Their hunt led them to a building that looked like a temple, the aura around it felt dangerous, like it would devour them if they entered. They walked towards the temple. It was big, made of dark stone, looked old. The air around it felt heavy and wrong. It was like the place was alive, it didn't want them there.

"This place feels... off," Yenna said while looking around, nervous. The trees around the temple were twisted and dead. It was a big change from the rest of the forest.

"Yeah," Vell said. He could feel the corrupted energy too. "We can't just rush into this like we did with the monsters before, we need to be more careful."

"Careful is boring," Sia said, bouncing on her feet. "Let's go! I wanna see what's inside!"

"Patience, brat," Wren said. She was looking at the temple with her usual blank expression, but Vell could tell she was worried. He didn't know why, but he could feel her emotions, all of them, this was something new to their bond.

Maybe their bond was getting stronger?

"We need a plan," he said. "We can't just run in there. This feels different from the other areas. It's way more dangerous than it seems."

He pulled out the dungeon rank device. "I wonder if this thing can measure specific targets and not just the dungeon." He pressed the button, but nothing happened. He pressed it a few more times, but there was no reaction. "Well, looks like we're on our own."

"Are we really going inside that creepy thing?" Yenna asked, her eyes darting around.

He looked at her. "I'm a little worried too, but we don't have a choice. We came here to clear this dungeon, and that's exactly what we'll do, no matter how hard it might get," he said with a confident smile.

She smiled back, the previous fear completely disappeared. "You're right, let's go!"

He nodded. "Alright, team, we go together, and we leave together." He said as his eyes turned darker, he was still having a hard time controlling his power, this dungeon wasn't making things any easier.

'Ever since those slimes evolved, his personality has completely changed for the better, I like this new side of him way more,' Yenna thought.

He stepped forward, the ground under his feet crunched. He walked towards the huge entrance. It was a giant archway made of the same dark stone. It was dark inside, something was blocking the light.

"Here we go," he said, taking a deep breath. He moved into the temple's entrance, his eyes adjusting to the dark. Yenna and the others followed close behind.

The inside of the temple was even darker. The air was thick. There were no windows, the only light came from the entrance they just came from. The walls were covered with strange symbols and carvings that he couldn't understand.

"It's creepy," Mia whispered, staying close to Sia.

"I like it!" Sia said.

They walked further into the temple. The floor was made of cold stone. It felt slick under their feet. There were no monsters inside, not yet. The silence was broken only by their steps.

"I don't like this." He said, looking around. This place was too quiet. He stopped, sensing something in front of him. "Stop," he commanded.

They stopped immediately.

"What's wrong?" Yenna asked, looking nervous. She had her guard up.

"Something's here," he said, his eyes darting around the room. "I can feel it. It's waiting for us."

A low growl came from the darkness. It was deep and powerful, like the sound of something ancient waking up.

"Get ready," he said, his sword in his hand. He felt his blood pump, his power starting to rise. 'Not again.' His body started to tremble as if he was going to lose control again. 'Ugh, the more I level up, the harder this power gets to control, I need to work on another core soon.'

A large figure emerged from the darkness. It was a monster, but unlike the other monsters they had fought. This one had a huge, twisted body with multiple limbs and a head with jagged horns. It glowed with a faint red light, its eyes were pure black holes.

"What... is that?" Yenna whispered, her voice shaking. She had never seen anything this terrifying.

"Not the boss," he said, his voice low but steady. He tightened his grip on his sword, trying to keep the dark energy at bay. "Just another obstacle. And a big one at that."

He could feel the shift in the air as the creature moved closer. It wasn't just a monster, its presence twisted the very atmosphere of the temple. The red glow pulsed brighter, the black holes in its head seemed to bore into them, causing a chill to run down their spines.

"Wren, keep an eye on Mia and Sia. Yenna, with me," he commanded, taking a step forward, his eyes never leaving the monster. 'This thing is way stronger than the last one I fought.'

The beast let out a roar. It was a sound that seemed to vibrate through their bones, making it hard to stand steady. It moved, each step heavy, the air became thicker, harder to breathe. The floor of the temple cracked under its weight.

Vell moved first. He shot forward, his sword drawn, his movements a blur. He needed to test its defense, find its weaknesses. The monster shifted its huge body, ready to strike with one of its many limbs. The impact sent a shockwave through the air. He barely managed to deflect the attack, the force of it sending him sliding back.

"Woah, damn, this thing hits hard." He jumped back, putting some distance between them. He looked at his sword. It was still in good condition, but he could feel the impact run up his arm.

Yenna charged, launching a flurry of blows with her gauntlets. Her strikes were fast, aimed for the monster's joints and exposed areas, but they did nothing, the monster simply blocked or ignored them with casual ease. The creature growled, swiped a limb at her, sending her flying towards the wall. She managed to stop herself before hitting it. She coughed slightly, looked back at it with a smirk, ready to go again.

Wren, Mia, and Sia moved next, their small bodies a blur of motion, leaping, biting, clawing at the monster's legs. They were fast, but the monster's skin was tough, their attacks doing little more than annoying it. They were working as a team, using their speed and agility to try to keep it distracted.

"We need to find a weak point," he shouted, dodging another one of its many limbs. He went low, aiming for a cut at its legs, but the monster anticipated this, slamming its front limb onto him. He flew, crashed against a wall. The air escaped his lungs as his body screamed in pain.

"Master!" Wren screamed, her concern evident in her voice. She attacked again with more ferocity, using her claws to try to pierce the monster's hide. She moved with a speed that he hadn't seen before.

'She's getting stronger,' he thought, slowly getting to his feet. His shoulder was hurt, but he ignored it, focused on the monster. 'It's not fast, but it's strong. Its defense is high, we're only wearing it down slowly.'

The monster seemed amused by their attacks. It moved in slow and deliberate motions, not putting much effort into defense, but still they couldn't damage it. It seemed like it was playing with them, testing their limits. It opened its mouth wide, releasing a blast of dark energy, forcing them all to scatter.

Yenna barely dodged it, the blast destroyed part of the wall behind her. She cursed under her breath. "Damn it, this thing is on another level." She wiped the sweat from her brow, her face was grim. 'But it's not as strong as the one Vell fought... so why does he look like he's struggling?' She looked at him, concerned.

"Yeah, this might be a problem," he said, wiping blood from his mouth. He was breathing hard, the pain was getting worse. He knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer. He focused, trying to access the real Vell. 'Hey, it's your turn, I've done enough.'

'Not yet, let me see what you have planned first. And I also need to work on something. Keep up the act, you're not bad.' The voice echoed, calm and calculating.

He cursed under his breath. He knew he wasn't as strong as the real Vell, wasn't as creative, his body felt like it was going to break at any given moment. But he couldn't give up, he had to protect the group. He changed his style, focusing on speed and precision. He used Shadow Flicker to move around, trying to find an opening. He was attacking and dodging, but his movements were becoming slower, his body was begging him to stop. He dodged another attack, but this time his legs moved slower.

The monster saw this opening, swiped at him again, hitting him in the chest, sending him to the ground. Blood shot from his mouth as he tumbled on the floor. He looked at his chest, the cut was deep, his mana was slow to heal.

"Master!" Mia cried, her voice full of distress.

"No, stay back!" He gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. He spat out blood, his vision blurring. "This is my fight, you guys just need to stay out of it." He struggled to get back to his feet, using his sword as support. He was breathing heavily, every movement caused his chest to ache more. He was on the verge of passing out. 'Please... not now.'

The monster took a step closer, towering over him. It was ready to finish him, its eyes filled with cold and ruthless intent. It roared, raising one of its clawed limbs for the final blow.

"NO!" Yenna shouted as she ran to stop the monster. She was too slow, she knew it. She closed her eyes, she didn't want to see him die.

The monster's claws came down.

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