The underground chamber stretched endlessly ahead, its walls trembling with a low hum that seemed to come from the earth itself. In the center, the massive crystal pulsed — a slow, red heartbeat that painted the stone in waves of light.

Noel stood beside it, Revenant Fang resting against his shoulder, eyes locked on the crimson glow. "Feels like it's about to start," he muttered.

Selene, standing a few paces away, brushed her fingers along the icy mist forming at her palm. "It's dense," she said quietly. "There's so much mana in the air I can barely breathe."

Albrecht, expression carved from steel, didn't look away from the tunnels ahead. "Adept rank at the lowest," he said, voice flat. "Ascendants for most. Prepare yourselves."

Noel exhaled slowly and drew a circle with his thumb in the air, mana flaring around his arm. "Ignition Surge." Flames burst along Revenant Fang's blade, the steel shimmering orange against the red-lit stone.

He stepped forward until the ground beneath him began to shake, dust falling from the ceiling. "They're coming," he said, tightening his grip.

For a long, fragile second, the world went silent — no movement, no breath, only the deep thrum of the crystal echoing like a heartbeat.

Then the first crack split the floor.

Heat burst through the chamber, and from the tunnel's mouth came the sound of claws scraping against stone — dozens, then hundreds.

Noel's pulse steadied, a thin smirk ghosting across his lips. "Time to earn that breakfast."

Albrecht drew his black blade, fire flaring around him like a storm.

"Hold the line," he said. "Not one step back."

And then, with a sound like the world breaking apart, the horde arrived.

The floor ruptured beneath them with a sound like thunder splitting the world. Heat and dust exploded outward as the first wave of monsters poured from the tunnels — hundreds of shapes, crawling, leaping, slithering.

The closest one, a hulking mass of scarlet armor and muscle, roared and charged.

"Fire Arc!"

Noel swung Revenant Fang in a blazing curve. The blade traced a line of fire that cleaved through the creature's chest, splitting it in two.

[You have slain Crimson Juggerbeast (Elite – Adept). +0.05%]

[Current Core Progress: 31.98% → 32.03% – Mana Core: Ascendant]

Noel blinked. 'Only that much? Seriously?'

[System: Monsters of equal rank to those in the sanctuary are weaker here, but their numbers are vastly greater. You're balanced, Noel. Good luck!]

'Good luck my ass,' he thought. 'One day I'll make you pay for being this stingy.'

Another growl shook the chamber. Three Vermilion Leapers (Common – Adept) dashed toward him, claws scraping stone.

"Voltage Needle."

Arcs of lightning snapped from his fingertips, piercing their skulls with surgical precision.

[+0.03%]

Selene moved beside him, her wand glimmering pale blue. "Gravition Hold."

The gravity around a cluster of beasts deepened — bodies slammed into the ground, pinned and unable to move. She lifted her hand again, cold mist swirling around her arm.

"Frozen Lance!"

A crystalline spear erupted from her wand and shot forward, impaling four monsters in a single line. Ice spread through their bodies before they shattered like glass.

More were coming. The ground trembled with each step, the air thick with mana and blood.

Albrecht advanced, his black sword wreathed in flame, cutting through the tide like a burning wall.

Noel grit his teeth. "Time to clean the rest."

He focused, Revenant Fang humming in his grip. Shadows rippled along the blade's edge, and the light seemed to vanish.

"Eclipse Rend."

A wave of black energy tore through the tunnel, erasing everything it touched — flesh, stone, and air itself. When the light faded, dozens of creatures lay in hollow husks, disintegrating into dust.

The horde screamed, but Noel only rolled his shoulders. "That's one entrance clear," he muttered.

Flames, frost, and ash danced through the underground hall like a storm given form. Noel ducked beneath the swinging claws of a Blightclaw (Common – Ascendant)—a long-limbed beast with spines jutting from its elbows—and drove Revenant Fang upward through its throat. Sparks and blood flared together.

He twisted the blade free, pivoted on his heel, and kicked the corpse aside before it even hit the ground.

"Stormpiercer!"

A blinding crack of lightning erupted from his core, propelling him forward like a thunderbolt. He reappeared three meters ahead, the thrust of his sword impaling another creature before it could even roar.

[You have slain Blightclaw (Common – Ascendant). +0.10%]

Selene's voice cut through the chaos. "Zero Point Burst!"

The air warped beside her, gravity folding into a dark sphere. Dozens of monsters were yanked screaming into its center before she released it—an implosion followed by a violent shockwave that turned them into splinters of bone and steam.

Noel landed near her, panting, hair sticking to his forehead from the heat. "Nice one."

She gave a faint grin, frost forming over her cheeks. "Try to keep up."

To their right, Albrecht's movements were a study in brutality. Each swing of his black blade carved a blazing crescent through the crowd. Flames roared in his wake, and the air stank of molten iron and burnt flesh. A Molten Ravager (Rare – Ascendant) lunged at him, molten saliva dripping from its fangs.

The patriarch sidestepped with a soldier's precision and drove his sword through its skull, the blade igniting from the inside out.

[You have slain Molten Ravager (Rare – Ascendant). +0.20%]

Noel barely had time to glance before another beast charged him from the flank—a Vermilion Leaper, larger than the others, tail whipping. He dropped low, sliding under its leap, and slashed upward. Revenant Fang carved a diagonal arc of flame that split the creature clean in half.

The remains hit the ground still burning. Noel exhaled sharply, his boots crunching on blackened ash. "How many more?"

Selene's wand glowed faintly as she summoned a Frost Wall, the ice rising just in time to block a pack of smaller beasts. "Too many," she said.

Behind the barrier, shadows flickered—a mass of glowing eyes and open maws waiting for the next gap.

Albrecht joined them again, flames still clinging to his armor. "Hold steady," he barked.

Noel clenched his jaw, feeling his core pulse in his chest. Thirty-two percent… and climbing too damn slow.

"Guess we'll just have to outlast them," he muttered.

The tunnel walls quaked. Dust fell from the ceiling in choking waves as a new wave of monsters surged forth — dozens of Crimson Juggerbeasts and Vermilion Leapers, all roaring as one. The air shimmered with heat and mana.

Noel's breathing was steady, his eyes glowing faint green under the crimson light. Revenant Fang pulsed with fire and lightning. "Alright… let's finish this."

He raised his left hand, the other gripping his sword as mana flooded his veins. Flames began to coil around his wrist, thickening until the heat distorted the air itself.

Selene's voice came sharp beside him. "You're using that?"

Noel nodded once. "Clear the field."

Selene extended her wand, ice spiraling around her arm. "Cryo Grasp!"

Dozens of hands of ice erupted from the ground, clutching at monsters' legs and holding them in place. The creatures screeched and thrashed, but the frost refused to break.

Albrecht took a defensive stance behind them.

Noel's mana erupted. A dark sphere formed above his hand—black fire so dense it bent the light around it. His veins burned, his pulse hammered.

"Dark Sun!"

The sphere shot upward before collapsing on itself—then detonated.

The blast swallowed the chamber. A wave of void fire spread in every direction, silent at first, then followed by a shockwave so intense it erased sound itself. When the light faded, all that remained were the outlines of melted stone and the ash of what once were twenty monsters.

[You have slain 20 Adept-rank monsters.]

[+0.20% Total Core Progress Increase.]

Noel's knees almost buckled, sweat pouring down his face. The air still shimmered with heat and residual mana.

He checked the faint blue notification still flickering in the corner of his vision:

[Current Core Progress: 34.52% – Mana Core: Ascendant]

The tunnels were quiet now, save for the dripping of melted rock and the soft hum of the crystal's heartbeat.

Albrecht walked to the center, lowering his sword. His armor was scorched, but his eyes burned with grim pride. "That should buy us time," he said quietly.

Noel stared into the fading embers, chest rising and falling with exhaustion.

'Buy time, huh…' he thought, wiping blood from his lip.

Outside the cavern, the air was still—only the faint rumble from deep below broke the silence.Elyra stood at the edge of the forest path, her eyes fixed on the distant ridge where Noel and the others fought. Charlotte fidgeted, while Elena whispered, "I hope they're okay in there… shouldn't we help?"

Elyra shook her head firmly. "No. You know why we're here. If something happens out here while they're distracted, it'll all be over."

Noir's ears twitched as she stared toward the mountain, her tail swaying. 'It's fine. If anything dangerous happens inside, I'll know immediately. Dad's… enjoying this.'

"Enjoying?" all three girls said at once, blinking in disbelief.

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