Back in the same good old dungeon, Martin’s party headed straight to the Buried Hidden Mine and wreaked havoc.

Out of everyone, NukEncore wore the widest smile. Martin had carried her like a princess, handled the cart mechanic perfectly with his shield, and made sure everyone could safely draw aggro from every monster in the hidden dungeon.

"I love our party!" NukEncore shouted with such excitement that even the goblins momentarily saw her as an elf, only to harrumph and call her a witch instead.

Chaosgraphy chortled. "A witch suits you well. Get some pimples and a pot."

NukEncore burst out laughing. "I’ll turn your chicken wings crispy."

"Haha!" Martin laughed aloud.

Everyone else laughed with him, handing Chaosgraphy one of her rare quiet losses. She showed nothing on her face and simply charged deeper into the armored goblins.

Of course, the party was back to grinding. This run was focused solely on leveling up, so the Goblin Boss was frankly ignored. He didn’t like that and stormed out of his throne hall, only to be humbled even worse than he could have ever imagined.

That said, the one having the most fun during this run was Crimson Halo.

Thanks to Kinnami, her wolf spirit, she was breezing through the dungeon like a newlywed running across a sunny grassland beside her husband. None of the monsters could touch her as she doubled her movement speed bonuses through Kinnami.

Crimson Halo moved with light, careful steps that barely looked like battle movement anymore. Whenever an armored goblin turned toward her, she slipped past its reach before the swing could fully descend, letting the edge of its weapon cut through the empty space she had left behind. Kinnami circled her ankles like a ribbon of moonlit fur, and each time the wolf spirit brushed against her, Crimson Halo’s next step became even smoother.

She had practiced this kind of positioning for a long time. She knew when to retreat, when to cross behind Martin’s shield, and when to use a monster’s own body to block another monster’s path. Kinnami did not replace that effort. She made it bloom.

Kill Clause glanced toward Crimson Halo between shots. "Your movement improved."

Crimson Halo smiled without stopping her run. "I practiced."

Chaosgraphy’s lips curved. "How frightening. Our healer learned how to dance around danger."

NukEncore pointed her staff toward another goblin and grinned. "A graceful healer with a wolf escort. Approved!"

Kinnami was less like a simple summon and more like Crimson Halo’s second half. She could use Crimson Halo’s skills and item-based abilities, which essentially gave the party a second healer. Their skills even stacked because they came from the same source. Now, Crimson Halo was casting support skills on everyone, making herself and her allies faster while layering her bonuses over them.

Lifesteal, damage boosts, crowd-control resistance, and healing all flowed from Crimson Halo’s side of the battlefield.

The best part was that Kinnami didn’t seem limited by distance either. She could swirl around Martin and bless him with buffs while Crimson Halo safely remained in the backline and did her job from afar. There was also a strange connection between Martin and Kinnami.

Kinnami did not support Martin the way a normal summon would. She brushed against his leg whenever he stepped forward, slipped beneath his shield arm when he raised it, and sprang around his sword as though she were chasing the afterimage of every slash. Sometimes, when Martin drove the Black Wolf Fangblade through an armored goblin, Kinnami’s ears perked up as if the sword itself had called to her.

Then she would let out a soft, pleased sound and circle him again, leaving a faint trail of support light around his boots.

Crimson Halo watched that small display from the backline, and her smile softened before she could stop it.

It reminded her of her dogs in real life. They also had their own strange way of judging people. Some guests received barking, suspicion, and endless circling. Others only needed to crouch once before tails started wagging and furry bodies pressed against their legs as if the decision had already been made.

Kinnami was not exactly a dog, and Crimson Halo knew that better than anyone. Still, watching the wolf spirit brush against Martin between attacks gave her the same feeling. Kinnami had chosen to trust him naturally.

For some reason, Crimson Halo found herself liking that sight more than she expected.

She opened her tome, sent another layer of support toward him, and quietly decided that Kinnami had good taste.

That connection became even more obvious whenever he fought with his sword, Black Wolf Fangblade.

The sword turned Martin into a damage beast. He lowered his shield more often and focused on attacking while wielding it, tearing through armored goblins like a duelist. It looked offensive, sharp, and more than anything, matched Kinnami’s origins.

That had to be the only reason she liked Martin almost as much as she liked Crimson Halo.

Martin didn’t focus on blocking much because he had leveled far beyond those goblins. There was no need to defend against every hit, especially with Kinnami sticking close to him.

BANG!

The goblin fell.

Martin’s level rose.

[You have leveled up to Level 11.]

Just then, another wave of monsters rushed at him. Martin clenched his blade and went into a spin, a move he had practiced enough by now to turn into wide-area damage. Whenever he spun, he left behind an aqua arc that splashed against enemies on contact and dealt additional water magic damage.

Each slash carried extra water damage.

Then one of the goblins rushed at him from behind, trying to avoid the spin.

Martin grinned when he noticed the monsters adapting. He took a strong step forward and slammed his shield into the monster’s face. A powerful splash burst from the Shield Bash, dealing more damage and even blinding the opponent.

That was naturally the Tide Shepherd Blessing.

Martin’s attacks and skills could draw on some of his mana to deal additional water damage. In other words, he could summon water like Poseidon. Underwater, the effect would become even stronger.

"Keep coming!" he shouted with wild excitement.

Unfortunately, the real world answered first.

On that very same day, his excitement evaporated.

His two-week paid vacation had ended.