Harem Master - RPG story Ch. 021

Hey, I'm here with another chapter of Harem Master. Their second exploration, this time without any other males around. Let's see how it goes this way. I hope you will like this chapter and have a great time reading it!

--- Lost Grounds, Forest Dungeon ---

A young woman with green skin stood at the edge of a large lake. In front of her stood the man of her dreams. That day, she had seen him in the Lost Grounds, but at this moment, he had found her again in her dreams. Even though she knew she was sleeping and she couldn't change anything. She couldn't stop what was about to happen. She was merely an observer in her own body, forced to feel everything that happened to her.

His lips brushing against hers. His manly scent making her heart beat faster. His body pressing against her. His hands squeezing her ass. This burning fire in her core--this need she so desperately longed for him to satisfy.

Even knowing she wouldn't reach that desired peak, she still wanted to feel him inside--his long manhood penetrating her body, his hands wandering over her breasts, his fingers rubbing her small green nipples, his lips gently biting her lower lip.

She would wake up just before pleasure took over her body, but she could always finish it on her own--using her fingers, imagining she was still with him.

His hands squeezed her ass harder, then shifted to the hem of her shirt. He started to pull it upward, brushing her skin gently, staring deeply into her eyes. When the shirt blocked the view of him, it suddenly fell back over her body.

He was no longer in front of her, and she was in a dark cave, confused. Her dreams had never been like that before. He was supposed to strip her naked and pleasure, penetrate, and make her scream.

Instead, she was in a cave. But she noticed him--the man of her dreams. He was fighting against a big spider, attacking it with his sword while blocking the monster's legs with his shield.

The green-haired forest girl stared at him, watching his every move, worrying that the spider would reach him. But he was shifting masterfully, dodging attacks perfectly, blocking every hit as if he knew where it would be.

Suddenly, she noticed a movement--a much bigger spider dropped from the ceiling straight at his back.

"No!" she cried out, bolting upright in bed.

Something had happened. He was in danger--and she didn't know where he was, or what she could possibly do.

--- Asher Montgomery ---

Ava stepped toward the panel in the middle of the white starting room. She pressed on the tab with quests and read them aloud for everyone.

"Assigned quest is to remain for at least three hours in a dungeon. The reward is four bronze coins. The hindrance one is to kill five monsters, but everyone would need to choose one skill that would be inactive for the whole exploration time. It rewards twenty-five coins. The last task costs ten, kill five monsters for twenty coins reward."

"We should be able to be there for three hours easily. We can always just wait by the exit," Elara said.

Ava nodded only. "We'll take the paid task. I can give the coins."

Everyone agreed. Ava pulled out the demanded coins from her bracelet, which was an explorer bag, and put them on the panel while accepting the quest. The coins changed into light orbs and flew into the screen, changing the status of the quest to active.

"And the last task," Ava said. "I can get rid of Nature Resistance. It's useless in a first-level dungeon anyway. Asher can choose Additional Protection. We are not going to have sex there," Ava said casually.

Asher felt his cheeks warm slightly, but Ava just continued. "Elara can deactivate trap detection. Everything else is too valuable for her. Naomi, would you be fine without Phantom Arc?"

Naomi had three skills. The first one passively changed the damage of her arrows to deal sixty percent of the sum of her strength and intelligence. The second one allowed her to summon a mystic arrow, which dealt additional damage. The third, Phantom Arc, allowed her to change the trajectory of the arrow mid-flight. She had used it against them previously to wound Elara, but it was her least useful skill.

"Yes," Naomi replied immediately.

"Sam--"

"I can choose Block," Sam said, interrupting Ava.

"Tiffany, Knight's Willpower?" Ava asked.

Tiffany had a Knight class. The skill that Ava mentioned weakened all debuff effects by twenty percent, which, in a first-level dungeon, was not really useful. Her other two skills were Valiant Strike, which increased the damage of her next attack, and Knight's Counter, which reduced the damage of the first attack she took and boosted her next attack after getting hit.

"Uh... yeah, I think?" Tiffany replied.

"So, do we want to take this quest? It's mostly up to Naomi and Sam, as you would lose the most," Ava said, looking at them.

They quickly exchanged looks. "Let's take it," Sam replied for both of them.

Ava accepted the quest at the panel, and an announcement appeared in front of Asher's eyes.

---

The quest with hindrance was accepted. Please choose a skill that will be unavailable during exploration.

---

Asher focused on Additional Protection.

---

You have chosen Additional Protection.

Are you sure that you want to choose this skill?

Warning! You will lose all passive effects for the whole duration of the exploration.

---

Asher was going to confirm his choice but hesitated, wondering if any of the women could still have his cum in their bodies. Could they get pregnant from that? He had sex with three of them in the morning. He wasn't sure if insemination happened immediately after sex or could happen later. And how did his skill work? Did he need to have it active while he came, or the whole time it was possible for a woman to get pregnant?

To avoid risking that something would go wrong, he canceled his choice and focused on another skill.

---

You have chosen Building Relationship.

Are you sure that you want to choose this skill?

Warning! You will lose all passive effects for the whole duration of the exploration.

---

Asher accepted, as this was a much safer choice.

"Asher, are you ready?" Ava asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Let's start," Ava said, touching the screen on the panel, choosing the only available dungeon option--a random dungeon of the first level.

---

Dungeon Entered:

Caves, Level 1

---

For a brief moment, Asher could only see darkness, but then he and his team appeared in underground caves.

They were in a small cavern, surrounded by dark gray and brown rock. The ceiling was embedded with lighting stones that provided enough light to see, yet cast shadows that danced along the walls, giving the place a gloomy vibe.

Asher noticed vines twirling over the walls and moss covering the ground. There was a smell of dampness in the air, evident also on the wet walls.

"Of course," Ava said. "We ended up in Caves."

"What's wrong with them?" Elara asked.

Asher knew that even if Elara attended the lectures, she hadn't listened to them at all. It was obvious that she lacked the knowledge, but she had him and apparently Ava for that.

"The caves always have the most traps, and your skill could actually be useful," Ava explained.

"I'm willing to bet we'll fall into one now," Sam said. "That can't be a coincidence. You've certainly heard the theories--how whatever randomizes," Sam made air quotes with her fingers, "the dungeons are actually intelligent and pick things based on our classes and quests. Elara got rid of the skill to detect traps? Bam!" Sam struck her fist against her palm. "We end up in caves. And now, one hundred percent, we're falling into a trap."

"I'm not sure why you are so excited about it," Ava said, sighing. "It's still only a first-level dungeon. Even if we stumble into something, we can handle it if we are alert and ready. Sam, you should go first," she added, pointing at the only exit from the cavern we were in.

A tunnel about ten feet wide and of similar height turned slightly to the left, so they couldn't see far ahead. The light there was even worse, with the shining stones arranged at long distances between them.

"Tiffany, stay at the back. Elara, go just after Sam, and try to be quiet-- all noises carry in these tunnels," Ava added.

Sam headed first, holding her shield in her hand, but her sword hung by her waist. Asher walked together with Ava and Naomi between the other members of their team. He was slightly worried, unsure of what awaited them--what monsters they would meet--but mostly about the traps they might fall into.

After a few minutes, they reached a split. The tunnel they walked through continued forward, but there was another one turning right. Standing at the split, they couldn't find any difference between them; both were long, filled with just shadows and moss.

Ava pulled out a sheet of paper, a pencil, and chalk from her bracelet.

"Asher, you will make a map," she said, passing the paper and pencil to him. Then she stepped toward a flat and dry spot on the wall and drew a big number one there.

Asher based the paper on the same wall and drew the cavern they had first appeared in, then the fork they were standing at, marking it with a one.

"Which way are we going?" Sam asked.

"Forward," Elara replied.

Asher marked it on the paper and hid it in his pants.

Sam again headed first, and the rest of them followed just after her in the same formation. Over the next few minutes, they stumbled upon two other splits, marking them with successive numbers while Asher added them to the map.

After choosing their path for the third time, they heard some noises coming from ahead. At first, it was really quiet, but with every step, it became clearer until they finally noticed another cavern.

"Elara, sneak in carefully and check what's there," Ava said as the whole team stopped a few dozen feet from the entrance.

Elara got close to the right wall and then immediately ran toward the entrance, moving really fast. She leaned out of the tunnel for a few seconds, then came back to them.

"Goblins, five of them. All first level, fifty health each," Elara said. "The same as the one we fought," she added, looking at Asher.

"We can kill them without using skills," Ava said.

"Maybe we should lure them here into the tunnels?" Asher asked. "If there's a trap in the cavern, we won't risk stumbling into it while fighting the monsters."

"I wouldn't be able to attack them from behind," Elara said.

"I might have a hard time shooting them without risking hitting one of us," Naomi said quietly.

Ava glanced at Asher and then at Elara. "You can fight them from the front. Those goblins are weak; they're no danger to you."

"We can't fight together in these tunnels. Only two people can stand next to each other," Sam said.

"You and Elara will fight at the front," Ava replied. "Elara won't get hit, and Tiffany can be just behind her so they can switch positions if necessary. Sam, you'll block them and buy time. Naomi can come really close and be able to shoot," Ava added.

"I'm okay with that," Sam said.

With the plan established, Elara was sent again toward the cavern's entrance. She stopped at the edge without entering.

"Hey, assholes!" Elara shouted, lifting her daggers and waving them. "I'm here!" she shouted again, and they stood there waiting.

The noises grew louder. Asher could hear footsteps and something like roars. Elara started to back off, but she stopped after only a few steps, turning toward the cavern's entrance.

"Elara?!" Asher shouted through the tunnel.

Goblins appeared and immediately rushed at her. They looked similar to the one they had fought in the forest a week earlier--they had skinny, long limbs, sickly green, dark skin, and small heads with long ears. They had weapons, but all of them seemed makeshift.

"What're you doing?!" Asher shouted and headed toward Elara, but Ava grabbed his arm.

"Sam, go forward," Ava said at the same time.

A goblin, who was first, took a swing at Elara with something that looked like an axe. She easily dodged to the side and slashed at its arm with both her daggers. She immediately followed with a kick to the same hand, making the goblin's weapon drop to the ground. Elara stabbed its chest, quickly pulling her daggers out and jumping back just as another goblin tried to attack her with a sword.

Immediately after that, the third goblin lunged at her, but she dodged again, jumping forward so she was behind it and cutting its back.

Elara turned and blocked a sword attack from the fourth goblin, then dodged another strike. The goblin behind her lifted its sword to attack, but Elara, moving impossibly fast, jumped to the side and took two steps back, stopping beside Sam, who had just reached her.

Naomi followed just behind Sam and was there with her bow ready. Tiffany was already there too but didn't have space to join the fight. Asher and Ava remained at the back, watching everything.

Goblins continued their attacks. Sam blocked one of them with her shield and swung her sword, wounding another.

Elara blocked one attack, dodged the sword of another goblin, and wounded the one that had attacked her first. Naomi found a space to shoot and hit one of the goblins that tried to attack Sam.

Dancing between their swords, Elara cut a goblin's chest. It dropped dead, but she immediately jumped to another one, pierced its chest with her daggers, and threw it at the wall, where its limp body slid to the ground.

Sam blocked another goblin's attack and struck its shoulder. At the same time, without stopping, Elara attacked another goblin. She dodged its attack, kicked its head, and slashed through its stomach, jumping around it. When she was behind it, she stabbed its neck, as it was too slow and confused to follow her movements.

Naomi shot again, hitting the goblin that was attacking Sam in the head, piercing its skull, and sending it dead to the ground.

Elara rushed toward the first goblin she had fought against. It lay on the ground, unable to fight, and Elara finished it by stabbing its chest.

---

Quest Completed!

Kill 5 monsters

Hindrance: Every member of the team needs to deactivate one skill for the entire duration of exploration.

Reward: 25 bronze coins

Quest Completed!

Kill 5 monsters

Quest Cost: 10 bronze coins

Reward: 20 bronze coins

Level Up!

Class Level: 3

+1 Skill Point

---

"Elara!" Asher shouted, heading toward her as all the goblins were dead. "What was that?! That was not the plan!"

Elara turned toward him with a smile. "I just slightly upgraded it," she replied, standing in front of him and staring straight into his eyes.

"Without anyone's knowledge?" he asked, standing inches away from her.

"I did everything according to plan, but I just added a little bit from myself. So what?" she asked, shrugging. "Actually, you should be thankful."

Asher was getting frustrated. He was worried that something would happen to her, as she had just decided to change her plans, ignoring the risk.

"That's not why we come up with a plan--for everyone to do as they please!"

"I will do whatever I want!" Elara shouted. "If I want to change the plan mid-fight, I will do it!"

"It's not about this fucking plan. Something could have happened to you," Asher replied harshly. "You were supposed to back off to avoid fighting all of them at once."

Elara snorted. "Did something happen to me?"

"You took an unnecessary risk!"

"We risk by entering a dungeon! You must accept that!"

"That doesn't mean we need to take unnecessary risks."

"I didn't take any risk!" she spat, frustration clear in her voice.

"This time. Are you going to do whatever you want next time too?"

"Yes!"

"Elara!"

"Asher!"

"Stop this," Ava interrupted calmly. "You can continue back at the Academy. Now let's collect loot and move on."

Asher turned around. Their whole team was watching them; however, Naomi and Tiffany immediately turned their eyes away, checking the chests with loot.

He sighed, realizing it wasn't the time or place for arguing.

He turned toward Elara. Their gazes met, and they measured each other with their eyes. Asher could see in her look that she was ready to continue. He only shook his head, sighing.

"Just be careful, please. I don't want anything happening to you," Asher said, trying to sound calm.

Elara opened her mouth like she wanted to answer, but she hesitated.

Asher sighed again and stepped toward one of the chests to collect items.

He didn't know why she had behaved like that. They had created a plan, and she had accepted it. And then she had jumped in and done something different. He knew it wasn't just because she felt like it. She wasn't an idiot, but he had no clue what all of this was about. Still frustrated, he opened a chest, pulled out the items, and then brought them to the rest of the loot they had gathered from the fight.

Together, they had four bronze coins, two health potions and three common items--a ring, a pair of shoes and teeths.

Asher checked the last item first.

---

Goblin's Teeth (Common)

Alchemical Ingredient

Teeth of the old goblin

---

Asher had no idea what someone could make out of them, but that didn't change the fact that they could just sell them for additional coins.

After that, he checked the boots.

---

Goblin's Boots (Common)

Required Level: 1

+5 Health

Poor-quality goblin boots.

---

"Asher, do you want to put those on?" Ava asked. "It's always an additional five health points," she added, passing them to him.

Asher took the boots from her, nodding, and sat down to put them on. They were too big, but when he slipped them on his feet, as with every wearable item from a dungeon, they changed to his size. He got up from the ground with his old shoes.

"Ava?" he asked, lifting them up.

She nodded and took them from him, putting them in her bracelet.

Asher looked at the last item.

---

Goblin's Ring (Common)

Required Level: 1

+1 Vitality

A common ring made out of poor quality metal.

---

"Sam, do you have a ring?" Ava asked.

Sam raised her left hand and showed that she had two on her fingers. Both of them looked much better than the one Ava held. Asher had noticed one of them earlier--it was an explorer bag, and he assumed the second one granted her stats.

"Tiffany?" Ava asked.

"I don't have..." she replied quietly.

Ava tossed the ring to her. Tiff caught it and slipped it on her finger. She was also wearing the necklace they had gotten the previous day.

"Okay," Ava said. "Naomi and Sam, did you level up?" she asked.

"No," Sam replied, shaking her head.

"We did. Remember to allocate your stats and skill points when you get them later," Ava said, then turned to Tiffany and Elara. "Did you?"

Both nodded.

Ava glanced at Asher. "Have you calmed down?" she asked slowly.

Asher nodded with a sigh.

Ava turned toward Elara.

"Let's go," Elara said before Ava could even ask her, heading toward the cavern immediately.

"Elara, traps!" Asher shouted.

He wondered what she was doing and why she was behaving like she wanted to get hurt.

Elara stopped and glanced at him, frowning.

"Sam was supposed to go first," he added, trying not to raise his voice.

Elara didn't answer, and Sam moved toward the cavern. She held her sword and shield raised as she slowly walked to the middle.

"It's safe," she said, and the rest of them joined her.

The cavern was bigger than the one they had appeared in at the beginning. The stone spikes grew from the ground, casting even more shadows, but there was nothing else there--at least, Asher thought so before Naomi pulled out a small dagger and walked toward one of the walls.

He followed after her as the others looked around the cavern, searching for anything else.

"What's that?" Asher asked as Naomi cut down the mushrooms growing there. Their caps resembled button mushrooms, but they were brown, and their stems were well over ten inches long.

"Oh, those are Brown Mushrooms. We can sell them," Naomi said, continuing to gather them.

"You know about this stuff?" he asked, curious.

"Umm... I'm not an expert, but I studied a bit about plants that grow in dungeons. I'm not sure what exactly, but I know they found some use for these."

"Let me help you," Asher offered when Naomi finished and had too many mushrooms to hold in her hands.

"Thanks," she replied quietly before heading toward Sam. Naomi handed her the mushrooms, and Sam stored them in her ring. Asher joined them and passed the rest of the mushrooms to Sam, who grinned at him and winked.

Elara, Ava, and Tiffany walked along the walls, searching for anything else. Caves have the most traps, but they also have the most hidden rooms and treasures. After a few minutes, they gathered back in the middle of the cavern.

"There's nothing here. Let's continue," Ava said.

From this cavern, two tunnels branched off besides the one they had entered through. Once again, they found no differences between them and chose one at random.

They walked in silence as Asher was occupied with wondering about Elara's behavior. He was worried that the next time, she would do the same, and it might end badly.

Also, before their next fight, they would need to set up a new plan, and the topic would return. Asher knew they shouldn't argue in a dungeon, but he also had no idea what he was supposed to do. She was behaving like an idiot and a stubborn brat, doing whatever she wanted. And they didn't have time or privacy to talk about the real reasons why she did that. Asher was certain that at that moment, any attempt to talk things out would end in another argument.

Asher heard steps coming from in front of them. The sounds were getting louder and didn't seem like they were made by humans. Growls and grunts indicated that monsters were moving toward them.

They stopped, waiting for whatever was coming. The tunnel turned slightly to the right, and they could only see a few dozen feet ahead. It didn't take long before goblins appeared in front of them--again. This time, there were only four.

They were almost identical to the ones they had fought previously. As the monsters noticed them, they roared, rushing at them.

"Let's do the same," Ava commanded.

Elara glanced at Asher. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just focused on the incoming monsters, standing next to Sam, ready to fight.

Naomi shot an arrow, wounding and slowing one of them.

The first goblin tried to attack Elara. She dodged, stepping to the side and behind it. She slashed its back, while Tiffany, who was just behind Elara, stepped forward, attacking the same goblin.

Another monster attacked Sam, who blocked its attacks without trouble.

Elara jumped between goblins, dodging their attacks, slashing them nonstop, leaving them without even a chance. In less than a minute, they were all dead.

Asher had an urge to throw a comment at Elara--that it wasn't so hard to follow the plan--but in the end, he refrained, not wanting to argue or talk with her. They needed time to calm down, and perhaps then they could try to talk about it.

They gathered all the items again, but this time there weren't many. They got one bronze coin, mana and health potions, and two pairs of goblin's teeth. Ava put everything in her bracelet.

Silence hung between them, the atmosphere tense, likely due to Asher's argument with Elara. He realized that they were making a terrible first impression on their team members, but it was already done, and he couldn't do anything about it.

They continued through the tunnels, stopping only at splits, until they reached one where a number, previously drawn by Ava, marked the wall. They had to spend additional time going back to one of the earlier branches.

When they finally reached a new cave, it was brightly lit, and in the middle stood a big stone, similar to the one they had used to enter a dungeon, but this one was substantially different. It was white like snow, and it didn't lead back to the Academy. It would bring them to a boss fight.

They stopped in front of it, and Asher glanced at Elara, wondering what she was thinking. He was worried that she might want to go in, which would end with them arguing again.

Elara turned toward Asher. "There is a risk here," she said slowly. "And we shouldn't go in. A boss is not even comparable to some first-level goblins."

Asher pressed his lips together, stopping himself from answering. Elara didn't want to fight a boss, and that was enough for him. Her comment didn't even surprise him--she was still mad at him, and she had never been good at holding back remarks like that. Generally, Elara wasn't the best at controlling herself or her emotions.

"Yeah, it's better to gain more levels first," Ava said. "Both class and relationship levels with everyone," she added.

Asher pulled out his map and marked the portal. Only the tunnel they had come through was connected to this room, so they had to go back once again.

"Let's go back," Ava said, glancing at the sheet of paper in Asher's hand, marked with many lines. "Asher, give directions to Sam."

They headed back through the tunnel toward one of the splits. It took some time, but they soon found another cavern.

It was large but had a low ceiling and was completely empty. Standing in the entrance, they tried to look for any signs of a trap, but didn't see anything.

"It might be a trap, but going back will take a lot of time. And we could stumble into one there too," Ava said.

"We can just try here," Sam replied.

"But let's be careful," Ava added.

Sam went in first, shifting toward the middle of the cavern. They followed carefully just after her, but in the end, nothing happened.

"Maybe it's just an empty cavern," Sam suggested.

"Let's continue," Elara said, nodding toward a new tunnel.

When Sam was just a few feet from the exit, an announcement appeared in front of Asher's eyes.

---

Trap Activated!

Spider's Nest!

Kill all the monsters to get free.

---

At that moment, the exit to the cavern flashed, and a thick spider's web appeared in it. Asher turned around quickly--the entrance was blocked as well. The ceiling flickered and suddenly vanished, exposing a much larger space, so dark they couldn't see anything inside.

"Fuck!" Sam gasped.

"To the middle," Ava commanded.

They backed off, Naomi and Ava in the center, while the rest of them formed a circle around them. Asher and Elara slightly more toward the center, hoping that whatever was coming would focus on Tiffany or Sam first.

When they stopped, ready to fight, there was a silence around them for a moment, that was disturbed by a faint, rhythmic tapping echoed through the cave. First a single sound, then dozens. It grew louder, like heavy rain pounding against stone, like dozens of legs drumming against rock. Spiders began scurrying down the walls.

"Use your skills!" Ava ordered immediately upon seeing them.

An unpleasant shiver ran through Asher's body as he saw their disgusting forms. There were about ten of them, the smallest the size of a cat, standing just a few dozen inches tall, their grotesque legs shifting quickly as they scuttled down the walls toward them.

---

Cave Spider

Level 1

Health: 20/20

---

No matter how disgusting they were, they didn't pose a threat on their own. But alongside them moved larger versions, about a three feet tall, raising their abdomens on eight thin, long legs--these seemed far more dangerous

---

Large Cave Spider

Level 2

Health: 70/70

---

However, the most dangerous were clearly the two biggest ones. They looked like they would reach Asher's chest. Their legs ended in sharp, chitinous segments that plunged into the walls as they ran downward. Their bodies were covered in hair, and their multiple red eyes stared straight at them.

---

Spider Warrior

Level 3

Health: 100/100

---

They didn't have much health but were incredibly fast and outnumbered them. Asher knew they should be fine, especially with Elara, who could kill the smallest ones quickly, evening the odds.

Ava summoned fireballs and sent them toward the spiders, which were already halfway to the ground. She hit one of the Large Spiders, but the second fireball struck the wall.

Asher wished she could have just burned them all at once. A shiver of disgust ran through him again as he watched their awful shapes and legs.

At the same time, Naomi fired an arrow from her bow, targeting one of the biggest spiders. Immediately after, she drew again, a mystic arrow appearing in her hand, which she released just as quickly. Both arrows struck the Spider Warrior's hairy body.

Asher glanced at Elara and activated his Partner Enhancement, adding ten points to her Strength so she could deal more damage.

"Elara, take care of the small ones," Ava said.

Elara ran from between them, heading toward a place where the smallest spiders were already reaching the ground. When she was just a few steps from them, she quickened suddenly, jumping to them and cutting one of them, then immediately turning and slashing through the body of another one before quickly jumping back from the attack of the Spider Warrior, which had been struck by Naomi previously.

Two small spiders remained dead on the ground as a third arrow struck the spider that was running after Elara. It tried to attack her with one of its legs, then another, quickly shifting all of them.

The second Spider Warrior ran straight at Ava and Naomi, but Sam stepped in its way and started to fight against it. It tried to attack her, but she blocked it with her shield and sword.

Tiffany immediately attacked a Large Cave Spider, drawing its attention to herself.

Asher noticed that another of the Large Spiders was running at her back, and he rushed at it to help her. When the monster heard his steps, it turned its red eyes toward him and clicked its disgusting maw, facing him.

--- Ava Black ---

When everyone started to fight against the bigger spiders, one of the small ones headed toward Ava and Naomi, but the first one shot it with her fireball, and then Naomi's arrow pinned its dead body to the ground.

"Let's kill the last small one and then help Sam," Ava said to the girl next to her, noticing that while Sam was fighting the Spider Warrior, a Large Spider had joined in attacking her.

Naomi nodded and followed Ava's gaze, noticing a Small Spider trying to attack Tiffany from behind as she was fighting her enemy. Naomi released an arrow, piercing its body, which was then hit by a fireball, after which only the spider's curled-up form remained.

Then their attention focused on Sam, who fought against the Spider Warrior, which attacked her quickly without a break. The Large Spider ran at Sam from behind and struck her thigh with its leg. She tried to swing her sword at it while blocking the bigger spider's attacks with her shield from the front.

Ava and Naomi began firing at the Large Cave Spider, trying to eliminate it quickly while making it impossible for it to attack Sam, as it was continuously trying to dodge the missiles flying at it.

--- Tiffany ---

Tiffany blocked the Large Cave Spider's attack with her shield and then slashed at one of its legs it reached toward her. She hoped to cut it off, but her sword only wounded it.

Then she immediately dodged the next attack, swiftly stepping to the side, then blocked another one with her shield and deflected yet another with her sword. Tiffany had Asher's speed boost active the whole time in the dungeon, but only during the fight did she realize how much it was helping her.

The spider rushed at her; she jumped back, avoiding its attacks as it was constantly sending its legs at her body. It had a reach similar to her sword length, allowing her to hold it back with her own attacks.

She struck one of its legs again, hitting as hard as she could while activating her skill, and this time, the sword cut through, and almost half of the spider's leg fell to the ground. Unfortunately, she focused too much on this attack, leaving herself exposed, and another leg struck her hip.

Tiffany hoped that those spiders weren't venomous and that she wouldn't cause problems for her team again. She wanted to check how they were managing, but the spider was constantly attacking her, not really giving her an opportunity to do so.

She hoped that they would win and that she wouldn't need to fight more than one spider at a time.

The monster attacked her again; she blocked it, dodged another hit, and then slashed with her sword at the leg that was already wounded. This time, she finished the job and cut the leg off.

Green ichor splashed on her face, and she gagged, backing off and trying to clean it with her forearm, but she couldn't do it completely, as the spider furiously attacked. However, it was becoming less and less dangerous as it lost its limbs.

Tiffany knew that she could beat it--she needed to get rid of a few more legs, and then the spider would not be able to fight anymore.

--- Elara River ---

Elara dodged the Spider Warrior's attack, then another, and another. Its legs flew toward her almost constantly, as it only needed four legs to move while the other four were free to attack.

She was able to dodge them, but because her daggers were short, it was hard for her to wound it herself. She couldn't pierce through the hard endings that covered the monster's legs, which meant she needed to strike at its body or at the legs close to it, but with the spider's long reach, that was difficult to accomplish.

During another series of the spider's attacks--a relentless barrage of legs striking toward her--it overextended one of its limbs. Elara dodged and seized the opportunity to strike at a spot where its armor had already ended, slicing through the disgusting creature's leg.

After wounding it, Elara immediately jumped back and then tried to run around the spider, but it just rotated in place without trouble, keeping its red eyes on her, making nasty sounds as its legs clicked on the ground. Elara decided that she needed to take a risk, that she needed to kill it quickly to help her team. The whole responsibility of killing monsters was on her.

Elara activated her Powerful Attack and jumped forward, dodging one leg, then the second and third ones. She reached the spider's hairy body and stabbed it where it was soft, plunging her weapon deep into it.

However, the Spider Warrior was using four legs to attack, and at the moment when Elara struck the monster, the fourth leg hit her from the side.

She was so close that it was not able to hit her with its sharp-tipped end, but only with the side of its leg, which was covered in sharp, short hooks that cut her arm but didn't wound her deeply.

Elara flew backward, stumbling on the ground, but she immediately jumped back to her feet. The Spider Warrior was already dead, but she knew that it had taken her too much time. She turned around, looking for Asher.

Elara screamed as she noticed what was flying toward his back.

--- Asher Montgomery ---

Asher blocked the Large Spider that wanted to attack Tiffany from behind. With his sword, he had a slight range advantage, and he was using his shield to block the attacks. But he didn't have the stats to deal damage--he could only deal four points with a single attack. With the spider's seventy health points, it would be a really long battle. He decided to focus on defending and wait for Elara to come and kill it in three hits.

Exchanging attacks, Asher held it at a distance, not letting it reach him. He was moving quickly, thanks to the skill that he had borrowed from Rachel, which also affected him. While he was able to dodge the spider's attacks, he also managed to hit it three times, taking twelve points of its health, but Asher did it mostly to scare the spider away and threaten that he could attack too.

Asher backed off from another attack, expecting that another would come immediately, but the spider backed off instead.

A sudden instinct told Asher to turn around. He did so quickly.

"Asher!" Elara shouted somewhere in the cave.

A giant spider was flying straight at him--larger than any of the previous ones, its maw aimed directly at his head. Asher raised his sword and shield, blocking the spider's fangs. Its large body crashed into him with full force. Asher hit the ground hard, his back and head slamming against it.

Everything went black in front of his eyes. The creature's massive body pinned him to the ground.

Asher held his sword above himself, bracing it against the shield. The monster's jaws clamped around his weapon, pushing down, trying to reach him.

Despite lying on the ground, Asher's head was swirling. Suddenly, pain shot through his stomach and leg.

His hands were giving in, and the big spider's jaws were coming closer to his face. He knew he didn't have much time left.

--- Elara River ---

After Elara screamed, she rushed toward Asher. A huge spider, the biggest so far, had jumped on him. It was easily over seven feet high, its legs as thick as Elara's thighs, and ended in the same chitinous sheath as the Spider Warrior.

Asher had turned around at the last moment and blocked its attack, but his body had slammed against the ground with a worrying thud as the beast pinned him to the ground.

---

Spider Dame

Level 4

Health: 200/200

---

The Spider Dame lifted two of her legs and struck with them at the same time, piercing Asher's thigh and stomach as he groaned miserably.

Furious, Elara jumped forward, taught by her experience with the previous spider, immediately rushing between its legs and cutting at its body, which was covered in long, thick hairs. In any other situation, Elara would have backed off, predicting an incoming attack, but Asher didn't have time for her to play it safe.

The spider's legs, longer than she was and covered with sharp hooks, flew toward her. She dodged two of them while cutting into the Spider Dame's body, but the third one struck her, pushing her away and cutting her arm.

Elara rolled on the ground and immediately jumped to her feet, rushing at the monster. Asher didn't have time for her to care about her own wounds.

Two arrows, one after another, flew toward the monster. The first one, a normal arrow, pierced its head; the second one, magical, struck its body.

As a fireball came toward the monster, it easily dodged, jumping back, but at the same time shifting away from Asher, whose hands dropped to the ground lifelessly.

Elara, seeing his unmoving body, wanted to run and check on him, but she had a more important mission at the moment.

"Help him!" she screamed, rushing after the monster that had hurt her boyfriend.

--- Naomi Tanaka ---

As the Spider Dame attacked Asher, the Large Cave Spider that Asher had been fighting against backed off and waited for a good opportunity to attack. As the Dame retreated, it tried to finish the job, rushing at Asher.

An arrow pierced its body while Naomi was already drawing her bow again, shooting one after another quickly. Ava summoned a fireball and sent it toward the monster, but it didn't care about their missiles and still jumped at Asher, who lay defenseless on the ground.

Ava summoned a fire shield, blocking its way. The spider hit against it with a hiss and jumped back. Naomi targeted it again, and an arrow pierced its head. Ava ran to Asher, throwing another fireball toward the spider. She dropped to her knees by his side and immediately poured a health potion between his lips.

"Swallow," she commanded, lifting his head.

Another arrow struck the Large Cave Spider, and this one was the last--the monster was dead.

Naomi quickly looked around the cave. Tiffany was fighting against another Large Cave Spider, and she seemed fine, but she was moving away from their group. Sam was still fighting against the Spider Warrior, but Ava and Naomi had managed to kill the second spider that was attacking her, so Sam was now dueling only one spider. She had gotten wounded a few times already and still needed help. Naomi wanted to support her, but she knew that Sam had a lot of health and could sustain it.

Meanwhile, Elara was fighting against the Spider Dame, and if she lost, they would be in big trouble. Naomi drew her bow and aimed at the big monster's head.

Unfortunately, the monster shielded itself with one of its armored legs.

Elara seized the moment, jumped forward, dodging two legs, and slashed at the Dame's body. As she jumped back, she made a long cut through one of the legs.

As the monster followed Elara, Naomi drew her bow and shot. This time, she hit its body. Another arrow that flew toward the monster was blocked again.

Naomi checked its status--the monster still had forty-two points of health. She knew it was really close, and they would make it out of this fine. She glanced at Asher, who still lay on the ground. She hoped that he would be fine.

Two fireballs flew through the room. One of them hit the spider's leg, but the second one struck its head. At the same time, Naomi fired her arrow. The monster blocked it, but that gave Elara an opportunity to attack again, as it was using two legs to defend, and the fire hindered its vision.

Elara stabbed her dagger into one of its legs and then cut through its body. The monster's leg jerked, hitting Elara and pushing her back, but it was also the last movement of the Spider Dame as she dropped to the ground, no longer moving.

Naomi and Ava turned toward Sam, who was still fighting against the Spider Warrior but was positioned in a way that prevented them from helping her. Naomi immediately shifted to find a better angle.

Elara rushed at the monster and started attacking the Spider Warrior. She dodged two of its legs, deflected the third one with her dagger, and stabbed the monster with her second dagger. As Elara jumped back, Naomi released her arrow, hitting the monster's leg.

Sam attacked the monster--it blocked her attempt but exposed itself to Elara, who pierced its body. Another arrow struck its head, ending its life.

--- Asher Montgomery ---

---

Level Up!

Class Level: 4

+1 Skill Point

New Skill: Master's Gift

---

Asher closed the notification without reading it. His head was still pounding, and he felt horribly weak.

"I won!" Tiffany suddenly shouted happily and turned toward them. Her eyes widened as she noticed Asher lying on the ground.

Elara rushed toward him, dropping her daggers and kneeling by his side.

"Asher!"

"Not so loud, please," Asher murmured.

Elara stared at him worried, seeing his pale face.

Asher tried to sit up, but Elara immediately pressed his head against her chest.

"Come on, El. I'm fine," he said. His head was still spinning slightly, and he didn't feel well--his head was still hurting, but it was slowly getting better.

Elara pulled back from him.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I just got dazed when I hit my head on the ground."

"She stabbed you," Elara hissed, shifting her hands lower along his body.

Asher suddenly remembered the pain in his stomach and thigh. But the pain was gone. He frowned, trying to recall what had happened. He reminded himself of Ava.

"Ava gave me a health potion. It's fine," he said, but Elara didn't stop checking the hole in his armor. It didn't prove useful, as the monster had just pierced through it. But in place of the hole, there was only reddened skin. Elara's hands shifted lower to his thigh, and he waited for her to check him herself, knowing that was the best way to calm her down.

When Elara made sure that he was fine, she seemed more relaxed but still watched him with a frown.

"Can you help me stand up?" Asher asked.

Elara nodded and grabbed his arm to help him up. His head spun, and he took a step back. She caught his arm again, but he managed to stay upright.

"It's okay, thanks," Asher said and looked around the cave. "How did the fight go? Is someone wounded?"

No one replied for a moment while staring at Asher. "You want to tell me that only I got hit?"

"I got hit a few times, nothing serious," Sam said. "But I already drank a potion. It's okay, but..." she trailed off and nodded toward Elara, who stood beside Asher.

He immediately turned toward her.

"Elara?! Are you wounded?" he asked, looking carefully over her body, and only then did he notice her torn clothes on her arms, but it didn't look serious as he couldn't see any blood.

"It's nothing, small scratches. I'm fine."

"I want to see," he said, stepping close to her and staring into her eyes.

Elara nodded and reached her arms toward him. He checked them, and indeed she had a few wounds, but all of them were shallow and didn't bleed anymore.

Asher pulled her toward himself and kissed her.

"Okay, lovers, you can continue back at the Academy. Now let's collect loot and move on," Sam said with a wide grin.

Ava glanced at her but didn't comment on it and moved to one of the chests that remained from the killed spiders.

They gathered all the items. They got five bronze coins, health and mana potions, three neutral items, and five wearable items.

Among the neutral items, they had spider's fangs and two chitinous legs from Spider Warriors. Asher looked through their statuses quickly.

---

Spider's Fangs (Common)

Alchemical Ingredient

A sharp pair of cave spider fangs.

-

Chitinous leg (Common)

A large leg of the Spider Warrior, covered in sturdy chitinous armor.

---

Additionally, they got three necklaces and two weapons--a spear and a dagger. He checked two necklaces from the weaker monsters first.

---

Spider's Necklace (Common)

Required level: 1

+1 agility

Necklace made out of silver.

-

Spider's Necklace (Common)

Required level: 2

+2 agility

Necklace made out of silver.

---

The first one was from the first-level spider, while the second one dropped from the second-level spider. The item wasn't always at the same level as the monster, but it could never be higher.

The third necklace came from the Spider Dame's chest, and it was special--it didn't grant any stats. Instead, it was an explorer's bag. Asher examined it closely. It was a small silver pendant shaped like a spider.

---

Spider's Dame Necklace (Rare)

A necklace that can store a small amount of items.

---

Then Asher checked the weapon statuses.

---

Spider's Spear (Uncommon)

Required Level: 1

+1 damage dealt

+1 Agility

A long spear crafted from black wood, tipped with a steel blade.

---

Unfortunately, the spear was a first-level item, and even if it was uncommon, it was still really bad. Asher preferred to fight with a sword. If the spear had been good, he could have considered using it, but that wasn't the case.

The dagger was a common Level one weapon, so it was just as bad as expected.

---

Spider's Dagger (Common)

Required Level: 1

Required Class: Assassin

+1 damage dealt

A short dagger forged from steel.

---

"The bag could be worth quite a lot. Even though it doesn't have much space, its necklace form makes it valuable, and they sell really well," Tiffany said.

Asher glanced at it with a sigh. It would be useful to have a bag like this for himself, but they needed other items more, and they needed to share their loot. He didn't want to spend money buying it from others, especially when Ava and Sam had their own bags, so it wasn't like they desperately needed one.

Asher put on the spider's necklace that added two agility points, and the rest of the items Ava and Sam put into their bags.

Elara came to Asher and hugged him without a word. They still didn't have a chance to talk things out, but it was only a stupid argument while they were in a dungeon, where someone could die at any moment. But that was exactly the reason why they needed a plan. Asher took a deep breath. That wasn't a good moment to think and talk about those things.

"I'm fine, El," Asher whispered.

She hugged him even tighter without answering.

Asher glanced around at their teammates and realized that all the women were staring at them again. Tiffany and Naomi immediately turned their eyes away and pretended they were busy searching the room. Sam smiled, while Ava watched them with a frown, but she just shook her head.

"We still don't know where the exit is," Ava said. "We used potions, and we have cooldowns. I think we need to find an exit and then decide what to do, so we shouldn't spend much more time here."

Everyone agreed, and they left the cavern through the exit that was unlocked after they had killed all the spiders. Elara walked beside Asher, but they still remained silent.

"Can you hear it?" Naomi asked, interrupting the silence.

Everyone stopped and listened to the sounds in the caves.

"Something like clattering?" Asher asked. The sound was barely audible but rhythmically echoed through the tunnel.

"Another monster, and it is coming toward us. Sam and Tiffany at the front, Elara behind them. Asher behind us," Ava commanded.

"I have full health," Asher protested, surprised that Ava wanted him to stand even behind her and Naomi.

"We don't know what it is, and I don't have mana for another shield for you if something goes wrong."

Asher frowned, wondering when she had used her first shield. However, he had missed part of the fight after the Dame knocked him to the ground.

"Asher, please," Elara said.

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. Elara frowned, realizing that she should be the last person to talk.

"I can stand behind you, but I will not stay behind Ava and Naomi," Asher replied to Elara.

She nodded and stopped a few feet in front of him. Ava rolled her eyes and focused on the tunnel, summoning fireballs.

The clattering shifted into the thud of hooves against the ground. It grew louder, until finally, Asher noticed something moving in front of them.

It looked like a bull, but its whole body was covered in long black hair. It ran straight at them with its horns pointed at them.

---

Cave Bull

Level 3

Health: 150/150

---

It was coming toward them quickly. Sam was the first in its way. Naomi and Ava fired at it, hitting it with three arrows and two fireballs before it reached them. Asher activated the boost to Elara's strength.

When it finally reached them, it rammed into Sam with full force, sending her flying backward. She skidded across the ground for about forty feet before coming to a stop.

Asher immediately ran to her as Tiffany and Elara jumped forward, attacking the bull. Since it had lost its momentum, it wasn't as dangerous anymore.

"Are you okay?" Asher asked Sam.

"As I said, dungeons are intelligent," she murmured.

"What?"

"I got rid of the skill that would completely block it," she said, lifting herself from the ground with a groan. In her shield, there were two dents from the bull's horns. "I was supposed to replace it at level five anyway," Sam said, looking at her shield.

"Are you okay?" Asher asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied while running toward the bull.

Tiffany blocked the bull's horns with her shield. Even without momentum, it pushed her back, but she remained on her feet. Elara jumped forward and stabbed its body with both her daggers. The monster roared, turned toward her, and kicked its legs.

Elara tried to jump back, but the bull hit her in the stomach. She groaned and flew backward, hitting the wall.

Before Sam had a chance to rejoin the fight, a mystic arrow struck the bull's body, followed by two fireballs that sent the monster dead to the ground.

Asher headed toward Elara, realizing that when they faced a single target, they had tons of damage and could kill the bull quickly. Their problems started when there were more monsters.

"El?" he asked, kneeling next to her.

"I'm fine," she said. "But considering it barely managed to hit me, that still hurt like hell."

Asher pulled her into a hug.

"A coin and bull's horns. Common, neutral, alchemical ingredient," Ava said.

Asher and Elara turned toward her. The chest had already vanished, and Ava was hiding the items in her bracelet. Asher helped Elara get up.

"Elara, Sam, are you okay?" Ava asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied.

"Me too," Elara added.

"I don't have mana," Naomi said.

"I'm low too," Ava said. "But we can still drink potions."

After the fight and checking that everyone was fine, they had no other choice but to continue walking through the tunnel, looking for the exit.

"I can't use Powerful Attack anymore," Elara said, interrupting the silence.

"So we've been here for around two and a half hours," Asher said. "Soon we will finish the last quest."

"We can always take a little break to make the skill available again," Sam said.

Asher glanced at her, feeling his cheeks warm. That would mean having sex in the dungeon--with all of them present. There was no way they'd get any privacy. He wondered if it might become necessary in the future.

"I'm kidding," Sam said. "But I'm not stopping you if you want."

Naomi, who walked by Sam's side, was averting her eyes, but she pushed her friend in the arm, which only made Sam laugh.

It took them some more time, but they finally reached another cavern that was well-lit inside, with only one tunnel connected to it. In the middle stood a black stone--that was their way back to the Academy.

"Now, do we want to continue exploring? Elara, Sam, Tiffany, and Asher, it's mostly up to you. How do you feel? And are you tired?" Ava asked, looking between them.

"I am, and I'd prefer to go back," Asher said immediately.

"Me too," Sam added. "And we need to prepare for the date," she added, winking at Asher.

"What date?" Tiffany asked.

"Asher invited Naomi on one after the exploration today," Sam explained.

"Oh..." Tiffany only replied.

Naomi blushed furiously and averted her eyes.

"Let's go back," Elara said.

"Okay," Ava said. "So let's wait until we finish the quest and then go back."

They didn't need to wait long before the notification appeared in front of their eyes, and the coins appeared in Ava's hand. Then, as a whole team, they entered the black stone in the middle of the room and safely returned to the Academy again.

---

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