The next morning we left the Arcane City for the first time since we arrived.
The sun was still low when we passed through the main gate. The city was slowly waking up. Mages walked through the streets carrying books, apprentices discussed magical formulas, and some artifact shops were already opening their doors.
But our destination was outside.
The dungeon Aurelius had mentioned was a few hours' walk from the city.
According to him, it wasn't an extremely dangerous dungeon, but it was perfect for testing a group's progress.
As we walked along the road leading out of the urban area, Lyannis stretched her arms.
"It's been days since we fought for real."
Rai'kanna replied with a smile.
"I was starting to miss it."
Elara walked just behind me.
"This will be a good test to evaluate mana control."
Liriel observed the surrounding landscape.
"It will also be interesting to see how each of us reacts in real combat."
Vespera remained silent, as always, but kept her eyes alert to the surroundings.
After some time, the road began to narrow.
The vegetation around us grew denser.
Finally, we reached the dungeon entrance.
It was a natural opening in an ancient rock formation. The entrance was large enough for several people to walk in side by side. The interior looked dark, with only a few natural crystals faintly glowing on the walls.
Rai'kanna looked at the cave.
"So this is it."
Elara nodded.
"Mana inside dungeons tends to be denser."
Lyannis smiled.
"That means more monsters."
I gripped the sword firmly.
"Let's go in."
The temperature inside the dungeon was colder.
The sound of our footsteps echoed along the stone walls as we advanced through the first natural corridor. Small mana crystals grew along the walls, emitting a soft light that illuminated the path.
It didn't take long for us to encounter the first monsters.
Three wolf-like creatures emerged from the shadows.
Their bodies were covered in dark fur, and their eyes glowed with a faint red light.
Rai'kanna advanced immediately.
Mana flowed through her body.
The movement was fast.
She disappeared for an instant and reappeared in front of the first monster.
A single strike of her sword brought the creature down.
At the same time, Lyannis raised her hand.
Two small spheres of energy appeared around her.
She pointed.
The sparks shot forward and struck the second monster.
The explosion of energy threw it against the cave wall.
The third tried to advance.
But an arrow cut through the air before it could move.
Vespera had fired.
The tip of the arrow glowed with mana.
The impact brought the monster down instantly.
Liriel observed the result.
"Quick combat."
Elara analyzed the creatures' bodies.
"The mana used was minimal."
We continued advancing through the dungeon.
The corridors grew wider as we descended.
More monsters appeared.
Reptilian creatures that crawled along the walls.
Giant insects that emerged from cracks in the rocks.
But the group handled everything with ease.
Rai'kanna moved with absurd speed.
Lyannis controlled multiple magical sparks at once.
Vespera fired arrows with perfect precision.
Liriel used light magic to attack and protect.
Elara maintained stable mana control, assisting when necessary.
After some time, we reached a larger chamber.
The ceiling was high.
Huge stalactites hung from the rock.
At the center of the room, a gigantic creature lay resting.
It looked like a mix between a lizard and stone.
Its skin was thick like hardened rock.
Its yellow eyes slowly opened as we approached.
Lyannis murmured.
"That must be the dungeon boss."
Rai'kanna spun her sword.
"Finally, something bigger."
The creature stood up.
Its heavy body slammed against the cave floor with a strong impact.
It opened its mouth and let out a roar that echoed through the chamber.
Elara analyzed quickly.
"The skin looks resistant."
Liriel raised her hand.
"Light magic can pierce it."
Vespera was already preparing another arrow.
I took a deep breath.
It was the perfect moment to test.
I gripped the sword.
I focused my mana.
The familiar vibration ran through my body.
The energy flowed through my arm and entered the blade.
The crystal glowed.
A golden wave surged.
The energy armor appeared around my body.
Lyannis smiled.
"Now that's it."
Rai'kanna moved first.
She attacked the creature's leg to draw its attention.
The monster roared and tried to crush her with its tail.
But she dodged easily.
At the same moment, Lyannis launched three spheres of energy that exploded against the creature's body.
Vespera fired a mana-charged arrow.
Liriel launched a beam of light that struck the monster's shoulder.
I advanced.
The golden armor amplified every movement.
The distance to the creature vanished in an instant.
I leaped.
The sword came down with force.
The blade cut through the creature's hardened skin.
Golden energy surged through the strike.
The impact was powerful.
The creature let out one final roar before collapsing heavily onto the chamber floor.
Silence returned.
Lyannis looked at me.
"That was fast."
Rai'kanna smiled.
"That armor really makes a difference."
Elara analyzed the fallen creature.
"The attack power increased drastically."
Liriel nodded.
"The mana flow remained stable."
Vespera retrieved another arrow without saying anything.
I looked at the sword.
The golden armor slowly faded as I relaxed my concentration.
I took a deep breath.
The battle had been quick.
And the difference in strength was clear.
We left the dungeon some time later.
When we returned to the sunlight, the entire group seemed satisfied.
The training had worked.
All of us had evolved.
And for the first time since we arrived in the Arcane City, it was clear that our power had reached a new level.