After we finished off the last corrupted goblins, our group pressed deeper into the dungeon. An uneasy silence settled over us - the kind that follows when people witness something impossible. My performance back there shouldn't have been achievable for someone with a C-grade aptitude, and they all knew it.
"How did you do that?" Sasha finally blurted out, her voice sharp enough to cut through the tension. "Were you lying about your aptitude?"
I wiped goblin blood from my dagger with deliberate slowness. "If I could fake my aptitude, do you really think I'd be here scraping for coppers in some backwater dungeon?" I gestured toward her. "I told you - your buff spells did most of the work."
Not entirely a lie. The buffs had been crucial - enhancing my physical abilities while reducing mana consumption. The beautiful part? When a mage buffs another mage, it creates a feedback loop. With reduced mana costs, I could cast more spells while layering additional buffs on myself. Two buffs made me twice as strong as one.
Of course, there were drawbacks. Each new buff shortened the remaining duration, like adding fuel to a fire only to watch it burn out faster.
"But that doesn't explain your offensive magic," Mord countered, his grip tightening on his sword hilt. "A C-grade shouldn't be able to cast like that."
I sighed dramatically. No point hiding this part. Reaching into my pocket, I produced a crumpled slip of paper - its edges charred, its surface etched with a faintly glowing magic circle.
"See this?" I tapped the diagram. "Pre-charged magic circles. If I pour mana into them beforehand and add some more mana later, what do you think will happen?"
I'd stuck these to my palms during the fight - one when I exploded that goblin's jaw, another when I hurled the crystal. Simple. Efficient.
"It'll activate the spell, obviously," Sasha muttered, though the way her eye twitched betrayed her ignorance.
Mord stared at me like I'd just turned water into wine. Lisa... just watched. Was that admiration in her glassy eyes?
After thirty minutes of walking we saw that the path had diverged into two. We took the left fork. And then we came across an iron door, we decided to enter. But that was a very bad choice.
The iron door slammed shut behind us before we realized our mistake. A deep, grinding vibration shook the floor as something massive stirred in the shadows.
"Fuck. It's a golem," Mord spat.
The construct stood seven feet tall, its rusted iron body veined with glowing red cracks. Moss clung to its joints like a second skin. As it lurched forward, the sound of grinding stone filled the chamber - like two boulders crushing against each other.
"Sasha! Buffs! Aizo - whatever explosive shit you've got!" Mord barked before charging.
I almost admired his leadership. Almost.
Mord's sword flashed toward the golem's glowing eyes - its weak point. But the construct spun with shocking speed, its massive arm whipping around like a siege weapon. The impact sent Mord flying into the wall with a sickening crunch. He slid down, spitting blood, his legs buckling when he tried to stand.
Lisa rushed to heal him while I bought time. I sent three fireballs to the golem and it erupted in quick succession, staggering the golem just long enough for me to dart forward. I slapped a pre-charged paper from my pocket into the gap between its torso and legs so I could immobilize it. I then jumped back.
But the explosion force launched me backward even more - I landed gracefully, though every bone screamed in protest.
The golem's lower half vaporized in a shower of shrapnel.
For three glorious seconds, I thought we'd won.
Then the rubble began quivering. Slivers of iron slithered like magnetic snakes, reforming the golem's legs before our eyes.
Mord, now healed, roared: "Sasha! Buffs again!"
"My mana's almost gone!" she shrieked. "I'm a C-grade too, you idiot! I'll hemorrhage from depletion!"
"Just do it! Lisa can fix you afterward!"
"FUCK!" Sasha's scream became a wordless snarl as golden light erupted from her hands. The buffs settled over us - just before she collapsed, blood trickling from her nose. Lisa immediately knelt to heal her.
"Aizo! Support me like before!" Mord ordered.
I nodded.
And lied.
Watch from the sidelines while this masterpiece of violence unfolds? Fuck that.
Mord engaged first, blades clashing against the golem's arms in a shower of sparks. When the construct swung, the force sent him skidding back a full meter.
That's when I struck.
"What the fuck?!" Mord shouted in confusion.
Darting beneath them, I pressed a charged paper to Mord's sword while simultaneously driving a fireball into the golem's chest that exploded. The detonation launched us both - Mord toward the ceiling, me into a wall. Ribs cracked. Breath fled my lungs.
Through the ringing in my ears, I yelled: "Mord! Throw it!"
"Tsk. How dare he." Mord muttered to himself.
But he realised that this might be the chance to kill the golem, so he obeyed. Still airborne, Mord hurled his sword with the charged paper like a javelin - straight into the golem's left eye.
The subsequent explosion painted the ceiling with molten metal.
We hit the ground hard. Mord didn't get up. I managed one wheezing breath before darkness swallowed me.
"You bitch... Heal Mord first before this bastard."
Sasha's voice dragged me back to consciousness. I kept my eyes shut, playing dead while listening to Lisa's quiet sobs as she healed us out of order.
Eventually, I "woke up" with a groan. "What happened?"
"You both got knocked out," Sasha snapped, though her relief was palpable when Mord stirred moments later.
Lisa let out a big exhale, she was exhausted from healing.
"Mord!" She practically tackled him. "We're okay thanks to you-"
"Hey!" I barked. "Save the fucking romance for later. Look."
Sasha turned irritated, but then her pupils shrank to pinpricks when she saw.
In the farthest corner, shadows congealed into something solid. The crystals chimed. The air curdled with the stench of rotting meat and rust. Heavy footsteps shook dust from the ceiling as the thing emerged -
A boar's head, its brow permanently furrowed in worry.
A man's hunched torso, ribs protruding like a starvation victim's.
Claws gripping a cleaver crusted with old blood.
Donkey legs ending in cracked hooves.
My heart pounded against my ribs. Another challenge to overcome. Another chance to feel truly alive.
"The Worried Boar," I whispered, my lips curling into a grin.
I was confused for a little while because I felt like this beast is more stronger than the worried boar that I had originally written.
But no matter.
Come! Even if I die today, I won't regret it if I die with excitement coursing through my veins.
"Formation!" Mord shouted, wiping blood from his mouth. "Sasha, can you still buff us?"
"With my mana at one-third, I can only buff one person," she replied, her hands trembling.
"Alright," Mord said, turning to me. "Aizo, stay back this time. Just support and follow my orders. Please."
Hell no.
"Alright!"
I agreed cheerfully.
Sasha cast her spell on Mord before collapsing to meditate, her face pale with exhaustion. The moment the buff took effect, Mord charged and on the way picked his sword that's been planted on the ground.
The Worried Boar growled and swung its massive cleaver. Mord barely ducked under the blade, which sheared off the tips of his hair. He countered with a thrust to the beast's gut, but the monster caught his sword in its thick palm.
The boar grinned, then swung its cleaver sideways like a tennis racket. The flat of the blade connected with Mord's ribs, sending him flying across the chamber. He crashed into a wall but immediately pushed himself up, blood dripping from his mouth.
Again and again they clashed - Mord's desperate parries barely keeping him alive against the beast's overwhelming strength. The ground cracked beneath his feet from the force of each blocked blow. My fireballs did nothing but singe its hide.
Finally, the boar grew impatient. It delivered an uppercut that launched Mord into the air, then swung its cleaver like a batter hitting a home run. The impact sent Mord spinning through the air - but the beast wasn't done.
With terrifying speed, it leaped and caught up to Mord's airborne body, driving a fist into his stomach and slamming him into the ground hard enough to crater the stone. As Mord lay gasping, the Worried Boar raised its cleaver for the killing blow.
My fingers twitched toward my charged papers. Should I save the fool? Or do I let him die and hog all the fun to myself? Decisions, decisions...