Gerald took a hit from one of the rock elementals. He flew through the air, and Arianna immediately sent a heal after him. His arm had definitely broken when he used it to block the blow.

Arianna itched to use her shields, but she held herself back. Jumping into the fight now might confuse the team. They were all strong individually, but she still needed to learn their rhythms, how they reacted, how they trusted her, how they'd handle a healer who also fought. For now, she focused on healing as Bryce had instructed.

Someone else went flying. This time Bryce. She healed him as well, and he returned to the fight without a second's hesitation.

Faith stood beside her, loosing arrow after arrow. Her wind element cut through the rock elementals cleanly. Zara, using water, struggled to land strong damage, so she shifted to clever distraction shots, blasting water into joints and cracks to weaken defences and help out the front line. Ubau, a wind mage, sliced through the rock monsters like they were clay with his wind cutters. Tracey, a fire mage variant of some kind, made less progress, but she attacked with the relentless fury of a wildfire.

The warriors fought one-on-one against the elementals, who hit like a battering ram. Bones snapped again and again, but Arianna healed every single one, letting them fight without pause. Bryce, Gerald, Ines, and Walter slowly whittled down their opponents, while Cassis' fire blade grew so hot it slid through stone as if it were butter. Elemental after elemental fell, crumbling to dust.

Just how had they gotten into this situation? They had been moving toward the mountain, dealing with smaller monsters along the way. But as the terrain turned to bare stone and the last tree faded behind them, Cassis began to look… off. Tense. Wrong. When she'd asked him about it, he'd given weak excuses, and worry still gnawed at her.

Then the rocks themselves came to life. A rock for a head on top of a bigger rock, which was the torso. The arms, all three or four of them, were made of some more rocks, the joints made of mana. The monsters had no legs; instead, they floated at chest height.

No one, not Cassis, not Arianna, not a single other teammate, had sensed anything before it happened. Arianna's awareness only flickered a split-second before, a faint pulse of mana that she couldn't tell was natural or hostile. But given where they were, she doubted it was an accident. Something had awakened these elementals.

And now they fought.

To their credit, this team held beautifully. Not a single monster slipped past the front lines. If one did, Arianna could fight too, but for now, she stayed back, healing. It wasn't difficult work, just mana-intensive, with warriors scattered across such a wide range. Fortunately, this E-rank dungeon was rich with mana. Thanks to her pattern, mana flowed in almost effortlessly. It was far easier than outside, where the mana felt sluggish.

If this were what the world would feel like after the second wave… Arianna almost looked forward to it. The mana here was invigorating. She had never felt so alive.

But then more people would die, so she hoped they had some more time before the second wave started. Still, she kind of looked forward to feeling this mana density the whole time. What would even higher-ranked dungeons feel like?

She healed Ines again, both arms broken from blocking a massive hammer-strike. The team was taking more and more risks now, knowing she could fix it. And she did.

But… she wished she could join the fray. She longed for the clash of battle, for movement and force and purpose, not this waiting in the back, passing time with healing.

It felt so dull.

So passive.

This was so different from what she had grown used to fighting with her own teams from her community. Maybe she could ask Bryce if she could fight at the next break. They'd definitely rest after this fight.

But the fight dragged on. Again and again, new rock elementals broke free from the surrounding stone. The uneasy feeling returned, like something was deliberately using these creatures to wear them down. What if this was never-ending?

Arianna leaned toward Zara. "Can you keep an eye on the fight and tell me if someone needs healing?"

Zara nodded, though confusion flickered in her eyes. "Why? Do you need to meditate?"

"No. I'm meditating already. The mana is flowing beautifully in this dungeon."

Zara's brows shot up. "You're meditating right now? You'll have to teach me that."

"Sure."

"Then why do you need me to watch?"

"I think something is creating these elementals. Every time a new wave rises, I feel a faint pulse of mana. I want to trace it."

Understanding dawned. "Alright. How do I get your attention?"

"Just tell me who needs healing and what's wrong. I don't want to break my focus."

Zara gave her an odd look but agreed.

Arianna drew a deep breath and sank into the Stealth Weave. Awareness hadn't shown her anything, so she turned to the technique Helen taught her. She was only Beginner rank in Stealth, but she might spot something subtle in the weave.

The world dimmed. Colours muted, sound softened, and her presence faded until she felt like a shadow among shadows. Meanwhile, the presence of others glowed like lanterns in the dark. Front-line warriors, rangers, mages, every living person shimmered.

The rock elementals, however… barely existed. They were monsters recognized by the system since they granted experience, but compared to living beings, they felt almost inert, like animated stone rather than true creatures.

"Dan. Probably a broken rib."

Zara's voice echoed from far away, but Arianna heard it clearly. She healed Bryce automatically, her focus fixed on the weave.

She watched the battle unfold. When their group finally shattered enough elementals, another wave surged from the mountainside, and this time the foreign mana rippled through the weave, sharp and hostile.

There. A direction. A signature.

She hadn't located the exact source yet, but she had a trail to follow.

She held the weave, healing as needed while tracking the strange mana. When the next lull came and the hostile pulse revived the stone figures once more, she pinpointed it. The mana had originated further up the slope, just out of sight around a bend.

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Finally.

She said over the party chat. "Something is creating these rock elementals. The mana is coming from up ahead, around the curve."

Cassis reacted instantly. He bisected the elemental in front of him and sprinted toward the source without hesitation.

Arianna's first instinct was to sprint after Cassis, but she forced herself to stay. Responsibility anchored her. She was the cleric. Her job was to keep everyone alive. Still, the role chafed harder than it had in a long time.

Ines, freed from her last opponent, didn't hesitate; she bolted after Cassis. The remaining warriors shifted closer, forming a tight protective ring around the backline as the fight continued.

Then Cassis' voice ripped through the party chat.

"Arianna—heal Ines, now!"

A spike of alarm shot through her. She didn't know what happened, but she immediately sent a full-body heal to Ines's presence. Distance and uncertainty cost her dearly; almost all her mana vanished in an instant. She poured everything into the heal, not daring to hold back, knowing that even at that moment, new mana was flowing into her thanks to her pattern. Though she did feel a brief flash of mana depletion.

Bryce's tone was clipped and sharp. "Cassis, report."

"D-rank monster," he answered, breath ragged. "It's called Puppet Master. I only saw it briefly before it disappeared from sight. Attacks with invisible strings, then tangles you up and tries to control you. It's using other monsters as puppets. One nearly killed Ines. She's stable now, but we need the full team."

Arianna glanced at the battlefield. The rock elementals were still swarming, just as numerous as when they'd started.

Ubau spoke up, voice grim but determined. "I can use my Whirlwind spell to blow them away. It'll clear a path to Cassis. But I'll hit mana depletion, so someone will have to carry me."

Ah. So that was why he'd held back until now.

Bryce didn't hesitate. "Do it."

Tracey stepped forward instantly. "I'll carry him."

Under normal circumstances, the idea of petite Tracey hauling massive, muscle-stacked Ubau was absurd. But mana changed everything, and Tracey, freshly E-rank, had strength humming beneath her frame.

The moment they had a plan, Ubau unleashed his skill. Arianna expected a tornado, but instead a corridor carved itself through the battlefield, walls made of roaring wind. Any rock elemental that stepped too close was flung violently aside, hurled across the mountainside like pebbles.

It was beautiful. Terrifying. Effective.

As soon as the corridor materialised, Ubau collapsed. Tracey caught him smoothly and sprinted forward.

Warriors led the charge, then paused just long enough for the mages and rangers to close in before pushing ahead again. The whirlwind wouldn't last long. But they only needed thirty seconds. Thirty seconds to reach Cassis and Ines.

They burst around the bend, and chaos greeted them.

Cassis and Ines stood blood-streaked and battered, surrounded by a nightmare mix of creatures: monkeys with glassy eyes and twisted limbs, thunderbirds crackling with lightning, more rock elementals, and others controlled by invisible strings.

Arianna couldn't believe she hadn't sensed all these monsters, neither with Awareness nor through the Stealth Weave. Could they all have such faint presences? A quick scan through the weave confirmed it: the monsters controlled by the Puppet Master barely registered. Just like the rock elementals below, like hollow shells, not truly alive.

But then she saw something she hadn't seen before.

The Puppet Master.

It appeared as a shadowy silhouette with glowing yellow eyes. Thin, thread-like tendrils extended from its body, connecting to every creature under its control. Its presence was faint and shrouded, the mark of a being using stealth to move and act unseen.

"Everyone, be ready to attack as soon as you see the Puppet Master. Focus on that target," Bryce ordered.

Arianna quickly formed a small water barrier around Ubau, shielding him while he recovered from mana depletion. He muttered a tired thanks and sat cross-legged, forcing himself into meditation.

Arianna could see the Puppet Master, but none of the others could, not even the rangers. Not even Cassis.

They were fighting blind.

So, she didn't hesitate. She gripped her mace and sprinted straight toward the hidden threat.

"I can see it! Follow me!" she called over party chat.

She didn't wait for Bryce's approval, because he would've told her to stay back and stick to healing. But this time, she could actually do something.

Bryce and Cassis immediately flanked her, while the other warriors stayed behind to protect the backline. Arrows and spells shot past them, covering their advance. Bryce didn't look thrilled, but he said nothing, too focused on the threat ahead.

And then they were there, right in front of the Puppet Master.

Arianna used Bludgeon, her mace swinging with crackling force. The blow landed square in the creature's abdomen. It didn't even try to dodge.

Why…?

Then she noticed something: the controlled monsters had stopped moving. Frozen mid-strike.

So that was it. The Puppet Master had to remain stationary to use its ability.

The moment it focused on control, it couldn't move.

Finally, Bryce and Cassis could see it too; its stealth no longer masking it now that Arianna had broken its concentration.

They attacked at once. Cassis with his blazing fire blade, Bryce with cutting wind arcs across his sword. Arianna followed with a Water Lance, then struck again with Bludgeon.

The thing didn't scream; it made no sound at all, but its shadowy tendrils flailed, focusing on its puppets again. More monsters hurled themselves toward Arianna, but she snapped Water Shields into place, repelling them, then launched more lances into the creature's shifting form.

Cassis slashed deep, flames roaring. Bryce's wind carved through the shadows.

And then—

Everything stopped.

Every monster collapsed at once, hitting the ground like discarded dolls. The Puppet Master froze, its form flickering before dissolving into smoke and dust.

The system notification appeared:

[Puppet Master (D-rank) defeated. Exp gained.]

It hadn't been strong in the traditional sense. But its stealth, control, and battlefield manipulation had been terrifying.

Arianna exhaled shakily, adrenaline still surging through her veins.

They'd survived. But only because she'd learned stealth. None of the rangers had the skill. Only Helen, in her persistence to become an assassin, had learned that skill.

Relief flooded Arianna. She turned to Cassis with a wide smile, only to be intercepted by an angry Bryce.

"Why did you leave the formation?" he snapped. "You're a healer. You stay back. Charging into battle like that is reckless. You could've just told us where the Puppet Master was."

Arianna blinked, taken aback. She had never seen Bryce lose his composure. She raised her hands slightly. "But I knew I could fight it. It wasn't really that dangerous."

That only made him angrier, jaw tightening.

Cassis stepped forward immediately, voice cool. "I understand your point, but Arianna isn't a pure cleric. She's a cleric-warrior hybrid. She's stronger than a typical healer and can hold a frontline."

Bryce exhaled sharply, the edge in his posture easing, but not the frustration.

"That doesn't matter. This time it worked out." He offered Arianna a small smile before his expression hardened again. "But what about next time? We are a team. Every member has a role, and yours is to be our cleric. If we can't rely on you to do that role, people could die."

Arianna swallowed. It stung, but she understood. Softly, Bryce continued, "You're our only healer. What if you get incapacitated?"

She grimaced. Cassis could always give her a potion… but she couldn't exactly say that. And now that she thought about it. Why hadn't she seen any posts online about patron-granted healing potions? Were the deities not choosing avatars yet? She really needed to check the patron chat soon. She wanted to know about possible healing applications and if other deities had already taken avatars.

But right now, this moment mattered.

She bowed her head slightly. "Alright. I'll do better next time."

Bryce nodded. "Good."

Cassis rubbed her shoulder, sensing her disappointment.

It didn't last long. Faith barrelled into her, hugging her tight.

"My heart almost stopped when you ran in like that!" she protested, voice shaking with relief. "F-rank is one thing, but E-ranks? Please don't try to give me a heart attack." In a whisper she added, "Don't be mad at Uncle Dan. He just worries. You looked totally suicidal for a cleric."

Arianna sighed. "Alright."

Then the others reached her.

Gerald punched her lightly in the upper arm. "I feel immortal with you around. I get stabbed and, poof, good as new. It's insane."

Walter nodded eagerly. "It's like those myths about undying armies. No matter how they fall, they rise again. That's what it feels like."

Ines chimed in, "And you healed me even though you couldn't see me."

Ubau arrived last, still pale, catching the tail end. "Yeah, that must've burned a ridiculous amount of mana. How did you even keep going?" There was curiosity, and a touch of envy.

Since she knew he had to feel terrible about his own spell bringing him to mana depletion, Arianna answered honestly, "It almost wiped me out. But I meditate constantly. Even now. New mana flows in the moment I spend it."

Ubau stared at her like she'd revealed divine truth. Then he leaned in, hungry to learn.

Before questions could explode, Bryce clapped his hands, looking suddenly drained.

"Break time. Recover mana, recover stamina. Then we continue. The Hoarder is next."

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