It was our very first dungeon run together.
"So this is the 'Den of the Black Wolf'..."
At the entrance stood a mossy stone monument, its surface carved with ancient letters I couldn't read. Damp earth hung heavy in the air, and the cool draft curling out of the cave clung to our skin like icy fingers. From the depths, the sound of wind echoed, low and growling, almost like a beast breathing. They said this was a C-rank dungeon, home to Black Wolves and kobolds, but standing here at the mouth of it, it felt far more dangerous.
Someone sucked in a breath, the grip on their weapon tightening. It wasn't just me—everyone felt the weight of stepping into the unknown for the first time.
"Ready?" Elsa's voice cut steady as steel as she drew her blade and swept her eyes over us. Determination burned there.
"Of course!" Lilis grinned wide, spinning a dagger between nimble fingers.
We stepped forward together, careful, alert for ambush.
And then, from the darkness, golden eyes flashed. A shadow burst forward with a vicious snarl, fangs bared, claws slicing through the air. For a heartbeat the world froze.
"Black Wolf! Vanguard, take point!"
"Leave it to me!" Elsa moved before the words finished. The wolf's claws raked her shield with a screech, but she didn't flinch. She braced and turned the strike aside with practiced precision, her stance unshaken.
The wolf leapt back, circling for another strike.
"Cain, support!"
"Already." She had finished her chant—lightning cracked down, blinding bright, slamming into the wolf's paws. Its movement stuttered.
"Lilis, now!"
"On it!" She vanished into the wolf's blind spot and the flash of her dagger cut swift across its throat. The beast let out a low, strangled growl before collapsing into the dirt.
"One down. Next."
The next wolves came in waves, shadows darting at us from the stone hall. Yet we cut them down, every move connecting like gears in a clock. For a first battle, our timing felt unreal.
(This is insane... fighting like this is actually easy...)
The phrase "compatibility 100%" wasn't just a shiny number on a screen. I was feeling it in every clash.
We pushed deeper into the dungeon, the air colder, heavier, a damp silence pressing at our ears. The only sound was the drip of water and our footsteps sinking into the dark. Lilis slipped ahead, her slim form melting into the shadows against the wall as she searched for traps. Elsa pulled aggro at the front, her shield catching every strike. Cain's spells lanced through enemies at the perfect angle, and Cecilia's healing light washed over us whenever a scratch broke skin. I stayed back, eyes darting, watching the flow and filling gaps with support magic or quick calls. It was... smooth. Too smooth.
"Our fighting style is actually balanced," I said between breaths.
"Right? Everyone moves so clean, it feels like fun more than work!" Lilis chirped, darting from behind a boulder.
"If you've got energy to enjoy yourself, maybe try fighting properly," Cain shot back, her tone cool as always.
"Ugh, Cain, you're hopeless. You never read the mood! We're finally vibing, and you're just... ice cold!"
"Efficiency comes first. Fun doesn't matter." Cain's reply was blunt, slicing through Lilis's pout like a knife.
Lilis puffed her cheeks, golden eyes gleaming. "Elsa! Say something!"
"I..." Elsa started, but then her gaze shifted toward Cain, her face hardening. "No. Cain is right. Fighting is about survival. It's not a game."
"Eh? You too, Elsa?!" Lilis's shoulders slumped like the weight of the cave had fallen on her.
Cain's eyes softened by a fraction. "I'm glad someone understands."
"Don't get the wrong idea," Elsa snapped quickly. "I'm not backing you up completely. But we're a new party. Now is the time to build our foundation."
"Exactly. Unnecessary moves should be cut."
"They're not unnecessary!" I jumped in before Lilis could. "Her movement distracts enemies, it scouts, it gives us openings. It's vital."
Cain fell silent for a beat, lips tightening. "...I don't deny that. But there's a more rational way to do it."
"Cain, you're such a stubborn blockhead!" Lilis huffed, but there was a playful spark behind her words.
Cecilia's soft laugh drifted in, her voice wrapping us like a warm blanket. "Now, now, sharing opinions like this is a good thing~desuwa. Bit by bit, we'll find the most effective way to fight."
"...Yeah." I let out a breath.
We pressed forward again. Each fight after that, we sharpened the timing—Elsa's shield at the front, Cain's magic synced to her blocks, Lilis's ambush carving through weak points, and Cecilia's spells keeping us fresh. No serious injuries, no wasted effort. Every step, we grew closer to something solid.
"See? Learning each other through real battle is the only way," I said.
Elsa nodded. "There's still room to improve, but it isn't bad."
"Well, I was perfect from the start anyway!" Lilis beamed, hands on her hips.
I snorted. "Coming from you, that just sounds like a joke."
"So mean," she said, shrugging like she hadn't been insulted at all.
We kept laughing, but in that light mood, I noticed something. Elsa's eyes flicked toward Cain, sharp as a blade. Cain didn't so much as twitch, letting it pass with her usual cool mask, but the tension coiled under the surface. It wasn't nothing. The spark was there, waiting.
And while the chill of the dungeon pressed tighter around us, the faint scrape of steps echoed from deeper ahead, whispering that something worse was waiting.
I didn't realize then—Elsa and Cain's friction wasn't going to fade. It was going to explode into something much larger.