The monster’s fists rose like twin hammers. Ludger exhaled sharply and let the power roll up from his [Spiritual Core]. Blue light surged down his arms as [Overdrive] flared to life, muscles tightening like coiled springs.

At the same time, a second glow flared—[Weapon Enhancing]—but this time spread across the red-silver armguards themselves, magic pulsing faintly along the plates. The air around his forearms shimmered with raw force.

The elemental slammed its punch down.

Ludger met it head-on. His enhanced armguards crashed against the blocky limb, not only stopping the blow but angling it away. With a sharp twist of his hips he deflected the strike off to the side, the monster’s weight dragging it off-balance. Its massive frame lurched, core flashing as it tried to recover.

“Now!” Ludger barked.

Viola’s eyes blazed. She darted in under its raised arm, her blade already glowing with [Weapon Enhancing]. She drove the point toward the pulsing red core between its ribs.

The strike hit true—clang!—sending a shockwave of sparks out from the impact. Cracks spider-webbed across the core’s surface, its glow flickering. But the massive creature didn’t fall. It shuddered, gave a grinding roar, and swung its free arm down at her in a clumsy but deadly backhand.

Viola yanked her blade back, breath coming fast, realization flashing in her eyes. “One hit isn’t enough!”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

Ludger shifted his stance again, mana still burning through his limbs, ready to intercept the next blow.

The elemental’s cracked core pulsed furiously as it raised its blocky arm for a killing blow, iron plates grinding like thunder. Viola’s eyes flashed; she shifted her stance, boots digging into the stone, gathering every ounce of mana she had left.

The monster’s fist came down—

Ludger surged forward, slamming both armguards up in a cross-block. [Overdrive] and [Weapon Enhancing] flared together, the impact ringing out like a bell. His bones screamed but he held, boots carving grooves into the floor as he locked the beast’s arm in place.

“Now, Viola!” he barked.

Viola exhaled once, everything else falling away. She dropped into the single-handed stance she’d been training, blade angled low, tip aimed at the monster’s heart. Mana roared into her muscles and along the edge of the sword, [Weapon Enhancing] surging brighter than ever.

She burst forward. Her blade shot up in a clean thrust, faster and tighter than before, piercing straight through the cracked core. The impact sent a resonant crack

echoing down the corridor. For a heartbeat the core glowed white, then shattered with a sound like breaking glass.

The elemental froze, its massive arm still caught against Ludger’s guard. Plates sloughed off one by one, clattering to the stone like dead weight. The hulking frame sagged, then collapsed inward, tumbling apart until only a scatter of dull fragments and a faintly glowing ore lay at their feet.

Viola straightened, her blade trembling in her grip but her eyes blazing with triumph. “Got it.”

Ludger lowered his arms slowly, the glow fading from his armguards, a thin line of sweat on his brow. He gave a short nod. “You did,” he said, voice steady but his mouth twitching at the edges. “That’s how you do it.”

Dust drifted down around them, the corridor quiet again except for their breathing. Luna stepped forward from the rear, her eyes sweeping the shadows for more threats but a faint flicker of approval on her face.

[Iron Guard +30 XP ]

Ludger exhaled and then stepped forward over the heap of fallen plates. The jagged glow of the shattered core still pulsed faintly among the rubble.

He crouched and pried it free with both hands. It was heavier than it looked, the size of a small melon—easily three times bigger than any of the other cores they’d taken so far. Its surface wasn’t just dull iron either; streaks of darker metal ran through it like veins, glittering faintly under the torchlight.

He turned it over once, feeling the hum of residual mana. “Bigger and different composition,” he murmured. “Definitely more valuable.”

Viola leaned on her sword, still catching her breath, eyes shining at the core. “So… worth the fight?”

Ludger gave a short shrug. “Maybe. But if we have to burn this much mana every time, we’re not making a profit.” He hefted the core once and slid it into his pack. “This isn’t a farmable target unless you’re strong enough to smash it without draining yourself.”

He straightened, brushing dust off his hands. “Still,” he added dryly, “not bad for a morning’s work.”

Viola grinned despite the sweat on her face, and Luna’s gaze flicked to the collapsed creature, quietly weighing his words.

The corridor ahead was silent again, but the faint tremor of deeper monsters echoed in the stone, hinting that the labyrinth still had more to show them.

Ludger slung the massive core into his pack and cinched it tight, already turning down the corridor. “Two more,” he said flatly. “Then we’re heading back.”

Viola blinked at him. “Two? We just killed a giant one and you still want more?”

He glanced over his shoulder, expression as cool as ever. “Two more. It’s enough to test consistency without draining us dry. We leave before we get sloppy.”

Viola groaned, dragging her sword along the floor with a dramatic scrape. “You’re such a control freak, you know that? You suck every bit of fun out of this.”

Ludger’s mouth twitched in the faintest smirk. “And yet you’re still breathing. Funny how that works.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, falling into step behind him. “Control freak.”

Luna followed silently, her eyes flicking between the two, a hint of amusement hidden under her usual calm.

Ludger’s gaze stayed on the twisting path ahead. He hated things going off-plan, and the labyrinth had already shown how fast a fight could turn bad. Sticking to the limit wasn’t about being controlling; it was about staying alive.

“Two more,” he repeated. “Then we rest. No arguments.”

Viola huffed but didn’t argue again, her boots crunching in the dust as they moved deeper into the jagged tunnels.

An hour later, the sunlit entrance of the labyrinth came into view between the jagged stone walls. The three of them trudged up the rough steps, boots dragging just a little from exhaustion. The cool, dusty air of the tunnels gave way to the dry warmth outside.

Viola rolled her shoulders with a wince, her sword slung across her back now instead of in her hand. “Ugh,” she muttered. “My arms feel like they’re about to fall off.” She glanced at Ludger and, for once, managed a crooked smile. “Okay… you were right. About stopping early. My shoulders are screaming. I’ve never tried to cut through something that sturdy before.”

Ludger only gave a small grunt, but there was the faintest flicker of amusement in his eyes. He looked a little less battered than she did—his breathing steady, posture still upright—but the ache in his bones was sharp, a low thrum under his skin.

He could have healed himself easily enough, knitting the damage back together with [Healing Touch], but he chose not to. Better to let the sting ride a little longer, a reminder of what their limits felt like. Pain had a way of sharpening his thoughts, of feeding his mind toward better tactics.

As they walked toward Meira’s outer streets, Viola stretched her arms with a groan and muttered something about hot baths. Luna kept pace beside them, quiet and watchful as always, her bag of supplies swinging at her side.

Ludger tilted his head back, looking at the city walls ahead, and let out a slow breath. “Next time,” he murmured to himself, “we’ll do it cleaner.”

By the time they reached Meira’s gates, the weight of the day’s fighting had settled into their limbs. The streets were already busy with traders buying up monster parts and ores from returning parties. Ludger adjusted his pack and steered them toward one of the older merchants he’d used before.

“Alright,” Viola said, rubbing her sore shoulders with both hands, “I’m calling it. We’re done. The city’s famous for its hot baths, you know.” Her lips curved in a small, tired grin. “Perfect for sore muscles.”

Ludger glanced at her, then at Luna. “Hot baths, huh.”

Viola’s grin widened. “Don’t act like you’re not thinking about it. My arms are on fire.”

Ludger looked to Luna for confirmation. “You two will be fine on your own?”

Luna gave a small nod. “We’ll be fine. The baths are near the guild hall anyway.”

“Good,” Ludger said, handing the pouch of coins to her for safekeeping. “Go soak until you stop whining about your muscles. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Viola rolled her eyes but her smile stayed. “Sure, control freak.”

Ludger smirked faintly and turned toward the merchants’ quarter to finish his errands while the girls headed for the steaming bathhouses clustered near the guild hall.

The city’s afternoon light glinted off the red-silver of his armguards as he disappeared into the crowd, already thinking about supplies and the next step in their plan.

The merchant’s scale clinked as he weighed out the cores, his brow rising higher with each one Ludger laid on the counter. “Two silver apiece,” the man said at last, counting out the coins with gnarled fingers.

Ludger scooped them up, slipping the neat stacks into his pouch. A faint smile tugged at his mouth. Two silver per core. Not bad at all.

It made sense. The iron elementals roamed singly, each one a tough opponent. Most adventurers faced them in groups of six, bleeding potions and stamina to take one down. No wonder the merchants paid so much to anyone who brought the cores back intact.

So maybe I’m a bit above the average party now, he thought, turning from the stall. Good to know.

He threaded into the crowd, already planning the next list of supplies, when a prickle ran up the back of his neck. A soundless kind of pressure, the subtle shift of footsteps matching his own.

Ludger slowed his pace just enough to test it. In the reflection of a shop window, a shadowy figure moved a few stalls back, weaving through the crowd in rhythm with him. Not close enough to be obvious, but steadily gaining ground.

He adjusted his stride, expression unreadable, but his mind sharpened instantly. Someone’s matching my steps. And closing.

The noise of the market washed around him—haggling, clinking coin, steam from the food carts—but Ludger’s eyes flicked to every glimmer of metal, every flutter of cloak at the edge of his vision. His hand brushed the edge of his armguard as he walked.

He didn’t break stride, but his thoughts ran fast. Alright. Let’s see what you want.

Ludger shifted his route toward one of the narrower alleys off the main market, mind already mapping the choke points and escape angles. If someone wanted to tail him, he’d make sure they did it on his terms.

But as he veered off the busy street, a different sound caught his attention—or rather, the absence of sound. The clatter of merchants and the drone of haggling dulled. The nearby low-lives lounging by crates and doorways suddenly found reasons to drift away, their eyes cutting to something further down the lane.

Ludger followed their gaze and spotted a familiar silhouette.

Gaius.

The ex-guildmaster was standing at the far end of the alley with his arms crossed, a battered jug dangling loosely from one hand. Even from this distance his presence carried—an invisible weight that pressed on the street. He didn’t shout, didn’t even look at Ludger, but the effect on the crowd was immediate. The loiterers and petty toughs melted away into side streets and shop doors, their eyes down, muttering under their breath.

So this stretch is considered his, Ludger thought, slowing his steps. Makes sense. Even falling apart, the Iron Vein still has a name here.

He caught the faintest hint of a smirk on Gaius’s face before the man turned and disappeared down another street, leaving the silence behind him.

Ludger straightened, letting his fingers slip away from the edge of his armguard. Whoever had been shadowing him was gone now.

He exhaled through his nose. “Well… that’s one way to clear a street.”

Adjusting his pouch of coins, he stepped back into the flow of the market, the noise rushing back around him.

Ludger slipped back into the crowd and shadowed the familiar silhouette, keeping just far enough behind to avoid looking obvious. Gaius didn’t hurry; he strolled through Meira’s crooked streets with the same slouching gait as always, jug swinging from one hand.

The path curved toward the Iron Vein’s quarter, and sure enough, the ex-guildmaster turned down the lane leading to the old hall. Ludger caught up, matching his stride.

“You’ve got a tail now?” Gaius muttered without looking at him. “Or just practicing?”

Ludger smirked faintly. “Practicing. Looks like you cleared them for me.”

Gaius took a slow pull from his jug, then glanced sideways at the boy. “Some people are getting curious about you three,” he said at last. “All those cores you’re hauling in, the rumors about the Iron Vein moving again… you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest with your little advertising project.”

They stepped over the cracked threshold of the guild hall. Dust swirled around their boots.

Ludger shrugged, his tone even. “Any low-life still stupid enough to attack a group that’s reached the second zone of the labyrinth?”

That made Gaius actually stop and look at him. His one raised brow and faint twitch of surprise were more reaction than Ludger had ever gotten from him before.

Then the man snorted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Guess you’re not bluffing,” he muttered. “Even the scum down here like living too much to pick that fight. Most would avoid you guys. Most…”

He pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside, the hall swallowing his shadow. Ludger followed, adjusting the weight of the coin pouch on his belt. The game was moving, and the old guildmaster was finally showing hints of curiosity.

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