Two healing potions left. No more stupid risks from now on, Lev thought, flying deeper in a straight line again. Since the only evolvable skill had evolved, he no longer had any qualms about fighting like a mage.

  His archery skill was stubbornly refusing to show any signs of mellowing out, so Lev just had to bear with it for now. If nothing worked out, adding intricately enchanted arrows and lances into the mix would turn the skill into something entirely new. That was acceptable too.

  With all his senses peeled to track any sort of movement, it didn't take long to notice some. Mistcrawlers walked out of the mist, first only a few, then five, then eight.

  Lev was slowly backtracking at first but his speed increased abruptly when the numbers became obvious. Four juggernauts and nearly two dozen fiends were hot on his trail, yet Lev wasn't worried.

  In fact, he was excited. Much of his class focused on explosive destruction but he never had the opportunity to really test its upper limits. The dungeon decided to change that for whatever reason.

  If only I could actually let loose, Lev observed with a sigh. He was willing to bet gold that the boss was somewhere out there, and was the actual reason behind this.

  Either way, Lev didn't hold back much. Up above, arrows started to form by the tens as a large stream of fire mana was equally channeled into them. He focused on creating projectiles for a few seconds, keeping them out of range for the monsters while holding Stargazer in case of an emergency.

  The first arrow fell, entirely soundless. Many more followed, forming crater after crater in the dirt ground from their explosive impacts. Bits and pieces of mistcrawlers rained down on the ground as cores were shattered, only fueling the destruction even further.

  For the juggernauts, Lev simply fired two lances for each. The projectiles were too fast for them to block or dodge and blew their heads off their shoulders.

  All the while, he kept spinning around, never letting any corner remain unnoticed. The boss was definitely out there. He could feel its aura now. The monster felt weaker than the core guardian, thank Monarch, but the mist shrouded its presence to an incredible degree.

  Lev couldn't hope to get even a whiff of its position. The barrage continued as Lev flew around in circles. His guard was starting to lower with only two juggernauts remaining when a face parted the mist.

  Two human eyes stared at him, each the size of a dinner plate and rapidly becoming larger in his vision. His brain froze at the sight, utterly incapable of moving a muscle, before battle-hardened instincts took over. Lev flew away as fast as he could, transfixed and still unable to look away from the harrowing abomination closing in.

  Slowly, willpower asserted itself, only to utterly fail in the face of the ghastly monster. A scream tore itself out of his throat, the sound overflowing with dread and panic, distorting into something unrecognizable as his Perception slowed down to the extreme. The surrounding mist rushed into the monster's fang-filled jaws, still so unbearably human with its dark gray lips.

  Five towering shields formed in front of Lev, each tall and wide enough to completely cover him, before durability runes were carved. Mana roared out of his limbs, bursting blood vessels and warping flesh. Terror fueled his actions as lance upon lance formed mid-air before each was swiftly infused with fire mana. Not a single heed was paid to the extreme headache born of such gross over-manipulation. Just before the last lance was infused, his last gauntlet turned to dust.

  The monster slowed down a little while charging its attack, letting Lev see the human torso and four 'normal' arms in all their unsettling glory, and also the slithering dark gray tail slithering behind the abomination, further deteriorating his mental state.

  Bones turned to mush in his arms and legs as almost all of his remaining mana rushed out at once through his body, overloading every aspect of his class and general skills, before hell itself rained down the monster.

  He would never know what the monster's attack was supposed to do. In that single slowed instant, Lev watched as all his projectiles descended with vengeance, barely managing to pierce its body, but there were dozens.

  The colossal amounts of fire mana demanded release, given to it freely with every impact. The world slowly turned brighter as the mists rushing into the monster's mouth were dispersed. Flames slowly expanded from each lance, beautiful in their own eerie way, finally pulling Lev out of his addled state.

  Just before the titanic explosion could go off, he pulled all his shields closer and huddled behind them, putting whatever little mana he had left into his armor's durability.

  Time returned to a normal state as a vast amount of mana combusted at once. In an instant, the mists ceased to exist as existence became a crucible of searing heat without a shred of breathable air.

  Every single breath sent a lance of fire coursing down his lungs, yet he couldn't stop. Lev was hyperventilating, unable to control himself as the creature's face refused to leave his vision. Blinking didn't help; it was there, always staring back at him with hollow eyes. No rage, no insanity, no emotions. Just dead eyes, vacant eyes that wanted him dead.

  Shudders wracked his body, far worse than the heat burning his skin and lungs. His body continued to shake like a leaf in a storm, constantly assulted by the creature's visage.

  Seconds passed agonizingly slowly before the fires eventually cleared, revealing a scene straight out of apocalyptic fiction. Craters the size of small ponds were everywhere, their real sizes shrouded by the dirt and smoke concealing the environment. In the middle of it all was a gigantic corpse.

  Even in death, the monster looked horrible enough for Lev to dismiss and store his armors before vomiting on the side. His breathing picked up again, and the pains in his body started registering too.

  Within a few seconds, the pain from all his shattered and bloated limbs overtook the dread by a large margin. Lev tried to get up, only to flop on the ground with a tired, suffering groan. One of the last two potions was summoned out of his ring, unscrewed, and poured into his mouth.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Lev's vision constantly blurred as the healing took effect, yet he knew he wouldn't be healed completely. The potion was far too basic for that. Blood vessels were treated first, before bones were brought back to a half-intact state.

  The headache from over-manipulation, soul pain from mana overuse, excruciating aching in his entire body due to the mana overuse as well, and pain from half broken bones and utterly shredded flesh, they all remained.

  And so did a single thought.

  The core… I need the core.

  Monsters never had human faces. It was a fact that had never been challenged before. The existence of the monster in front of him was completely impossible, and he, in his right mind, would never give up any possible lead to an answer.

  The agony in his entire being was ignored as Lev summoned both his armors again, wobbling when his soul reminded him of its damaged state and low mana with a jolt of pain, and slowly flew toward the monster.

  Its eyes had been disintegrated, which Lev was infinitely grateful for, and he passed its face while pointedly ignoring it. Landing on top of its torn open chest, a little bit of the huge core was visible inside its chest.

  Lev pried it out with a barrier and Identified it.

  [

  Chaos Infected Core.

  Corruptive. Dispose Immediately.

  ]

  Lev immediately threw it as far as he could with the same barrier. He himself flew in the opposite direction, uncaring of the acid rushing through his soul at the mana usage. Just a single glimpse of the full thing was enough to shake Lev to the very core.

  He flew away without looking back. Even when the mist came rushing back, he was still flying away. His mana slowly regenerated but his mind was still in shock. That core shouldn't have existed. Lev's very being recoiled at the sight of it, and some part of him knew for certain that the core should've never found its way to the dungeon.

  But he had seen it with his own two eyes. The core was an anomaly that had been attracted to him. There were too many things to consider, and that was only worsening his mental state.

  Ten minutes later, he was teleported outside. Lev didn't even notice that the illusion enchantment of his armor had been ruined. It was still invisible to him, but not to the outside world. The half-finished mythril armor was easily noticeable even under the blue barrier armor.

  Without sparing anyone a glance, Lev flew up and away. He could feel his vision darkening slowly. The healing potion had done its job but consuming another would just be a death sentence. Even a single one took a lot out of the body. The effects were negligible unless one had to go into battle immediately after healing. Lethargy and drowsiness were the most common ones.

  Luckily, his mana regeneration outpaced his controlled flight, albeit barely. Entry at the gates was allowed quickly after the guards noticed his state, though Lev was in no condition to notice their reaction.

  Quickly, he flew over the foot traffic and entered the Hunter's guild. Gliding over the stairs, Lev knocked on the guildmaster's office. Even compromised as he was by the extreme pains and shock, he still remembered to not piss the man off.

  The doors opened just as Lev felt his strength flagging.

  "H-healer…" was all he could croak out before darkness claimed him.

  Sort of.

  ****

  Diana kept her eyes closed, knowing the consequences of opening them pretty well. She was currently being transported in Sherron's version of the bubble, one that kept zapping her due to the sheer volume of lightning being consumed.

  She didn't mind that. Diana just healed the damage as her mind kept circling back to what Sherron had told her. The wonderboy from before had returned from a delve, leaking all his mana regeneration, a side-effect of severe soul damage. She had only seen it happen a handful of times, and nobody had survived that.

  How Lev continued to live, she had no clue.

  Diana just hoped they would make it in time. There was no such thing as natural soul healing, for natural human healing was limited to the body. That meant Lev's condition was only getting worse as time passed.

  Sherron stopped a few dozen kilometers away from Windkeep. The bubble came to a halt with a shockwave loud enough to kill any classless human around them. They picked up speed again, not loud enough to spook the entire city this time with their passing.

  Nobody stopped the Exalted as she passed over the walls and bypassed all procedures, and neither could they. The duo landed in front of the White Health, a branch of her own hospital. Diana followed Sherron inside, who wasted no time in rushing to the isolated unit for troublesome patients.

  "Everyone, OUT!" Diana barked the order. The healers looked up in surprise before following her command. Nobody dared go against the founder's orders.

  Just one look at the boy was enough to raise her hackles. His entire body was dark blue and black from Monarch knows how many things, and all his limbs looked boneless with how they sunk into themselves with their own little weight. Without wasting a moment, she scanned the extent of the damage.

  Dissolved flesh, lethal levels of mana overuse, minor brain damage, extreme soul trauma, poorly healed bones that were reduced to bits, half-infused blood, burnt respiratory system, overloaded nerves and pain receptors… Goddess help me, how do I even begin healing this one?

  Diana let her class skills and the power afforded by her titles take over. Her mana gently sank into Lev's skin and started everything it could get its hands on, starting with his soul. She had to instantly reduce her output to almost nothing as the body teetered on the verge of backlash. The damage was too fresh, still refusing any healing.

  The boy stirred as the healing took place. Diana's eyes widened in disbelief. Lev was still awake.

  "Lev?" Sherron gently called out, no longer able to hold back tears at his condition.

  "Sherron?" came the slurred reply. He was not fully present. Just conscious enough to recognize the voice with his eyes closed.

  "I'm right here," she reached for Lev's hand, then thought better of it.

  "Say…" Lev began as his breathing quickened. "Monsters never look explicitly like humans, yeah?"

  Sherron stilled as sweat rolled down her forehead. Diana, too, was frozen. Pulling herself together, she continued slowly healing the boy's damaged soul.

  "… Yeah."

  "Hehe," Lev giggled. "So it's just another world-shattering thing related to me. Human face…" he trailed off, breaking out in a wide smile.

  Sherron recoiled as Lev's teeth came into view. Some had been elongated, as if stretched from a ductile clay, while others were missing entirely.

  "Monsters are supposed to look like monsters…"

  The boy kept giggling, making even Diana extremely nervous. But her hands were tied. Even a little more healing mana would kill him. The current trickle must be unimaginably painful.

  "Can you ruffle my hair?"

  Sherron nodded repeatedly, barely holding back sobs. Doing as she was told only made Lev's smile wider.

  "It hurts, you know?" Lev slowly began. Diana was about to reassure him that everything would be alright when he continued speaking. "The weakness. Just one strong monster and I'm half dead… I think. Probably. Where's my teacher, anyway? Or Orianna?"

  "They're coming," Diana replied in a soothing voice. She was faring much better than the Exalted but much worse than she wanted to.

  "Oh, you're here too?" Lev giggled again. "Let's call Hakim too while we're at it."

  Minutes passed in silence. Sherron pulled herself together, reassuringly running her hand through Lev's hair. The door suddenly opened as Alec entered, only to freeze in the doorway.

  "What…" he began but trailed off, eyes becoming moist.

  "He'll live," Diana spoke before his mind could jump to the worst-case scenario. "Just."

  Alec nodded slowly once, and then more resolutely before summoning a bench and sitting down.

  "You're late," Lev turned to look at his teacher, accurately finding him even with eyes closed. Then he smiled. "Just kidding. I'm going to sleep now. You guys better have answers when I wake up."

  Then Lev truly passed out.