Ashkar arrived looking fresh and composed, in stark contrast to the mercenary, who was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

“Monster,” the mercenary panted between gulps of oxygen, his face flushed.

Kaiden’s eyes widened. What kind of otherworldly means of travel did they use to get here? Surely, they didn’t sprint full tilt all the way here, right?

Everyone else simply ignored the mercenary’s struggles.

Ashkar strode up to Zinnia, his usual air of calm authority intact. His sharp eyes scanned the remnants of the battle—the charred ground, cracked walls, smeared blood, shattered rocks, and deep claw marks—before shifting to Zinnia, a faint frown pulling at his lips.

“You beat the boss already?”

Zinnia nodded, her expression casual. “Of course. It was no problem.”

Ashkar didn’t look shocked in the slightest. If he was impressed, he didn’t show it. Instead, he gestured toward the portal. “Good. Let’s get the loot and head to the next area.”

Kaiden’s heart leapt at the mention of loot. Finally! He could practically feel the excitement bubbling up. What could it be? Some gear, rare materials, potions—or better yet, a magical item that could actually keep him alive!

He followed eagerly as the three high-rank divers made their way toward the ornate chest that had materialized before the glowing portal. Its large size promised treasure worthy of their ordeal.

Ashkar crouched in front of the chest and carefully pushed the lid open. The hinges groaned slightly, and a soft golden light spilled out. Zinnia and the mercenary stood nearby, neither making a move to reach in, their expressions calm but watchful.

Kaiden’s pulse quickened as he hovered a few steps behind them. This was it—the moment of truth. What was inside?

This time, there was no noble around to make a fuss about looking at the contents of the chest. Kaiden leaned in, eyes gleaming as he caught sight of silver and gold coins, a variety of potions, and several weapons nestled within. The sheer amount of coins made him unconsciously lick his lips. Compared to his meager military wages, this was a small fortune. And this was just the first chest!

He couldn’t tell if the weapons were anything extraordinary—he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to judge—but considering they were from a Diamond-grade dungeon, they had to be pretty decent. Still, what excited him most was what he could do with those coins. He suppressed the urge to reach in and scoop up handfuls.

The others, however, didn’t seem nearly as impressed. Their expressions remained neutral, even disinterested.

Spoiled! Kaiden thought bitterly, doing his best to keep his excitement in check.

Zinnia was the first to speak. “I’ll split it up,” she said casually, stepping forward. She reached in without hesitation, pulling out her share and another. “I’ll be taking Kaiden’s portion.”

Kaiden’s jaw dropped. “What?” he blurted, his voice cracking slightly.

Ashkar raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead turning to Zinnia. The mercenary didn’t even bother to react, simply gathering up his own share.

Zinnia chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “Relax. I’m holding on to it, of course.”

“But I...” Kaiden started to argue, his words faltering as reality set in. He had a sinking feeling about where this conversation was going but hoped against hope he was wrong.

Zinnia said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You don’t have inventory yet, right?”

Kaiden hesitated, then admitted, “Right.”

“Dimensional bag?” she asked.

“No.”

“Storage ring?”

“No.”

“Backpack?”

Kaiden sighed and shook his head, feeling more and more defeated with each question. I’ve got pockets at least, he thought to himself but didn’t voice that out loud.

Zinnia beamed triumphantly. “Then it’s settled. I’ll keep your share safe for you.”

Kaiden bit back a retort, knowing there was no point in arguing. It was clear Zinnia had already made up her mind. Even though she said she’d hold onto it, that most likely meant it was going to cover the costs of the potion she gave him.

After dividing up the loot, the group approached the portal. Stepping through, they emerged into the next stage of the dungeon. Kaiden blinked, looking around in confusion. The area was eerily similar to the one they had just left—same craggy walls, same low mist rolling above, same oppressive silence.

Everyone surveyed the surroundings in silence until Ashkar spoke. “We’ll split up again.”

Zinnia nodded. “Okay.”

The mercenary grunted.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Kaiden stayed quiet, knowing full well his opinion didn’t matter. He also had nothing to add.

Without further discussion, the group divided into familiar pairs, each heading in separate directions into the shadowy terrain.

Kaiden and Zinnia soon came across their first enemies.

“Ahh, wyrms this time,” Zinnia said, breaking the silence.

“Worms?” Kaiden repeated, his face twisting in confusion as he spotted several figures crawling their way toward them.

Zinnia glanced back at his expression and chuckled. “I think you’re mistaking them for something else. I’m talking about draconic wyrms, not the unrelated faceless creatures.”

“Oh,” Kaiden said aloud, feeling a little embarrassed. Now that she mentioned it, he remembered wyrms—practically wingless dragons that slithered across the ground. As he focused on the approaching shapes, it started to click. There was definitely a theme to this dungeon.

The wyrms slithered closer, their features becoming more distinct. Sure enough, they had a serpentine appearance, like oversized snakes. But where snakes had smooth, sleek skin, these wyrms were covered in dragon-like scales. Their heads were draconic, complete with sharp teeth and glowing eyes, and their bodies undulated with an unsettling grace. Four of them moved toward Kaiden and Zinnia.

“These guys are usually somewhat resistant to magic,” Zinnia said casually, her voice calm but focused. “So try not to die.”

“Excuse me?” Kaiden said, blinking rapidly. Was she joking again, or was she actually being serious? He couldn’t see her face as she stepped forward, her staff sparking with crackling energy as it charged a lightning attack.

Kaiden instinctively stepped back a few paces, raising both bucklers defensively as he watched the wyrms approach. His pulse quickened, adrenaline starting to take over as he braced for whatever was about to happen.

Lightning arced out of Zinnia's staff, crackling through the air and striking all four wyrms in rapid succession. The creatures recoiled, their scales smoking faintly, but none of them went down. They had taken damage, sure, but not nearly enough. If anything, they looked pissed.

Zinnia darted aside as snapping jaws lunged for her from different angles. Luckily, the wyrms’ sheer size and frantic aggression made them clumsy, their massive bodies getting tangled as they fought to reach her. It was chaos, and Kaiden silently prayed none of them would wise up and turn their attention toward him.

Instead of just hoping, he kept backing away, his shields raised protectively. His instincts told him to stay alert, but the battle drew his gaze like a magnet. He wanted to watch more closely, to see how Zinnia handled them, but his own safety took precedence.

More chain lightning erupted from Zinnia’s staff, the bolts arcing between the wyrms. The strikes left angry scorch marks on their scales, but the wyrms only grew more enraged, their movements becoming wilder.

Then Kaiden noticed Zinnia shifting her stance, her staff crackling with energy as she began charging a single, massive lightning strike. He recognized the technique—this wasn’t the multi-target attack she had been using before. It was the kind that hit hard and focused all its power on one target.

Dodging and weaving between the wyrms’ snapping maws, Zinnia’s speed was almost inhuman. She twisted and danced away from every strike with practiced grace, never missing a beat. Should mages be that fast? Kaiden wondered. It didn’t seem normal, but then again, she probably had incredible stats from her other class, not to mention any titles she’d earned. It made sense, he supposed.

Finally, Zinnia unleashed the charged blast. A blinding bolt of lightning ripped through the air, slamming into one wyrm’s head. The beast let out a strangled roar before collapsing, its body twitching as its face smoldered. Within moments, its form began dissolving into mist.

Yes! Kaiden cheered internally, watching with a mix of awe and relief as Zinnia turned her attention to the remaining wyrms.

She struck again, and again, with sharp, focused attacks. Each blast brought down another wyrm, their forms crumpling into charred heaps before fading into mist. Finally, all four wyrms were defeated.

Zinnia walked back toward Kaiden, her calm, collected demeanor intact despite the battle. Her robes were singed in places from the close proximity blasts, but she didn’t seem the least bit rattled. She grinned as she approached.

“Yep,” she said casually, flicking a stray spark off her staff. “Magic resistant.”

“Well fought,” Kaiden said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. It wasn’t just flattery—he was genuinely impressed. Caster or not, these fights were designed for a full party of four. Taking down a group of magic-resistant wyrms solo was no small feat.

Zinnia sighed, but her grin didn’t falter. “We need to change things up a bit.”

“What do you mean?” Kaiden asked, tilting his head.

She gestured down the path ahead. “Since this seems to be a straightforward route, just like the last section, I’ll go ahead and clear out the monsters while you follow safely behind.”

“You want to use your Striker class, then?”

“Exactly,” Zinnia said, her eyes gleaming with approval. “It’ll be faster and easier for me to handle the enemies that way. Not to mention, I won’t have to keep looking over my shoulder to protect you.”

Kaiden nodded. “Okay.” Her reasoning made sense. It was a practical solution, especially since the path wasn’t a maze filled with twists and turns. Still, something nagged at the back of his mind.

“What if a monster comes from behind?” Kaiden asked, voicing his concern.

Zinnia shrugged lightly, her tone remaining casual. “I’ve thought of that, but this floor seems to be structured exactly like the last one—just with wyrms instead of wyverns. There weren’t any monsters that attacked from behind then, were there?”

“Right,” Kaiden said reluctantly, but the unease didn’t leave him. Just because it hadn’t happened before didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen now. Was he overthinking it? Was he just being scared?

Zinnia noticed his hesitation and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll clear the way, and you’ll just stay far away enough to where you can still just barely see me.”

He nodded again, trying to suppress the nerves tightening his chest. “Okay,” he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

Zinnia turned, snapping her fingers as her appearance shimmered. The mage robes and staff disappeared, replaced by her scale armor and short sword. With an effortless grace, she darted ahead, her form quickly shrinking.

Kaiden adjusted his shields, taking a deep breath. He stared at the path ahead, his thoughts racing. He knew Zinnia’s plan was logical, but the thought of being alone, even for a moment, sent a chill down his spine. Still, he had to trust her. What other choice did he have? He began walking, staying alert as he followed at a safe distance.

“Damn, she’s moving too fast!” Kaiden muttered, frustration creeping into his voice as he picked up his pace. He jogged forward, trying to catch a glimpse of Zinnia in the distance, but her figure had already disappeared completely. “Great,” he grumbled, the weight of his shields feeling heavier with each step.

Then, the ground beneath him began to tremble.

Kaiden froze, his breath hitching. Earthquake? he thought, his gaze darting around. The vibrations grew stronger, the rumbling deeper, until his stomach dropped as the earth split open ahead of him.

With a deafening roar, a wyrm burst from the ground, sending chunks of rock and dirt flying. The wyrm’s glowing eyes locked onto him, unblinking and predatory.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. The monster hadn’t technically come from behind—well not behind him, but it could still come from behind Zinnia.

“Fuck,” Kaiden muttered, his voice barely audible over the creature’s low, menacing growl. He tightened his grip on his bucklers, instinctively stepping back as his pulse pounded in his ears. Do I die here?

And then the creature attacked.