As we entered the 6th floor, it was noticeably larger than the 5th. But something felt... different. A thin haze hung in the air, almost like fog—subtle, but definitely there. No one seemed to notice—except Ragna.
"Hey guys... isn't this fog?" he asked, squinting ahead.
"Yeah, but I doubt it'll do anything," Cinister replied casually.
"Plus, I'm a commander. I'll keep this team together," Micheal added with confidence.
"If you say so," Ragna muttered, clearly unconvinced.
On this floor, slimes slithered across the ground—translucent, slow-moving, but oddly resistant. Swords sliced through them with no effect. Slashes passed clean through like cutting water.
"So that's why we need a full party," Ragna muttered, stepping back.
Cinister raised his hand and cast a quick flame spell, incinerating one of the slimes with a sizzle. "Yeah. This is why the test ends on the 5th floor. After that, you're supposed to have people to cover your weaknesses."
Ragna turned, scanning the mist-filled floor. "Wait… where's our team?"
"Huh?" Cinister blinked, suddenly alert. The hallway behind them was empty—no footsteps, no voices. Just fog.
"Micheal! Alya!" Cinister shouted into the fog, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
"Hey—be quiet!" Ragna hissed.
Ragna turned and smacked the back of Cinister's head. "What was that for?!"
"The boss might hear us," Ragna warned, eyes darting nervously into the mist.
Cinister rubbed the spot, scowling. "Okay, fair… but still—if we don't find the others, it's over. Every 5th floor ramps up the difficulty. We might've coasted through the first five, but now it's getting serious."
The silence around them grew heavier, the fog seeming to thicken with every passing second.
On the other side "Cinister, Ragna where did yall go" shouted Micheal
"Keep screaming like that and we will never find them" said George
"Also aren't you the commander shouldn't you have an ability to keep the team together" said George
"Yeah but we haven't formed a pact so I can't just summon them" said Micheal
"You're as useless as ever" Geogre said
Micheal punches his head "Watch out what you say".
"This fog is so annoying," Alya groaned, pouting slightly as she waved a hand in front of her face.
"Shut up," Brayden muttered, not even turning to look at her.
"You're so mean! Why couldn't I be with Cinister or Micheal instead?" she snapped.
"It's not my fault you're stuck with me," Brayden shot back, just as irritated.
Then—a sound.
A low, rumbling growl echoed through the fog, cutting their bickering short. At the exact same moment, every group of 2 froze as something massive stirred near them.
[Mini Boss: Right headed lizard, head of intelligence]
[Mini Boss: Middle headed lizard, head of violence]
[Mini Boss: Left headed lizard, head of adaptability]
Cut to Cinister's group.
"Fire Ring" Cinister shouted. A blazing circle of flame ignited behind him, floating like a halo of raw energy.
Without hesitation, he launched himself into the air, landing on the head of the left-headed lizard.
"Fireball" he yelled mid-leap.
A fiery orb erupted from his palm, blasting the lizard's head in a brilliant explosion. Smoke and bits of seared flesh filled the air.
"There. That should do it," Cinister said as he landed, dusting himself off.
Ragna pointed, eyes wide. "Nope. Still alive."
Cinister looked back—and froze. The left head, half-charred just moments ago, was regenerating. Worse, its scales now shimmered with a faint red hue.
"Fine. Let me finish this. Fireball"
He launched another shot—dead center.
This time, the flame splashed off harmlessly, dissipating into smoke.
Cinister took a step back, stunned. "Did it just... adapt?"
The lizard's left head slowly turned to face him, its eyes now burning with the same fire it had just absorbed.
The lizard's left head hissed—then suddenly launched a fireball of its own.
After a lot of [Sun dances] on the lizard.
"Wait, what—?" Cinister barely managed to raise his arms before the projectile slammed into him, sending him flying backward.
He crashed into the stone wall with a heavy thud, smoke trailing from his clothes.
"This… might be tough," Cinister muttered, wincing as he stood.
Cut to Micheal's group.
George swiftly raised his shield, coating it in a sheen of shimmering blue energy—Aqualith, the water-forged defense art.
"You got a plan for beating this thing?" George asked, eyes locked on the towering lizard ahead.
Micheal shrugged. "Nope. Can you keep distracting it for now?"
George rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Why not. But you owe me a coffee after this."
"Fine, fine. Whatever you want," Micheal replied, adjusting his stance.
The middle-headed lizard, the embodiment of violence, let out a deafening roar and lunged toward Micheal. Its claws gleamed with bloodlust.
But George was faster.
With a shout, he intercepted the strike—his shield smashing into the lizard's limb, deflecting the blow and sending a ripple of Aqualith shockwaves outward.
"Stay sharp!" George called. "This one's all muscle and no patience!"
The lizard kept pounding relentlessly against George's shield, but the Aqualith energy wasn't just defending—it was flowing, wrapping around the creature's limbs like a liquid vice.
With each strike, the restraint grew tighter, pressure building until—
CRACK!
The lizard's arms snapped under the force. Sinew tore. Bones splintered. Its massive limbs were ripped clean off.
George staggered back, panting. "We… we did it!"
"You did it," Micheal replied casually. "I was just about to come up with some crazy plan, too."
"Stop lying," George shot back without missing a beat.
They shared a brief, almost-relieved chuckle—until a low growl returned to the air.
The lizard's body twitched.
They both turned as the creature stood up, steam rising from its shoulders. Its torn stumps began to bubble and stretch—muscle and bone weaving themselves back together at an alarming rate.
"...Sh*t," George muttered, taking a step back and raising his shield again.
Cut to Alya's team.
Brayden sprinted forward, sword in hand, charging straight at the lizard.
The creature wasn't waiting. It dashed backward, surprisingly fast for its size, launching fireballs in rapid succession. Brayden weaved between them, each explosion sending debris and heat into the air.
"Stop running and fight me, damn it!" he yelled.
Meanwhile, Alya activated her skill—Sneak.
Her form shimmered and vanished, the fog swallowing her entirely.
She slipped into position, crouched low just ahead of the lizard's path. Timing her strike perfectly, she waited—silent, unseen—as it barreled forward.
But then… the lizard stopped.
And jumped.
It soared clean over her.
Alya's blade slashed only air.
She reappeared, wide-eyed. "How does it know my exact location?!"
"Well, I don't know," Brayden shouted, narrowly dodging another fireball. "But if we keep this up, we're gonna run out of fumes real fast!"
As every teams were starting to run out of fumes the fog quickly got thicker and the lizard got a buff that appeared above their heads.
Then—
The fog thickened.
Suddenly, above each of the lizard's three heads, glowing symbols flickered to life:
[Damage: +3][Speed: +3][Health: +3]
With a roar, the lizard's heads surged forward—now moving at Mach 3, their strikes tearing through the air like sonic booms. One swing from the middle head's claw shredded a third of the floor, sending rubble flying like shrapnel.
As Cinister was getting up the Lizard goes up to him and swings hard.