Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Omori; all rights go to him. I only own my original characters Sleipnir, Ikuchi, Sylphie, and all the others.

Speech: It was a restless night for Aisha, she hadn't found a good catch tonight. "Single again. Should have taken up Haruhimes offer. Even magic beats this."

Thoughts: She turned in her bed, shifting again. 'I wonder what that teacher is doing now? I want to get a bite out of him. So strong and a mage. What tricks he might have in bed.' She smiled at the thought. 'Of course I'd be the dominant one.'

Screaming/Demonic Voice: In another city of mages. A red robed figure played with a fire spell. "What a good night. Perfect to cause some explosions. I am certain a great show is taking place today."

Magic: "Just like the good old times. Let wizards cast another. - Fireball!"

Runes: 'Consuming flames, rush forth at the direction of the Salamander's dirge! Let these flames devour and burn my enemies' flesh! – Conus Ignis! - Fuin!"

Writing: Shimizu writes. 'I found a very amusing dnd song. Fireball from One Shot Bards. Quite fitting that I found it just when I finished this chapter.'

Chapter 32 Ikuchi's time to Shine

Large Chamber, Floor 17 - Sleipnir POV

A splitting headache assaulted him. His mind felt violated but at the same time, quiet... or was it serene?

'Shin-chan, are you back to your senses?'

The telepathy helped ground him. Only a moment later, he saw Akiri's tail reaching for him. His hand moved without his consent and grabbed onto it like a lifeline, just before he opened his eyes and forcibly buried the warring signals his mind was sending him.

Akiri winced from his fierce grip on his tailbut endured silently while Sly looked over the foreign room. He pulled on the mana that connected him to Akiri and Ikuchi. 'I am... AlRigHt. My mind is a meSsss... give me a MinuTe!'

He spotted a Siren and a Harpy, but both seemed to be arguing with Ikuchi so he marked them in his mind as Xenos and skipped over them to assess the rest of the room. Water puddles were everywhere, magic stones strewn beside a single Minotaur that was slowly bleeding out from a deep slash across its throat.

At last, his overwhelmed mind settled on the additional weight behind him. A fourth tail joined his three; however, all of them glowed teal! 'A fourth! Already? It's too early... and then in teal!?' Using his mana pressure to get a feel for his glowing tails, Sly noticed that the new tail, although solid, was merely a mana construct. 'Eureka! So this is what my primary affinity feels like! So untethered! So free! This is incredible! How is it forming an additional tail,and why is it flowing through all my limbs!? Has someone messed with my magic!? A magic item or a rune?'

With a quick pulse of mana, he retook control of the illusion around him. He left sound as it was; Ikuchi could contact him with telepathy, he had bigger fish to fry. With sight back under his control, he created a perfectly reflecting mirror in front of him. As soon as it formed, his mirror image stared back at him with glowing teal eyes.

'I see no runes on me,and my tailbands are with Akiri. The Archive is in my room together with my occuli, and there seems to be nothing new either. My eyes are glowing as well, a stronger reaction than the last time… I'll need to figure out how I got into this situation, but my mana is still maintaining this effect. I need to use this time to see the limits of this affinity. But first... need to heal my arm.'

Gritting his teeth, Sly used his uninjured left arm to pull his injured one back into alignment. 'No broken bones. However, at least an overstretched arm if not strained. And of course, my shoulder was dislocated.'

A growl escaped him, but he pushed past the pain and drank a potion while distracting himself with his fourth tail. Its position felt... natural. Where he expected uncertainty like with the previous two, his mind just supplied the perfect way to move it to avoid problems. Then there was this sense of weightlessness; a quick run to his naginata proved that theory. His agility was much higher. His mana also felt more whole; his foxfire reacted faster and burned hotter.

However, keeping the spell active grew increasingly difficult. Now that he had grasped some of its effects, his mind caught up to his subconscious, and maintaining such a difficult spell strained his concentration. Making the most of the little time he had left, Sly sat down in the lotus seat and focused completely on his magic pressure. He completely let go of the ache in his right arm to delve into the identity of this mana, focusing entirely on his fourth tail.

The greater his focus grew, the smaller the area he observed. Slowly,at first, he felt for the difference between the teal affinity and the way his mana usually felt. It shared many similarities, but the teal affinity felt new,as if it didn't belong here. 'Could it be from the second layer?'

The teal mana was inconstant flux. His focus broadened a little, and he saw how it drew in dungeon mana,transforming it into moreteal mana. His own mana acted as a catalyst on the outermost layer, starting the transformation of the attracted dungeon mana and isolating the teal mana inside.

Additionally, even on the level of individual mana particles, the teal mana decayed into light-attributed mana. 'Normally my mana is in a constant state of tight control. This affinity, on the other hand, feels new and unstable. Which causes teal light?'

Attempting to glimpse even deeper into the abyss of magic, Sly lost himself in his concentration. Faintly, he felt another presence touch upon his teal mana. His eyes sought out the presence, and piercing into the Second Layer, he saw a strange variation of the same room. There, the blue seer was holding onto his arm, staring into his eyes with determination.

"Why can I see Cassandra, she shouldn't be in the dungeon. Is it this affinity, is there a link between casters with our affinity?" A few moments later, the magic dissipated along with his fourth tail. At the same time, he lost track of the blue-haired girl. Hearing nothing at all, his eyes returned to his companions, who were arguing fiercely.

A few moments earlier - Ikuchi POV

Once Akiri left, Ikuchi gave his all to catch up to Sly. His mana vision had to work overtime to follow the traces of the illusion mana all the way up a cavern and then catch up to Sly.

The chase wound through a few passages and a very awkward tunnel he hadn't seen before, until he finally reached the source of the pink mana waves and found the real illusion before even stepping into the room.

The moment he entered, Ikuchi saw the chaos at a glance. Monsters were everywhere, already swarming towards a highly unstable and likely charmed Sly. Three packs of hellhounds, a minotaur, and more bats than he could count were too many for his frail spirit to handle without him!

Delaying for even a moment would be catastrophic, so Ikuchi pulled upon his water cloak, blasting the entire room with a fierce wave while leaving the area around Sly untouched. At the last moment, he sensed something familiar about the two sirens and adjusted his attack slightly. Then he inhaled deeply, ignoring his burning lungs from the sprint, and breathed lightning. He kept the mana flowing for a dozen seconds, using more than two-thirds of his mana to kill everything but the minotaur. However, paralysed, it was the perfect target for his fury.

'I am the strongest of our group! My scales are the hardest! Then why is it always cautious Sly who gets into these situations?! Falling down multiple floors! Fighting a corrupted spirit on his own! Now he is charmed and vulnerable in front of an overwhelming wave of monsters!'

With a fierce rip, he tore the bull's throat and bounded towards Sly. Akiri had already appeared beside Sly, who was emitting a blinding teal light much brighter than Ikuchi had ever seen. Squinting, he stepped between them and the siren protectively, only pausing to breathe when he entered the illusion domain of his friend. 'Sly's mana feels even more potent; my senses are tingling! I won't let him be charmed again!'

Right then, he heard their telepathy; he had almost forgotten about the contract.

'Shin-chan, are you back to your senses?' Akiri's worried voice resounded, met by a strained reply. 'I am... AlRigHt. My mind is a meSsss... give me a MinuTe!'

Assured that his friend wasn't controlled anymore, Ikuchi focused on the sirens. 'No, not sirens.' They look similar—both resemble adventurers with claws like birds and human-like upper bodies—but one is a harpy. The easiest way to tell was by their colour. Harpies were all a variation of brown or red, but sirens could be almost any colour.

Without his water cloak, he recognized the signs. The siren was bright like the sun, with wings of blue and a feathered crown in place of hair, while the harpy was a fainter red with bright red hair. Both were unusual. Normally, harpies travelled in packs while sirens were solitary hunters by nature. They lived in the Water City, and Ikuchi had had many close calls against flocks of harpies whenever he left the safety of his water.

However, where harpies were strong together, sirens were the real nobles among the flyers of the Water City. Their song was capable of luring and subduing strong monsters, and if they alone weren't enough, they could always take over a flock of harpies and overwhelm their opposition, calmly sitting in the back. A cold shiver travelled down his spine and tails, and his fins stood erect. 'Terrifying! Any siren could have massacred me when I was still a wyrmling in the Water City. Fortunately, sirens only showed interest in the strongest monsters. But I am no longer that weak wyrm. While I can't fly yet, with magic I am stronger than any siren!'

Standing between the pair and Sly, his anger burned passionately, but he kept it in check. These weren't wyverns, and they seemed familiar. The harpy took a step in front of the siren, and Ikuchi tensed. "Ikuchi, I'm so glad you are well. Please return with us; these floors are terrifying!"

Ikuchi's thoughts came to a grating halt. 'Wait, the feathers bright as the sun Sly told him about… and that red tone!' His tongue acted on its own, his voice tinged with anger. "Fear, what are you doing here?!"

Fear took a hasty step back. Ray, on the other hand, frowned at him. "Is that any way to greet your seniors, Ikuchi? Have you already forgotten us for your ambitions? What would Gryuu have to say about this?"

His wrath pulsed, and he clenched his teeth. Faint lightning escaping from his muzzle and dancing over his scales with a sizzling noise. The tingling pain only increased his fury. "You dare bring him up! Gryuu is the reason I left! For an elder dragon to be so spineless is a disgrace! He wouldn't let me hunt, keeping me with him all the time, teaching me only how to speak, what the plants did, and how to sit still!"

His tone turned mocking. "No, Ikuchi, it's dangerous outside! Stay with me, and once you've grown, I'll show you around. It has only been a month! You have seen nothing child; the horrors outside are more frightening than you can imagine!"

Ray frowned at his tone. "… You're not wrong, but Gryuu has his reasons-"

"Reasons!? He couldn't even tell me! He is the oldest! A powerhouse stronger than the rest of you combined, but he never did anything! All he does is sitting on his hoard and growing plants! At least Arles taught me how to survive, but only after I left the nest!" Ikuchi was breathing heavily; this anger had festered for months, and releasing it lifted a heavy weight from his shoulders. Ray kept her expression schooled, while Fear shrank back further. Fear's reaction pained Ikuchi, but it needed to be said.

"So, are you done?" Ray inquired.

Although relieved, his fury still bristled like the lightning on his scales. "No! I haven't even started on you two! Ray, you charmed Sly, and don't think I didn't see you preparing a retreat! If I hadn't come, you'd have endangered my spirit! Have you got even an inkling how dangerous that would have been?!"

Ray, on the other hand, accepted his grievances in silence before smiling. Neither of them noticed the slight quake of the dungeon. "Probably less dangerous than you'd imagine, but unique spirits should be handled with caution. Or have you forgotten about the Warden?"

Ikuchi scoffed, but the lightning calmed and sifted into his scales, leaving behind a golden hue on his muzzle. "What about that ancient spirit? It's nothing more than a legend. To think you believe in such superstition. Sly is a real spirit, and unlike the Warden, he's actually here. I, for one, won't be stopped from reaching the surface by anything—spirit or not!"

Ray was chuckling now, but her posture relaxed. "Well, who'd have thought? You've certainly grown a little, Ikuchi, and not only in size. You've toughened up on your own. Arles said you needed saving, but from what I see, you've got things handled."

Fear peeked over from behind Ray's wings. "Have you calmed down?" She looked around the room and warned. "The dungeon is shaking…"

"Hmph. You still need to apologise to Sly." Ikuchi replied, but his eyes were actively scanning the room, before settling on the path deeper into the dungeon. Akiri had left them to their argument and defeated all the monsters that survived his previous onslaught.

As the shaking intensified he warned Sly, who was sitting in meditation. 'Sly something big is coming.'

Said spirit had stopped glowing and opened his eyes with joy. The mirrors around him vanished as he turned to them. "Your friends won't try that again, right?"

Ray shifted her eyes to Sly and gave him a faint bow while Fear took many hasty steps back, causing Sly to tilt his head in confusion. "My apologies spirit-san. I didn't plan to catch you with my charm, I was only trying to attract Ikuchi, Arles was worried about him and asked me to look up on him. You may refer to me as Ray and my sister is called Fear."

Back on her feet, she smiled at Ikuchi, with amusement. "The original plan was to bring you back, but as it stands you won't accept that, right?"

"Damn right I won't! But if you're here it means Arles is getting desperate! Great!" Ikuchi cheered. 'Looks' like even Arles couldn't find anything bad against Sly.'

Sly's ears twitch heavily and Ray frowns as well. "Ikuchi, Akiri-san get ready for battle. Ray, Fear if it isn't too much to ask, please help out. The dungeon isn't happy about the commotion we caused!"

Ray silently agrees to his words. "Not just any commotion… That sounds as if something was punching its way through the dungeon. I shouldn't have used my song to catch the mage…"

Sly's tails swayed in worry, a moment later even Ikuchi heard the crumbling of walls. Whatever was coming was way too big for the caverns. 'Looks like I'll get a big fight after all! This time I'll take the spotlight!'

Dungeon Floor 17, Large open room - Sleipnir POV

The setting wasn't perfect, but also not the worst. A large room with plenty of space and two additional flyers in his party. But not all was good, as his very fast-swaying tails portrayed. 'My mana levels are almost at rock bottom, my concentration is still in shambles after observing the teal mana, and if it weren't for Akiri controlling my illusion domain, I'm certain it would have collapsed by now. Ikuchi isn't much better from what his mana pressure tells me… Less than a fourth if I'm reading it right, and this Ray also has enough mana to be a mage. Though it feels as though she's used up most of hers as well. And most of us are still injured. Not ideal when fighting something with such heavy steps…'

Uncorking a health potion and taking two mana potions from his reinforced pouch, Sly threw one to Fear, Ray, and gave the last to Ikuchi respectively. "Drink them quick before the monster arrives."

Fear looked at him with wide eyes, but a glare from Ray had her drinking the potion, sighing in relief as her wing healed. Ikuchi, on the other hand, looked at him in annoyance as he fed him the last potion by hand. However, while they made eye contact, he used their telepathy to speak. 'Ikuchi, I can't hide from your eyes. I didn't get time to recover and need to regain my mana. Please take the front. I'll keep an eye on our allies and prepare our strategy.' Ikuchi's eyes hardened after hearing his words. 'You can count on me. I've never lost a fight in the Middle Floors, and I won't let this one be the first!'

The rumbling grew heavier, and the next moment the tunnel leading deeper into the dungeon cracked. Two giant hands, at least as big as Sly, pushed out. They grabbed the tunnel and pulled. The cracked stone shattered, and the arms emerged, followed by a white-haired head and torso.

Sly's eyes immediately widened at the emergence of the monster. 'Oh, what the hell?! The Monster Rex of the Middle Floors?!' A quick glance towards a wagging Ikuchi made his expression go flat. 'Of course he is excited… No chance of an early retreat then.'

Sly wasted no time retreating to the tunnel on the opposite side of the arena as Fear took flight amidst the stalactites. A few moments later, the Goliath pushed itself into the room, leaving behind a trench of shattered stones.

Standing up, the monster rex stood almost 15 meters tall, its fierce red eyes focused on Ray. It released a powerful howl that shook the entire cavern. Sly saw a stone bounce on the cavern floor, and his entire body trembled. Fortunately, his exposed ears only twitched at the vibration. 'Akiri has muted the sound. Thank the spirits!' No sooner had he thought this than Sly closed his helmet and looked at the precariously swaying crystals on the ceiling.

'Time to ask Myles for more mana.' The moment Sly touched his mana, he felt sluggish and somewhat lethargic compared to his usual control. 'Note to self: do not train with multiple times my own mana capacity before going into the dungeon. Well, can't help it now.'

With the Goliath still howling, Sly plunged his mana pressure into his third tail. Since he got it, all his oaths except Akiri's were stored at its tip. It took him only a second to find the contract he'd made with Myles. After all, besides Acatl, Myles was the only person he knew with so many magic affinities. Sensing the correct contract, Sly pulled on it with his mana pressure and waited.

1 AM - Myles Quarters, Red Light District - Myles POV

Laying on a bed in a room he rented for the month, Myles awoke as part of his mana became restless. There was a pull from his torso, where most of his mana circulated.

"Argh, Sly… it's the middle of the night! Why do you need mana now?!"

The pull grew stronger, and Myles's eye twitched at the insistent prodding sensation that itched in his gut. 'In trouble perhaps?' Immediately Myles sat up, closed his eyes, and focused on the contract as his mana pressure loosened its grip on his mana and allowed it to trickle into the contract.

'In the Dungeon? Battle...? He can use several cantrips, but none are of high offensive value… Attractio, Falcem, Aqua, Terrae… Falcem most likely and then his Foxfire. We're gonna have a talk about this contract tomorrow!... Or today I guess, whatever!'

A minute or so had passed since the start of the pulling sensation, and maybe 40 seconds since he loosened his mana pressure. A wry grin formed on Myles's face as he raised both hands. Fire mana focused in one and wind in the other. 'Couldn't have waited for the expedition tomorrow? Now you ask for help in the middle of the night? We're gonna have longer talk about your thirst for using magic! Time for a focused dose of combat ready mana!'

Immediately the two different types of mana he focused into his hands rushed to his gut where the contract guzzled it quickly along with his normal unfiltered mana. 'Fascinating how simple they are but still almost unbreakable. Mixing Statute with the affinity of both participants of the contract, and you get a spell anchored to mana capacity. Novel concept really!'

Dungeon Floor 17, Large open room - Sleipnir POV

A constant flow of mana flooded his system, a fierce burning sensation accompanying it as his body channelled the mana through his tails and into his body and spells. If he had time, he could let it settle and convert the affinities into his own, but time was scarce right now. He'd have to make do with what he got from Myles, even if his control would suffer.

It would take a while for his mana to recover. 'For now, I trust Akiri and Ikuchi can handle it. Let's keep an eye on the fliers.'

The Goliath had long since stopped its roar, shaking a large section of the 17th Floor. Akiri had turned all of them, except for the two Xenos, invisible with his illusio. Sly blinked in surprise. 'I noticed it was still there, but how come the radius is 20 meters? What happened while I was charmed? If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have noticed. How could my magic pressure have missed this?! If my mana wasn't refilling, I might have hit mind zero without realizing it!'

Ray had taken flight as soon as the roar ended, gracefully avoiding every punch the Monster Rex threw at her. But the winds from its punches pulled her off balance, forcing her to correct herself with deft flaps of her wings, only to repeat the process when another devastating punch flew towards her.

Akiri spoke up. 'Ikuchi-chan, I'll distract it with illusions.'

Ikuchi called upon his remaining mana, and a fraction of the water flew towards him, coalescing over his blue scales and reshaping into a cloak barely 5 cm thick. With a frenzied grin, he shifted his weight to pounce.

Ikuchi waited a breath, and just as the Goliath sent out its next punch, he released the tension in his muscles and flew forward like a blue blur. Of course, he was still invisible and only Sly could see him. Or at least, Sly should have been the only one to see him. However, the Goliath stopped its punch midway.

Its mocking red eyes landed on their dragon. Airborne, Ikuchi could do little to change his attack angle as the Goliath lifted one leg and swung it forward incredibly fast.

Ikuchi's eyes widened, bubbles escaping his mouth when the kick buried into his chest. The water cloak compressed inward, and his 2-meter-high lithe dragon form met the foot of the same size. A loud dong akin to stone meeting metal resounded before an even louder crack followed. The next moment, Ikuchi flew back at incredible speed and crashed into the dungeon wall, shaking the entire room.

Sly winced at the sight. However, the Goliath didn't stop there and stomped after Ikuchi, only stopping two steps later when countless red feathers struck its back, causing slight injuries, while two blue feathers sped towards both its eyes.

The Goliath closed its eyes as the feathers struck, protecting its vision, but the feathers penetrated a few centimeters into its grey eyelids. It threw a blind punch towards Ray's previous position, but Fear had already retreated back into the stalactites. When no further attack followed, the Goliath opened its eyes again. As it took another step, the game repeated, though this time the Goliath saw the attack and punched back while closing its eyes.

Ray still dodged, but with far less room to spare, while Fear threw a second volley of feathers at the Goliath's arms. This quickly escalated into a game of cat and mouse, with Ray kiting the Goliath away from both Sly and Ikuchi.

Ikuchi lay buried in the wall, his eyes unfocused. Sly looked deeper and saw that the most durable sky-blue scales had shattered, fragments piercing into his chest. Red blood pooled beneath him; far too much blood in Sly's opinion. A flash of light forced Sly to turn, where the Goliath almost hit Ray if not for Akiri's interference.

Sly stopped his focused mana control and dashed toward Ikuchi, the burning sensation a lesser concern compared to Ikuchi's condition. Quickly, he warned him. 'Ikuchi, I can't just leave your scales as they are. I'll need to remove the fragments before I can heal you! If I don't, they might be ingrown! Please bear with it.' Ikuchi managed a groan, and that was all the invitation Sly needed.

Sly's eyes widened as suddenly the mana he was receiving changed. Unfiltered before, now it contained higher volumes of pure fire mana and some wind mana and Sly could even sense some amusement and annoyance in the mana. 'Hakase…'

With the burn of his mana intensifying, he steeled his nerves for a moment, gripping the broken scale carefully to avoid its sharp edges. He pulled, but it stuck fast. Increasing his effort, he managed only to elicit a hiss from Ikuchi. Gritting his teeth, Sly changed his grip along the edge and redoubled his efforts.

Finally, it budged just a little at first, but then more. The bleeding worsened immediately, pooling even faster into the puddle below. He still took a moment to examine the fragment, it was the first piece of Ikuchi's sky-blue metallic scales he'd ever held. 'Well, at least I didn't cut my hand for nothing.'

Ikuchi's snarling quickly returned Sly's focus. He removed the remaining fragments, ignoring the cuts they caused. Thirty seconds later, all the big pieces were out, and Sly gave Ikuchi a health potion, splashing some onto his hands as well.

The scales didn't mend immediately, but the bleeding stopped, and the remaining smaller shards were pushed out from the wounds. 'Good. I've also regained enough mana to start my plan.'

With Ikuchi already getting back to fighting condition, Sly turned back to the Goliath. Ray had outdone herself while he was occupied. Countless blue feathers were lodged in the monster's head, while its arms and back were riddled with hundreds of red ones.

Both Ray and Fear had taken to hiding among the stalactites between attacks, giving them enough time to disappear before the Goliath could catch up. Meanwhile, Akiri had used his agility to damage the monster's legs, if the roars were any indication.

Throwing a few kunai of his own, Sly moved closer to the battle. His new attack drew the Goliath's attention to him, but that moment of distraction almost cost the monster its eye. Ray expertly used the opportunity, but the Goliath had had enough of these games.

As more of Sly's kunai fell onto its legs, the Goliath attempted another roar, but the sound was still muted, adding to its frustration. It crouched down and dug its palms into the dungeon stone.

With a bad premonition, Sly opened another pocket and jumped toward Ray, who flew about five meters above him.

True to his concerns, the Goliath ripped chunks of dungeon stone free and crushed them with its fists, then unleashed them like a wave of shrapnel at both of them.

Once again in between an attack and a flyer, Sly pulled out one of his paper talismans, chanting quickly. 'Condense the air and rebuff the invaders! Wind!' - "Ventus Falcem!"

Overcharging the cantrip and filling it with refined wind mana, he pushed back against the projectiles, reducing the number they had to bear. However, countless rocks still punched through his wind barrier; a level 4 monster rex can't be stopped so easily.

The slowed rocks struck him all over, and without leverage, he was catapulted backward, colliding with Ray, who pulled in her wings around them to endure the remaining impact.

A moment later, they crashed at the edge of the room. Ray released him, and both of them got back up, bruised all over. "Thank you for the help. Didn't expect that," Ray said.

Sly checked his pouches, glad his potions had survived the collision. "Glad I made it in time, Ray-san. Before you go at it again, buy me a bit more time. I've got enough mana, and if I have a minute to prepare, I'll end this with a big spell. Take these talismans. They contain the spell I just used to protect us. They'll drain a lot of mana, so use them sparingly. You heard the chant, right?"

He threw one of his pouches at her, which she opened clumsily with her wings, finding four more talismans inscribed with universal ink. "I did. What about its attention? Won't it focus on you if you use that much mana?"

Sly retreated a few steps. "You'll have to cover me…" A roar sounded behind them, and Sly saw Ikuchi darting around the Goliath. "I'll prepare a plan B. Meanwhile, also take my daggers, they might come in handy. Go, you'll feel the signal."

From another pouch, a quill, paper, and an enchanted bottle of universal ink fell into his hands. As he wrote fervently, finishing a rune quickly, he called out, "Fear-san, come here. I need your help!" He waited a few seconds, but when he looked over, she was still hiding in the stalactites, her fearful gaze alternating between him and the Goliath. 'Really? And this is a Xenos. Caution is a good trait, but it needs to be tempered with experience! How can she possibly be so timid?'

"Fear-san, I won't harm you. Please come over." The harpy's eyes were now solely focused on him, full of suspicion. 'What tales do the Xenos have about spirits?! She's more terrified of me than the Monster Rex! Damn, I'll have to rely on this again.'

"Fine. I swear that unless you betray me, I won't harm you!"

His last line worked like a charm. Fear maintained a healthy distance but at least landed five steps away. She spoke softly, hesitating clearly. "What do you need… Sly-san?"

He gestured at her to wait another moment, with a tail, while finishing the cantrip. 'Impose a will upon the land that birthed us! – Earth.'

"You have magic, right?" His eyes locked onto hers, straining for a moment before glancing a little lower, noticing the distinct lack of armor. 'Why does every culture but the Far East detest clothes? Even Xenos take inspiration from Amazons… such an asinine armor choice!'

Fear went rigid at his words. "What? No…! I mean, how could I, a mere harpy, wield magic, Spirit-sama?"

It took him a second to understand what she meant. "Skip the formality. Call me Sly, and I guess few Xenos know?"

Her next words were almost too quiet to hear amidst the battle. "Arles forbade it…"

Sly frowned, postponing his questions. "Short-sighted of her. If you want to learn, I'll help. Magic must be utilized. Without practice, there can be no control." 'Even more so without chants to guide spells. A good challenge for later.' "Fear-san, use this talisman. It doesn't matter what your magic is just activate it at the right time. All you have to do is call out Forma Terrae!" He whispered a quick foxfire to dry the ink and handed the talisman to Fear, explaining his plan. She looked at him with wide eyes. "This paper can do that?!"

A bit of pride rose in Sly at her reaction. "Yes, and much more. Take these as well, with them, hurting the Goliath should be easier, and it will spare you some feathers." He handed her a kunai pouch from his leg, noticing the absence of a good third of her feathers. "Now go!"

Sly sat himself in the lotus position again. 'Akiri-san, I'll stop my illusio.' This spell would take his full focus and some preparation. His grip tightened on the hellhound leather around Kogitsune-Maru as he focused on the fire mana and his own mana in his system.

Dungeon Floor 17, Large open room - Ikuchi POV

Ikuchi charged with a snarl on his face. 'You dare challenge us to a duel, inform the entire floor to stay out, and mock me! How dare you humiliate me!'

Careful planning and blocking clearly hadn't worked against this monster; such actions would only shatter like his supposedly unbreakable scales. Being healed twice! This humiliation was too much. 'If it hits that hard, then don't get hit at all. So, it's my speed and aggression against its strength!'

"Show me if you can do that again, pincushion! You're a fool to challenge harpies in an open area."

The Goliath kept its attacks focused on Ray, undeterred by his challenge. Good, Ikuchi would make it pay. Ignoring most of his water, he only used as little as his control allowed, pulling it toward his claws before sprinting. He was slower than Sly but almost as fast as the ligerfangs without his cloak. Still, nowhere near fast enough to outspeed the titan, but he didn't need to be. He just had to build enough momentum.

As soon as he got within five meters of the Goliath, a foot came rocketing toward him. But Ikuchi kept his pace under strict control, digging his claws into the stone and shifting his momentum just in time to sail right past its leg. Delivering two fierce slashes, he left five deep lines of cuts on the back of its leg. He kept going, barely maintaining contact with the ground, and struck again. An even fiercer blow to the tendon, leaving five ten-centimeter-deep cuts before dashing out of range.

Turning around and keeping his momentum, Ikuchi noticed one of the Goliath's eyes landing on him, just as a feather struck dead center, causing it to recoil. 'Another opportunity, good!' Without pause, he struck again, deepening the cut on the fragile tendon to almost fifteen centimeters.

Now it would get harder. Another one or two such attacks, and the leg would be useless. Unfortunately, the Goliath realized this too. It took one hand to block Ray's line of fire and dug its other hand into the ground.

Having seen that before, Ikuchi knew he couldn't dodge this time. So instead, he continued his dash, calling the water close to him. His cloak formed again, draining almost all his remaining water, and by the time he'd made a half-circle away from where Sly stood, his cloak was back to three centimeters thick.

The Goliath attacked, overextending its hand behind its head, launching the stones at Ikuchi like a catapult. The rocks were far more numerous compared to what it had done before, but Ikuchi was prepared. With one last leap, he crouched on the dungeon floor and held firm, pumping all but a tenth of his mana into his cloak.

The cone of shrapnel pelted his cloak. Smaller rocks stopped in their tracks, but the heavier ones crashed against his head, arms, wings, and the devastated scales on his stomach. Many cuts and dents formed, and his scales shattered in greater numbers than ever, but he endured.

The next moment, it ended. After blinking away the stars covering his vision, Ikuchi saw the Goliath was no longer focused on him but instead stumbling. Ray had snuck up on its injured leg while it was focused on him and struck again. 'Wait, why does she have those daggers?!'

That wasn't all. The mana behind the Goliath had taken on a slight red tinge. Stumbling back to his feet, Ikuchi collected his water cloak into a sphere and rushed back into the fray. Ray was much quicker than him and had deepened the cut, but she had paid for it by desperately weaving between punches and kicks. One wing was bent at an awkward angle from a missed dodge.

Fear threw kunai between the largest stalactites right above the Goliath's head, and Ikuchi saw Akiri's iconic black mana hidden behind a piece of rubble with the potion pouch.

Ikuchi approached quickly but circled close to the injured leg. Just a bit more, and the tendon would snap! Patiently waiting for the next kick, he commanded his red water to wrap around the earthbound leg, gladly pushing the last tenth of his mana into it.

The injured leg was surrounded quickly, but that wouldn't hold. No, he pulled down. His water split into two tree-trunk-thick tendrils, pulling the foot down, giving Ray a chance to retreat and him the chance to finish this.

Digging his claws into the earth with all his strength, he sprinted at the rooted leg, full throttle, slashing at the tendon with one paw. Timing his strike with the water tendril, he enhanced his blow with the bloodied water. The tendon was stiff as stone, but rooted to the floor without any way to relieve the pressure from his strike, the result was already determined.

A snap rang out as the tendon tore apart beneath his claw. The reaction was even better than he'd hoped. Moments later, the Goliath lost its balance and stumbled forward. Its knee on the injured side crashed against the floor, while its other foot landed at an awkward angle, severely restricting its movement.

Ikuchi didn't wait and got his revenge. The moment it fell, he jumped high onto its injured leg, clawing his way up its leather-like skin. Once still, the Goliath tried to strike at him, but he had already climbed onto its back, biting at its neck and digging his claws into its stiff hide. Each swat from its fists shook him like a direct hit from a minotaur! By no means weak, but at least ten times better than the Goliath's earlier blows. All thanks to the perfect position he chose for his attack, if he were a little smaller it might have even been a true blind spot.

His satisfaction grew as he maintained his position even after twenty seconds, redoubling his efforts to bite through the thick hide, inching closer to the magic stone.

Amidst the Stalactites - Fear POV

Fear breathed a sigh of relief when Ikuchi took down the leg. Ray finally managed to retreat and ran towards Akiri. She had almost used up all the kunai Sly had given her to buy her sister time. However, now her eyes were glued to the impossible.

Ikuchi had somehow gotten onto the Goliath's back, and its head dangled right beneath her. 'How could he have predicted this?' On second thought, she felt the presence of his mana when Ray charmed him—this wasn't too surprising. From their legends, spirits could oversee domains. Before Fear could lose herself in thought, she felt the heat increase by several notches. 'Oh no, he's almost done, and I haven't done my part.' She looked at the finely drawn paper in her hands and stopped delaying. 'I know we don't have the best track record with magic, but please, work this one time!'

She whispered the chant, doing her utmost to pronounce every single syllable. "Forma Terrae!" Pushing her mana into it was a little harder as countless feathers regrew on her wings, but after placing both wings on the talisman and hugging the stalactite for good measure, enough mana entered the talisman.

Under the cantrip's effect, she imagined the rock of the stalactite shifting downward into the shape of a raindrop. It was slow, but after a good ten seconds, the tip connecting her rock raindrop to the ceiling thinned to less than 30 cm.

Another glance down at the bright red light coming from Sly, and Ikuchi was still digging into the Goliath. She knew now was her time. Letting go of the stalactite, she caught herself on the slight updraft before accelerating and tackling the teardrop-shaped rock.

A sharp crack marked the descent. Gravity took hold, and the teardrop accelerated, its course set directly toward the Goliath's head. A second crash signified the direct hit.

"It worked… It worked!" Fear looked down at the crumbled pieces of paper still in her wing, a smile spreading across her face.

The teardrop cracked against the floor, revealing the blankly staring Goliath, its skull a mess of cracked bone, leather, and blood, with Ikuchi clinging fervently to its back, shaken but unmoved. Ray and Akiri watched from a safe distance as the heat increased another notch.

Fear's hackles rose, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the source. The magic pressure was even higher than before! The spirit, no, Sly stood with his staff in hand, gripping it tightly, red lines glowing throughout the staff as the gem at its tip sparkled ominously. Behind him, all his tails were pointed at a growing fireball. The red glow came from the sphere of flames, expanding and compressing repeatedly, growing with each cycle into a 1-meter-wide sphere of pure white fire.

Her heart lurched. The lunacy! That fireball had more mana in it than her entire being! 'How can I feel its heat from all the way over here?!' Fear's eyes remained fixed on Sly's movements as she flew away instinctively. She shouldn't have looked back, but the image burned itself into her mind with vengeance.

The almost-blackened spirit, against the backdrop of the red light, gripped his staff with one hand. His black ears, resembling the horns of a goat demon, stood out against the growing red glow as he swung his staff. The fireball accelerated explosively with a deafening bang. Her horror mounted as it approached. If the Goliath dodged, she'd be right in the line of fire!

But before she could react, the fireball crashed into the Goliath's chest, burning through its dense leather in seconds and revealing the massive magic stone beneath. The resulting shockwave swept through the room, sending Fear tumbling as she folded her wings close to avoid further damage, crashing into the opposite wall.

When she looked back, Ikuchi had jumped onto the Goliath again. The scales all over his body were cracked as he bit into the exposed magic stone, finally ending the battle. Behind him and the Goliath, Sly held onto his staff for dear life, his pale face growing even paler, burns marring his arms and his clothes black from soot. Fear barely heard his whispered words. "I overdid it…" Then, his legs gave out, and he collapsed.

Later - Akiri POV

Once the battle ended, Akiri treated Sly before taking charge. Having him recover would need to be postponed, as he explained to Ikuchi. 'He's suffering from severe foreign mana overdose. Curses, I shouldn't have let him play around with foreign mana.' Akiri shook his head to focus; now wasn't the time to let the remaining corruption manipulate his thoughts. 'With his actions, it was bound to happen. I was curious to see if he could endure taking mana from Myles a third time, but I should have expected this. Normal spirits wouldn't get past two, so it's already impressive for him to have taken so much.

Adventurers can't normally suffer from mana overdose; however, spirits are fundamentally different. Their bodies in the Second Layer are pure manifestations of mana, and to appear on the First Layer, they need enough mana to condense a physical form, which leads to the crux of the matter.

My kit is a half-spirit... a physical being partially formed by his own mana. He took too much from Myles with too little time to convert it back into his own mana. Now his tails are barely holding themselves together, and his mana generation is in shambles with all of it spent repairing his body. No wonder he collapsed!'

Ikuchi gently lifted Sly with his tail, covering him with the nearly meter-wide strip of Goliath leather he had cut previously and placing the 30 cm-high magic stone from the Monster Rex right next to him. If he drooled, no one commented. Then he asked, "How can we heal Sly?"

Akiri shook his head as they began to move, the howls of countless monsters resounding from the dungeon; the Goliath had attracted a lot of attention on this floor. 'We can't. Not like this. The tailbands I reattached to him will purify mana and make it easier for his body to use but giving him any foreign mana will only amplify this condition. His body is healthy, so healing potions are also out of the question. Only time will heal mana overdose.'

They quickly retreated. A giant pack of twenty hellhounds and a fervent wyvern had already entered the arena, and the longer they waited, the bigger the monster party would grow as they came to investigate the commotion caused by the fireball.

A few passages later, Akiri, acting as the vanguard, heard cracking sounds. His ears twitched noticeably as he tripped a ligerfang with his tails, before feathers and a careful slash from Ikuchi finished it off.

A glance toward the closest wall revealed a black hellhound clawing its way out. 'Enhanced monsters... strange how they always appear at the worst times.'

His attention shifted to his party. Ikuchi was severely injured, his defence in shambles, and he was acting more as support as he carried the unconscious Shin. Akiri himself with his partially corrupted mana rendering him unable to cast his spells, while Ray and Fear needed his constant supervision. 'Of course, these two are the healthiest, despite being the cause of Shin's injuries. If I didn't need them to get Shin and Ikuchi to safety, I would have retreated with Shin long ago!'

Noticing his emotions growing more intense and angrier without the tailbands, Akiri breathed deeply and charged ahead, calling out with his telepathy for everyone to hear. 'Ikuchi-chan, climb to one of your lairs, I'll catch up!'

Leaving the three Xenos and his student behind, Akiri slunk into the next room as his tails sway gentle belying his intent. His agility allowed him to slide past the enhanced black monsters with ease. Two minotaurs, another ligerfang, and far too many hellhounds. They would be perfect for him to release the anxiousness that had built up today; no longer being the support offered the opportunity!

Claws, tails, and muzzle sank into flesh as he passed, leaving before any monster managed to react. His tails pulled and pushed as his magic pressure felt everything around him like a second sense of direction. The monsters' middle level 2 senses were far too dull to keep up with him. They were limited to their normal senses, while he had the benefit of 360-degree mana pressure with nothing his perception couldn't detect.

His rampage continued for an unrecorded period until his physical form couldn't keep up anymore. Breathing heavily, he looked around the room. The minotaurs had killed more monsters than his claws, their tough hides made them perfect for causing friendly fire. Black hellhounds whined with broken legs and cut all over, and the one ligerfang foolish enough to attack him lay pierced through the chest. 'Now to find Ikuchi-chan... I can't leave Shin with the sirens for too long.'

Seconds later, his form disappeared from the First Layer. Entering the Second Layer with a faint ripple, when the mana of the Layer pushed against his. The sensation spread over him like a boiling bucket of acid, corroding his almost full mana in moments.

The unprecedented suppression caused him to panic, his danger senses screaming in agony. Instantly he summoned his mana around him to resist, however, the surrounding mana was more necrotic than anything he'd ever felt before. In desperation, he jumped back to the First Layer. More than half his mana capacity burned for what had been less than 5 seconds.

On the Second Layer a second after his figure disappeared the space he arrived at shattered, cracks spreading for a dozen meters in every direction. Tearing the floor, air and even mana apart in its wake.

Dungeon Archive

Journal 2, Entry 4

Monsters:

Goliath: The first Monster Rex. The guardian of the first Safe Floor, stationed at the Wall of Grief. It is a grey-skinned humanoid giant with a height of around 15 meters. Its physical strength and endurance are far above anything encountered on the Middle Floors. Its roar a statement, a challenge. Once it resounds no other monster will interfere in the battle, however, the challengers must come prepared, or they might fall prey to the harsh soundwaves before the battle even begins.

Weak points: The eyes are the only weak spot. Come prepared for this monster's weakest stat is still at mid-level 3. And it has the stamina to fight against entire expeditions without a strategy at hand to take it down.

Drop Items: Goliath leather

Value: 5'000'000 Valis

Author's Note

A little update for everyone. I have returned to studying, which is the primary reason I switched to releasing 1 chapter per month. My time is far more constrained this year, compared to the last.