"Type shit..."

  I answered, rushing through the turquoise grass beneath my feet when I started to hear flowing water.

  A moment ter, a narrow river revealed itself, cutting straight through the forest and blocking our path.

  But I wasn't about to be stopped by something that minor.

  Apparently, Lavapup wasn't either—she didn't even slow down, despite the water coming up fast.

  "Jump!"

  She shouted, already leaping over the gap.

  Cold water rushed beneath us as we sailed through the air, crashing back onto solid ground on the other side, barely making it across.

  I nded smoothly.

  Lavapup, on the other hand, slipped the moment she hit the ground and facepnted straight into the mud, coating her face in a thick yer of brown.

  "Ehehe!"

  I couldn't help it.

  A ugh escaped me.

  "Stop ughing at me and get your feet moving again, you idiot!"

  She screamed as she bolted forward, already sprinting off again without even bothering to clean the mud off her face.

  "What do you mean—?"

  I wondered for half a second before a deafening roar answered for her.

  "Oh..."

  My head snapped back just in time to see the two massive creatures still charging after us, way closer than I was comfortable with.

  "Oh heck naw!"

  I yelled and immediately kicked it into high gear, sprinting after her.

  "You run like an anime girl, you know that?"

  I called out as I paced past her with ease, the monsters steadily gaining ground behind us.

  But this time, both my cooldowns were finally back up.

  And with water right next to us, a new opportunity practically spped me in the face.

  I skidded to the side, twisting around as I aimed my wand toward the flowing river. Frost crawled along its tip as I waited—just a moment longer—until the first tree's root-legs spshed fully into the water.

  "Snowball!"

  The spell flew true.

  The moment it struck, the river fsh-froze, ice racing outward in an instant and locking the monster's legs in pce. The Dreadwood let out a distorted screech before tipping sideways and crashing face-first into the mud.

  Just like Lavapup earlier.

  I didn't miss the irony.

  "It's your turn, girly— you know what to do!"

  I shouted, but honestly, I didn't need to.

  The instant the snowball left my wand, she was already moving.

  She leapt forward, grabbing onto low-hanging branches and swinging from tree to tree like a feral monkey, closing the distance on the remaining Dreadwood from above.

  "No need to tell me, big guy!" she yelled. "I know exactly what I gotta do!"

  I pnted my feet and raised my wand, purple light pulsing at the tip.

  "Eyes on me, fucker!"

  "Magic Missile!"

  The glowing sphere smmed straight into the creature's trunk, snapping its attention back to me just as Lavapup came flying in from behind.

  "Flying Lavapup Attack Kick!"

  She screamed.

  I physically cringed.

  Then she collided with the Dreadwood's back like a missile, the impact knocking it clean off bance. It toppled forward, crashing straight into its frozen companion, both health bars chunking down hard as they hit the ground.

  Without a second thought, I threw my wand toward her.

  "Here—catch!" I shouted, releasing the rough, beat-up wand and watching it fly through the air.

  "Finish it off with Magic Missile!"

  The mud-covered face snapped up instantly, a bright grin spreading across her lips—white teeth standing out sharply against the dirt.

  She caught the wand cleanly and didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat, pressing the tip straight against the Dreadwood's tough bark.

  At that distance, even a weak spell like Magic Missile would be lethal.

  Purple light swallowed the surroundings as Lavapup let out an unnecessarily loud scream, like she was powering up for some ultimate move rather than casting a beginner spell.

  "MAGIC MISSILE!"

  The bst went off point-bnk.

  Thick, misty clouds erupted outward, swallowing everything and completely blocking my vision. At the same time, a familiar melody chimed inside my head.

  The system spoke.

  "You have sin a level 23 Dreadwood."

  "You have sin a level 21 Dreadwood."

  I hadn't even finished processing that when the next announcement hit—and this one sent a jolt straight through me.

  "You have leveled up: 1 → 4."

  "Snowball has leveled up: 1 → 2."

  "Yahoo!"

  The girl screamed, holding my wand high in the air, grinning like a mud-covered maniac.

  I jolted at the sudden sound. I've been enjoying my new level in peace.

  "Urgh, don't suddenly shout like that, you gremlin! You'll attract more monsters!"

  I yelled back. Of course, I had no idea if that was actually true. I just wanted a reason to shout at her after she scared the hell out of me.

  But she only ughed harder as the golden 4 shimmered brightly next to her name.

  I shook my head and let her do her thing, turning my attention to my rewards.

  "Inventory!"

  I called out, and a backpack suddenly popped into my hands.

  "Oh... so they made the bag a real bag..."

  I sighed, staring at the lump of leather. Opening it, I found twigs shimmering with a faint purple glow.

  When I focused on them, small text appeared.

  Ghostwood Twig.

  I had three in total.

  I instantly looked toward the brown-haired girl, who was kneeling by the freezing river, washing mud from her face.

  "Hey, Pup! How many twigs did you get?"

  I shouted over.

  "I got two!" she answered.

  I clenched my fist as a sense of victory washed over me. Five. Exactly what we needed.

  "We've got enough! We can head back now!"

  I called out, already ready to move—when Lavapup suddenly froze.

  "Wait... there's something stuck in this thing's crown..."

  She dove back into the purple leaves like an Olympic swimmer. When she emerged, she was holding a small, crumpled piece of paper.

  "I found a new spell!"

  She rushed toward me, practically sprinting the whole way.

  My eyes lit up.

  "Seriously? Yo, what is it?"

  I leaned in, trying to look, but all I saw was a bnk piece of paper.

  "What does it say? What does it say?"

  I urged, lightly shaking her arm.

  "Uh... the name is Soulfire. The description reads..."

  She squinted, holding it closer.

  "'Ignite your own soul and burn. Become faster and stronger while on fire—but take increased damage.'"

  She paused, then continued.

  "Two-minute active time, three-minute cooldown... and it costs ninety mana."

  I physically recoiled.

  "Damn, that's expensive. How strong is it?"

  She checked again.

  "Uhm... 25% speed buff, 35% strength buff... but I receive 50% more damage. Oh—and my attacks apply a burn effect."

  We stared at each other in silence.

  "Should we try it?" we both asked at the same time.

  Then, without hesitation—

  "Absolutely."