Kier stood before the massive stone doors that marked the boss chamber, their surface etched with faint runes pulsing like veins of dim light. He turned, resting a hand on the hilt of his rapier.

  “Shall we go inside?”

  “What?” Suri blinked at him, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and accusation.

  Boris barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “We’re a bit crazy, Sir Kier, but not that crazy.”

  Kana’s voice was calm but firm. “That was never the plan. Just thinning the dungeon’s monsters and getting familiar with the terrain. We’ll return next week with the same routine.”

  Suri shivered visibly, then forced a bright smile. “Uhm, I don’t ever want to see those wriggling things again. Maybe tell the duke to buy another dungeon. I bet he’s rich enough.” She tilted her head toward Kier, her grin mischievous. “And if you’d be so kind, please pass that along.”

  Kier stared at them—these children who had handled monsters most copper-ranked adventurers would avoid—yet who spoke with more experience than him, he was confused for a moment. He felt an odd mix of relief and embarrassment, a heat rising to his face. Am I really the odd one? What in the world had possessed him to even consider opening that boss door? They were still just kids. Capable, terrifyingly so… but still young.

  But it felt like they had a chance, a good chance to defeat the dungeon boss.

  …..

  After hours of cold wind biting at their cloaks, the city walls finally rose in the distance. The line to enter was shorter than Kana remembered from a few months ago—likely winter’s fault, keeping most travelers at home.

  The guards at the gate shivered in their posts, checking documents with stiff fingers. One of them straightened when he saw Leo’s seal of identity, then snapped a salute before waving them through.

  After a few moments, Kier pulled back on his reins as they entered the central district, his horse snorting white puffs into the air. “I suppose this is where we part ways. I’ll see you again if I get hired for your next raid. I’ve got other appointments.”

  “Noble duties,” Leo muttered on the side, grunting as though the words weighed heavier than his pack.

  “We should buy something for them,” Suri said suddenly, glancing at Kana and Boris. “Food.”

  “I actually agree with Suri this time,” Boris added with a hopeful grin. “Maybe we can convince Auntie Shar to cook for us?”

  Kana tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Meat. We’re going with meat this time. Their bodies need it.” Her eyes flicked to Suri who was grinning. “Your mother is the better cook.”

  “I thought you wanna cook again. But then again, I miss my mother’s cooking already,” Suri said, licking her lips with a grin.

  Kana’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Just make sure she doesn’t put anything strange in it.”

  …..

  The sun was up yet its heat seemed not reaching the ground, the streets still clung to the pale chill in the middle of the day. Frost clung to the leaves, and their breaths drifted white as they made their way through the central market district.

  One shop in particular caught their attention. A woman stood in front, apron already stained from the morning’s work, a thick fur wrapped snugly around her shoulders. She rubbed her arms, exhaling into her cupped hands before stretching with a yawn.

  “Oh, it’s Yuri’s mother,” Boris said, noticing her first.

  Suri raised a hand and shouted, “Auntie!”

  Asha stiffened, eyes darting. She waved both hands quickly in front of her, a sharp motion that clearly meant don’t. But the trio ignored it, already making their way through the crunch of snow toward her stall.

  “Did you forget?” Asha whispered harshly once they were close enough. “We don’t know each other. Outside. Remember?”

  “We’re here to buy meat,” Suri said lightly, her breath misting in front of her. “And it’s not strange to know someone if her daughter is also in the academy. We’re classmates in some subjects.”

  Kana’s eyes flicked to the butcher’s sign, then back to Asha. “With your magic, you’re probably helping preserve the meat. But with this weather, I doubt that’s necessary.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “You’re sharp as your blade,” Asha chuckled, tapping her apron with a small smirk. The dark stains there were already stiff in the cold. “Can’t you see? I’m a butcher today.”

  She raised her hand and shaped a thin blade of ice, the edges so fine they caught the faint sunlight like glass. “These cut cleaner than any knife.”

  Suri and Boris leaned forward, eyes wide, almost forgetting the cold for a moment. “Ohhh.”

  The shop was already busy, the air filled with the tang of raw blood and the smoky bite of firewood burning nearby. Hooks groaned under the weight of hanging cuts, some steaming faintly in the frigid air, others laid out neatly on the long wooden table.

  Kana and Boris sat at a side bench, shaking off the cold, while Suri prowled between the tables with a sharp eye, pointing out cuts with the precision of someone who knew exactly what she wanted. Kana though was covering her nose. It was one of those moments she hated her [High Awareness] skill.

  “You’ve got an eye for it,” Asha said as Suri dropped a particularly fine cut into the basket.

  “I bet she’s better than you,” Boris muttered, earning an immediate glare from Suri.

  “I agree,” Kana added. “It’s her specialty.”

  Asha frowned as Suri stacked another slab onto the pile. “This is quite a lot. Planning to feed the whole academy before lunch?”

  Suri gave a satisfied nod, her grin visible even in the pale cold light. “Something like that. Though half of it’s for me.”

  …

  Kana rented a small wagon to haul the meat and supplies for the orphanage, though she kept part of the heavier stock sealed neatly away in her [Inventory]. Boris had been assigned as the coachman, reins in hand, while Suri lounged at the back, legs swinging, her [Blue Eye Staff] propped lazily against the cart’s side.

  Halfway down the frost-bitten road, Suri snapped her fingers. A shimmer of light rippled into the air as her illusion solidified into glowing letters—the god’s text, replicated perfectly.

  [Skills: 1 point remaining. Please select one skill to evolve.]

  Illusion Call lvl 2

  Greater Mana Manipulation

  Doppelganger

  “That one’s asking which skill you want to evolve,” Kana explained, leaning closer.

  Suri tilted her head. “Right.. then I’ll just pick the one I’ve already grown from.”

  Kana hesitated. “Are you sure? Evolved [Greater Mana Manipulation] could reduce your mana cost by a lot—and probably improve your mana control too.”

  “You sound like you’re reading from a dusty library shelf. So boring.” Suri grinned, tapping the illusion. “My gut says evolve the same favorite skill.”

  Suri remade the illusion hovering in the air, a new line of script unfolded:

  [Greater Illusion Call – Mana consumption reduced by 50%. New ability unlocked: You may transform a portion of an illusion into a physical object for up to one minute (limited to half your current body size).]

  Kana blinked, impressed. “Looks like you made the right choice. Half the cost—and you can solidify your illusions half of your size in under a minute.”

  “That sounds like a cheat to me,” Boris whistled from the driver’s bench, “When will I get another skill to evolve?”

  Suri only smirked and summoned another shimmering text.

  “How about this? There’s a lot more than before..”

  [Select 1 New Illusionist Skill to Acquire:]

  Hypnotize

  Swords Illusion

  Thousand Face

  Mental Shield

  Illusion Zone

  Dazzling Light

  Nightmare Illusion

  Disrupt Senses

  Before Kana could open her mouth, Boris suddenly yanked the reins tight. The wagon screeched to a halt, horses rearing.

  “Something’s coming,” he muttered.

  Kana stood, her hood slipping back. “It’s that scarecrow again. And now it’s got a friend.”

  Two twisted figures lurched from the treeline, their limbs jerking unnaturally, straw bleeding from the seams of their stitched skin. Their eyes burned red in the winter gloom.

  “Let’s pin them down,” Kana ordered. “Suri will finish it.”

  Boris caught the spear Kana tossed him from her [Inventory]. The pair leaped from the wagon in unison, clashing steel against warped limbs. The air filled with sparks as Boris drove the spear into one scarecrow’s chest, while Kana’s blades slashed in rapid arcs at the other. The monsters reeled, staggering, but their movements were trained, not to mention all cuts were simply regenerating.

  “They’re holding back,” Kana realized, eyes narrowing.

  “There’s someone behind us.” She flicked a glance over her shoulder.

  Suri focused, her staff glowing. An illusion flared to reveal a grinning face framed in shadow. A man, gaunt and ragged, with a painted crimson smile stretched grotesquely across his lips.

  “It’s Balt,” Suri hissed. “The smiling man. He’s still alive. I’ll disrupt him—”

  Too late.

  Kana and Boris realized the scarecrows weren’t trying to kill them. They were pulling them away. Herding them.

  Balt slowed his charge, stopping at the perfect distance. His grin widened as he unfurled a cracked scroll, whispering the words.

  “[Teleportation]”

  The air twisted. Suri and Balt simply vanished.