Nico felt the cool aura swirl inside him. With eyes closed, he focused all of himself into the aura. It then intensified to a swirling storm just before settling to a calm breeze just as Nico then opened his eyes.

Name: Nicholas Atkins

Race: Human

Rank: Iron

Affinity: Green (Nature)

Strength: E

Mind: E-

Spirit: E

Skills: Living Armor (E-), Well of Life (E-), Life Forge (F)

Nico clenched his fists. He hadn't had the time to notice it, but he felt the strength within him increase. He grabbed a nearby rock and with a small effort, smashed it into pieces. Weeks before he would've even had a hard time lifting the rock.

His senses too improved; especially his sight and smell. He fixed his eyes to the far side of the cavern where the dark and shadows lingered. He found he could see further and more clearly in the dark. It wasn't complete night vision, but it would serve him well in the future. His nose also picked up smells much further away, given the scent was picked up by the wind towards him.

The last of which was his spirit. He could feel his own aura intensify, proof of the swirling wind inside him. He now had a better grasp of the concept of mana, optimizing it for increased effectiveness with less consumption. He noticed his greenwood armor now lasted and regenerated much longer before expiring.

"Cool." Nico said, still staring at his pixie screen.

Nico found that it was exponentially harder to improve his stats the better they became, with what took him only tens of goblins to upgrade his strength now taking him more than a hundred goblins.

Nico stared at his baby hand. The pale skin color of it made it look like it wasn't his, but instead stitched to replace the severed hand from before. He then glanced to Root behind him. Nico was sitting on the treant's wooden lap, with her keeping guard around- the treant's green gaze wandering with attention. He gave Root a smile. His severed arm was now more or less a part of the treant, used as an ingredient.

Nico stretched his arms.

"I wonder what would've happened if Hena wasn't there." Nico said. "The blood loss would've killed me."

Nico clapped his face with both hands, shoving the thought behind him.

It was finally the third day, the last day for them inside the dungeon. They couldn't finish the quest given Hena's circumstance, but with Nico gaining the Life Forge skill, he felt it was more or less worth it. Although he was happy to have gotten the skill, they now had to pause their plan of moving to Trillian because they couldn't finish the dungeon.

"Slow and steady I guess." Nico stood up. He eyed the rest of the group packing the tents and other things, ready to go back to Selsine. They were still in the goblin camp, the one they raided and settled in three days earlier, but that wasn't for long. They would be soon out of the dungeon through the portal. It was a shame; the reward money for completing the quest would've helped them tremendously with moving to Trillian. They also could've finally afforded Champ the proper treatment he needed.

Nico stared at Champ beside him, running his fingers through his fur as the dog slept with no worry. "I guess you need to wait a little longer, buddy."

"We'll go ahead!" Jason said, calling to Nico on the far side of the camp with the others. "The portal should be open by now. You go bring with you the food and supplies- we'll see you guys back at the starting point."

Saira whistled for Champ to come, with the dog beside Nico scurrying towards her with excitement.

"Don't wait too long, okay?" Kai said. "The portal might close if you guys don't hurry it up."

Nico waved them back. He stayed behind to wait for Hena who was out searching and foraging for the glowing mushrooms in the caverns. Hena found there was something peculiar about the mushrooms. If she was right, the mushrooms might have a strength boost effect after mixing it with magic to make an elixir. Hena went out to go find more of the shrooms on the patches further in the cavern. If she could complete her research, she could sell the mushrooms in forms of elixirs for a pretty hefty price. It wouldn't compare to the quest's reward, but they had to take what they could.

"Someone should've gone with her." Nico said to Root, his face growing worried the more time passed. There was no light to be found around with the torches and campfire extinguished.

Soon Nico found a faint light in the distance, a blur of light that started towards him. It was Hena. Just as Nico stood up to wave to her, a tremble beneath the ground shook. Nico thought it was just all in his head, until another tremor followed the first, and then another until it came to his attention that he wasn't imagining it. The tremors were real, and seemed to be the footsteps of something. Something big.

"We got to go, now." Hena grabbed Nico and pulled him for a sprint. Root followed behind.

"Wait, the supplies-"

"We have no time for that!"

"What's going on?" Nico said just before turning back. His eyes then widened, his body tensed as he finally understood where the tremors came from. He found a looming figure in the distance hidden by the darkness. It was a giant silhouette, dim and black with fierce red eyes staring back at him from the shadows of the cavern. It grew closer, with each footstep shaking the earth- a giant on the loose.

"What is that!?" Nico said, giving his all to a run. Even with his increased strength, it was clear that he was dragging Hena down.

"The dungeon's boss." Hena clenched Nico's hand.

Nico's eyes went wide. He then called for Root to scoop them up with her hands and carry them away. Root was faster than the two, being twice their size and height. Even with that though, the treant's size was dwarfed by the figure chasing from behind. It was a giant- colossal if the right word permitted. Through the darkness, it carried a large club that dragged on the cavern floor, gurgling and grinding the stones under.

Root gave her all to run as fast as she could, trotting through the cavern maze like a Runner. Nico guided her through the maze, retracing their steps back to the portal where they came from. The adrenaline pumped inside Nico. With his heart racing, he did not dare look behind him.

Nico could finally make out Jason and the rest on the far side of his vision, behind them the shimmering portal.

"We're here!" Nico clenched Hena's hand tightly.

Root made large strides towards the portal. With each of the treant's steps a tremble followed, but Nico knew where the tremors really came from.

"Get! Go! Into the portal!" Nico shouted, jumbling his words.

"What the fuck is that!?" Kai said.

"Just go! We'll be right behind you!"

The rest by the portal followed, stepping through with the bags. Nico, Hena, and Root were a few ways off, but at this rate, they were going to make it. They were going to make it- not until the portal started shrinking. Fast.

"Oh fuck. Not right now." Nico turned to Hena with an unconvincing look. "Don't worry, we're going to make it."

Shards of rocks and debris went whizzing by, causing Root to tumble and fall to the ground. Nico was sent flying far near the portal- great, while the others weren't so lucky. Hena was trapped under broken pieces of Root's wooden limbs, while Root struggled to stand up- one of her feet broken by the barrage of rocks.

Nico tried to stand, feeling the blood flowing from his head as his body rocked back and forth. Everything around was a blur, his heart racing and his blood burning inside. Everything that might've gone wrong happened.

"Hena!"

"I'm fine!" Hena grunted, her words unconvincing as she let out a groan. "Get through the portal!"

Nico turned back, seeing the portal behind growing smaller and smaller by the second. It was clear Hena wasn't going to make it. He could call Root into his wooden ring and bring the treant with him, but he couldn't do the same for Hena. She had to have fractures all over her body- a leg at least. She couldn't take her with him. If he wanted to survive, he needed to go through now. And yet his feet didn't move. He was scared- afraid, and yet he didn't go through the portal. Instead, he turned back around.

"This might be the stupidest thing I've ever done."

Nico started back towards Hena, the portal behind him now closed to whisper.