The landscape around Kiten Dungeon was unnaturally silent.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Lencar crouched at the edge of a collapsed stone bridge, cloaked in a dim shimmer of mana concealment. The dungeon before him rose from the valley like a wound in the land—massive black ruins, ringed with mana distortion and traces of past magical battles.
"This is it," he murmured. "Kiten Dungeon… before the Magic Knights even step foot inside."
The entrance pulsed faintly with defensive runes—old, faded Clover Kingdom symbols. But among them, faint Diamond Kingdom sigils glowed red. Someone else had already broken in.
Lencar smiled thinly. "So they got here first. Good."
He opened his grimoire and activated [Spatial Magic: Anchor Step], blinking from one shadow to another across the ruins until he reached the cracked stairway leading into the dungeon depths. The air grew heavier with every step—thick with mana residue and the metallic scent of ash.
He heard voices.
Low, calm, and distinctly foreign.
"Move quickly. The treasure chamber lies beyond this corridor. If the Clover mages find us here, our operation ends before it begins."
Lencar pressed himself against the wall, peering around the corner. A group of Diamond Kingdom soldiers in battle-worn cloaks were guarding a tall man with grey hair tied loosely at the back, his eyes half-lidded and his expression unreadably bored.
Ash floated lazily around him like mist.
Lotus Whomalt.
The Diamond Kingdom's Ash General.
Lencar's lips twitched upward. "Perfect."
He slipped into stealth mode, his aura completely erased, and crept closer. But before he could take another step—
"You can come out now," Lotus said casually, not even turning around.
Lencar froze.
The ash in the air thickened instantly, swirling like smoke, forming countless tiny floating eyes.
"You hide your presence well," Lotus continued, smiling faintly, "but ash clings to all mana, no matter how hidden. It tells me where you breathe."
The soldiers turned, startled, weapons drawn.
Lencar stepped into view, lowering his hood. "You're sharper than you look, old man."
Lotus chuckled softly. "Old, yes. But sharper than most of the fools my kingdom sends. And you're not Clover military… So what are you, boy?"
"Someone looking for practice," Lencar said flatly. "Don't mind if I use you for training."
Lotus blinked, then started laughing. "Oh, I see! A lunatic. How refreshing."
Ash flared from his body, forming a dense grey storm around him. "Let's play, then."
The first wave of ash blades came silently—thin, cutting lines of compressed mana. Lencar barely dodged, ducking and sliding across the stone floor, his body enhanced with mana-forged speed. He countered with [Chain Magic: Binding Cross], sending golden chains snapping forward, only for them to vanish into the ash.
"Too slow," Lotus murmured from somewhere within the smoke. "Ash consumes and corrodes all matter. Even mana constructs aren't safe."
Lencar grimaced, snapping open another page.
"[Wind Magic: Gale Vortex]!"
A spiraling burst of wind cleared the field for a moment—just enough to catch sight of Lotus standing calmly atop a floating platform of ash.
"Hmm… multiple attributes?" Lotus raised a brow. "Interesting. You're not a regular mage."
Lencar grinned. "You talk too much."
He vanished using [Spatial Magic: Blink Step], reappearing behind Lotus. His gauntleted hand—Obsidian Fang—crackled with energy as he swung.
Lotus turned, blocking with a sudden wall of ash that absorbed the kinetic burst and exploded outward in black clouds. The recoil threw Lencar back, slamming him against a pillar.
"A straightforward fighter, huh?" Lotus said, brushing ash off his coat. "Not bad, but too wild. You lack refinement."
Lencar coughed once, his eyes burning with focus.
"Good. Then teach me."
He shot forward again—chains erupting from his arm while a layer of fire magic coated them, fusing elements into a blazing net. Lotus reacted by dissolving into smoke, reforming behind him.
"Predictable—"
"[Spatial Magic: Shift Field]!"
The environment twisted mid-sentence, pulling Lotus several meters forward. Lencar appeared above him, palm outstretched. "Try this!"
"[Composite Magic: Wind-Flame Cannon]!"
A blinding torrent of burning wind shot downward, engulfing Lotus completely. The explosion rocked the dungeon, shaking loose dust and stone.
When the smoke cleared, Lotus was kneeling, coughing, his coat half burned and ash swirling erratically.
He looked up at Lencar and laughed softly. "You're not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
"Still conscious," Lencar said, landing lightly on his feet. "Good. I'm not done yet."
They fought for several minutes more—Lencar adapting with each movement. His body learned the rhythm of combat: when to push, when to feint, when to breathe. The clash of ash and flame turned the dungeon's corridors into a battlefield of smoke and light.
But soon, Lotus's movements slowed. His mana signature was faltering.
Lencar stopped attacking and raised his hand. "You've fought well. But this is my win."
He cast [Chain Magic: Restraint Bind], trapping the weakened general in glowing bands before stepping forward. Lotus tried to lift his grimoire, but his strength failed.
"Go ahead," Lotus said quietly, panting. "If you're going to kill me, do it fast."
Lencar shook his head. "No. I don't need your life."
He opened his own grimoire — its blank pages shimmering ominously — and pressed it against Lotus's open one.
> "[Absolute Replication]."
Mana roared between them, a flood of magical data rushing into Lencar's body. Ash magic, its principles, its patterns — everything burned through his consciousness. The overload nearly made him collapse, but he forced himself to stabilize it, drawing in the new energy with a grimace.
When he finally withdrew, Lotus slumped forward, unconscious but alive.
Lencar took a long breath, closing his eyes. The mana within him surged violently — then settled.
A new page formed in his grimoire, black runes etched in grey mist:
[Ash Magic]
Beneath it:
[Ash Magic: Grey Coffin], [Ash Magic: Smoke Curtain], [Ash Magic: Ash Mirage Field].
His magic flared briefly — vast and deep.
His mana capacity had risen sharply, solidifying into Stage 3.
He smiled faintly. "Not bad. That was exactly the experience I needed."
He looked down at Lotus's unconscious form. "Don't worry, old man. You'll wake up with your grimoire just fine."
He tore a blank spell page from his own book, murmuring:
> "[Reverse Replication]."
The air shimmered, and Lotus's grimoire was reformed perfectly — the same cover, same runes — before falling gently onto the general's chest.
Lencar stood, stretching his arm. The dungeon was silent again, save for the faint hiss of dispersing ash.
"Stage 3," he murmured. "Now we're getting somewhere."
He turned deeper into the dungeon, where the true treasure chamber awaited — his next objective. But as he walked, a small, amused smile tugged at his lips.
> "You were right, Rebecca. I do have a habit of blowing things up."