- Water! I need water! - Klein complained, sitting on the floor with a thud as soon as the battle ended.

- Ha, weakling! - the gnome chuckled, as usual, full of energy. - Only cows and little kids drink water! Real men pour beer into themselves, muahaha! Who are you: a cow or a little kid? Hehe, so once again, gnomes have proven how much better they are than humans!

Klein just wearily waved Glen off. Arguing with him was impossible.

- Here, take this, - Robert threw water to the paladin. - Drink. Everyone rest a bit, then we need to gather all the valuables we can carry. Klein, how much mana do you have left?

- Seven. I can easily spend one, - Klein replied.

- Oh. In that case, spend it on examining me!" the little assassin commanded in a commanding tone. "I think after killing the shaman, I leveled up!

- Alright, check her, Klein. We'll examine the loot later, - the mage decided, and the paladin complied.

- [Examination].

After applying the miracle, the boy's head filled with information:

Name: Anna Rosenarm. Assassin (14 years old)

Level: 18

Durability: 5

Strength: 7

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 3

Wisdom: 2

Charisma: 6

Skills:

1) Shadow Step (1 mana. Automatic success in the next stealth check)

Titles:

1) Genius (+10% chance to increase a random attribute when leveling up)

2) Shadow (advantage on stealth checks)

3) Master of Poisons (+33% poison effectiveness)

4) Killer (+3 dexterity. All attributes increase by 25% in battle against humans)

5) Chosen of Saivas (+10% critical hit chance, +15% damage dealt, +10% dexterity)

Klein, although being the chosen one of Aronis himself, gritted his teeth with envy. The number of titles impressed him... And titles aren't just handed out; they require some achievement and recognition. "Shadow" she most likely obtained through extensive training and numerous successful stealth checks; "Master of Poisons" - definitely obtained through alchemy training and its practical application. "Killer"... Yes, it was worth admitting that this fourteen-year-old girl obviously killed a human. And yes, it was frightening. "Chosen of Saivas" she probably received at the same time. This god of murder likes to reward those who impress him. Well, "Genius" she got at birth, that's for sure. And how lucky she was... Unfair. Klein knew that it certainly wasn't him to complain about luck, he himself bore the mark of the god of luck, but damn. Okay, of course, it's fair. She just got lucky, luck is blind, everything is fair... But how envious he was!

The paladin recalled her previous [Examination], and putting on a smile, said:

- Yes, congratulations, Anya, you're level eighteen now. Remarkable, considering you've only been doing this for a year. You've increased your dexterity, and yes, you got lucky, two attributes rose along with it: charisma and strength. Congratulations.

- Ha. I know, I'm amazing! And you're mediocre. How long did it take you to reach level thirty-two, you said? You mentioned something about participating in battles since you were ten. Mediocrity. Ha-ha. Don't worry, next year I'll catch up to you and I'll protect poor little Klein.

Lord, how Klein hated children. Yes, she was only two years younger than him, but she behaved like a child, and the boy hated it. And he hated geniuses even more. Exactly for their character, as if they had achieved everything themselves, for their coldness, and the feeling of superiority over ordinary people.

Meanwhile, the others began to congratulate the assassin: Robert did it formally, like a captain congratulating a squad member, Lia - with another unfunny joke, for which she received a deadly glare from the killer, Glen - with the words "well, maybe soon you'll catch up to the level of a goblin, little misunderstanding!", Isabella, who had returned to being human, with genuine admiration. This simpleton was truly amazed that a girl two years younger than her had a level almost twice as high. All these congratulations Anya accepted as a matter of course, like a queen to whom her servants bowed. And Vasiliy...

- O-oh! My little gold nugget has become even cooler! - the archer exclaimed joyfully, grabbing the girl and spinning her above the ground, causing her to squeal like a very small child. - Ah, what kids have become, so... Well, just wow! There are no words!

Standing on her feet, flushed and tousled, cheerful Anya, who now looked like an ordinary girl her age, shouted at the man:

- Hey, old man, what do you think you're doing! Of course, I'm cool! Bow down to me!

- Of course, darling! When we get back to town - I'll buy you sweets! Let's take my daughters and go party all night at those delicious places with food, you know what I mean. Such a thing needs to be celebrated!

- Do you have enough money for that, bumpkin? - Anya tried to behave haughtily and coldly again, but it was clear that the thought of sweets excited her very much. Apparently, her parents don't spoil her as much as her companion. And how did this ordinary village man manage to find a common language with her? Truly incomprehensible.

- Alright, everyone's great, - Robert pacified the team, - but we need to decide whether to go further or return home? I have only one [Earth Chains], one [Stone Armor], and one [Wall] left.

- I said I have six units of mana left, - Klein reported. - I can use three second-circle miracles or two third-circle ones. And I'm tired. I'm for going back.

- I'm full of energy! - Glen exclaimed loudly, demonstrating it. - Plus, I still have ten units of mana left, I can max out two runes! Let's go beat some goblins, and let's bet on who can kill more rat-faced ones?

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

- I... I would like to go home, - Isabella began timidly, but catching the fierce look from the gnome, she continued. - H-however, that means we'll have to come back here more times to clear the dungeon and complete the quest, s-so maybe we should stay... I-I have enough mana for one more transformation, but it won't be as powerful... And we won't be able to use regeneration then."

- Goblins are weaklings! - Anya declared decisively, emboldened by her level increase and future sweets. - Those who don't fight weaklings are even bigger weaklings! I'm not a weakling like you, losers (I don't mean you, Uncle Vasya, you're cool), I'll go on!

- The little lady's desire is my command. She said move - we move. Just let me pick up some arrows first, you know, they're not cheap, and now I have to feed three girls with sweets... I haven't spent any mana, all three are still available.

- And I'm up for any action! - Lia simply said, smiling brightly.

- So, Klein, I'm sorry, but we're in the minority, - the squad leader summed up. - We clear the next room - and then home. Rest. So, resources are not very abundant. The plan is as follows: we enter the next cave, use attacking abilities, ignoring defense. We can't prolong the battle. I'll go in the vanguard, Klein - switch to attack, your [Rays of Light] will be very useful to us. Vasiliy - your goal is to take out the strongest enemy as quickly as possible, I'll give you [Wall]. Glen goes left, Isabella - right, center on me. Lia and Anya - act as you see fit. If something goes wrong, everyone drops everything at my command and runs to Lia, she'll get us out of here. So keep your mystery if the enemy is strong, it'll come in handy for us. Well, let's go.

When they reached the next cave, Lia let out a disappointed sigh:

- Oh, there are only three of them here...

- Yes, - Robert replied, frowning. - But they're high-level. Almost human-sized. And one of them is a hob.

Hobgoblin. A powerful subspecies of goblins, standing out greatly among its brethren. A massive, muscular body, incomparable to regular goblins. Greater resilience and strength, but lower intelligence and wisdom. Let's not even mention charisma when talking about goblins. And Klein saw this hobgoblin. He truly towered over his two companions, resembling more of a wardrobe than a goblin. Damn, he was even taller than Robert, who was a rather sizable man!

The adventurers divided into three groups, each taking on one enemy. Klein and Isabella seemed to have gotten the goblin ranger with a bow and a short dagger, Glen and Lia got the goblin assassin with a sword and a dagger, while Robert and Anya faced off against the hobgoblin armed with a massive club. Meanwhile, Vasiliy monitored the field, standing on the newly created [Wall] made just for him. The opponents assessed each other, a second passed, and the sides rushed into battle.

This time, Klein was in the rearguard, allowing Isabella, transformed into a large dog, to take the front position. The goblin, apparently realizing who to target first, shot an arrow at the paladin. He shielded himself and retaliated with a miracle:

- [Beam of Light]! - A beam of holy energy burst from the servant of God's palm, instantly crossing the entire room and scratching the goblin's shoulder as he began to dodge when the paladin started casting.

The ranger jumped back, increasing the distance between himself and the angry dog rushing towards him, firing another arrow at her. Isabella howled in pain as the arrow hit her front paw, getting stuck, but she didn't slow down, her rage fueling her as she charged towards the goblin. The goblin took out a new arrow and imbued it with magic, causing it to glow dangerously. Klein realized that letting him hit with this arrow was out of the question, so instead of using the new beam, he called forth another miracle:

- [Radiant Light].

A flash of light illuminated the dark cave, forcing the goblins to squint to avoid being blinded. Since Klein was standing behind the group, his comrades were unaffected. Isabella darted to the side, and the blinded archer couldn't hit her, the arrow flew off course and embedded itself in the stone almost its entire length. This gave the druid enough time to reach the enemy and jump, knocking him down. The goblin grabbed a dagger and prepared to stab the dog standing on his chest, but Klein's [Beam of Light] pierced a hole in the goblin's hand, causing him to scream in agony, and Isabella, sinking her fangs into his throat, interrupted his torment.

Meanwhile, Klein saw Anya dodge a club swing by jumping onto it, but she didn't expect the subsequent punch that followed the club, and she flew sideways, grabbing her broken rib and gasping for air. The paladin immediately used his last remaining spell, casting [First Aid] on the girl. Yes, he didn't like her, but that wasn't a reason to let her die or suffer when he could help! After all, they were comrades. But he still didn't like her.

- Sir captain, grab him! - Vasiliy shouted, and Robert responded:

- Understood! [Earth Chains], [Stone Armor]!

The hobgoblin was bound by earthy ropes that tore out from the ground, and as he tried to break free, Robert rushed forward, wrapping his arms around the giant goblin, restricting his movements. The hob attempted to strike the mage, but only managed to cut himself on the protrusions of Robert's stone armor. Meanwhile, the adventurers' archer used his own skill, pouring all his mana into it:

- [Overdraw]. - His bowstring lit up with magical light, and after a second and a half of stretching the string beyond its physical limits, Vasiliy took a shot, kicking up dust around him from the force of the shot. The arrow he released pierced through the hobgoblin's chest. The hob stumbled, and fell, bleeding out. Meanwhile, Klein still didn't understand how non-magical class skills worked at all. They didn't use magic... But they used mana and violated the laws of creation. Non-mages were strange.

The last surviving goblin assassin still resisted, successfully evading and fleeing, exhausting Lia's spell reserves and Glen's endurance, as they couldn't do anything with his speed. Anja, who had recovered, came to their aid:

- Shorty, give me a second!

- You're the shorty here, you little wretch! And I'm a DWARF! - Glen roared in response, channeling mana into the tattoo on his mouth, activating the [Shout] rune. A furious sound burst forth from his mouth, momentarily distracting the goblin assassin's attention entirely towards the gnome, who rushed straight at him. However, the goblin quickly regained his senses and attempted to retreat. But the moment of confusion was enough for Anya to reach for one of the many small vials hanging from her belt and hurl it straight at the green-skinned foe. The vial shattered, and the enemy tried to escape its area of effect but couldn't make it in time. The neuro-paralytic forced his muscles to contract uncontrollably, and the goblin fell to the ground, writhing, only to be finished off by three fiery beams from Leah, sent into his body. The battle was over, leaving only the adventurers.

- That... that was quick, - Klein remarked.

- Yes, - Robert replied. - That's what happens when neither they nor we focus on defense. And now, finally, home. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. We did a great job. I declare tomorrow a day off, and then we'll clear out this dungeon. - The squad responded with approving cheers, and gathering their loot, the adventurers left the dungeon, heading home and anticipating a long rest.

After the humans had left, the owner of this dungeon emerged to inspect the day's results. He surveyed all the corpses, all the triggered traps, received a report from the escaped goblins, and ordered the remaining ones:

- Repair any traps that can be repaired, set new ones. Next time, we'll focus on places they haven't been to yet. Humans learn quickly, they know what to expect. Get to work! - Issuing orders to his minions, the dungeon master returned to his personal cave and, channeling mana into a crystal ball, contacted a much, much more powerful entity. Kneeling down and bowing his head, he spoke:

- I bow before you, Master. The adventurers were in the dungeon you entrusted to me. They are alive. For now. But they will return, and we will be ready.

- Understood. How many?

- Seven. Approximately thirtieth level. At their helm is a mage of at least fiftieth. His earth magic and [stone projectile] can cause trouble... But I will definitely handle it! Judging by everything, the rest are limited to spells of the third circle at most. With the artifacts you've bestowed upon me, I will destroy them in no time!

- I'm counting on it. Because otherwise, I will be severely disappointed. You understand what will happen to your soul in case of failure, don't you? - The speaker approached, revealing his face in the crystal ball. Or what was in place of it. A white skull, entirely covered in magical symbols, each of which contained a spell, appeared in all its glory. A lich, the worst and most powerful of all undead creatures. The master of masters inspired fear and awe.

- Y-yes, Master, I know! Everything will be done perfectly! You'll receive their souls!

- I hope so. Then I'll give you a piece of them too. Don't disappoint me.

- Yes!