Roman stood in the aftermath of his ultimate skill, the ground still smoldering from the meteor impact that had decimated the battlefield. The air was thick with the scent of charred earth and smoke, and as he took in the sight, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of what he had just done. Seventy percent of the monstrous horde had been wiped out in one fell swoop, and the survivors were fleeing in every direction.

Turning back, Roman searched for Sergeant Smithson or anyone in command. His eyes landed on the Sergeant, standing near a tent, frozen in place. The man’s face was a mixture of awe and disbelief, his wide eyes locked on the destruction Roman had unleashed.

“Hey Sergeant, sorry about all that,” Roman called out as he approached, his voice hesitant. He ducked his head, feeling an awkward shame creeping over him. “I tried to hold back.”

“S-so that was you,” Sergeant Smithson ground out, his voice barely above a whisper.

Roman winced, the guilt twisting in his chest. He had intended to help, to protect the city, but the sheer magnitude of the destruction he had caused left him feeling uneasy. The power he had unleashed was far beyond anything he had expected. He glanced at the scorched landscape, the once-mighty monsters reduced to ash and rubble.

“I didn’t mean for it to be… this much,” Roman admitted, his voice quieter now, more subdued. He shifted uncomfortably under the Sergeant’s intense gaze. “I was just trying to push them back, not… you know, obliterate the battlefield.”

The Sergeant blinked slowly, as if struggling to process what he had witnessed. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to find his words. “Roman… I’ve seen a lot in my years on the front lines, but I’ve never seen anything like that.” His voice was still low, but there was no anger in it—just shock. “You wiped out an entire army of monsters. With one attack.”

Roman sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, still unsure of how to feel. “Yeah, but I wasn’t really in control. I just… let go. It wasn’t supposed to be that destructive.”

Smithson finally tore his eyes away from the battlefield and looked directly at Roman. The shock on his face gave way to something else—respect, maybe, or even fear. “You’re telling me that wasn’t you going all out?”

Roman shook his head. “No. I’ve been working on balancing my chi and mana, but that—" he gestured toward the destruction, "—was an accident. I wasn’t trying to destroy everything.”

The Sergeant let out a low whistle, his hands resting on his hips as he surveyed the damage once more. “Well, Roman, you’ve definitely made an impression.”

Roman chuckled nervously. “Not exactly the impression I was hoping for.”

At that moment, Jessika made it back to him with Z and Seth in tow. Lexi had walked over to the Sergeant with him and he didn’t even realize, when he saw the others he looked confused for a second when he didn’t see her and started looking around and she touched his arm knowing what was going on in his head. He smiled at her and turned back to the Sergeant.

“So I hope you guys have got it from here. We’ve gotta run.” He said and grinned to the rest of his friends.

“Y-yeah you took out the hard shelled monsters when you three went down there…everything else was a piece of cake…just a whole lot of them but they were hard to fight…you just went a little…” The Sargeant trailed off as his eyes went back to the carnage. As if the wind was trying to make a point, it shifted and the smell hit them.

“Ah!” Jessika shrieked and she covered her nose. The smell of charred meat and smoke mixed with sulfur and something else, not a good mixture and it had her struggling not to throw up. The rest of the crew wasn’t any better off.

“Jess!” Roman shouted between coughs. “Do you have any wind spells to push this smell away?”

“I’m a fire girl, you’re the one that can use any element!” She shot back. Just then they heard a deep and guttural grunt followed by a earthshaking stomp. Roman’s head shot up and he saw Master Wong twist his body and push off hard from the foot he just stomped down, before clapping his hands together. Hurricane level winds erupted from his hands and shot over their heads and towards the craters, extinguishing the lingering fires down there as it went, the force just too much for the flames to survive.

Roman watched in awe as Master Wong’s powerful gust of wind cleared the battlefield of the suffocating stench and the smoldering fires. The elderly man landed gracefully, his robes settling around him like he hadn’t just unleashed the force of a hurricane with a single stomp. Roman still couldn’t believe how effortlessly Wong could manipulate the elements, even though his appearance suggested otherwise.

Jessika, Z, Seth, and Lexi all stared in amazement, with Jessika muttering, “Well, guess we didn’t need a wind spell after all…”

Master Wong approached the group, his expression calm but serious. “Now that this battle is behind us, we need to return to the Kingdom,” he said, his voice firm but measured. “There is little time to waste. You all fought bravely, but you’re not ready for what lies ahead. The Dragon Fang Mountains hold many dangers—especially the dungeon we spoke of.”

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Roman straightened, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “You think we should hit the dungeon first? What about the hermit who might be able to fix my title? Wouldn’t that help us out more?”

Master Wong shook his head. “The hermit will be important, yes, but your friends aren’t ready for the trials they’ll face in the mountains as they are now. The dungeon is a chance to grow, to strengthen yourselves. Right now, Roman, your power is growing exponentially. But your comrades will need to level up significantly if they are to survive the journey ahead. The dungeon will allow you all to gain experience, skills, and even wealth to fund your future endeavors. After you’ve proven your strength there, you’ll be better prepared for the hermit’s guidance.”

Seth crossed his arms with a smirk. “So, we’re dungeon crawling before visiting the wise old hermit, huh? Sounds like fun.”

Z glanced at Roman. “I don’t know much about dungeons, but if it means we can level up faster, I’m in. I’ve seen how fast you’ve been growing, Roman. The rest of us need to catch up.”

Jessika nodded in agreement. “The last battle showed me just how far behind I am. If there’s a way to gain new skills and boost our power, I’m all for it. We’ll need everything we can get for whatever’s waiting for us in those mountains.”

Lexi, who had remained quiet through the discussion, finally spoke up, her eyes focused on Roman. “Master Wong’s right. We need to get stronger, and the dungeon sounds like the best way to do that. But… just promise me you won’t try to carry all the weight on your own, Roman. We’re a team. Let’s make sure we do this together.”

Roman smiled at her words, grateful for the support. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. And yeah, the dungeon sounds like the perfect opportunity to help you guys catch up. I mean, if I can power level myself, why not help you all do the same? I will only act as a kite, drawing enemies”

Master Wong smiled slightly. “Indeed. The monsters within dungeons respawn, offering ample opportunity for training. The loot will allow you to arm yourselves better, and the experience you gain will be vital for the trials to come.”

Roman’s excitement began to build as the idea of dungeon diving and power leveling his friends sank in. The thought of getting stronger while gaining wealth and loot wasn’t just practical—it was downright thrilling. “Alright then, it’s settled. We’ll head back to the Kingdom, regroup, and hit the dungeon first.”

Sergeant Smithson, who had remained quiet through the conversation, finally spoke up, his eyes lingering on the still-smoking craters. “You’ve done more than enough here. We’ll take care of the aftermath and ensure the city’s defenses are reinforced. I wish you and your friends luck in whatever you face next.” He extended a hand to Roman, his respect clear in his tone.

Roman took the Sergeant’s hand firmly. “Thanks, Sergeant. We’ll be back once we’ve powered up.” He smiled, but there was a determination in his eyes. He wasn’t just saying it to sound confident—he believed it.

Smithson gave a curt nod before addressing the rest of the group. “You’ve all fought well. The city owes you its thanks. Stay safe out there.”

As Roman and his friends began to gather their things, Master Wong moved to the side, beckoning Roman over for a private word. Once out of earshot of the others, Wong spoke quietly. “Roman, you need to be careful with how fast you’re growing. Power can be a dangerous thing, especially when it grows unchecked. Your chi, your mana—they’re becoming difficult to balance. The dungeon will give you a controlled environment to test your limits. Do not take this lightly.”

Roman nodded seriously, the weight of Wong’s words sinking in. “I understand, Master. I’m not taking this lightly. I’ll work hard to control it. I know I need to.”

Wong placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “Good. I’ve watched many warriors lose themselves to their power. Do not be one of them.”

Roman gave a firm nod. “I won’t.”

With that, Wong stepped back, letting Roman rejoin his group. Roman looked at his friends—his team—and felt the excitement bubbling up again. A dungeon, loot, power leveling, and new challenges? He couldn’t wait.

“Alright,” Roman said with a grin, “let’s head back to the Kingdom and get ready for our next adventure.”

The group gathered their belongings, then Roman paused and turned to face everybody else.

“Hey…uh.. You said we’re surrounded on three sides by mountains right?” Roman asked.

“Yes, last side is the Ocean.” Seth answer.

“Right, and Fairen shares a border with us that in unpassable mountains, right? So…” Roman trailed off looking between his friends as the light bulbs went off.

“How did they get their army here?” Lexi whispered.

“Are we even sure that army is from Fairen? I was just fighting because the Sergeant said they were the enemy but I don’t know nothing about yall’s politics.” Roman said and turned to Smithson.

“Those were Fairen colors and flags, yes. We had been in fight mode this whole time so I didn’t even think about how they got here but the only thing would be portals…there’s no passing through those mountains let alone leading all those monsters through.” Sergeant Smithson answered.

“Good point.” Z said. They all looked at each other to see if anyone had any idea.

“They would need an army of just portaliers the size that we fought to bring those beasts here.” Smithson offered.

“Well, what if they didn’t bring these monsters? What if these were monsters from the forest and mountains and they just herded them?” Roman asked.

“That is a possibility. Also makes sense why there weren’t as many monster as we expected when training.” Jessika said.

“Yeah, but no offense, that doesn’t really help us right now. The monsters might be gone but we still have the troops to deal with.” Lexi said.

“Well, those troops aren’t that tough. We’re not really worried about them. Smithson and a squad of 50 held them off and didn’t even lose one person!” Roman exclaimed proudly.

“Well…that’s because they’re the Hydra Knights. The strongest fighters in our kingdom. The rest of the soldiers wouldn’t be able to compete.” Z said.

“Not even close.” Seth agreed.

“OK, well…how about for now we just go to the dungeon and get stronger and trust these men to hold until we can get back and clean things up if needed.” Roman asked.

“Sounds like a plan.” Seth agreed again.

“We won’t need you but yeah go ahead. I’ll get you a port-“ Sergeant Smithson’s mouth snapped shut as the words died in his mouth.

“That won’t be necessary.” A deep voice said into Roman’s ear but loud enough for the rest of them to hear. Roman was gasping in pain and struggling to catch his breath. What is going on?! What is this? Who is this? Where did he come from?!