The troll wasn't just waiting for them to finish planning. It approached with great steps that shook the ground, made heavier by the increased gravity of the floor. And then it swung its weapons down, aiming to crush them both.

The air whistled around the massive weapon as it descended, promising devastation on impact. Anny moved into position, raising her troll-skull shield above her head to intercept the blow.

BOOM!

The force of the impact shook the entire chamber. Anny's shield held firm, but her entire lower body sank into the ground under the tremendous pressure. The stone floor gave way beneath her like she was standing atop a giant cookie, cracking and shattering into pieces.

Nova suspected that would happen, and had to jump back to avoid the hit. The mallet crashed into the ground where he had stood moments before, leaving a crater in the stone floor.

"I'm sure you considered that the ground isn't perfectly solid, right?" Nova called out, unable to resist the jab.

Anny shot him a glare over her shoulder, but her flushed cheeks made it less imposing. "Shut up! It's just because I'm small!"

She pushed with all her strength, freeing herself from the indentation in the ground. Stone cracked and split as she extracted her legs from the crater.

Without missing a beat, she darted toward the troll. The guardian turned its attention to her, readying another swing of its enormous weapon.

"You can close your eyes or whatever now, I'll take care of the rest!" Anny shouted as she dodged another crushing blow. The mallet smashed into a pillar, shattering stone and sending fragments flying across the arena.

"I trust you," Nova replied, half jokingly. He knew she was more than capable of dealing with it on her own.

With the troll's attention firmly on Anny, Nova centered himself and raised his arms forward. His eyes closed in concentration as he channeled his essence, once again attempting the spell he had tried to use against the Outland Troll Gragh. The incantation formed in his mind, carrying power and intent.

'O' Gaia, thine earth of plenty and life. Grant me the strength to vanquish my foes through thy hand.'

The ground before him trembled, then split open. A massive boulder rose from the earth, nearly three meters in diameter, trailing dirt and smaller rocks as it emerged. It hovered before him, suspended by his will and essence. As he focused his concentration, parts of the boulder began falling away, revealing a more aerodynamic shape beneath—a massive spear of solid stone.

In the background, Anny continued her dance with the troll guardian. She leapt and rolled, drawing the creature in circles around the arena, staying just out of reach of its devastating weapon. Each time the mallet struck the ground, the entire chamber shuddered from the impact.

'Give unto us the bright and the mighty metals, and let my foes back into your embrace.'

The stone projectile started spinning, faster and faster until it became a blur of motion. As it spun, it compressed inward, concentrating into a more deadly form. Flecks of metal—iron, copper, silver—appeared within the stone, strengthening its structure and sharpening its point.

Sweat beaded on Nova's forehead as he channeled more essence into the spell. The air around him distorted with heat as power gathered in the hovering projectile.

Anny glanced over her shoulder, sensing the buildup of energy. Seeing Nova's nearly completed spell, she rolled to the side, moving clear of the troll's bulk.

Nova thrust his hands forward in a sharp, decisive gesture.

'Away!'

The massive projectile suddenly rotated, its point aligning with the troll guardian. For a fraction of a second, it hung motionless in the air—a perfect spear of earth and metal. Then it burst forward with incredible speed, crossing the distance to its target faster than the eye could follow.

The troll had no time to react. One moment it stood, mallet raised for another attack, and the next, the stone spear had punched through its chest with devastating force. The impact was catastrophic, ripping through muscle, bone, and organ alike. The guardian's body exploded outward from the point of impact, spraying the chamber with gore and fragments.

It was like watching a normal human being hit by a large cannonball. Not a pretty sight.

The troll's remains crashed to the ground, its weapon clattering beside what was left of its massive body. The chamber fell silent except for the soft patter of debris falling back to the floor.

Nova lowered his arms, satisfied at finally seeing the effects of that spell in action.

'It wouldn't have been this strong against Gragh, but it would have ended the battle. Good thing this guy didn't interrupt it with a shout.'

[You have learned the skill: Gaia's Spear of Rock (Master - 91%) {Grade 6}]

[As you concentrate your essence on the prayer, a boulder will rise from the earth and prepare to attack. Once you finish the prayer, the spear of rock will fly toward your enemies. Due to borrowing power from the earth, the essence used is minimal.]

As if on cue, a blue message manifested in the air, glowing with the now-familiar light of the dungeon system.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

[Congratulations! You've completed Floor 5!]

[Reward will be evenly split between both party members upon exiting the dungeon.]

[Do you wish to continue to the next floor?]

Anny, who had gotten more troll blood on her armor than she seemed to like, stared daggers at Nova from beside the giant mallet that had fallen to the ground. Msot of her body was now splattered with dark ichor, staining the metal and leather.

"Thanks for keeping him busy!" Nova called across the chamber, unable to hide his satisfaction with the spell's results.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cleaning spell in that stupid brain of yours, would you?" Anny examined her gore-covered armor with disgust, flicking chunks of troll from her shield.

"Oh, more than one. But the simpler ones require a bit of water," Nova replied, surveying the splatter pattern across her armor. Blood had already begun to dry in some places, forming dark crusts against the metal.

"Then don't make it a simple one." Anny's voice left no room for argument as she gestured impatiently at her ruined equipment.

Nova considered for a moment, mentally cycling through his repertoire of cleaning spells. "Mmh, the other ones aren't very comfortable."

"No one has ever accused you of being comfortable to be around, have they?" The barb carried a hint of their usual banter, suggesting her mood might be improving.

Nova raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'll see what I can do, Princess."

He waved his hands through the air, leaving faint runes glowing in their path. The formation comprised at least thirty different runes, each one precisely positioned.

Nova sent a burst of essence through it, holding his hand toward Anny. The spell started working instantly.

The blood started peeling off of her armor, starting with the helmet and working its way down. The dark fluid crystalized into tiny shards that detached from the surface, floating away before disintegrating into dust. The spell moved methodically, cleaning each section of armor in sequence.

Anny shuddered a bit as it passed her face, grimacing beneath the helmet. Her skin prickled visibly as the magic worked. "Ugh, it feels like it's peeling a layer of skin away."

"It's very thorough," Nova agreed, moving his hand downward to direct the spell's progress. The magic followed his guidance, working its way down her breastplate. "The spell doesn't differentiate well between organic substances, so it treats everything it touches with equal... intensity."

Once he reached her belt, she put her arms up toward his chest, halting his motion. "Stop! It's fine now." Her tone carried a note of discomfort that suggested the spell's sensation was becoming unbearable.

Nova did as she asked, understanding her hesitance. Despite its usefulness, he had used that spell on himself only once. The memory of his skin crawling as if covered in insects remained unpleasantly vivid.

Anny looked down at her half-clean armor, examining the division between the pristine upper half and the still blood-spattered lower sections. "That will do for now..."

"If we find another fountain, I can get the rest out without any discomfort," Nova offered, letting the remaining essence dissipate from his fingertips. "Water-based cleaning is much gentler."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." She brushed at her armor with one hand, dislodging a few remaining crystallized specks.

The chamber had grown quiet after the violence of their battle, with only the occasional plink of water dripping somewhere in the distance.

"We're making good progress," Anny said, breaking the silence. She rolled her shoulders, working out the tension from the fight. "Do you think we should do another one before resting?"

"Yeah, we should..." Nova began, then his expression darkened as he calculated the challenges ahead. There was still no response from his ring. "If Millie is beyond level seven, I think we need to rest and forge better equipment for each floor. We should be able to beat floor seven like we are now, but eight..."

"You're worried that we won't be strong enough?" Anny studied his face, reading the concern written there.

"Yes." Nova nodded grimly. "The monsters on level seven will have about twenty thousand Soul Power on average. That's manageable. But level eight would be seventy thousand, which we only beat in physical aspects. Nine would be two hundred thousand, and ten would be over half a million." He traced calculations in the air absently as he spoke. "Even with our preparation, we'd need to be extremely careful."

Anny considered this, looking down at her hands. In the chamber's dim light, faint striping was visible beneath her skin—a remnant of her recent beast cultivation breakthrough. "...So, ideally, I would reach the next tier of my unique trait?"

"That would probably help a lot. You need ninety thousand Soul Power?" Nova asked, calculating what they would need to progress safely.

"Yeah. That unlocks a bunch of new beasts, all stronger than the ones I have now—other than the drake." Anny flexed her fingers, examining the subtle changes that had manifested since her transformation.

"Hmm… I would need fifty thousand to get to the next fragment. I'm not sure how strong that one will be, though." Nova leaned against a nearby pillar, folding his arms as he recalled memories from a life long past.

"How so?" Anny moved closer, looking like she was trying to recall something. "That's when you were… a king, right?"

"That's the one. I had power, but not so much that I could win wars single-handedly. The best bet would likely be to absorb it right away, taking in whatever power it contains." He spoke casually, as if ruling a kingdom was a minor footnote in his long existence.

"Wouldn't the traits be great?"

Nova just shrugged. "Perhaps. It's probably something like the respect trait I already have. And that one doesn't seem to do much, despite the high Soul Power I have now. I only ruled a kingdom."

"I'm sure you're downplaying that." Her tone suggested she didn't believe his modest assessment for a second. She hesitated, then ventured further. "Uhm… What about after your reign?"

"Well, I'd hope the princess at least learned some of my lessons before I died." He smiled briefly as he recalled the stubborn woman he had chosen as his successor. She was hard to teach, but any lessons she took to heart would surely be followed.

"You had children?" *Anny's voice was nearly controlled, but a light quiver betrayed deep emotion. Her shoulders tensed slightly, and her eyes widened despite her attempt at nonchalance.

"Oh, no. My older brother did. I had seven siblings during that life. But none of them were fit to rule. So, for the sake of the people, I took it upon myself." Nova straightened from the pillar, brushing stone dust from his clothes.

"Oh…" Relief flickered across Anny's face, quickly masked by admiration. "That's quite impressive! Taking the crown so effortlessly like that."

"It wasn't a big challenge, only during the early years. I made sure we all had a good relationship, while also making it clear I was the one most fit to rule. Even my father wanted to retire so I could take over." He spoke without pride, stating facts as he remembered them.

"Like I said, impressive!" Anny's tone brightened considerably. She rocked back on her heels, almost bouncing with newfound energy.

Nova studied her for a moment, puzzled by her sudden shift in mood. "...Well, maybe. Should we continue?"

"Sure!" Anny replied with unexpected enthusiasm, already turning toward the passage that would lead them to the next floor. The blood-stained lower half of her armor seemed forgotten now.

'...Was she that afraid of me having had children?'

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