“First, calm down. Breathe in... Breathe out...” Aster's calm voice reeled Twy out of his shock.

He was only cultivating when all of a sudden, he became a decrepit-looking cat. Thankfully, his partner's quick actions saved his life. He followed the young man's rhythm and slowly steadied his breathing.

When Aster felt his partner's emotions had calmed down, he instructed him, “Now, without hurrying, control your mana.”

Twy closed his eyes. He carefully killed the momentum of the two mana until they are nearly balanced. That was enough to dissipate the turbulent energy he was releasing.

Aster sighed in relief when his companion succeeded; immediately after, however, he looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Do you know what you just did?”

Twy weakly raised his left paw. That action he just did felt like he had raised a dumbbell, not a hand.

“You cultivated in a dungeon, a place no one would, and you even have the guts to try forming your vessel here.”

Twy embodied the saying: 'The ignorant are fearless'

Aster continued, “If you didn't have a body that's innately suited for all forms of mana, and didn't have the potion's mana that balanced against the miasma, you've most likely transformed into a demonic beast by now.”

'That... sounds bad.' Twy admitted before he weakly raised his head to meet his partner's eyes. 'About... that, will I look like this... from now on?'

“If you're thinking if you're going to look like that forever then, no.” Aster went towards his bag, pulled out another potion, and gave it to his partner to drink.

“Like I said, you tried to break through. But, you didn't have enough mana to counter the dungeon's mana, still, you forced yourself which is why you're like that now.”

The young man attentively poured the content of the tube into the mouth of the kitten as he explained, “Your body compensated for that with its own life force. If I didn't stop you, it's either you succeeded or... died.”

'Never again would I underestimate cultivation.' Twy closed his eyes and savored the flavor of life.

“That's right, you should thank your innate talent, without it even if you drink all the potions I've made, nothing would've changed.”

Twy could feel the young man's envy. His whiskers shivered as he repeated, 'Never again would I underestimate cultivation.'

Once the potion was drunk by the kitten. Aster put the empty tube away and sat down next to his partner.

“You know,” he scratched the back of his head, “nothing like this would've happened if I didn't forget to remind you about them.”

Aster bowed towards Twy. “I failed as your partner — I'm sorry.”

The kitten opened his eyes, looking at the young man in front of him. 'It's not only you, I'm also at fault for acting like a reckless teenager. I should've acted my age.' Twy too, weakly, bowed his head to Aster.

The somber mood between the two continued until it was broken after Aster suddenly raised his blazing eyes.

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“That's why besides studying modern language and math in the afternoon. I'm also adding a literature appreciation to your repertoire.”

If Twy hadn't replenished his life force, his poor heart would most likely stop after hearing that — dying at the tender age of 2 months and 7 days.

However, Aster didn't pay his partner's emotions any attention and instead scavenged his bag. He pulled out a cloth, a water bottle, and four dry biscuits.

The young man then laid down the cloth in front of Twy's face and crushed two of the hardtacks before he poured them on the fabric. After all of that, he opened the tumbler and poured the water into its cap before he laid it down next to the kitten's meal.

Twy looked at dry ration and his stomach didn't churn. 'You're fucking cruel...'

“Bear with it for now. Once we're out here, we'll buy some truffle meat and eat it with Aria,” Aster said when he saw the look on his partner's face.

The kitten stared at him, and the two gazed at each other until the young man folded.

“I promise.”

Aster sighed as he watched Twy reluctantly eat the dry biscuit before also starting his meal.

“Thank you for the meal, Mother Inaiah.”

•••

Twy shed his old shell and gained back his youth after he was able to perfectly balance the two mana and stored them in his muscles in a 1:1 ratio.

'I feel inflated.' he complained as he raised his body off the floor.

Aster, who's fully equipped looked, at the kitten. “Are your feet okay now?”

'It feels better than before.' Twy nodded as he raised his left back leg.

“Then let's go.”

Aster pointed the flashlight of his phone forward and led the way. It didn't take long before he reached the iron door. He tried to open it, but the door didn't budge at all. He then put down his shield and held the phone with his left.

Twy watched him point his finger at the keyhole. At first, he was tilting his head, but after a clicking sound was heard his mouth widened.

'How did you do that!?' the kitten's tail bounced in interest as he looked at his partner.

Aster raised his finger towards him. “Use your mana vision and take a look.”

Twy did just that and was amazed by what he saw, there's a key blade made out of mana connected to his finger.

“This is the basic application of external mana control — Mold.”

The kitten was eager to know more, but Aster didn't want to waste more time and now he once again held the door.

“Are you ready?”

Twy raised his right paw in response.

The young man then opened the door in one push before he stepped out of the way. They waited for something to jump out and attack, but no one did.

Aster let the hilt of his sword go and equipped his shield. He then proceeded to pass through the door and what greeted them wasn't another hallway, but instead a gentle slope that invites them deeper into the unknown.

The young man and the kitten were undaunted, they dove into the darkness with only a tiny light as their guide.

The only sounds that reached their ears are their heartbeats and footsteps. If their feet weren't touching the ground, their brain would most likely equal this space to avoid.

However, it didn't take much time before their empty black surrounding faded into soft green. They reached the end of the slope.

Twy scooped a moss that produced a gentle glow, an earthly and grassy smell reached his nose. He clicked his tongue and threw them aside.

'What a cliché.'

“A glowing moss...”

Aster glanced away from the thriving plant and gazed at the corridor ahead of them. It looked like it could fit about five people walking side by side.

“Are we in the dungeon of the castle?” he whispered in a hesitant voice. The young man shook his head and put his doubts aside. He put his phone back in his pocket and unsheathed his sword.

The two then continued walking in silence until they reached another junction.

“Left or right?” Aster asked.

Twy pointed to the right. 'It's always left; let's go right this time.'

“Alright.”

For a long time, the various insects living in the moist mosses and crevices of the wall have more interesting things going on than the two; however, it didn't take too long. They weren't blessed enough to comfortably course through the rest of this dungeon.

Twy's ears picked up an echo of sounds coming from behind them.

“Meow!”

He first notified his partner about it before he turned to look back.

Aster went forward to shield the the kitten. He narrowed his eyes towards the dim path they had traversed.

Soon, the rushing sounds of footsteps reached their ears, followed by the humanoid silhouettes becoming clearer in the distance.

Twy who have night vision can clearly see the ones making the noise: a group of goblins and a—

'Girl!'