The panther-type monsters were far trickier to deal with than the minotaurs. Due to their accumulated numbers, Andrew and Terra used the steel shelter and hallway as a closed firing range. The panthers were also very susceptible to the cold which Andrew used to full force.

"Shadow-me will box them in, just don't miss them. And no cheating! I'm doing the work here, you slacker!"

"I can't raise a damned wall fifty meters away, idiot!"

"Shut up and cook, I'm hungry, minion."

"I'm no- you're gone already, aren't you?" Terra kicked a minotaur corpse irritably before launching a rock pre-emptively at the panthers. However, he missed by a narrow margin. The creatures were as responsive as they were fast so most concentrated attacks would fail if it was not allowed a large margin of error. Ie, a simultaneous attack that could entrap them.

After the two walls were built, the two attacked the enclosed beasts. Andrew used a field of ice on his side to slow their movements and thrust spikes towards them when they fell. Terra noticed the tactic and modified it for his own use. Admittedly, he could not travel as far as Andrew who could use his doppelganger as an auxiliary, but he roughened the marble floor and trapped smaller segments with thin, but numerous spikes.

All the while, the two casually took turns at cooking the left-over minotaur. Now that he thought about it, he felt a little sick when he ate it, but he ignored the feeling and it, too, soon dispersed. Granted, he only ate the monster portion, so he wasn't sure if it was related to hygiene, cooking methods, or if there was an inherently poisonous substance to it.

Even so, the horde of panthers was dispersed of killed outright and the two exited the shelter.

"They didn't even eat the minotaurs, huh?"

Andrew laughed awkwardly and kept walking. He pulled out two strips from their shelter and turned them into two of his better swords. He handed them both to Terra who looked at him suspiciously, but Andrew ignored the young man and ran ahead.

The was no cry, but a shadow darted towards Andrew.

"I saw you already. I do my homework, kitten," laughed Andrew triumphantly as he neutralised the cat. "Oh, Terra, this isn't a thing - ahem, drain, ahem."

Andrew coughed to obnoxiously cover up his obvious use of blood magic, but Terra simply did not care at this point. He had already received healing from it and he knew it was far superior to a basic water recovery spell. Therefore he had no qualms about terrorising little felines.

After the black cat withered to little more than skin and bones, Andrew happily used his excess mana to create an ornate steel armour for Terra.

"My valiant Minion Knight! Here, a present from your beloved master."

"I have no master, but I'll take it," spoke Terra suspiciously.

"Ha," laughed Andrew. "Blood-magic spell activate!"

Terra suddenly dropped the armour and backed far away from it. Andrew simply fell on the ground and burst into laughter. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to look at the man's expression. However, when he saw the wide-eyed fright for the first time in awhile, he couldn't help himself but laugh more.

"It... like the... time... you..." laughed Andrew with a fading, hoarse voice.

Terra blushed and barked at Andrew to stop. However, he smirked knowingly when he noticed a shadow move.

"What time was that again?"

"When... when..." spoke Andrew, not containing himself in the slightest.

However, he stopped suddenly as he roared in pain. The panther's paw stabbed into his shoulder as a maw wrapped around his thin arm. The panther looked at Terra before it bolted with Andrew in tow.

"Let me go! Drop me! Drop me!"

Andrew was repeatedly stabbing it with the ever-present daggers hanging from his waist. However, with the prize in its mouth, the creature did not bother with the slightest inclination of pain.

"Shadow-me, go!"

His doppelganger bolted in front of him and summoned up a wall of ice.

"Drain!"

The ice continued to build until it surrounded the two. The doppelganger phased through a small hole and began piercing it with stalagmites and stalactites of ice. When the creature was forced into such a tight position that even breathing was impossible, Andrew drained the beast again before making a hole for himself.

"Terra, that was so not cool," growled Andrew as he held his loosely hanging arm.

The young man laughed aloud and soon felt pressed against the wall as he held his stomach. Andrew ignored Terra as he began to syphoning the blood from the struggling panther to recover his savaged shoulder and arm.

He heard a scream echo behind him but Andrew gave a cold harumph as he continued to heal himself.

After several minutes, Terra returned in a horrid state. The two shared a grim smile before they laughed heartily.

-------

"See, we don't even need him," laughed Leya as she stood atop Juin's chest gloatingly.

"It is getting easier and easier," agreed Reva. "Though, it'll be awhile before the constant matches to continue. Hell, they've been cut down to ever Friday. It is kind of unfair, but still."

Kate sighed from the side, "we may not have monsters like you, Leya, but Ator still holds on far and above the others."

"Oh, is that a bet?"

"You know it is," laughed Kate. "No intervention from us three, though, as per usual."

"Awe, such unfair rule," grinned Reva. "Oh well, sounds fair. Oh, Leya, have you heard from him?"

Leya waved dismissively as she looked at the two classes beginning a melee. "Just hunting cows and cats from what I know. Something about a maze or something too. And demon hunters."

"Oh, sounds interesting," murmured Kate. "Anything else?"

"Besides having the house constantly requiring reconstruction due to a neurotic old man, no."

"Still, it's been nearly a year. Did he really have a birthday underground?"

"I doubt he even remembers it. The old man typically just harasses me every couple months, but apparently, he hasn't died yet from monsters or monster poison."

Reva looked at Leya oddly, "do you not really care what happens to him?"

Leya shrugged and puffed up her chest. "I'll be fine in any case. Hell, he is about to miss the final exam, but they'll probably let him back whenever... well... if those guys don't kill him."

"The demon hunters?"

"Yeah, apparently he made contact with them six or seven times inside there. Not to mention afterwards... he is human, hell if I know what goes on with those whack-jobs."

Reva and Kate shared a glance before they sighed. It took a little while, but Reva wore an impish grin as she nudged Leya. "Hey, look who is here. Prince Charming has come for someone, I hear," laughed Reva knowingly.

Leya tilted her head, but a soft nudge turned her around to greet a slightly older student.

He was roughly thirteen, or fourteen, but the young man had been keeping an eye on Leya for a fairly long time. Whether his nearly perfect complexion, deep eyes, or graceful figure, he was all but perfect in the two sisters' eyes. Nevertheless, Leya turned around and coldly snorted.

"Salan, why'd you come?"

"Of course to see you," laughed the boy happily. "Do I need any other reason to see you, my love?"

"Of course you do," spoke Leya indifferently. "You always come with plots and schemes. You are worse than him."

"Him? I don't know who you are talking about, but I can assure you on the Huren family name, that there is nothing of that sort going on."

"Nevermind. Anyways Reva, Kate, shall we be off?"

The two exchanged a glance and snickered, they nodded and quickly fled before Leya had a chance to catch up. Seeing their departing figures, Leya inwardly sighed before turning back to the boy.

"Well, that was not supposed to happen. I've got to go anyways."

"Wait," cried Salan. "Just give me a bit, okay? My father wanted to extend the invitation to come to his palace during the summer break. We can extend the invitation to all family and friends so you can fully enjoy the town. Don't worry, our villas will be far more than enough to house near anyone you wish to come."

"N-"

"She'll accept," cried two voices from afar. "Just leave it to us!"

Leya glared at the two hovering figures before they fled from view once more. However, seeing Salan's excited expression, she could not find it in herself to turn it down in that situation.

She did say anything, only waved sullenly as he departed. She met up with the two happily humming girls who alternated glances between Leya and themselves. Nevertheless, the three wandered around the town for a few hours until Leya wandered back home.

The house had undergone several improvements after the Chanceller's repeated attacks. Instead of being a simple two story, archaic building, it was revamped into a brand new building. Although the magically reinforced stone was lost, the building itself was sturdy enough to disregard the addition.

"Hey, mom, is dad home?"

Rae looked at her warmly and nodded. In her hands was a new-born girl who looked quite similar to Rae herself. She carried platinum blond hair - a gift from her father - had a round face and large eyes, but unlike the two of them, she was very loud and demanded attention at every moment. Nevertheless, with the stockpile of gold, Keryzn was able to cut down on time from work and help around the house.

"Reva and Kate wants us to go to Lord Huren's villa during the summer. I don't really care one way or another, but those two seemed to want to go. But..."

Seeing her daughter trail off, Rae smiled gently, "of course. Keryzn dear?"

Keryzn shrugged before he walked up to his newest child, Felli. "I can pull some favors, I'm sure. What town again?"

"Don't recall," murmured Leya. "Markit, maybe?"