The air was dense within the gate's depths, saturated with mana and something else—a whispering pressure that clung to the walls like moisture. Auther Finn moved ahead, eyes sharp and focused, his breathing measured as his senses swept the corridor.
Behind him, Veira's footsteps were light but purposeful. Her crimson gaze swept the corners, fingers twitching near the hilt of her short-bladed glaive. Elira and Lyra followed, maintaining formation with growing ease, each girl attuned to their roles. The team had grown tighter since the last mission, their synergy no longer forced but flowing naturally.
The dungeon had begun as standard fare—twisting tunnels of stone, sparse beastkin patrols, scattered traps. But the deeper they went, the stranger the place became. The very mana in the air grew volatile, more primal. It clung to their skin, seeping into their lungs. Auther could feel it trying to press into his core, almost as if testing him.
"Be ready," he whispered, signaling a halt with a sharp hand motion. Up ahead, the corridor widened into a natural cavern dimly lit by glowing moss. He could sense it—something powerful nearby.
They edged forward carefully. As they stepped into the cavern, a low growl reverberated through the stone. A creature emerged from the shadows—eight feet tall, quadrupedal, with black-cracked skin and molten veins glowing beneath. A twisted mana-beast, mutated and born within the gate's heart.
"Formation B," Auther commanded.
The team responded instantly. Veira charged to intercept, glaive swinging wide. Elira shifted back, fingers weaving signs for mana reinforcement. Lyra remained near the rear, whispering supportive chants to increase Auther's mana recovery.
Auther leapt to the side, activating his movement skill, then circled the creature to flank it. Veira clashed with the beast first—her blows sharp, precise, but she was forced to retreat from a sweep of its jagged tail.
Elira's mana shimmered, wrapping around Veira as a thin shield just in time to deflect the second strike. "Reinforcement up!"
Auther crouched low and extended his hand. His mind burned with ideas.
He had been thinking about a new skill for days—something passive, something subtle, but powerful. A growth-type perception skill.
He opened his interface:
> [Skill Creation Interface Active] Available SP: 96
> Skill Name: Battle Trance Description: A passive state that heightens perception and reflexes in combat situations. The user subconsciously reacts to danger, allowing increased evasion and faster decision-making.
> Estimated Cost: 47 SP [F-rank Growth-Type Passive]
He grinned. Affordable.
> Confirm Creation? [Yes]
> Skill Created: [Battle Trance]
A jolt ran through his spine. His pupils narrowed, and the world seemed to slow. The creature's movements became more readable. Its muscle tension, its breathing, even the direction it shifted its weight—all clearer now.
He moved.
Sliding beneath a crushing paw, he slashed across the beast's underbelly with his conjured mana edge. The strike tore deep, but not fatal.
The beast roared, twisting toward him, just as Veira struck its hind leg. It staggered. Elira let loose a burst of concentrated mana, slamming into its chest and cracking its ribs.
Lyra's chant reached its peak. "Now!"
Auther launched himself upward, a spiraling mana edge forming around his fist. He struck the beast between its eyes. There was a flash of pressure—a thunderclap of raw energy—and the creature collapsed, twitching.
> [You have defeated a mutated Mana Beast: Rank E5] Skill Points Gained: +10 SP (Same rank kill)
Auther exhaled slowly, letting his pulse settle. The battle had lasted under a minute, but his body was slick with sweat. The others were breathing hard too, but uninjured.
"Good work," he said.
Veira offered a smirk, her glaive resting on her shoulder. "Getting stronger. We didn't even need to push past our limit."
Elira nodded, but her expression was distracted. She was staring at the fallen creature's core—a glowing mass of pulsing orange mana. Her eyes shimmered faintly, as if resonating with it.
Auther noticed. "Something wrong?"
She blinked. "No... I just felt something for a second. Like the mana was... singing. It passed."
Auther frowned slightly, storing that away. That wasn't the first time Elira had said something strange lately. The last two cores they collected, she had paused too, murmuring about strange frequencies or echoes.
They retrieved the mana core and continued forward. After two more corridors and a shallow pit trap, they reached a sealed stone gate, marked with glyphs none of them recognized. It hummed softly.
Lyra stepped closer. "We should report this to the Association. It might be tied to the dungeon's central control point."
Auther agreed. "Let's not risk pushing too deep unprepared."
As they turned back, he felt a strange warmth in his chest. The party, the mission, the system, the steady flow of SP—it was all starting to click. He wasn't just surviving anymore. He was leading. Growing.
---
That night, back at their Association-assigned apartment, Auther reviewed his interface again.
> [Skill Creation Interface Active] Available SP: 59
He hovered over the idea of a new skill. Something higher now. Maybe his first E-rank ability.
He drafted:
> Skill Name: Energy Infusion Description: A technique that allows the user to infuse mana into physical strikes, boosting damage and causing elemental disruption.
> Estimated Cost: 82 SP [E-rank, Offensive Type]
He frowned.
"Too high," he muttered. "Need to refine it."
But he liked where it was going.
Across the room, Veira sat sharpening her blade, watching him with quiet amusement. Elira read from an old mana theory book they recovered. Lyra sipped tea while humming softly.
The warmth spread again.
He wasn't alone anymore.
And the world's gates were finally beginning to open.