At this point, the wolf king proved to be quite useful.
With its body over three meters long, it could easily carry two little girls and the not-so-heavy Zenith on its back without breaking a sweat.
Compared to frail human children and magic users, magical beasts had far greater endurance and physical strength.
Thanks to the wolf king and its remaining subordinates, Wood and his party saw a significant boost in their fighting power.
Armed with information about the moving dungeon's guardian, Wood continued to sweep through the various monsters they encountered, all the while upgrading their equipment to increase their chances of survival.
Even Norn and Aisha, who had been pampered at home, were learning quickly. When they encountered weaker monsters, Wood personally guided them, helping them pick up valuable skills.
Aisha, due to the twisted training she had received early on from Lilia, already had some physical ability and a basic grasp of swordsmanship.
Under Wood's tutelage, her growth was remarkable. In just half a month, she had become brave enough to charge at magical beasts with her wolf-fang dagger.
Norn, on the other hand, gave Wood a headache.
Despite being his blood-related sister, with a father who was an advanced swordsman and a mother who was an advanced mage, Norn had inherited none of the family's talents for magic or swordsmanship.
Of course, in terms of looks, Norn was the prettiest in the family, with her doll-like face. She was also quite smart and, like Wood, loved reading. But when it came to physical abilities, well, it was better left unsaid.
If Aisha was a swordsmanship prodigy, Norn was the complete opposite, lacking even basic talent.
Thankfully, though, her intelligence allowed her to grasp a few basic spells, even if her magical energy was limited.
When it came time to face the dungeon's nine-headed dragon guardian, Wood wasn't expecting Norn or Aisha to help. All he hoped for was that they would have enough ability to defend themselves.
While Wood's party grew stronger and advanced toward the guardian, the other members of the Greyrat family had also been scattered across the world due to the teleportation incident.
Paul and Lilia were relatively lucky. Paul had been transported to the southern region of the Asura Kingdom, while Lilia ended up in the Shirone Kingdom.
Since Paul was still in the Asura Kingdom, he believed his family was also within the kingdom's borders. With the help of some friends, he formed the Fittoa Territory Search Party to search for displaced refugees and his loved ones.
As for Lilia, though she had been teleported into the Shirone Palace and arrested as a suspected spy, her life wasn't in immediate danger, and she was merely kept under house arrest.
Rudeus, however, wasn't so fortunate. While training with Eris, they were both caught up in the teleportation incident. Despite Ghislaine managing to push them aside, they still ended up transported to the Demon Continent.
Rudeus and Eris didn't get along very well at first, especially since Eris was more fond of Wood. When they first arrived on the Demon Continent, their arguments were frequent.
It wasn't until Rudeus mentioned Wood's name and promised to help set her up with him that Eris finally calmed down and agreed to follow his lead.
They were rescued by Ruijerd of the Supard race, who became their ally.
The journey back to the Central Continent from the Demon Continent was long, with many ocean crossings. Tickets were expensive, so the trio formed an adventuring party called Dead End to earn money for their journey while working to clear Ruijerd's name.
Rudeus, a Water King-level mage, along with Eris, an advanced swordswoman, and the even stronger Ruijerd, quickly made a name for themselves on the Demon Continent.
Eris had always been talented, but she lacked real combat experience. Her training had mostly been with Ghislaine and Wood, so while she knew a lot of sword techniques, she had little actual fighting experience.
However, the harsh environment of the Demon Continent and the dangerous monsters they faced forced her to grow.
After facing real battles and the threat of death, Eris transformed.
Though she was still technically an advanced swordswoman, her fighting style had become much more aggressive and decisive.
That night, after dinner, Eris, as usual, trained with Ruijerd.
With twin swords in hand, Eris moved fluidly, her attacks so swift and graceful it looked more like she was performing a waltz under the moonlight rather than fighting.
Ruijerd, wielding his spear, calmly blocked all of Eris's fierce strikes.
In terms of strength, Ruijerd was on par with Ghislaine, a Sword King. Though their abilities varied due to their different races, they were equally powerful.
One thing was clear—Eris stood no chance of winning against him at her current level.
With measured movements, Ruijerd parried her attacks, and after waiting for the perfect opportunity, he disarmed her with ease, sending one of her swords flying.
All he had to do was point his spear at her throat, and the training session would be over.
However, what Ruijerd didn't expect was that Eris suddenly shifted her body, evading his strike and redirecting her remaining sword toward his heart.
This unexpected counter left Ruijerd, who was usually stoic, momentarily surprised.
But Ruijerd was a seasoned warrior, and after that brief moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure, catching Eris's wrist and pressing his spear against her throat with one hand.
"Damn it! I still lost. I even used that new technique I just learned, and I couldn't even make you take a step back!" Eris grumbled in frustration.
She wasn't happy about losing. Unlike Ghislaine, who would go easy on her from time to time, Ruijerd was merciless, completely overwhelming Eris's exceptional talent and leaving her feeling utterly defeated.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a