Phoebe POV:

I stared at the pink hilt. It had blood-red streaks slashing through its midsection, but I knew Shun didn’t want those to be there.

He made this Ultimate Fishmin Longsword with me in mind. The colour was supposed to match my pink hair.

“...”

I wiped the blood off the blade and glanced at the thousands of carcasses covering the destroyed street. Eight Sentri Warriors were among them, but they weren’t strong enough to be a threat to anyone.

“...Should I think about it a little more?”

I shifted my gaze to the dark sky, only to recall Katherine and Shun’s interactions. The air between them was strange at times.

“First, the incident in the Jiyeok.”

It ended with Shun holding Katherine close to his chest. Those jet-black eyes showed a slight sign of worry and care. Even the way he put her down on the bed... The way he sat next to her and refused to move until she woke up...

It was a different side to Shun that I believed he had, but...

“Second, when he told Katherine what happened.”

I saw Shun’s intention to smack her hand away, irritated by Katherine’s presence. Instead, he hesitated. He held her hand before placing it down by her side.

“Third, when I saw them talking alone before entering the Arcane Dungeon.”

That atmosphere was too strange! The way Katherine held on to Shun’s arm, and the way Shun looked back at her with genuine concern for her well-being. All of it would lead to them being together in the end, right?

“But would it matter if it gave Shun peace of mind?”

I let out a sigh. The thing about Katherine was that her caring nature made it difficult to understand how she felt about others in a romantic sense. She really was a sweet woman, but that difficulty could extend to herself.

“I’m not that smart either.”

A few droplets of sweat ran down the side of my head at this reminder. I was probably overthinking things since Katherine showed clear love and interest in Zane Pantheon.

“But what if that’s just a deep level of respect?”

I sheathed the longsword before walking down the bloodied street. After giving it some more thought, it did seem possible for Katherine’s intense admiration to be confused with feelings of love. She didn’t seem to have any experience in that area either, due to how pure she was.

“...”

Anyway, I was positive that Shun did not want me to find him right now. I also wanted to give him some time to relax because his agitation was reaching a dangerous level.

“...Let’s look for Gerard.”

I would find him once the rest of the party was together.

***

Shun POV:

“Good...”

The corners of my mouth rose despite the blood splashing all around me.

Growth.

Zinyul’s palm shattered the Ki Armour like broken glass. He broke several of my ribs and forced me to drop to one knee.

Improvement.

Zinyul bowed his head, but this wasn’t enough. I had reached mid Monzen at a pace faster than I expected, but it still wasn’t enough.

“I can still improve. I can go further!”

I ignored the broken body, trying to hold me back and shot forward. Zinyul tripled the distance between us in an effort to draw my attention to the same issue as before.

“Your Ki Reserves, my liege.”

I clenched my teeth and struggled to stop the mounting frustration swirling inside of me. The same problem had interrupted my ascent through Monzen multiple times already.

“Talky, organise them better.”

“Yes, my liege!”

I sat down and rested my arm over my knee. Talky rushed over to begin her gentle massage after healing my broken ribs. Her thin fingers loosened the muscles, aiding the rate of their recovery through an increase in blood flow.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Zinyul used this break to converse with Reaver. The two formed a friendship once he expressed interest in learning swordsmanship from him. Reaver looked at me for approval, and why would I refuse?

His growth was a reflection of the improvement I would obtain once I killed him. My cheeks rose at the thought of how strong I would become by the end of this dungeon run.

“Zinyul is still growing, my liege.”

He formed a detailed longsword using Earth Sentramould before mimicking Reaver’s motions. Zinyul’s eyes brightened at the calm environment of learning. It boosted his rate of understanding, evident by the accuracy of his blade that grew sharper with time.

Reaver flashed forward with the Zero Sword. Zinyul remained still, defending against several afterimages from the same position. It was an exercise Reaver created to improve Zinyul’s sense of awareness beyond his innate capabilities.

The shadow monsters cheered at his progress when Reaver increased the difficulty. The sky shook from the release of his Ki; his hand blurred within the zero second window and Zinyul was shot backwards as a result.

Zinyul flipped to his feet and bowed his head. Once again, he didn’t want things to become too serious.

“Isn’t this dangerous?...”

A rare concern slipped into Talky’s soft voice. I couldn’t sense Zinyul’s Ki Stage despite knowing he had reached Enryo, but I didn’t care.

“It’s more than enough.”

Talky ran her fingers through my hair before they arrived at my temples. Small circular motions alleviated the stress and pain.

“Then should we stop ascending to higher Floors? I can prepare adequate meals for you due to the knowledge you imparted, my liege.”

Zinyul resumed his light spar with Reaver. They traded rapid blows in the centre of the deep crater.

“Reaver! Reaver!”

“Zinyul! Zinyul!”

The Recon Unit cheered for Reaver while the other units were split on who should have their vote. Zinyul spun inside the pocket, but Reaver stepped forward as well. A silent hook kick clipped Zinyul’s chin, knocking him away before his fist could reach Reaver’s shadowed face.

As I said before, Reaver wasn’t like other Imminence Reavers. If he didn’t have his blade, then his limbs would teach you why Imminence was Bliss.

Reaver switched into a stance similar to mine, and the cheers exploded. Zinyul’s palm faced him when a confident smile spread across his face.

[You have acquired a new title ‘Outstanding Sentri Teacher.’]

[Title: Outstanding Sentri Teacher (Max)

Effect: Teaching Sentri astronomically increases all of their physical attributes. Direct pupils will swear an unbreakable loyalty to you.

• As an instructor, you can force those trained underneath you to fight you at full force. However, Sentri Warriors and above can ignore the full extent of this command.

• As an instructor, your teachings encourage independent thinking and growth.

• As an instructor, your pupils can develop into capable teachers themselves.

• As an instructor, the intelligence of all pupils ever taught is permanently increased by a massive amount.

• As an instructor, Sentri under your control can teach other dungeon monsters to achieve 3/4 of the effects.

• The deeper your bond with the dungeon monster(s), the more additional bonuses will be applied.

• Zinyul is experiencing unforeseen growth!]

“...”

Talky’s massage stopped for a few seconds. It started again once I opened the Title window.

[Title: Dungeon Maniac (Max)

Effect: During one on one fights with Floor Bosses or Boss Monsters, all of their physical attributes are drastically increased.

• Ki Recovery Rate is tripled.

• The likelihood of communication occurring is quadrupled.

• The likelihood of improvement is quadrupled.

• Your Mania can allow for hidden conditions to be unlocked to relive it all again.

• Boss Monsters can now be trained.]

It was as I expected. At first glance, Zinyul’s behaviour deviated from the norm. The Sentri were conquerors, but he prioritised preservation. He went to the frontlines not to grow but to protect. Even when abandoned by his kin, he only showed anger at the cause that led to his defeat: himself.

Zinyul embodied the characteristics of a true conqueror.

That was my hypothesis after reading Talky’s report, and that was why I made Fishy train him first. The Fishnin conquered the fish tank. The Ultimate Fishnin evolved their Style. Both had one thing in common: self.

In other words, the greatest obstacle to conquer to Zinyul was himself. He called me his liege because he knew that the growth I wanted was similar to his own. He understood the difficulty that came with overcoming the past, or in his case, a whole species hellbent on waging war.

If Pulzi wanted a friend, then Zinyul wanted a teacher. That was why his character affected the Title effects.

“The Title effects are beginning to stack too much, my liege. It’s fortunate that your adept insight allowed you to bring them under your control.”

My lips curved upward at Talky’s input. She had reached a similar conclusion in the brief period her massage had stopped.

“I’m going to miss you, Vealhar.”

Her fingers froze against my cheeks. They trembled, then quaked. I ignored the tremors running up her arms and down her entire body.

A Purebred Goblin’s name was only revealed to themself.

No one else knew it, yet when I used ‘Rise,’ her name was revealed to me. Since the dungeon monsters only referred to Vealhar by her species, I chose to assign her a different name.

“...My liege, is there really no way to recall us?”

Zinyul and Reaver bowed to each other before Fishy flickered into the middle of the crater. The cheering from the shadow monsters vanished with her appearance.

Fishy pulled in her quivering lip to feign a confident smile. The only monsters to spend time with her by choice were the Fishnin, but even they were cautious around her.

Reaver observed the others for a few seconds, discontent with the ostracisation of his peer. He handed his Zero Sword to Fishy, prompting the Recon Unit to cheer for her.

“Fishy! Fishy!”

The shouts soon moved to the Warrior Unit. They screamed their lungs out for their leader. Fishy’s lips spread into a bright grin that turned serious once she faced Zinyul.

“Do your damn job, Talky.”

Talky’s happiness seeped into the harmony of her quiet humming, and the massage resumed once more. Fishy spun the Zero Sword around her gloved fingers. She sent out a flurry of strikes intense enough for Zinyul to widen the distance in surprise.

“Behold the power of a SHADOW ULTIMATE FISHNIN!!”

White shadows coiled around FIshy’s lowered centre of gravity. She spun back before a flash of light imploded the entire crater.

“...”

My KP dropped by a large chunk.

The shadow monsters all turned their heads toward me.

I flicked my fingers, and the cheering continued with more vigour.

Sweat poured down Zinyul’s face from Fishy’s fast-paced assault. His counters were met with movements that emulated my own, making it harder for him to decide on what action to take. Fishy twirled the blade around her webbed fingers, gripped it and released lacerating strikes that confined Zinyul’s movements.

His palm shot toward her stomach when Fishy formed the hand seal for Rin, shocking him further.

It was a trap.

Her fist stopped centimetres away from his face before she moved back. Zinyul stared at her in awe for a few seconds. His lips spread into a wide smile, complimented by the ground shaking from the shadow monster’s excitement.

Fishy was in control of the battle from the moment it began. She directed Zinyul into the belief that her emulation was legitimate.

The use of Rin sealed the victor of the spar.

“Locate fresh water and prepare to head back to the fir—“

“My liege! An angel has appeared!”