CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER: 62 WE ARE OLD ENOUGH, RIGHT?

Vivian and Charlotte stepped inside, and their enhanced senses quickly told them that others had entered as well.

Sensing those familiar presences, both Vivian and Charlotte let out a quiet sigh.

The same thought crossed their minds, if the warriors of the Black Shadows had entered with Vivian during the previous cycle, perhaps things might have turned out differently.

But what could they do now? They knew it couldn’t be helped.

That was an exam, and outside help wasn’t allowed.

And besides, sneaking past a Swordmaster was almost impossible anyway.

Breaking free from her thoughts, Charlotte said, "There are three floors. The first floor has lower-level monsters, foxens."

She continued, "the second floor has upper-intermediate ones, called grizzles. And on the third floor waits the boss monster, Vehemoth."

Hearing the name grizzles, a bitter smile crossed his lips as memories surfaced.

In his past life, Asmit and Subha had died after getting caught in a scheme meant for him.

He hadn’t met them since his regression.

The guilt still lingered, and he had promised himself he wouldn’t face them again until he killed both Kafrik and Garhard.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he asked, "Do we need to kill all the monsters in each room?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No, we don’t need to wipe them all out. We just have to kill their leader, and the path to the next floor will open automatically."

She went on to explain in detail.

There were more than a hundred foxens on the first floor, but killing their leader would open the way to the second.

Similarly, the second floor had around fifty grizzles, and defeating their leader would unlock the final floor, where the boss monster, Vehemoth, usually waited alone.

"Alright then, let’s go," Vivian said flatly as he stepped forward. Charlotte followed behind him, her footsteps heavy and steady.

As they walked, small groups of foxens appeared along the way.

The two dealt with them easily, cutting through without any trouble before continuing deeper inside.

After walking for a while, both of them suddenly stopped and looked at each other.

A silent nod passed between them. They had sensed it, a large group of foxens about a kilometer ahead.

There were around sixty of them, and among their chaotic movements, a strong presence stood out.

That had to be the leader.

Charlotte and Vivian quickened their pace. Soon, the outline of the massive group came into view in the dim distance.

As Vivian ran forward with Charlotte flying beside him, he glanced her way and said,

"I’ll go for the leader. You take care of the smaller ones, understood?"

Charlotte gave a quick nod, flying ahead and stopping about fifty feets from the foxens.

She raised her hand and began chanting softly.

Vivian sped up, his eyes locking onto the leader. "Hmm? It evolved?" he muttered.

The leader no longer looked like a foxen.

Instead of the fox-like creatures, each about twice the size of a normal fox, this one resembled a massive wolf with gleaming yellow fur, its size nearly double that of a normal wolf.

"Howl!"

The creature’s roar echoed through the dungeon, calling its pack to gather.

But before the foxens could respond, Charlotte’s chant reached its end.

"Ice Age."

The moment the words left her lips, the air turned frigid.

Frost crept along the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the foxens began to freeze solid, their bodies turning into icy statues under Charlotte’s spell.

It was a one-sided massacre. About eighty percent of the foxens froze solid, and the rest fled in panic.

Meanwhile, Vivian dashed straight toward the leader and, without a moment’s hesitation, sliced off its head.

Even though this leader had evolved into an intermediate-level monster, its strength was roughly equal to that of a two-star warrior, no match for Vivian, who was already at four stars.

He looked around, then gave his sword a sharp flick to wipe the blood clean.

"Ice element, huh?" he muttered, glancing at Charlotte with eyes full of admiration.

Normally, warriors from one to four stars can’t use elemental powers, only mages can, though their spells are weaker in those stages.

But once a warrior or mage reaches the fifth star, they awaken the ability to control certain elements.

Charlotte was a rare case. After reaching the fifth star, she awakened not one but four elements, fire, ice, air, and earth.

So when she casts a spell tied to any of these elements, like the Ice Age she just used, its power multiplies threefold compared to normal.

"I wonder how many elements I’ll get," Vivian muttered as he walked toward Charlotte, who was staring at her staff with a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Seeing her frown, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Her expression softened slightly. "Nothing. Let’s go to the next floor," she said quietly.

"Okay," Vivian replied, not pressing the matter further.

Charlotte flew toward the gate leading to the next floor, and Vivian followed close behind.

She placed her hand on the gate and channeled her mana into it.

A faint glow spread across the surface, and soon the heavy door began to open.

Charlotte glanced at him, gave a small nod, and stepped inside. Vivian followed right after her as the door slowly closed behind them.

After entering the second floor, they walked for a while, but there were no signs of any grizzles.

Charlotte frowned. She couldn’t sense a single one within a kilometer. Her eyes shifted toward Vivian.

Vivian, who was keeping pace beside her, looked slightly excited, though his breathing had grown heavy.

Seeing him panting, Charlotte stopped in her tracks.

Vivian also came to a halt, giving her a puzzled look.

"What’s wrong? Did you notice something?" he asked.

"No," Charlotte replied softly. "But we should stop for a while and rest."

She wasn’t tired herself, but Vivian clearly was.

It had been almost a full day since they entered the dungeon without taking a break.

Looking at his slightly exhausted state, she decided it was better to rest before moving on.

After thinking for a moment and considering his condition, Vivian finally agreed. "Alright."

They set up a small camp and lit a campfire nearby to keep away insects.

Sitting close to the warm light, they decided to rest for a few hours.

It was impossible to tell whether it was day or night, the dungeon was wrapped in constant darkness, so they simply chose this spot to sleep.

When Vivian told Charlotte to get some rest and said he would stand guard, she immediately refused. "You should sleep. I’ll keep watch," she insisted.

He refused just as quickly, and the two went back and forth for a while, neither willing to give in.

Then, suddenly, Vivian stopped and blinked. "Wait... the Black Shadows are here, right? So both of us can sleep!"

He laughed. "Hahaha, we were arguing for nothing. Let’s just get some rest."

After saying those words, Vivian went into the tent and quickly fell asleep. Charlotte, however, hesitated at the entrance.

There was a flicker of excitement in her eyes, but also a deep sense of embarrassment.

Her face turned red as she remembered the dreams she’d had in the white void, dreams of those lives, when she and Vivian used to share a single bed.

Those memories felt so vivid that for a moment, it was hard to separate past from present.

The memories made her blush even harder, and a small trickle of blood ran from her nose.

She quickly wiped it away and glanced around, making sure no one saw.

Taking a quiet breath, she muttered to herself, "It’s fine... I’ve lived for so many years already. And besides... he’s going to be my husband again someday, right?"

With that thought in mind, she was about to step inside the tent, but then she paused.

"Wait... he isn’t old enough yet, is he?" she murmured, blinking as the realization hit her.

Charlotte stood there for a moment, lost in thought, weighing her memories against the present.

After a few seconds of quiet pondering, she sighed. "Well, whatever. I’ll just count all those Vivians as him," she said, trying to convince herself.

Her cheeks were still flushed as she finally walked into the tent, muttering under her breath with an embarrassed little smile.

As Charlotte stepped inside, to her disappointment, she found Vivian already fast asleep.

He looked completely exhausted, having fallen asleep the moment he lay down.

A faint frown appeared on her face as she watched him breathe steadily.

Before the regression, the old Vivian would’ve been furious if he knew what he was missing, but the current one seemed calmer, more distant, and somehow... heavier.

Charlotte let out a quiet sigh.

Whatever silly thoughts she’d had moments ago faded away.

She simply sat down beside him, her gaze softening as she watched him sleep, the flickering light of the campfire dancing across his face.

She watched him quietly, her expression softening as she reached out to gently brush her fingers through his hair.

It had grown longer, now reaching the nape of his neck, and the simple touch made her heart ache with a quiet affection.

Another sigh escaped her lips.

"I wish this moment could last forever," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

Her eyes lingered on him, filled with love, tenderness, and a trace of longing that words could never fully express.