Rescue of Arabella’s Group

Velociraptor. Anyone from her past world would have known this small dinosaur.

They lived in the Cretaceous period, around seventy five million years ago. Their height was only about half a meter. Their length only reached two meters.

As their name suggested, Velox meant fast and Raptor meant thief or small predator. They were known as miniature dinosaurs that specialized in stealing the eggs of other dinosaurs.

These creatures were often assumed to be intelligent because of the size of their brains. Some early scientists even believed they were the ancestors of crows, the smartest birds of the modern age.

However, in this world, ancient creatures had become monsters born from darkness. Just like the Smilodon they encountered on the first and second floor, or the red apes whose skulls resembled the primates of ancient eras.

There were some differences compared to her former world. Not only in terms of size, but also appearance and the strange fact that some of the evolved ones could even use magic.

Elysia did not know why this world adopted so many prehistoric creatures from her former world as monsters. But if she connected the explanation about how monsters were formed with the fact of her own reincarnation, then she could form a hypothesis that this world was somehow connected to the one she came from.

A faint smile bloomed on her lips.

I still have a chance. I am certain he must be somewhere in this world.

While Elysia remained lost in thought, Syrene in front of her easily cut down every Velociraptor that approached with a single swing of her axe.

Suddenly, she felt someone tapping her shoulder from behind. She turned and found Arabella standing there with an expression that looked apologetic.

Elysia raised one brow. "Is there something you want to say?"

"I..." She paused for a moment as if weighing her words. But then she quickly shook her head. "No. I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier."

"You are welcome," she replied, expressionless.

Elysia could see the stiff smile on her face. That girl still could not admit her true feelings. Her pride and ego were still too high to put aside, even after they saved her.

But at the very least, she was willing to express gratitude. That alone was enough to shift Elysia’s view of her slightly.

"By the way, how did you get here? I mean, how did you manage to find all of us?"

From behind them, Delfina cut into their conversation with a question.

"Ah, that is because Big Sister Mira has detection magic. As soon as we arrived here, she began searching for traces of your mana scattered across the ground. We just followed her from behind," Irine explained while puffing out her chest as if she had played the most important role.

"Is that so?" Delfina glanced toward Mireya.

Mireya only laughed awkwardly while scratching her temple.

Celina then began talking to ease the atmosphere. While Celina and Irine continued their chatter, Elysia turned her gaze forward again. Straight toward Syrene who was still fighting off the monsters rushing in.

Within a short time, only one Velociraptor remained and it tried to flee. But she did not let it escape. She immediately threw her weapon. The spinning axe cut through the air and severed the long neck of the Velociraptor.

A satisfied grin returned to her face as she watched the last reptile finally collapse to the ground with its head cut clean.

The axe spun back toward her like a boomerang and she caught it without effort. Then she rested it on her shoulder like always.

"It is finally over." She turned to face the others. At first her gaze went to Imaria and Arabella’s group, but it quickly shifted into a smirk when she noticed Irine and Celina who were still busy talking. "Irine, Celina, instead of chatting, you should start collecting the hearts of these lizards."

"W-wait, why us?"

"What do you mean? Look at yourselves. You can still talk endlessly. That means your condition here is the best among us."

"Wh-why not ask Ely to help, Senior?"

Syrene rolled her eyes. "The question is, did either of you deal the finishing blow to any of these ugly lizards?"

"Ugh... fine."

Their grumbling fell silent because of Syrene’s words. Whether they liked it or not, the two of them stood and began gathering the monster hearts.

Indeed, from the very start it was she who first struck the Velociraptors and froze them when they were about to devour Arabella and the others.

After that, Syrene handled the rest.

She had only acted out of instinct without fully realizing it. But who would have thought her action would spare her from the task of cutting open corpses.

While those two worked unwillingly, Elysia shifted her gaze to her other sister, Mireya.

The girl let out a small sigh while staring silently at Arabella. A slight disappointment could be seen in her eyes.

Elysia could not tell whether she was disappointed because Arabella ignored her warnings, or because she blamed herself for almost failing to protect them.

Arabella tried to speak, but Mireya cut her off before she could say anything.

"I already know. You do not need to apologize. Besides, none of this was your fault."

"But... even so..." Arabella bit her lip and clenched her trembling hands.

Mireya smiled softly. Then she reached out and gently pat her head. "Forget about everything. What matters now is that you are safe."

Everything seemed to have settled, or so Elysia thought as she watched Mireya handle the matter with the troublesome girl.

"Aren't we supposed to punish her? You are far too forgiving with someone who ignored your warning, Mira."

Syrene suddenly approached with a curled grin at the corner of her mouth. Her axe was no longer visible, probably hidden with magic.

"It is fine, Syrene. Look at her. She clearly regrets what she did."

Syrene let out a short huff. "Enough. I will handle her punishment myself later."

"But..."

Before Mireya could object, Syrene pressed one finger to her lips. "Remember, they are under my authority. I am the one who decides whether or not they will be punished. Not you. Understood?"

Mireya let out a slow exhale. "I cannot argue with that."

Arabella and her companions looked a little anxious, likely frightened of the punishment awaiting them.

That was how her sister was. Kind, forgiving, and never one to punish without a reason. In her mind, regret alone could melt her judgment.

Elysia herself did not fully agree with that softness, but she still respected her sister.

If she could choose, she preferred Syrene’s way. They needed to learn consequences for every action they took.

Rewards and punishment were the most effective method to discipline someone, especially those who still struggled with the balance between their rights and responsibilities.

Once Irine and Celina finished collecting the monster hearts, Mireya clapped her hands once and gained everyone’s attention.

"Now that everything is done, it is time to return. Shall we?"

"I agree." Syrene turned around and began walking. "Follow me, Juniors. Try not to fall behind and stay alert. Those lizards were nothing more than weaklings on this floor."

Arabella helped Emilia stand, while Lanesra and Delfina supported themselves. Once everyone was ready, they began making their way out of the dungeon.

As always, Syrene stayed at the front and Mireya at the rear to guard their formation from both sides.

Elysia and Imaria walked at the center because they possessed the strongest combat abilities and were assigned to protect the others if anything unexpected happened.

The echo of dripping water from stalactites and the cries of bats above accompanied their silent footsteps.

Fatigue weighed heavily on their bodies after everything that happened on the first and second floors, worsened by Arabella's incident that forced them down to the third floor. Their backs felt heavier and more difficult to straighten.

The cave floor was damp and filthy, and the suffocating, foul air made their frustration grow. The two chatterboxes walking ahead of Elysia were completely silent now.

All Elysia wanted was to reach the exit and fill her lungs with fresh air. Then go home, wash the dirt from her skin, and change into comfortable clothes.

"I want to go home and laze around all day..." Irine began to complain.

"Me too," Celina grumbled wearily. "I want to get out of this miserable place."

Seeing their drained expressions lit a strange motivation within Elysia.

"You two were the most excited earlier. Now look at yourselves. You look like dead fish. Is that what you call spirit, huh?" Her tone was sharp with sarcasm.

It was true. They looked exactly like dead fish. Neither responded. Their voices had reached their limit.

Dungeon caves were always classified as the worst type, especially for beginners like them.

Smelly, narrow, dirty, damp, suffocating, and dark. A combination that could break anyone’s mood, especially nobles used to comfort and luxury. Even cheerful girls with boundless energy could be reduced to pitiful messes.

Behind them, Mireya tried her best not to laugh. She must have found their condition both amusing and endearing.

"Stop."

Syrene halted suddenly, forcing everyone behind her to stop as well.

That was when Elysia finally noticed the sound of approaching footsteps from the shadows ahead. The rhythm felt unnatural, as if the monster had too many legs or joints scraping against the stone with every movement.

Without hesitation and even before the creature revealed itself, Elysia swiftly formed an ice dome around everyone except Syrene.

Syrene glanced at her, and a faint smirk appeared. "As expected. You react fast, Ely." Then she lifted her massive axe. "Watch from behind. I will handle this myself."

The darkness ahead split apart as flames flickered to life on Syrene’s axe. A towering figure stood in the glow, eight glowing crimson eyes filled with hunger and violence.

Step.

The monster finally took its first step. Its razor sharp legs reflected the firelight.

Syrene's grin widened with thrill. The fire on her axe roared to life. And before the creature could take its next step, Syrene had already dashed forward alone without warning.