CHAPTER 253: CHAPTER 253

They scrambled to their feet, faces flushed with embarrassment and adrenaline. Rex muttered an apology under his breath, and Christian nodded, refocusing his grip on his spear as the tension snapped back into place.

I quickly scoped our surroundings, my eyes darting through the mist. Other than the boss serpent that had just attacked us, there were also several other bosses lurking in the shadows—hulking crocodiles with armored hides and venomous leeches the size of wolves. And snuggled in the corner, shivering in fear, were three trembling teens: two boys and one girl, huddled together like lost puppies.

"Hey guys, I think we have company," I said, pointing toward the group with my dagger.

Rex frowned, his sword still raised. "Hey, you three! Are you enemies?!"

Christian rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Idiot, you think they’ll just say they’re the enemies?"

"Oh right," Rex said, scratching his head. "What should I do then?"

Christian looked back at the group, his expression turning stern. "Surrender or die!" he barked, aiming his spear at them dramatically.

Rex clapped his hands, genuinely impressed. "I didn’t know you could look cool doing that."

The three teens, who had been trembling, were now wailing in unison. "We’re students from HAFA! Please don’t kill us!" the girl cried, her voice cracking as the boys nodded frantically.

I massaged my temples, feeling a headache coming on from their antics. Then I slapped the back of their heads—first Rex, then Christian. "Seriously, guys, what’s wrong with you two?"

"We were just having fun," Rex mumbled, rubbing the spot where I’d hit him, but he straightened up quickly when I glared at him.

Christian chuckled sheepishly, lowering his spear. "Yeah, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare them that bad."

"I thought we’d only fight one boss, but it seems I miscalculated," I said, scanning the chamber as the bosses began to circle, their eyes gleaming with hunger. The dungeon had thrown us a curveball—multiple heavy hitters instead of the usual single guardian.

I glanced at Rex, who was still rubbing his head. "You want to fight boss monsters, right? This is your time to shine." Then I turned to Christian. "Formulate a plan now. We have no choice but to fight those with just the three of us."

Finally, I looked at the teens huddled in the corner. "Guys, come here!" I shouted, waving them over urgently.

The teens only shook their heads in terror, their faces pale. "N-No thanks! We don’t want to die yet!" one of the boys shouted back, his voice trembling.

I sighed irritably, pinching the bridge of my nose. It seemed they’d lost all trust in us because of Rex and Christian’s stupidity. I had no choice but to pull rank—dungeon or not, hierarchy mattered in this world. "We’re sorry for scaring you, but we’re students from Glacial Sphere Academy. Either you follow your senior’s orders or I’ll report you three for disobedience," I said sternly, glancing at the countdown timer flickering on the wall before the swarm of boss monsters came charging.

Their eyes widened in shock, and they quickly approached me, though they stayed wary of Rex and Christian, eyeing them like potential threats. "O-Okay, senior sister," the girl mumbled, the boys nodding reluctantly.

Since we had to defend these three terrified kids, I couldn’t just hang back and babysit while Rex and Christian handled the bosses. We’d definitely lose if I didn’t jump into the fray—not only we lack in manpower, those two haven’t reached their potential yet... unlike Cypher.

"Time’s running out, Remillia, what should we do with these three?" Christian called out, his spear at the ready as the bosses stirred.

I had no choice but to summon Macaron and Glacier to protect them. With a quick mind link, Macaron was by my shoulder, hooting softly, and Glacier quickly in a protective stance by my side. Only Christian and the teens were shocked, their jaws dropping at the sight of Glacier since Rex has already seen Glacier.

"F-Frostbane and an... owl??" one of the boys stammered.

"You own a Frostbane?" the girl gasped.

"Senior sister, are these your tamed monsters?" the other boy asked, eyes wide.

The three started questioning me, including Christian, who looked equally baffled.

"I thought Macaron was your only pet. How did you manage to tame a Frostbane? Also, owning tamed monsters costs billions of Glacium—even acquiring an ownership certificate is hard!" Christian exclaimed, his voice a mix of awe and envy.

I simply flashed him a hologram copy of the ownership certificate on my smartwatch, the official seal glowing. "Long story, but yeah, it’s all legit." Then I crouched down to Glacier and Macaron, petting their heads gently. "I want you to protect these three, okay? Keep them safe, no matter what."

I looked at the students, who were still fascinated by the two creatures. "Stay behind Glacier’s back, and whatever you do, don’t move away from them."

"Understood!" they all said in unison, their fear easing a bit as they huddled closer to the Frostbane’s imposing form.

With that sorted, I turned to Christian. "The plan?"

He looked stunned, blinking like I’d just spoken in another language. "That was serious? I thought you were only joking."

"Do I have to do everything? What would happen if I’m gone?" I muttered to myself, glancing at the timer ticking down—30 seconds left before the bosses went full berserk. "Pick which monster you like to fight."

"Leech!" they both said in unison, Rex and Christian exchanging grins.

They really picked the easiest, huh? I glared at both of them, shaking my head. "I’ll handle the leeches. Rex, draw the serpents; Christian, handle the crocs. I’ll occasionally help the both of you as soon as I finish those leeches." I scanned the bosses again—luckily, the leeches had the least number, so it’d be quick to clear and then jump in to support these two slackers.

I looked at Glacier. "Glacier, frost your surroundings so no monster can approach." Then I turned to Macaron. "Macaron, provide support to Rex and Christian as I finish the leeches."

With that, the bosses charged in a deafening roar, and we dove into the fray. I activated Spectral Seal, my mana surging as I threw my daggers in the air, multiplying like shadows coming alive. They accurately struck the leeches, their bloated bodies bursting in explosions, clearing the swarm in seconds.

Glacier’s frost created a barrier of ice around the teens, keeping stragglers at bay with a chilling wall that froze any monster daring to approach. Macaron swooped in, talons raking at the serpents to give Rex breathing room while Christian’s spear kept the crocs pinned, thrusting with relentless force.

After a while, Rex was still holding his own against the serpents but Christian grunted under a croc’s charge, his spear barely holding the beast back. I finished the last leech and darted over, my dagger sinking into the croc’s hide just in time, twisting to deliver a fatal blow. "Hang in there!" I shouted as my daggers reformed to slash at another croc lunging nearby.

Rex grinned through the sweat, his sword cleaving a serpent’s tail. "Not bad for the easy pick, huh?" Christian chuckled, spear retracting as the croc fell. The teens peeked from behind Glacier, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and excitement.

We fought for thirty grueling minutes, blood and sweat covering our bodies like a second skin. When the final boss—a colossal swamp leviathan—finally fell with a earth-shaking thud, the three of us collapsed in exhaustion, panting on the muddy ground.

"Damn it, witch! If you ever call us again for another dungeon hopping, I won’t come anymore!" Rex shouted, his voice hoarse as he lay there, chest heaving, sword still clutched in his hand.

Christian just groaned, rolling onto his back with a weak laugh. "Speak for yourself. That was insane, but... kinda fun."

I wiped the sweat from my brow, managed a tired grin, and stood up to approach the kids. "You can come out—" my words stuck in my throat when I saw no one there. The spot behind Glacier was empty, just the icy barrier melting away. I looked at Glacier, but he only growled low, as if telling me that they just disappeared.

Rex and Christian scrambled over when they noticed, their faces shifting from exhaustion to solemn. They found three glowing crystals where the teens had been, pulsing with an eerie light.

Christian sighed as he picked up the crystals, cradling them gently. "May you rest in peace..."

I looked at him curiously, my heart sinking. "What do you... mean?"

They both turned to me, looking confused. "You don’t know about this?"

"No?" I said, shaking my head.

"Seriously, you’re so smart in class and yet you don’t know this?" Rex said, incredulous.

"Just tell me," I said, glaring at him to cut the chatter.

"These crystals are called Soulcrystals," Christian explained, his voice somber. "These crystals contain the soul of the people who got killed in these dungeons. When someone dies here, their essence gets trapped in one of these, waiting to be released or... something. It’s rare, but it happens in high-level runs like this."