Chapter 76: The Hidden Conspiracy

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Hidden Conspiracy

The forest was completely still. The clearing was wrecked from last night’s fight: shattered trees, giant holes in the dirt, the carcass of the giant monster, and their small camp pitched off to the side.

Felix sat by the dying fire. Seraphina sat across from him, sipping water with her usual calm look. They had spent enough time together now that quiet moments felt natural, and both of them were waiting on the tent to open.

Inside, Liora was dealing with the painful aftermath of her breakthrough.

Her new A-rank core was formed, but her body had to catch up. Breaking through wasn’t just about gaining more energy. The whole body had to rebuild itself to handle the load: bones got denser, muscles got stronger, organs adapted to the heavy pressure, and blood thickened to carry more mana.

There was no shortcut for it. No magic potion, no quick spell. Felix could heal wounds, but he couldn’t rush natural growth.

Liora had simply gritted her teeth through hours of dull, aching pain until morning arrived and her body finally settled.

Now her body was ready for A-rank power. Controlling it was the real challenge.

The gap between ranks was huge. An A-rank core held roughly five times more mana than a B-rank one. An ordinary S-rank held ten times an A-rank’s reserve.

Seraphina was a freak of nature even among them, she carried nearly twenty times the mana of an ordinary A-rank.

"Sometimes I wonder if your core even follows the normal rules," Felix remarked.

Seraphina smiled faintly. "Maybe I’m just special."

"That’s a nice way to put it."

"What would you call it?"

"Ridiculous."

She let out a quiet laugh. Felix leaned back against a fallen log, thinking about his own rank.

His core was still officially stuck at A-rank, even though the quality of his mana was insane thanks to his Ultra III healing proficiency. He could fight on par with top S-ranks, but his core itself refused to break through.

To push it over the edge, he needed real life-or-death pressure, the kind of extreme fight that had pushed his healing into the Ultra rank in the past.

He glanced toward the tent. "She should be coming out soon."

"She’s stubborn," Seraphina noted.

"Very."

Right on cue, the tent flap opened and Liora stepped out. Her hair was messy, but color had returned to her face and her feet were steady.

"Felix," she called out.

"Yeah?"

"I want to fight."

He raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

"I can’t test my power without a real fight," she said, clenching her fist. "If I hit something, I’ll know how much power I’m using."

Felix thought for a second, then nodded. "Fair enough. If you feel up for it."

They packed up their camp. Once their gear was ready, Felix looked at both of them.

"Our mission has changed," he said. "Liora, work on pacing your mana while we move. Sera and I will keep scouting. Whatever altered that boss can’t hide forever. This dungeon world is too small for that."

He pointed north. "Sera and I will search this side."

"I’ll check the east," Liora said.

"We meet back here at noon."

"Got it."

Felix turned to leave, then paused and looked back at her. "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Go take a bath. There’s a river just south of here."

Liora blinked, confused. "What?"

"Your body pushed out a lot of dirt and sweat during the breakthrough." Felix sniffed the air bluntly. "You stink."

Liora froze. Her face turned red instantly. "Wa—"

He was already walking into the trees.

"Wait!"

Felix didn’t stop.

Panicking, she quickly sniffed her own sleeve, turned bright red, and covered her face with both hands. "He thinks I smell..." She peeked through her fingers at his back. "He doesn’t think I’m gross, right?"

"You are weird," Seraphina said, walking past her.

Liora’s jaw dropped. "What?!"

Liora stood alone for a second, slowly lowering her hands. "...Really?"

A second later, she turned around and ran as fast as she could toward the river.

---

By noon, the three met back at the clearing.

Liora was wearing fresh clothes, her hair was clean, and she had a lot more energy.

"Much better," Felix said with a smile.

"I feel a lot lighter too," she replied happily.

Seraphina arrived right after, walking up with her usual cool posture. She gave Liora a cold, flat look. "How peaceful this mission would be," she said calmly, "if that little nuisance weren’t following us."

Liora flinched and immediately hid behind Felix’s back.

Felix looked at Liora hiding behind him, then turned to Seraphina. Seraphina’s eye twitched seeing the girl clutch Felix’s coat like a scared puppy.

"Really, Sera?" Felix sighed.

Liora peeked her head around his arm. Seraphina glared straight at her, and Liora quickly ducked back out of sight.

"Little gremlin," Seraphina muttered under her breath.

Felix rubbed his forehead. "Sera."

"I didn’t say anything bad."

"You definitely did."

"I just shared how I feel."

"The way you feel is scary."

"Only to her," Seraphina said, giving him a sweet smile while Liora gripped his sleeve even tighter.

Felix decided to change the subject. "I found tracks. Multiple sets." He took a handful of dirt from his bag. "It carries the same strange energy as the boss from last night."

"So they’re modifying regular monsters too," Seraphina said.

"Looks like it."

"Did you see who did it?"

"Not yet, but the trail is fresh."

They followed the tracks through the woods for hours. The footprints grew clearer, and the strange energy in the air got thicker with every mile.

Suddenly, Felix stopped dead in his tracks. Seraphina nearly bumped into his back.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Felix held up a finger. "Quiet."

Liora froze behind them. Felix pointed through the thick leaves ahead.

"Look."

Three figures were standing in a rocky clearing. They had dark gray skin, long pointed ears, lean bodies, and wore black clothes. All three gave off heavy mana.

"...More dark elves," Felix whispered.

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed. Liora gasped quietly. One of the elves gave off full S-rank pressure, while the other two were solid A-ranks.

"Interesting," Felix said, stepping back into the bushes.

Once they were safely out of earshot, he laid out the plan. "One S-rank, two A-ranks."

"I can feel the leader," Seraphina said.

"Liora, take one A-rank. Sera, take the second," Felix ordered, pointing to himself. "I’ll take the S-rank leader. He’s mid-tier, so I can stall him without problems. Once you two beat your targets, come help me."

Liora looked down at her hands. "Felix... I just broke through. My control is still a little shaky."

She paused, then shook her head and clenched her fists. "No. This is actually perfect. Fighting a real A-rank will force me to control my mana."

She looked up, a small smile on her face. "I want to do this."

"Good," Felix said. Then his tone grew serious.

"One important rule: I want one of them alive."

"A prisoner?" Liora asked.

"Yes. That altered boss wasn’t an accident, and neither are these tracks." Felix tapped the weird core at his belt. "Someone is messing with the monsters in this gate on purpose. That means a bigger plan is going on, and we need answers."

"Then we catch one alive," Seraphina agreed, her voice turning cold.

"Right. Don’t use lethal attacks unless your life is in danger."

Both girls nodded firmly.

The three of them stepped out of the bushes and walked into the open clearing.

The moment their boots hit the stone, the S-rank elf’s golden eyes snapped toward Felix. A cruel smirk spread across his face.

"You finally showed up," the elf said.

Felix stopped, blinking in surprise. "It talks."

"Of course I talk, human," the elf laughed. His mana exploded outward, kicking up dust and making the ground shake.

Seraphina’s fingers crackled with sharp blue mana. Thick, pitch-black shadows wrapped around Liora’s arms.

Felix let out a low laugh, a sharp smirk touching his lips. "Well. That makes things a lot more fun."

He stepped forward.

All three dark elves charged.

Felix, Seraphina, and Liora dashed straight at them, and the fight began.