I had my claws out while two contrasting manas were spiraling inside of my body.

I watched in caution as Aster pushed the doors open, but there was no demon to ambush us instead we were greeted by a crumbling, canopied walkway.

Aster turned his head towards me and nodded before he slowly headed outside with his weapons ready.

I followed him, walking next to his side. My eyes wandered around the ruins. 'If I didn't know that I could die in here, I would think this place is a tourist spot.'

I then noticed him watching the right side, so I heightened my vigilance towards the tall grasses on the left.

They swayed against the breeze, creating rustling sounds that played tricks on my mind. 'Damn, I'm so short I can't see anything from this height!'

I only noticed it because I'm always perched on Aster's shoulder or fighting in an open arena, but this stature of mine is a big disadvantage when battling in complex environments like this.

Being a human previously I still mostly rely on my vision to sense my surroundings, but according to Aster, I'm supposed to be a great beast and my ears and nose are indeed much more sensitive now.

'If I train how to use them well, I could maybe one day use some kind of ultra instinct, right!?'

But—

'Training... huh.' my eyes dimmed with that thought. After doing that daily for the past month, I understood why training arcs are mostly skipped—'It's boring.'

'If not for this training maniac, then I would have long stopped doing it after a week.' I sneaked a glance at Aster and wondered how he kept the same routine every day.

Suddenly, a rustling sound reached my ears, my head immediately snapped back towards the overgrown weeds.

“Meow!" I notified Aster before I jumped away from the grass.

We already talked about signals and our formation before, that's why just as my feet landed back on the ground I saw my partner appear in front of me.

He had his shield ready to block any attacks and his sword hidden from the assailants' vision, so that he could surprise them with a counter.

“There's movement up ahead.” Aster's body tensed and his grip on his sword tightened. “It's coming this way.”

Hearing that I crouched, the mana inside of me rapidly spun, I'm ready to attack the moment Aster gave the signal.

The rustling sounds grew louder every second that passed and we waited in bated breaths until finally a figure jumped out of the overgrowth, landing on the stone walkway ahead of us.

In that week of preparation, Aster spent most of the time researching the traits and weaknesses of the demons we could encounter inside Mustivos Castle.

He then hammered all of it into my brain, that's why I easily identified the creature after I turned to face it. 'A goblin.'

It stood at the height of a child, with gray skin that was filled with third-degree burns. It looks pitiful from afar, but once you get close enough you can see its sharp yellow teeth and long, black nails. The only thing that their kind have in common with the goblins I know is their long ears.

Aster turned his body towards the demon before shouting, “Go!”

I immediately bolted past him, but just as I was about to use Quick Attack, my body suddenly froze.

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A heavy pressure descended on me and my feet faltered. I couldn't move and I felt like I was stuck in a swamp.

My fur stood on its ends and my eyes unconsciously turned towards the grasses.

I hissed towards the undergrowth, bluffing like how I warned the ghosts every time I went to the toilet at night when I was a kid.

Then from the corner of my vision, I noticed the goblin in the same state as me. I cursed, 'It's not heading for us, it's running away from something!'

“Wha—!” I could hear Aster's voice go a pitch higher—he rarely loses his composure.

I then saw a figure dashing out of the grass, its target was the goblin's head.

But, the demon overcame its fear with its own will and jumped away from its spot.

That unknown figure's attack landed on the dusty ground, sending a shockwave that blocked my vision.

'Such a small shockwave yet I got blinded!?' I cursed my stature as I slowly took a step back towards Aster.

But before I could do so, a soft voice suddenly sounded behind us. “Calm down, the goblin over there is Balto's prey.”

'A Beast Master and her companion?' I breathed out a sigh before I rubbed the dust on my face until I was finally able to open my eyes.

And the first thing I saw when my vision cleared was a honey badger. Surprisingly though this one stands with two feet like a human and as big as the goblin in front of him, he also has a ferocious look that doesn't lose against the demon.

I then watched as Balto brandished the sword-like nails in his hands before he charged towards the goblin.

His short feet moved faster than it looked and it only took three breaths before his swords reached the demon. Balto attacked with a diagonal slash that started from the bottom.

But, the goblin parried it with its own set of nails.

I observed in amazement as they clashed dozens of times in just a short moment, which created an epic melody made by their 'swords'.

Balto, the honey badger, did not back down, he continued to push his foe with a barrage of unending slashes.

Meanwhile, the goblin showed a terrified expression, it repeatedly moved away from the honeybadger, wanting nothing but to flee!

After another slash of his was also blocked, Balto suddenly stepped closer to the goblin's space, changing his attack pattern into a thrust.

The demon didn't block with its nails but instead tried to step back in retreat, yet the moment it did so, the goblin lost its balance and fell on its butt.

Balto didn't waste the chance and immediately planted his blade into its head, ending the fight.

'What happened?' It was too fast. I was still feeling the excitement of watching a literal live fight scene when suddenly the goblin was defeated just like that.

I turned my head at Aster, he might've some answers, but when I looked over I found out he was looking behind us. 'Right, I almost forgot that there's also someone else!'

I immediately followed his gaze and as I expected there was a woman over there. 'Her face is 8, but I give her 6, cause of her lack of expression.'

My eyes then lowered and saw that she have a sideways 8, but what got my attention was her in a casual attire like she was not inside the dungeon but in her office.

“Sorry for stopping you like that, but we found it first,” she said, the muscles on her face didn't move at all.

“It's no problem, Senior,” Aster replied with an impassive voice.

I glanced at both of them and tilted my head. 'Stones talking to each other?'

The woman nodded toward Aster before calling, “Balto, let's go.” she and that honeybadger then walked away from us.

I looked at the back of that beast as it followed his master, dragging his mutilated prey together with him.

The fearful presence that I felt didn't vanish, instead, it was amplified as I gazed at the red trail he created.

'From the mana he gave off, he's not as strong as that monkey, but, If we're fighting 1v1, could I defeat him?'

My eyes suddenly widened. 'Wait, why am I thinking about fighting him?' I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts before I glared at Aster. 'It's most likely this guy's fault.'

From starting my cultivation to battling in the arena, I didn't know when it started, but I'm slowly assimilating with this world because of him!

•••

“You suddenly called... did they notice me!?”

An alarmed voice came from a ring-shaped artifact worn by the woman, who's wearing a light clothing unsuited for dungeons.

She moved her ring finger closer to her mouth and whispered, ”No, there's no sign of that happening as of the moment.” the woman then paused, she let a sigh from the other side pass before adding, “However, I've noted five people and their companions that have high chance of heading to your location.”

“That many!” the voice shouted in shock, yet their tone was light.

The woman with a face like that of a non-living doll asked, “Should I stop them?”

“No, why would you do that!?” the person immediately retorted, before ranting to the woman in a joyful voice, “Didn't someone say: the more the merrier?

“Maybe I could befriend with one, no—two, no, no—three maybe...! Even all five of them are possible! Isn't that great?”

The woman didn't reply as quickly as before, it led to the cruel crunching sounds becoming more prominent on the field she stood.

Her deep set of eyes looked at her wrist which was covered by her sleeve before she closed them. “... That sounds good.”

•••