I was finally in Prague, not without having to go back to my dorm room. After all, I forgot to leave my sword there while picking up the little gift I got from France, meaning, the magic sword that the Djinn had with him and that I brought once I killed him.

“*sigh…* I almost had to break once again my training sword…”-I said while going out of Prague’s Portal Station.

Thankfully, I remembered before getting inside the portal leading to the Czech Republic, or I would have to waste another round trip to go back for my magic sword and to leave the Cube training sword.

This time I didn’t bring the Tear of the Ice Wing Queen, after all, it only works to protect those around you, not yourself.

“Well… it’s almost 10:00 AM, I guess I’ll go around the city, eat something, drink something. I guess I didn’t think this plan really well, I have twelve more hours here until 10:00 PM… Well, I’ll go around the river to see if I can find some clues about the entrance to the dungeon.”

With that said, I went around the city, waiting for the perfect time for me to go into the river.

***

*SHIN JONGHAK’S POV*

“Huff… Huff… Huff… Huff…”-I was currently sitting on a bench in the training ground.

I’ve been all morning training with my spear, using weights to increase the difficulty of each movement.

Doesn’t matter how much I try; I still can’t forget that day… And each time I remember, I get more enraged.

{… That bastard… That commoner… How does he dare…?}-I thought to myself.

Back in the combat exams, I nominated one insignificant cadet, one that wasn’t even in the top 100 among the first-years… I wanted to give him a lesson. I wanted to show him the difference between us.

I wanted to show him that he couldn’t even dream to beat me if it wasn’t using dirty and cheap tricks like attacking an unprepared enemy.

I thought… That it would be a simple fight. Go and beat him until he understands our differences.

But the outcome of the fight was something that I never dared to imagine.

{… Bastard…}-I clenched my spear while remembering that day.

With strength coming back to my body, I stood up and went towards the training ground, ready to keep training on my spear.

{Technique… He said…}-I clenched my spear. {I’ll teach him what technique truly is.}-With determination, I started repeating, again and again, every spear technique I knew. From the basics to the more advanced ones. Without stopping. Without thinking. Just repeating, again and again, until every cell of my body remembered the movements and not only my mind or my arms.

{I’ll… I’ll surpass him. I’ll pay him back for that day.}-The thought entered my mind as fast as it went out. Only the sound of my spear cutting the air resonated inside my mind.

***

*RACHEL’S POV *

“…”-I was currently sitting on my bed. Trying to adjust to the new sensation that surrounded me.

It was… Strange…

The first day that I started my training with Cristopher, this feeling wasn’t as strong as it was now.

Sometimes I felt suffocated, sometimes I felt like walking through a water-filled space as if there was something else surrounding me.

{Relax… Just… Relax… Accept the feeling. Don’t reject the feeling, just let it flow around you and through you, Rachel… Just like he told you…}-I thought, trying to slowly adapt myself to this feeling.

If what Cristopher said is right, and I’m no doubting it is, this feeling shouldn’t stay forever. It’s just a passing effect of my magic power trying to digest and adapt to the new energy that he injected into my body.

{Breath… As he told you… Let it flow through you, embrace it, and then just let it flow out again…}

Slowly, but surely, the feeling started to calm down. It won’t be long until I’m back to normal.

{If… What he told me is true… Starting this Monday we’ll finally start training to use this new energy… I’m excited… With this new power, I’ll be able to protect those around me… I’ll be able to protect England, and lead my Guild… I’ll surely become a Master Rank Hero someday.}

My dream has always been to become a Master Rank Hero, one of the really few master ranks in the world. Representing my country and my Guild.

{Slowly… But surely… I’ll be able to do it. I’m sure of it now. All thanks to him…}-I thought, slowly blushing a little about the face of the guy that has been helping me through these weeks, even if it was all for money, he never doubted when helping me, and he even guided me the moment he noted the potential I never knew I had.

Unknowingly, a small smile made its appearance on my face.

{Just a little more, and I’ll be able to grow stronger.}-I thought before starting my breathing technique once again to subside the feeling that suffocated me.

***

*KIM HAJIN’S POV*

“*sigh…* I’ve been improving considerably these months…”-I said while dragging my body out of the training center at 7:00 PM.

I don’t normally train on Sunday, but I wanted to check my improvement with my own body, and indeed, I did grow my stats a lot since coming here.

[Strength 3.745] [Stamina 4.236] [Speed 4.556] [Perception 4.6] [Vitality 3.75] [Magic Power 2.11]

Everything except my Magic Power has been going up at a constant speed.

“I guess I do have to thank that guy and his Natural Energy… It does make miracles…”-I said while looking at my smartwatch, it was then that I noticed Rachel walking closer.

“Mm? Hello Kim Hajin-ssi, how are you today?”-She was wearing what seemed like an outfit you would use to run.

“Fine… Slightly tired from training… What about you? Were you also training?”-I ask her.

“Yes… Kind of…”-She said with her unexpressive face. “I’m trying to adapt to this new sensation…”

“Mm? What sensation?”

“Didn’t Cristopher-ssi tell you?”-She asks while tilting her head.

{He certainly didn’t tell me anything more than he was training her.}-I thought to myself

“No… He didn’t tell me how he was training with you, only that he was helping you with a few things.”

“Oh… Well… It’s just that he helped to awaken my ability as an elementalist, or so he said…”-She said while smiling slightly.

{Oh, right… He did tell me that she had the potential to harness Natural Energy…}

“That’s good then, can you use elementals already?”-I asked her, quite curious.

“No… Not yet, but Cristopher-ssi said that he will help me contract my first elemental this Monday.”-She said while smiling.

{… She really is like an elf taken out from a fantasy story…}-I thought while looking at her smiling dashing face.

“W-well, do you want to grab something to drink? Rachel-ssi?”

“Um? Something to drink?”-She asks while tilting her head.

“Yes, I was actually quite curious with how he’s training you, but haven’t had the time to ask him myself, so maybe you could tell me, what do you say?”

“…”-She thinks for a moment before answering. “Yes, sure. I have no problem, shall we go then, Kim Hajin-ssi?”-She said.

“Great. I know a really good place, Cristopher and I always go there, well, mostly Cristopher.”-I said unconsciously while leading her towards Aroma Mocha.

“Mm… Really…? Somewhere he likes to go?”-She suddenly asked.

Turning to look at her, she got this slightly lost face, as if not knowing what to do.

{Huh? What’s wrong with her?}-I thought to myself.

“Yeah, he always goes there, the guy has some kind of addiction to chocolate, and the place just has a lot of it.”-I shrugged.

“Mm… Okay…”-She just nods.

After a little while, we make it to Aroma Mocha.

{I’ve been here so many times that I’ve kind of taken a liking to the place… Not that I would tell it to Cristopher, the guy would just drag me here every damn time…}-I thought while entering, with Rachel right behind me.

“Oh? I’ve been here before… This was the place Cristopher-ssi told me to come after that combat training when we had to fight that weird lizardman.”-Rachel said while looking around the place.

“Really? Well, he sure would bring anyone here, if it’s just to drink more chocolate milkshake…”-I shrugged.

“Right…”-Rachel had a face as if she knew what I was talking about.

{I guess he ordered the same as usual that time too…}-I shake my head at the thought.

“Welcome!”-Suddenly, a waitress came to welcome us. “You would like the usual, Kim Hajin-ssi?”-Said the waitress while smiling.

{Wait… Do I know he-?}-I thought, only to be stopped in shock.

“Um… Angelica…?”

“Yes! What? Don’t you remember me? Come on! If I always attend you and Cristopher, how can you forget me?”-She pouts.

“No… It’s… It’s just that… Your hair… And… Are those contact lenses?”

Right now, instead of her blue eyes and her usual blond hair, Angelica had flaming red hair and green eyes.

“Oh? This? No, silly, these are my true eyes, I just took my blue-colored lenses off. That’s all and my hair… Well… I did give it a change of color, after all, I had wanted to change my style since a while ago.”-She said while smiling with a hand on her mouth.

“Oh… Right…”-I just nodded.

{I’m not buying that. Those are lenses… Just… Why?}-I thought to myself, trying not to let my doubts show on my face.

“Well then, should we go to your table, Kim Hajin-ssi and… Wow! Is this your girlfriend!? You two look so good together!”-She shouted while guiding us towards a table that was as far away from everyone else as possible.

“Um… No… We’re not-”-Rachel tried to say something, but was quickly interrupted.

“Here! This place is perfect for couples. No one will bother you two here.”-Angelica said while pointing to a table in a corner, far away from any kind of prying eyes.

Stolen story; please report.

“Hey… We’re not a couple, really. Just friends, okay?”-I try to clarify.

“Hehe! Don’t worry I won’t pry into your relationship; you can be at ease here!”-She said while winking at me.

“No… Really… We’re not a coupl-”-I tried to say something.

“So, how’s Cristopher? I haven’t seen him in a few days…”-But she interrupted me while asking about Cristopher.

“Well, he’s been kind of busy lately, even now he’s not in Korea…”-I said.

“Oh? Really? Cristopher-ssi isn’t in Korea?”-Rachel also asks.

“Mm? Didn’t he tell you?”-I ask her.

“No… He didn’t…”-Rachel slowly answered.

“Well, why would he need to tell YOUR girlfriend, what’s he’s going to do? Hahaha, right, miss?”-Angelica suddenly smiled while asking.

“Um… I’m not his gir-girlfriend…”-Rachel tried to clarify, before frowning. “And why wouldn’t Cristopher-ssi tell me?”

“What is him to you anyways? Why does he have to tell you? Right?”-Angelica answered with a smile. “Even if you were to be his friend, there’s just no reason for him to tell you where he’s going.”

“…”-Rachel frowned deeper.

“Well, I’ll go look for your orders!”-Angelica suddenly said while going towards the counter.

“W-wait! She hasn’t ordered!”-I stopped her.

“Oh, right! Silly me… Sorry, well, what would you want? Kim Hajin’s girlfriend?”-She said.

“I’m not his girlfriend… And black tea would be good.”-Rachel answered, back to her inexpressive face, just that this time it looked a little bit intimidating, or maybe that was just my idea.

“But you two look so well together! Just like Cristopher and I. Ups!”-She said while putting her hand on her mouth. “Did I say that loud? I’m sorry, it’s just that we’ve been kind of close lately, and I can’t stop thinking about how well we look together, you know.”-She smiled while tilting her head.

“…”-Rachel suddenly frowned.

“Well… I didn’t know you were that close…”-I had to intervene.

“Really? Maybe he’s just shy to say it, we’ve been having meals together for a while you know? Almost daily.”-She smiled deeper.

{This is weird… He hasn’t told me anything about it…}

“But… You said that it has passed time since the last time you saw him…”-I unconsciously said.

“…”-Her smile deepened, but it now sent a small chill up my back. “Well, that must be your idea, Kim Hajin-ssi. I’ll go and look for your drinks.”-She nodded before going away.

“…”-Rachel frowned at her leaving back. “What’s wrong with her?”-She asked.

“I don’t know… She’s been acting… Kind of weird lately…”-I said.

“It does seem like that…”

“Well, Rachel-ssi, what about your training, how has it been going?”-I then asked her.

“It’s been going well, at first it was really hard, but with time I slowly adapted to it, and now I feel really great. It’s a totally different feeling.”-She said with her eyes slightly shining.

“Really? I mean… He has been helping me using Natural Energy and it has helped me increase my power greatly, but it’s not like it does a lot more apart from helping me recover and increasing the effects of my training.”-I said while rubbing the back of my head.

“Well… From what Cristopher-ssi told me, it’s more that my constitution is special… Since we started training, the first thing he told me is that my mana is quite compatible with Natural Energy, actually trying to adapt to it and that it should be because I’m suited to be an elementalist.”

“Oh, well… He said that if my mana interacted too much with Natural Energy, I could blow up…”-I said while smiling awkwardly.

“…”-Her eyes went wide. “Um… I… I didn’t know…”

“Don’t worry… He may be a prick and an asshole sometimes, but he’s not the one to put others in danger on a whim. If he didn’t tell you that it was dangerous, it was probably because there wasn’t any danger, to begin with.”

“Right… And… He isn’t a prick… You know…?”-She said.

“Um?”-I looked at her, kind of shocked at her words.

“Cristopher-ssi… Isn’t a prick… He’s been helping me greatly and has been treating me well…”-She said while averting her eyes, before flinching.

The reason for her flinching being Angelica standing right beside our table, with a tray in one hand and a scaring look on her face, it was like a smile that looked colder than warming.

“Um… It’s everything, okay?”

“Oh, yes, everything’s okay, it’s just that I somehow found out that there was this little pest around my stuff, and I just thought it was harmless before.”-She said while putting our tray on the table. “Well, I’ll be going! Enjoy your drinks!”

“…”

“…”

“Hajin-ssi… That waitress… I think she doesn’t like me…”-Rachel said after a little while.

“R-really…? W-why would you say t-that?”-I just tried to stutter my answer.

“Her eyes were looking at me harshly…”-She said

{Cristopher… You’re fucked…}-I thought to myself while prying to the guy.

“It must be your imagination… Come on… Let’s drink this quickly so we can go back to the dorms…”-I tried to haste it.

***

*OLIVIA’S POV*

“… *sigh…* Where the hell is that guy… He just told me we wouldn't train today…”-I said while walking out of the training center, it was almost 1:00 AM. Today my training took more time than usual, as I had to train by myself, which allowed me to train longer, but not with enough strength.

“Either way… I’m finally able to hold on for longer under the 7th level of difficulty in the gravity chamber…”

{I’m becoming stronger… I knew that training with him was the answer…}-I thought while looking up at the sky, a habit that I somehow took from the same guy that allowed me to grow stronger. {Someday… Someday I’ll pay you back all the pain you made me go through… Just wait for me…}

I slowly went towards the dorms, dragging my tired and aching body all the way towards my room.

***

*CRISTOPHER’S POV*

{Well, it’s time.}-I thought while looking at the river that flowed under me. Under Charles Bridge.

It was already 10:00 PM, all the day I’ve been going through Prague’s streets, drinking and eating. I also went around the river, but I didn’t feel anything that could potentially be some dungeon, so that gave me just one place to go. Either under the bridge or somewhere close to it.

{Oh well, I’ll have to find it fast.}-I thought while pulling up my hood to activate the face distortion functionality of the coat along with the camouflage function. While around me there weren’t that many people as of earlier, there were still a lot of cars and people outside. But the dark of the night was perfect for me to camouflage with a black coat and a hood.

“Time to dive.”-I said while quickly jumping over the bridge side, free-falling to the river in a perfect dive position to make as little noise as possible.

*splash*

After a quick moment, I was finally under the river’s surface, and taking the falling impulse to go deeper, I activated my eyes and started swimming through the place, looking and sensing around, searching for anything that could be an entrance to a dungeon.

{Mm?}-Not even a minute had passed, when a weird big fish came towards me as if trying to tackle me. {Get the fuck out of here Nemo.}-I thought while punching the enormous catfish in the face, sending it down to the bottom, dead.

As I didn’t have my ability to breathe underwater nor a way to swim fast. I chose the best possible way to move faster underwater than swimming. Focusing mana on the sole of my feet and my legs, I quickly pushed my body forward, as if using the surrounding water as a platform to propel myself.

After a little while of me propelling myself and hitting a few stupid fishes that were trying to take a bite from me, I finally found it. The entrance to the dungeon.

{It’s not weird that nobody had actually found it yet…}-I thought to myself.

Not only was it in the bottom of the river in the deeper side of it. But it was actually being covered by a monster.

An enormous monster was actually resting over it. It was like a mix of a sea turtle and a ray. It had a smooth shell that seemed actually part of its flesh, a really long tail, two small flippers, one at each side of the tail, and two big wing-like fins where a turtle would have its frontal limbs. Its face was weird as if someone had grabbed a turtle’s face and flattened it.

{You’re ugly as fuck man…}-I thought, and it seems like it actually read my mind, as it opened its eyes and glared at me. {Hoho… Want to fight?}

It didn’t move from that place but opened its mouth to shot some kind of pressurized water bullet. Of course, for it, it was a bullet, for me, it was more like a cannonball.

Evading it, I positioned myself towards it, and focusing my mana on my legs and feet I propelled myself at it, and with a mana-charged fist punched its shell, piercing it. I heard some kind of whale-like sound escaping its mouth, along with a few bubbles. Though sadly for it, it wasn’t the end.

Concentrating Natural Energy in the same fist, I electrocuted from inside, burning its flesh and sending an enormous shock through its body.

After that attack, it finally tried to move, with a big flap of its frontal fins it swam out of there, trying to push me out of its shell, but I grabbed myself, not letting it throw me, while still sending an electric shock through its body.

{If this keeps going, I’ll have a perfectly cooked turtle for dinner.}-I thought, keeping my hand pierced in its back for leverage. It tried to hit me with the bottom of the river, but I just had to push with my feet, turning the roles and flattening it on the bottom.

After a little bit of riding, I got tired and created a thunder spear, which I quickly used to pierce the creature, stopping it on its tracks with another scream that sounded like some kind of whale, before creating even more spears, turning the monster into a beehive.

{It was a nice ride, but I still have the stuff to do.}-With that last thought, I made my way back towards the entrance of the dungeon, and after swimming up and down, I finally made it towards some kind of exit.

“*wheeze*… Fwhee… Mm? An underwater cave?”-I looked around and found an actual underwater cave, filled with air, but with no light, only some green glowing rocks that seemed more like green lightbulbs than rocks.

Swimming towards the shore, I noticed that this cave was actually not big enough for it to be a field dungeon, so it means that it would be a stage dungeon. Either that or a passage would appear once I killed the switch monster.

“Mm… So, you’re the guy that I have to kill?”-I thought while looking at a big armored crab.

It was the same size as an elephant in height, but really wide. Probably the same length of a bus from side to side. It had one enormous pincer full of red spikes on its right, while the left pincer looked more like a big scythe. Its shell also had a lot of spikes out of it, and its eyes were even protected. It was like seeing a crab turned into some kind of tank.

“I guess that shell of yours would be something hard to break, huh.”-I said to it while taking something out of the inner pocket of my coat. “Oh, well, I’ll be able to test this little thing here.”

The thing I took out was the magic sword that I took from the Djinn in France. I asked Hajin, and apparently, it’s a great weapon for anyone with a lot of magic power and a lot of magic power control, so, that said, the more magic power you had, the better the weapon it became.

“And, sadly for you, I do have enormous amounts of magic power.”-I said while channeling my magic power into the magic blade.

A slight humming suddenly resonated inside the cave, and from the seemingly empty handle that I had in my hand, a clear, almost whitish blue mana sword appeared. It was big. As long as an ōdachi, and slightly wider than a German executioner sword. Making it really big.

The blade was calm as if it was made of a whitish-blue glowing metal instead of pure mana. It didn’t have any design, just pure mana, traveling from handle to the point of the sword, and then again from the tip to the handle.

I’m able to make it bigger, but just this length and width would be enough to kill anything that puts itself in front of me, probably. After all, the size of the sword isn’t what makes it deadly, it’s the sharpness of the edge, and in this particular case, the density of the mana that forms the blade.

“You’ll be a nice target for practice, little friend.”-I said while holding my new light sa-… magic sword to the side. “Ready?”-I took a step to the front and that seemed to anger the crab, as it quickly stood up and make some kind of roar.

“I didn’t know that crabs could roar like that. Are you sure your mother wasn’t some kind of lion?”-I asked while focusing mana on my legs, ready to step-in.

As if angered further, the crab started to run towards me, though, instead of running like a crab, it was running more like a spider, that’s probably thanks to its wide body and its long legs, that he could actually do that.

“Let’s do this!”-I said while stepping in, disappearing from my spot and reappearing right in front of it, with my sword cutting down from over it.

In one fluid movement, the sword descended over the crab, which tried to defend itself using the big pincer on its left. Though, as if it was only butter, the blade cut through it swiftly, cleaving the pincer in two, then the other pincer which it tried to use as a secondary defense, and finally the body, which even if it wasn’t completely cleaved in two, at least half of it was cut from top to bottom, killing the thing instantly.

“…”-I looked at the corpse of the crab. “Well… I guess I have to thank that guy from France. This is really a great weapon.”-I said while looking at the magic sword in my hand, before turning it off. “It’s a really good weapon. I’ll test if I can add some Natural Energy to it. Draconic Energy would be pushing it a little, but I will test it later.”

*rumble*

As I was thinking of the possible uses of the magic sword, some kind of stone door opened at the end of the cave. It was black as if there wasn’t anything past it, which made it weird, as I should be able to actually see even if the place was dark.

After walking towards it, I crossed the dark space, and what waited for me there, was a stunning surprise. It was a town. An enormous town inside an even bigger bubble. And at the end of the place. An enormous castle made of ice.

“What… The fuck…?”-I just muttered while looking around.

Behind me, the dark path disappeared, being supplanted by what looked like a wall of a barrier, which I suppose is from the same bubble that’s covering the entire place.

“Weird…”-Touching it, it felt slippery, but at the same time, it gave me the same feeling as if I was in front of a wall made of solid rock. “Guess this is what allows this city to exist here.”-Looking over the giant bubble, I could see an enormous body of water, though I don’t know if it’s from a lake or some sea or ocean.

Activating ‘Observation and Reading’ I finally got to see where I was.

[You’ve entered the dungeon ‘King Zlatan’s palace under the lake’]

[Mana concentration goes up. Corrosion is expanding.]

[Monsters power up.]

[Mid-boss monsters power up.]

[Boss monster power up.]

[Connection with the Demon Realm has been established.]

[Boss monster makes a pact with an unknown entity from the Demon Realm.]

[Boss monster evolves.]

[Mid-boss monsters further power-up.]

[Residents from the city under the lake are completely hostile towards you.]

[Reinforcements will come to help the city after two hours.]

[If the dungeon isn’t conquered in 7 days, the monsters would be able to go into Earth]

“Look at that. I guess this is the first time I get so many notifications after the Ice Wing’s cave moment…”-I said while looking at the lines of notifications in front of me. “Mm?”

At least, until some weird creatures started coming out of the town’s houses. There were a lot of creatures.

{This looks like some kind of aquarium for weird fishes…}-I thought while looking at what seemed like an army of monsters.

The monsters of the town were of different kinds, some of them looked like really ugly middle-aged men with long and shaggy green beards and hair, with palmed hands and feet that ended in long claws. They also held what looked like tridents, scimitars, weird swords with waved blades, some held spears with a weird spearhead. Some had armors, some wore some weird kind of clothes.

Others looked like beautiful women, dressed in dresses, covered in what looked like a weird type of leather armor, holding bows and arrows. Other held staffs or orbs. Their hair varied in shape and length, but they were mostly of a green color, the only differentiating characteristic the shade of green that painted their hair.

There was also some kind of small monsters, the size of a kid, at most a teen, that were the perfect description of fishmen, the common water-type goblin. They were either blue or green in color, with fish faces and human bodies.

There were also some women that, even if they had a weird look, weren’t that ugly. They had a light blue tone to their skin, their hair was a weird mix of jellyfish, normal hair, and some weird decorations that resembled fins. They had pointy ears that also had a resemblance to fins. Their face had a smooth gloss over them, with clear blue eyes.

{This sure is a weird welcoming party.}-I thought to myself while looking at the incoming group of monsters.