Conquest Complete!

Kin of stone buried deep beneath the earth, bedrock that bore the weight of mountains, heed the caster's command. Rise from the ground, layer upon layer, and build an unmoving fortress. Hold back the torrent of flame, withstand its impact and roar. No assault shall pass this wall!

"Earth Barrier!"

Roxy chanted the spell and raised a massive, thick-walled fortress of stone around them all.

"Cain!"

At her call, Cain glanced back at everyone sheltered inside the stone fortress and smiled faintly.

As always, Roxy makes me feel safe.

His expression turned grave. The staff in his hand began to shine with a blinding light, like a meteor in the night, as immense waves of magic power poured into it.

Ahead, the enormous skeletal dragon had lost sight of them in the thick water vapor and was spewing fireballs at random. Cain wrapped battle aura around his feet.

"Time to finish this!"

Cain bent his knees and took a Sword God Style stance. With a boom, he shattered the ground beneath him and shot forward like lightning!

The Flame Red Dragon suddenly sensed a chilling murderous intent. It lowered its head on instinct, only to see Cain burst through the white mist and unleash a Blade of Light so fast it defied reason, cleaving its massive body in two once more!

But Flame Red Dragon Grashum knew a physical slash could not kill him.

Then, as he fell, his hollow eye sockets glowing red, he caught sight of the dazzling magic staff in the boy's hand!

Dread seized Flame Red Dragon Grashum. The insect before him, already formidable with a sword, seemed to have another ability hidden away... No! It was not an ability. It was an ultimate technique!

Cain pointed his staff at the jewel in the chest of the dragon, now split in two.

He cast without a chant and spoke softly.

"Frost Nova!"

Whoosh! In an instant, the hundreds of square meters that made up the boss chamber became a sea of ice. Thick crystals coated every surface, lighting the entire room with their icy sheen. Even the mass of valuable magic crystal stones behind the skeletal dragon was sealed beneath the ice.

Flame Red Dragon Grashum's skeletal Demon Crystal Dragon body had been completely frozen through. With a crack, it shattered into a storm of ice crystals!

The Flame Red Dragon's true body appeared ahead. Red light burned in his hollow skeletal eye sockets as he glared down at the tiny boy below. Crimson dragonfire gathered in his mouth.

Cain gave him no chance to attack again. His feet, wreathed in battle aura, struck the ground. He shattered it once more and leaped into the air!

Cain swung his Tachi. The Blade of Light cut across faster than lightning, and the next moment, the Flame Red Dragon's world spun!

Cain had severed Flame Red Dragon Grashum's skeletal head. It flew through the air and crashed into the pile of magic crystal stones behind him with a boom.

It had taken many moves, but they had all happened in the blink of an eye.

Inside the stone fortress, now coated in thick frost, Zoldat and the others saw the skeletal dragon collapse into scattered bones. They let out their breath and slumped to the ground.

"That was a fight between monsters..."

Zoldat sighed. He and the others had never had a chance to intervene.

Roxy watched Cain standing atop the dungeon boss's remains, slightly out of breath as he searched for something. The tension in her chest eased, and the worry in her eyes slowly faded. Pride filled her heart.

Cain had defeated that monster with magic she had taught him.

"So this must be that monster's core..."

Cain looked at the orange Demon Crystal in his hand, sheathed his sword, and gave a small nod.

"Cain, are you all right?"

He turned to see Roxy hurrying toward him, her face anxious. With a faint smile, he handed her his staff.

"Hm? Cain, what's that? The monster's Demon Crystal? It's huge!"

Roxy took the staff and blinked her blue eyes curiously at the fist-sized orange Demon Crystal in Cain's hand. She poked it with a finger and spotted strange magical patterns inside.

"It's not a Demon Crystal, but a magic item?! How curious."

Cain blinked. He hefted the orange jewel, tossed it from his left hand to his right and back again, then held it up for a closer look.

"You idiot, that's not a toy! It's a very rare magic item!"

Roxy's eye twitched. She snatched the jewel, its surface etched with magic-circle patterns, and looked at Cain sternly.

"A magic item? It looks just like a Demon Crystal to me."

"They're completely different! Magic items have special abilities. Demon Crystals can only supply magic power."

"Oh. Do you know what this stone can do, teacher?"

Cain asked out of curiosity. This was his first time getting a magic item with a special ability from a monster, and it was even bigger than the Red Dragon's Demon Crystal.

Roxy shook her head. She was no appraiser and could not tell what the orange jewel did. But a magic item dropped by an S-rank Dungeon boss was bound to have impressive properties.

"I don't know. But it isn't a stone! And it isn't a toy! It's a valuable magic item, you idiot!"

"S-sorry."

Roxy sighed helplessly at her easygoing apprentice. In some ways, Cain really was like a child.

"Anyway, let's take it to an item shop and have it appraised. It might be extremely valuable. Then you can decide whether to sell it or keep it. But don't treat it like a toy again! It's a precious treasure."

Cain looked at the orange jewel, then at the faint, relieved smile on Roxy's face. He spread his hands helplessly.

"If you like it, Roxy, you can have it."

When Cain offered her the jewel again with a faint smile, Roxy smiled ruefully, shook her head, and waved it away.

"I may be a poor excuse for a teacher, but I would never stoop to taking something valuable from my student."

"I see."

Her resolve was firm. Cain sighed, nodded, and tucked the jewel into his clothes.

Then I'll give it to her properly as a gift someday.

With that thought, Cain looked toward the others, who had thrown themselves into the pile of magic crystal stones.

"Woohoo! We're rich!"

Zoldat and his companions cheered from the pile. They had never seen so many fine magic crystal stones in their lives. There was a mountain of them, enough to cover their whole party's expenses for half a lifetime.

They don't need to worry about me, but Zoldat and the others could at least ask how I am. Beating that thing took a lot of effort.

Cain's mouth twitched.

"Are they really going to split those with us, Roxy? Looking at them now, I'm starting to think they'll keep all the magic crystal stones for themselves..."

Roxy smiled helplessly and, blushing a little, took Cain's hand.

It felt like an electric shock.

Cain's face reddened. He looked at Roxy, who had pressed her lips together shyly. Her small hand held his.

"T-teacher!?"

"W-well... ahem. I was afraid you might get lost," Roxy said quietly, turning her face away.

"O-oh. All right..."

Why do I feel like she's treating me as a child...?

"Roxy, I do have a reputation to maintain. Could you spare me a little dignity...?"

On the way back, Cain leaned toward Roxy as she led him by the hand, his face slightly red.

"Hmm? You don't like holding my hand, Cain?"

Roxy straightened her mage's hat, then looked back at him with a blink, her own face flushed.

"N-no, I do! Of course I do, it's just..." Cain's eye twitched as he glanced at the others staring at him and Roxy.

"Oh, they're whispering to each other again."

Zoldat and the others carried several large sacks of high-purity magic crystals. They narrowed their eyes at Roxy and Cain holding hands, grinning comically.

"We're n-not... Hey, Zoldat! Stop making things up!"

"Hah. You weren't this red when you carried Roxy earlier."

"That's because she was sick! That was different, so of course I treated it differently... Idiot!"

Walking ahead, Roxy heard their exchange. Her face reddened further, but her grip on Cain's hand tightened slightly.

Zoldat gave a teasing grin and slung an arm around Cain's shoulders.

"Heh. Is that really all it was?"

"What else would it be? Keep talking nonsense and I'll cut you down."

"And wipe that disgusting grin off your face, you idiot Zoldat."

Zoldat's mouth twitched at the sight of Cain's hand resting on his sword hilt and the displeasure on his face.

He still can't take a joke...

Zoldat composed himself and waved a hand.

"Fine, fine. We'll go with your story. Anyway, I'll make sure everyone gets a fair share of the reward. You don't have to worry about that."

"After seeing you dive into those magic crystal stones, I thought you were going to keep them all."

"Hey, I was only joking earlier. You're still mad about that? Show a little generosity worthy of a Sword God."

They smiled. Zoldat's Adventurer Group had made a tremendous haul this time: more than ten sacks of high-purity magic crystals alone, along with all kinds of gems, magic items, and more.