Three doors?

Rhode threw a punch, and his opponent quickly dodged, throwing a high side kick.

Rhode raised his arm to block steadily, but his opponent had already vanished.

Hearing a faint sound from behind, Rhode quickly turned sideways. His shoulder was grazed, and he immediately stabilized himself with a slight sway of his upper body before spinning around and throwing a backfist.

Bang!

The punch landed solidly. The opponent crossed their left arm horizontally and right arm vertically, blocking the blow in a cross shape.

"This punch is so heavy. You're much stronger than they said!"

The opponent took half a step back, flipped twice more to regain distance, and rubbed their forearm.

Salsuk, nicknamed Jet, wore a purple shirt, a wide-brimmed hat about a foot tall, loose riding breeches, and boots suitable for running.

He was a member of Levy's Chariot Engine Squad. The three of them hadn't taken on any jobs since their last mission, spending their days joking and roughhousing with their companions at the guild.

Perhaps it was his interest in the rumor that Rhode was going to fight everyone in the guild, or perhaps it was because Levy had been spending a lot of time with Rhode studying foreign languages, which made him a little unhappy.

Whatever the reason, Jet had proactively put himself on the 'reservation list' to fight Rhode, as had his teammate Troy.

The two had been fighting for several minutes, and this was the first opponent Rhode had encountered who was an equal in terms of pure hand-to-hand combat.

He wasn't sure if he had gotten stronger or if his opponent had gotten weaker, but either way, he wasn't at a disadvantage today:

"You're very skilled too. Your movements are incredibly agile."

Just a bit lacking in strength... Rhode told himself not to get too cocky, keeping that thought to himself.

"Jet! If you can't win, hurry up and surrender so I can take over!" Troy shouted his 'encouragement' to Jet. "Levy thinks I can win too!"

Jet turned his head and yelled, "Shut up, Troy! Levy definitely supports me more!"

Levy sighed and said softly, "I never said anything like that... But Rhode has improved so quickly. He can already match Jet."

After yelling at his best friend, Jet pulled down the brim of his hat, smiled at Rhode, and then struck a starting pose:

"Next, I'll show you my magic. I'm the fastest man in the guild, that's why they call me Jet!"

"Divine Feet!" Jet shot forward like an arrow.

Rhode had only just seen him start to move when a gust of wind sounded in his ears—the wind from Jet dashing past him!

Jet didn't attack immediately but ran in circles around Rhode.

The sounds of wind and footsteps made it difficult for Rhode to track Jet's movements.

Judging by his eyesight, a Canyon Swiftclaw's sprint speed should be similar to Jet's, but while a Canyon Swiftclaw could sprint and stop abruptly, it couldn't turn and run in such tight circles as Jet could.

At this sight, Rhode couldn't help but recall the scene from another show where a young character ran circles around Gaara.

He really wanted to trip him...

However, before Rhode could make a move, Jet had already returned to his original position. He stretched his legs to the sides and rotated his neck:

"Warm-up complete. I remember you have a fast crab, right? Why don't you call it out?"

"No, the one appearing today isn't the Canyon Swiftclaw." Rhode gripped his pendant, and magic surged within him.

"I am the one who communicates between two realms. You, creature of Summoner's Rift, heed my call and cross the threshold! Ancient Stone Beetle!"

"Beetles?" Troy, who was about to continue 'encouraging' Jet, shivered. "You're not going to summon a whole swarm of bugs, are you? That would be terrifying!"

If it were a swarm of bugs, he'd even want to hide behind Levy.

The pendant in Rhode's hand emitted a blue light, and the ground beneath his feet vibrated gently. Immediately, two Stone Beetles broke through the earth, blocking him.

The larger one was over two meters tall, with four thick, pillar-like legs, massive pincer-like mouthparts in front, and a crack like a stone fissure on its back.

The smaller one was almost as large as the bigger one, but only about one meter fifty-six in height.

When they were still, the two Stone Beetles resembled large and small rocks. Once they moved, the cracks on their backs flashed with blue light.

"Kaka kaka..." The Stone Beetles' mouthparts opened and closed gently, awaiting their master's command.

Rhode reconfirmed the magic consumption within him—it was the same as when he first summoned with the Guild Master yesterday, roughly the amount needed to summon three Canyon Swiftclaws.

However, perhaps because he was more practiced than yesterday, the consumption had decreased slightly, by about the amount needed for one Poro. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Those are beetles?!" Troy was no longer afraid of them but immediately developed a new fear.

"They look strong!" Jet, facing these two behemoths directly, felt the pressure.

Their stone-like appearance made them look incredibly tough, and Jet wasn't a Mage known for his destructive power.

"In that case, I'll just have to go around them and attack you directly!" Jet sprang forward instantly.

Rhode was equally decisive, bending down and turning, hiding behind the hind legs of an Ancient Stone Beetle.

Secret Technique: Qin King's Pillar Dodge!

The pillar-like thick legs and hard abdomen of the Ancient Stone Beetle provided Rhode with a good sense of security.

They were a bit short, but that was an advantage at this moment. Jet would have to crouch to get in and attack him, which would inevitably slow him down.

As expected, Jet braked sharply after circling the Ancient Stone Beetle: "Hey, that's too unfair!"

Rhode was unconcerned. "Defensive summons are meant to be used like this. Erza didn't take off her armor when she hit me."

Jet wanted to ask if Erza's armor had any effect on the outcome.

But after thinking about it, he couldn't stop Rhode from defending.

"Alright, let's try this move—Soaring Falcon!"

Jet's figure traced a beautiful arc across the yard, and he lifted his leg to powerfully kick the Ancient Stone Beetle's leg.

Rhode could feel the 'pillar' he was leaning on tremble. The Ancient Stone Beetle's head tilted up slightly, as if in some pain.

"Stone Beetle!"

Rhode shouted, and the smaller Stone Beetle beside him turned around and charged at Jet.

"It's hard, but it's effective!" Jet agilely dodged, pulled back some distance, and then charged again, "Super High-Speed Impact!"

Isn't this Iron Mountain Lean? Rhode glanced sideways and saw Jet's stance, quickly dodging out of the way.

Bang!

Jet's shoulder slammed into the Ancient Stone Beetle's hind leg, making the Ancient Stone Beetle stagger and nearly fall.

Before the Stone Beetle could counter, Jet immediately ran away again, "This is troublesome, I still can't take it down like this."

Rhode peeked out from behind the Ancient Stone Beetle, "If you stop, I'm going to attack!"

Jet smiled confidently, "That lumbering thing can't keep up with my speed at all!"

"To deal with a high-speed opponent, you naturally need a bit of strategy." Rhode gripped his pendant, recited a short incantation, and the Canyon Swiftclaw appeared.

"He can summon two monsters at the same time!"

Levy had some understanding of Celestial Spirit Magic. Celestial Spirit Mages who could open two gates simultaneously were extremely rare, and Rhode's summoning magic, similar to Celestial Spirit Magic, should be just as difficult!

Moreover, if he included the Poro beside him, Rhode was currently maintaining three gates at once!

Even if the Poro was just a decorative creature, this was beyond impressive!

The large one is called the Ancient Stone Beetle, and the small one is called the Stone Beetle.

When the Stone Beetle is killed, it becomes an even smaller one called the Mini Stone Beetle.

When the Mini Stone Beetle is killed, it's gone.

The game's appearances and characteristics seem to have been revamped recently, but I'll ignore that and stick to how I've written it.