After devising a strategy against the boss, the only thing left was to put it into action. Although dodging its attacks was relatively easy, it didn't mean I could stay on the defensive forever. Anyway, I wasn't sure how to make the boss use that attack again.

But, considering the last time, I should probably corner it or something. I zigzagged through the forest while being chased by the monster. Fire, wind, and ice attacks occasionally hit the boss, but it didn't even distract him.

(Leona, he'll be in front of you in a few seconds)

In the end, everything would be decided by me and Leona. With that in mind, I continued running between the trees. As expected, the monster continued to chase me. When I turned left around one of the trees, I saw Leona a bit ahead, waiting in her pose ready to strike.

I kept running towards her while being pursued. As soon as I was a few meters from Leona, I jumped between the trees, making the monster follow me with its head, completely ignoring Leona. Well, he couldn't see her anyway.

As the monster got close enough to Leona, she delivered a strong blow to its head. With the impact, the monster was pushed back several meters away. Of course, I was already running after the monster, jumping from branch to branch.

The boss was confused by the events. From his perspective, it must have seemed like he hit his face on something hard and then flew off. The fact that he couldn't see Leona was a huge advantage in this fight. As the boss recovered, he looked in my direction and roared loudly.

Soon after, his stomach began to glow. This was the moment I was waiting for. As the glow rose from the stomach to the monster's mouth, I quickly jumped from the tree I was on and landed on the boss.

(Shade)

As I said this, a rope made of shadows surrounded the boss's mouth, and I pulled it with all my strength. I kept his mouth closed as he struggled to open it. As seconds passed, the boss began to radiate the light of his attack throughout his body, not just from the belly.

From what I could see, his body was no longer able to sustain the attack, and he was trying to find other ways to escape. Suddenly, his whole body exploded in light, while I was still on top of the boss.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I closed my eyes, surprised, as I didn't expect him to explode so suddenly. However, as much as I waited, the pain didn't come. Slowly, I opened my eyes to realize that I was inside a black dome created by Shade.

"Makoto!"

While breathing deeply after the recent events, I heard the girls' voices calling me. Quickly, we gathered again and stopped for a while to rest. As we were doing that, the sky began to change as if a filter was being removed. From the dusk, when we faced the boss, we were transported to a dawn.

"Congratulations, Makoto. Once again, you were the first to conquer another dungeon. As expected of the one I chose"

The cheerful and playful voice of Aurora-sama echoed, bringing a comforting feeling. Next, we returned to the inn in Anima. After taking a shower, we headed to our room and quickly fell asleep in bed.

Although not as prolonged as the battle against the Lich and not as challenging, exhaustion still weighed on me. The next morning, I was the first to wake up. After completing my morning routine, I went down to the first floor of the inn for breakfast.

The day had just begun, so the inn was relatively quiet, with few people enjoying breakfast. Mostly, they were adventurers or workers starting their journeys early in shops or labor tasks. I finished the meal and left the inn, deciding to explore Anima. In advance, I left a message for the girls informing them of my plans and arranging to meet them soon.

(Shade)

I called Shade's name, and she immediately appeared by my side, with an expectant expression on her face. Contemplating that expression brought a small smile to my lips.

"How about taking a walk together now? Is there something specific you would like to do?"

Upon hearing my words, a smile lit up Shade's face, but quickly, it was replaced by an indecisive expression. It seemed like she wanted to visit various places but couldn't decide quickly, given the time limitation. After a few seconds of contemplation, Shade finally seemed to have chosen the destination for our walk.

Minutes later, Shade and I found ourselves in a candy store. She was in front of me, examining the menu as if it were the opportunity of her life. Perhaps the fact that she rarely stayed with us contributed to this reaction? Well, there was no reason not to let her join us. I simply thought she would feel more comfortable that way.

Anyway, I understood almost nothing from the menu. Although I quite like sweets, I'm not an enthusiast who tastes desserts endlessly. So, I chose one with a moderate price and a relatively pleasant name.

Shade asked me how many candies she could buy. Of course, as today was her day, I simply told her to choose whatever she wanted. To start with, can spirits eat? Although it was a bit strange to think about, I had never questioned this issue. However, seeing how Shade was joyfully savoring in front of me, there seemed to be no problem.

As we ate, Shade talked to me about some random but quite interesting topics, mainly about her brothers and sisters. Although I didn't know them, I was sure Shade was referring to the other primordial spirits. Besides Shade, there were the primordial spirits of light, fire, water, earth, nature, thunder, ice, and wind.