Aria's eyes narrowed as she sensed numerous presences. Standing up, she raised her hand. A small fireball materialized in front of her. With a single thought, she raised her hand high and…slammed it on the hard ground!

​BOOM!

​The fireball slammed into the hard ground. Cracking the fragile stones.

​Whoosh!

​Hear spread outward, further cracking the stone beneath her feet. Dust filled the air, her fireball briefly lighting up the chamber before everything went dark again.

​Then,

​Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

​Tiny, annoying squeaks echoed from all directions. Aria frowned as shapes emerged from the darkness. Large rats crawled out from the gaps, their fur disgusting grey, their eyes glowing in crimson light.

​But as she focused, her expression stiffened a bit.

​There were more than a hundred of these rats, some even at the peak of the Spirit Realm. Suddenly, a rat lunged toward her from the front. Aria raised her blade to her slash without hesitation. The rat's body flickered and vanished in a smoke.

​"Tch"

​She twisted back sharply and slashed her sword in a deadly arc. This time, blood was sprayed. The previous rat collapsed headless, its corpse twitching on the ground.

​This was a real one; her gaze hardened.

​"Are there…some fakes mixed in these rats?"

​She pondered confusedly, but did not lose her focus. The rattling intensified as dozens of rats closed in, some charging, some circling, and others just flickering out in puff.

​Their movements were overlapping, deliberately confusing her senses.

Aria swung her sword at every rat that came too close to her, her sword shining in the blood of those rats, but a few seconds later. One rat suddenly slipped past her guard.

​Pain flared as sharp claws tore through her skin. Aria exhaled softly and shifted her stance, letting the force propel her forward. With a spin, she swung the sword at the rat, cutting it in two pieces, blood spreading through the cracked floor.

​She didn't have the time to ponder as more rats rushed in. Some charged head-on, others appeared at her blind spots, and a few flickered strangely, their bodies vanishing in smoke the moment she slashed at them.

​"What are they? They definitely don't seem like clones to me." She frowned, slowing her movement down. Taking a step back, she focused her mind. Instead of focusing on their bodies and eyes, she began paying attention to the weight, sound, and, lastly, resistance.

​A rat lunged from the left. Aria side-stepped and moved her blade downward.

​Kachak!!

​Ksss!!

​Blood spilled. It was a real one; another leapt from behind, but this time her blade passed through it without resistance.

But this time, the moment she felt her sword didn't cut through any weight, she spun 180 degrees and leapt a few meters back.

Whoosh!!

​A thick, sharp claw passed, slicing through the air; it was the spot where she had previously stood. This rat was a big one, definitely a Spirit Realm rat.

​Her breathing was in control and rhythmic. Her flame circulation remained controlled. The only reason she hasn't used any flame attacks was that she wanted to improve her sword skills and…and prove her usefulness to Rahu.

​She knew…there was no way he was letting her go; he had made sure to drill it in both of her holes and head.

​And she was painfully aware that she was the weakest in his harem. Vivianne was an exception. Also, her looks weren't anything exceptional. So, the only thing she could do now is try not to disappoint him.

​That was the sole reason she took the risk to enter a dungeon. And she had come to detest the word weakness.

​These two things were the only ones that kept her pushing forward. This internal monologue only lasted a second before she dashed towards the Spirit Realm rat. Her sword shone as it sliced off its limbs.

​Soon, minutes passed. The number of rats dwindled. Their attacks became less coordinated. By this time, she had figured out their ability.

​Some of the rats possessed an ability to cast echo projections, that is, afterimages formed from the mana residue. The echoes mimicked movement and presence, overlapping with their real bodies to confuse the enemy's senses.

But their only problem was that it lacked substance and vanished upon contact. But as always, there are at least a few smart beings in every race and species, no matter how stupid, primal, and retarded one's race is.

​Some rats could mask their attacks and distort the distance and timing during a battle.

​After an hour, Aria completely erased them, and when the last rat collapsed, the chamber fell into silence.

She stood there for a while, her sword lowered but alert. After confirming that there were no rats, she relaxed slightly.

​"Whew, done," she wiped the blood from her blade and looked around. The chamber she had fought in wasn't the end. Toward the back. There was a narrow passage that led deeper into the cave.

​Seeing that, Aria walked forward cautiously. The passage soon opened into a small room. Unlike the previous one, this place was quiet and in order.

​Aria raised her head and glanced forward. At the center floated a small flame. It wasn't large or aggressive in nature. It was compact and gave off no intense heat, yet it didn't feel weaker.

​Aria even gasped when she saw the degree of control this flame had on its heat. It was strange.

​It rested on a small platform. Aria slowly stepped forward, walking towards the flame.

​Taking a deep breath, she extended her hand. The flame touched her palm, but it didn't burn her.

Instead, she felt a warmth spread through her arm and then to her body. It gently entered her Vital Core and merged with it. The process was smooth.

​The flame continued to flow into her body, merging with her internal fire. Her eyes sharpened as she saw that her control over fire increased several times. Suddenly, her body shook.

She…she suddenly heard some words deep inside her existence. Her eyes widened in shock when she understood what it was!!

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