In the "wooded zone," there were trees split in half, others simply shattered, and craters scattered across the ground.
Sirem leaped several meters to dodge Margaret's magical spear, but just as she evaded it, she saw a nearby tree sliced through by a magical strike—revealing Liam.
He launched a flying kick that she couldn't dodge.
Sirem took the blow to her abdomen while simultaneously using one of her magical gloves to unleash a powerful strike of martial aura.
Boom!
Sirem was sent flying through the air, crashing into a tree that toppled from the impact.
Liam had narrowly dodged the attack; however, a dark, purplish bruise had formed on his right cheek from the indirect impact of her martial aura.
Sirem coughed up blood several times, her body aching.
She stood up and circulated her aura just as he had taught her, allowing her body to recover slightly from her injuries.
"I will defeat this ruthless bastard," Sirem muttered, steeling herself as she ran toward Liam.
She intended to take the offensive in this sparring match.
Outside the forest, the beautiful Vivian levitated her magical compass right in front of her.
She was using her abilities to precisely sense what was happening in the "wooded zone" without needing to enter the area herself.
...
Hours later, sweat mixed with blood trickled down Sirem's beautiful face.
She was panting from exhaustion.
Her gaze remained steady, even though she had nearly exhausted all her mana.
"I'll defeat you!" She threw one last punch, which Liam did not dodge.
She was about to collapse to the ground, but he caught her in his arms.
"You did well," he said, praising her effort and progress.
"Liam, I knew you were a pervert, but I didn't realize you were so ruthless." Sirem smiled faintly, though her voice and expression betrayed her utter exhaustion.
She was about to take out a potion, but he stopped her.
"Absorb the surrounding mana little by little; recover gradually. Doing so will be beneficial for both mana absorption and aura manipulation."
Sirem didn't want to waste words on complaints, so—despite the pain in her muscles—she sat in a meditative position and followed Liam's instructions.
A few hours passed, and when Sirem opened her eyes, she saw Liam sitting on a tree root.
She smiled and, with a playful air, got up and walked toward him.
"After being so ruthless, now you want to curry favor?" she said, sitting on his lap.
"Let's go to the lake; we need to wash up—there's still blood on your face."
They both stood up to head toward the lake, but Sirem kept teasing Liam flirtatiously.
He simply smiled and shook his head.
...
Upon seeing them leave the "wooded zone," Vivian stood up, ran to catch up with Liam, and clasped one of his arms against her chest.
"I want to play too."
Liam looked at Vivian, simply nodded, and the three of them entered the lake.
...
A few more weeks passed.
Everyone had finished eating and was gathered around the campfire.
"We've been here a long time, but we've prepared thoroughly; it's time to move forward. You need to know that the upcoming floors will be even tougher, but if you put what you've practiced and trained into action, we'll clear this dungeon without too much trouble."
After Liam finished speaking, they discussed the golems—talking about their capabilities and their weaknesses.
The conversation went on for a while, but it was a productive discussion where nothing was overlooked, ensuring they could avoid future dangers.
"Get some rest; in three days, we set out for the next floor of the dungeon," Liam said in a calm yet firm voice.
Sirem and Vivian went to their tent and took stock of the potions they had left.
"We need to be careful and ration our potion usage," Vivian said after counting them all up.
"Don't stress; remember, we've improved our mana absorption and have good magical artifacts. Plus, as a last resort, we have Liam," Sirem joked before lying down to rest.
Vivian knew that Sirem was partly right, and what she needed most at that moment was a relaxed mind to face the challenges ahead.
...
The beautiful witch approached Liam from behind.
She embraced him, wrapping her delicate arms around his neck.
She rested the side of her head against his hair.
Liam took one of her hands and kissed the back of it.
"Husband, what do you want to do on the next few floors?" she asked in her beautiful voice.
Liam knew she was referring to Vivian and Sirem.
"A new type of golem will likely emerge from that 'arboreal zone'—one that is sure to be quite dangerous," she added.
"Let's observe. I just won't let them die or suffer lifelong injuries. Even so, they need to push themselves to the limit; that's the only way they'll improve further. Or so I believe," Liam said as he tossed a dry branch into the fire.
"Is that how you trained?" she asked, curious.
"I'd say it was even harder," Liam thought, recalling the penalty he would face if he failed to conquer the dungeon within the agreed timeframe.
...
[Mandatory Mission: Conquer the Rank C dungeon within two days (200 days)]
[Reward: 400 Play Points and the "monster cores" obtained from the dungeon]
[Failure: 4 days of hellish training]
Liam stared at the window before him; he knew he wouldn't meet the deadline.
He looked up at the dungeon ceiling.
Even so, he wanted the women accompanying him to improve so they wouldn't be in danger in the future—which would put his own mind at ease.
Besides, each floor granted Play Points, diminishing the importance of the points awarded as a mission reward.
From his perspective, this might have been an indirect message from his master, urging him to use the experience to improve.
"Four days... I think that actually means four hundred days," Liam muttered, then sighed.
"What do you mean?"
Liam looked at the beautiful witch's face and pulled her toward him.
She sat on his lap.
"Nothing important." He buried his face in the witch's bosom and breathed in her pleasant scent.