A woman with long red hair stared at a digital screen.
Sigh-
"Looks like it went well after all..."
On that screen, a collapsing Monster could be seen.
"Well might be an overstatement..."
Bloody, the Monster had numerous wounds all over its body. Its white scales could barely be seen through the heaps of blood leaving its wounds.
"Well fought? Hm. Not really. But that's what you get when you're this thrilled about competing against an opponent. Happened too many times already..." Draconia whispered.
She gently placed her palms on the desk she was seated in front of.
"We placed you inside that Dungeon for one reason. To fight. We wanted you to fight. To think about fighting, and nothing else. So that you would strive for strength. Leaving you surrounded by nothing but enemies. Still, this is..."
Nia raised her hands slightly, put her left over her right, and lowered them on the desk once more.
"He's not just thinking about fighting. He likes it. He loves it. Which is great actually. Sort of what we wanted, but..."
She slowly lowered her chin, until it delicately rested on her crossed hands.
"This is too much. He loves fighting. He loves competing... Way too much. Could become a problem..."
Nia's eyes glanced over to the right side of her desk.
On that side, many books had been neatly arranged.
"This passion you developed might become a problem. And it's concerning. Sooo concerning...'
Over those books' spines, titles had been inscribed.
The ink hadn't fully dried out yet. It was clear that the words had only been written recently.
'Hand-to-hand Combat, The Basics...'
'Mana and Magic, An Elementary Guide...'
'Magic Circles, How and Why...'
'Swordsmanship, Techniques From Various Master Swordsmen...'
'Fighting Tactics And Startegy, An Introductory Essay...'
In a smaller font, and at the corner of every spine, were additional words.
Their placement was odd.
As if meant to be overlooked.
'To Mark, By Nia.'
She directed her gaze towards the digital screen once more.
"So concerning..."
A Monster, with an arm covered by red scales and another with crystals, had lowered its body towards the wounded white-scaled Monster.
Both were wounded, but the degree to which, vastly differed.
"Because I don't have a clue how to help with that..."
Nia thought for a bit.
She recalled the various fights the white-scaled Monster had gone through. Even those before the Monster had become white-scaled.
"Absolutely no clue..." Nia whispered.
Three of those fights stood out.
The Monster's fight against the Leviathan.
The fight gainst the Fire Spirit.
And the one against the Berserker.
Nia was surprised at how well she remembered those fights.
"Not a shred of rationality. Letting instincts... No, passion? Dictate your actions. Irrational. Illogical."
Nia's slit pupils stared.
"Dangerous."
The white-scaled Monster on the screen was raised from the ground and placed over the body of what looked like a gigantic red ant.
Draconia suddenly let out a chuckle.
"But it's pretty entertaining, I must admit..."
The next second, she, uncharacteristically, laughed out loud.
Nia raised her right hand, covering her mouth as she laughed. Even though there was none to overhear her laughter.
As a General, Nia's quarters were hers and hers alone.
Her slit pupils fell on the digital screen once again.
'Discipline? Is that what he lacks? Or...' She wondered.
Nia's left hand slid over the wooden desk and stole a blank page from the pile on the left side of that desk.
She stretched her arms for a bit before grabbing a pen.
Using Magic to inscribe words was something Nia was more than capable of. For some reason, she had decided to write manually instead.
"The Master assigned him to me..."
Her gaze fell on the digital screen once more.
"Which means that I am the most suited to help him grow."
Nia's eyes burned with dedication as she stared at the blank page.
'Plenty of lessons are to be learned from what he has just gone through. And if he doesn't get it by himself, I'll have to lecture him once he's out. I'll have to wait for Raven to bring him to me though...' She thought.
A slight sense of anxiety arose once Nia thought of Raven, but it was quickly shaken off.
"Fighting numerous strong enemies... Right after a tough battle. A tough battle that resembled a battle against a Boss Monster in a way. He must be painfully aware that this is how it'll be from now on. Can't limit your strength and toy with enemies, especially when the difference in power isn't a huge one..." She whispered to herself.
Nia brought a finger to her cheek.
'And that's putting aside the issue with his Titles. Mmh. That's what the final Trial is about anyways. No use thinking about it too much...'
Nia rose her gaze to the ceiling.
'How does it feel being the Boss Monster for once?'
A slight smile appeared on her face.
"I wonder what he would answer to that." Nia whispered.
The next second, an intruder entered the room.
"NIAAA!" Someone shouted from behind her.
Draconia immediately rose to her feet. She hurriedly turned to face the intruder.
The digital screen had disappeared as she turned around.
"First time you didn't sense me approaching. Anything on your mind? Could it be trouble?" The intruder said with a mischievous voice.
"Nothing of any concern to you." Nia answered coldly as she eyed the intruder.
Pale skin covered by a sturdy purple exoskeleton.
Long white hair that seemed more silk than hair.
Thin limbs.
Numerous thin limbs, as four sharp ones protruded from the intruder's back.
Four eyes stared at Draconia at once.
"I see you came in with your weapons, Arani. Hope you're not looking for trouble." Nia said as she leaned back until her lower back rested against the side of her desk.
Her layback attitude was betrayed by her burning eyes.
"Oh, these?" Arani rose her hands, revealing the deadly and thin rapier-like bones protruding from her elbows.
They seemed to be sharp bones that Humans lack, located between the Ulna and Humerus.
They could be extended and retracted.
Arani did the latter.
"Since you hadn't noticed me, I feared something might've happened." She added, as the deadly stingers slowly went back inside the purple exoskeleton they resided in.
"You think I'd need your help?" Nia asked with a calm voice. She lightly pushed herself off the desk.
"Oh my. You don't have to be so defensive about it. We're on the same side here." Arani answered cheerfully, albeit maliciously.
Her feet took silent and graceful steps closer.
Once she arrived at Nia's side, Arani spun around elegantly and leaned against the desk.
Draconia remained unmoving, impassive.
She stared at the door Arani had come in from.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ "No one gave you permission to enter."
"Oh, come on! We're both Generals. No need for formalities between us."
"I'm rather fond of formalities."
"You mean boundaries."
"What do you want?" Nia asked as she finally turned her head sideways, towards Arani.
"What were you looking at? Anything interesting?" The latter asked.
"None of your business. If that's all then-"
"Your Candidate, wasn't it?" Arani, having glimpsed at the digital screen before it had disappeared knew already. "How is he doing?"
"I don't see why I should answer." Nia said coldly.
"Huh? Why so defensive?"
"Go check on the Candidate you've been tasked to-"
"But that's just it, my dear Nia." Arani's four eyes widened. "We've been tasked to keep an eye on them. I don't see why you don't want to-"
Nia was the one to interrupt this time.
"I see no reason for it." She said, still holding Arani's gaze.
The latter chuckled brightly.
"Nia, Nia, Nia... Always so rational. So rational, logical, and cold."
"If you're done, then-"
"Then why don't you tell me, what's your reason? For not showing me? You must have one..."
Arani smiled, showcasing her sharp four sharp fangs, two on each side of her jaw.
"Right?"
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