A huge slash cut through both the floor and the ceiling of the room, demonstrating the impressive strength of that attack for someone at Circle Two. Grakka stood up, showing that she was fine even after releasing so much energy in her final blow.
From the first time Enrico had seen her fight, he had realized that the amount of mana she possessed would certainly be enough to place her among the top ten first-year students.
"Good job, Grakka."
"That's thanks to you, my best friend Enrico."
"I hope you'll just call me your friend, like before. That title is too much."
"If that's what my best friend wants, then I'll do that. But in my heart, I'll continue calling you that."
The two smiled. Grakka approached and extended her hand to help Enrico stand up, and he gladly accepted.
As soon as he was standing, Enrico massaged his shoulder, feeling the strain of the effort he had made to withstand the strength of that minotaur using only his own physique.
[You should have used magic to strengthen your muscles, just as it did.]
'Why? If I can endure it with my own body, why waste magic unnecessarily? I still had a plan in case this one failed, so I needed to save my reserves.'
Besides, the injury wasn't serious. His own water magic would be enough to heal him in a few minutes, so there was no reason to worry.
"Enrico, Grakka, that was incredible!"
Sylvia approached the two, showing her excitement.
"It looks like you've recovered well, Sylvia."
"If I hadn't recovered properly, Caelan would have had to focus on fighting instead of healing me."
"Hey, I want to be a good fighter and healer! Don't underestimate me!"
Caelan replied with a determined expression, especially after witnessing the power of those two. In fact, everyone seemed more motivated, but Elian was the one showing the greatest concentration. His gaze was fixed on Enrico, as if he were trying to understand something.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Elian? What's wrong? Did you fall in love after I saved you?"
"W-what? What are you talking about?! I'm looking because you simply never stop improving! Don't get the wrong idea, idiot!"
"Why so much explaining? Don't tell me I got it right."
Elian became even more nervous at the teasing, while Enrico seemed to be enjoying the situation more and more.
Sylvia, meanwhile, blushed as she watched the two arguing like that. In her mind, the scene looked like a couple of lovebirds bickering over insignificant things.
Liam merely snorted when he noticed how much Enrico enjoyed bothering Elian, who continued trying to explain that his gaze didn't mean what the other boy thought it did.
'If you keep acting so nervously with that embarrassed girl's face, no one will believe you.'
Before the argument could continue, the dungeon began to disappear, transporting everyone outside. A chest appeared in the middle of the group, immediately attracting the others' attention.
However, while the others approached to check the rewards, Sylvia could only think about the battle she had just witnessed.
'Those two are absurd. It took at least four of us to deal significant damage to that boss, but those two managed to defeat it!'
Her gaze turned toward Grakka, and she began to see the orc differently. Now, she knew there was another person she would have to surpass if she wanted to keep advancing.
'Grakka is strong, but Enrico is certainly even stronger.'
Sylvia was certain of that. After all, Enrico had managed to fight that boss alone for some time, even before taking the axe. And even after dropping the weapon, he had still managed to rival the minotaur's raw strength.
'I think, just as I do with the top two, I'll let Enrico stay ahead and focus my efforts on the others.'
That was her plan for becoming stronger. First, she would focus on those below these three before trying to catch up with them. Only when she managed to surpass the others would she try to reach the same level as those monsters.
Meanwhile, Enrico approached Elian and took a potion out of his inventory.
"Here, Elian. If you drink this potion, your speed will permanently increase by five percent."
Elian was surprised by Enrico's gesture.
"Are you sure you're giving me this? Because I'm definitely going to accept it."
"You'd better take it quickly, or I'll change my mind."
Elian accepted the potion, still a little suspicious of the sudden generosity, but showing no intention of refusing it.
Seeing Enrico and Elian so close, Sylvia's eyes lit up. Her lips curled into a mischievous, almost sinful smile.
"Hehehe... One day, I'll see those two together. I'm sure of it."
"What is that lunatic talking about?"
Beside her, Liam wore a horrified expression at such confidence. He shook his head, trying to ignore those words, and approached Enrico.
However, as soon as he got close, he ended up receiving a Nartheis core.
"What is this?"
"It's the strongest Nartheis core from the second phase. If you absorb it, you'll gain an improvement when wielding a spear."
"Thanks!"
Liam put the core away, satisfied with the reward.
Next, Enrico handed two enhancement items to Sylvia and Caelan. Their eyes lit up with excitement as they received their gifts. The rewards from that adventure were excellent, making them feel that all their effort had been worthwhile.
[Everything ended well. After all, no one would be satisfied if someone died.]
'Don't jinx it! Hope that never happens, you shitty system.'
Enrico stretched and put away the items he intended to give Kai and Valença. Then, he drank a potion similar to the one he had given Sylvia, which was meant to improve his magical affinity.
[Great! Now your learning speed for fire and water magic has increased. I'm very happy!]
'Your happiness is my happiness. Your sadness is also my happiness. So thank you for your sadness.'
[You bastard.]
The tree that had been uprooted earlier was back in its original place as if nothing had happened. This surprised the others, except Enrico, who began walking.
After leaving the area, the six walked back to the city. When they arrived, they realized that the dungeons had probably already been closed, as all the mages who had entered them were returning. Some were injured, while others seemed to have completed their explorations without any major problems.
Caelan noticed a boy he immediately recognized since he was part of Class A.
"Isn't that Firki, the thirty-sixth-ranked student in our class?"
Elian recognized him as well.
"You're right. What is he doing here?"
Liam, standing beside them, thought for a moment before answering Elian's question.
"He must have received permission to enter a low-level dungeon since he lives in this city."
"That makes sense. Should we talk to him? That guy is pretty quiet."
Enrico nodded to his classmates and was the first to approach Firki. After all, he needed to do it at that moment, because this was precisely when Kai and Firki would begin becoming friends, especially after Kai agreed to help him with personal matters.
'This will kick off tomorrow's arc, but it'll be easy.'
[These useless arcs shouldn't even exist.]
'Keep crying. The more you cry, the happier I get.'
That arc would be simple because Enrico only needed to resolve a problem between two brothers who had grown apart after an argument. The conflict had begun because of the younger brother's feelings of inferiority toward the older one.
'Resolving family problems is difficult for me, so I'll simply copy what Kai did in the original story.'
The six gathered around Firki, who seemed nervous as he thought about his older brother. However, there was someone else watching the group from a distance.
Deymon was discreetly following them, keeping his gaze fixed on Enrico. He had received orders from Jago to watch him without drawing attention.
'Why do I have to keep an eye on this guy?'
Jago's answer still echoed in his mind.
'Because I've seen something interesting in him that might help me with something. That's all.'
That explanation had left Deymon furious. Enrico was receiving too much attention from other people, and that only made his anger burn even hotter.
"Enrico and Kai... Neither of you will escape me."