NOVPUBWalking cautiously, Luka kept his eyes sharp, scanning the surroundings for any signs of traps or lurking monsters.
The deeper they went, the tighter the dungeon walls began to close in, the stone corridor narrowing with each step until he came face to face with a tight crevice barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
"Well, shit…" Luka muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm not going to like this."
"Quit whining and get moving," Kira snapped from behind him, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.
Grumbling under his breath, Luka inhaled, closed his eyes for a moment, then turned sideways to squeeze into the tight opening.
The rough stone scraped against his shoulders, and he could feel his breath bouncing back at him from the close walls.
He shuffled his way through the claustrophobic passage, boots scraping along the floor.
Finally, after a bit of awkward maneuvering, he popped out the other side with a relieved breath.
"Alright, made it. Your turn, ma'am," Luka called back, brushing dust from his sleeves.
There was no immediate response.
Curious, Luka turned just in time to see his teacher attempting to enter—but stopping short.
Her torso bumped against the rock.
Specifically, her chest.
Kira scowled, leaning back slightly, adjusting her angle.
But it was no use.
A tiny chuckle escaped Luka before he could stop it.
He quickly turned around, but it was too late.
A thick vein pulsed on Kira's forehead as she slowly turned her head toward her student, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.
"You think this is funny, you little brat?" she growled.
Before Luka could backpedal or apologize—
Kira stepped back, planted her feet firmly, and placed both hands on the stone walls flanking the crevice.
With a grunt, she forced her fingers into the stone and began pulling—no, tearing—the rock apart with brute strength.
Dust and pebbles rained down as she widened the narrow passage like it was made of wet clay, her expression a storm of wrath.
Luka blinked. "…Note to self. Don't laugh at the muscle Ranger." he whispered, inching away.
However, Kira strode right past, eyes forward.
"As punishment for laughing," she said coldly, "you're not allowed to gain a single drop of XP until we reach the boss' room."
She drew her massive bow in one smooth motion, string already crackling with elemental energy.
"What?! That's completely unfair!" Luka protested, rushing after her.
"You can't expect me not to laugh at that. Come on, I'm only human!"
Kira didn't so much as glance back.
Instead, she loosed an elemental arrow that whistled through the air, exploding into a burst of lightning as it vaporized a pack of slimes.
"Unfair?" she muttered. "Well, too bad."
Luka groaned, dragging his feet behind her.
Every monster that emerged was swiftly killed, frozen, incinerated, or electrocuted before he could even think about drawing his long dagger.
He stared at his weapon, then at the gleaming puddles of XP that could've been his.
Temptation itched at him like a bug bite.
'Just one kill… she wouldn't even notice—'
Kira's head turned, just slightly.
Luka froze.
'Nope. Not worth it.'
So, hands shoved into his pockets, Luka trudged along.
"This is psychological warfare…" He muttered.
Eventually, the path opened up into a massive chamber.
A wide underground lake stretched before them, the surface reflecting the glow of scattered crystal formations above.
Stone platforms jutted from the water like stepping stones, leading toward an ominous set of giant double doors embedded in the far cavern wall.
Kira came to a halt and pointed toward the doors. "That should be the boss' room. I'll follow now. You lead."
"…Got it."
Luka stepped forward to the edge.
He kicked a bit of dust off and looked down.
The water was unnervingly still.
Just as he bent his knees to jump, a massive splash erupted in front of him.
A stone-scaled crocodile burst from the water, snarling, its body entirely made of jagged rock.
A second stone croc surfaced beside it, letting out a deep, grinding growl like stone scraping against stone.
Luka blinked. '…So that's what Stone Crocs looked like?'
In the game, Stone Crocs were nothing more than a death sentence in Golem Mountain.
You missed a jump, and they'd flash out of the water like shadows—no warning, no time to react.
One second you were alive, the next, your character was being dragged under, a [You Died] screen your only reward.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet," Kira said dryly.
There was a flicker of amusement in her eyes, a cruel sort of sparkle like she was enjoying this.
"Ah, sorry," Luka said, scratching at his cheek.
"Just… kinda fascinated. Never got to see what Stone Crocs actually looked like before."
Kira scoffed and waved him forward. "Now you've seen them. Congrats. Move your ass."
"Right, right." Luka took a step back, inhaled deeply, and launched himself forward.
His feet left the edge, air rushing past his ears as he jumped above the water.
He landed clean on the first rock.
Solid.
Luka kept going—rock to rock, smooth and agile, not looking down again until he reached the final rock.
Turning around, he flashed a quick grin and gave a thumbs-up. "Made it."
Kira didn't bother with theatrics.
She stepped forward, her legs glowing with a faint, crackling aura. "[Leap]," she muttered.
In a single powerful leap, she shot across the entire gap.
The impact of her landing sent tiny shards of stone skittering across the ground.
"Holy shit, that was pretty cool," Luka complimented.
Kira brushed a bit of dust from her.
"Perks of being better than you."
Luka turned away with a roll of his eyes. 'Such a bitch…'
Releasing a long, silent sigh.
He didn't dare say it aloud.
He valued his life.
He turned his attention forward.
The double doors were right there, carved with symbols and ancient patterns of golems.
"Enough standing around." Luka stepped up.
"I'll open it."
