Ch. 161Extra: Reunion

Lucina waited with Lia in the fog, worrying that Clinton and the others might be in danger and reflecting on how she had fallen in love with Clinton. She told Lia about her feelings and began explaining how he had taught her that she did not have to face every problem alone.

  • Lucina decided to stay with Lia rather than risk searching for the others after using much of her mana.
  • As time passed without the group returning, Lucina feared that Clinton and the others might have been lost, though she still trusted Clinton to find a way through danger.
  • Lucina recalled realizing she loved Clinton and how his calm support made her feel safe.
  • Lia noticed Lucina was troubled, and Lucina admitted she was thinking about someone she liked.
  • Lucina asked Lia what it felt like for an Elf to fall in love, then shared how Clinton had taught her that teammates could rely on one another.

Ch. 162Side Story: Is This What Being in Love Feels Like?

Lucina told Lia that she had fallen in love with Clinton, prompting Lia to wonder whether her own happiness around Galan meant she liked him. When Galan emerged from the fog, Lia ran toward him despite Lucina’s warning to wait.

  • Lucina recounted how Clinton had looked after her and admitted to Lia that she had fallen in love with him.
  • Lucina wondered whether Clinton liked her and considered confessing her feelings after they returned.
  • Lia reflected on Galan’s promise to teach her about love and wondered whether her happiness when he helped her meant she liked him.
  • Lucina sensed someone in the fog and activated her Lightning Cage while warning the unseen figure to identify itself.
  • Galan called out to Lia and emerged from the fog, and Lia ran toward him as Lucina watched helplessly.

Ch. 163Side story: Sincere feelings

Galan reunited with Lia and vowed not to bring her into danger again, while Lucina comforted Clinton after Wallace’s death. The chapter ended with Lucina recognizing that Clinton would blame himself for Wallace’s death and wanting to help ease his burden.

  • Galan reunited with Lia, learned that Lucina had protected her from enemies, and realized the disturbance in the dense fog had come from Lucina’s copy.
  • Galan told Lia he would never again take her to a dangerous place, and Lia obediently agreed.
  • Clinton told Lucina that Wallace had been killed during the ambush and blamed himself for what had happened.
  • Lucina embraced Clinton and reminded him that he could rely on his teammates instead of carrying his troubles alone.
  • Lucina understood that Clinton would blame himself for Wallace’s death and wanted to help him bear the burden.

Ch. 164Side Story: Choice

After Lucina comforted Clinton, he recognized her feelings and embraced her in return. Galan then presented the party with the choice of pursuing the Water Mirror Demon's true body or retracing their steps, while privately favoring retreat.

  • Lucina reassured Clinton, and he thanked her by pulling her into an embrace.
  • Pass watched Clinton and Lucina affectionately, stunned by their closeness.
  • Galan and Lia arrived, and Galan urged the group to discuss their next move.
  • Galan outlined the options of finding and destroying the Water Mirror Demon's true body or trying to return along their original route.
  • Galan privately preferred retreat because the Dungeon seemed unusually dangerous and he wanted to keep Lia safe.

Ch. 165Side Story: An Accident

Clinton decided to abandon the Dungeon and led the group back through the fog, following the route Galan had taught him. As they walked, Galan began to suspect they were drifting farther from their original path.

  • Clinton chose to turn back rather than risk more casualties, and Lucina, Galan, and Pass agreed.
  • Clinton led the group through the fog using the method Galan had devised to find them.
  • Lucina learned from Clinton that Galan had saved him and Pass from danger.
  • Galan told Lia he would never bring her to another Dungeon and said he needed to find her a magic teacher.
  • After walking through the fog for a long time, Galan sensed that the group was moving farther from their original route.

Ch. 166Side Story: Losing Their Way

Galan and his companions realized they were lost in an unfamiliar part of the Dungeon, where an uncanny fog obscured their senses. After the fog attacked Lucina, Galan suspected a monster controlled it, and Lucina recalled an ancient account of a similar creature in the north.

  • Galan questioned whether Clinton had led the group off course as the fog thickened and their surroundings grew strange.
  • Lucina realized she and Lia had strayed from their original route while fighting her copy, leaving the group lost in the Dungeon.
  • Clinton struck and destroyed a mass of fog that lunged at Lucina.
  • Galan suspected a monster was controlling the fog and asked the others whether they knew of such a creature.
  • Lucina recalled an ancient book describing a northern monster that released fog to confuse humans and was less aggressive than other monsters.

Ch. 167Side Story: Testing the Waters

Galan and the others tracked the fog monster by provoking it, then followed the direction of its first attack until it revealed itself as a towering Fog Giant. Lucina identified the giant as a summoned physical form, and Clinton launched the first strike as it was still forming.

  • Galan reasoned that the monster had attacked because the group came close to its hiding place, and Clinton agreed that its attacks could help them find it.
  • The group spread out and probed in every direction, but the monster stayed hidden after its first attack.
  • Galan led the others toward the direction of that first attack, and they pressed on despite the growing pressure from the surrounding environment.
  • The fog retreated and formed a Fog Giant more than ten meters tall, which Lucina identified as a summoned body rather than the monster's true form.
  • Clinton rushed the still-forming giant and struck at its feet with his flame-imbued longsword.

Ch. 168Side story: Clearing the fog

Clinton, Pass, and Lucina kept the mist giant occupied while Galan worked out how to locate the monster controlling it. After Galan and Lucina’s group found the monster’s main body, the giant abandoned its fight and charged toward them.

  • The mist giant trapped Clinton in its hand, but Lucina blasted its shoulders and freed him.
  • Pass joined Clinton in wearing down the giant while Galan stayed back, reasoning that they had to find the monster controlling it.
  • Galan told Lucina and Lia to probe the fog as they had before, expecting the monster to react to protect its main body.
  • As Galan and Lucina’s group widened their search, the giant abruptly broke away from Clinton and Pass and charged toward them.
  • Pass realized the group had found the monster’s main body, and he and Clinton moved to stop the giant from interfering.

Ch. 169Extra: Fallen King's Tomb, part 1

Galan, Lucina, and Lia found the Fog Giant’s hidden chamber after Clinton and Pass held it back, and Lucina unleashed powerful lightning magic into the room. The fog vanished and did not return, though the chamber’s contents and the monster’s fate remained unclear.

  • Clinton and Pass cut off the Fog Giant’s legs, bringing it crashing down while Galan, Lucina, and Lia ran ahead into the fog.
  • Galan stopped to let Lia and Lucina catch their breath, then searched the dead-end passage and found a hidden switch in a totem-covered pillar.
  • Galan opened a concealed doorway and discovered a fog-filled chamber where the monster was hiding.
  • Galan asked Lucina to attack from outside the chamber, and she released Lightning of Destruction despite being unable to locate the monster through the fog.
  • Lucina’s lightning swept the fog from the chamber, and the fog did not gather again.

Ch. 170Side story: Fallen King's Tomb, part 2

After Lucina destroyed the monster and cleared the fog, the group explored the Hidden Chamber and found ancient writing. Lucina identified the Dungeon as the Fallen King's Tomb, though Galan could not recall where he had heard the name.

  • Lucina's lightning attack destroyed the monster, and the fog in the chamber and corridor dissipated.
  • Galan, Lia, and Lucina explored the chamber's carvings, statues, and other remnants.
  • Lia found ancient writing on a gold plate, but Galan could read only a little of it.
  • Lucina examined the writing and noted that it came from different periods, but could not translate most of it.
  • Lucina learned that the Dungeon was called the Fallen King's Tomb, and Galan said the name sounded familiar.

Ch. 171Side story: The great evacuation

Galan teased Lia while Lucina wondered about her feelings for Clinton, but the group was forced to flee when the Dungeon’s Dense Fog vanished and revealed numerous Copies. Clinton feared their party was the only one still alive in the Fallen King’s Tomb.

  • Galan smiled at Lia and teased her, while Lucina watched them and wondered whether humans and elves could have a future together.
  • Clinton and Pass arrived at the Hidden Chamber and urged Galan, Lia, and Lucina to leave immediately.
  • With the Dense Fog gone, Lucina detected a vast number of mana signatures and suspected they belonged to Copies of the adventurers.
  • Clinton explained that he and Pass had defeated three Copies and then spotted more appearing throughout the Dungeon.
  • Clinton led the group toward an escape route, warning that the Copies could find them more easily and that no reinforcements might remain.

Ch. 172Side Story: Reset

Lucina’s group discovered that four Copies had tracked them through the Dungeon and chose to confront them after they blasted through a wall. The Copies emerged unharmed, and Lucina realized one of them had blocked her attack.

  • Lucina detected four approaching magical signatures and warned Galan and the others that a group of Copies had found them.
  • Galan and Lucina suspected one of the pursuers was a Mage skilled in Magic Detection.
  • The Copies blasted open a wall beside the group, and Lucina immediately struck the hole with Lightning-Piercing Magic.
  • Clinton and Pass rejoined the others, and the group prepared to fight instead of continuing to flee.
  • Two men and two women emerged from the dust without injuries, and Lucina realized their Mage had blocked her spell.

Ch. 173Side story: A meeting on a narrow road

Galan and the others confronted the Water Mirror Demon’s Copies, and Galan stepped in to protect Lucina when the warriors attacked. He split the fight between himself and Clinton and Pass, leaving them to face the stronger Copy together.

  • Lucina worried that her depleted magic power would not be enough to fight the enemy Mages, and Galan promised to help her.
  • Clinton recognized the Copy on the left as a swordsman who had defeated him at least five times before.
  • The two Copies charged at Lucina, but Galan pulled her behind him and blocked both warriors with his Alchemy Longsword.
  • Galan kicked one Copy toward Clinton and Pass, then engaged the other himself.
  • Clinton and Pass faced the stronger Copy together while Galan held off the remaining one.

Ch. 174Side Story: A Fierce Battle

Clinton and Pass fought the Copy, but its speed and strength made it difficult to injure. Clinton pushed past his hesitation and launched a fierce attack, hoping to defeat it himself and grow stronger.

  • Clinton dodged the Copy's attacks while Pass tried and failed to land a damaging axe strike.
  • Clinton refused Pass's offer to take over and told him to keep looking for an opening.
  • Clinton charged again and unleashed his full swordsmanship, forcing the Copy to focus on him.
  • Clinton reached his limit of speed, surrounded the Copy with afterimages, and seized an opening to strike.
  • Clinton confronted his lingering fear of the Copy and resolved to overcome it through the battle.

Ch. 175Extra: Pincer Attack

Clinton and Pass struggled against the Copy, whose speed and skill exceeded theirs. They tried to reposition for a pincer attack, leaving the fight poised for their next move.

  • Clinton struck at the back of the Copy's head, but it blocked him and counterattacked, wounding him.
  • Pass joined the fight, and he and Clinton barely held off the Copy's relentless assault while Pass was wounded in the shoulder.
  • Clinton and Pass attacked the Copy from opposite sides, but it rolled away and cut Pass's leg.
  • Clinton admitted he had never defeated the original, and Pass acknowledged the Copy was stronger than both of them.
  • Clinton warned Pass not to risk his life and proposed they circle behind the Copy to attack from both sides.
  • Clinton advanced while Pass moved in another direction, and the Copy mistook their maneuver for another direct flanking attack.

Ch. 176Extra: First Kill

Clinton and Pass worked together to defeat the Copy, though Clinton was badly wounded in the fight. After sending Pass to help Lucina and the others, Galan continued facing his own Copy.

  • Clinton fought the Copy with concealed sword techniques but was gradually overwhelmed by its speed and attacks.
  • Clinton pinned the Copy's weapon in place, creating an opening for Pass to strike its head with his axe and shatter it.
  • Pass rushed to check Clinton's wounds, but Clinton insisted he was still alive and ordered Pass to help Lucina and the others.
  • Galan stayed calm as he faced his Copy, waiting for it to attack so he could counter.

Ch. 177Side Story: Subduing the Enemy

Galan fought and defeated a Copy that matched his strength but lacked his speed, using his short sword, footwork, and combat instincts. Afterward, he reflected that he had grown rusty while focusing on potions, Lia, and magic, and he still needed to help Lucina and the others.

  • Galan worried about Lucina facing two Mages and about Clinton and the others fighting another Copy, then resolved to defeat his own opponent quickly.
  • Galan used his speed to attack the Copy, but it blocked his blows through instinctive anticipation; he drew a short sword and wounded its thigh.
  • Galan pressed the Copy with another attack, anticipated its evasive reflex, and kicked its head onto his blade, breaking its neck and defeating it.
  • Galan dismissed the Mana Particles and admitted that he had regressed in his combat skills after rarely practicing them.

Ch. 178Side Story: Help

Lucina struggled to defend herself and Lia against two Fire Mages, while Lia used her own mana to strengthen their protection. As Lia neared collapse and Lucina prepared to stop her spellcasting, a familiar figure hurried toward them.

  • Two expressionless Copies combined their Fire magic into a powerful attack that strained Lucina’s Defensive Magic.
  • Lia added a Mana Barrier, easing the pressure on Lucina’s defense.
  • Lucina realized Lia was rapidly exhausting her mana and warned her to stop before she harmed herself.
  • Lia insisted Galan would return to save them, but she grew weaker and began to sway.
  • Lucina prepared a spell to put Lia to sleep when a familiar figure appeared around a nearby corner.

Ch. 179Extra: Coming to the Rescue

Galan arrived to help Lucina and Lia, but the Copies’ powerful combined magic kept him from reaching them. He charged through their wall of flames to close the distance, leaving the fight unresolved.

  • Galan arrived as the Copies redirected their Fire Phoenix attack toward him.
  • Lucina tried to strike the Copies with a lightning beam, but an unseen barrier blocked it.
  • Galan dodged the Fire Phoenix while the Copies used flames to block his escape routes and prevent him from approaching.
  • Galan decided to charge through the flames, using his Alchemy Longsword to disperse some of the fire as he rushed toward the Copies.

Ch. 180Side Story: The End

Galan defeated the two Copies by exploiting the limits of their protective Magic Item and the rigid [Fire Phoenix] spell. He reunited with Lucina and Lia, learning that Lia had nearly run out of mana.

  • Lucina warned Galan that the Copies carried a self-activating protective Magic Item.
  • Galan attacked the Copies, but their shield blocked his longsword as the [Fire Phoenix] closed in.
  • Galan maneuvered behind the Copies, using their shield to shelter himself from the flames.
  • Galan escaped around a corner, then returned and struck until the shield collapsed.
  • Galan cut down both Copies and joined Lucina and Lia, who said Lia had nearly passed out from mana depletion.
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Page 9 of 13