Three-Headed Lizard

Shane hummed a little tune as he walked at the front of the party.

He had originally thought this dungeon trip would end in a return with empty hands, but he hadn't expected such a bountiful harvest.

In the corridor on the other side, they had discovered a large amount of equipment discarded or damaged by adventurers, along with some Magic Tools that had already lost their function.

It was truly a dead end riddled with traps; the adventurer parties that had chosen this path had all met miserable ends, one after another.

[Gray Affix]

[White Affix]

[Green Affix]

It's all mine, it's all mine.

He stacked up every magical item he could find that possessed an affix and hoisted them onto his back. Even with the bonus from the [Weight Reduction] affix, the weight of this massive pile still reached the absolute limit of what he could carry!

There had to be dozens of affixes!

If not for the concern that overusing his mental energy would cause him to pass out on the spot, he would have melted all these affixes down right then and there!

"What use could you possibly have for this trash?"

The golden-haired young master followed behind Shane, looking at the pile of junk on his back with a face full of disdain.

"You call yourself an adventurer, yet you have no eye for value! This scrap is worthless; even if you lug it back, you'll only be able to sell it as scrap metal at the blacksmith's."

Shane didn't care about his words in the slightest.

It might be worthless now, but once he tinkered with it and melted down a few affixes, it would be worth a fortune.

The one with no eye for value was clearly him.

ROAR—

Suddenly, a high-pitched roar erupted from directly ahead.

It was the sound of a monster!

Having just emerged from the dungeon entrance, Shane reacted quickly, immediately tossing the items on his back back into the tunnel and drawing his longsword in an instant.

"It's a Three-Headed Lizard. We must have made too much noise down below and drawn it over," Frieren said.

The Three-Headed Lizard was a monster that originally gathered in the upper ruins of the Ancient Dragon Temple.

Ever since the dungeon had been successfully cleared, they were rarely seen, but it was inevitable that a few stragglers would remain.

This type of monster possessed three heads covered in sharp teeth; while they looked like lizards, their bodies were larger than dragons. These monsters loved to gather in places with dragon ruins, whether because they worshipped the power of dragons or because they carried a faint trace of dragon aura.

The worst part was that to deal with this monster, one had to sever all three heads simultaneously; otherwise, it would continuously regenerate and could never be killed.

After hearing Frieren's explanation, the golden-haired young master was quite confident.

"Isn't it just cutting off three heads at once? That's a piece of cake for this young master."

Frieren glanced at him, rubbed her chin in thought, and said, "Very well, then you shall initiate the attack. Begin."

Hearing Frieren's affirmation and encouragement, Brugge was instantly filled with fighting spirit.

Without a second of hesitation, he raised his staff, cast [Flight Magic], and charged straight at the Three-Headed Lizard, getting right in its face.

Shane was stunned by this maneuver.

A mage? Melee?

The fact that you've survived until today is a testament to your incredible luck.

Frieren, watching from the side as Brugge charged in, spoke calmly: "Alright, I have a good idea now."

"What idea?"

"You use Lightning Sword to paralyze the target, and I will be responsible for taking off all three heads at once."

"No problem."

"Good, then let's begin. Try to finish it as quickly as possible."

Frieren summoned her staff, preparing to act.

Wait, isn't this just normal teamwork? Shane asked in confusion: "Then what was the 'good idea' you just mentioned?"

Frieren didn't even turn her head: "Acting while the young master draws the monster's attention."

???

That's just... using him as bait...

Shane turned his head and glanced at the golden-haired young master, who was already face-to-face with the monster.

It was difficult for a mage to maintain casting precision while flying in the air; it required long-term, extensive practice. But clearly, the young master hadn't practiced well. At this moment, he was being swiped at by the monster's three heads in turns, unable to find a suitable angle to attack.

He couldn't even keep his balance, spending most of his time dodging and looking thoroughly disheveled.

However, it was exactly as Frieren had planned.

The monster's attention was entirely on the buzzing young master flying around, and it didn't notice Shane at its feet or Frieren behind it at all.

How should I put it? While it's a bit of dark humor for Brugge, it really was a brilliant tactic.

Crackle.

Shane activated Dash to appear behind the monster, raised his longsword, and brought it down upon the creature's heel, accompanied by a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The familiar sound of electricity rang out.

The paralysis effect of Electro-Execution triggered, causing the monster's three long necks to instantly stiffen, aligning its three heads into a single line.

Bang—

Frieren's Basic Attack Magic blasted out a straight beam of light.

Three points in one line!

The monster collapsed on cue.

The battle ended in the blink of an eye.

This seamless coordination left the golden-haired young master, who was hovering in the air, completely stunned.

"That was so thrilling! So this is what it's like to adventure in a party!"

"This Young Master loves this feeling! Let's form a permanent party together!!"

The moment the disheveled young master landed, he started spouting nonsense. Shane wondered if he even realized he had been used as bait.

But looking at his enthusiasm, he'd probably be even more excited if he knew. Could he be a masochist?

"Young Master, so you were here after all."

Just then, the refined old butler who had been following Brugge arrived before them in a carriage.

The moment Brugge saw the old butler, he immediately looked for a place to hide.

Shane watched the suddenly wilted, bristling young master with confusion, vaguely catching the scent of gossip.

"Young Master, come back with us. The Duke has already learned of your desire to form a party and delve into the dungeon, and he has sent a letter specifically to reprimand this matter. The Duke has ordered that your enrollment in the Magic Academy, originally planned for a month from now, be moved up to three days from now. During this time, you are to be grounded."

As soon as the old butler finished speaking, two beautiful, busty maids stepped down from the carriage. They grabbed Brugge, one on each side, and held him fast.

Brugge struggled and resisted, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I don't want to go to the Magic Academy! I don't want to go to school! I don't want to study..."

Alas, no matter how he wailed, the two maids wouldn't let go, hoisting him onto the carriage as if he were a mere chick.

Witnessing this, Shane was deeply moved: he had originally only thought the maids had large breasts, but now it seemed their pectoral muscles were quite impressive as well.

Even with the carriage door shut, the violent shaking inside was enough to leave one stunned.

"Is school really that terrifying?"