Nox launched a massive ice crystal toward the barrier, but it didn’t budge at all.

  “Olgar! I thought you once worked for my father!” Lina shouted.

  The man’s laughter vanished in an instant, replaced by raw fury.

  “Shut up! That bastard fired me just because I made out with some of his workers. Do you know how ruined my life was afterward?” Olgar snarled.

  “I’ve been living on the streets for six months. The money I get from dungeon raids is barely enough to keep me alive!”

  His voice trembled—not with madness, but with something far older. Bitterness that had fermented too long inside him.

  “But today…” he grinned devilishly.

  “Today was my lucky day. If I can’t take revenge on that bastard, then I’ll kill his daughter instead.”

  He pointed at Lina before his glare swept over Nox.

  “I couldn’t attack you because of that strong bastard, but when it comes to barriers, not even he can destroy it.”

  As Olgar continued to shout and curse the princess, Nox felt his stomach tighten.

  “Something is coming,” he thought.

  The dungeon answered Olgar’s screams with silence, then with something far worse.

  Lina's gaze wandered behind the men; she opened her mouth but closed it again immediately.

  “It’s not like I have anything against you personally, Princess. If I could, I would rather kill your fath-”

  Swish—

  The six men who had mocked them moments ago now stared in horror at the lifeless body of their leader.

  Before them stood a huge alpha wolf. He was even bigger than the one from the forest, every one of his steps shattering the ground beneath him.

  A breathing sound that sounded like the Grim Reaper knocking, and a physique that was stronger than a truck.

  They didn’t even have time to scream.

  In a fraction of a second, they were nothing more than red streaks splattering across the stone.

  The barrier lifted and Nox’s body suddenly felt lighter.

  -You have received light’s blessing (+10% stats)

  Warmth flooded his veins, comforting yet demanding—like an invisible hand urging him forward.

  “Stay behind me,” he said, conjuring freezingly cold wind.

  With a sharp motion of his hand, rows of ice crystals formed in the air and shot toward the wolf.

  Roaring in pain, the monster charged forward.

  Nox grabbed Lina and leapt aside just as the wolf smashed into the wall behind them, stone particles exploding outward.

  “Now’s my chance,” he thought and launched himself into the air.

  “You picked the wrong prey!”

  A massive ice crystal slammed through the monster’s face, black blood splattering everywhere.

  The wolf collapsed and the ground began to shake violently.

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  “Shit, it’s going to collapse!” Nox thought as he ran toward Lina.

  Stones broke apart and the floor split open beneath them. Nox poured every last drop of mana into his leg, trying to stop his fall.

  “Shit, it’s too fast! I must do something!”

  The fall wasn’t survivable. Not for both of them. His mind raced as he calculated every possibility.

  Desperately searching for a solution, Nox noticed Olgar’s corpse falling beneath him.

  “Yeah… this might work!”

  He grabbed the dead body midair and ripped off its armour.

  The metal scraped against his hands as he forced it on, ignoring the pain.

  He twisted his body midair so Lina would land on top of him. He cast a last wind spell to stop her fall, pushing his body to its complete limits.

  “Shit… this is going to hur-”

  A deafening crash echoed through the dungeon. The dungeon’s dim light was immediately replaced by darkness.

  When Nox opened his eyes, Lina’s concerned face hovered above him.

  “You’re awake,” she said softly, running her fingers through his silver hair.

  “Is this a dream?” he murmured, still half asleep.

  “Uhm… no.”

  Only after the pain settled did Nox realize how close they were.

  “Huh? Why am I lying on your lap?” he asked, trying to sit up.

  “It just happened,” Lina replied and gently pushed him back down. She made sure to not hurt him, but her grip was too firm for just concern. It seemed more like she enjoyed the process.

  “Ugh… what incredible strength,” Nox groaned.

  “You underestimate me far too often,” she said proudly.

  “But still… thank you for saving me again... I don’t know how I can repay you.”

  “It’s okay. Just let me stay like this a little longer.”

  “But where are we?” he added.

  “I don’t know. It looks like we fell a few floors because of that thing,” she said, pointing at the alpha wolf’s corpse.

  With every sound echoing unnaturally loud in the cavern, they rationed their mana in silence.

  After Nox collected the crystal from the boss monster, they began around in the dungeon. The tunnels were now five times broader than on the upper floors, making it possible to avoid beasts.

  “Seems like we fell really far if that’s the average monster here,” Nox muttered, pointing at a giant orc. Its breathing alone rattled loose stones from the ceiling.

  “Be careful,” Nox whispered as they passed a nest. Its sheer size was that of a basketball field.

  However, as they admired the cave before them, one of the birds turned around, eyes narrowing. He let out a devastating shriek and charged straight at Nox.

  “Shit, we can’t escape—and there are too many,” he said, trying to block its attack. Wind attacks cut in his skin and left burning wounds.

  -You have received light’s blessing (+10% stats)

  Lina’s warmth flowed into him, desperately fighting the pain.

  He used freezing wind, but the birds flapped their wings and reflected the cold straight back at him.

  The frost bit into his own skin before he realized his mistake.

  “That was stupid… now I’m frozen,” Nox thought. He tried to wiggle his feet, but his own ice tightly stuck onto him.

  As the birds dove toward him again, he used his last resort.

  With earth magic in his left hand and wind magic in his right, he forced them together.

  Purple light flooded the cave.

  -You have learned the magnetism element

  -You have unlocked the skill magnetic field

  Lina watched in astonishment as a glowing purple field appeared beneath Nox.

  The birds were pulled to the side and dropped from the air. With painful shrieks, they smashed into the ground. Giant ice crystals pierced their bodies until they looked like cheese riddled with holes.

  Nox breathed out in relief, checking the birds’ dead bodies.

  “We should rest for a bit. There’s even water here,” Nox suggested, trying to distract Lina from what had just happened.

  However, the princess walked straight up to him. Her gaze was completely different, a mixture of authority and excitement.

  She pulled his cheek with a firm grip and forced him onto his knees.

  “Ouch! What was that for?” he complained.

  “You’ve been lying to me, haven’t you?” she asked.

  “U-Uhm… maybe.”

  She pulled his cheek again, forcing his head lower.

  “You should apologize first and then tell me the truth.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry, almighty princess. I’ll be honest, so don’t worry,” Nox replied cheekily.

  “See? Why not say that from the beginning?” Lina answered with a proud smile.

  After Nox explained everything about his stigma, she nodded.

  “So you thought people would try to use you to create new skills and items? I would’ve kept it secret too,” she said.

  “Then why are you forcing me to tell you?” Nox asked while still kneeling.

  Lina’s expression was almost relieved. She could finally let loose of her constant mask and the demands of her as a princess.

  “Relax—I just wanted to see you squirm a little,” she replied with a mischievous grin.

  “Wow… you’re really different from your usual self,” Nox realized, almost intimidated.

  “Well, you trusted me with your secret, so I decided to show you my… ‘unusual’ side.”

  “But don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret if you don’t lie from me anymore,” Lina added.

  Her smile softened almost immediately. She caressed his neck sofly, afraid she might’ve gotten too far.

  “That’s… fine by me,” Nox murmured, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

  “It was more like a joke, but since you seem to like it… I won’t stop you,” Lina said.

  As they both laughed, it was almost as if they forgot how miserable their situation was.

  For a brief moment, their miserable situation didn’t matter at all.