The dungeon air was cold and damp, filled with the faint stench of rotting beasts and crackling mana. Moss lined the stone walls, and the glow of distant crystals cast a ghostly shimmer across the corridor as Kael and Elsa walked side by side.
As they entered deeper, the atmosphere thickened with tension and magic.
Suddenly, Elsa reached into her storage ring. A soft, golden glow lit up her hand as she pulled out an enormous, elegant bow its silverwood limbs etched with old Sylvenmire runes and humming with condensed energy. The weapon was nearly half her height, its string taut like the calm before a storm.
She slung it across her back and followed it up by drawing a sleek, rune-carved longsword from the same ring, the blade gleaming with wind enchantments.
Kael let out a low whistle.
"That's a nice bow."
Elsa beamed.
"Got it for my birthday. Perks of being a Sylvenmire."
Kael narrowed his eyes and activated his Weapon Identification skill, the glow of analysis filling his irises.
Weapon: Sylvenmire Family Bow
Rank: SS
Type: Bound, Growth-Type
Description: Noble family heirloom passed through generations. Amplifies the wielder's skill.
Ability: +30% accuracy and power. Requires Sylvenmire bloodline. Bound.
Kael scoffed.
"They really need to stop handing noble kids overpowered weapons."
Elsa smirked as she sheathed her sword.
"Don't hate the player, hate the bloodline. I earned it. What you jealous?"
Kael rolled his eyes, smirking.
"What, you wish. I've got a better weapon anyway. But promise me don't tell anyone when you see it."
"Yeah, yeah," Elsa said, waving her hand. "Can't wait to see the mysterious weapon of the commoner prince."
Just then, a snarl echoed through the air.
From the shadows, three enormous mana-mutated werewolves lunged out with bloodthirsty growls.
Elsa dashed forward not reaching for her bow, but gripping her sword tightly.
"Guess it's sword time!"
Kael exhaled and lifted his arm. A violent gust of aura erupted.
From his hand, he summoned it Vanta's Edge.
The air split as the obsidian-black blade burst into his hand, a dark hum vibrating through the dungeon. The sheer force of the summoning ripped off part of his hoodie's sleeve, exposing his forearm.
Elsa blinked.
"Oh. That's… surprisingly nice."
Her eyes flicked to the tattoo on his now-bare arm. A coiled black serpent, in motion as if alive, curled down from his shoulder to his wrist.
"Wait is that a snake tattoo?"
Kael parried a werewolf swipe with clean precision.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Elsa grinned.
"It's the only thing manly about you."
Kael didn't answer, too focused on skewering a lunging beast with a perfect upward slash. Elsa giggled behind him, already dancing through a spin that severed another werewolf's limbs cleanly.
A few more monsters came and fell.
They pressed on through the dungeon, working in synergy. Kael's sharp precision, Elsa's sweeping strikes, clean timing, and a few sarcastic remarks later they arrived at the boss room.
The temperature dropped further.
A deafening roar thundered through the thick iron doors ahead as they slid open. From within, a massive alpha werewolf emerged nearly four meters tall, its fur silver with streaks of dark blue, its claws dripping with cursed venom. Arcane sigils pulsed on its chest, a dungeon-born guardian of pure destruction.
Elsa took a deep breath, pulling the enormous bow from her back and notching an arrow charged with mana.
Kael twirled Vanta's Edge and lowered into a stance.
"Get ready," Elsa said.
"Always am," Kael replied calmly.
---
Back at the Sylvenmire Mansion...
In a polished sitting room with crystal chandeliers and velvet curtains, Sarah, Elsa's sharp-eyed head maid, sat on a pristine white couch sipping tea while a news broadcast played behind her.
> "BREAKING: Elsa Sylvenmire spotted on an early morning outing with a stunningly handsome boy outside a cafe. Could this be the heiress' secret boyfriend?"
A grainy image flashed onscreen Kael and Elsa, holding hands while fleeing a crowd, his hood half off, her face flushed.
Sarah choked on her tea.
"She told me she was going for training?!"
The maid was visibly shocked as she looked at the screen again, squinting.
"…But how did she land him?"
She sighed and shook her head.
"That disrespectful girl doesn't even brush her hair properly…"