Today, our objective was the sixth floor of the Yargan Dungeon. The routine of the household has become quite stable now, so we got ready as we always did in the early hours of the morning. After a quick breakfast, we departed the house, but instead of taking the ten-minute walk through the canyon, I decided to use the ‘Warp’ skill. In an instant, the city vanished, and we landed right at the entrance of the sixth floor. The shimmering door leading to the exit of the fifth floor was visible behind us, marking our progress.
On this floor, the girls would be testing their mettle against nimble wolves. Unlike the slow-moving centipedes or the straightforward goblins of the previous levels, these wolves are incredibly agile and slippery. I knew that having a companion would be a significant advantage here, as catching a lone nimble wolf is a chore for anyone without high-speed stats. I took a moment to inform the girls about the nature of their opponents, emphasizing their cautious behavior and their uncanny ability to dodge physical strikes. I warned them that they had to work in perfect synchronization to even land a hit, and that they must be especially careful not to get overwhelmed or injured if two or more wolves coordinated an attack against them.
Despite my lingering worries, the girls performed brilliantly. They have consistently exceeded my expectations since we started this journey, but they seemed to have a natural affinity for this floor. Perhaps it is because they are wolfkin themselves, but they were significantly better than I was at reading the subtle muscle twitches and movements of the nimble wolves.
When they encountered a lone wolf, they didn’t just charge in blindly. They split up, circling the beast from both sides to hem it in and prevent it from finding an escape route. It was impressive to watch; they could even predict where the wolf would lung and manage to strike it mid-dodge. It was a feat I struggled with unless I used my superior speed to physically block their path. The girls advanced through the corridors with surprising speed, and we reached the boss room in about three to four hours. We spent our time in the line discussing their performance and strategizing for the boss monster they were about to face.
Once it was our turn, we stepped inside the chamber. The boss monster of the sixth floor is essentially a larger, more lethal version of the nimble wolves. It is harder to hit, faster, and packs a much stronger punch. I watched closely as Woya and Wyn took their positions, keeping their distance relatively close to one another to ensure they could provide immediate support. Woya took the lead, focusing almost entirely on blocking and parrying the boss’s rapid-fire lunges with her shield. This allowed Wyn to watch for the split-second exposures after the boss attacked, darting in to exploit those openings with her iron swords.
After a few minutes of intense, high-speed combat, they managed to pin the creature down. Seeing that they had the monster firmly in their grasp, I stepped in and finished the fight by beheading the boss monster with a single, clean sweep of my Bastion sword. I deliberately chose not to use any magic spells this time, fearing that an elemental explosion might inadvertently injure the girls while they were so close to the target.
“We even cleared the sixth floor, master,” Wyn said, her voice bright and cheerful.
I’ve noticed that as the days pass, the girls have begun to express their emotions and thoughts much more openly. They no longer wait for a direct question to speak; they frequently start conversations themselves, sharing their excitement or observations without prompting. It is a change I find quite welcome.
“Yes, good job…” I said, reaching out to pat her head.
“Hehehe,” she giggled softly, her tail beginning to wag with such vigor that I could hear it brushing against her equipment. I noticed Woya watching from the side, looking just a little bit jealous of the attention, though she tried to hide it.
“We can rest here for a bit,” I announced. “The way the dungeon mechanics work, no one else can enter this room until we leave, or the room will simply collapse to reset. Wyn, bring out the meal you prepared this morning.”
“Yes, master.”
Wyn quickly retrieved the provisions they had packed. I had informed them yesterday that we would need extra food for the dungeon, so they had prepared a portable lunch while they were cooking our breakfast. We sat on the cool stone floor of the boss room and ate together, enjoying the rare moment of safety deep underground before we prepared to descend to the seventh floor. Woya joined us as soon as she was finished collecting the coins the boss had dropped. We ate quickly, packed up our leftovers, and then moved on.
The seventh floor presented a completely different challenge: earth turtles. These monsters are incredibly sturdy, and it took the girls much longer to advance because they had to figure out how to strike the vulnerable areas beneath the thick carapaces. I watched them struggle through a few encounters, confirming that they understood the mechanics and could eventually take one down on their own. Once I was satisfied that they had gained the necessary experience with this new enemy type, I decided to intervene to speed up our progress.
My main reason for staying back was to let them practice and experience as many different types of combat as possible. Since they had already proven they could defeat the earth turtles through persistence, I felt my purpose as an observer on this floor had been fulfilled. For the remainder of the level, I used my sword to cut through the turtles with ease. Occasionally, I would use my magic or physical strength to flip the turtles over or lift them into the air, creating openings for the girls to land the killing strikes under the shells.
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“Master, I found something.”
I had just finished dispatching two more turtles and was waiting for Woya to finish her usual task of collecting the dropped coins. She called out to me, holding something up. I walked over, and she handed me a rhombus-shaped crystal that glowed with a faint, earthy light. I took it and used ‘Identify’ immediately.
***
Turtle Skill Crystal
- Decrease the impact power by 40%
***
“Wow, this is my first!” I exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
“Master, do you know what it is?” Woya asked, her ears perked up in curiosity.
“It is a skill crystal,” I explained, trying to keep the mechanics simple. “These are rare drops that provide specific bonuses to equipment based on the monster that dropped them. This one is a turtle skill crystal, and it decreases the power of physical impacts you receive from enemies. It would be an incredible addition to a shield or a set of heavy armor.”
“Wow... are there various skill crystals with different effects, master?” she asked, her eyes widening with excitement as she realized the value of what she had found.
“I don’t have a vast amount of knowledge on the subject myself,” I admitted. “This is the first time I’ve actually seen one drop personally. They have an extremely low drop rate. But from what I’ve heard, different monsters do indeed drop crystals with unique effects. A crystal like this should be worth at least ten gold coins on the open market.”
We spent a moment admiring the crystal before I tucked it away safely. We continued our hunt through the seventh floor, moving smoothly through the corridors and encountering very little resistance from the standard turtles.
The real difficulty, however, was the boss monster. When we finally reached the boss room after a short wait in line, I stepped back to let the girls take the lead. They lunged at the massive turtle, but they quickly realized they couldn't deal any meaningful damage. The boss was so slow that it couldn't really hurt them either, but the fight was dragging on far too long. At one point, the girls tried to use their combined strength to leverage the boss’s carapace and flip it, but the massive turtle sensed the momentum and tried to shift its weight to crush them beneath its body. Fortunately, I was watching closely and fired several Earthball spells at the creature. The impact was enough to shove the boss back a few feet, giving Woya and Wyn the time they needed to scramble out from under it.
“It is enough. Step aside,” I commanded.
“...Yes, master,” they replied.
Their response was a bit delayed, and they both hung their heads as they retreated. They were clearly flustered and disappointed that they hadn't been able to finish the fight themselves. I knew I could likely cut through the carapace with my Bastion sword and a full-strength swing, but I wanted to test my magic instead. The boss clearly had a high resistance to Earth-type attacks, which usually meant it would be vulnerable to Water.
“Water Ball!”
I manifested a sphere of water and aimed it directly at the top of the turtle’s head. At that moment, the boss had retracted its head into its carapace, leaving only the very top visible. It was protected by a thick, helmet-like shell, but the Water Ball didn't need to pierce the armor to be effective. The spell struck the head, and the turtle’s entire body began to shake violently. Its legs kicked out from under the shell, and its head was forced out of the cavity, bleeding profusely from its eyes, ears, and mouth.
The Water Ball had clearly caused massive internal trauma. As the boss floundered, I decided to test a few other spells for comparison. As I expected, my Earth Ball did very little besides physically nudging the creature. My Fire spells did no damage to the hard carapace, but they caused intense pain when they hit the exposed skin and meat. My Wind Blades managed to draw blood and leave visible dents in the shell, but they weren't efficient enough for a quick kill.
After I was finished experimenting with my elemental attacks, I stepped forward and delivered a heavy punch directly to the turtle’s carapace. The force was enough to send the multi-ton monster flying several meters, cracks spider-webbing across its shell. I followed up with two more Water Balls to the head, and the boss finally succumbed to its injuries and died.
“Woya, collect the coins.”
“Yes, master,” she replied, quickly shaking off her somber mood and running toward the disintegrating remains to gather the loot.
“Master… we are sorry,” Wyn said, approaching me with a sad expression and a deep bow.
“... You don't have to apologize,” I said, looking down at her. “You managed to reach the seventh floor in just a few days of training. That is fascinatingly fast progress by any standard.”
“... But it is only because of you, master,” she argued reluctantly.
“Yes, you’re right… But so what?” I countered, ensuring Woya could hear me as she returned. “What matters is the result. The mini-boss you defeated on the fifth floor was a much more difficult opponent than this turtle. This boss was simply a bad matchup for your current equipment and fighting style. Don't let it discourage you.”
“I understand, master,” Wyn said calmly. Her mood seemed to improve slightly at my words, so I didn't press the issue any further.
“Let’s head back and do some shopping for dinner,” I announced. “There is also a specific place I want us to visit before we go home.”
With that, we turned and left the boss chamber, heading back toward the surface and the bustling streets of Yargan. We had a lot to accomplish before the day was out.
[Edited]
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Heroes:
Aymeric Petiaux
Knights: