A small smile appeared on Sophie's face underneath the veil when she saw how swiftly Gabriel had dealt with the four skeleton warriors.
"..." Cassie was speechless. If it weren't for her high level, she was certain she wouldn't have caught Gabriel's movement just now. That speed was clearly something a level 14 shouldn't be capable of.
"Hmph, he just got lucky," she muttered, clicking her tongue and looking away. "Besides, skeletons are known for being very weak and slow."
"Y-You..." Sophie sighed in defeat. "Never mind, let's continue."
Just then, another group of skeletons appeared. Without pause, the two girls charged in, engaging the new enemies head-on.
While they fought, Gabriel's eyes stayed glued to the flickering system screen.
---
[Ding! You've defeated Level 12 Skeleton Soldier x4]
[Ding! You've received experience points]
[Ding! You've received +20 EP]
[Ding! You've leveled up!]
[You have received +5 free stats]
---
From the four skeletons, he spent 20 EP and acquired +5 Strength, +2 Agility, a bone dagger, and a skill scroll.
---
[Bone Dagger (Bronze)]
[Durability: 100/100]
Description: A weapon crafted from the bones of a skeleton. Grants +20 Strength when facing skeleton-type creatures.
---
[Necrotic Slash Lv.1]
[Rarity: Rare]
Description: Unleash a death-charged slash that deals 120% bonus physical damage and has a 20% chance to reduce enemy defense by 10% for 5 seconds. Consumes 25 MP per slash.
---
"A skill compatible with the Necromancer class." Gabriel's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "This will fetch a lot."
He wanted to keep the skill for himself but ultimately decided to sell it—it would go for a good price. The Necromancer class was one of the rarest job professions in the realm of Ascendency, and their skills were just as rare.
Gabriel stored the bone dagger and skill scroll just in time as the girls finished off the remaining skeletons.
'I need to start stacking EP instead of using it impulsively,' he thought as he advanced deeper into the dungeon with the others.
Since the dungeon was relatively new and no other party had explored it yet, it didn't take long before they encountered another group of monsters.
Cassie wasn't a frontline combatant, so she chose to stay back. The fighting was left to Gabriel and Sophie. The two of them swiftly dealt with the group—Gabriel wielding the Voidsting blade, while Sophie fought barehanded.
She danced gracefully through the monsters, effortlessly breaking their brittle bones with precise palm strikes and fists.
With the sheer power of a level 43 Superhuman, Sophie's attacks shattered the skeletons like fragile glass.
Oddly, she didn't use any of her class skills, which made Gabriel wonder why she chose to fight up close. From her class title, he knew she was a mage-type adventurer.
"Here, you can have all the cores. I don't really need them," she said once the fight ended.
"You don't want them?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected such generosity, especially since the plan was for each person to take the loot from the enemies they defeated.
"Yes. They won't fetch much—and from the look of things, you need them more than I do."
He hesitated. Gabriel wasn't the type to accept handouts or feel indebted. Although the monster cores would be valuable to him right now, he politely declined.
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this," he said, proceeding to collect only the cores from the enemies he had personally defeated, leaving Cassie stunned.
"Huh?" Sophie blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Cassie clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Tch. Typical."
She hated weak men who feigned independence and acted overly proud.
Meanwhile, Sophie was still in shock. This was the first time in her life that someone had rejected her generosity.
"Hmph. I told you," Cassie snorted. "He's just a cocky, overconfident prick who thinks too highly of himself."
"I like that," Sophie murmured under her breath, her gaze lingering on Gabriel's back with a faint sparkle in her eyes.
"What did you say?" Cassie asked, raising a brow.
They didn't dwell on it as the trio continued deeper into the dungeon.
"Sheesh!" Sophie suddenly raised a hand, signaling the others to stop.
Gabriel, a few steps behind, cautiously moved forward and followed her gaze.
Roughly thirty meters ahead, about twenty skeletal soldiers marched in formation. Leading them was a single cloaked skeleton, wielding a long staff embedded with red glowing crystals.
[Skeleton Mage, Lv. 39]
"A Skeleton Mage," Sophie whispered. "They're very troublesome to deal with. We need a plan."
Gabriel and Cassie nodded, their expressions turning serious as Sophie outlined her strategy.
"Cassie will buff us first. Then I'll sow chaos in their ranks. After that, Gabriel and I will launch an all-out assault."
Cassie nodded. "Got it."
"But…" Gabriel narrowed his eyes, still observing the mage from afar. "That thing's too well-guarded. Even with chaos, someone has to keep that Shaman occupied."
Sophie's brows furrowed. "Do you have a plan?"
He nodded once. "Yeah. I've got someone in mind."
He extended his hand. A crimson pulse of mana flickered from his palm, consuming 150 MP.
"Come forth—Grizzlenaught!"
BOOM!
A moment later, a hunched, spectral beast emerged from the ground. Red fur and black shadows rippled across its muscular body. Its deadly, glowing blue eyes scanned the battlefield before settling on the group.
Cassie instinctively stepped back. "W-What the hell is that?"
"A friend," Gabriel replied casually. "He's more than enough to keep the mage distracted."
"What… what type of creature is this?" Sophie's emerald eyes shimmered as she studied Grizzlenaught, captivated by the eerie resemblance to Gabriel himself.
'I'm certain no one from the Summoner Association has summoned a companion like this before,' she thought. A subtle smile tugged at her lips beneath the veil. 'You continue to surprise me, Gabriel. Just who are you, really?'
Grizzlenaught turned to Gabriel and gave a low, bestial grunt—like a soldier awaiting orders.
"Distract the Shaman. Don't let it chant."
Grunttt.
Without another word, the summon vanished into the shadows, moving quickly to flank the enemy.
At the same time, Sophie exchanged glances with Cassie and Gabriel.
"Empower, First Activation!" Cassie chanted, triggering her buff skill.
FWIISH!
A soft green glow enveloped Gabriel and Sophie, temporarily enhancing their strength and agility. Gabriel felt his body surge with newfound power and glanced at his system screen.
[Strength: 47 +(10)+30(87)]
[Agility: 45 +30(75)]
Sensing the rising mana, the skeleton soldiers turned, their hollow eyes fixing on the group's location.
"Attack!" the Skeleton Mage roared, pointing its staff at them as a booming command echoed through the undead ranks.
* * *
PS: What do you guys think about the writing style. I await your response in the comment section