Dark clouds shrouded the sky, followed by the darkness and chaos that descended upon the earth. The spiral stone stairwell, bloody corpses, armories, weapons — everything was so chaotic and bleak, carrying the scent of death and danger.
Prince Theodosius took a deep breath, but he wasn't able to taste the cold and bloody air. After all, he was sent by the king, his father to this expedition. He shook his head and turned to look at his comrades who were sitting on the ground not far from him. Right now, they were resting quietly, restoring their mana and repairing their weapons. On the surface, it was no different from the usual day, but the crown prince knew that this fight was not as easy as before.
Out of all the people that he's been with, he is the youngest swordmaster and he is also leading it.
"How many survived?" He asked in a low voice.
Hearing this question, his comrades looked at each other. Then a thin mage stood up.
"Reporting to his highness the crown prince! There are ninety-six people left. The Void Dungeon is even more dangerous than we imagined. A lot of our brothers are still left behind in the previous trap. Luckily we still have a diverse number of classes left."
Even though this is part of the expedition in the academy, his status is still considered. They can't just call him just by his name.
"That's good." Theodosius nodded. He did not say anything else, so the others also went silent. He is mature for his age.
If it were ordinary members, they would have lost their courage long ago and would have fallen into disorder. After all, what they were about to face was the most powerful, most terrible, and one of the strongest spirits to acquire, the unconquered Salamander. At the moment, it was known as the most terrible existence. Facing such a fight, ordinary academy students needed to organize at least ten parties to challenge it. But now, Theodosius members were only left with ninety-six people, which was not enough. Still, there was not even the slightest panic in their eyes, only calmness, confidence, and trust.
Only mage summoners and spirit swordsman can tame spirits. But this is an expedition, the prince needs to get the salamander at all costs. There will be a war soon, the salamander is the main key to their victory.
There are only a few people who can be a spirit summoner, it is the hardest class that you can gain. Training to become a summoner takes years. If you can't master it, you will die. Especially the mere fact that it can drain a person's sphere of life.
The other kingdom, which has the water spirit, will be participating in the war. As of the moment, their kingdom doesn't have the strength to fight. But they have Reece the spy told them that the other kingdom is preparing for war.
The person that they trusted with their lives was currently standing not far from the stairwell in front of them. He looked up to the sky with a face full of fortitude. A shining magical armor covered his mighty body as if it was a mighty bulwark that would never fall.
Of course, it was not because of his dignified outward appearance that had made others trust the man in front of them. Who could not trust him? He already made a lot of achievements in just two years from joining the academy. All people in the kingdom have high expectations from the crown prince. The real factors were the countless achievements and prestigious titles behind him.
In becoming a swordmaster, there are a lot of classes. The prince wants to become a spirit swordsman but it's impossible. There has been no one in this era who has become one. The last record of someone having a spirit swordman was 200 years ago.
But the Salamander is one of the strongest spirits that has never been with a contractor before. It will be hard to tame.
He remembered how Anastasia nagged him every time she went to the palace. She is the only person that is fond of healing magic. For him, healing magic is useless.
"Pri-Prince Theo..?"
A timid voice sounded, interrupting his flashback. He looked up and saw that there was a timid female mage that had raised her hand from the crowd, her eyes were shining towards him.
"Are…are you going to tame the salamander alone?"
"Yes." Theodosius nodded. Then he began to control his own complicated emotions. He shook his head and looked at his companions; they were comrades that had been fighting with him for the past two years. However, soon, he would eventually leave them. Although it was only at the academy, even with a small hand gesture, he could feel what others wanted to do to some extent. He doesn't want somebody to die.
'Wow, I guess I changed a lot, huh? I feel alive at the battlefield, but what's with this feeling?'
Theodosius ordered everyone to assist him at the dungeon but fighting the salamander, he will do it alone as he doesn't want to have more casualties.
"I shall do what you asked, Prince Theodosius." The mage nodded, but soon, he spoke again.
"Well, you are the senior of the mages and since I'm in command, I order you to lead everyone today." Hearing this answer, the thin mage only smiled and patted Theodosius' shoulder.
Theodosius went silent; he looked towards his companions who were not far away. At that moment, they were ready and were waiting for his orders as usual.
Then Theodosius raised his sword, pointing it to the front.
"Get ready!!"
'As expected, the salamander is extremely strong.'
Theodosius had fought against almost all the monsters and some of the well-known swordmasters at the kingdom, but none of them was as troublesome as the Salamander in front of him. Its attack pattern was more complex, almost random. Its damage was several times higher. Needless to say that its speed, response, and even defense were all S-class level.
'What a difficult opponent to conquer…'
Theodosius held his sword and clenched his teeth, watching the monster in front of him. The fight had reached its peak, and he was the only survivor. But even so, his mana was almost empty; the flashing red alert on his retinas continuously reminded him that his vitality had reached the limit.
He can't even heal himself. that's why he thought his magic was useless, he doesn't want to be a healer. If he wants to, he can focus on becoming a healer. That power will surely benefit him in wars but the prince likes being on the front lines.
'I need to conquer the salamander at all costs! I cannot let my kingdom fall to ruins.'
It can be seen that the dragon's eyes were filled with hatred. Suddenly, Rhode had a very strange feeling; he seemed to be able to feel the salamander's emotions.
'Please. I need you, salamander. Please save my country.'
Accompanied by the magician who controls fire, Theodosius' sword suddenly burst out a blazing flame. It morphed into a soaring Fire Bird, with its head overturned, it rushed towards the salamander. Facing a head-on attack from Rhode, the salamander roared menacingly. It raised its forepaws high and smashed forward.
"!!!"
Suddenly, the prince felt his body shake violently. A strong power was building up as the Fire Bird cried out in sorrow and vanished immediately. But before it disappeared, it created a strong explosion that connected with the Salamander. The salamander that was originally waving its claw failed because of the explosion and its claw was abruptly torn apart.
After a while, an empty door opened. It was the spatial mage professor who accompanied the crown prince, Hayden.
"Thunderbolt, activate!" One of the wizards who is associated with lightning gave his remaining mana to the prince.
Besides his healing powers, the prince owns the danizoma magic, a magic attribute that allows the user to borrow and use the magic of others.
The sword turned into a bright light, piercing the dragon's chest. Theodosius was completely focused looking at it— looking at the light that pierced through the Salamander's claw which tore through the dragon's body scales easily.
The salamander roared in agony; after that, a huge dragon claw smashed into Theodosius' body.
The red in front of him had warped his entire field of vision, Theodosius could no longer see anything in front of him.
The crown prince fell and mages that can perform barrier protection protected him. Some of them panicked because the only light of hope that they've been counting on failed to tame the salamander.
'I will never be your master, human.' The salamander said through Theodosius.
"Quickly, open the gates!" Professor Hayden ordered the other spatial mages that are with them. They have to retreat at all costs. The crown prince is the only heir to the throne.
If he dies, there will be no other choice but to pass the throne to Anastasius, the eldest son of Viscount Owen. And the youngest son, Athanasius, will be the one to lead the Viscounty.
'But the daughter of their family is known to be young a genius. What if she could be a summoner? It would be great if she can tame the salamander since it is a spirit that no one has tamed before.' professor Hayden thought to himself.
It is settled, he will come to Anastasia and will check on her if she can become a summoner.