The fee was one silver coin to exit the wall—and another to return through the hidden entrance.
Beyond the kingdom’s walls, the world felt different. No crowds, no lantern lights, only a biting wind and the still, heavy silence of the wilderness. Darkness stretched in every direction. Suri took the lead, her steps sure, guiding them toward the low-to-mid level dungeon she had discovered before from her summons.
Kana walked beside her, every sense on edge, eyes scanning for movement. Boris marched just behind them, his spear already in hand.
Their pace was fast, and though the walk took nearly an hour, none of them showed signs of slowing. The raids in the dungeon had toughened them beyond what training ever could.
They stopped at a small, moonlit lake located near the foot of a jagged mountain range. The water shimmered with an unnatural light at its center, glowing faintly beneath the surface.
“There,” Suri pointed toward the glowing spot. “We dive in from there. That’s the entrance.”
They stripped down to their light gear, stuffing heavier armor and supplies into Kana’s [Inventory] for later. One by one, they dove in. Suri and Boris struggled to dive deeply, their bodies rising too quickly—until Kana grabbed both of them and pulled them down.
As they descended into the glow, the dungeon swallowed them.
The moment they emerged inside, Boris and Suri gasped for breath, while Kana calmly exhaled—already scanning the area. They stood inside a vast underground cavern. The walls glistened with sapphire-like stones, casting a cool blue glow across the rough floor. Water dripped slowly from unseen cracks in the ceiling, echoing faintly in the distance.
It was quiet. Too quiet. Kana sensed nothing nearby.
They took a moment to prepare.
Suri equipped her staff and strapped the light oval shield to her arm. Boris donned his high-quality armor and gripped his spear tightly. Kana readied her bow and checked the quiver on her back. Her armor was a blend—light for mobility but reinforced where it mattered. Two daggers sat in holsters at her hips.
One final glance passed between them.
And then they stepped deeper into the dungeon.
….
As they ventured deeper into the glowing cave, something caught their eye—a large, translucent bubble, nearly the size of a person, pulsating faintly in the dim light.
“What is this?” Boris asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He reached out and touched it with his hand.
The bubble shuddered—and in an instant, swallowed him whole.
Boris flailed inside, thrashing and trying to break free, but the jelly-like mass clung tightly to him. He was gasping for air, his muffled cries lost inside the gelatinous body.
Suri laughed at first. “Boris, what are you—” But her smile dropped. “Wait. He’s actually stuck!”
Thinking fast, she raised her hand. With a flash of water like magic, she summoned a mass of swirling liquid—forcing it into the bubble like a surge of pressure. The slime rippled violently, letting out a faint grunt, as if it could feel pain. The water blast worked—Boris was ejected with a wet splatter onto the dungeon floor, coughing and soaked.
“Next time,” Suri smirked, “use your spear, not your hand.”
“Read about these in the book, Dungeon Monsters,” Kana said, her eyes narrowing. “They’re called slimes—but they shouldn’t be this big. We need to find its core and destroy it, or it’ll just regenerate like one of Suri’s summons.”
Not wasting a second, Boris stood, grabbed his spear, and launched into action. [Consecutive Spear Strikes]
He thrust again and again, his movements a blur of trained aggression. Then, with a shout, he followed up with a single powerful [Spear Strike], landing a direct hit. He even tried [Giant Spear] But the slime simply reformed. The damage vanished almost immediately, as though nothing had happened.
Suri chuckled behind him. “You done yet?”
Kana, meanwhile, wasn’t focused on attacking. She observed every shift in the slime’s body, narrowing her eyes.
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“There…” she whispered.
She pulled an arrow from her quiver and drew her bow, watching as the faint glimmer of a coin-sized core shifted within the slime—darting just slightly to avoid Boris' spear thrusts.
The core moved again—and Kana loosed her arrow. It struck dead center.
The slime let out a low whine before deflating into a puddle.
“That’s how it’s done, Boris.” Suri teased, grinning.
“I weakened it for her,” Boris grumbled.
“I wouldn’t have hit the core if you hadn’t made it move,” Kana said diplomatically.
“See? Teamwork!” Boris said, proudly thumping his chest.
But their moment was cut short—another slime slid toward them from deeper in the cave. It was smaller this time, but just as eager.
“Let me try something,” Suri said.
She lifted her staff, and a mass of colored water—shimmering like a blanket of light—formed in the air and dropped over the slime. The water shifted, rippling strangely.
“Found it.”
A sharp burst of pressure cracked through the slime. Its core shattered, and the creature collapsed into a formless heap.
“That’s how you do it,” Suri said, turning to Boris with a triumphant grin.
Boris grunted.
Kana crouched over the remains. “These slimes… they’re made almost entirely of mana.”
“Yeah,” Suri agreed, frowning thoughtfully. “It feels like pure mana formed into a body.”
…..
They encountered a few more slimes after that, but they were no longer a threat.
Suri’s summon—a shimmering, shifting blanket of colored water—proved to be the perfect counter. It searched and destroyed the slime cores with precise efficiency. While Kana still relied on sharp focus and keen observation, Suri’s magic could finish the job in a single motion.
Because of that, the raid went faster than expected.
Eventually, they arrived at a massive double door—larger and more ornate than anything they had seen in the dungeon so far. That could only mean one thing.
“The floor boss,” Kana said.
When the doors creaked open, what greeted them was unexpected—a giant crowned slime, towering with a body almost the size of an inn. The crown sat on top like a mockery of royalty, glinting in the dim dungeon light.
“Whoa,” Boris muttered, then stepped forward. “I’ll pull its attention.”
He charged in bravely, baiting the massive slime to focus on him. The creature responded by lurching forward, its entire body swaying in waves.
Kana nocked an arrow and fired—only to see it bounce off harmlessly, as if the slime’s body was made of rubber.
“No good,” she called. “It’s resisting!”
“I need time,” Suri said, her voice steady as she raised both arms.
She summoned a large version of her signature magic—an enormous sheet of multicolored water that stretched like a living net. It hovered, then dropped over the slime like a veil, sinking and shifting until it appeared to shrink under it.
“It’s hiding the core deeper this time,” she muttered, concentrating hard. Her summon writhed, contorting to follow the elusive target.
Then, a flicker of movement—Suri’s eyes lit up.
“Found it!”
With a single sweeping motion, her summon sliced through the slime.
The crowned creature let out a low, warbling moan before collapsing in on itself, its crown falling with a soft clang.
[You have leveled up!]
Kana heard the divine machine voice echo in her mind.
“That’s it?” she said, frowning. “Only one level?”
“Same,” Boris added. “I expected more. That thing was huge.”
They searched the room boss for loot, but this time, the boss left nothing behind. No treasures. No weapons. Not even a single coin.
“Weird,” Suri muttered, glancing around the slowly crumbling chamber. The walls trembled—another sign the dungeon was about to close.
“Let’s move,” Kana ordered.
They sprinted for the exit, making it out just as the cave’s glow began to dim.
By the time they emerged, the first light of dawn was breaking over the horizon.
“Classroom after lunch?” Kana asked, already rubbing her eyes. “I need sleep first.”
Suri let out a long yawn. “Same here. That spell drained me.”
Boris didn’t argue.
They returned through the secret passage. The guards at the final checkpoint blinked in surprise at their mud-streaked clothes and tired faces—but said nothing. Suri handed over three silver coins, and the heavy door creaked open once again.
Back near the abandoned building, they noticed familiar faces. Other students—some third or fourth-years—were returning at the same time, just as haggard, just as silent though they were clean compared to the trio. Nobody spoke as if its It was an unwritten rule. What happened beyond stayed there.
[Name: Kana]
[Level: 19]
[Title: Incomplete Transcender]
[Stats:]
Strength: 37
Agility: 54
Intelligence: 42
HP: 66/66
Mana: 76/76
[Skills:]
[Marksmanship]
[High Awareness]
[Dagger Assault]
