After Cassia and Marcy joined us by the Ortas city gate, we headed toward the dungeon. On the way, I told them how Mari’s healing was going and asked about where I could take a girl out.

  What I didn't take into consideration was that Zoe was listening, and I could see her eyes glistening in excitement, clearly thinking I was pnning to take her out. I didn't crify it was about Mia and wondered if I should take both of them together.

  The only problem was that Zoe was pushy and clingy. She would outshine Mia completely, and the whole date would be about her - unless I asked her to focus on Mia, which could put the bunny girl in an uncomfortable position on the other hand, with too much focus on her.

  But I decided to leave that decision for ter, after returning from the dungeon and when I would know what I wanted to do.

  We decided to try to pass Level 2 of the dungeon, to reach the checkpoint before Level 3, so we could go straight into it when the kitsune was healed completely and would join us again on the exploration.

  The first few fights in the dungeon were easy - dealing with single skeletons or small demons as such a rge group was no trouble at all. Between Terra, Cassia, Zoe, and me, we could surround the monster completely and didn’t give it a chance, especially since it was wounded by Marcy before it could even reach us.

  We were moving through the dark corridors of the dungeon’s byrinth when Azura growled, warning us about a monster ahead. We were getting close to a turn, and it seemed the opponent was waiting after it.

  When we stepped around the corner, I realized that Azura didn't recognize how many monsters were ahead.

  Four small demons stood very close to us. Each one wielding their standard weapon - a short trident with three deadly sharp points. All at once, the monsters turned toward us. Their eyes, filled with animalistic hunger, swept over our group before they rushed at us.

  “Everyone takes one,” Cassia ordered immediately. “Marcy and Zoe, focus on one. Terra and Tobias, take it slow. Don't take any chances.”

  Marcellina released an arrow at one of the demons. She hit the target, but it didn't even slow the monster. If only Mari was with us, she would probably kill one before they even reached us.

  “Zoe, be careful,” I said.

  She was standing low on her legs, in a stance ready for a fight. She held the dagger made of shadows in a reverse grip. Her tail swayed slowly behind her, hardening as she used her skill.

  She didn't answer, only nodded with her gaze locked on her enemy. While the monster was the one coming at her, she was the hunter in this fight, and the demon was the prey. It just didn’t know it yet.

  Despite that, I was still a bit worried that something would go wrong. But that was part of exploring. And Zoe really was capable of dealing with the demon. She shouldn’t have any trouble.

  I needed to stay focused on my own fight and keep my opponent occupied until Cassia finished off her demon and came to help me kill mine. We moved toward the monsters so they couldn’t concentrate their attacks on only one of us.

  My spear was much longer than the demon’s trident, giving me an advantage that should keep me safe. Holding my weapon tightly in my hand, I ran into the monster. It clearly wasn't one of the brightest, as it rushed at me straight into my spear. The tip pierced into its arm, stopping its approach.

  The impact almost pushed the spear out of my hand, but I was able to keep holding it and stop the monster from a distance. Its skin must have been really thick because, despite how hard we collided, my weapon sank only an inch or two into the monster’s body, and it was able to pull back.

  Blood gushed from its wound, but it clearly didn't bother the demon as it jumped forward, trying to stab me with its weapon. I dodged back, the sharp points not reaching my stomach as I smmed my spear from above at the demon’s head.

  Its legs bent slightly beneath it, but it managed to stay on its feet. The demon swept its spear in front of itself horizontally, but with its short reach, there was no risk for me from that attempt.

  But immediately after, the demon leapt forward again, aiming for my stomach.

  Blocking it with my shield, the bdes slid down, and the demon’s weapon struck into the ground. I had let the monster get too close to me, and I couldn’t strike it with my own long spear, so I jumped back, increasing the distance between us.

  When the demon pulled its trident from the ground, it rushed at me again. But as I aimed my spear at its head, it stopped approaching, staying out of my range. I spotted Zoe coming from the side and circling around the demon to attack it from behind.

  She must have dealt with her opponent already, and to create an opportunity for her to attack, I leapt forward. My spear wasn’t aimed perfectly, and the demon deflected it with its trident. But it worked as a distraction, and the demon didn't spot Zoe. Suddenly, the shadow dagger came out of the monster’s chest.

  The demon seemed surprised, its bck eyes focusing on the bde coming out of its chest. I didn't give it time to ponder what had happened when I smmed the tip of my spear just below the monster’s chin, piercing through the softer spot at its neck.

  Without worry about being hit, I was able to use full force, and the spearhead went completely through the monster’s body. How strong was Zoe to pierce through its chest? Or how sharp was her bde?

  But I didn't have time to think about it, because Terra and Cassia were still fighting.

  “Help Cassia,” I said to Zoe, while already moving toward the demon that was attacking the orc.

  Terra was sweeping her axe left and right, without a real threat of hitting the monster, but the small demon couldn’t ever reach her. It stood watching the big bde swing just in front of it, without being able to find any opening.

  Unlike Zoe, when I approached the monster from behind, it heard me. The demon immediately abandoned the idea of attacking Terra and rushed at me. But using the same tactic, I swept my spear horizontally.

  The problem was that Terra’s battle axe was heavy. Much heavier than my spear, and when I tried to do just like her, the monster blocked my attack with its trident, and then leapt forward, trying to stab me. But I followed its movement, getting out of its range.

  And when its trident didn't reach me, the monster didn't even manage to fully straighten before a heavy axe smmed into its head from above. The monster crumbled to the ground, the bde plunged deep, reaching between its eyes.

  Terra was still holding the shaft of her weapon after the lunge she took. But when the monster began dissolving, she let go of it.

  “Thanks,” we both said at the same time.

  Smiling, I turned to check how Zoe and Cassia were dealing with the st demon, but it was already dead too.

  “Thanks for the help,” I said, gncing at Zoe. “You killed your demon really fast.”

  “No problem, Master!” Zoe grinned. “Did you see that? I jumped at the monster, knocked its trident aside with my tail, then kicked it in the head! It went down, tried to get up, so I cut off its hand, caught the trident mid-air, and stabbed it straight into its neck!”

  “Excellent job,” I said, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. She wiggled happily in my embrace before I let go of her. She seemed really excited about how well she did with the demon.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Cassia, who was staring at Zoe and seemed really distracted. Which was only confirmed when she didn't even realize I was speaking to her. “Cassia?” I said, touching her shoulder.

  She shook her head. “What?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, sorry. I’m okay.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I said I’m okay.”

  “I can tell that something is not okay.”

  “Focus on the dungeon,” she snapped back, moving toward the loot from one of the killed demons.

  Confused, I looked at Zoe, but she shrugged, clearly as clueless about what was going on as me. Letting Cassia be, we picked up a trident from one of the demons, which should be worth a few coins, and a small mana storage stone from another dead monster, which should grant even more.

  We continued passing through the dungeon, with a few more fights along the way, but when four monsters at once didn't cause a problem for us, one or two at a time were just a short stop.

  Despite that, we remained focused to not make any stupid mistakes, and we all participated in fights. Thanks to that, the whole trip passed without anyone getting wounded. Also, I didn’t need to use any of my skills and let even more people know about my css.

  But that would be all from the good news. No one leveled up, and the loot was nothing special. We reached the checkpoint before Level 3 quite quickly, so we spent additional time killing monsters near it before we finally decided to exit the dungeon.

  On our way back to Ortas, I leveled up with Cassia. For a moment, we just walked next to each other in silence, but then I finally asked, “What happened in the dungeon? During the fight with the four demons.”

  Cassia looked at me with her lips pressed into a thin line, and her forehead creased with wrinkles. She seemed frustrated again, but after a moment she let out a deep sigh, focusing on the road ahead of us.

  “It’s nothing, really. Just my problems. But I can focus on the fights when it's needed.”

  “Is it about your previous teams?” I asked, taking a guess. “And that you don’t have a css?”

  We walked in silence before Cassia finally decided to speak. “Zoe is already stronger than me. Despite how much more I trained and fought in the dungeon. Having a css is a gap that I just can’t pass. Never. There’s nothing I could do to be as strong as someone with one. Even if they are just starting. And it’s nothing new, really. I saw it time after time.”

  “Isn't there any way to get a css?” I asked.

  “You need to have mana,” Cassia replied. “And I don't have any, just like you.”

  I nodded, wondering if there was a way she could get mana. As far as I knew, there wasn’t. But my css let me increase my mana, so maybe there was a chance for Cassia too. The problem was that even if such a thing existed, an average person like her probably wouldn’t be able to afford it.

  “You’re managing without a css very well anyway,” I said.

  “I know,” Cassia sighed. “And I know I shouldn’t compare myself, but I just can’t. I’m trying to accept it, and most of the time I’m okay. Just… from time to time, it bothers me more.”

  There wasn’t anything I could say that would help her or change how she was thinking. Or maybe I just didn’t know what that could be. So I remained silent, and we walked back to Ortas like that for the rest of the way.

  After we passed the gate, Cassia stopped me before heading her own way.

  “Training today,” Cassia said. “No excuses. I need to show you something very important.”

  “Okay,” I replied. “I’ll drop my things at the house and come to the arena.”

  Cassia and Marcy parted ways with us, heading their own way.

  “Tobias,” Terra said before we even managed to move away from the city gate.

  “Yeah?”

  “I found a job, but I need you to sign a consent form so I can work. And to be paid, so you won’t have to bother picking up the money yourself,” she said, pulling a piece of paper from one of her pockets, along with the sve stone I had given her.

  “Why do I need it?” I asked, gesturing at the stone.

  “Press it here,” Terra said, holding the form against a wall of a building nearby and pointing at the lower part of the page. “If you agree for me to work there, of course,” she added quickly.

  “What will you do?” I asked, shifting my gaze over the paper.

  “Help on a construction site,” Terra replied. “Mostly carry heavy things, from what I understood.”

  “Are they paying you fairly?” I asked.

  “I guess. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.”

  “Do you want me to go there and make sure you’ll be okay?” I asked.

  Terra frowned, though she had a small smile on her face. “There’s no need. You don’t have to waste your time. Besides, it’s paid by the city, so it’s fairly safe.”

  “Okay. If something’s wrong, let me know. If they treat you badly or anything like that. And how long will you be there today?”

  “Four to five hours,” Terra said.

  “Okay,” I said, grabbing the stone and pressing it where Terra pointed. The stone glowed, and when I pulled it away, there was a symbol on the page, just a bunch of lines running around, kind of like a fingerprint but shaped like a sphere.

  “Thank you,” Terra said.

  I shrugged and handed the stone back to her.

  Terra slipped the paper into her pocket, then looked at the stone in my hand and back at my face, clearly thinking about something.

  “Terra?” I asked.

  “You should keep it,” she said, refusing to take it.

  “What? Why?”

  “The chances are slim, but if you’re really so worried something might happen to me, you need the stone to locate me.”

  I should’ve probably known that before I handed them the stones. I’d likely have to take Mia’s as well, so I’d be able to find her if something happened. But in her case, the moneylender put their own colr on her, so they could track her.

  “Okay,” I said, putting the stone in my bag. Also it showed some sort of trust on her side, letting me take back the stone.

  “Can I go?” Terra asked.

  “Sure,” I replied.

  “Will you take my axe back home?”

  “Of course.”

  Terra passed me her weapon and headed off to her job. This way she would free Mia and herself faster, and I’d have the debt off my mind too. I was gd she took it seriously and wanted to work hard to take care of it.

  Before heading back home, I led Zoe and Azura to the tavern where I had fucked Julia the previous day. I wasn’t pnning on having sex again, but I had promised her I’d return, and I wanted her to know it wasn’t just a random one-time hook-up for me.

  I had no idea where things between us would go, but I didn’t want that to be the st time. She was hot, and there were so many things we could do together. When I entered the tavern, Julia was the only one inside, sitting behind the bar.

  She smiled when she spotted me approaching with Zoe and Azura.

  “You’re back?” Julia asked, surprise clear in her voice.

  “I promised,” I replied with a smirk.

  “Missed me already?” she asked, smiling.

  “You made quite an impression.”

  “And you have the worst timing ever. I’m on shift. And today I really can’t find even a few minutes.”

  “I didn’t come for that. I’m straight from the dungeon, just wanted to say hi. Maybe ask where a guy can take a girl out in Ortas on a date?”

  “Are you asking me out?” Julia grinned. Then a frown crossed her face. “Or are you asking for pces to take them?” she added, her gaze flicking to Zoe and Azura standing slightly behind me.

  “Both,” I said. “I want to go out this evening. But with you too, when we find time. Unless you prefer to stay in bed all the time.”

  “Ugh… that’s a really hard choice, but I guess going somewhere would be nice. And then spending the rest of the time in bed,” Julia replied. “I’m free tomorrow during the day.”

  “What about the day after tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I can make it work,” Julia said.

  “Okay, then it’s a date. I’ll pick you up around noon?”

  “Sure.”

  “And what about those ideas for things to do here?”

  “You can take someone to the inns with bands, they py music, you can drink and dance. You can go to the arena if there’s an event, but I’m not sure if anything is pnned right now. And it’s mostly ter in the day. There’s a theater too, but I don’t follow their schedule. And… well, I don’t know. That’s probably it. I don’t exactly go out a lot.”

  “Thanks, anyway,” I said with a smile. “See you on our date.”

  Julia nodded with a smile.

  We headed out of the tavern with Azura and Zoe. I had completely forgotten about the arena events. When I’d been looking for new teammates earlier, I saw an announcement about an upcoming tournament or something like that, but I was pretty sure it had already happened.

  But maybe there would be a second round or something else going on. It seemed there really weren’t many things to do even in a bigger city like Ortas. It wasn’t like in my world, where you had one attraction after another. Here, the options were more limited, but I hoped Mia didn’t have big expectations, since she surely knew the city didn’t have many choices either.

  We headed back home to drop our things, wash up, leave Azura behind, and go to the arena for training with Cassia, and figure out what to do ter, before the evening.