Haah...haah...

  Adom stood in his fighting stance, panting.

  It wasn't fatigue - the whole fight had lasted maybe five seconds, three moves total. No, this was pure adrenaline, the thrill of taking down something that massive with a single well-placed hit.

  The Fluid was still coursing through him, warm and alive. Like having a second heartbeat, one made of pure energy. A few months ago, this kind of fight would have been different. He would have kept his distance, relied on magic, played it safer.

  "Fluid changes your brain," his father had explained a few months ago. "Push too hard, too often, and it rewires things. Makes you love the fight more than staying alive. Makes you think you're invincible right up until you're not."

  And that was the real problem - not the physical strain, but how it could reshape your mind. The rush of power, the dampened pain responses, the absolute certainty that you could take on anything... it was addictive. More than a few Fluid users had fallen into that trap, pushing harder and harder until they burned themselves out or got themselves killed.

  His father's words came back to him as he watched the blue fire-like energy fade from his arms: "Fluid doesn't care about your age, son. It'll give you all the power you want, but your body needs to be ready for it."

  He'd spent weeks training with his father before he was summoned to get back to his duties. It wasn't common for someone Adom's age to manifest Fluid - definitely not unheard of, but rare enough that Arthur had been concerned. "Your body's still growing," he'd said. "Push too hard now, and you might not grow right later."

  The warmth was fading now, leaving that familiar light feeling behind. Maybe his father had been right about being careful. That charge had been reckless - effective, but reckless. If the rabbit had been a little faster, if his timing had been slightly off...

  Through trial and error (and more than a few training accidents), he'd found that sweet spot at around 80%. Enough power to enhance his strength and senses without risking damage to himself. Enough to give him an edge without burning himself out.

  But sometimes, like now, the thrill of it made him want to push further. The confidence it gave him could be dangerous.

  "You okay?" Sam asked, finally straightening up from where he'd landed.

  "Yeah," Adom said, shaking out his arms. "Just... thinking."

  "Clean kill," Yann said, already moving forward with his healer's instincts. "Any injuries? That was a lot of Fluid you were channeling."

  "I'm fine," Adom said, rolling his shoulders. "Didn't even touch me."

  "Y- you saved my life," Sam said, still staring at the crater where the rabbit's fist had landed.

  "Oh, stop being dramatic. It would have just broken most of your bones."

  "Ah, well in that case-"

  "Can we salvage it?" Cassandra cut in, already writing in her notebook. "The corpse, I mean."

  Adom pulled out the guild's assessment sheet - required reading for all exam teams. He ran his finger down the alphabetical list until he found what he was looking for.

  "Lagomorphic Berserker... five points if we bring back the body. Ten if it's still mostly intact."

  "Perfect." Cassandra set down her notebook and pulled out her dimensional bag. "Help me get it in here."

  They all turned to look at the rabbit. It lay there in the ferns, still muscled like a nightmare but somehow managing to look pathetic now that it was dead. Its cute rabbit face made the whole thing even more absurd - like someone had stuck a stuffed animal's head on top of a heavyweight Krozball champion's body. The legs were pure rabbit though - just scaled up to match its bulk, explaining how something that massive could move so fast. Those haunches alone were bigger than Sam's torso.

  "This is weird," Sam said as they approached it. "This is really, really weird."

  "Welcome to dungeon fauna," Yann grunted, taking one of the massive arms. "Where everything's wrong and the points don't matter."

  It took all four of them to lift the thing - John stood guard, shield ready in case the commotion attracted anything else. The rabbit was dense, each muscle feeling more like stone than flesh.

  Cassandra held open her bag, which somehow stretched to accommodate the entire body without seeming to get any heavier.

  "I don't want to know how much that bag cost," Sam muttered.

  "No," Cassandra agreed, closing it. "You really don't."

  "We should keep moving," Adom said, checking his map again. "If we maintain a steady pace north, we can make it in six days. Five if we're lucky with the terrain."

  "And the monsters?" Sam asked.

  "Rank D dungeon," Yann reminded him. "Nothing we can't handle if we're smart about it."

  They fell into formation naturally - John in front with his shield, Yann and Sam behind him, Cassandra in the middle managing their supplies, and Adom bringing up the rear. The forest wasn't particularly dense, but the massive trees created strange shadows that seemed to move when you weren't looking directly at them.

  The first few hours were quiet. Too quiet, really, which always meant trouble in dungeons.

  "Hey... did anyone else hear that?" Sam asked suddenly.

  "Hear what?"

  "It sounded like... someone calling my name?"

  They all stopped. The forest was silent for a moment, then...

  "Sam?" A voice called from somewhere in the trees. It sounded exactly like Yann. Except Yann was standing right there, definitely not talking.

  "Mimic," Adom said, already checking his notebook. "Forest variant. Should be on the list..."

  "Sam?" This time it was Adom's voice, coming from a completely different direction. "Sam, help!"

  "Don't move," the real Adom said. "They're trying to separate us."

  More voices joined in - perfect imitations of them all, calling from different directions. Some pleading, some casual, some urgent. It was unnerving how accurate they were.

  John shifted his shield.

  Something moved in the branches above them. Several somethings, actually. Dark shapes that looked vaguely bird-like, except birds didn't usually have quite so many beaks.

  "There," Yann pointed. "Three of them. No, four."

  "Two points each," Adom said, still checking his notes. "If we can get the vocal cords intact."

  The creatures dropped from the trees - twisted things with too many mouths and what looked like sound-collecting dishes where their wings should be. They landed in a circle around the team, still calling out in their borrowed voices.

  "Sam, watch out!" One shrieked in Cassandra's voice, right as another lunged forward.

  John's shield caught it mid-jump, sending it sprawling. The mimic barely had time to recover before John's sword - Flamebrand - ignited in a controlled sweep. Behind him, Sam was already weaving, his hands moving in precise patterns. A fireball streaked past John's shoulder, catching one of the mimics mid-leap. The creature's borrowed voices turned to real screams.

  Adom moved to cover their left flank, Fluid enhancing his movements as he tracked the fastest mimic. Sam's next spell - a burst of ice - barely missed it. Adom followed up with his own fire spell, smaller but better aimed, finishing what Sam started.

  "On your right!" Cassandra called from the center, where she and Yann maintained their position.

  Two mimics tried to rush through their formation. John blocked one with his shield, while Sam's lightning bolt caught the other mid-jump. The precision of the shot made Adom grin - all that target practice was paying off.

  A mimic nearly got through Adom's guard, its beaks snapping at his arm. Before it could connect, white light wrapped around it like rope - Yann's binding spell. The healer's follow-up wind blade took its head clean off.

  "Thanks!" Adom muttered.

  Yann just smiled and went back to guarding Cassandra.

  The last mimic tried to retreat, still throwing their voices around in confusion. Sam's spell caught it in the wing, and John's shield bash finished it off.

  The fight was quick and messy. The mimics weren't particularly strong, but they were fast and their constant voice-throwing made it hard to track their real positions.

  "Well," Cassandra said afterward, carefully storing the vocal cords in a preservation jar they brought, "that's eight points."

  They hadn't gone another mile before the next encounter - this one announcing itself with an odd clicking sound.

  "Oh," Sam said, looking up at the creature perched on a fallen log. "That's... different."

  It looked almost like a porcupine, if porcupines were six feet long and had quills made of what appeared to be metal. Its face was oddly cat-like, complete with whiskers that ended in sharp points.

  "Three points," Adom said, already checking the list. "Not worth the trouble. Let's go around."

  The creature's head snapped toward him. Its whiskers bristled.

  "Did it... did it just look offended?" Sam whispered.

  The porcupine-cat thing made a sound somewhere between a hiss and a gear grinding. Its quills began to vibrate.

  "Oh come on," Adom muttered. "We're literally ignoring you. How is that offensive?"

  The creature launched itself forward, metal quills shooting out in all directions. John got his shield up just in time, the impacts ringing like someone hitting a gong.

  "Really?" Adom ducked under a second volley. "Three points? For this?"

  "Less complaining," Yann called out, pulling Sam behind a tree. "More fighting!"

  The battle turned into an awkward dance - they couldn't get close because of the quills, but it couldn't really hurt them through John's shield either. Every few seconds it would launch another volley, forcing them to duck and weave.

  "This is stupid," Cassandra said after the fifth volley. "We're wasting time."

  "Agreed," Adom said. He focused his mana, timing it carefully. The next time the creature launched its quills, he moved.

  The world slowed down again as [Flow Prediction] activated. He could see the paths of the quills, the gaps between them. Three steps brought him right up to the creature. It tried to back away, but his [Ice Spike] spell caught it right between its offended-looking eyes.

  The monster made a sound like someone dropping a box of silverware and collapsed.

  "Now it's really offended," Sam said, peeking out from behind his tree.

  "Three points," Cassandra sighed, opening her bag again. "Barely worth the space."

  "Should have just let us ignore it," Adom told the unconscious creature as they loaded it into the bag. "Would have been easier for everyone."

  After the porcupine-cat encounter, Adom pulled out his map again, studying it while the team caught their breath. The thin parchment was marked with various zones, each color-coded by monster density and point values.

  "We're here," he said, pointing to a spot in the southern quadrant. "Making decent progress, but we need to think strategically about our route."

  Sam peered over his shoulder. "What's that red zone to the northeast?"

  "Bramble Basin." Adom traced the path with his finger. "It's about four hours off our main route, but according to the assessment sheet, it's got Stone Drakes. Twenty points each if we can harvest the crystal growths from their backs intact."

  "Twenty?" Cassandra perked up, momentarily pausing her cataloging of the porcupine-cat quills. "That's substantial."

  "It's also dangerous," Yann warned. "Stone Drakes hunt in packs."

  "True," Adom conceded, "but we don't need to take on a whole pack. Even two or three would significantly boost our point total."

  John made a gesture that roughly translated to "worth the risk?"

  "I think so," Adom said. "It's not far off our path, and the extra points could make a difference. Plus..." he hesitated, then decided to be honest, "I've always wanted to see one up close."

  Sam snorted. "Because of course you have."

  "What?" Adom shrugged. "They're supposed to be fascinating. Mini-dragons that evolved a crystal armor instead of scales."

  "If we're going after Stone Drakes," Cassandra said, closing her specimen jar with a snap, "I'll need to conserve space in my dimensional bag. The crystal formations are bulky."

  Adom nodded. "Fair point. We can jettison the lower-value items if needed."

  "I vote yes," Sam said. "Twenty points is twenty points."

  "Yann?"

  The healer adjusted his pack straps thoughtfully. "As long as we approach cautiously and have an exit strategy, I'm in. Better to face them while we're fresh than push through to the end and be exhausted for the final assessment."

  "John?" Sam asked.

  The golem nodded once, decisively.

  "Alright then," Adom said, rolling up the map. "Bramble Basin it is."

  They set off eastward, adjusting their course through the dense forest. The trees began to thin after about an hour, replaced by more rugged terrain - rocky outcroppings and deep gouges in the earth that forced them to plan their route carefully.

  "Dungeon geography never makes sense," Sam grumbled after they'd navigated around a particularly deep chasm. "Why would a forest suddenly turn into badlands?"

  "Because dungeons form at the intersection of reality and chaos," Cassandra replied without looking up from her notebook. "They're not natural formations. They're manifestations."

  "Of what?"

  She shrugged. "Depends who you ask. Some scholars believe they're manifestations of collective unconscious fears. Others think they're natural vents for excess mana. The Mystics claim they're the dreams of sleeping gods."

  "What do you think?" Sam asked.

  "I think," she said, finally looking up, "that understanding them means collecting data, not speculating. Which is why we're here."

  "I thought we were here to pass an exam," Sam muttered.

  "Multi-tasking," she replied with a small smile.

  As they approached Bramble Basin, the landscape continued to change. The rocky ground gave way to reddish soil, and thorny bushes began to appear, growing larger and denser until they formed natural walls in some places.

  "This is it," Adom said, stopping at the edge of a wide depression in the earth. Below them stretched a maze of bramble thickets and stone formations, creating natural corridors and chambers. Perfect hunting grounds for ambush predators.

  "I see movement," Sam whispered, pointing to a flicker of motion between two bramble walls.

  "Stone Drakes," Adom confirmed. "They blend in when they're still, but their hunting pattern gives them away."

  "What's the plan?" Yann asked.

  Adom studied the basin's layout. "We don't want to get trapped in those narrow passages. Better to draw them out to more open ground where we can maneuver."

  "Bait?" Cassandra suggested.

  "Sort of." Adom pointed to a relatively open area near the basin's edge. "We set up there. Sam, you've got the loudest ranged attack. One good lightning blast should get their attention."

  "And then what? Run for our lives?"

  "No. We hold position. John up front, you and me on the flanks, Yann in reserve, Cassandra center protected. Classic formation."

  "How many do you think we'll draw?"

  "Two, maybe three. They're territorial, so they don't all hunt together. We just need to be ready for when they charge."

  The team made their way carefully down to the designated spot. The ground was hard and relatively flat here, with good visibility in most directions. John took his position at the front, shield ready, while the others arranged themselves according to Adom's plan.

  "Remember," Adom said as they prepared, "aim for the joints where the crystal plates meet. Their underbellies are vulnerable too, if you can get a clear shot."

  Sam nodded, taking a deep breath as he began weaving his spell. Lightning gathered between his hands, crackling and growing in intensity.

  "Whenever you're ready," Adom said.

  Sam released the spell with a thunderous crack. The lightning bolt arced high into the air before exploding in a brilliant flash that echoed through the basin.

  For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then the ground trembled.

  "Here they come," Adom said quietly, Fluid already beginning to flow through his limbs.

  The first Stone Drake burst from the brambles thirty yards away - a sleek, four-legged reptile about the size of a large wolf. Its body was covered in overlapping plates of amber-colored crystal that caught the light as it moved. A ridge of larger crystals ran down its spine, terminating in a heavy, club-like tail. Its eyes glowed with a predatory intelligence as it sized up the interlopers in its territory.

  A second Drake emerged from a different direction, slightly larger than the first, its crystals a deeper red.

  "Just two," Sam whispered. "Lucky us."

  The Drakes circled warily, communicating with low, rumbling growls. Adom could almost see them planning, deciding how to approach.

  "Stand ready," he said. "They're smarter than they look."

  The attack, when it came, was perfectly coordinated. Both Drakes charged simultaneously from different angles, forcing the team to split their attention. John braced against the first impact, his shield ringing like a bell as the amber Drake slammed into it. The force pushed him back several inches, but the golem held firm.

  The second Drake aimed for their exposed flank, where Sam stood. Adom intercepted it with a well-timed [Stone Wall] spell, forcing the creature to change course. It snarled in frustration, crystal plates clicking as it reassessed.

  "Sam, lightning on the red one!" Adom called, already moving to maintain his position between the Drake and the more vulnerable team members.

  Sam's spell hit the creature's hindquarters, electricity dancing across its crystal armor. The Drake roared in pain but didn't fall.

  "Aim for the gaps!" Cassandra shouted from the center, where she was hastily flipping through her notebook. "Between the plates, near the legs!"

  John was fully engaged with the amber Drake, his shield blocking its lunging attacks while his sword searched for an opening. The creature was faster than it looked, its crystalline body somehow both heavy and agile.

  Yann stayed central, a healing spell ready in one hand, a binding light in the other. "Status?" he called out.

  "Fine!" Sam replied, launching another lightning bolt. This one found a gap in the red Drake's armor, causing it to shriek and retreat temporarily.

  "Managing!" Adom grunted, ducking under a swipe from the Drake's tail. The Fluid was flowing at about 60%, giving him enhanced speed and strength without the risk of burnout. He launched a [Fire Spear] spell that glanced off the creature's armor, leaving a scorched mark but little actual damage.

  Frustration bubbled up – he needed to find the weak points. The Drake lunged again, jaws snapping where his arm had been a moment before. Adom countered with a kick that connected solidly with the creature's jaw, sending it staggering sideways.

  "There's a pattern!" Cassandra called out. "The plates overlap from head to tail. Attack from behind and below!"

  Adom adjusted his tactics, circling to get a better angle. The Drake tracked him, trying to keep its more vulnerable rear quarters protected.

  Meanwhile, John had managed to flip the amber Drake onto its side, exposing its softer underbelly. The golem's sword plunged downward, but the Drake rolled with surprising speed, the blade scraping across its crystal armor with a shower of sparks.

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  "Sam, pin it!" Adom called out.

  Sam's response was a perfectly aimed [Ice Spike] that caught the red Drake's rear leg, temporarily fixing it to the ground. The creature thrashed, trying to free itself.

  Adom seized the opportunity, channeling more Fluid as he darted in from behind. He dropped low, sliding beneath the Drake's tail and driving his dagger upward into the softer tissue of its belly. The blade sank deep, drawing a pained roar from the creature.

  With a violent twist, the Drake shattered the ice holding it and whirled to face him, snapping jaws barely missing his shoulder. Adom rolled away, but not quite fast enough – the Drake's tail caught him across the back, sending him sprawling.

  The impact knocked the wind from his lungs. The crystal club at the end of that tail was no joke. Even through his armor and with Fluid dampening the pain, that was going to leave a bruise.

  [+4 Healing Factor]

  [+6 White Wyrm's Body]

  [-2 Life Force]

  Great. Another injury, another increment of progress.

  "Adom!" Sam shouted.

  "I'm fine," he wheezed, pushing himself up. "Keep pressure on it!"

  The math was simple: take hits, get stronger. Don't take hits, stagnate.

  His father would have a fit if he knew Adom was deliberately limiting his magic use to force physical confrontations and Adom would have preferred literally any other method of skill advancement, but his body didn't care what he preferred.

  Magic was his strongest asset by far, but if the last fight with Gale incident had taught him one lesson, it was that being helpless without weaving wasn't an option. So here he was, deliberately taking hits like an idiot, because apparently his physical skills only improved when something tried to break him. Efficient system. Truly. He'd complain to whoever designed it, if complaining fixed anything.

  The Drake advanced, sensing advantage.

  Blood dripped from its underbelly where Adom's dagger had penetrated, but the wound wasn't mortal. It stepped forward deliberately, crystal plates clinking, eyes fixed on Adom with murderous intent.

  That was when an arrow whistled through the air, striking precisely between two plates at the Drake's shoulder joint. The creature stumbled, momentarily distracted.

  "Need a hand?" called an unfamiliar voice.

  Adom glanced toward the source. Four figures stood at the edge of the clearing – another exam team, weapons ready. The leader, a wiry boy with a compound bow, was already nocking another arrow, propulsed by fire.

  A Xerkes student.

  "We've got it under control!" Adom called back. Couldn't they have shown up five minutes later? He has skills to develop here!

  "Clearly," the boy replied dryly, loosing another arrow that found its mark in the same joint. The Drake howled.

  The distraction gave Sam the opening he needed. His [Lightning Chain] spell connected with the wounded Drake, electricity finding the conductive blood and frying the creature from the inside out. It collapsed with a final, rasping growl.

  John, meanwhile, had managed to drive his sword into the amber Drake's eye. The creature thrashed wildly, then went still.

  For a moment, there was only the sound of heavy breathing as Adom's team regrouped, checking for injuries.

  "Anyone hurt?" Yann asked, moving among them.

  "Just bruised," Adom said, wincing as he straightened. "Nice shot with that lightning, Sam."

  "Nice distraction," Sam replied with a grin. "Though I think your ribs might disagree."

  The other team approached cautiously, weapons still ready but lowered. Besides the boy with the bow, there were three girls – one carrying an elaborate staff crackling with elemental energy, another with twin short swords that hummed with enhancement spells, and the third with what looked like alchemical pouches strapped across her chest.

  "Thanks for the assist," Adom said, extending a hand toward their leader. "Though we would have managed."

  "Eventually," the boy agreed with a small smile. He stepped closer, studying Adom with curious intensity. His eyes widened slightly. "Wait... aren't you Adom Sylla?"

  Adom blinked in surprise. "Yeah, that's me."

  The boy waited expectantly, but when Adom showed no sign of recognition, his smile faltered slightly. "You don't recognize me?"

  Adom took a proper look at him – slim build, sandy brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail, green eyes that seemed vaguely familiar. There was something about the way he held himself, confident but with a hint of self-consciousness...

  "Oh," Adom said as memory clicked into place. "You're Karion Dimitri!"

  The boy's face broke into a broad smile. "I thought you might have forgotten me," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's only been, what, one semester since our duel? Been too busy being a celebrity to remember us common folk?"

  Now Adom remembered. Last semester's combat practicals. Karion had beaten him, but mainly because Adom had been experimenting with physical techniques instead of relying on his spellwork.

  "Hard to forget getting my ass handed to me," Adom said with a wry smile.

  "Only because you insisted on fighting like a brawler instead of using your magic properly," Karion said. "Which I see you're still doing." He gestured to Adom's obviously bruised state. "Most mages would have kept their distance."

  "Some habits are hard to break," Adom replied. "Besides, I notice you're using a bow. Not exactly typical for a mage."

  Karion laughed. "Well, in my family's defense, we were knights before we were mages. More swords than spellbooks in our ancestral hall. Old habits, as you said." He tested his bowstring absently. "You've gotten better though. Way better. That slide attack? Wouldn't have tried that last semester."

  "You too. That fire propulsion on your arrows is pretty clever. Minimal mana use, maximal damage."

  "Something I've been working on." Karion hesitated, then added, "We should have a rematch sometime. See who's improved more."

  "Yeah," Adom agreed, "I'd like that."

  Karion was easy to talk to, Adom realized. Someone who could become a friend. And the Dimitri family had significant connections in the northern reaches – allies that would be valuable to have in the future.

  One of the girls behind Karion – the one with the staff – stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Adom's hair. "Is that the famous white tuft? They said you had a streak, but with those curls, it's more like a patch." She reached out as if to touch it, then caught herself. "Sorry. I'm Lina. Karion's sister."

  "One of three," added the girl with the twin swords, flipping one casually. "I'm Mira. The quiet one with the potions is Sera. We're quadruplets."

  Adom blinked. "Quadruplets? But you don't look—"

  "Identical?" Mira finished. "Yeah, we get that a lot. Fraternal quadruplets. Same birthday, different faces."

  "Different personalities too," Karion added with a long-suffering sigh.

  Yann stepped forward suddenly, his healer's instincts apparently overriding his patience. "Let me see those ribs, Adom." He didn't wait for permission, already pulling up the edge of Adom's armor to examine the rapidly forming bruise. "Just as I thought. You put yourself in unnecessary danger there."

  "I had it under control," Adom protested.

  "Did you?" Cassandra asked, looking up from her notebook. "Because from where I stood, you deliberately put yourself in harm's way when a ranged attack would have been both safer and more effective."

  "Hey now. Not everyone understands," Karion said, unexpectedly coming to Adom's defense. "My father always said a mage who can't throw a punch is only half a mage."

  "A philosophy that's gotten many young mages killed," Yann said dryly, his hands glowing as he applied a healing spell to Adom's ribs.

  "But saved many more," Karion countered. "You guys know about the Stillwater Siege? My grandfather was there. When the anti-magic field generators first came, half the mages were useless. The ones who survived were the ones who knew how to fight without spells."

  "That was seventy years ago," Sam pointed out.

  "And you think anti-magic technology has gotten less advanced since then?" Karion raised an eyebrow. "The Mechanism Guild develops new suppression devices every year."

  "He's not wrong," Adom admitted, wincing as Yann's magic sank into his bruised tissue. "That's why I've been working on physical combat skills."

  Yann was silent for a moment, focusing on his work. The bruises beneath his fingers were light purple, indicating tissue damage that would normally take two to three weeks to heal completely. But as his healing magic flowed into the area, he noticed something strange – the bruises were already fading at the edges, much faster than they should.

  With Adom's [Healing Factor] skill, his body was already working at about five times normal human regeneration speed. What would take weeks for others would resolve in days for him, and with Yann's healing magic adding to the effect, the recovery was visibly accelerating.

  Yann paused, looking up at Adom with narrowed eyes. "Are you using some kind of spell right now?"

  "No," Adom said, which was technically true. His skills weren't spells. "I took a regeneration potion before we set out. Just in case."

  Yann didn't press further, but reached into his pack and pulled out a strip of dried beef. "Eat this. Now."

  "I'm not—"

  "The healing I just did accelerates your metabolism and cellular repair," Yann explained, still holding out the jerky. "Your body needs fuel to rebuild itself. Without proper nutrition, the healing draws energy from other systems. You'll crash later if you don't replenish."

  Adom took the jerky, recognizing the logic. "Thanks, Yann. Not just for the food – for patching me up."

  "That's what I'm here for," Yann replied, standing up. "Though I'd prefer if you didn't make it a habit. There's a difference between developing combat skills and deliberately taking hits."

  "So," Karion said, clearly trying to change the subject, "care to introduce us to your team?"

  Adom nodded, grateful for the shift. "This is Sam, our primary combat caster. Cassandra handles analysis and resource management. Yann is our healer, as you can see. And this is John—" he gestured to the tall, silent figure, who nodded politely.

  "He doesn't talk much," Adom added when John remained silent.

  Karion immediately stepped forward, hand extended to Cassandra with a flourish that was clearly practiced. "My lady," he said with an exaggerated bow, "your analytical work on that Drake was nothing short of magnificent."

  Behind him, his sisters collectively cringed. Mira buried her face in her hands while Lina mouthed "I'm so sorry" to Cassandra.

  Cassandra reluctantly extended her hand, clearly expecting a handshake. Instead, Karion gently took her fingers and turned them over.

  "Such delicate hands," he murmured, "yet so skilled with those extraction tools."

  "That's factually incorrect," Cassandra replied flatly. "My hands are calloused from years of fieldwork and odd jobs."

  "Ah, but even the roughest stone can hold a beauty that outshines diamonds," Karion continued without missing a beat. "Like stars in the firmament of your—"

  "I'm twenty-two. You look like you're twelve. Unhand me," Cassandra interrupted.

  "Thirteen, actually," Karion corrected without dropping his smile or her hand.

  "Ten mentally," Sera murmured from behind.

  Cassandra pulled her hand free. "That's worse."

  Adom watched the exchange with mild amazement. He would've never guessed that a thirteen years old boy could develop this level of... whatever this was.

  I wonder if I could talk like this without being cringe...

  Karion smoothly pivoted as if this were all part of his plan, moving to Sam and extending his hand. As they shook, he squinted, tilting his head.

  "Oh! I know you!" Karion exclaimed.

  Sam looked surprised. "Yeah, I'm usually with Adom..."

  "No, I mean from the Combat Athletics Club," Karion clarified. "You're there almost every morning, right? That endurance routine you run is impressive."

  Sam's face brightened noticeably. "You've seen that? I didn't think anyone noticed."

  "Are you kidding? The way you push through those final sets? That's real determination right there. Respect." Karion offered a fist bump, which Sam returned with a grin.

  Adom glanced at Sam, pleased. This was something he'd worried over from time to time. Was he being a big shadow to Sam?

  Did he feel like people saw him as Sam, Adom's friend, or Sam, the guy who's got his own life, goals and personality?

  The way Sam smiled now, how he stood taller, shoulders back, told him he was probably thinking the same thing. I should do something about that soon...

  Karion moved on to John.

  He studied the golem for a moment, then offered his hand. "That shield technique. Perfectly timed."

  John accepted the handshake with a solemn nod, then gave an exaggerated thumbs up that made Karion laugh.

  The boy finally reached Yann, his demeanor shifting immediately. He shook the man's hand firmly. "Sir. You've served, haven't you? Military?"

  Yann's eyebrows rose slightly. "That's quite perceptive for someone your age."

  "I grew up around trained men," Karion replied with a small shrug. "My father made sure I trained with them too. You learn to recognize a warrior when you see one." He studied Yann's face. "From your bearing, you were military, not mercenary. Healer mages almost never work as mercenaries—too valuable to the Empire."

  Yann smiled, genuinely impressed. "Very observant. 7th Platoon, Northern Front."

  "My father says healers are actually some of the most fearsome mages on a battlefield," Karion continued. "He told me about one who could kill entire battalions by manipulating their blood and cells. Terrifying power, really."

  "Ah, you're speaking of Sir Helvius," Yann nodded. "A cautionary tale we still teach, though he lived over four hundred years ago. Not just a children's story."

  "Four hundred?" Karion looked surprised. "The way my father told it, I thought it was more recent."

  "The best legends feel timeless," Yann replied. "But yes, the military has strict regulations on combat applications of healing magic now. For good reason."

  Karion sighed dramatically. "I wish we had a healer like you on our team. All we have is..." he gestured to his sisters, "...three elemental specialists and me."

  Ignoring her brother, Lina moved closer to Adom, openly studying his white streak. "That actually looks really cool. Like a battle scar but more dramatic."

  "Uh... thanks?" Adom replied awkwardly. "It was heavily trauma-induced, but I'll take the compliment."

  "Way to make it weird, Lina," Mira muttered, elbowing her sister.

  "What? It does look cool!"

  "We should harvest these before they start decomposing," Cassandra interrupted, already approaching the fallen Drakes with her tools. "The crystal formations need to be removed carefully."

  "She's right," Adom said. "Forty points if we do this right."

  "Mind if we take the amber one?" Karion asked. "Since we helped take it down."

  "That's fair," Adom and his team agreed.

  As the teams worked together, Sam found himself paired with Sera, extracting smaller crystals from one flank of the drake.

  "Your brother always like that?" Sam asked quietly.

  "Unfortunately," Sera replied without looking up. "Mother says he'll either be a diplomat or dead by thirty. No in-between."

  John worked silently alongside Yann, breaking down the larger crystal formations with surprising gentleness. Occasionally, he'd make an exaggerated hand gesture that would make Yann chuckle.

  It was hard to make him do normal things constantly and consciously.

  "He's quite the character once you get to know him," Yann commented to Mira.

  "Silent types usually are," she agreed.

  With the harvesting complete, the teams prepared to part ways.

  "We're heading east," Karion explained. "Giant Scorpions in the volcanic flats."

  "We're continuing north," Adom replied. "Crystal Falls."

  "Watch for glass serpents," Mira warned. "They nest in the upper pools."

  "And acid moss under the eastern cascade," Sera added softly.

  As they said goodbye, Karion approached Adom. "So... rematch sometime? I want to see if you've actually improved."

  "I've got a few new tricks," Adom promised. "Not all of them involve getting hit."

  "Looking forward to it," Karion grinned.

  He then turned to Cassandra, offering an exaggerated wink. "Until next time, my lady."

  Cassandra stared back at him, face completely flat. "I'll try to contain my excitement."

  "Is that your annoyed face or your normal face?" Karion asked, undeterred.

  "They're the same face," Cassandra replied. "I just save energy that way."

  Sam snorted, quickly covering it with a cough.

  "Perhaps next time I could show you my collection of rare crystalline formations," Karion continued, undaunted. "I have several specimens from the Northern Range."

  "Unless they're grade-A iridescent with intact mana channels, the current market is oversaturated," Cassandra replied without looking up from her ledger. She adjusted a figure with a slight frown. "You'd be lucky to get thirty copper per ounce."

  "You certainly know your market values," Karion's grin widened, not at all deterred by the rebuff. "I'll find something that impresses even you."

  "I recommend focusing your considerable enthusiasm on not getting incinerated by those Giant Scorpions instead," Cassandra replied, turning away.

  "And that," Lina muttered to Mira, "is why Mother says he'll either be a diplomat or dead by thirty."

  The teams waved and headed in opposite directions. As they walked north, Sam's steps seemed lighter than before.

  "Combat Athletics Club, huh?" Adom nudged his friend.

  "Just trying to improve," Sam shrugged, but his smile remained.

  Ahead of them, Yann turned back. "Let's keep moving. Those Crystal Falls aren't getting any closer while we chat."

  John mimed an exaggerated march, drawing laughs from everyone.

  *****

  The team made good time after leaving Bramble Basin, the weight of forty additional points giving their steps a certain lightness. They'd chosen the northern route toward Crystal Falls, a three-hour trek through increasingly rugged terrain.

  "So," Sam asked as they climbed a particularly steep hill, "what exactly are we expecting at these falls?"

  Adom consulted his notes. "Typically Glass Serpents in the upper pools, like Mira warned. Might be some Cascade Lurkers in the lower basins."

  "What's a Cascade Lurker?" Sam asked.

  "Amphibious ambush predator," Cassandra replied without looking up from her notebook. "Resembles a large salamander with camouflage abilities. Territorial, moderately aggressive. Seven points each if we recover the luminescent glands intact."

  "They can also shoot their tongues out up to fifteen feet," Adom added. "And the tongue splits into three barbed sections at the end."

  "That's... disgusting," Sam said.

  "Nature's creative," Yann shrugged. "Even the twisted version of it found in dungeons."

  "I wouldn't call a tongue that can grab you from across a terrain 'creative.' I'd call it nightmare fuel."

  A loud crash interrupted their conversation. John, who had been walking point, raised his shield. Something large was moving through the undergrowth ahead.

  "Formation," Adom said quietly. The team immediately shifted into their practiced positions – John front and center, Sam and Adom flanking, Yann and Cassandra protected in the middle.

  The crashing grew louder, punctuated by a strange, wet snorting sound. Branches snapped, and a massive shape burst into view.

  "What in the—" Sam started.

  "Mosshide Boar," Adom identified quickly. "Twelve points for the tusks, eight for the moss patches if they're still glowing."

  The creature before them resembled a wild boar magnified to nightmarish proportions. It stood nearly five feet at the shoulder, with curved tusks the length of a man's arm. Most striking were the patches of luminescent moss growing directly from its hide, giving it an eerie green glow in the shadowed forest.

  The boar pawed the ground, its red eyes fixed on the team. The moss along its spine brightened noticeably.

  "That's not good," Yann said. "The moss glows brighter when they're agitated."

  "Plan?" Sam asked, already preparing a spell.

  Adom assessed the situation quickly. "John, anchor left. Sam, ice wall on the right to limit its movement options. I'll take center with binding spells. Yann, ready with support."

  "And me?" Cassandra asked.

  "Please record weakness patterns," Adom replied. "And stay behind John."

  The boar charged without warning, its bulk moving with surprising speed. John braced, shield angled to deflect rather than absorb the full impact. Sam's ice wall materialized just in time, channeling the boar's charge directly toward John.

  The collision was thunderous. John's feet dug furrows in the soil as he was pushed back several feet, but his stance held. The boar's tusk scraped along the shield with a sound like nails on slate.

  "Now!" Adom called.

  Sam's lightning bolt struck the creature's flank, eliciting a pained squeal. The moss patches flared brilliantly in response. Adom followed with a binding spell aimed at the boar's legs, but the creature was already spinning away from John, breaking the partial hold.

  "It's faster than it looks!" Adom warned, already repositioning.

  The boar made another run, this time angling toward Sam. Adom intercepted with a [Stone Wall] spell that the creature crashed through like it was made of paper. Debris scattered everywhere as the boar barreled forward.

  "Sam, move!"

  Sam dove sideways, narrowly avoiding the tusks. He rolled and came up firing, an ice spike catching the boar in its hindquarters. The creature squealed in rage, whirling again with unexpected agility.

  "The moss is some kind of energy conductor," Cassandra called out, observing from behind John. "It's channeling magical energy through its body!"

  "So magic isn't the best approach?" Adom asked, ducking under a swipe from the boar's tusks.

  "I didn't say that," Cassandra replied. "I said it conducts energy. I think if you overload it—"

  "Got it," Sam interrupted. His hands were already moving in a complex pattern. "Adom, pin it for three seconds!"

  Adom didn't question the instruction. He channeled Fluid at 70%, feeling the energy surge through his limbs as he darted in close to the boar. It swung its massive head at him, tusks sweeping through the air where he'd been a moment before.

  [Flow Prediction] activated, everything slowing around him. He could see the boar's next move before it happened – the subtle shift of weight, the tensing of muscles. Adom moved accordingly, slipping past the tusks and driving his reinforced dagger into the thickest moss patch on the boar's shoulder.

  The creature bellowed in pain. Adom twisted the blade, anchoring it deeper. As expected, the boar tried to throw him off, exactly the reaction he needed. He used the momentum to flip over the creature's back, maintaining his grip on the embedded dagger. The move left him straddling the boar for a moment – exactly where he didn't want to be, but exactly where Sam needed him.

  "Ready!" he shouted.

  "On three!" Sam replied. "One... two..."

  Adom released the dagger and launched himself clear.

  "Three!"

  Sam's supercharged lightning bolt struck the dagger still embedded in the moss. The metal conducted the electricity directly into the moss network, which lit up like festival lights. The boar went rigid as electricity coursed through its body, the moss patches flaring to blinding brightness before suddenly going dark.

  The creature swayed for a moment, then collapsed with a ground-shaking thud.

  "Did we kill it?" Sam asked, approaching cautiously.

  Yann moved forward, checking the fallen boar. "No, just overloaded its system. It's unconscious."

  "Perfect," Cassandra said, already pulling out her specimen kit. "That means the moss samples will be pristine." She paused, looking Adom over. "Any injuries?"

  "Nothing serious," he replied, though his shoulder ached where it had been wrenched during his acrobatics. Another data point for his physical skills.

  "That was some move," Sam said, grinning. "Riding a dungeon boar. Not something you see every day."

  "Let's not make it a habit," Adom replied, stretching his arm gingerly.

  With practiced efficiency, they harvested the valuable parts – the gleaming tusks and careful samples of the moss, still faintly luminescent even when separated from the boar.

  "Twenty points total," Cassandra noted as she cataloged the specimens. "Our tally is growing nicely."

  "Adom."

  As they were packing up to continue toward Crystal Falls, Adom froze.

  He turned his head slightly, listening. There was a voice, calling his name. Adult, male, strangely familiar.

  "Adom." The voice came again, distant and unclear.

  "Everything alright there?" Yann asked, noticing his sudden stillness.

  Adom turned to the team. "You guys didn't hear that?"

  They exchanged glances, instantly alert.

  "Hear what?" Sam asked, already moving into a defensive position.

  "A voice. Calling my name."

  "Mimic?" Cassandra suggested, reaching for her knife.

  "Maybe," Adom said grimly. "But it sounded... familiar. Not like any of you."

  "I heard nothing," Yann said, eyes scanning the area.

  "If it is a mimic, better we find it before it ambushes us," Adom decided.

  "How? They could be hiding anywhere," Sam pointed out.

  Adom considered for a moment. "I might be able to locate it." He moved to a clear spot and knelt down. "Cover me for a minute."

  The team formed a protective circle around him as Adom closed his eyes, focusing his mana. This was a specialized application of basic spatial awareness magic.

  [Sonar]

  The spell spread outward from him like ripples in a pond, invisible waves of magical energy bouncing off solid objects and returning with information. It wasn't as detailed as true sight, but it could detect motion and mass where normal perception failed.

  For several long seconds, he detected nothing unusual. Then – there. A subtle movement about thirty yards away, behind a cluster of crystal-studded rocks. Too deliberate to be wind, too small to be a larger creature.

  "Got it," Adom said, opening his eyes. "Behind those rocks, northeast."

  They moved as a unit, approaching the location cautiously. John took point, shield raised. Sam prepared a containment spell while Yann readied a binding light.

  "On three," Adom whispered. "One... two... three!"

  They burst around the rocks simultaneously. The creature lurking there barely had time to react – a twisted, vaguely humanoid thing with too many mouths scattered across what might generously be called a face. It opened one of these mouths and screamed at them.

  Slash

  John's sword took its head clean off with a single, precise strike. The body twitched once, then collapsed in a heap of mismatched limbs.

  "That was... anticlimactic," Sam remarked.

  "Still a mimic," Cassandra confirmed, examining the corpse. "Voice-stealing variant. Different from the ones we encountered earlier. More developed vocal apparatus."

  "Why did only I hear it?" Adom wondered.

  "Target specific," Cassandra suggested. "Some mimics can focus their calls to a single recipient. Makes the lure more effective."

  "And the voice it was using?" Yann asked quietly.

  Adom shook his head. "I don't know. It sounded familiar, but I can't place it."

  "Mimics can only replicate voices they've heard," Cassandra noted, carefully extracting what looked like a specialized vocal sac from the creature's throat. "Which means whoever it sounded like has been in this dungeon recently."

  Somehow, the answer was quite unsatisfactory for Adom. The Mimic screamed, and the voice was not from it.

  No, he shook his head, let's not overthink too much now...

  As Cassandra finished her harvesting, something caught Adom's eye – a gleam of metal behind the rocks where the mimic had been hiding.

  "Hold up," he said, moving closer. "There's something here."

  Partially buried in the soft earth was what appeared to be a small chest, its metal fittings tarnished but still intact.

  "Is that...?"

  "Treasure," Cassandra confirmed, suddenly very interested. "Likely belonged to previous adventurers. The mimic was probably guarding it."

  "Or using it as bait," Yann suggested.

  Cassandra glanced at Adom, a moment of silent communication passing between them. Both had spotted the chest at almost the same time. Either could have quietly claimed it. But treasure found in dungeons came with protocols.

  "We should document this," she said finally. "According to Guild regulations, found treasures need to be submitted for verification."

  Adom nodded, feeling a small knot of tension release. He hadn't been sure what Cassandra would do.

  "What's the breakdown again?" Sam asked as John carefully extracted the chest from the ground.

  "Thirty percent to the finders if it belongs to another party," Yann explained. "Full claim if no owner is identified within thirty days."

  "Assuming it contains anything worthwhile," Adom added, not wanting Sam to get his hopes up.

  The chest was surprisingly heavy for its size. John set it down carefully, and they gathered around as Cassandra checked for traps.

  "Seems clear," she announced after a thorough examination.

  The lock was old and partially corroded. A simple unlock spell from Adom was enough to trigger the mechanism. The lid creaked open to reveal a jumble of items nestled in rotting velvet.

  "Well?" Sam prompted as Cassandra methodically began sorting through the contents.

  "Let's see," she said, laying each item on a clean cloth she'd spread out. "Three gold signets, approximately forty-five gold value total. A mana crystal, partially depleted, maybe twenty gold. Two silver rings – not sure how much they'd cost. A small pouch of cut gems, probably another fifty gold total. We'd need to be out to properly evaluate them."

  "That's..." Sam quickly calculated, "almost a hundred and fifty gold!"

  "A decent find," Yann agreed. "Not life-changing, but certainly welcome."

  Cassandra continued sorting. "Some papers, too degraded to read. A silver compass, still functional. And... hm."

  She held up what appeared to be a small, transparent stone. It was roughly tear-shaped, catching the light in strange ways, almost like a drop of frozen water.

  "What is it?" Sam asked, leaning closer.

  Cassandra turned the object in her fingers, studying it from various angles. "Just a transparent rock, as far as I can tell. No obvious value." She extended it to Adom and Sam. "Do you boys feel any mana from it?"

  "No," they both said after a moment of concentration.

  As she set it down among the other treasures, Adom felt a strange pull of interest toward the small stone. It wasn't really outstanding, but in doubt...

  [Identify]

  [Unpure Celestium Crystal.]

  Adom gasped, suddenly reaching for the stone. "This is celestium!"

  The others looked at him with varying degrees of skepticism.

  "Are you sure?" Cassandra asked, eyebrows raised. "Have you ever actually seen celestium before?"

  "I have," Adom insisted, turning the transparent crystal in his fingers. "This doesn't look like typical celestium, I admit, but that's what it is."

  Cassandra frowned. "Celestium is incredibly rare and expensive. I've never personally seen it, but everything I've read suggests it doesn't look so... simple."

  "She's right," Yann added, leaning closer to examine the stone. "I've seen celestium once, in the northern territories. It was warm to the touch and bright like the sun – almost hard to look at directly. You might be confusing it for something else."

  Adom looked again.

  [Identify]

  [Unpure Celestium Crystal.]

  "It is celestium. Just... unpure. Maybe that's why it looks different."

  Sam squinted at the unremarkable crystal. "It just looks like water that someone froze and then shaped."

  "If it were celestium," Cassandra said carefully, "it would be worth more than everything else in this chest combined. By a significant margin."

  "It is," Adom insisted, though he could tell by their expressions that none of them believed him.

  Cassandra shrugged. "Well, if you're so convinced..." She handed the stone back to him. "You should have it. Consider it your share if you want to claim it as personal treasure rather than team inventory."

  "Are you serious?"

  "Why not?" Cassandra said with a small smile. "If it's actually celestium, you've just made the find of a lifetime. If it's not... well, you've got yourself a pretty paperweight."

  "I'll take that bet," Adom said, closing his fingers around the crystal.

  "Just don't come crying when you find out it's just quartz or something," Sam teased, nudging Adom's shoulder.

  "Maybe you can make a necklace out of it," Yann suggested with a gentle smile. "To go with that distinctive hair of yours."

  Adom rolled his eyes at their gentle ribbing but tucked the stone safely into his inventory through his pocket. He wasn't sure why the identification spell was so specific about something that looked so ordinary, but he'd learned to trust it.

  "We should pack everything properly," he said instead. "Document the location, contents, and condition for the Guild verification."

  Cassandra nodded, already wrapping each item carefully before placing them back in the chest.

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