Chapter 28: A Lesson in Hell

Ethan glanced at her.

"What’s with that sigh? Weren’t you the one who insisted on coming with me?"

Aria looked at him.

"I only followed you because you were going somewhere interesting."

"Didn’t you also say you wanted to see what I was up to?"

Aria paused.

"Well..."

Ethan’s lips curled into a small smile.

"You seemed pretty eager back then."

Aria clicked her tongue and looked away.

"Stop bringing that up."

She was quiet for a moment before glancing at him again.

"But I didn’t agree to come here to die."

Ethan gave a small laugh.

"Don’t worry. Since I brought you here, I won’t let you die."

Aria stared at him.

"Really?"

"Of course."

He turned toward the forest.

"I only brought you into Hell difficulty to teach you a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"You used me as an excuse to avoid going home. I thought I’d give you something to remember."

Aria’s mouth twitched.

"So you pushed me into Hell just to teach me a lesson?"

"Yes."

She stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You’re seriously strange."

Another notification appeared in front of her.

[You have killed an Ironfang Wolf.]

Aria blinked.

Before she could react, another notification appeared.

[You have killed an Ironfang Wolf.]

Then another.

Her eyes moved from one message to the next. Her experience kept going up, yet she couldn’t see a single wolf nearby.

"What is this?"

Ethan started walking deeper into the forest.

Aria hurried after him. "Wait. Does this have something to do with those shadows?"

Another notification appeared.

[You have killed an Ironfang Wolf.]

Her experience increased again.

Aria glanced at the hundreds of notifications filling her vision.

"I’m getting half the experience from every kill..."

"Didn’t I tell you? We’re a party."

"But who’s killing them?"

Ethan glanced toward the trees ahead. A few faint shadows moved between the trunks before disappearing into the darkness.

Aria followed his gaze.

"Those shadows again...?"

She hurried after him, still trying to figure out what those strange shadows were.

They continued through the forest for several minutes. Wolves occasionally appeared between the trees, but none of them managed to get close.

After seeing the same message several times, she suddenly noticed another one.

[You have reached Level 5.]

"I’m Level 5 already?"

She looked at the notification, then at Ethan. "How many wolves are in this place?"

Ethan only glanced at her before continuing forward.

Aria followed, still checking her status from time to time. A few minutes later, another notification appeared.

[You have reached Level 6.]

Aria stared at the message.

"...Again?"

Despite herself, Aria felt a little excited. Her level was still climbing, and the notifications hadn’t stopped.

Then another message appeared.

[You have killed an Ironfang Waykeeper.]

Aria’s expression changed.

"Waykeeper?"

The forest ahead suddenly became quiet.

Ethan stopped walking.

A huge wolf slowly stepped out from between the trees.

It was far larger than the Ironfang Wolves they had been fighting. Its body was covered in thick gray fur, and its claws dug into the ground as it stared at them.

Aria swallowed.

"That’s an Ironfang Waykeeper?"

The beast was nearly seven times the size of the wolves she had seen earlier.

Its body suddenly collapsed.

Aria stared in confusion.

"Did it just die?"

Aria stared at the glowing orb left behind by the Waykeeper.

"An Essence Orb..."

She crouched down and picked it up. The image inside the orb was a clenched fist, but unlike a normal Strength Essence Orb, several sharp claws extended from the knuckles.

"Strength variant."

Before she could examine it any further, Ethan walked over and held out his hand.

"Give it to me."

Aria looked at him for a moment before handing it over. Ethan closed his fingers around the orb and crushed it.

The orb shattered into countless specks of light that immediately sank into his body.

[Variant Essence absorbed.]

[Strength +200]

[Duration: 10 minutes]

[Variant Effect Activated.]

[Variant Effect: Silver Claws]

[When the user’s fist is clenched, sharp silver claws will extend from the knuckles. The claws greatly increase the user’s striking and tearing power.]

The connection between Ethan and his legion immediately responded.

[One Mind, One Legion activated.]

[Strength +200 shared with all Shadow Wraith Soldiers.]

[Silver Claws has adapted to the physiology of the Shadow Wraith Legion.]

[Shadow strike damage greatly increased.]

Ethan clenched his fist, and three silver claws slipped out from his knuckles.

Aria stared at his hand for a moment before looking away.

"You really don’t hesitate, do you?"

Ethan didn’t answer. He looked deeper into the forest.

"Let’s go. The boss should be ahead."

"The boss?"

Aria’s steps slowed. She looked toward the trees, then swallowed and rubbed her palms against her clothes.

They had been inside for a while, and everything had gone smoothly so far. Ethan had dealt with every Ironfang Wolf before she even had to lift a finger. But a dungeon boss was different.

"It’s a Hell difficulty boss..." she muttered.

Ethan started walking.

"Come on."

Aria stayed where she was for another second before hurrying after him.

"Wait for me!"

They continued deeper into the forest. The number of wolves around them gradually decreased until even the growls disappeared.

Aria noticed it first.

"Why did it suddenly get so quiet?"

Ethan didn’t answer.

A few more steps later, the trees opened up into a large clearing.

Aria stopped.

Something was standing in the middle of the clearing.

At first, she thought it was another Ironfang Wolf.

Then it moved.

The creature was enormous, nearly twice the size of the Ironfang Waykeeper they had just killed.

Its body was covered in thick gray fur, and its four legs were nearly as tall as Aria herself. Long iron-colored fangs extended from its mouth, while its claws dug into the ground.

Aria’s face tightened.

"That’s..."

A notification appeared in front of them.

[Ironfang Wolf Boss]

[Level: 10]

[Difficulty: Hell]

Aria’s fingers curled.

"Level 10..."

She had only just reached Level 6.

Even if the level difference wasn’t huge, this was a dungeon boss. A Hell difficulty boss at that.

The Wolf Boss lowered its body.

Aria took a step back.

"Ethan..."

The creature suddenly disappeared.

"Look out!"

It appeared right in front of them.

Aria barely managed to raise her arms before a shadow shot past her.

Bang!

The Wolf Boss’s body was knocked sideways and crashed into a tree.

Aria stared.

"What was that?"

The wolf shook its head and immediately charged again.

This time, dozens of shadows rose from the ground.

They wrapped around its legs and pulled it down.

The Wolf Boss snarled and forced itself back up, breaking through the shadows with raw strength.

Aria’s eyes widened.

"It broke them?"

"Not bad," Ethan said.

He raised his hand.

The shadows around the clearing suddenly became active.

One after another, Shadow Wraiths stepped out from the darkness.

Aria’s mouth fell open.

"There are..."

She quickly lost count.

The Wolf Boss looked around and growled. Its fur stood up as dozens of dark figures surrounded it.

Aria swallowed.

"Since when were they here?"

The Wolf Boss lunged at the nearest Shadow Wraith.

The Shadow Wraiths moved at once, activating Shadow Strike.

The attack collided with the Wolf Boss’s claws and stopped its charge.

Aria watched the fight with her heart pounding.

It was strong.

Much stronger than the wolves they had encountered earlier.

But the Shadow Wraiths didn’t give it any room to escape.

One attacked from the front while another slipped behind it, striking with a shadow blade. The Wolf Boss roared and swung its tail, knocking two Shadow Wraiths away.

"Is this really a two-person party?" Aria muttered.

Ethan glanced at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The Wolf Boss suddenly broke through the surrounding shadows and charged straight toward Ethan.

Aria’s face changed.

"Ethan!"

The wolf opened its jaws.

Just before it reached him, Ethan clenched his fist.

Three silver claws slipped out from his knuckles.

He swung once.

The Wolf Boss’s head snapped to the side as three deep cuts appeared across its face.

The Wolf Boss stumbled backward, blood running down its face. Ethan flexed his fingers, watching the silver claws retract.

"Seems useful."

Aria stared at him. "You just tested that on the boss?"

"Why not?"

Before she could argue, the Wolf Boss roared and charged again.

This time, Ethan didn’t give it another chance.

The shadows beneath the creature suddenly spread across the ground.

Several Shadow Wraiths attacked at the same time.

The Wolf Boss struggled for a few seconds before a dark blade pierced through its chest.

Its body went limp.

[You have defeated the Ironfang Wolf Boss.]

[Dungeon Progress: 100%]

[Total Experience: 210 ]

[Party Distribution: Equal]

[You received: 105 EXP.]

[Hell Difficulty cleared.]

Aria let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She looked at the dead Wolf Boss, then at Ethan.

"So that’s it?"

"Looks like it."

She shook her head. "I thought we’d at least have to fight for our lives."

Ethan walked over to the corpse.

"You were worried?"

"Of course I was!" Aria followed him. "This is Hell difficulty."

Ethan glanced at her. "I didn’t notice."

"You were too busy killing everything."

"Then you should have been fine."

Aria rolled her eyes. "That’s not how it works."

Ethan suddenly noticed a few strands of silver hair lifting beside her face. "Aria."

"Hm?"

"Your hair."

She reached up and caught the floating strands. Her eyes widened.

"...What?"