied.
"Are you here to watch who's the first one to finish it?" Volt inquired.
"Yes, and I want to know who's going to beat the record," Sir William said.
"You really think they can beat yours?" Mr. Volt asked,
"Of course, they are all stronger than we were at their age."
"Well, don't be too humble, Sir William. You were a prodigy back then," Mr. Clenthus said.
"Thank you, I guess," William replied modestly.
"Who do you think would win?" Mr. Volt asked,
"I bet Aethras's team," Clenthus said confidently.
"I made that team. They're balanced, and Aethra is a good damage dealer. They're all fast."
"How about Rethrus? He's the strongest," Mr. Volt questioned.
"Yeah, but his teammates are not that great. There are two support, two long-range, and a tank that might slow them down," Mr. Clenthus explained.
"You set it up, right?" Mr. Volt asked,
Clenthus smirked.
"If he's the strongest, he should not only be strong in power but in planning as well."
"Hmmm, you're right," Mr. Volt agreed.
"How about you, Sir William?"
"Oh, me? Of course, I'm supporting my brother," William said with a smile.
"Hooo, now that's tiring," Gareth said as they finished killing some ogres wielding bats.
"Why don't I feel any enjoyment? I mean, I'm stronger than any monster here, but I feel scared. I don't understand. Cloaking them with magic is so costly with mana. And the seal makes me think I'm not getting stronger this past week," Rethrus thought.
As they approached a room, a loud growl echoed from inside.
"It's the boss, right?" Cassia asked,
"Yes," Rethrus replied.
The roar scared the hell out of them, making them realize they were still just kids.
"Why am I scared? They're all counting on me," Rethrus thought.
"Let's go," he said, trying to sound confident.
"We're fine. We have the strongest here," they all thought as they entered the room filled with bones and dead grass.
The stench was overwhelming, but the room was spacious, with torches on the walls.
Suddenly, a big boulder was thrown at them, but Alaric tanked it.
A giant Cyclops with tusks stood before them. "Groarrrrrrrrr," the monster shouted.
"Formation!" Rethrus shouted. They all moved into formation, with Elizabeth in the middle and the others encircling her while Alaric took the front.
Gareth cast a spell, summoning more arrows, and Rethrus imbued them with magic. Cassia levitated the boulder the Cyclops had thrown at them earlier, but it dodged, throwing dust at them and obscuring their vision.
"The heck, a smokescreen," Rethrus thought. "Clear it, Cass!" He shouted,
She blew a strong wind, but the Cyclops was already in front of them, ready to punch the center.
Alaric jumped and caught the punch, but he was knocked back and injured.
Rethrus fired a Dark Blast at the Cyclops' face, hurting it and affecting its mental prowess for a minute.
"Barrier!" Rethrus shouted. Elizabeth created a barrier to protect Alaric.
The three, led by Rethrus, attacked the Cyclops simultaneously, while Elizabeth focused on healing Alaric.
"The heck, it deals only a little damage," Rethrus thought.
The monster only saw the mana of each of them and focused on Rethrus, who had the biggest mana pool.
Rethrus infused mana into his feet, dodging every punch the Cyclops threw. Each punch created a hole in the ground.
"I'm its target," he realized.
"Three Dark Novas combined would kill this monster instantly."
"Done!" Elizabeth shouted, and Rethrus, with the four shadow palms behind him, fired a Dark Blast, one of which hit the monster and disabled its ability to attack.
"Regroup!" he shouted.
"Here's the plan," he murmured to his teammates.
"Oh!" They agreed.
As the monster returned to its normal state, it realized the most significant mana source was gone.
Rethrus, at the back of the cave, used his staff to cast a Dark Nova.
Alaric jumped, shouting with his hammer as the monster dodged every attack. Elizabeth planted her staff in the ground, and Cassia threw boulders at the giant monster, but it was fast enough to dodge.
Rethrus finished a small Dark Nova, placing it in one shadow palm as he created another. The monster resisted attacking Alaric. As Alaric defended, he remembered the plan.
"I can kill that thing with one attack, but it's fast enough to dodge."
"We'll do our best, Rethrus. Take your time," Alaric thought as Gareth hit the Cyclops in its neck, causing it to shout in pain.
"Nice," Gareth said as the ground beneath him suddenly pushed him upward, hitting the monster's knees again.
As the monster recovered from its pain, Cassia released a Cyclone Bomb, which exploded after hitting the Cyclops, trapping it in the mud created by Elizabeth. The sticky mud immobilized the monster, giving Gareth a clear shot at its legs.
"Move!" Rethrus shouted as he fused the three Dark Novas into one. The powerful spell pulled everything around it, even though it wasn't that large.
"It's an overkill, but at least a sure kill," he thought as the Dark Nova hit the Cyclops' body.
A ripple of dark energy pulsed outward, and the air crackled with an unholy chill. The Cyclops let out a guttural roar, his massive body convulsing as a searing black hole ripped open his chest.
The monster's flesh vaporized, leaving only a gaping void that seemed to devour the light around it.
The Dark Nova, undiminished, plunged into the wall beyond, carving a deep, jagged chasm that stretched to the very depths of the dungeon. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sound of the Cyclops' head thudding heavily to the ground.
Everyone was shocked.
There was no explosion or anything; it just disappeared from existence as the head and lower part of the Cyclops fell to the ground. They were all scared, looking at Rethrus as if he were a monster.
"Gareth thought with a frightened expression, "My arrow can't even pierce without his magic."
"I can't take that," Alaric thought.
"Ackk, our son would be strong like him," Cassia thought.
"Wow, I thought Dark Nova only destroyed the surroundings," Elizabeth smiled while pressing Rethrus.
"Well, I just made it smaller, though," Rethrus said as Elizabeth looked at him with admiration.
"Come on, let's pick it up. Damn, I really used most of my mana on them," he added.
As they picked up the Cyclops' head, they also found its bag containing some kind of artifacts.
"I guess we're all set, right?" Rethrus asked,
"Right," they answered in unison.
"Cass!" Rethrus looked at Cassia.
"Aye," she understood already.
"Winds uplift my body light; carry us high in your airy flight."
Elizabeth, Gareth, and Cassia started floating, while Rethrus and Alaric became lighter.
"Rethrus' mana is too heavy to carry, and Alaric is just heavy," Cassia said.
"Ouch, that hurt a little," Alaric said.
"Let's go!" Rethrus urged as they swiftly left the dungeon.
"Rethrus really makes us feel safe," Elizabeth thought as she watched Rethrus skipping in the front, a shadow palm on his back carrying the sack.
"He knows how to lead. He's like our big brother," Gareth said.
"Ekkkk, he's so mature! My type," Cassia said, her eyes twinkling with admiration.
"I thought he was just being overhyped," Alaric thought.
"He really is our strongest," they all thought in unison.
"Let's go," Aethra said as they finished killing an archer monster.
"We finished it in under an hour. We're going to break the record and be the first ones to finish," Jinne said excitedly.
"Nah, I think Rethrus is already there too," Aethra said, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"I wish we were the first ones," he thought.
"You know, you're right. Now some of his powers are sealed. Aethra, don't overhype him and believe in yourself," Suryu said. "Besides, we're all fast."
"That's true," Aethra agreed as they made their way out of the dungeon.
"Congratulations, you beat the record with 58 minutes!" Clenthus said with a smile, welcoming Aethra and his group.
"You're the second ones to be here." As they looked at the group on the first dungeon, they saw it had become brown and lifeless, symbolizing it as a dead dungeon.
The dungeon dies if there's no living thing inside, meaning you really have to kill everything in there for the dungeon to die.
They saw the Cyclops' head being held by Mr. Volt, realizing that they had fought an archer monster.
"Rethrus' dungeon was much harder," Aethra thought. He smiled and accepted it.
"At least we're second."
1. Rethrus—48 minutes
2. Aethra—58 minutes
3. Jasper: 1 hour and 20 minutes
4. Ezra—1 hour and 45 minutes
5. Surprisingly, Philiam's group. 2 hours
"Damn it, we're sixth," Leo said annoyingly while the gang reunited.
"Well, it's your fault for not following the plan," Rina said.
"I said, just follow me," Leo replied.
"As if we're all as fast as you," Lumine said.
"At least we're fine," Finn said.
"Yeah, we all broke the record, right?" Haldrin said.
"Yeah, at least we beat the old record."
"Wassup, brother?" Philiam greeted Sir William.
"Wow, congrats," William said with a smile to Philiam.
"Nah, no need. I always knew I'd surpass you," Philiam said arrogantly.
"Hahaha, you just have a strong party," William said as he combed Philiam's hair.
Then William went to Rethrus's group. The gang was shocked as a man with one arm approached them.
They all bowed. "Good day, Sir William."
"Haha, good day to you too. I'm glad that you all surpassed us," William said.
"Thank you, sir," they replied.
"I hope the kingdom makes good use of you in the future. Especially you two," he said, looking at Rethrus and Aethra.
"Well, that's all," and William went with Philiam.
"He's so handsome," Rina thought. "Yeah, he is," Aiko said.
"Hey, what are you going to do with your money, Aiko?" Leo asked.
"None of your business since you lost," Aiko taunted Leo, laughing.
"I have money already. Well, I can ask Rethrus to join me in buying some equipment since we're both mages," Elizabeth thought as she approached Rethrus.
"Congratulations, Rethrus!" Lumine suddenly jumped and clung to Rethrus.
"Thank you, Lumine," Rethrus said with a smile, looking at Lumine.
"Want to go out with me later?" Rethrus asked,
"Ohm," Lumine answered.
Elizabeth stood still, unsure of what to say.
"Want to go with us?" Aethra asked Elizabeth. "Suryu and I are going to buy some equipment."
"Sure," Elizabeth answered.
"Hey, stop clinging to me so much. How can I find my girlfriend if you're always like this with me?" Rethrus joked.
"Then you don't have a girlfriend yet," Lumine said, still clinging to Rethrus.
"Fine, fine," Rethrus relented.
"So, how was your first dungeon?" He asked,
"Fine, but scary," Lumine replied.
"Were you hurt?"
"Yes, but Rina healed me."
"Now that's good to hear."
"Rethrus, how much did you get?"
"Oh, Mr. Clenthus gave us all the money from that dungeon since we were first, so it's kind of a lot."
"Huh? Buy me any food I like, okay?" Lumine said,
"Sure!" Rethrus replied, combing Lumine's hair gently.
Back in his room, Rethrus collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He gazed at the sun setting through his window, the warm hues casting a serene glow over the room. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Nice," he whispered.
His mind drifted to the battle. "I didn't get a scratch, but I don't feel satisfied. It's like I know my goal—to defend this kingdom." He thought of General Chan, remembering how he had healed him. "I'm indebted to him."
"But why did I feel scared? I can handle it. It's easy to take it all without my allies. Yet, I'm not enjoying this. I always win, but I don't understand. If I were in my world, I'd be peaking in high school right now. Better get ready for Lumine later."
He donned a pair of long pants and a black shirt, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"What should we eat? Hmm, now I can finally treat Uncle Rob."
As he walked outside, he spotted a pretty girl waving at him from afar. She wore a flowing, knee-length dress in a soft pastel blue with intricate lace details on the sleeves and hem. Her hair was adorned with delicate, silver hairpins that sparkled in the light.
"Hey, you're so fancy," Rethrus called out.
"And you're so normal," Lumine replied with a playful grin.
"Hey," Rethrus said, chuckling.
"Let's go," she said, linking her arm with his.
"Uhm, sir," the guard asked. "What time will you be back?"
"Hmmm, 12?"
"But?"
"Let him. He's the strongest in the future," the other guard whispered.
"Uh, okay, sir. Be careful."
"Ehe, your status really has some perks," Lumine said.
"Is that why you came with me?" Rethrus teased,
"Hehe, one of the reasons," Lumine admitted. "The other is I want to eat outside food. School food is so boring."
"Okay, okay, ahahaha. Let's go here," Rethrus said, leading her to Rob's restaurant.
"Oh, it's you," Rob greeted. "And you brought your girlfriend?"
"Hahaha, yes, "my girlfriend," Rethrus replied, laughing along with Rob.
"Hey I'm not his Girlfriend!" Lumine pouting.
Hahahhaha My bad, my bad,"Rob laughingly replied
They took a seat by the window, where the evening light bathed the table in a warm glow. The aroma of freshly cooked dishes filled the air, making their stomachs rumble in anticipation.
"What do you want to eat?" Rethrus asked, glancing at the menu.
"I want to try everything!" Lumine exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Let's start with some appetizers then," Rob suggested.
"How about some garlic bread and calamari?" He added.
"Sounds perfect," Lumine agreed, nodding enthusiastically.
As they waited for their food, they chatted about their day and the challenges they faced in the dungeon. When the appetizers arrived, Lumine eagerly dug in, savoring each bite.
"This is so good," Lumine said, her eyes lighting up with delight.
"I'm glad you like it," Rethrus replied, watching her with a smile.
The main courses soon followed, and they shared plates of pasta, steak, and grilled vegetables. Rethrus gently patted Lumine's back as she choked on her food, while Rob chuckled at the scene.
"Thank you for the food," they said in unison as they left the restaurant, Lumine being carried on Rethrus' back.
"I haven't met your son since I got busy," Rethrus mentioned.
"It's fine. I hope you two become friends," Rob replied.
"Ahh, I'm full," Rethrus thought, feeling the weight of Lumine on his back. He looked upward, pondering the expectations placed on him.
"I never thought about how impactful it would be if we lost. I'm glad we won, even if my heart wasn't all in that dungeon."
"Rethrus?"
"Hmmm?"
"Thank you."
"Ohm, you're welcome, Lumine."
"You're heavy, by the way."
"Hey!"
"AH-HAH-HAHA, just relax back there."
As they approached the school, Lumine stirred and woke up.
"Rethrus, put me down. I know you're tired," she said softly.
Rethrus gently set her down, and they continued walking together, a comfortable distance between them. The quiet night air created a sense of calm, yet something lingered in the space between them.
In that gap of distance between Rethrus and Lumine, Elizabeth stood waving at them, her silhouette framed by the dim light. She and the others had just returned from their shopping trip with Suryu and Aethra.
"Hey, how was your shopping trip?" Rethrus called out, his voice breaking the silence as he noticed the bags Elizabeth and the others were carrying.
"It was great! We found some amazing equipment," Elizabeth replied, her eyes momentarily lingering on the space between Lumine and Rethrus. The brief look in her eyes hinted at unspoken thoughts.
"How about you two? Did you have a good time?" She added, her curiosity evident.
"Yeah, we had a blast. And I'm stuffed," Lumine added, patting her stomach with a contented sigh.
At the palace, the news about the new generation surpassing Sir William's record was on the front page of the paper. King Darrios grinned as he read it.
"Yes, that's it, Rethrus, dominate," he said, a sense of pride in his voice. "Stay focused too, Ezra, there, son," he added, directing his words to Ezra.
Tok, tok, tok! The sound of knocking echoed through the room.
"Sorry for disturbing you, Your Majesty," a voice called out from the other side of the door.
"I guess our awaited guest has arrived," Jeshur said.
"Oh, send him in," King Darrios replied.
The door opened, and a man with a katana appeared.
"Darrios, you've gotten fat," he remarked.
"I'm a king now, you know, Takashi," King Darrios responded with a grin.
"Hairst, yes, I guess you are King Darrios," Takashi replied, shaking his head.
"Should we officially announce it?" Jeshur inquired.
"I guess it's time to announce it officially," King Darrios agreed.
The alliance between Avaloria and Starling was solidified as the two men shook hands, marking the beginning of a new era.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Avaloria, Prince General Ezekiel was being treated well by King Ryou of Avaloria. The hospitality extended to him was a sign of respect and the growing bond between their kingdoms.