The following morning we resumed our advance through the dungeon. We didn't meet too many dangerous monsters, we met just a Dark Panther, which we defeated without too much trouble by using the narrowness of the tunnel to keep it stuck against Mark while Oliver wore it away until I, eventually, dealt the finishing blow.

We walked through the narrow caves for the whole morning, the others were beginning to get quite stressed by that place but I didn't mind it. I hated the feeling of the mushrooms being crushed under my boots, but I liked the darkness around us, the fact that it was difficult to see the enemies incoming was a hassle, but it was also exciting to not know when a fight would come.

I think I was starting to really like the fights, I liked reaping exp from the beginning, but lately, I was feeling more and more exhilarated during fights.

The fight against the minotaur felt especially fun, I didn't know why, probably I was just getting used to killing monsters, I wondered if it would be the same with fighting humans, probably yes.

After many hours, we came out of the narrow tunnels and arrived in an enormous cave. Here the Shovos highway merged with a much bigger highway.

We felt the life mana in the air getting thinner and the dark mana getting denser, the mushrooms also became fewer. The Mushroom caves were over and we were starting to get close to the city.

After stopping to eat lunch we continued to advance through the highway with me in the rear and Oliver scouting ahead. In the tunnels, Oliver didn't scout too much ahead of us, but now he went quite far ahead so that we could have more time to prepare in case he met an enemy. Now enemies could also come from the sides and the back so we made sure to establish a signal to call him back.

Where we were now there was nothing but the highway we were in, there still weren't building around and the cave was too wide for us to see the walls, the only things accompanying us were the giant twin pillars on our sides.

The others seemed quite tense, the emptiness of this place probably was overwhelming them, I felt comfortable though, in a way this place reminded me of Hideaway Park, the fact that I had to share it with others irritated me a bit though. I also needed to be wary of monsters, I couldn't allow myself to relax here.

I looked at Erian's back, I still didn't get what exactly happened to her yesterday, it didn't make sense for her to get sick easily, she was a healer after all. I thought for a bit about it when I suddenly felt a mass of earth mana coming towards me.

“On guard!”

I shouted.

Then I enhanced my legs with fire and my arms with dark ki.

A sharp spike of earth mana came out from the ground aiming at me, I avoided it, and then others started to come. I avoided some and blocked others with my arms, dark ki was good at erasing things, so it was good to guard against spells, it still wounded me a bit though.

“Mark, put mana into your boots!”

I shouted.

“Yes!”

He infused his soles of earth mana, attracting the attention of whatever was attacking us, giving me the leeway to reorganize our group.

It was probably an earth elemental hiding underground, Oliver must have missed it. Here, the elementals were stronger and smarter, this one must have waited for us to walk deeper into his range before attacking us, he also started to attack me, the one closer to the limit of his range, he didn't want to leave survivors.

I cast a fireball into the air, to warn Oliver and then said:

“Lae, stay there, you will be targeted if you try to get away, Erian and Jane, you support Mark, Mark, you pull this bastard out of the ground with earth magic, I will help by getting its attention.”

Everyone proceeded, Mark touched the ground with his right hand and started manipulating the ground to pull the elemental out of the ground. He couldn't move too much while doing so, but the elemental's spells were easy to tank since it didn't know human anatomy and it just attacked random points, not taking into consideration vitals, the armour's joints, or Mark's blind spots. It often went for Mark's torso, which was guarded by a shield, an armour, and two defensive spells. I gathered fire mana into my boots and started walking backwards, the elementals started targeting me too, putting less pressure on Mark.

I continued to avoid and block the spells while accepting the wounds in my arms.

I smiled, enjoying this dance, the pain in my arms only exhilarated me more.

“Heal.”

I suddenly felt the pain in my arms getting less intense, I looked at Erian, she was double-casting Mark's armour and the healing while looking worriedly at me.

Double casting was difficult to do, I was happy such a talented healer was in our team, but I didn't like the fact that she took the initiative of healing me without being ordered to do so.

Anyway, it's not like I had the time to worry about it now.

I continued to take the attention of the elemental away until the spells stopped coming and started to target Mark more intensely. The elemental was probably near the surface so now it was probably starting to get worried he could really pull it to the surface.

Mark seemed to be struggling against the barrage of spells so I went ahead and tried to pull the elemental's attention to me again. I went to the spot where I could feel the most earth mana, the spot where the enemy would probably emerge from, I put my left hand to the ground and started to pump out dark mana. The dark attribute was the best to erase other kinds of mana so I was hoping it would do some damage or at least disrupt the elemental's perception; just like the Rock Bulls, the earth elementals used the earth mana present in the ground to perceive things, after all.

My move seemed to have some effect since the pressure on Mark lessened a little and earth spikes started to appear around me, trying to hit me blindly.

Most of the spells missed me since the enemy had no vision on the ground around me, but I had to block some of them with my arms.

“David, it's almost out!”

I felt the earth mana getting denser on the ground below me but I kept the dark mana going.

“David get away from there.”

'Don't tell me what to do.'

The elemental seemed pretty angry now and the spells were all over the place, I wondered how much mana it had, but since it still wasn't out, I couldn't let go just yet, I didn't want to risk it to return deeper in the ground.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left hand. A spike probably pierced my leather armour and pierced my palm. I refused to give in to my body and continued to pump out mana.

I felt Erian's healing getting stronger, but the earth spells also hit more often now.

When the elemental's core got closer to the surface I felt a great quantity of mana gathering right under me, then I knew it was the moment to get away.

I gathered fire ki and jumped away right before numerous earth spikes rose from the ground right under me.

Right after an object similar to a crystal emerged from the ground, I launched myself forward, trying to hit it with my sabre, but the elemental used its spikes to keep me away, I swapped the sabre in my right hand with the wand since the left hand was wounded but since I wasn't used at aiming with this hand I missed repeatedly.

'Damn wounded body.'

The elemental rapidly created a ball of earth mana to protect itself and I lost my chance.

This elemental was stronger than the ones we met and the shape it choose was also more complex.

This one also created four legs similar to a spider's and dodged some of my spells by only moving its spheric body.

I backed away and looked around me. Mark seemed a little worn out but the spellcasters seemed fine.

The elemental would have to focus on earth manipulation and stop its attack to return underground, exposing itself to me again, so the battle now would only be fought out of the ground.

I and Mark tried to get closer, but the enemy continued to keep us at distance with its spells, it was too risky to use Flash or Shadow Leap too since we could have ended up skewered by the earth spikes. But now, the enemy wasn't as aggressive as before, it just poked at us with some spells. Like this we were in an impasse, we wouldn't win nor lose and we wouldn't be able to stop the enemy from fleeing either, even if I circled behind it, it could just escape from one of the sides.

Suddenly, an arrow full of dark mana lied from behind me and hit the elemental that staggered a bit, and I took advantage of the situation and hit it with some spells.

'Finally.'

It seemed that Oliver circled the enemy and took position on the rear without us noticing.

“Perfect, now we'll keep this formation, Mark and I will attract its attention, Oliver will shoot from outside its range, Erian and Jane will support Mark.”

This was just a plan to gain time while I thought of a plan to deal damage while keeping the enemy from escaping.

While keeping the enemy busy I thought back at the battle against the Rock Bulls and something came into mind.

“Mark I need to ride you like a horse.”

“You what?!”

“Ueagh!”

I heard one of the girls make a strange noise from behind us.

“I will get on your shoulders and then I will jump on the enemy.”

“Wait, is that feasible?”

“Yes, in theory.”

“Dude, I don't like that.”

“Just do what I say.”

Mark hesitated a little and then consented.

“Well, then I'll trust you on that.”

“Well, then at my three: Jane, you will gather Water mana in a spot, gathering its attention, Erian, you will protect Mark, Mark you will stay as stable as possible and gather light mana on your shoulders after I jump on him, Oliver, you will help me stay in balance by focusing only on wind magic. Then, Mark, you will charge forward.”

“Dude, that sounds crazy.”

“Because it is, I will make it work though.”

“Well, I guess we are in a crazy magic isekai after all uh.”

“Exactly, now, everyone, prepare yourselves.”

I began to count.

“One, Two, Three!”

Jane gathered a large amount of mana on a spot in front of us and the elemental started targeting it.

I then jumped on Mark's shoulders and used dark ki and mana to feast my boots to Mark's armour, in the same way, I did to the ground while using Shadow Leap and Mark's light mana only made it easier; I also started to feel Oliver's wind pushing on me from both the front and the back, helping to keep me in place.

“Charge!”

“Fucking hell, here we go!”

Mark started running forward while keeping his shield up and using all the ki and mana he could use to protect himself and also receiving Erian's full protection.

The earth spikes hit him from all the sides, bouncing on his multiple protection, while I also use fire enhancement to keep myself straight, with the help of Oliver.

Before us, a wall of spikes appeared, I gathered as much fire ki as I could in my legs and then jumped.

I flew above the wall towards the enemy without meeting any resistance, the elemental couldn't perceive me off the ground after all.

I landed right on the enemy and thrust my infused sabre right where I perceived the biggest lump of mana. Sabres weren't made for thrusting, but for cutting through such thin magic with a weapon infused with dark mana even a sabre was good enough.

I felt something solid being hit by the point of the weapon and the elemental fell apart in an instant, without any chance to escape.

After that battle, we rested for a while and then continued to walk for a few hours, along the way we met two other elementals, but while fighting them out of the ground rested, and with our energies replenished we won without having to rely on any desperate plan.

When our magic-powered watch signed the evening we stopped for the day and set up our camp.

First, we ate, and then everyone started to talk to each other to relieve the stress of the day.

Jane came to sit next to me, I guess it was time for our routine.

“How are you doing?”

“Not too well, you see, I've not been feeling too well lately.”

“I see, do you know why?”

“Yes, it's your fault.”

'What?! Where did this come from?'

“What do you mean?”

“I can't trust you anymore, you know everything about me but I don't know anything about you, do you think I wouldn't notice that you tried to hide me as much as you could from me? I talked to Mark about your past and I finally realized how much you hid from me. And you think I should obey you like you were my king? Don't joke with me, I can't trust you if you act like this.”

She was trying to act confident but I was seeing she was very nervous, after swearing in my mind against Mark, I decided to try to save our current balance of powers.

“I had no reason to expose myself to you, I didn't feel the need to do it and it wouldn't have helped you in any way. Anyway, you knowing things about me wouldn't help me protect you anyway, that's what I promised you, isn't it?”

Her expression seemed hesitant for an instant but then she regained her confidence.

“That's not the point, I also asked you to rely on you, but I don't feel safe to do it anymore.”

“I can't see how that can be, I am the most powerful here and you made a contract with me asking me to protect you and I will do it by any means, I never break a promise.”

“A contract? Are you playing the devil now? Anyway, thinking more about it....... scrap what I said earlier, it's not like I feel unsafe relying on you, I feel sick doing it. I feel sick relying on you, it's just like it was when I was with Harry and my friends on earth.”

'Harry, her boyfriend on earth and also the boss of their little gang of losers.'

“I don't see what they have to do with this.”

“When I was with them it felt like everything was a joke, they treated the world like their playground and other people like non-player-characters in a game. They were delusional people that all thought of themselves as the only important person in the world, when I was with them I too felt important and untouchable...... at the beginning. I acted like someone I wasn't and did things I didn't want to do, after a while, I started to feel nothing but disgust towards them, towards me, and everything else. Lately, when I'm with you I had a similar feeling, it's not quite the same but it still makes me feel sick, and I don't want that anymore.”

The fact that she compared me to her friends irritated me quite a bit, but I had to bear with it.

“Then state your request, tell me what are your new conditions.”

“I want you to trust me too, I want to know more about you and I want to be your friend.”

“Trust you? Be friends? How have any of this any relevance to our situation?”

“I think that going on like this will wear you out sooner or later, I'm saying this for your good, Mark talked to me about you and I think you're a good person, but going on like this I think we'll both break down sooner or later. You see, like this, one day you might become much worse than them.”

“Please stop comparing me to those bastards.”

“Yes, sorry, although the feeling you give is similar you are quite different. They were cowards that relied on mob mentality to create their delusional bubble-world and oppressed others believing it was their right to do so, they were really pitiful. You're not like that, I know you're a good person, still, being like that, all on your own, you also feel pitiful...........in a way.”

'Pitiful.'

“.........”

“.........”

'Pitiful.'

“..............”

“..............”

'Pitiful.'

“.................”

“.................”

I snapped.

“HOW DARE YOU! “

Jane froze in fear and everyone looked at me.

“First you compare me to those sub-humans and then you call me pitiful. How could you ever think I would have accepted it? Our pact is broken, now get out of my sight.”

Jane tried to talk.

“David, please list-”

“Shut up.”

I got up and went out of the camp, Lae tried to talk to me but I sent her back since I wanted to be alone.

At the limit of our earth-devouring lantern, I sat down and tried to calm down.

While doing so I felt what I could only describe as pain, it would have been a good chance to try to unlock the Hellflame attribute, but at the moment I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to know what pain was and I didn't want to know what was causing pain, so I just suppressed it.

During those moments the image of a wounded chameleon flashed multiple times in my mind.