He stood in what remained of the King Slime, chest rising and falling as he caught his breath, the broken hilt of his sword still tight in his hand. Blue gel slid from his hair and shoulders, already thinning into faint wisps of mana as it vanished.

[LEVEL UP]

[LEVEL: 1] → [LEVEL: 2]

[+1 ALL STATS]

[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 3]

The golden text pulsed at the edge of his vision, steady and unhurried. Damon let out a slow breath, feeling some of the tension leave his body, then opened his status screen.

[SYSTEM STATUS – RESONATOR: DAMON PERSIVAL]

[CLASS: SOVEREIGN]

[LEVEL: 2]

[STR: 18]

[AGI: 20]

[VIT: 17]

[MAG: 21]

[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 3]

[TRIBUTE: 46]

Forty-six tribute. More than enough for Lesser Summon, with plenty left over. Enough to upgrade Sovereign’s Strike several times, too. He would need to think carefully about where to spend it.

Just not now.

He dismissed the screen and looked back toward the first-years. The support-class girl was kneeling beside the injured student, her hands lit with the soft green glow of a basic healing skill. The two boys stood close by, pale-faced and tense, their weapons still clutched tightly in their hands.

"How are they?" Damon asked.

The girl looked up, one of her braids slipping over her shoulder.

"Stable. The acid didn’t hit anything vital, but their skin is... bad. I’ve done what I can, but they need to get to the infirmary."

"Can you three get them back to the portal?"

"I—" She hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Yes. We can manage."

"Good. Then go."

"Wait." One of the boys lifted a hand, uncertain. "Before we do... can I ask something?"

Damon paused. "What?"

"Aren’t you... Damon Persival?"

The name seemed to settle in the air between them. The three first-years exchanged glances, recognition dawning all at once.

Damon was silent for a moment before answering. "I am."

"But I thought your system was—" The boy stopped himself and swallowed the rest.

"It was," Damon said, turning away. "It isn’t anymore. And if you’re heading back to the academy, leave me your sword and armor. I’ll make better use of them than you will."

The boy blinked, then hurried to unfasten the scabbard at his hip. "I—yeah. Of course. Here."

He passed over a standard-issue longsword, almost the same as the one Damon had just broken, though in much better condition. The leather chestpiece came next, still carrying the warmth of the boy’s body.

"Thanks." Damon pulled it on and adjusted the straps until it sat properly across his frame. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it was whole, which was more than he could say for the one he’d been wearing before.

"What do we tell the academy?" the girl asked as she helped the injured student to their feet. "About... you?"

Damon gave the question a moment’s thought. The truth would spread either way. These three would talk. The injured student would talk. By nightfall, half the academy would have heard that Damon Persival had brought down a D-Rank boss alone.

"Tell them the truth," he said at last. "A King Slime nearly killed four first-years. Someone stopped it. That’s all they need to know."

"Someone," the girl repeated, a tired but genuine smile touching her face. "Right."

She let it rest there. The three of them gathered the injured student between them and began making their way back toward the portal, their footsteps gradually fading into the darkness of the tunnel.

Damon watched until they were gone, then turned toward the western passage. The goblin nest lay that way. By now, his team would already be deep in their own fight.

He had spent enough time dealing with slimes.

"For now..."

[AGI: 20] → [AGI: 23]

After that, he opened the Skill Tree.

[SOVEREIGN’S STRIKE: 5 TRIBUTE] — Increases damage scaling by 50%.

[SOVEREIGN’S LEADERSHIP: 100 TRIBUTE] — Allows two skills gained from each subordinate instead of one.

Damon didn’t have to think long. Five tribute for a fifty-percent increase was almost nothing, especially after the thirty he’d just earned. He selected the upgrade.

[PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL]

[TRIBUTE: 46 → 41]

The screen flickered, and a new option appeared in its place.

[SOVEREIGN’S STRIKE: 25 TRIBUTE] — Increases damage scaling by 100%.

[SOVEREIGN’S LEADERSHIP: 100 TRIBUTE] — Allows two skills gained from each subordinate instead of one.

"Oh...?"

Damon’s expression shifted into something caught between a grin and a grimace. The cost had jumped from five to twenty-five in an instant. Still, doubling the damage of his skill was hard to ignore. If his first strike had been enough to crack Matthew’s Shell, what could twice that power do?

He bought it.

[PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL]

[TRIBUTE: 41 → 16]

[SOVEREIGN’S STRIKE: 125 TRIBUTE] — Increases damage scaling by 150%.

[SOVEREIGN’S LEADERSHIP: 100 TRIBUTE] — Allows two skills gained from each subordinate instead of one.

Damon stared at the number.

"One hundred and twenty-five...!?"

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh. The cost had multiplied again. Five, then twenty-five, then one hundred and twenty-five. At this rate, the next upgrade would cost him over six hundred tribute.

"Guess that’s one way to prevent me from just investing in one skill only," he muttered.

Only sixteen tribute remained. Not enough for a Lesser Summon, though he was getting close. A few more kills and he’d have enough to call something forth. The thought stayed with him as he adjusted the borrowed sword at his hip and turned toward the western tunnel.

Time to rejoin the team.

*** 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The western tunnel wound deeper into the cave system, and the farther Damon went, the thinner the bioluminescent moss became. The air, too, changed, growing warmer and drier with every step.

The faint mineral scent of underground springs slowly gave way to something rougher. Dirt, sweat, and the lingering copper tang of blood.

He heard the fighting before the chamber came into view.

Steel rang against crude iron. Kara’s gauntlets cracked as they flared to life. Beneath it all came the deep, heavy boom of Ren’s tower shield taking blows that would have crushed anyone else.

Damon rounded the last bend and found the goblin nest.

The chamber opened wide beneath a low, uneven ceiling, cluttered with crude wooden structures, half-finished barricades, ragged tents, and scattered heaps of loot scavenged from previous student parties.

A dozen small green figures darted through the gloom, yellow eyes flashing in the dim light.

And at the center of it, his team was still holding the line.

Ren stood in front with his tower shield braced like a wall, goblin arrows and jagged spears glancing harmlessly off its face. Kara moved along his flank, her gauntlets leaving bright arcs of orange fire as she drove through one goblin after another, each hit punctuated by a sharp, explosive burst.

At the rear, Harris worked with hurried focus, hands lit by a faint green glow as he cycled through potions, treating shallow cuts with salves and forcing stamina draughts into the others to keep them going.

They were holding, but only just.

There were too many goblins. For every one Kara put down, two more seemed to scramble out from the warrens carved into the chamber walls.

"Ren, left flank!" Kara shouted.

Ren turned and slammed his shield down just in time to catch a goblin charging with a rusted axe almost as big as it was. The impact rang through the chamber like a struck bell.

"I see it!"

"Harris, how are we on potions?"

"Running low!" Harris called, strain tightening his voice. "Two stamina draughts left, maybe one more healing salve. We can’t keep this up!"

Kara swore under her breath. "Where the hell did all these come from? This was supposed to be a standard clear."

Damon stepped into the chamber.

"Need a hand?"

Kara’s head snapped toward him, surprise flashing across her face before her grin returned. "Persival! Took you long enough. What happened to your gear?"

"Long story." He drew the borrowed longsword. "Where do you want me?"

"Right flank. Take some pressure off Ren. Watch the archers in the back, they’re using poison tips."

"Got it."