Zion flew forward, Onyx cleaving the walking shadow in two, the arcane blade glowing brightly as it pulled in mana. He used kinetic movement to push himself to the right, using his buckler to stop a descending strike aimed at Beth's head. It recoiled off with a loud clang, and Beth fired a bolt of ice into its face, silencing the ghostly shrieks.

“That went pretty well that time,” Camila called, sending her spear back to her inventory. “No one even got hit that time.” Zion gave her a leveled stare, and she snorted, “Ok, no one's body got hit that time. Is that better?”

“Yes. Always be distinct in your words,” he answered, giving her a jovial wink. They had done well in this fight, really incorporating using Zion as a shield. Kinetic movement was a game changer, as he could now move freely in any direction without facing it. This opened up a lot of chances for him to intervene when they got focused.

“Ok, let's keep moving; the Void energy is starting to pool in this area now,” Beth pointed out, waving one hand at the swirling mass of black mist while her other held her nose. “Don’t want to push our luck.”

This floor was similar to the first, resembling a castle. But instead of normal rooms one might sleep in, they were traveling down halls filled with cells. Each cell was covered in grime, the walls practically oozing disgusting black gunk. Blood and entrails also decorated the rooms, most of it old, but a few spots looking recent.

This made them think of the missing adventurers. It was likely their blood they were finding everywhere. Zion hoped that wasn’t the case, but their theory was supported by the appearance of the mobs on this floor.

They were named Shades of Torment, and the name fit very well. Looking like a walking grim reaper, the shades wailed whenever they entered a cell and pounced on them. It could be walls or floors; the mob didn't seem to have any restrictions when it came to travel, making them perfect ambush predators.

Worse was that each one was filled with Void energy. Not enough to make the environment unbearable, but enough that injuries inflicted Void taint. Beth had only recovered from the first attack an hour ago, her arm having turned a light gray as mana fought against the taint.

Since then, they had been more careful, letting Zion lead the way into every room. This had led to his mana reserves taking a beating, and he was glad he had invested so heavily in spirit. The extra mana regen and magic resistance had proven fruitful in the face of this floor.

With the third cell block cleared, they moved back to the central hall. It was a singular hall that had a plethora of offshoots, each leading to another cell block. They had walked the hall and found six branches and decided they needed to clear each one.

It would be bad if the boss happened to pull the mobs from this area. None of them could let the shades live anyway. The possibility that they could be deceased guild members spurred on their need to free them. Their final reason was the hope that more loot would appear. Not because they were greedy but because any advantage would be huge.

They spent the next three hours clearing each block. It was a slow process, bogged down by Zion's need to refill his mana. Anytime Camila or Beth got hurt, they would have to give their bodies time to clear out the Void. By the time they had finished the fifth area, the group was tired but still had one more section to clear.

“Finally, the last bloody one,” Camila cried out, stretching her sore arms above her head. “I'm going to be exhausted by the time we reach the boss!”

“You and me both, sister,” Beth agreed tiredly, her eyes drooping from fatigue, her legs almost dragging as they walked to the last cell block.

“Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the guy who's getting hit every battle, all battle long,” Zion responded, playfully shoving Camila, then having to catch her before she stumbled. “Sorry, my bad.” She laughed and waved it off.

“I swear, if there isn’t one chest after all this, I want a refund,” Camila huffed. It was a sentiment they all shared. Dungeons were supposed to be filled with loot, but they had practically received none.

“Do you guys find it odd that we have found so few items?” Beth asked the group as a whole. “It just rubs me the wrong way, like it's important to the overall narrative of our mission.”

Zion couldn't fault her. It was strange, with no obvious reason for it to be happening. He thought about it, then gave his two coppers. “Honestly, that's the only explanation that I can think of at the moment, but I don't like what that means. If it's important, then it might come back to bite us in the ass.”

They all nodded at that but grew silent as they finally reached the cells. This room held four on the sides and one in the center. “Let's grab the left side first.”

All planning failed when shades began to pour out from all five rooms. There were easily thirty of them, the combined amount from every section they had cleared. The shades swirled and rippled around each other like some demonic whirlpool, their wails piercing the very foundation. Then they slammed together, black mist enveloping the whole area.

Zion activated arcane shield on instinct, the move proving vital when a large black claw raked at the shimmering blue. He felt a big portion of mana poof as the mist faded, revealing a mass of congealed shadows. It was like someone had taken all the shades and mixed them with the jelly from the first floor, resulting in a quivering, vibrating mass of gunk. Gunk that had one large gray eye and two elongated arms tipped with shredding claws.

“It’s a mini-boss, Zion. Don't get hit by that thing,” Beth cried out, already starting to send her new ice bolt into its large mass.

The monster paid no heed to that and brought both claws forward in a slashing arc. Zion reinforced his barrier with more mana and ran into the first claw, bringing it to a crashing halt. Then he used kinetic movement to rush into the second claw, the blow staggering him back for a moment.

Beth and Camila weren't even watching; each was hammering the mass with everything they had. Phantom spears followed lances of ice that pummeled into its form, gray gunk dropping from each hit.

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Zion, not wanting to be outdone, released an aether storm, which had the extra benefit of protecting him from another pair of slashes. His orbs detonated with enough force to leave gaps in its mass, gaps that the girls took advantage of. Each concentrated on those holes, pouring more damage into them. Slowly, they expanded until Camila launched her spear forward, its tip glowing that beautiful red. It ripped through the shadows and slammed into the wall from the other side.

The wail sounded louder, rupturing his right eardrum. He covered his ears out of habit, trying to stem the noise. The cacophony came to an end as the mass slumped to the floor, inky flesh spilling around like a jug of oil.

“That was intense as hell,” Camila stated, dropping wearily to the floor.

He glanced at his mana status before responding, “You're telling me. That damn thing took a hundred mana per hit. If you two hadn't unloaded on it, I would have turned into mush myself.”

“Mini-bosses are just as rare as trio-bosses,” Beth piped in, looking curiously at the creature. “Two things of that rarity shouldn't appear in a single dungeon. It's improbable.”

“Well, it happened. Not much we can do about tha….” Camila started to respond but was stopped when a chest appeared in the mass of shade flesh. “Are you kidding me? How the hell are we supposed to reach that?”

Zion let out a sigh, knowing he was literally the only choice for the job. While his body did handle the Void taint pretty well, it was still a miserable experience. He imagined it was similar to having your body lit on fire, but instead, that fire was burning you from the inside. How his mom had endured it so bravely, he couldn't comprehend.

“I'll grab it. Beth, can you make me a bridge of ice? Try to avoid touching it as much as I can,” he asked, bending his knees into a crouch in preparation.

A layer of ice spread across the body, much thicker than the ice she used on the first floor. He took off the moment he saw it, trusting her to hold it for as long as he could. With efficiency, he pried open the box and threw everything inside his storage belt. Using kinetic movement, he flew back to his starting spot, the layer of ice crumbling.

“Thank you!” he told her gratefully, noticing the strain on her face. They had both used a lot of force in that small battle, and her mana was probably dwindling at this point. Elemental manipulation consumed mana the entire time you performed it, so he'd have to make sure she had time to rest. He opened up his inventory to see what loot they had acquired this time.

Ruby x 2

Sapphire x 3

Gold x 50

Silver x 100

Copper x 200

Chains of the Shadelord (Artifact) - Infused with chaotic energy, the once-silver Chains of the Shadelord now writhe with inky blackness. Faint echoes of tormented cries emanate from the metal remnants of the past. Effects: These chains can be placed on a victim, stripping them of all Weave-granted powers. In return, the chains permanently steal the powers of the one who used them. Durability: Unbreakable.

Ring of Siphon (Rare) - Crafted from the claw of a Shadelord, the Ring of Siphon exudes an ominous aura, hinting at its vampiric nature. Effects: This ring siphons 5 health from the wearer's enemies with each attack, storing it within the ring. It can store a maximum of 300 health. Durability: 100/100

Zion quickly emptied the two items on the floor, almost tripping over himself to get away from the chains. “You two need to scan those items… especially the chains,” he informed them, hugging himself as a strange coldness spread through his chest.

He knew the task was done when both girls distanced themselves from the items. They, too, seemed to be trying to warm themselves as if some deep cold had infiltrated their very bones.

“What do we do with them?” Beth whispered, her eyes boring holes into the chains with revulsion. “The ring isn’t horrible. I've heard of vampiric items before. But those chains are pure evil.”

“I'll use the ring, at least until I can sell it for something better,” Camila replied, darting forward and grabbing the ring before jumping back. “It’s worth using for now, but I'm not touching those chains, artifact or not. But we can't leave them here either.”

“No, no, we can't,” Zion confirmed. He would like nothing more than to bury those chains in the deepest recess of this dungeon, but he dared not. When they finished here, it would be a few days before the dungeon disappeared. During that time, other people would explore it, hoping to find missed treasure.

“I'll put them in my inventory for now. We'll have to get help in disposing of them,” he said regretfully, his feet fighting against the action. But he did indeed grab the menacing shackles and throw them in his belt. He just hoped it wouldn't corrupt any of his other items.

“Let's go rest in the central hall. We need to go over notifications and then plan ahead for the floor boss,” he suggested, receiving agreement from them both. They traveled away from the cell block, watching as more Void taint filled the room. It was still a creepy thing to witness and not something he thought he'd ever truly accept.

When they returned to the hall, they made a makeshift camp, taking some time to go over their gains. Zion nearly jumped up with joy when he saw that he had hit level ten. He had accomplished it in less than a week. Now, he was leveling in an area one tier above him, fighting peak-level monsters and delving into an incredibly hard dungeon, but it was still impressive. He gained six points for this level, the standard for reaching a plateau. He ended up placing two in affinity and four in resolve. He wanted to hit harder but knew how much effort it had taken to endure the Void sickness. If his guess proved correct, the real boss was going to make him regret ever being born. Besides his level, he also upgraded yet another ability.

Ability Upgraded:

Ability: Arcane Shield has been upgraded to Arcane Barrier

Upgrade Effect: The Arcane Barrier upgrade empowers the caster to shape their own shield design. Unlike its predecessor, this spell doesn't encase the user in a fixed shell, granting them freedom to manipulate and position the shield as desired. This modification not only lowers the spell's cost but also enhances its efficacy, particularly when covering smaller areas.

It was the perfect upgrade at the best time. He was going to need every advantage he could get to tank through this fight, and being able to focus his shield might save his life.

"Guys, I have big news," he finally got the chance to say once they were done with their own details. His smile was broad, and he was having trouble keeping his legs from bouncing. "I hit level ten! I maxed out!"

They didn’t let him down, both the girls jumping up and down in excitement as they grabbed him. He hugged them both excitedly, enjoying that shared moment of happiness.

"Look at you, you little shit," Camila mirthfully teased him, giving him a light shove. "You're supposed to let ladies go first, Zion. Didn't you ever get taught manners?"

"Oh, you're a lady? I thought you were just a girly man," he shot back, and she started chasing him in circles, to the delight of Beth's laughter.

"Oh, knock it off, you two," she told them jovially, her grin still plastered on her face. "Congrats, Zion. We're truly so happy for you. Me and Cam both hit nine, so we'll be joining you by the end of the day." She winked at him, distracting him long enough for Camila to grab him and give him a noggie.

She let him go victoriously. "Yep, we both will be kicking that butt in the future. Until then, we leveled up and got ability upgrades," she told him proudly, and then, seeing his lopsided grin, she scoffed. "Of course, you did, too, asshole. You're so dang smug."

"Hopefully, it's enough," Beth's quiet worry broke the spell, and the smiles fell. All three of them looked at the way to the boss's lair. It was about time they finished their mission, one way or another.