The rat's legs scurried twice as fast, sensing its prey close by. It charged down the hallway, its footsteps pounding against the stone floor. But its sprint came to an abrupt halt as a faint rumble emanated from below. Deep beneath the stone floor, a powerful vibration surged upward with astonishing speed. The rat froze, every hair on its body standing on end, its tail whipping forward in alarm.

Something was coming. It felt the same sensation as when that pesky skeleton had launched a sword at it, but this time, the direction was different.

The rat's nose twitched as it poured all its strength into its hind legs. It stood upright and sprang backward. As it lifted off the ground, the stone floor beneath it cracked. The rat squealed in shock as a massive spiked column erupted from the floor.

The white spike shot up at an angle, nearly reaching the ceiling. Though its surface was polished, it bore small cracks and a porous texture. Fragments of stone flew in all directions as the bone spike burst through the ground, scattering splinters everywhere.

Landing with a thud, the demon rat stared at the bone spike in stunned caution. Magic and spells were beyond its comprehension, but the sudden appearance of the deadly spike, which had nearly impaled it, filled the rat with a sense of wary surprise.

The rat stared at the bone spike for a few moments. Seeing no further movement from the spike, it cautiously approached. Its instincts relaxed, and nothing signaled danger. Satisfied that there was no immediate threat, the rat whipped around and slammed its tail against the spike. The bone column cracked and shattered on impact, crumbling into large, broken fragments.

It snarled in frustration, realizing the spike posed no danger. Refocused, it resumed its pursuit, charging down the hallway, its beady red eyes cutting through the darkness ahead.

image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]

Enya kept sprinting down the hall. The surge of mana from her circuit still fresh in her mind, she had immediately turned to flee after casting the spell. Whether it would be enough to kill the rat was uncertain. It would be ideal if it did, but she had seen how tough the creature’s body was. Even the powerful sword throw from Mr. Bones had only partially embedded in the rat’s shoulder. She doubted whether her bone spear had the strength to match that attack.

She ran as hard as she could, but maintaining her top speed was becoming increasingly difficult. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her body. As her pace slowed, she willed her status screen to appear beside her.

Mana: 16/20

She purposely used less mana than during her initial test of the skill in the study. While a 6-mana bone spear had been quite powerful, a 4-mana spear should still be strong enough for her current situation.

As she ran, the ground ahead shifted into a more chaotic mess. The clear path in the center, once free of debris and hazardous holes, gradually disappeared. She was nearing her destination. Just a few more minutes, and she’d be back safely.

The rumbling behind her started again, signaling that the demon rat had resumed its chase with undiminished ferocity. It was time to cast another spell.

Channeling mana into her hand, Enya rapidly formed the spell circuit. With a quick motion, she shot another Bone Spear into the darkness ahead.

A loud bang reverberated back towards her from the darkness. A small vibration echoed throughout the walls a few seconds later. Enya’s back was turned, and she already began running forward again. There wasn’t a point in waiting to see if her spell hit or slowed down the rat or not. She could only hope it did.

Without her Absolute Focus skill, she could only rely on her normal senses, which just simply weren’t enough to detect the demon rat from a range. Her bone spears were simply summoned at a distance she thought would be close enough to the rat.

Despite her fatigue, Enya made significant progress toward the study. The surroundings were becoming more familiar, and a sense of relief crept over her. She was close—just a couple more hallways to go. But reality crashed down on her once again as the sound of the demon rat grew louder, closing in on her.

Mana surged throughout her body once again, as she formed two spell circuits—one for each palm. Enya almost tripped over herself again as she used her mana, but caught herself at the last moment. With the urge to keep running, she regained her composure.

Two glowing spells exploded and shot mana back down the hall. Before waiting to hear the rumbling of her spell, her legs forced her to keep running.

Enya’s status screen briefly flashed in front of her face.

Mana: 6/20

She had used three mana for each bone spear this time. The rumbling reverberated through the dungeon, signaling her spells tearing through the stone floor.

A loud roar echoed behind her, sending a shiver down her spine. She glanced back, still running. In the dim light, she could make out the demon rat’s blurry silhouette—a dark mass hurtling toward her at breakneck speed. White specks were scattered across its body, likely bone splinters from her previous attacks. The rat showed no signs of slowing, and its relentless pursuit filled her with dread.

The demon rat barreled toward her with ferocious speed, seemingly unbothered by the bone spears she had summoned. Either it had powered through her spell with sheer brute force, or it simply didn’t care about the damage or harm that they would cause.

“No..!” Enya growled through clenched teeth.

Leaping over a small hole in the ground, Enya slammed her feet down and spun to face the beast. Her body lurched into a crouch, but she quickly stood upright, forcing the mana in her body to circulate faster. A translucent spell circuit flickered to life in front of her palm. If she could hit the rat with a direct 6-mana bone spear, it might buy her enough time. In the best-case scenario, it could maim or even kill the creature.

The demon rat was now only dozens of meters away, its fur illuminated by a nearby torch. Its front body glowed in shades of red and orange, and its blackened pupils were locked onto her. Bone splinters stuck out from its hide, clear against its bristling fur.

Just as Enya concentrated on the spell, the rat suddenly screeched. Its head snapped up as its mouth opened wide, unleashing a deafening, ear-piercing shriek that shattered her focus.

Enya’s head throbbed with pain as the rat’s screech pierced through her. She instinctively raised her hands to plug her ears, but it did little to drown out the deafening noise. The pounding of her blood surged in time with her heartbeat, each pulse a hammering sensation against her palms. Her hands felt damp—whether from sweat or blood, she couldn’t tell. Eyes squeezed shut, she gritted her teeth and tried to endure the cacophony.

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After what felt like an eternity, she pried her eyes open. The rat was much closer now, its beady red eyes gleaming in the dim light. Panic surged through her as she glanced at her hand—the spell had been completely disrupted.

Without hesitation, Enya whipped around and tried to flee from the monstrous rat. She barely managed a few frantic steps before a crushing impact slammed into her back. The world twisted violently as an explosion of force sent her tumbling through the air. It felt as if gravity itself had abandoned her.

Everything became a chaotic blur. The ground appeared, disappeared, and reappeared in rapid succession as she rolled uncontrollably. Pain flared across her body with each wild flip. Her limbs flailed, unable to brace against the jagged stone and debris that scraped against her skin. Dust and shards of rock pelted her face, stinging her eyes.

Then, with a brutal stop, she slammed into a large, jagged stone. The wind was knocked from her lungs as her body crumpled against it before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Groaning, Enya’s eyes fluttered open. Her head pounded in rhythm with her heartbeat, each pulse sending a fresh wave of pain coursing through her. She stared upward at the familiar stone ceiling, now looming over her like a disapproving witness.

Rolling onto her side, Enya groaned and tried to push herself upright. Her arms shook with soreness, and her entire body ached, but she was still intact. Remarkably, she hadn't been reduced to a shattered heap, despite being slammed by a creature that could destroy stone with a flick of its tail or a single stomp. Somehow, after enduring the full force of the demon rat’s attack, she could still move.

Her vision blurred for a moment, but as she blinked, the world came back into focus. The hazy double images of the hallway merged into one, and what she saw made her question her own eyes. But no, it was real—too real to be a trick of the mind.

The demon rat had been blown several dozen meters away and now lay twitching on the ground. Shards of stone surrounded it in a small crater, evidence of the force with which it had crashed. The rat let out a low, pained groan—barely audible but unmistakably filled with suffering. Somehow, in its reckless charge, it had injured itself. The once fearsome beast was now sprawled out, defenseless, and struggling to move.

Enya glanced down at her own body, expecting to see more severe damage. Yet, aside from some minor scrapes, bruises, and faint patches of red and pink on her limbs, she was relatively unharmed. No blood, no broken bones. It seemed impossible. The rat had sent her flying across the hall, yet the injuries she sustained were almost trivial—soreness and a few shallow cuts that could easily be ignored.

Her attention snapped back to the rat as she heard the rustling sound of movement. It was still alive, its pained groans morphing into weak snarls as it attempted to rise. The demon rat struggled, barely able to lift itself from the ground. The sword that was embedded into its shoulder had been blown clean off, and a large mass of blood poured from its wound.

Enya quickly funneled her remaining mana into a spell, weaving six full points of energy into the circuit. Her focus sharpened as she prepared to launch the attack, intending to summon a bone spear from beneath the rat, impaling it where it lay. But as she lifted her arm, something felt off.

Her heart raced as an unexpected surge of mana coursed through the circuit. “What?” she gasped, her voice shaky with fear. The flow of mana was increasing—far beyond what she had intended. Worse, it was beyond what she even had.

"No! No!" she shouted, panic rising in her chest. Should she cut the connection? Disconnect the spell from her mana system before it spiraled out of control? Passing out from overusing her mana would be the worst possible scenario right here. But just as she considered this, a faint buzzing sensation from her wrist stopped her.

The bracelet she had taken from Pell's backpack was humming—so subtly at first that she might’ve missed it if her body hadn’t been so sensitive to every tiny sensation. She could feel it vibrating against her skin, almost pulsing in rhythm with the surge of mana.

The realization hit her like a bolt. The mana flowing into the spell—it wasn’t hers.

Her eyes flicked between the demon rat and the overloaded spell she was trying to control. The rat groaned and twitched, trying to rise, but Enya couldn't tear her focus away from the rapidly swelling magic in her hand. Each second, more mana was funneled into the circuit, growing in power as her control slipped further.

Mana flooded into her circuit, and the spell got brighter. Soon, the buzzing from the black bracelet died out. Her spell glowed vibrantly. She could feel the power emanating from the circuit. It was supercharged with an abundant amount of mana.

With a palpable gulp, Enya turned towards the demon rat. It didn’t make a difference how much mana was poured in or the reason behind it. If the spell was stronger, then so be it. She would hold no complaints. She just needed to cast the spell and run back to the study.

Enya tightened her grip, fingers curling into a claw as she crouched low. Her arm wound back, poised like a spring ready to snap. She locked eyes on the demon rat, now struggling to stand. The creature sensed the danger, its body trembling as it tensed. Muscles rippled beneath its fur as it forced itself up. Its tail slapped weakly against the stone floor, but it no longer had the strength to shatter anything. Half-crouched, it started limping toward her, desperation and fury blazing in its eyes.

The spell circuit shimmered as it locked into place. With a surge of determination, Enya took a step forward and swung her arm in a sharp, upward arc, the motion carrying every ounce of energy she had left. The spell followed her hand like a coiled whip.

"Die... already!" she screamed.

As her arm reached its peak, the spell exploded into a brilliant flash of blue light. The dungeon responded immediately.

The stone floor beneath the demon rat trembled—at first a gentle shake, then violently, as if the earth itself was roaring back to life. In that instant, the rat froze, its heightened senses detecting the presence of danger. Its eyes widened in panic, and it squealed in surprise, trying to flee. But its broken body betrayed it at the most vital moment. The rat’s legs buckled under the weight of its injuries, and it crumpled to the ground, too weak to escape.

A cacophony of cracking noises erupted, creating a chaotic symphony of destruction. The ground began to fracture, and stone dust billowed into the air in an instant. Existing holes and ruptured stones expanded as rock and rubble shifted and scraped, generating a grating sound as something forced its way up from below.

A massive white bone spear burst forth, rising and towering above, its height nearly reaching the four-meter-tall ceiling of the hallway. The spear’s base was nearly as wide as the demon rat’s body and could have fit several Enyas within its perimeter.

Debris and rock flew in all directions, shattering against the walls. The area around the spear’s base was stripped bare, revealing the exposed earth and dirt surrounding it.

Propelled with tremendous force, the bone spear punctured right below the base of the rat’s tail. The demon rat leaped into the air, reacting reflexively to the sudden, sharp pain. As the spear continued to extend, the wound widened. The tip of the spear burst through the rat’s lower back and continued its upward trajectory.

The rat’s guttural squeal of despair was swallowed by the explosion of stone. Blood sprayed from its tail, pooling in large puddles on the ruined floor. The rat’s body slumped forward, its lower half suspended in the air, unable to touch the ground. Its upper legs and snout lay splayed out, twitching. Immobilized and trapped by the spike that had impaled it, the rat was left helpless, unable to move or escape.

A small snarl of pain and desperation rumbled from its mouth. Left alone, it would most likely succumb to blood loss and die. Even if it managed to break free from the bone spear, there was no way that its wounds could heal. The demon rat was now permanently crippled, if not imprisoned, waiting to die.

The white smoke engulfed the entire hall, the bone spear having nearly obliterated the central section. The demon rat’s form was briefly visible before the dust began to expand and spread out.

Enya spotted the rat’s outline and quickly concluded that it was no longer capable of pursuing her. Her knees buckled as she turned to run again, and she stumbled forward, catching herself with her hands. One hand still gripped the bone, pressing it harshly into her palm. She winced at the pain but quickly pushed through and sprang back up.

In just under a minute, Enya trudged through the hallway toward the study. Her energy was spent—she could only manage a slow, disoriented walk. Her sole focus was reaching the door. Everything else faded from her mind; all she needed now was rest, and her body was beginning to give out. With each step, her willpower waned, and the urge to collapse grew stronger.

Without any further delays or distractions, she finally reached the door. She glanced back down the hallway and saw nothing but the dissipating stone dust flowing from the intersecting hall. With a weary breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Closing the door behind her, Enya surveyed the room. Everything was as she had left it. A weak smile graced her face as she let out a gentle exhale. As her breath came to an end, her body surrendered to exhaustion, and the adrenaline that had fueled her began to drain. Her vision blurred, and darkness closed in around her. Her knees buckled again, and Enya collapsed onto the hard ground, her consciousness slipping away.