Part 0 – Volume 0 – Chapter 5: The Bear's Cave
They stood in front of what should have been the entrance to the boss room.
But there was no door, no arch, no ancient mechanism.
Only a huge rock wall, as if the dungeon ended there, suddenly, without ceremony. An end more than a passage.
Luó and Raniela remained impassive.
Neither wonder nor apprehension.
Rani broke the silence.
— Say... you changed weapons, right?
Luó turned his head slightly.
— Do you read the newspapers?
— Enough to have seen you during this race.
He smiles.
—It wasn't that stick.
"Today," Luó replied calmly, "is the one I need to progress.
Rani clicked her tongue, a little annoyed.
— Still so mysterious...
No one joins the Shadow Rabbits by chance, he thought.
You need either a stifled potential, a power that can only blossom in the shadows... or an absolute desire to break its chains.
And sometimes… both.
Luó's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
— We mustn't hang around. This dungeon must be conquered.
He turned around, his gaze perfectly calm.
— Show me what you're worth, Mr. Crazy.
Rani sneered.
"Your arrogance truly knows no bounds, princess.
He sighed, then moved forward.
Facing the rock wall, he placed one foot against the stone.
Just one push.
The rock exploded inward, pulverized, throwing dust and debris. When the cloud settled, a yawning passage opened before them.
Luó entered first, nonchalant, without even commenting.
Rani followed him.
---
The boss room was huge.
And above all… already busy.
Two colossal monsters faced each other there, their roars vibrating the cavern. One looked like a massive, four-legged armored creature, similar to a steel rhinoceros. The other, a titanic beast with glistening fangs.
Rani frowned.
— A double dungeon…
"Dungeon collision," Luó replied without emotion. Two cores. Two kings.
He looked at the scene for a moment, then sighed.
— Too weak.
He pointed to the left.
— This one is for you.
They parted without another word.
---
Luó faced the armored monster.
How lazy... he thought.
But we might as well test the spatio-temporal sphere.
He clutched his black staff.
Channel. Stabilize. To understand.
The creature charged.
Luó dodged, fluid, precise. Every move was calculated. But the more he focused on his power, the more his body slowed down.
A mistake.
The monster hit him.
Luó was thrown against the rock.
He didn't shout.
It hurts...
But I've had worse.
As his body fell, time seemed to stretch.
An ancient, cruel voice echoed in his memory.
You are truly miserable.
Luó clenched his fists.
— I know it.
He opened his eyes.
Something finally lined up.
His body hit the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When it dissipated, Luó stood up straight.
His mask hid his smile.
— Finally understood...
He raised his staff.
- Approach.
The sphere was formed.
The world gave way.
---
Across the room, Rani was almost dancing around her opponent. Every dodge was precise, every step controlled.
Weak.
When a violent gust suddenly passed through the cave, the monster lost its balance.
Rani smiles.
Lightning flashes.
Just one shot.
The giant collapsed.
Silence.
"I was almost perfect…" he murmured, falsely disappointed.
---
The two found themselves near the still pulsing cores.
— Shall we clean? Rani asked.
"Priority to cores and ores," replied Luó. Call Oz.
— Are we talking about me?
Uzziah appeared behind them, as always without warning.
"Seriously," Rani growled, "you're doing it on purpose.
- Obviously.
Uzziah looked around.
— I take care of the harvest. You, head to the next vortex.
Luo sighed.
— What a pain...
Their masks vibrated.
A new route was displayed.
They ran.
---
The city grabbed them as they left: noise, light, traffic.
"Vortex detected," Luó murmured.
Thirty meters. In height.
They jumped.
The portal swallowed them.
Wooden planks.
Infinite space.
Silence.
Then everything disappeared.
---
They reappeared near the school.
Same place.
Same time.
They removed their masks.
"See you," Rani said before walking away.
Luó remained still for a moment.
This stick... not yet stable.
You will have to practice.
He yawned.
— History-geography… how lazy.
And he walked into class, as if nothing had happened.
---