"Guardian's Intervention," Mary said in a low whisper.
An invisible wave of mana spread from within her and swept across the entire floor. The dungeon rumbled as if a giant hand had grabbed it from outside and shaken it hard. Every seesaw screeched under the pressure and swayed up and down, making it far more difficult for Azrael and the unknown woman.
So much pressure nearly threw Azrael off the seesaw. You're supposed to help me, Mary!
A second later, a sudden burst of strength and stamina flooded his body. With the boost, he leaned forward and rode the seesaw like a pro surfer.
[Your Guardian has elevated your skill further and synchronized it with the dungeon.]
[Your title, Main Conqueror, has evolved to Dungeon Cheater.]
Wait, what?!
[As the Dungeon Cheater, you can now use Checkpoint anywhere.]
[Each tile conquered, regardless of whether you conquer it yourself or not, will replenish your stats.]
So that's why I felt so much stronger out of nowhere! And it means that alien woman cleared the first seesaw on the first damn try, too, right?!
Azrael caught his momentum and looked over at Mary. As adorable as ever, she now wore a sneer, her condescending glare fixed on the red-haired woman.
"Continue, Azrael! You mustn't let that woman take the best reward of your first dungeon. Do not let conscience slow you down."
"You don't even know how many times I cursed the unfairness of this damn world! People got cool skills that turned them into powerhouses while I could barely blink from one spot to another! I'm digging this cheater title, baby!" Azrael's grin widened, even wider than his guardian's.
He rushed onto the next seesaw.
Once again, gravity threatened him, but Azrael could now use Checkpoint whenever he wanted. It didn't cost him mana, which made it feel like his Blink had evolved on its own. Gravity was no longer his enemy.
I don't have to conquer these seesaws, either. I just need enough balance to jump from one to the next and keep dropping checkpoints.
Sure enough, Azrael made a bold jump for the tile with the silver chest.
He didn't land on it. He grabbed the edge and hung off it like a flag.
Checkpoint!
A moment later, he vanished and reappeared on the tile.
"Well done, Azrael!" Mary cheered. "But you must keep going. She's on your tail!"
The red-haired woman's strength seemed to defy gravity itself. She leaped from one seesaw to the next and was already on the first checkpoint. Her pace beat Azrael's by several notches.
Oh, the way her thighs tense and shake is pure artwork. She's breezing through these seesaws so fast that I can't really rely on stat replenishment. She'll catch up eventually. Hmm.
Azrael didn't move. He stayed on the safe tile like a guard for the silver chest. The sudden change confused Mary, but she didn't say anything at first. After all, Azrael wasn't stupid.
Even Mary's skepticism pushed through.
"Just to confirm, you're not going to sit there only to watch her breasts?" Mary narrowed her eyes.
Azrael nodded. "It's a happy coincidence. I have a plan!"
"As your guardian, I can only trust you."
Minutes ticked by, and the red-haired woman's marathon turned into a sprint. She didn't bother with balance, she simply stabbed her spear into each seesaw and swung herself forward.
Then she hit the safe tile with the silver chest and locked eyes with Azrael. Her lips moved. "△ ○ ○ □, □ △ △ ○!" But the sight of her still punched adrenaline through him. I could stare all day.
When Azrael only smiled and said nothing, the red-haired woman moved past him.
That was when he made his move and reached for her.
She read him like a book and spun around, her spear cleaving through the air like a snake toward his neck.
Azrael vanished from her sight.
He reappeared behind her and drove his shoulder into her.
Then he took a few quick steps back and threw himself into the chasm.
When the woman stepped closer and looked down, he wasn't there anymore.
Instead, Azrael reappeared on the seesaw and stood there like a boss.
Since they'd both already conquered that seesaw, the red-haired woman shot him a strange look, then scoffed. Instead of running like a loser, she leaped onto the next seesaw.
She was the first to step onto the golden seesaw. The next safe tile held the golden chest, the final reward for this dangerous dungeon.
Azrael only watched her.
"You could have surprised her with Blink and kicked her into the chasm!" Mary shouted, shocked that Azrael had passed up such a golden chance.
He nodded. "Yeah. But I don't want to kill her. I want to make her mine."
"You'll be a fool if you let her steal the golden chest and walk away!" Mary raised her voice, then forced herself to trust him again.
Azrael chuckled. "Blink has 2 limits: vision and range. I've got vision."
He watched her climb. "So I'm borrowing range."
How could he solve the second problem?
Mary looked at him, then at the red-haired woman.
Her eyes twinkled as she realized Azrael's ploy.
Not long after, the red-haired woman reached the last seesaw. She smiled broadly as she clutched her spear, using it to keep herself steady over the final hurdle. She could practically feel that big, juicy reward in her hands.
Just then, Azrael appeared behind her.
Checkpoint, babe. Big thanks for bending over for me.
He blinked onto the safe tile and slid across the floor, his shoes squealing. When he looked up, he saw the red-haired woman's furious expression, and it turned him on even more.
[You have taken the first step onto the other end of the Death Seesaws Dungeon.]
[You're eligible to open the golden chest.]
"Right on it!"