CHAPTER 169: ANSWER

The other man didn’t argue. He didn’t have to. When Varik said they could handle it, it meant they could handle it.

The train slowed, brakes hissing. Outside, the landscape had shifted from urban sprawl to jagged hills and patches of dark forest. The air that swept in through the doors as they opened was cold enough to bite.

Lucen tugged his gloves on. "How deep?"

"Unknown." Varik stepped off the train like they were going for groceries. "We’ll find out."

—

The breach sat inside the skeleton of an old hydro plant, its windows long gone, rust crawling up the steel frames. Inside, the place smelled of damp concrete and iron. The breach shimmered against the far wall, taller than most he’d seen, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

Varik studied it for all of three seconds before walking through.

Lucen followed, the shift in air pressure hitting like a sudden drop on a roller coaster. The dungeon was... bright. Which was strange for a crimson-class. Light filtered through a false sky above, reflecting off fields of crystalline growths that sparkled like frost.

’Pretty. Almost makes you forget something in here wants to eat you.’

Varik scanned the horizon. "The core will be at the highest point."

Lucen glanced at him. "You’ve been here before?"

"No. But the terrain’s sloped, and the mana flow’s uphill." He started walking, each step deliberate but unhurried.

The first attack came from beneath,the ground fracturing, a spined worm erupting upward with a wet, grinding sound. Lucen sidestepped, mana already pooling in his hand before he flicked it toward the creature. The blast caught it under the jaw, sending it sprawling with a hiss.

Varik didn’t even turn his head. He just drew his sword and swung once, cleaving the thing clean in half before it hit the ground.

"You were slow," Varik said.

"I was giving you a chance to warm up," Lucen replied.

The corner of Varik’s mouth ticked upward.

—

The climb toward the "highest point" wasn’t straight. The crystal fields gave way to jagged rock ridges and narrow passes, the air growing warmer with every step. Somewhere ahead, a low, rhythmic thud echoed, like something massive moving in a slow heartbeat.

Lucen stopped, crouching to press a hand to the rock. Heat pulsed through it, faint but steady. "We’ve got company."

"Good," Varik said.

They rounded the next ridge and found the company, a guardian beast, easily twenty feet tall, all plated crystal armor and too many eyes. It turned toward them slowly, head tilting in a way that suggested curiosity rather than hostility.

Then it charged.

Varik stepped forward, his blade flashing in the artificial sunlight. The first impact rang out like a bell as sword met armor, sending a shockwave through the ridge. The ground cracked under Varik’s feet, he didn’t budge.

Lucen circled left, fingers brushing the hilt of his own sword before switching to magic. Mana swirled at his palm, condensed into a white-hot lance. He flung it low, catching the guardian’s leg. The creature staggered, one crystal knee cracking audibly.

Varik didn’t miss the opening. His blade came down in a blur, carving straight through the exposed joint. The guardian roared, a grinding, glass-shattering sound, before stumbling to one side.

"You finish or me?" Lucen called.

"You," Varik said, already turning away.

Lucen grinned, drawing the sword and letting mana hum through the steel. ’Alright. Let’s make it quick.’

One step, one upward swing, the crack in its armor split, light spilling out in a blinding flash before the creature collapsed, still and silent.

[Guardian Defeated]

[XP Gained: +5,600]

—

By the time they reached the core, a massive crystal spire jutting from the mountain peak, Lucen’s boots were dusted with glittering shards from smaller fights along the way.

Varik studied the core like it was a puzzle. "You want to do it, or should I?"

Lucen tilted his head. "You’re the one who likes breaking expensive things."

Varik’s blade cut through the air once, clean and precise, and the spire cracked from top to bottom before exploding into harmless light. The sky above flickered once before fading to gray.

[Dungeon Cleared]

[Mission Complete]

Varik slid the sword back into its sheath. "You were holding back."

Lucen smirked faintly. "So were you."

Neither of them said more. They didn’t need to.

—

The false sky above the mountain peak dimmed until it looked like a washed-out watercolor, clouds fading into a dull gray nothing. Bits of the shattered core’s light drifted upward like slow sparks before disappearing.

Lucen brushed a glittering shard off his shoulder. It dissolved into mana dust the second it hit the ground.

Varik was already moving toward the ridge. "We’ll head back through the same path."

"Why not jump off the edge? It’s downhill." Lucen stepped up beside him, peering down the cliffside. From this height, the crystal fields looked like snowdrifts.

"You’d break your legs."

Lucen smirked. "You’d heal me."

"I’d let you crawl."

’Fair enough.’ He tugged his hood a little lower as they started down the ridge.

The heat that had built up during the climb bled away fast, replaced by a sharper chill. The wind carried a faint mineral tang, like wet stone after rain. Their boots crunched over loose shards with every step.

Halfway down, the sound of running water joined the wind. They crossed a narrow rock bridge above a river of liquid mana, glowing faintly under the false sky. The current swirled in lazy eddies, but Lucen kept his distance anyway. Mana burns were a pain to explain.

"You did that leg shot on purpose," Varik said as they walked. Not accusing. Just stating.

Lucen’s mouth twitched. "Which one?"

"The guardian."

Lucen shrugged. "Seemed like the fastest way to give you an opening."

Varik glanced sideways at him, eyes sharp but unreadable. "Or the fastest way to test how much force you could pump into a precision hit."

’And here I thought you weren’t paying attention.’ "You’re really bad at compliments," Lucen said.

"That was a compliment."

They dropped into a narrow pass where the crystals thinned into jagged outcroppings of black stone. The air was warmer here again, carrying a faint sulfur bite.

Something shifted up ahead, a scrape against rock. Varik stopped mid-step. "Two o’clock."

Lucen spotted it then, a chitin-plated crawler clinging to the wall, its six legs digging into the stone as it crept along. Its eyes caught the dim light and gleamed red.

Varik didn’t bother drawing his sword. "Yours."

Lucen stretched his fingers. Mana pooled instantly at his palm, threads weaving into a tight sphere before he flicked it forward. The blast cracked against the crawler’s chest and sent it tumbling into the pass. It tried to right itself, but Lucen was already moving, blade drawn. One upward slash took its head clean off.

The body twitched twice before going still.

[Minor Threat Neutralized]

[XP Gained: +600]

Lucen sheathed his sword and stepped over the carcass without breaking stride. "You sure you’re not just using me for cleanup?"

Varik kept walking. "You need the XP more than I do."

’Yeah. And the moment I outlevel you, you’ll pretend you didn’t see it coming.’

They moved on. The pass widened into open crystal plains again, shards crunching louder underfoot. The fake sunlight here felt weaker, as if the dungeon itself knew its core was gone.

"You know," Varik said suddenly, "most people don’t throw mana around like that unless they’re trying to show off."

Lucen tilted his head. "You think I was showing off?"

"I think you don’t need to try that hard for a crimson-class." Varik’s voice was calm, casual, but the words carried weight.

Lucen looked at him for a moment, measuring. "You’re the only one who knows. Remember?"

"I remember," Varik said.

’And that’s what worries me.’ Lucen looked away, scanning the horizon for movement that wasn’t there.

They reached the breach without another fight. The air shimmered faintly, the warped edges of the dungeon’s entry point slowly tightening now that the core was gone. Varik stepped through first.

The real world slammed back in with a rush of cold, damp air and the distant sound of dripping water. They were back inside the ruined hydro plant. Rusted beams loomed overhead, shadows pooling in the corners.

Outside, the sky was sliding toward dusk. The train wouldn’t be back for another hour.

Lucen pulled his hood lower. "You want to wait here or head for the station?"

"Station," Varik said. "Quicker to get food."

That was enough for Lucen. They started toward the cracked entry doors, their boots leaving faint wet prints on the dusty concrete.

On the way, Varik said, "Next time, don’t hold back."

Lucen gave him a sideways glance. "Even if you’re watching?"

"Especially if I’m watching."

’Yeah. Not ominous at all.’

They didn’t talk much after that, but Lucen could feel it. The quiet way Varik was cataloging everything, like every move he made in the dungeon was just another piece in some puzzle only Varik knew the answer to.

And Lucen wasn’t sure if he liked that or not.