Chapter 113: First Donjon

When she woke up, it came as no surprise that the other side of the bed was already cold.

She got up, dressed, and straightened the sheets while Phoenix stretched lazily before leaping into his mistress's arms once she was finished. She headed downstairs for breakfast; only Argy and Nicky were waiting for her.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Nicky called, while his best friend settled for a brief greeting around a mouthful of food.

"Where's Glen?"

"Still asleep," Argy finally answered, pushing his plate toward her.

Blanche wasn't surprised by the meal.

She was surprised by the elf's absence.

It was rare not to find him awake at dawn.

"He's asleep?"

"He stayed up late and closed the portal after Uncle D and the boss left," Nicky explained. "He said not to wait for him. So it's just the three of us for your quest."

"Without me," Blanche corrected. "It's a solo mission."

The two men exchanged a worried glance before looking back at her.

"Be careful," Nicky replied as he cleared his plate and swept the floor in a single motion. "Your first solo mission is no joke."

Argy nodded in agreement.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

Blanche explained.

Both young men froze.

Nicky even dropped his broom.

"I didn't have to clear a dungeon before my twenty-fifth mission," he said, turning toward Argy. "What about you?"

"The twentieth. Be careful, Mom, okay?"

"You should go with her anyway," Nicky suggested as he picked up his broom.

Argy nodded, clearly understanding what he meant.

And before Blanche even had time to ask why, the two of them abruptly changed the subject and moved on.

Clad in her cape and armed with her axe, short sword, and two daggers, Blanche finally arrived at the cave around noon.

For once, she genuinely looked like an adventurer.

A real one.

Not a student accidentally thrown into a dangerous quest.

Her dark cloak billowed behind her in the wind, partially concealing her equipment. Her short sword rested at her hip, carefully maintained despite regular use. Her two daggers occupied their usual places, easy to reach at a moment's notice. As for her axe, securely fastened across her back, it reminded her with every step that she had definitively abandoned all hope of ever living a peaceful life.

After so much training, the weight of it all felt almost natural.

Almost.

Her shoulders still took every opportunity to remind her they existed.

Mounted atop Phoenix, she rode forward with a confidence she never would have imagined a few months ago.

The familiar moved through the wilderness with the effortless grace of a predator perfectly at home in its environment. Despite his imposing size, his strides remained fluid, and his dark fur rippled beneath the sunlight like a living cloak.

At her side, Argy rode Daryl with the usual enthusiasm of a man incapable of taking anything seriously for more than five minutes at a time.

As for Daryl, he accompanied them in his pegasus form. His majestic silhouette regularly cut across the sky whenever he gained altitude before swooping back down near Blanche.

His enormous wings caught the sunlight and occasionally cast sweeping shadows across the rocky ground below.

Several times during the journey, Blanche found herself glancing up at her son.

And at Daryl.

She never grew tired of it.

There was something deeply fascinating about watching a mythical creature move with such effortless grace.

Even after everything she had discovered in the Otherworld, some things still retained the power to fill her with wonder.

Thankfully.

Because she categorically refused to become blasé about a pegasus.

Some boundaries deserved to be respected.

When they finally reached their destination, the cave emerged from behind a rocky outcropping.

Immense.

Ancient.

Its wide, gaping entrance resembled the maw of some sleeping beast.

Despite the daylight outside, the interior remained swallowed by impenetrable darkness.

Blanche immediately felt her stomach tighten.

Not from fear.

Not really.

It was that particular tension that preceded important expeditions.

That mixture of excitement and apprehension that made the heart beat just a little faster.

She dismounted from Phoenix.

Well...

As gracefully as possible after several hours of travel.

Her legs immediately protested.

Traitors.

The familiar let out an amused rumble before shrinking to a much more discreet size.

Within seconds, the massive creature capable of carrying several riders became once again the relatively inconspicuous ball of fur that could squeeze almost anywhere.

Relatively.

Because even reduced, Phoenix remained far more impressive than any ordinary cat.

Barely had she adjusted her cloak when Argy approached her.

Smiling.

Which, in his case, usually meant he was planning something.

For once, however, his intentions were entirely honorable.

"Hold still."

"That sentence always makes me uncomfortable when it comes from you."

"I'm wounded."

"You'll survive."

Argy ignored the remark with remarkable dignity.

Then he raised his hands.

At once, several glowing runes appeared around Blanche.

Complex symbols began slowly rotating through the air before vanishing one by one into her body.

She immediately felt the magic take effect.

A strange sensation.

A sudden lightness.

As though the air itself offered less resistance.

Her muscles responded differently.

Faster.

More naturally.

Argy had increased her speed and agility by ten percent.

Under normal circumstances, that alone would have been a valuable advantage.

But he wasn't finished.

A second spell followed.

Denser.

More protective.

A thin layer of invisible energy seemed to settle over her skin before fading from sight.

A resistance shield.

An extra layer between her and whatever awaited below.

Blanche drew a deep breath.

She felt ready.

Lighter.

Quicker.

Stronger.

As though her reflexes had gained several lengths ahead of the rest of the world.

Argy stepped back, visibly pleased with his work.

"There. Now try not to die."

"Thank you for that touching display of affection."

"I do what I can."

Blanche rolled her eyes.

Then her gaze returned to the cave entrance.

The darkness seemed just as deep.

Just as mysterious.

Something was waiting inside.

Something important.

And despite the nervousness twisting in her stomach, she felt a smile spread across her lips.

After all, she hadn't come this far just to turn around.

"It only lasts ten minutes, but it's still something."

Then he added one final support spell: a permanent healing effect of five percent every five minutes for the next hour.

"It'll save you time and keep you from burning through your Rest skill too quickly."

She thanked him despite the worried expression on her son's face.

He climbed back into the saddle, nodded, and launched his mount into the air.

A sudden feeling—an unpleasant one—tightened her stomach.

For herself... or for her son?

With her assistance time-limited, Blanche drew a deep breath and stepped into the cave with determined strides.

The unsettling feeling refused to leave her as a blue window appeared before her eyes.

Timer Started: You have one hour to locate the Goblin Chief and eliminate him.

Good luck.

The moment the message vanished, a countdown timer appeared at the top of her vision, the seconds already ticking away.

"It's time," the young woman murmured as she drew her axe.