Inside the dungeon, all raiders below A-rank were ordered to retreat back to the starting point. None of them protested. The atmosphere ahead was no longer something they could endure.
Only A-rank elites and S-rankers remained. Some tightened their grips on their weapons, others quietly adjusted their mana flow. Everyone understood one thing, this raid had entered a completely different phase.
"Then," Ashan said calmly, "let's go."
He took a step forward.
"Wait for a moment."
Sisiliya moved ahead of him, blocking his path. Her tone was controlled, but there was clear concern in her eyes.
"We need to rest first. Before moving forward, all of us must recover our mana."
Ashan glanced at her, then slowly shook his head.
"I don't think that's necessary. You won't need to do anything," he said indifferently. "I'll be the one handling everything."
The words caused several raiders to stiffen.
"But the professor.." Draven stepped in. "She lost a considerable amount of mana during the last fight. Pushing forward like this is risky."
"Sigh…"
Ashan exhaled, clearly annoyed.
He then extended his hand toward Sisiliya.
"Then let's make it quick. I'll share my mana with you. Give me your hands."
The surrounding S-rankers froze.
Sheliya frowned immediately. "That won't be necessary. I can recover on my own. Lending me your mana will only weaken you."
"You don't need to worry about that," Ashan replied flatly. "Every minute inside this dungeon matters to me. Stop delaying and give me your hands."
There was no arrogance in his voice, only certainty. The kind that left no room for refusal.
After a brief hesitation, Sisiliya nodded.
She stepped forward and placed her hands into Ashan's.
The moment their palms connected, her body trembled.
A sharp chill ran down her spine, spreading through her limbs in an instant. Her breath hitched, her thoughts blurring as if something invisible had pressed down on her consciousness.
'What…?'
Her fingers stiffened.
'What is happening to my body? This feels strange… my mind is going numb.'
Her knees nearly buckled.
'Just from touching him…?'
An instinctive fear surfaced.
'Who is this man?'
A half-forgotten rumor echoed in her thoughts.
'Some special awakened males… capable of subduing the opposite gender with a single touch…'
'No, that's impossible. That's absurd.'
Yet her body refused to obey her.
Nearby, Eirena felt it immediately. Sisiliya's mana flow had changed, it had been completely overtaken.
"The professor…" Eirena whispered. "Something's wrong. Is he doing something to her?"
Ashan ignored them all.
His eyes remained fixed on Sisiliya as he began channeling his mana.
A massive surge flowed from him into her core.
Her eyes widened.
'This mana.. It poured into me like a waterfall, vast and overwhelming, yet perfectly controlled.
'He's adjusting the output… according to my limits?'
Her core expanded, and stabilized all at once.
'It's still increasing… How can one person have this much mana?'
At that moment, Aren and several other S-rankers joined the live stream.
The feed immediately captured Ashan holding Sisiliya's hands.
Aren's veins bulged.
"What the hell is he doing?" Magnar muttered.
Several gasped audibly.
Morevan narrowed his eyes. "Look carefully. Their hands are glowing."
After a brief observation, he spoke.
"He's transferring his mana to her."
Aren clenched his fists. "So that's it… But why her?"
Inside the dungeon, Sisiliya's core reached full capacity.
"Stop.. stop!" she said sharply. "I've recovered!"
She pulled her hands away and staggered back slightly.
Ashan studied her for a moment.
"This fast?" he said. "This might be rude, but… are you the weakest among the S-rankers?"
The words struck like a slap.
Sisiliya's expression darkened instantly.
"What do you take me for?" she snapped. "A weakling? You poured an absurd amount of mana into me and acted like it was nothing. How are you going to recover now?"
Ashan turned away toward the dark corridor.
"Let's go already."
"Hey!" Sisiliya followed him. "Answer me. Are you embarrassed now?"
"No," Ashan replied without stopping. "I was going to say you only received a very small portion of my mana. But I thought it'd be better to stay silent."
He paused briefly.
"I pitied you for having such a small core."
'A SMALL CORE—!?'
Sisiliya's mana flared.
She bit down her emotions and continued walking. Draven, Eirena, and the others exchanged glances but said nothing.
It was the first time any of them had ever seen Sisiliya this angry.
They moved deeper.
The corridor darkened, but unlike before, the walls began to glow faintly. Veins of molten magma crawled along the stone. Smoke thickened the air, heat pressing down on their lungs.
Ashan glanced back at Draven.
"We're approaching the next section. Do you have enough mana to cast a barrier?"
Draven nodded.
"Good. Cast it now. This dungeon is unpredictable. Cover everyone except me."
The barrier expanded, enveloping the group.
"You're not coming inside?" Draven asked. "Don't act tough."
Ashan smirked slightly. "I'll be fine."
Suddenly,
The ground trembled violently.
Two sections of the corridor collapsed, sealing both paths.
Eirena looked around anxiously. "What now…?"
Then the walls shifted.
Hundreds of holes opened at once.
"Hiss…"
Red-skinned serpents slithered out, each as large as a king cobra. Black venom dripped from their fangs, sizzling on the stone. Their eyes were empty voids.
Sisiliya's breath caught.
"No way… Those snakes! They're from the Demon's Gate. Their venom destroys the mana system and kills slowly, painfully."
Ashan stared at them with clear disgust.
"There are hundreds," he said calmly. "Perfect to test my new reward."
He jumped onto the top of the barrier.
Everyone looked up.
"What is he doing?"
Ashan spread his arms. Thin sheets of paper fluttered out, scattering across the battlefield and landing on the serpents.
The raiders froze.
"Paper…?" someone whispered. "Is he serious?"
Then,
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The papers detonated simultaneously.
Explosions tore through the corridor, lighting it up in blinding flashes. Serpents were blown apart, bodies shredded into burning fragments.
"Hiss…!"
Then silence.
Everyone watching, both inside the dungeon and on the stream, stared in disbelief.
"Those papers… exploded?"
"They looked completely normal…"
Garrick leaned closer to the screen. "Where did he even pull those from? He doesn't carry a bag."
Sorin folded his arms. "I told you before. He has spatial storage, and a large one."
Garrick rubbed his hands slowly.
"…Just how many tricks does that guy have up his sleeves?"