Reborn in Tenria: Level Up!

The room trembled as the Shadows of Tenria merged into the darkness, leaving behind the grotesque, twisted figures emerging from the voids. The air grew colder, and a low whisper filled the cavern, as if the dungeon itself was alive.

Isagi tightened his grip on his short sword, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. "This is bad," he muttered, stepping back toward the others.

Lyle clenched his jaw, scanning their surroundings. "We need to move now."

But before they could react, one of the distorted figures lunged at Asha.

She barely had time to react before shadowy tendrils wrapped around her wrist. "What the?!" she gasped, struggling against the creeping darkness.

Isagi instinctively dashed forward, slashing at the tendrils with a swift arc of his sword. The blade sliced through, causing the dark limbs to dissipate into smoke. Asha staggered back, her breathing uneven.

"Thanks," she said, shaking off the lingering shadow. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Isagi replied, his eyes locked on the horrors crawling from the abyss.

Fenwick raised his staff, chanting under his breath as golden runic symbols spun around him. "Brace yourselves!" he warned, slamming the bottom of his staff against the ground.

A wave of light magic erupted from him, illuminating the cavern and pushing the shadowy creatures back. They hissed and writhed, retreating slightly into the darkness.

But the relief was short-lived. The leader of the Shadows of Tenria chuckled from the sidelines, watching with an amused smirk. "You still don't get it, do you?" he said. "You can fight us, you can resist, but in the end"

The shadows surged forward again, faster, more aggressive than before.

Isagi gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling inside him. These things weren't just enemies they were an endless wave. No matter how many they cut down, more kept coming.

"We're getting nowhere!" Asha shouted, flipping backward as another shadowy tendril lashed at her.

Lyle's expression darkened. "Fenwick, do you have anything stronger?"

Fenwick hesitated. "I do, but it takes time."

"We don't have time," Lyle growled.

Isagi's mind raced. Think, think, think!

Then it hit him.

"The dungeon," he said. "What if… what if we're not supposed to fight?"

Lyle shot him a sharp look. "What are you talking about?"

Isagi pointed to the way the shadows moved, the way they reacted to light. "What if this is part of the dungeon's mechanics? Fighting won't get us anywhere because this isn't a normal battle. It's a test."

A brief silence.

Then, Asha's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you mean—?"

"Yes!" Isagi turned to Fenwick. "We don't need to wipe them out. We need to disrupt the shadows themselves. A big enough light source something that can cleanse the darkness."

Fenwick's grip on his staff tightened. "I have one spell that might work."

"Do it," Lyle ordered.

Fenwick nodded, stepping forward. He lifted his staff high, his voice ringing with power as he began the incantation.

The symbols around him spun faster, glowing brighter. The creatures screeched, sensing the impending danger.

The Shadows of Tenria leader narrowed his eyes. "Oh no, you don't."

He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, several masked warriors emerged from the shadows, each wielding weapons coated in black flames.

"They have reinforcements?!" Asha exclaimed.

Isagi cursed under his breath. "We have to protect Fenwick until he finishes the spell!"

The battle reignited.

Lyle and Asha charged forward, intercepting the new enemies with relentless strikes. Isagi moved swiftly, covering Fenwick's flank, his sword flashing as he parried a dagger-wielding shadow warrior.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Then.

"Divine Radiance!" Fenwick roared.

A blinding pillar of golden light exploded from his staff, flooding the cavern with pure energy.

The shadows let out an unearthly scream, writhing and dissolving into nothingness. The masked warriors staggered, their forms glitching like broken NPCs. Even the Shadows of Tenria leader took a step back, shielding his eyes.

When the light faded, the cavern was silent. The darkness had retreated. The enemy forces had vanished.

For a moment, they all stood there, breathing hard.

"…Did we do it?" Asha asked, still gripping her daggers.

Lyle scanned the area before lowering his sword. "For now."

Isagi exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That was way too close."

But just as they thought it was over, the leader of the Shadows of Tenria let out a slow, mocking clap.

"Well done," he said, his smirk returning. "You've passed the first trial."

Isagi froze. "First trial?"

The leader's eyes gleamed. "Oh, you didn't think this was over, did you?"

Before anyone could react, the cavern shifted again this time, the floor splitting open beneath them.

A new abyss yawned wide, and before they could even scream

they fell.