The Dungeon air was thick with dust and the smell of stone—the kind both Ais and Lefiya were very used to. Well, technically, the elven girl was still a bit of a newbie, while Ais had practically grown up fighting monsters.
Ais moved ahead with steady, silent steps, her sword flashing in clean arcs whenever a monster strayed too close. Each swing was precise. Efficient. Calm.
Though there was a hint of holding back in her posture—an unfamiliar restraint.
It was the weapon. Her own sword had been sent for repairs; the recent expedition had done a number on it. Right now, she was using a spare weapon, and since this one wasn't unbreakable, she had to hold back.
Unbreakable weapons were rare even in Orario. As the name implied, they didn't break—very akin to Orion's own weapons, all of which could be categorized as unbreakable. But they did degrade and required regular maintenance.
Behind her, Lefiya struggled to keep pace. She wasn't like Ais; she was rather new to being an adventurer—and a mage at that. Even after reaching Level 3, her physical capabilities weren't comparable to someone like Ais.
"I-I'm right behind you, Ais-san!" she called, trying to steady her breathing.
Ais glanced back briefly. "Stay close."
"I am staying close!"
The two girls were, of course, members of Loki Familia—second only to their top brass, to be exact. As for the reason they were here just a day after Loki Familia had returned from their long expedition—it was all Ais.
Ais Wallenstein was a battle junkie. It was well known throughout Loki Familia and among other adventurers. She was obsessed with getting stronger, almost borderline mad about it.
So it wasn't strange that she was back in the Dungeon to grind again the very next day.
As for Lefiya—well, the little elven mage had something akin to a crush on Ais, the Sword Princess.
So she came—not particularly just to get stronger, but to spend more time with her Ais.
And just like every other adventurer, they had to fight their way from Floor 1 to the deeper floors to get any worthwhile challenge. For higher-level adventurers, those upper floors were nothing; killing low-level monsters was like child's play.
However, physical exhaustion was still physical exhaustion. Bit by bit, it accumulated. The longer they had to fight, the sooner they would exhaust themselves, limiting how deep they could truly go.
Not everyone was like Orion, after all. Teleportation was a strategic-level cheat—especially if one could teleport inside the Dungeon.
Just as they were moving forward, another group of monsters emerged from a side tunnel—three sharp-toothed Kobolds and a large War Shadow lurking behind them.
Ais stepped forward immediately, her blade cutting down the first Kobold before it could even snarl.
Lefiya raised her staff with trembling hands.
Her chant came out rushed, but the spell formed properly and struck the second monster. It screeched and collapsed.
"Good," Ais said simply.
Lefiya flushed with relief.
But the War Shadow suddenly dashed forward, faster than she expected.
It slipped past Ais. Straight toward her.
Lefiya's breath caught. She wished to dodge—or do a quick chant to attack or defend herself—but she couldn't. Fear froze her.
It was too fast. Too close. Her mind blanked.
Her hands froze around her staff.
"I—"
The monster lunged.
Just as she thought it would reach her—and from the corner of her eye she saw even Ais couldn't make it in time—a flash of blue light cut across her vision.
Crack.
A small, shining projectile slammed into the War Shadow's head mid-charge, knocking it violently sideways. It crashed into the wall with a heavy thud.
Lefiya blinked.
"What…?"
Ais turned sharply.
Further down the corridor stood a figure with a staff in hand—the silver-haired adventurer they had seen at the Hostess of Fertility. They had only seen him from afar and hadn't interacted with him, so they didn't really know him. At least they knew his name.
Orion.
He lowered his staff calmly. He hadn't planned on acting; it was mostly considered rude—and borderline excelia-stealing—to kill another adventurer's monster.
After beating the Erdtree Avatar, Orion had called it a day and was leaving the Dungeon. However, instead of teleporting out like usual, he decided to raid the upper floors on his way out to earn a bit more money. That way, Marika wouldn't be dissatisfied with him since he wasn't putting himself in any real danger. That was when he found the two girls.
Orion only acted because he knew excelia at this level didn't matter to them. And the elven mage had definitely been in a tough spot. From what Orion knew, at her level, a War Shadow shouldn't deal lethal damage to her—but he still decided to help.
Two more monsters rushed from behind him.
Ais shifted her stance, ready to assist. A mage surrounded at close range was vulnerable.
But then—
Blue light extended from the end of his staff.
Not a projectile.
A blade. A slightly curved, gleaming sword of pure magic.
With a smooth motion, Orion stepped forward and sliced cleanly through the first monster. The glowing edge passed through flesh as if it were paper.
He pivoted without hesitation.
The second creature fell in the same breath.
The blue blade flickered and vanished the next moment.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Ais lowered her sword slowly.
"…A mage?" she murmured, now a bit confused about whether he really was one.
Lefiya stared wide-eyed.
"That wasn't… that wasn't normal."
Orion walked closer, expression calm.
"You okay?" he asked Lefiya.
She nodded quickly, embarrassed. "Y-Yes! I just… I just lost focus."
Ais studied him carefully.
"Thank you for helping Lefiya."
"No need. I just saw I could help, so I did," he replied simply.
Ais glanced at the fallen monsters beside him.
"You fight well at close range. What was that glowing sword?"
"Thanks. That was a spell—a close-combat spell that creates a magical sword. Quite useful for mages like us in times like these…" He looked at Lefiya with a small smile, one mage to another.
Lefiya nodded mindlessly, as if something like that were normal. But then her mind caught up.
"Wait!" she blurted. "You didn't chant!"
Both Ais and Orion looked at her.
"You used magic twice," Lefiya continued, her voice rising with disbelief. "That projectile earlier—and just now with the blade. You didn't chant either spell!"
In Orario, magic required chanting. Orion did need to chant for incantations—but not for Carian sorcery.
Ais narrowed her eyes slightly. She had noticed it too—but hearing Lefiya say it aloud made it more significant.
Orion tilted his head. "Is that strange?"
"Yes!" Lefiya exclaimed. "Very strange! Mages can't just cast like that!"
Ais stepped closer, golden eyes steady.
"Can I learn that magical blade?" she asked quietly.
The question wasn't hostile—just curiosity in her search for strength.
"I'm not sure, but I don't see any reason why not." Orion blinked, thought for a moment, then shrugged. He wasn't certain whether she could or not, but the power system of Elden Ring technically allowed anyone to learn that magic as long as they had enough intelligence and mana.
Of course, whether that was possible because of his system, he wasn't sure. So he couldn't say anything for certain.
"You really didn't chant," Lefiya asked again, still in disbelief, staring at him as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Orion gave a small shrug. "I've got no reason to lie about something like that, do I?"
"But—but that's impossible," she insisted, gripping her staff tighter. "Magic requires structure. A formula. A trigger."
"Yes, I don't disagree. But not chanting doesn't mean those things don't exist, right?"
Ais watched him in silence for a moment before stepping closer.
"That blade," she said calmly. "The one from your staff."
"It's called Carian Slicer."
"It cut cleanly," Ais continued. "Can I really learn it?"
Orion nodded slightly. "It does that because it's basically a magic sword. As for whether you can learn it—I'm not sure."
Ais's golden eyes sharpened slightly. "Can you teach me?"
Lefiya blinked. "A-Ais-san?"
But Ais didn't look away from him. There was no embarrassment in her curiosity—only focus.
Orion tilted his head. "Hmm…"
He didn't mind teaching, but he worried it would attract too much attention toward him. Not to mention, the spell required a staff to work. He didn't see Ais carrying a staff just for that one spell.
Lefiya huffed faintly. "You're thinking about using it, aren't you?"
"Yes."
There was no hesitation in Ais's answer.
"Even if I agree to teach you, using it means you'd have to carry a staff at all times. Think about it—are you really going to do that? Is that one spell even worth it?"
That dampened Ais's enthusiasm.
And right about then, Lefiya's earlier shock from the sudden attack and Orion's chantless magic faded, and another feeling took over.
Her cheeks warmed faintly, though she quickly forced her expression back into focus.
Her elven instincts stirred.
Elves were sensitive to Orion's presence—especially female elves. She became a bit self-conscious.
Lefiya shook her head quickly.
"What is wrong with me…" she muttered.
xXx
A/N : Should I fasten the current pace or this is good. Tell me in comments. Also tell me if there is any mistakes. I'll fix then asap.
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