After a brief moment, the sensation of weightlessness faded, and Dante's vision gradually returned to normal.
'Hmm?' Dante was initially taken aback, but quickly grasped the situation.
"It's you?" Dex inquired, and the others also turned their attention to Dante, puzzled as to why he was the one emerging.
Dex's mind raced with countless thoughts, further confounding him.
'Is he alone?' he wondered. Observing the amount of blood staining Dante's clothes, particularly his mask, drenched in crimson, he surmised that they must have misunderstood everything from the outset.
With a thud, the stone slab closed, then disintegrated into ashes.
A heavy silence descended. Dex and his teammates exchanged meaningful glances. After a moment, Dex fixed a hostile gaze on Dante.
"It seems you've acquired something," Dex remarked with a smirk. Dante was the sole figure to emerge from the stone slab.
"I'm not sure how you managed to navigate those traps or what transpired within that slab, but your luck has just run out," Dex declared, steadily advancing. His teammates moved in sync with him.
'Luckily, the other group isn't present. This should be a breeze,' Dex thought with excitement. He was convinced that dealing with Dante would be a straightforward task, especially considering Dante's current state.
Taking in his surroundings, Dante sensed the peculiar atmosphere in the air and couldn't help but smile behind his mask.
Suddenly, a surge of energy coursed through his entire body, so subtle it was imperceptible even to Dante. He felt a warm sensation enveloping him, and a noticeable surge in strength. This phenomenon occurred after he allocated his three unused stat points to Agility.
"Give it to us," Dex demanded firmly, convinced that Dante held the treasure.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dante retorted icily.
"The treasure! You saw the fireflies, didn't you?" Dex exclaimed, growing increasingly frustrated.
Dante merely shrugged.
"Then we'll take it by force!" Dex shouted, and they closed in around Dante. Lance, observing the scene, chose not to intervene, but he kept a vigilant eye on the squad's movement. A peculiar glint flickered in his gaze as he clutched a dagger tightly.
Dante felt no fear; he simply stood, awaiting their next move.
All at once, Dante noticed them shrinking before his eyes. Tilting his head downward, he realized he was floating. His gaze immediately pinpointed the source: a girl with shoulder-length hair, her right hand directed at him, wearing a smirk.
In a swift motion, Dex lunged towards Dante!
His hands emitted a blue glow, and his body exuded a mist of the same shade. With a resounding slap, a shockwave rippled out, sending Dante hurtling backward!
Bang!
Dante collided forcefully with the wall, a plume of smoke obscuring their vision.
'I never expected to see you again. Hehe, and now, to think you've fallen into my grasp...' Dex mused. Given the force he exerted, he was certain Dante was either dead or severely injured. He underestimated Dante, partly due to his confidence in his own abilities, and partly due to his tendency to look down on others.
"Nice shot!" Gijah cheered, while Dex wore a triumphant smile.
As they began to anticipate claiming the treasure, the smoke abruptly swirled, a firm step echoing through the chamber, prompting their heads to swivel.
"Is that the best you can do?" Dante challenged, calmly emerging from the dissipating smoke as if nothing had transpired. He'd crossed his arms in front of his chest just before impact, feeling only a faint numbing sensation in his hands.
Even though he had allocated three stat points to Agility, his other attributes had also seen improvement, including his defense. With each increase in his stats, his entire physique underwent a transformative evolution.
The damage Dante had received from Dex was nothing compared to what the statue, the soldier devil, had dished out.
Dex and his teammates, frustrated yet oddly amused, burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You've likely sustained a serious injury and you're still putting on a brave face?" Dex chortled, joined by Mailey and the others.
'What's so amusing?' Lance wondered.
"It's four against one! What can you do?" Mailey declared, gradually raising her hand. Despite their ignorance about Dante's Skill, they remained confident.
Dante felt himself levitating again, but this time he was prepared. Activating his Skill, Concentration, a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, exploring potential strategies for his current predicament. A white light materialized in his hands, coalescing into a bow and arrow. Dante took aim at Mailey.
Whoosh!
With a swift sound, an arrow shot through the air at astonishing speed!
They watched in surprise.
"He can summon weapons!" Dex exclaimed, though he wisely didn't place himself in the arrow's path.
Their reaction came too late, the arrow already well on its way towards Mailey. Even if they activated their Skill, they'd be too far apart to intervene in time.
Thud!
Dante touched down, his gaze unwavering on Mailey. An arrow hovered in front of her, her forehead glistening with sweat. The moment Mailey intercepted the arrow, the mysterious force enveloping Dante dissipated. This instantly validated his suspicion on how to counter Mailey's Skill.
Mailey's Skill was limited to a single object, and Dante's use of Concentration had made it glaringly obvious to him.
"Sam! Protect Mailey!" Dex urgently directed their final member, Sam.
They were well aware of Mailey's vulnerability, and it was their own oversight that had exposed her. Sam possessed a Skill for enhancing his body, rendering him an ideal shield for Mailey.
Sam activated his Skill, a discernible haze enveloping him.
"That won't happen again!" Mailey declared, raising her hand once more, but Dante had vanished from his spot.
Bang!
An impact resounded from the side. Dex's hands, radiating a blue aura, intercepted a fist. Feeling the force behind it, he was taken aback.
"Oh? You've got some skill. But that ends now!" Dex raised his other hand and aimed a punch at Dante, who had materialized in front of him.
Whoosh!
A powerful gust surged between them.
Dante parried the strike!
"What the-" Dex began, but before he could complete his thought, a searing pain shot through his abdomen.
BANG!
Dex collided with the cave wall, coughing up blood as rock fragments tumbled around him.
"DEX!" Mailey, Gijah, and Sam all cried out simultaneously.
Gijah attempted to charge forward, but Dante intercepted him with a formidable presence.
"Where do you think you're going?" Dante's voice, muffled by the mask stained with dried blood, sent shivers down Gijah's spine. Despite the unease, he summoned his Skill and launched an attack against Dante!
Bang!
However, instead of Dante, it was Gijah who was sent airborne, tumbling several times before finally coming to a stop.
Dante marveled at the incredible power he now possessed thanks to his enhanced stats. Just three level-ups had resulted in a profound transformation of his physique. Every fiber, every muscle, and bone had been fortified to the extent that he could confront the soldier devil without sustaining significant injury, if they fight again.
'Leveling up is good.' Dante thought while looking at the amount of experience points needed to level up.
BOOM!
Shockwaves reverberated from the spot where Dex had collapsed, sending debris scattering in all directions.
Dex emerged, surrounded by a potent haze. The radiance emanating from his hands was so intense it illuminated the otherwise dark cave.
"How dare you! I won't spare you even if you hand over the treasure willingly!" Dex bellowed. With a powerful push from his legs, he charged towards Dante, closing the distance in a matter of seconds.
Seeing the formidable force behind Dex, Lance inhaled deeply. He tightened his grip on his dagger, silently hoping for Dante to perform a miracle. He didn't know Dante personally, and like the others, he had assumed venturing into a dungeon alone was a perilous endeavor, one that would likely end with Dante becoming monster fodder. Yet, witnessing how Dante had bested both Dex and Gijah, he felt a glimmer of hope.
"I need a chance to settle the score," Lance resolved to himself. The memories of their mistreatment echoed in his mind; he clenched his teeth and closely watched the unfolding battle. They had treated him as less than human, not as a teammate, and this thought fueled his anger.
As Dante's Skill entered its cooldown phase and the peculiar force lifted him from the ground, Dante drew his bow and notched an arrow, taking aim at Mailey. However, Sam now stood in front of her, shielding her from Dante's attack.
'Interesting,' Dante thought. There was no trace of nervousness, only a surge of excitement.
"It's over for you!" Mailey declared inwardly. Her gaze fixed on Dex, whose form was enveloped in a deep blue haze. The pressure emanating from him grew increasingly intense.
"So that's the power nearing a third star?" Gijah pondered, observing Dex. Dex hadn't yet undergone his second mana reconstruction, but he was on the verge of it. Gijah wiped the blood from his mouth and reactivated his Skill. They would no longer underestimate Dante.