"This is too easy," Lucas Dawn said. His sword cut down another monster with ease, a single hit and he split it into two. "I thought House Solarin would be giving us a difficult ti for training."
The team leader grimaced. Was it her fault or that he and his friends were just powerful?
"Oh, shut up, Lucas. I’m finding this fun," Jade Callahan said. His hands blurred and he shot three arrows in one second, killing three monsters with shots to their heads. "This is a very good way to train."
Seris Thorne, the last of the trio, hadn’t made a single move since they entered. She let her two friends take over. An E-ranked Dungeon isn’t a threat to the strongest of the Awakened Advancent Stage.
The team leader grunted in frustration. Her House was trying to recruit the three, Lucas especially, as he’s one of the very few S-ranks in year one, and one of the few in the academy.
But the plan of showing the House’s power through her isn’t going as expected because he just takes care of all the monsters they’ve encountered so far.
The team leader might be a C-rank herself, but she’s in the Ascendant. She’s capable of handling any trouble that the Dungeon throws.
Besides, Lucas Dawn might be the star that her House wanted. All the year ones that followed were also prospective candidates, and they’ve had no chance to show their abilities.
They’ve been glaring at the three non-stop since. But what could they do? If they could, they should also kill the monsters before the three.
"What a strange Dungeon. There are lots of mini-bosses. Usually, we only see one or two, but we’ve seen up to twelve so far. I can’t wait to see the reward of the... huh?"
Sothing was blocking the hallway. It was a monster so tall its head hit the top of the tunnel. Its body seed to be made of both shell and bones.
The team leader frowned. "I don’t know what type of monster that is. As the team leader, I will go and check its strength. Then I can direct you all on how to proceed."
It was standard procedure, and she wasn’t that worried because the Dungeon is E-ranked.
Yellow light covered her body and she leaped forward. A single step and she was beside the monster.
"Eh? That’s strange."
Instead of the monster shifting into a fighting position, it just looked down at her and then kept looking forward intently. At one person.
Lucas Dawn.
The team leader twitched. "This... are you seriously ignoring , you fucking monster!"
Her hand snapped out, a mini-explosion sound bursting out.
The ground and the wall cracked with the force of her power.
The power of an Ascendant Etherion user.
It was terrifying, and even if it was Lucas Dawn that was caught in just that pressure, he would have felt it deep in his bones.
But not only did she exert her force, she also punched the monster with her hand shining with yellow light.
Bam!
Chunks of stone flew through the air and the entire right leg of the monster, together with part of the side, got blown away as if a large drill had drilled through.
The team leader laughed and turned. She was sweating a little because she used more of her power to show off. "How is it? Do you guys see the power of House Solarin now? You’ll be provided with techniques and different research equipnt and potions..."
She trailed off because instead of the students having the awed look on their faces, they watched her in horror.
"Behind you!"
But it was already late.
She whirled around.
The monster had shrunk into human size and was whole, with no signs of wounds.
Its hand ca down on her chest so fast it left afterimages behind.
Crack!
Her chest was instantly carved in, but the monster continued, completely splitting her into two from the chest up.
Her blood sprayed the wall and her body bounced back from it.
She was dead the instant she turned her back on the monster.
But the students weren’t that worried for her. Maybe so parts of them were, but ultimately, their brains were only analyzing the fact that an Ascendant was dead just like that.
A single hit.
No chance of resistance.
What’s going to happen to them, the Awakened, then?
There was silence. Then—
Grarrrhhhr!
The monster roared, single eye focused on Lucas, who responded with a grin. He dropped his sword.
His hand reached out into empty space and a new sword of molten lava was dragged out. "This will take everything I have."
Seris Thorne grunted, lightning flickering around her body. "I’ll have to fight after all."
☆☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆☆
Ace was getting used to death.
Of swords cutting through his flesh, the pain of bones breaking. Of muscles ripping and rending.
He was getting used to his chest getting crushed and bones piercing his lungs.
But most importantly, he hated what the rabbit said every ti.
"Try to kill ."
The Tiless Immortal Saint domain that was obsessed with training is one where you are forced into training, dying, and waking up each ti.
A circle.
A never-ending circle of death and rebirth.
A twisted circle.
Indeed, not all lucky events were lucky. So were misfortunes that the character changes into their own luck.
Eric was talented in swordplay, and so it was much easier for him.
But Ace? There was not a single strand of talent in him.
He’d died one eighty tis. Huh? Or was it one thousand and eighty? How many days now?
He’d lost count.
But one thing that made him smile as his head was ripped out was that he was lasting longer each ti. Before, the rabbit killed him with a single hit, but now he’s lasting three hits.
He had no single talent, but he could learn. He would.
And he still had three more doors to pass.
Again, imdiately as his body was ford, the rabbit leaped forward, sword slashing, but by now Ace could dodge—just a few inches.
What’s the use of a strong sword strike if it didn’t hit?
The rabbit followed up by closing the gap between them, its sword falling like a hamr.
This ti he couldn’t dodge, and he took the attack with the side of his sword, shattering it, pieces slashing his cheek.
The rabbit’s sword still hadn’t lost its montum and hit his shoulder. He scread in pain, then thrust what remained of his sword at the rabbit’s wrist, slashing a small cut.
The first ti he would do such.
The rabbit’s fist ca down on his head, crushing his skull.
It was bloody and painful.
But he was fucking learning.
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