After the intense battle against the Hobgoblin and the blood-soaked group of Goblin Elites, the three sisters decided to rest briefly in the room they had just cleared. The stone floor, which had been flooded with thick green blood, now only bore faint stains that dried quickly thanks to Stacia’s wind magic. The air in the room was still damp and heavy, but at least the stench had decreased dramatically.
Sylvia sat leaning against the cold stone wall, her legs stretched out casually. The golden kitten Sol curled up comfortably on her lap, its small body warm and its soft golden fur rising and falling with its breathing rhythm. Stacia stretched her body with a satisfied "Ahh~", her tense muscles relaxing after the fight. anwhile, Alicia carefully inspected her wooden magic staff, her fingers tracing the faintly glowing rune engravings.
Sylvia opened her status panel in front of her with a smooth finger movent in the air. A semi-transparent blue screen appeared, emitting a soft light in the middle of the labyrinth’s darkness. Rows of numbers and status information floated before her dark red eyes.
[ Level :75 ]
She looked at the level number with a flat expression, but a hint of dissatisfaction was hidden in the depths of her eyes. "Level 75... still very far from 300 for the next evolution. It feels so slow even though we’ve slaughtered so many monsters."
Stacia glanced from the side, her ash-gray hair slightly ssy from the battle looking even wilder. She smiled broadly while wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You’ve leveled up quite fast, Sylvia. We’ve only been inside the Greywood dungeon for a few hours. Besides, the EXP from the monsters here is pretty stable. If we keep this up, your level might rise by two digits again tomorrow."
Alicia smiled gently as she sat beside Sylvia, their shoulders lightly touching. "Our soul bond is also developing well. I feel my mana flow is stronger and more stable than before. Even though we don’t level up as fast as you, our strength still increases alongside yours. That’s enough for us."
Sylvia nodded slowly and closed the status panel with one motion. "True. We can’t rest too long. This area is still too shallow. I can sense sothing much stronger deeper in this labyrinth."
The three of them stood up after the short, refreshing break. Sol leaped back onto Sylvia’s shoulder nimbly, its golden tail swaying warily as it sniffed the air. They advanced deeper into the left tunnel, which grew darker and damper. The sound of water droplets from the ceiling echoed rhythmically plip... plip... plip... mixed with faint growls and eerie howls from the distance. The tunnel walls beca increasingly wet with sli and moss, while the air felt heavier and more threatening.
Not long after, the tunnel widened dramatically into a large, spacious chamber. The mont they stepped inside, an extrely strong tallic sll of blood assaulted their senses. The scent was so thick it felt like a layer of oil on their tongues and throats. This room was no longer a narrow corridor, but a vast underground hall with a high ceiling full of sharp stalactites like giant teeth. The faint crystal light on the walls provided dim illumination that made the shadows dance eerily.
The chamber floor was covered with the remains of bones and severely rotting flesh. Goblins, kobolds, unfortunate adventurers, and other creature bones were scattered everywhere. So bones still had strips of rotting flesh hanging like torn, foul rags. Pools of old blood had dried into thick, sticky black stains on the stone floor. The pungent stench of decay mixed with the sll of fresh blood made the chamber feel like an abandoned giant slaughterhouse that had been left for years.
In the middle of this horrifying room, a group of Kobolds were gathered while feasting on leftover carcasses. They were larger and more ferocious than goblins, with rough scaly skin in a brownish-green hue, glowing yellow eyes full of hunger, and primitive weapons made of bone and rusted iron. Behind the group stood a Kobold King, a much larger monster nearly three ters tall, wearing a horrifying bone crown on its head and wielding a massive axe in its right hand.
"GRRROOOAAARRR!!"
The Kobold King roared loudly, its voice echoing like thunder throughout the chamber. The entire pack of Kobolds imdiately charged toward the three mages with wild, bloodthirsty roars, their scaly feet pounding the floor.
Sylvia frowned deeply, her expression showing clear disgust. "This place is disgusting. I can’t stand the sll. It feels like being inside the stomach of a rotting monster."
She glanced coldly at her two sisters. "Alicia, Stacia prepare defensive magic. I’ll clean this place up in one go."
Her two sisters moved without hesitation. Alicia raised her wooden staff high. "Absolute Barrier!" A transparent silver energy layer appeared around the three of them, protecting them from physical attacks while filtering out the foul stench. Stacia quickly opened her grimoire and added "Dinsional Wall!" to strengthen the defense and purify the air around them, making it fresher.
Sylvia raised her right hand coldly and gracefully. Without a long chant, with just a light flick of her finger, pure white War Sun Fla exploded from her palm like a small sun descending to earth.
FWOOSH!!
The blindingly bright white fla spread wide like a furious wave of solar heat. The temperature in the large chamber rose drastically in an instant. The charging Kobolds scread in agony the mont the white fla touched their bodies. Their scaly skin burned instantly, their flesh lted like wax, and their bones charred into fine black ash in seconds. Their roars turned into horrifying screams that quickly died out.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The white fla continued spreading rcilessly, scorching the leftover bones and rotting flesh on the chamber floor. The Kobold King at the back roared in fury and tried to fight back by swinging its massive axe wildly, but the War Sun Fla was too pure and extraordinarily hot. Its massive body burned from the outside in its scales lted, its flesh evaporated into smoke, until its entire body disappeared into a pile of black ash that scattered gently in the air.
The large chamber, which had been filled with foul stench and corpse remains, was now completely clean. Only fine grayish-white ash remained on the floor, and a sharp but clean scorched aroma replaced the horrifying tallic sll of blood.
EXP notifications imdiately flooded Sylvia’s ears like an unstoppable downpour.
[EXP 320]
[EXP 450]
[EXP 680]
[EXP 890]
[EXP 2.150 (Kobold King)]
[Level up progress increased significantly]
Sylvia frowned and imdiately silenced the EXP notifications with a single thought. "Too many. I’ll turn it off for now. So noisy."
Stacia and Alicia could only shake their heads and smile at their sister’s power. Although they were quite strong, compared to Sylvia who could scorch an entire room with just a flick of her finger, their strength still felt far below hers.
"But we don’t mind," Stacia said with a bright laugh, her eyes sparkling. "We each have our own specialties. I have ti, space, and buff magic. Alicia has debuffs, soul, and healing. We complent each other perfectly."
Alicia nodded in agreent, her expression gentle. "True. Sylvia is our main destructive force. We will support her from behind as best we can."
Sylvia nodded slowly, the white fla in her hand slowly fading until it disappeared. "Let’s continue. This room is clean now. There’s another door at the far end. I can sense a stronger aura behind it."
They walked across the floor now covered only in warm ash. The golden kitten on Sylvia’s shoulder purred contentedly, seemingly enjoying the lingering warmth of the white fla that still hung in the air like thin mist.
Their journey deeper into the Greywood Labyrinth continued. The deeper they went, the stronger and more ferocious the monsters beca. But with their combined strength, nothing could stop their advance.
In the next room, they faced a group of better-trained and better-ard Kobold Warriors. Stacia unleashed sharp wind storms that sliced through the front lines, Alicia stacked debuffs until the enemies were paralyzed and slowed, while Sylvia cleaned up the rest with black chains erging from the shadows or precise small bursts of white fla.
EXP continued flowing steadily to Sylvia. Her level rose slowly but surely. The soul bond allowed Stacia and Alicia to also feel real increases in strength, their magic beca stronger, their stamina longer, and their reactions faster.
"This place is really good for farming," Sylvia said while destroying a Kobold Shaman with a Chain of Abyss that pierced its heart. "We can stay here for a few days if needed. I need more EXP."
Stacia nodded enthusiastically while casting a new wind spell. "Agreed! I’m already starting to feel real progress in my magic. It feels sharper and easier to control."
Alicia smiled while healing a small wound on Stacia’s arm with light healing magic. "Let’s keep moving. Our goal isn’t just to clear this dungeon, but to beco stronger for Nocture and our future plans."
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