Chapter 85: Fists of Mirage [I]
"Hmm, you’re a bit... too weak." Aurelian hummed in thought as he cast his advanced appraisal on Amber.
[Amber Rose — Level 6]
[Rank: (F)]
[Weakness: Susceptible to all attacks from host.]
***
"How about we change that?" he murmured, eyeing Amber, who was now staring at the ground in embarrassment.
"But nothing to be ashamed of. Given your previous talent, it’s a miracle you even managed to kill any monsters."
"Un." She nodded softly, her fingers clenching into fists. To stay by his side, she needed power to rival his—or else she would be left behind and become a burden. She couldn’t let that happen, she thought inwardly. Her grip on Aurelian’s arm tightened just at the thought of leaving him.
"I’ll walk you through a dungeon first, to get you acclimated with your talent and see how you fare in battle. Sounds good?"
"B-but won’t that slow down your leveling speed?" Her brows furrowed as she cast her eyes on him.
"Ha! Look at you, worrying about me?" Aurelian smiled, pinching her cheeks. Rubbing his fingers absentmindedly, he whispered, "They’ve grown even softer... maybe I should pinch you more often. It seems like it’s helping."
"N-no." She muttered, withdrawing from him. "They won’t grow softer if you pinch them..."
"You can’t be too sure... how about we test that?"
"Ah... no..."
Their playful bickering continued as they walked down the street—until Aurelian suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing.
"We’ve arrived... the Rat Nest Dungeon." He whispered. "Let’s wrap it up."
He continued forward, Amber tagging behind him.
The dungeon was reportedly the weakest across Maelstrom City. The monsters inside were manageable if handled with tact and, most importantly, the dungeon didn’t have a limiter, allowing beings ranked above entry. That made it the perfect choice as Amber’s training grounds. Nodding at the thought, Aurelian approached the guards before the swirling green portal.
***
"Wait... isn’t that the Grim Reaper?"
"Huh? What nonsense are you sp—shit, it really is him!"
"I was inside the Slime Grime Dungeon the moment it underwent a sudden evolution! You should’ve seen him kick that dungeon’s final boss! He literally wiped the floor with its face."
"Aren’t you exaggerating a bit? Didn’t he slice it to death? I was there. He looked at the beast, then swiped his monstrous blades—killing it in one move."
"Bullshit! He killed it in half a move."
"You know what? I don’t care what you fucking saw. I saw him trash the E-rank young lord of the Silvermoon by just poking him."
"I... don’t know about you, but we can at least agree he’s a monstrous genius."
"Uh, who’s that girl walking beside him? How the fuck is she that beautiful?"
"Her hair... is it glowing? And... her eyes...They’re pretty."
Sigh* "I should’ve known a person like him would already be taken."
"Huh? What nonsense! Who’s to say he can’t have others?"
"Let’s go approach him and ask him to join our team. If we can form a friendship with a bigshot like him... I’d be laughing in my dreams."
Murmurs erupted as Aurelian and Amber made their entrance, the group of youths growing spirited as they stole glances at the pair.
"He’s mine," Amber muttered softly, her fists clenching tighter as some of the lewd remarks drifted into her ears. What if he found a stronger girl and didn’t want her anymore? She breathed sharply, her motivation growing once more, the A-rank Iron Mirage talent within her stirring faintly at her unease.
***
"Two tickets to the Rat Nest Dungeon," Aurelian growled, about to retrieve a pouch of gold coins, before one of the dungeon guards stared at him intently and spoke gruffly.
"Are you Aurelian? The Grim Reaper who helped prevent the Slime Grime Dungeon break?"
"Uh... yes." Aurelian whispered, his brows arching in surprise at the unwarranted question.
Before he could continue, both guards straightened considerably, their fists thumping against their chests before the guard continued, his voice grave.
"By order of the City Lord, you’ve been granted free access to all dungeons in Maelstrom City for one month, as reward for your brave deed."
"Huh?" Aurelian breathed, the blank look on his face stretching into a smile. "Sweet!"
Free access to all dungeons for a month? He mused. The higher the dungeon, the higher their entry fees, astronomically so. At his pace, it wouldn’t be long before he was broke again. But with this... everything changed.
"Maybe dungeon breaks aren’t all that bad." He mumbled softly, approaching the swirling portal before diving in with Amber—cutting off the guard’s words: "But the lady has to..." The man sighed, watching the duo vanish. "...pay."
***
"Interesting structure," Aurelian whispered, his eyes trailing over the slew of tunnels stretching out before them, branching all the way into the depths of the dungeon.
Small glowing stones embedded in the tunnel walls served as a source of light.
"Not creepy at all." He snickered, nodding as he walked forward, already noting a group of beasts up ahead.
A quick glance with his appraisal revealed their Level 1 status.
Time to start the carnage, he mused, picking up a rock before flicking it at them, hitting one squarely and drawing the five beasts’ attention.
"Show me what you can do," Aurelian whispered, stepping aside and eyeing the charging beasts.
Their frames hovered around a meter in size, with coarse fur that seemed to give them a measure of natural defense.
"Okay." Amber muttered, taking a deep breath as she sized up the foes. This was her time to prove her usefulness.
Crouching low, she assumed a battle stance that would efficiently circulate energy throughout her body. Then, syncing fully with her thoughts, she whispered as the rats crossed the ten-meter mark:
"Activate A-rank Talent: Iron Mirage!"
As the words left her lips, something deep within her stirred, awakening fully from slumber.
A familiar purple light flared across her body, forming an armor of sorts that toughened her defenses to unnatural levels. Part of it poured into her strength, flooding her being. What she had only felt morsels of before now surged in overwhelming waves.
Then, with a thought, her figure blurred. Another figure appeared beside her. Then another. And another. Until five of them stood in the tunnel. One real, four illusions.
All charged forward.
"Die!" Amber roared, her fist crashing down on the snout of the lead rat. Her eyes widened as it tore through with terrifying ease, crushing its skull as if it were made of butter, blowing it apart into bits of flesh and bone.
"Amazing..." she whispered. A beast that would previously have been a pain in the ass was now obliterated effortlessly.
The rest of the rats hesitated, confused as they charged through illusions that dissipated. But not for long. Amber turned on them, her fists tearing through their bodies. Some bled out; others were reduced to mangled flesh. Their claws and teeth scraped uselessly against the purple light encasing her figure.
"A warrior?" Aurelian breathed, nodding at the carnage before him. A smile stretched his lips. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
At this pace, they’d clear the dungeon in no time.