The eye's

"So, you know how to fight?" Kai asks, holding a half-eaten piece of meat in his hand, looking at Arthur.

"Yes! I know. I use my web to trap my enemy's movements and then kill them using these sharp, spiky hands," Arthur replies confidently, explaining how he fights.

"Remember what I told you before? The reason you're learning magic so fast compared to others is that you have a lot more mana than they do. Since you have such a large amount of mana inside you, magic triggers more easily. But that magic also consumes a larger amount of mana compared to others who use the same magic with less mana. So, try to learn more," Kai says, repeating what he had explained earlier when Arthur asked why he was learning magic so quickly.

"Oh... okay," Arthur replies, looking at Kai and recalling his words.

"I'll focus more on learning magic so I can consume less mana," Arthur repeats.

"Okay, then. Go and bring some food for us," Kai says, focusing on the meat he is eating.

"What? You're coming with me, right?" Arthur replies in a shocked voice.

"Nah, I need to finish my food first," Kai responds.

"Well, then we can go after you finish eating," Arthur suggests.

"Don't worry. It's important you do this alone because if you can't, that means I'm just babysitting you, and I don't want to do that. So stop wasting my time and go," Kai replies, gazing at Arthur, one hand holding the stick with the meat and the other chewing on it.

Arthur understood what Kai was trying to say. Seeing Kai's intense gaze, Arthur's heartbeat rose a little. He suddenly remembered what his spirit ally had told him.

'Is this a test?' Arthur wondered, realizing Kai was serious and might be testing him.

After a bit of thinking, Arthur turned around and started walking toward the edge of the ground. Standing on the edge, Arthur looked down at the dungeon floor, scanning all directions.

On the floor, he noticed that this time there were different creatures hanging around. Some were hiding behind rocks, others were fighting, and a few were just observing like lions waiting for the right moment—or like hyenas patiently waiting to feast on the remains.

'Haa... there are so many this time. Why now?' he thought, feeling the timing was bad.

'I just need to prove myself. That means I only need to hunt one creature, anyway I can,' Arthur thought, formulating a plan as he observed the creatures below.

Walking around the edge, Arthur saw seven creatures on the floor. They were all the size of dogs, cats, or mice. None were bigger than a dog.

'It's good the snake isn't here. And that wolf... is it even a wolf? Well, it's good neither of them is here,' Arthur thought, circling around the edge.

Suddenly, his eyes caught something. Shocked, Arthur stopped circling. He slowly looked back toward a dark corner of the dungeon. On a small rock, the size of an average human arm, two large, round eyes were gazing at him. The rest of the creature's body was hidden in the dark, only partially visible in the dim light.

Feeling the intense gaze from the dark, Arthur froze. His heartbeat quickened, his eyes widened, and sweat dripped from his face.

"Kai... there's someone looking at me in the dark," Arthur says, fear evident in his voice as he keeps staring at the eyes.

Kai immediately sensed the fear in Arthur's tone.

Hearing this, Kai quickly leapt into the air toward where Arthur was looking. As he scanned the floor, he spotted the same eyes gazing at Arthur. Then, the eyes shifted to look at Kai mid-air.

'Why can't I sense him?' Kai thought, his face growing serious with worry.

"Prepare yourself for a fight!" Kai yells, aiming at the eyes.

Hearing Kai's voice, Arthur understood they were in danger. He turned toward the eyes and raised his arms defensively.

**BOOM!**

A massive explosion occurred where the eyes had been, scattering broken stones and dust that blocked the vision of the area. Suddenly, out of the dust, a small creature about the size of an average arm—green and goblin-like—was thrown out onto the ground.

"What...?" Arthur reacts with shock and fear as he sees the creature emerge.

Realizing what had caused the explosion, Arthur frantically looked around for Kai, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry. It's just a small goblin," Kai's voice rings out.

Arthur quickly turned to his left, where the goblin had been thrown. There, he spotted Kai standing beside him.

"Ahhhh!" Arthur yells, startled to see Kai appear out of nowhere.

"Why are you yelling?" Kai asks in a calm tone.

Arthur, still shocked, quickly replies, "Nothing! I mean... the goblin! You said it's because of him!" trying to hide the real reason for his yell.

"He's unconscious. Wrap him in your web, pull him up here, and tie him up... and make sure to gag him so he can't speak," Kai instructs.

"Huh... me?" Arthur asks, worried.

"Yes. Better than going hunting alone, right?" Kai replies.

"Yes..." Arthur says after a brief pause.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur focused on the small goblin lying unconscious.

'It's not really a battle. Just grabbing and pulling an unconscious goblin compared to hunting alone,' Arthur thought, trying to reassure himself.

Standing on the edge, Arthur raised his arm toward the goblin's body, took aim, and...

"Shoot!"