The group fell into a tense silence, each member wrestling with Blanche’s blunt declaration. Her vote for the aggressive option sparked a quiet storm of tension. I sighed silently.

Aurora crossed her arms, her gaze sharpening behind her glasses. “Blanche, I get that you want to redeem yourself, but this isn’t just about pride. A misstep in the aggressive plan could cause us to lose.”

Blanche’s face turned icy. “ This isn’t about pride. I know the risks, Aurora. But waiting around will only let them regain control. If we press the advantage now, we end it before they can grow stronger.”

Artemeni raised her hand.

“But what happens when the diversion group gets overwhelmed? Or if the team at the base can’t break through in time?”

Blanche looked at Artemeni, her frown contrasting with her teammate’s innocent look.

“We knew the risks the moment we entered this dungeon.”

Blanche’s words echoed with conviction, but they only deepened the unease among the group.

“Knowing the risks doesn’t mean we take unnecessary ones,” Artemeni countered, her voice firm but not unkind. “We’re a team, Blanche. Risking even one of our lives is too much.”

Blanche exhaled sharply, frustration flickering in her eyes. “And that’s why we have to do this now. Every second we wait is another chance for them to outpace us.”

I held up a hand, signaling for silence. “Enough.”

My voice carried weight, silencing the group. “We’ll take a hybrid approach. The main goal is the Wind Drake—its buff will be pivotal. But we’ll set traps to bait them into overcommitting. If they bite, we exploit the opening.”

I took a deep breath.

“Aurora you will go with Gökbörü. He will guide you to paths the enemy could take to the drake. Can you create magical traps?”

Aurora nodded.

“I can layer mana traps. It probably won’t be enough to kill them but it’ll force them to slow down.”

I turned to Thalia.

“Thalia I need you to buff our minions as they pass through the bottom lane. This will ensure that they will put up resistance against the enemy minions. Artemeni, be her guard.”

Finally, it was Blanche’s turn.

“We will be creating ice walls to block paths that aren’t trapped by Aurora.”

I clapped my hands together, resulting in a loud boom.

“Alright. You have ten minutes.”

The group broke into action, the tension momentarily forgotten as each member focused on their assigned task.

Meanwhile, Blanche moved with quick, purposeful strides, her mana coalescing into shimmering walls of ice that sealed off key routes. She worked in focused silence, the tension from the earlier argument still lingering in her stiff movements. The crystalline barriers glistened like mirrors, refracting light in sharp, mesmerizing patterns.

I extended my arm towards one, funneling mana into my borrowed Ice Wolf’s Breath. The chill of the borrowed Ice Wolf’s Breath coursed through my veins, its icy tendrils coiling around my arm as I infused mana into the crystalline barrier. This time I imagined massive icebergs I had seen in Antarctica to reinforce my skill. The result was impressive enough as clouds formed due to how cold the ice walls were.

“Gökbörü is a descendant of Wolf King you bonded at Wolf King’s Tomb, isn’t he?”

Blanche's voice was almost accusatory.

“Yeah.”

I had no reason to lie. It wasn’t like I stole him from her. It was a deal between me and the Wolf King. Blanche’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowing slightly as she channeled her mana into another barrier. The jagged ice erupted in front of her, almost mirroring the restrained sharpness of her words.

“Is this how you can control the power? Because you channel through him?”

Is she trying to find a way to control their magic crest without relying on Gökbörü’s blood?

"It is a two-way connection. He can take from me and I take from him. It just happens that I am the one who mainly fights so I borrow more than he borrows from me."

Blanche paused mid-cast, her fingers lingering over the forming ice as though weighing her next words. “So it’s not just power—you’ve formed a bond. A partnership.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” I said, letting my mana flow smoothly into the towering ice wall before me. Frost crystallized in jagged veins across its surface, echoing the cold tension between us. “It’s trust. Mutual survival. He isn’t just a tool or a conduit.”

Blanche’s lips twitched—almost a smirk, almost a frown. “Trust, huh? That’s a luxury. Most of us don’t have the privilege of bonding with a mythical beast.”

I turned to face her fully, keeping my tone steady.

“And not many of us are born as nobles. Some were born in captivity just because of their race. Enslaved, taken from their homes and families because they were born with animal ears and tails.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Her mana flared for a moment, spiking sharply before settling as another ice barrier solidified in front of her. The tension hung in the air like frost clinging to the ice walls. Blanche’s knuckles whitened because of how hard she made a fist as she looked away. I could guess what she lived through. Born in a noble house, many things were expected from her. She probably studied and trained a lot. Then she was implanted with a magic crest that caused her to go crazy as time passed. If I hadn’t seen what was happening at the slave camps Silverfoxes owned and how their actions destroyed entire families I could have felt more sympathetic toward her but as of now I only would try to push her to inspect her actions and question her morals.

Blanche exhaled, her breath misting in the icy air. She didn’t respond immediately, focusing on carving another wall into place. Her magic flared with controlled intensity as if she were channeling her frustration into the precision of her craft.

“We didn’t do anything illegal. We rose to power using all legal ways. It is not like beastkin is fully innocent too. What about all those men who were killed at that camp?”

She said finally, her voice low but carrying a sharp edge. I let out an uncontrollable giggle.

“Fuck those guys. I was with them for weeks. Do you know what kind of stuff I have seen them do? Do you know how many beastkin were beaten, starved, and raped by those guys? I wish all of them died. And don’t get me started on slavery is okay because it is legal bullshit.”

Blanche froze, her gaze snapping at me, eyes wide with shock. The frost from her magic pulsed briefly before shattering in jagged arcs around her. Her lips parted as if to respond, but no words came. I clenched my fists, my tone cold as the barriers around us.

“Laws are meant to create civilizations. They are meant to protect the weak and poor. If the law is used to justify cruelty, it stops being justice. It becomes a weapon for the strong to oppress the weak. Those men you speak of? They weren’t noble defenders of order—they were monsters hiding behind the excuse of legality, just like your family.”

Blanche’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Her shoulders tensed, and I could see the storm of emotions brewing behind her steely eyes—anger, guilt, defiance, maybe even a flicker of shame. She opened her mouth.

“And you think you can change it? You’re one man against a system that’s been in place for centuries. You think your strength, your convictions, can dismantle something so ingrained in the world?”

I met Blanche’s gaze, unflinching. “I don’t just think I can. I know I will.”

She stared at me for a long moment, her icy façade cracking just enough for something raw and uncertain to peek through. Finally, she shook her head, turning back to her work. “You’re an idealist. Idealists don’t survive long in this world.”

I opened my arms wide.

“Yet, I am still here.”

I looked at the sky, realizing the drake was about to spawn.

“Alright. We can have our discussion later. Time to regroup.”

The team reconvened at the designated point, a natural chokehold near the Wind Drake’s spawning ground. The air buzzed with tension and the faint hum of layered mana traps. Aurora and Gökbörü were the first to arrive, her glasses glowing faintly as she adjusted the final magical runes. Gökbörü padded silently beside her, his sapphire-like eyes scanning the terrain, ever alert."All traps are set," Aurora reported, her tone brisk. "Any significant movement through the northern paths will trigger a cascade of explosions. They’ll have to either detour or waste time disarming them."

“Good,” I replied, nodding. “They’ll have no choice but to funnel into our controlled zones.”

Thalia arrived next, flanked by Artemeni. The former’s hands glowed with residual mana from her buffing rituals, and Artemeni’s vigilant stance suggested she hadn’t relaxed for a second. “Minions fortified,” Thalia announced, her voice tinged with a faint exhaustion. “They’ll hold the bottom lane for at least twice as long now. Longer if the enemy doesn’t commit their elites.”

(Your team has slain the Wind Drake.)

(All of your team acquires passive skill Gale King's. Imbued with the speed and freedom of the Wind Drake, your movements become unhindered, and your strikes carry the swiftness of a gale.)

(All stats increases by 5.)

(Movement and attack speed increases scaling with Drake’s level. You have slain a level 4 drake.)

(You acquire 25 percent resistance against any kind of binding and slow status. Cooldown and mana requirement for all mobility skills decreases.)

“Champion! Some of my traps were triggered.”

Before I could read the Drake’s Soul buff we have acquired as the result of killing four elemental drakes, Aurora called out.

“Can you tell where they are?”

Aurora adjusted her glasses, the runes etched onto the lenses glowing faintly as she scanned the field. “Northwest quadrant. They’re moving cautiously—probably testing for more traps. Based on the sequence, I’d guess it’s a small scouting team.”

I clapped my hands together.

“Alright, time to finish this. Everyone, get ready.”