Three Crescent

Podbe and the others were locked in a fierce melee against the advancing androids, who swarmed relentlessly like an unyielding tide. Every blow, every Golden Claw Slash, felled one of the robots, but for each one that fell, three more seemed to emerge from the shadows. The tension was palpable, yet the small canine fought with fierce determination, his golden claw gleaming under the dim light of the battlefield.

Suddenly, an alert flashed within Podbe's internal system. Reia, mentally linked to the pup's system, quickly read the message: "Congratulations, you have reached level 15. You have gained an additional skill point."

"Well, at least now we have two extra points, on top of leveling up," Podbe communicated through the mental link he shared with Aiden and Reia. His tone was calm, though there was a hint of excitement beneath it.

"Yeah, Podbe's doing well, but more are coming... Didn't your system tell you anything else?" asked Aiden, concern evident as he watched another wave of androids closing in rapidly.

Before Podbe could respond, the system chimed again. This time, Reia read the new message aloud with a slightly teasing tone: "You have been surrounded by a swarm of highly powerful robots. Survive for 5 minutes, and you will be awarded 5000 experience points to level up. If you manage to defeat them all, you will instantly gain two levels."

"Wow, this system can be pretty strange sometimes," Podbe remarked, shaking his head lightly as if trying to process all the incoming information. "Wait—two more levels? That would be incredible."

"That's awesome, Podbe. Two levels mean a huge boost for you," Aiden said enthusiastically, keeping a close eye on the pup. Suddenly, something caught his attention. "Hey, didn't you have two crescent marks on your forehead? Where did that third one on the left side come from?"

"One more..." murmured Reia, scanning the data available to her. "I don't have any info on that yet. It's strange... seems like some kind of unusual change or shift in his internal structure."

"Alright, we'll figure it out later, guys. More enemies are coming!" interrupted Podbe, turning toward the next group of approaching androids. However, before charging back into battle, Aiden stopped him.

"Wait! You still have two skill points to allocate! You need to use them, buddy!" the young man reminded him.

"Oh, right... Where should I put them? You always tell me what to do anyway," Podbe replied playfully, looking at Aiden expectantly.

"Maybe one in Vitality and the other in Intellect," Aiden suggested after a moment of thought.

"Alright, let's do it," Podbe agreed, directing his attention to Reia.

Reia quickly updated Podbe's abilities. His Vitality increased to 6 points, while his Intellect rose to 5 points. The results were immediate:

Vitality 6 plus Intellect 5: Podbe's Health Points (HP) surged to 400, as did his mana.

"Look, there's more. Some of your skills have also leveled up," Reia announced excitedly.

Podbe listened intently as she listed the changes:

Golden Claw Slash (Level 2): Now capable of cutting through tougher structures and can be used simultaneously with all claws on one paw. Cost: 50 mana.Recovery (Level 2): Can now restore both health and mana for another person, though only once per day.Ray Breath (Level 2): A more powerful beam launched from the snout. Cost: 50 mana.

"Wow, this is incredible. You're improving day by day, my little pup," Aiden said with a proud smile, gently patting Podbe's head. The small canine closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the gesture.

"It looks like we're ready to take on those androids," Reia added, her voice brimming with confidence. "Come on, Podbe, show them what you're made of!"

With a determined growl, Podbe charged into the swarm of robots, his golden claws gleaming brighter than ever before.

"Sometimes I wonder if all that time he spent talking to Podbe as if he were human has driven Aiden a little crazy," Billy remarked with a light laugh, watching as Podbe fought the androids with renewed ferocity.

"I don't think so," Maria replied, smiling amusedly. "Remember, he has a mental link with his dog… or at least that's what we've been told."

Elena also found humor in the comment and let out a small giggle. However, everyone was left in awe when they saw Podbe leap at the robots with a strength that surpassed all expectations. His snout elongated astonishingly, almost alien-like, and with a single Steel Bite, he destroyed three robots in an instant. Metallic shards flew in every direction, clanging like distorted bells. Take that, rusty cans—that's my upgraded Steel Bite, the canine thought to himself.

"That's amazing!" several of the onlookers exclaimed in unison, watching as the small pup tore through his enemies with enhanced abilities.

"He has three crescent marks now," Drake observed, leaning forward slightly to examine Podbe's forehead more closely. "But this last one is on the left side, pointing toward the right. He didn't have that before."

"Maybe there's something hidden behind it," Eduard added thoughtfully, studying the pup. "I wonder if another will appear on the right side."

"Hey, little guy! Leave some of those automatons for us, will you?!" Riota shouted, accompanied by Floud, who was already preparing his abilities to step in.

"I'll join you," Benjamin announced, transforming into a gigantic dog with a shark-fin-shaped tail. His size was impressive—five times larger than Podbe—but his energy was just as playful. Everyone seemed either excited or gaining confidence as they watched Podbe fight with such skill.

"Podbe, always jumping straight into the fray," Gat commented with a teasing grin while firing energy bullets from his fingertips. His attacks were precise and swift, taking down several robots with ease.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Ada used telekinetic barriers to slam the robots into each other, creating a kind of controlled chaos. "This way, we won't even have to fight!" Rachel said with satisfaction as she watched the androids destroy one another.

Drake, who barely touched any of the robots, stayed strategically clear of direct combat. Eduard, on the other hand, used his massive arms to shield Aiden's friends from harm.

"I see you're feeling better, Maria," Eduard commented calmly as he blocked an attack aimed at her.

"Yes, Mr. Eduard," Maria replied with a grateful smile.

"But I notice your arm has grown since the last time," she observed, pointing to the arm Eduard had lost. Billy and Elena were also surprised by the change.

"It's a long story, guys. I'll tell you all about it once this is over," Eduard said with a faint smile before refocusing on the battle.

Everyone was giving their all to take down the horde of robots, but instead of diminishing, more units kept arriving without end.

In the meantime, Leila continued to protect Lingo with all her might, maintaining a telekinetic field around them both. Aragon, enveloped in a golden AURA halo, fought tirelessly against the endless copies of Larot that seemed to multiply indefinitely.

"Come on! I can keep this up all day," Aragon declared with a confident smile, though his labored breathing betrayed his exhaustion.

"Really? You can't say that... someone might have patented that line," Leila teased with a playful tone, trying to lighten the tension of the moment.

"I doubt it, girl, but I can still fight," Aragon retorted, though his words didn't fully reflect the truth. In his mind, he knew his power was waning. I hope your friends hurry up, Leila. I don't know how much longer I can hold on, he thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he launched another attack.

From the laboratory, Tron notified Adrian about the situation. "Sir, the vital signs of Leila and this brown-armored individual are declining."

"Stabilize them, Tron. Can't you see I'm busy with this?" Adrian replied without lifting his gaze from his work. "Besides, I gave you that tool so you could heal people when we don't have mages or healers around."

"Yes, sir," Tron responded before placing his hands on Leila and Aragon's bodies. A soft light began to emanate from his palms, infusing both with renewed strength.

"What is this I'm feeling?" Aragon asked, surprised as he felt his energy returning.

"Same here," Leila added, noticing how her mana was rapidly replenishing. "It feels like someone is healing us. My mana is coming back... and my strength too."

"Whatever they're doing, it's buying us more time," Aragon said with renewed determination. He amplified the power of his AURA and unleashed a series of energy balls that became invisible in the air, striking multiple enemies at once.

Leila, for her part, reinforced her telekinetic barrier, creating a stronger shield around Lingo. "Alright, this should buy us a little more time," she murmured, feeling her confidence return along with her energy.

"Guys, thanks for whatever you're doing to give us more time!" Leila shouted with excitement, her voice echoing amidst the golden flashes of Aragon's AURA and the distant booms of explosions around them.

"Don't celebrate yet, girl. More are still coming," Aragon replied seriously, though his words couldn't completely mask the fatigue beginning to seep into his tone. "Stay sharp."

"Right," Leila responded quickly, straightening up and further strengthening her telekinetic field. She knew that any lapse could cost them dearly.

Meanwhile, in the makeshift laboratory, Adrian continued working frantically, mixing compounds and adjusting formulas with an urgency that made his hands tremble. Rafael was by his side, testing one combination after another, but none seemed to work.

"Sir, this isn't it," Rafael said, discarding another vial in frustration.

"This one isn't either... What about this?" Adrian asked impatiently as he poured a glowing liquid into the main mixture. But before he could finish, he shook his head. "Nope, not this one either."

"Sir," Rafael interrupted again, pointing to a different compound. "I think if you add this one, it might be the right one."

Rafael placed the compound into the original formula, watching as the machine analyzed the mixture. After a few seconds, a green light flashed on the screen, accompanied by a clear message: "Correct repelling solution."

"Yes! You're a genius!" Adrian exclaimed, lightly tapping Rafael's shoulder with enthusiasm.

"Thank you, sir. It's a great honor coming from you," Rafael replied with a proud smile, though his expression quickly turned serious again as he remembered the critical situation.

"Now let's test it. I hope it works," Adrian said, placing the solution into a specialized syringe-like device. Carefully, he injected the compound into Larot's arm, who remained unconscious under Tron's constant monitoring.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed," Megumi murmured from her position, launching a giant boulder toward a group of robots attempting to approach. Her earth magic glowed intensely as she held the enemies at bay.

"Science isn't about luck," Rafael commented seriously, even though he seemed to be holding his breath while waiting for the results.

Adrian, on the other hand, was visibly nervous. His eyes were glued to the monitors, searching for any change in Larot's brain activity readings. "Come on... please work," he muttered to himself, clenching his fists in anticipation.