If there was anything better than the air that hit Ryuen's nose the second they stepped into the dungeon field, it would be the taste of it.
The air inside the dungeon was suffocating—not because it was stale, but because it felt new and foreign in their lungs.
After only a few moments of breathing it in, they realized it was better than anything they had ever inhaled.
Behind the group, the purple spiraling portal that had dragged them inside shimmered before closing with an ominous hum.
The tendrils that had pulled them through flung the group into a corner of the chamber, scattering them like broken dolls.
Ryuen hit the ground hard, groaning as pain shot through his back.
He barely had time to recover before the beast emerged from a dark cave.
RUMBLE. RUMBLE.
The ground shook with every step the creature took.
It was massive—larger than anything they had ever laid eyes on.
A grotesque combination of flesh and glowing vein.
Its bloated body writhed with dozens of writhing tentacles.
Its eyes were like molten lava, glowing orbs filled with insatiable hunger, as if it had been starved for centuries.
And its mouth—lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth, each one jagged and mismatched—promised nothing but a painful slow death.
"That thing is a Class D?!" Jun shouted, clutching his ribs as he scrambled to his feet.
"No way! It's either hiding its true strength, or Father set us up!"
Aika snapped, her blade flashing in the dim light as she sliced through an approaching tentacle.
GHHHHHRRRREEEEEHH!
The creature shrieked in pain but lashed out with another tentacle, forcing Aika to dodge and leap away.
Erina growled through gritted teeth as she slowly rose to her feet.
Ryuen's eyes fell on her, and for the first time, he saw her truly angry—or was it enraged?
Her hands began to glow with fiery red energy, immediately drawing the attention of the beast.
Intricate, glowing symbols materialized around her hands, spinning rapidly as the energy grew brighter.
A surge of raw power coursed through her body, her dark eyes glowing with intensity.
She stretched her hand forward, hurling a pulsating black blast at the creature.
The runes surrounding the energy expanded as she increased the flow of magic, the symbols spinning faster and growing larger.
However, the creature didn't flinch.
The blast struck its bloated body but was absorbed into its glowing veins.
Without hesitation, the beast retaliated.
One of its tentacles coiled into a tight ball and slammed into Erina, sending her flying into the wall with a loud thud.
She hit the ground with a growl, clutching her side.
"That thing is feeding off mana and magic!" Ryuen shouted as he sprinted to her side.
Reaching her, he pulled her to her feet, one hand supporting her while the other gripped his dagger, ready for an attack.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the creature, assessing its movements and capabilities.
A plan began to form in his mind.
"If magic doesn't work, we'll have to go old school," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Erina asked, wincing as he helped her sit against the wall.
"Can you move?" he asked, ignoring her question.
She shook her head, a weak smile crossing her lips. "Not as fast. I slammed into the wall… with my tail."
"Aww, sorry about that."
Ryuen said, placing a hand on her head and gently rubbing it.
He half-expected her to hit him, but she didn't.
Instead, she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch with an expression that almost resembled contentment.
"I'll need your sword. And if you can manage that blast again, aim to distract it, not attack."
He said before standing and walking away.
Erina watched him go, her chest tightening.
She wouldn't dare admit it, but she already missed his touch.
Jun, however, had seen the exchange, and jealousy burned in his chest like wildfire.
He clenched his fists but said nothing.
There were more pressing matters at hand—or so he told himself.
A tentacle lashed toward him, and Jun barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side.
Aika and Jun resorted to a flurry of wild strikes, slashing and severing the tentacles that came their way.
Brown ichor sprayed across the chamber, staining their armor and the ground.
Ryuen joined the fray, slashing at an approaching appendage.
Dark ichor sprayed from the wound, splattering his arm.
GROAAAAAARRRR!
The creature howled, stumbling backward and creating a brief distance between itself and the tiny beings that attacked it.
"Go for the core!" Aika shouted, taking position beside Erina, her hands glowing with fiery energy.
"And where do you think that is?!" Ryuen yelled back, narrowly dodging another tentacle that whipped toward him.
As much as Jun hated him, he had no choice but to help.
"Under it! Between its legs! You'll know because it's glowing brighter than its veins!" he shouted, taking position beside the girls.
Ryuen took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the sword in his hands.
He started moving, darting and sidestepping each attack that came his way.
He closed the distance, sliding under one of the creature's massive tentacles.
But a sudden strike caught him off guard.
A tentacle whipped toward him, striking his side and sending him crashing into the nearest wall.
He clenched his jaw as pain shot through his body, a sharp sting that came from the gash on his arm.
But as he looked at the wound, something incredible happened—the skin began knitting itself back together, closing completely in seconds.
"Regeneration..." he mumbled, realization dawning on him.
It was the skill he had devoured earlier—or, at least, the one he had been told he devoured. Rapid healing.
A chuckle escaped his lips, and suddenly, he felt a surge of determination.
This was thrilling, he couldn't deny it.
The adrenaline coursing through his veins made his blood sing.
It reminded him of his old days.
Leaping from boulder to boulder, Ryuen climbed higher, creating an opening for the royal siblings.
He landed behind the creature, out of reach of its tentacles, and took another deep breath.
His sharp eyes followed the glowing veins pulsing across the beast's grotesque body, moving toward its legs—just as Jun had said.
He sprinted toward the beast, and as he approached.
He planted his feet firmly into the ground and leaned backward, sliding beneath the creature.
With a swift motion, he drove his sword into its thick, fleshy underbelly.
ROAR!!!
The beast screamed in agony, its cry shaking the walls of the dungeon.
But Ryuen didn't stop. He tore through layers of flesh, carving a path toward the core.
Meanwhile, the others prepared their attacks.
Erina's blast surged with raw energy, glowing runes spinning furiously around it.
Aika conjured flames so intense that the creature's skin blistered and boiled.
Jun hurled multiple glowing blades, each exploding on impact and sending tremors through the dungeons.
The beast was trapped, torn between defending against the devastating blasts and protecting its core from Ryuen.
Finally, Ryuen reached his target—a pulsating, purple orb glowing with an eerie light.
Holding his breath, he drove his fist into the gaping wound and grabbed hold of the core.
With a stressed groan, he yanked it out, ichor spraying everywhere.
ROARRRR!!!
The beast let out another thunderous scream.
It stumbled backward as the combined blasts pushed it further away.
Ichor gushed from its wounds, coating Ryuen as he scrambled out from beneath the collapsing creature.
He staggered back to the group, his irritation evident as ichor dripped from his hair and clothes.
He didn't have time to dwell on the disgusting liquid—he was alive, and the beast was dead.
The creature's tentacles thrashed wildly in its death throes, destroying everything in their path before finally falling limp.
The massive beast crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
[Skill Detected. Consume before cooldown.]
Ryuen chuckled softly, too distracted to listen, relief and satisfaction washing over him.
But his moment of triumph was short-lived.
A drop of ichor slipped into his mouth, and before he could spit it out, he accidentally swallowed it.
"Shit," he cursed, clicking his tongue in frustration.
Another drop followed, and he groaned, glaring at the sticky substance clinging to him.
"Relax," Aika said coldly, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"It's not like regular blood....."
"It's the blood of a beast, disgusting!"
Aika scoffed, "it's actually consumable. Sweet, even."
She reached out, swiping a bit of ichor from his cheek and licking it off her fingers.
"Mmm... better than Class D, too."
Ryuen shot her an irritated glare, but before he could respond, Jun interrupted.
"Should we take it with us?" he asked, ignoring Ryuen's expression.
"Just the ichor," Erina replied, staggering to Ryuen's side.
"The chefs should be able to make wine from it."
She looked up at Ryuen, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I doubt it. I need to bleach my mouth—and, if possible, my gut."
DING!
[2nd Skill Devour Successful]
'Wait what!'