Sweltering, eye-watering heat is what greeted Aenon the moment they passed through the portal. If not for the cooling effect from his food, his skin would have started blistering from the tsunami's worth of fire wisps in the air. Even Jenny, being an ice mage felt suffocated as she took a knee to adjust to their oppressive environment. The wolf pups on the other hand casually dove into the Shadow Realm, shamelessly escaping the searing heat.

"Can we go into the Shadow Realm too?" Jenny asked amidst labored breaths.

Aenon shook his head.

"There is hardly a shadow here. Would put too much strain on my mana. Unless we know the dangers, I am reluctant to spend mana just to get comfortable."

Jenny deflated at his response but didn't complain. She took deep breaths to acclimate to the atmosphere faster. She also spent some mana to coat her body in a thin layer of frost. But it evaporated quickly, so she gave up and tried to move on.

They were in some kind of underground cave system with several tunnels branching off in every direction. It looked remarkably like what the Fire Ants had done on the outside of the dungeon. The walls were ceramic as before, and the area was illuminated by a faint reddish glow. Aenon's Sovereign's Eye was going haywire with all the signatures from around him. It was hard to judge how vast this place was, as Aenon detected Fire Ants even at the very edges of his Sovereign's Eye range. This was even though it had grown to an impressive two kilometers by now.

"This place is huge," Aenon commented. "The density of the Fire Ants is not dwindling even two kilometers away."

"Your ability to detect souls is just broken, you know that right?" Jenny said while standing up again. "Lady Sylvathorn has it too, but the range is not as long as yours."

Aenon shrugged, unsure how to respond. Jenny eyed him curiously before drawing her sword and shield.

"So how are we doing this?" Jenny asked while doing some mild stretches to loosen up her muscles.

"The primary goal is to destroy the dungeon node," Aenon explained. "But I would also like to kill as many of the ants as possible."

"Got it."

Jenny closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath. When she exhaled, a heavy mist emanated from her mouth. But this time the mist lingered and started to flow down the tunnels.

Aenon made his mask invisible and raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"You aren't he only one with scouting abilities," Jenny said with a wink. "Let's go this way."

Jenny walked down the tunnel with the highest concentration of Fire Ants in the vicinity. Since she was the designated tank for this raid, Aenon decided to follow her lead. The redhead strode confidently till they entered what looked like a large cavern with multiple blood red crystals jutting out of the walls. The crystals were emitting very dense fire wisps, and the ants were mining them.

She gestured for Aenon to hold his position, as she walked in alone. The Fire Ants had barely registered her presence before she drew her sword and rammed it on her shield before screaming loudly. Every single ant turned to her instantly, one of them even ignoring Aenon's presence despite him being the closer target.

Aenon registered some mild fluctuations in the souls, deducing that this was some form of weak soul attack. Although it was so faint that he felt it couldn't be classified as such. It had only one purpose: To draw attention towards the tank.

For the first time Aenon got to see the effects of Taunt. All the enemies made a mad dash towards the Shield Maiden. Jenny didn't even flinch as the avalanche of monsters approached her. She took up a defensive stance and covered her body with a sturdier layer of ice. As the wave hit her from all sides, she braced and even managed to counterattack several pincers at once. Aenon was thoroughly impressed with her swordsmanship, noticing faint traces of Ignar's fighting style mixed.

Just when it looked like she might be overwhelmed, the Juvenile Abyssal Wolves appeared from outside the circle of enemies and tore into their ranks from the other end. Every move was well coordinated and progressed to the beat of her constant whistles. It looked remarkably similar to the way Bane led the pack using a series of chuffing sounds. Venge too had done a good job in molding the teen in the right direction.

Aenon admired the display for a few minutes before deciding to join the fray. And not because they were being pressured. He just wanted to practice fighting to their rhythm. He drew his twin daggers and circled the battle like a hawk, weaving in and landing a decisive blow when he noticed an opening. But kept out of the encirclement for the most part.

Within fifteen minutes, the entire cavern was littered with dozens of corpses—some hacked part by her sword, while others were torn to shreds by the wolves. Less than a quarter of them sported deep puncture wounds on their thoraxes which had ended their lives instantly. Neither of them had used any Spells during the fight, relying completely on their physical and weapon prowess.

Jenny had a proud smile on her face as she looked at Aenon. No words were exchanged but the tacit understanding was undeniable. She had come a long way from her old self, shedding her former weakness and replacing it with a warrior's ferocity.

But the look she gave him wasn't just of pride. There was also a deep sense of gratitude, for she knew that this wouldn't have been possible without Aenon's help. And she was more than ready to pay back the favor.

Aenon merely smiled and gave a soft nod before standing in the backlines. It was his first opportunity to act like a true rogue, unleashing death and destruction without having to worry about maintaining aggro. It wouldn't be easy, but he hoped by the end of this dungeon their coordination would improve.

Because once they were done here, it was time to take on the Treant dungeon. And they would need to combine their powers to stand a chance of clearing it within the limited time they had.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You are about to have fun too, my friend," Aenon sent a mental message to a certain someone outside the dungeon.

All he got in response was the sound of a childish laugh.

* * *

Ignar

The forest was eerily silent with no sound to be heard for several miles in all directions. And the epicenter of this irregularity was the dungeon node that no one had managed to reach. And that is exactly what Ignar and his party were tasked with—clearing out a path for their eventual assault of the malevolent dungeon. They were camped right at the threshold of the Treant territory.

The twins kept busy polishing their weapons, while his lovely wife stood nervously at his side. They were yet again about to start a near suicidal operation on the orders of their superior. But unlike all other times, this time they were fully vested in the scheme.

"Who do you think Lord Fenrast is going to send?" Velastra asked while staring at the dead looking forest ahead.

"No clue," Ignar responded honestly. "He knows we are down a healer. So, I am sure he took that into consideration."

When Lord Fenrast had given them the mission, Velastra and twins' nervousness had spiked. It wasn't that they didn't trust their new leader, but past trauma was difficult to get over. Being sent on impossible missions with little to no support was the standard operating procedure of most noble houses. They simply didn't value the lives of their subordinates if their profit quotas were met. But Ignar knew that Lord Fenrast wouldn't just throw them to the wolves to satisfy his own greed. If anything, he would rather face it alone than put the burden on others.

"It still makes me worry," Velastra deflated. "Such a massive cleanup job isn't something that one party is supposed to take up. This is the task for a raid group."

"Relax my love. I have discussed this mission with Lord Fenrast at length. In fact, it was I who insisted that we do this by ourselves," Ignar consoled his wife.

"Wait, what?" she asked incredulously.

"We need the Titles, my love. If we are to stand next to him, we need to gather as much strength as possible. Trust me, the risk will be worth it."

"Trusting your battle addled brain is hard when you refuse to share these details with me." Velastra crossed her hands and huffed. She had still not forgiven him for hiding their secret plot about the war council meeting.

"You know the way I operate, my love. When it comes to my duties as a Captain, I cannot share everything with you," Ignar pleaded.

Velastra glared at him for a long time before relenting.

"I know," she said with a sigh. "But it still doesn't mean that you are out of the doghouse."

She turned away and walked towards the dwarves who were boisterously comparing the shine of their weapons. Ignar smiled weakly as he saw the retreating form of the woman he loved. Even her tantrums were cute.

Ignar took a seat on a boulder and placed his great sword next to him. He turned to the sky as he reminisced about the absolute rollercoaster their lives had been the past few months. From fugitives on the run, to the topmost party of a new city. Their lives had changed so quickly, it was hard to comprehend at times. And the focal point of all the changes was one unassuming young boy.

He could still vividly recall the day he and his party had Awakened. He always thought that the milestone would be reached after some grand battle or dungeon raid. Although, in hindsight, surviving the torture of their souls wasn't something that different. But even so, he didn't expect them all to Awaken at the same exact time. But there was something about those cold grey eyes that entranced them.

"…tie your fates to mine."

Those words still gave him goosebumps every time he thought about it. It wasn't a command, or a coercive order. It was an invitation. An invitation to break free from the shackles of fear and servitude.

Ignar pulled up the Title he gained after his declaration that day.

Title achieved: Unbroken | +50 all stats | ???

He didn't need a description to know the meaning of that Title. He had survived having his soul shredded—which also gave him the Soul Survivor Title—while refusing to surrender any information to his tormentors. But it went beyond that.

The Title was a representation of who he was—a berserker. A being who could weather any storm with nothing but his own perseverance. He had only taken the first steps on his Path, but he could already see the tremendous benefits. His body had been forged in the fires of battle. And now even his mind was an impenetrable fortress of sheer will. He turned to his party, smiling fondly as they bickered over mundane things. To protect them, he needed to stay strong. To remain Unbroken.

Ignar was pulled out of his reverie as he detected movement in his peripheral vision. But he didn't reach for his sword since he didn't sense any bloodlust from the creature walking towards him. He would have considered it to be a person, if not for the fact that the humanoid male had completely green skin and hair. Only a few well-placed leaves covered the young boy's modesty.

"Hello Ignar-Friend," the lad said cheerfully.

Velastra and the others stood up and approached Ignar, completely alert and ready for a fight. But Ignar waved them down.

"Hello Nocthrya," Ignar responded with a smile.

"I am surprised Ignar-Friend knew it was me," Nocthrya replied while looking down at himself, trying to see what gave him away.

"The green skin and pupils are kinda hard to miss." Ignar smiled and cast Identify.

<Nocthrya | World Tree Vessel | Level 85>

"Wait. Is that truly the sapling?" one of the dwarves asked in surprise.

"Yes, Dwarf-Friend," even the World Tree couldn't tell the twins apart. "Although this body is temporary and wouldn't last more than a week," Nocthrya said happily. "Aenon-Friend said something about you needing a healer?"

Ignar exchanged glances with this team, who each had different levels of bewilderment written all over.

"Well, my love. Still worried that Lord Fenrast would send us to our deaths without adequate support?" Ignar guffawed loudly.

"I didn't know he would send a literal World Tree to back us up," Velastra responded sheepishly.

"So, what say now, Heartflame," the dwarf next to her left said with a cheeky wink. "Shall we get this love train on the road?"

Velastra blushed a deep crimson at being addressed by her Awakened Title. The twins had been teasing her constantly using the moniker every chance they got. The camaraderie within their group was close enough that they didn't feel the need to hide their unique Titles.

Ignar smiled as he recalled the declaration that led to her awakening. The Title aptly described her, for she was a fire mage who wore her heart on her sleeve. Her fiery temper was only matched by the love she had for her party mates. The strength of her fire was now closely linked to her heart and emotions.

The dwarves on the other hand had both received the same exact Title—Stonebonded. It clearly showed the deep connection between the two identical dwarves, and their link to the ground. Unfortunately for Velastra, there was no way for her to weaponize the plain sounding Title.

"Let's just go." Velastra huffed in defeat.

"Oh, so your name is Heartflame-Friend?" Nocthrya asked innocently. "Sorry for calling you Velastra-Friend."

"No no. That is my correct name." Velastra was aghast at the prospect of being called that by the clueless child.

"Bahahaha. You should totally call her that. In fact, why not shorten it to Heart-Friend?"

"Ooh wait till the Guild members hear it. Hehehe."

The twins continued their relentless assault, even as Velastra kneeled next to a thoroughly confused boy who looked around the group.

Ignar, being the responsible captain he was, didn't interrupt the commotion in the slightest. Choosing to tactfully retreat and scout the way ahead. He felt the presence of a swarm of enemies about a mile away. He grabbed his humongous sword and effortlessly raised it above his head, resting it on his shoulder.

"Alright, enough chit chat. Let's get this show on the road people." His booming voice silenced everyone.

The atmosphere changed in an instant. The jovial jokes were replaced with alertness as everyone checked their weapons and armor.

"You know your role?" Ignar asked the green-skinned youngster who wasn't wearing any armor.

"I do, Ignar-Friend," Nocthrya responded enthusiastically. He immediately took up a position at the back of the group.

"Well then, it's time for some gardening," Ignar declared.

And as one, the group of five marched on to restore the now dead forest to its former glory.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.