The cave that had been closed by a mana barrier finally opened, allowing everyone to leave.
After the battle against the armored crab, Maevon, Rank 8 of Astrong Academy, used his magic to treat the group's injuries. Kael also helped with the process, and after some time, everyone had recovered a good portion of their strength.
Although they were still inside the dungeon, the environment was calm enough for them to continue advancing without immediately having to worry about another battle.
"So these are the three who stole it and jumped in here."
Shen Keifeng, Rank 9 of Shengtian Academy, held a piece of paper with the appearance of the three thieves. His posture and clothing made it clear that he took martial arts very seriously.
Beside him was Yue Qianlan, Rank 5, who carefully observed the surroundings, not letting any movement escape her notice. Liang remained in front of the two while analyzing the situation.
"Yes. They're all Second Circle and should be somewhere in the dungeon. And seeing that there is no one on this platform, they probably passed the first test and are doing something else."
"You're right. Besides, I think they prefer to stay here as long as possible because they're certain they'll be caught as soon as they leave."
For the three of them, it was not difficult to imagine what the thieves were thinking. The situation was practically obvious: entering a dungeon where only people from the Second Circle or below could enter was a convenient way to escape stronger pursuers.
The problem was that they had certainly stopped somewhere to prepare a trap, and discovering where that would happen would be much more difficult.
Qianlan remained silent for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes.
"Leader, something is following us."
Liang slowly turned his head, trying not to show that he had noticed the presence. Close to the ground, an aquatic liquid moved strangely, sliding across the platform without making almost any sound. He began preparing his magic, but did not get the chance to cast it.
A water spear passed beside his head and struck exactly where the liquid was.
"Kael."
"Stay calm. Alaric and I captured it."
Liang looked toward the voice and realized that the two had prepared a strategy before attacking. Alaric was keeping the creature pinned against the ground using his water magic, although he was having some difficulty controlling it. When Liang approached, he was finally able to see what they were holding.
It was a small fairy.
She struggled violently between Alaric's hands, trying to escape.
"Let me go, you bastard! If you don't let me go, I won't choose you as my guardian!"
"But what is this?"
"I'm a fairy! Can't you see, idiot?"
"Hello, fairy."
Kael was the first to approach. Realizing that she did not seem to want to try attacking, Alaric released his hands and freed her. The small fairy immediately moved away, huffing angrily and crossing her arms. Despite her irritation, she continued observing the two water magic users who had managed to capture her, as if waiting for some reaction.
"I'm sorry about that."
"I accept your apology, but you two earned fewer points than the boy with Ocean Magic."
"Me?"
The fairy pointed at Kai.
"Don't come near me, or I'll be suffocated by your aquatic beauty. And just so you know, you earned three more points."
The three tilted their heads almost at the same time.
The fairy was very different from what they expected. For some reason, they had all imagined that a creature of that kind would be more delicate or even cute, but her personality was already beginning to annoy them.
Alaric decided to ignore that and got straight to the point.
"What do you mean, points?"
"Good question. One more point for you. Well, the point system is simple. Everyone who possesses water magic appears here when all the tests are over, and I can choose one of them to be my contractor. So, be grateful."
Kael was the first to speak after the explanation.
"I'm grateful, great fairy."
"You earned one point for that, red-eyed human."
Kael took a few steps backward. To be honest, he did not believe that contract would work for him for several reasons. Because of that, he preferred to leave that opportunity to the other two water magic users.
"You don't seem to want the breastplate or that fairy."
Meilin was standing beside Kael. Elaris and Arvanys had also noticed the same thing and raised their eyebrows at him. Even Liang seemed to have understood, judging by the look he directed toward Kael.
Kael let out a small laugh before looking to the side.
"Well, that's because I prefer to achieve my goals with my own power."
"Seriously? Your own power? How annoying. For me, it doesn't matter what I have to do. I'll use everything to become stronger."
"Lord Liang seems quite irritated. Was it something I said?"
With an amused smile in his eyes, Kael approached Liang. Before he could get too close, however, a jade barrier appeared around the Shengtian leader and pushed him away.
Kael realized that continuing to provoke Liang probably would not lead anywhere and decided to move ahead. At least until he heard a question from Dorian.
"Who do you want revenge against?"
Kael stopped.
"My mother."
Everyone fell silent.
The boy continued smiling, but there was something completely different in his eyes. The smile showed no sign of amusement. For a few seconds, no one knew what to say. Some showed curiosity, but it seemed rude to continue asking about something so personal.
Well, almost no one thought that way.
"Why?"
Kai had asked.
Alaric watched Kael for a moment. If something went wrong during that conversation, at least there was already someone there to receive the boy's irritation.
Kael looked at the water below the platform. His gaze became distant, as if he were trying to see some very old memory through that surface.
"She betrayed me. So, I would like to ask why she did that."
"Then everything can end well if she answers properly."
"I don't know. The only thing I know is that if she answers incorrectly, I'll kill her..."
A chill ran through the group.
Kael's expression had not completely changed, but his eyes were different. They seemed much darker, and the red of his irises glowed for a brief moment. That gaze did not match the boy who spent all his time trying to talk and joke with everyone.
Alaric decided to intervene. He had already seen people consumed by revenge and knew there was a question capable of revealing what someone truly intended to do after achieving what they desired.
He took a step forward.
"And when you complete this revenge, what will you do?"
Kael looked at him again.
"I'll shock the world by becoming the strongest."
The answer came without any hesitation.
The smile returned to his eyes, this time filled with confidence. Alaric was surprised by the speed of the answer. Kael did not seem to have any doubts about what he would do after his revenge. It was as if he had already mapped out the path he intended to follow long before that conversation.
The small fairy began flying around him, commenting that he had earned points for that answer, although he was still behind Kai, who remained the water magic user with the highest score.
'That's good. At least he won't get lost like...'
Alaric interrupted his own thought before finishing it.
When he looked at the others, he noticed that many seemed equally surprised. Elowyn was watching Kael attentively, while Liang showed a different expression, as if he had begun respecting that determination a little more. Even though he still considered some of Kael's actions stupid, it was impossible to deny that there was enough conviction in his words.
"Let's continue. We have a long way to go."
The group resumed walking.
After some time, they reached the next cave. The entrance seemed peaceful, but everyone remained alert, as they already knew that this part of the dungeon would be different from the previous one.
As soon as they entered, a small creature resembling a ground cockroach remained hidden in the wall. Its body was camouflaged among the stones and could barely be noticed. Its eyes followed every movement of the intruders, transmitting everything it saw to somewhere farther ahead.
"Looks like they've reached the second test."
"All right. Let's prepare to separate them."
"This will be easy."
"Maybe not. Judging by the power they used, I see that almost all of them are in the Second Circle."
Three shadows watched the group's arrival through two eyes made of earth.
The three thieves had followed their every movement.
Now, finally, their trap would be set into motion.