Teamates

It was 8:00. Magnus woke up, for the first time in a while, without any nightmares and feeling refreshed. This was because he had spent the entire night in Lone Dream. He had been training non-stop for more than seven hours.

I was able to train for so long without getting tired. This is amazing! Magnus thought to himself with a big smile on his face. He felt stronger, more confident, and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

He quickly got out of bed and went to check on Ava. She was still asleep, her homework neatly stacked on her desk. Magnus didn't want to wake her, so he quietly made his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As he cooked, his mind raced with the possibilities his new abilities could bring. He had to be careful, though. The memory of Thomas's warning was still fresh in his mind.

After finishing breakfast, Magnus left a plate for Ava and headed out. He had a lot to do today. First, he needed to visit the Ascender Association to get more information about the C-rank door he was assigned to. He also wanted to test his abilities further in a controlled environment.

As he walked through the bustling streets, Magnus couldn't help but feel a sense of determination. He knew that with his new powers, he could protect Ava and fulfill the promise he made to their mother.

When he arrived at the Ascender Association, he was greeted by the usual hustle and bustle of adventurers preparing for their missions. The building was a grand structure with high ceilings and walls adorned with various trophies and relics from past missions. The air buzzed with excitement and anticipation as adventurers discussed their plans and strategies.

Magnus made his way to the mission board and found his assignment. It was a C-rank door located on the outskirts of the city. He noted the details and headed to the briefing room.

Inside, he found a few familiar faces, including Sarah, a spirit-tamer he had worked with before. She greeted him with a warm smile. Spirits are elemental creatures that can be found indoors. Spirit-tamers are ascenders who have the skills to tame them. There are not many spirit-tamers.

"Hey, Magnus! Ready for today's mission?" she asked.

"Yeah, more than ever," Magnus replied, his confidence evident in his voice.

As the briefing began, Magnus listened intently, absorbing every detail. The mission was straightforward but dangerous. They were to clear a dungeon infested with monsters. Magnus couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. This was the perfect opportunity to test his new abilities in a real combat situation.

After the briefing, Sarah approached Magnus. "Hey, Magnus, got anything new up your sleeve for this mission?" she asked with a curious smile.

Magnus hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing new, just the same old skills. But I'm ready to give it my all."

Sarah looked slightly disappointed but nodded understandingly. "Alright, let's stick to what we know then."

Just then, two new faces approached them. They were both girls, one with fiery red hair tied into a ponytail and the other with short, jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. They both wore the standard Ascender gear, but there was an air of confidence about them that caught Magnus's attention.

"Hey, you're Magnus, right?" the red-haired girl asked with a friendly smile. "I'm Lily, and this is my friend, Naomi. As you can see, we have a lot of items that need to be carried. Do you think you can join our team?"

Magnus was taken aback but pleasantly surprised. "Nice to meet you, Lily and Naomi. Have you worked with C-rank doors before?"

"Yes, we've both handled C-rank doors before," Naomi replied, her voice calm and measured. "I can control water, while Lily can heal wounds."

A healer? That's rare. Rarer than a spirit-tamer, Magnus thought to himself.

"Alright then, I'll join your team. Oh, can Sarah join?" Magnus asked while shaking their hands.

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Naomi said with a happy smile.

"Those gears... is she a spirit-tamer?" Lily asked with amazement.

"I am, hehe. I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you both," Sarah said.

With the preparations complete, the team set out for the dungeon. As they approached the entrance, Magnus felt a surge of adrenaline. This was it. The moment he had been preparing for.

The team entered the Door, and immediately, they were met with resistance. Sandworm monsters attacked from all sides. The interior of the Door was a maze of walls covered with sand. The walls seemed to shimmer and shift, making it difficult to determine the true layout of the place. C-rank doors or higher are usually like this. They are a lot bigger and harder to navigate than lower ranks.

Sarah summoned her fire-wolf spirit and a wind bird to attack the sandworms, while Naomi showcased her impressive combat skills. Magnus and Lily were waiting behind the two fighters.

"They are annihilating them, huh?" Lily said with amazement, playing with her healing wand.

"Yeah, we just need to stand here and support," Magnus said.

"I hope we find the boss first. We get more money if we kill the boss," Lily said with hope in her eyes.

Because C-rank and above Doors are hard to navigate, Ascenders are divided into teams, and if they can reach the middle of the dungeon, where the boss is, they get more profit.

Sarah used a wand to boost her spirits while Naomi used a staff to cast powerful water spells that disrupted the monsters' attacks. They destroyed the sandworms while traveling into the middle of the maze.

After a while of traveling, they finally reached the middle. In front of them was a big sandworm. Its teeth were covered with green liquid. Its body was made of metal, unlike the other sandworms they had encountered.

"Metal attribute poison-sandworm... what a sight," Sarah said with both amazement and fear in her tone. "Well, luckily we don't have anyone who uses metal weapons or magic, so we don't have to worry."

"Yep," Naomi said with a confident smile.

With that, the two sprinted toward the enormous sandworm. Water was splashing everywhere. Cries of the sandworm and snarls of spirits filled the room. It seemed to be going quite well.

"WATCH OUT!" Lily shouted toward Naomi, who was currently attacking the sandworm's body.

The sandworm's mouth was moving toward Naomi.

Shit. Magnus thought to himself as he sneakily opened a portal right next to its head and shot a mana arrow. The arrow hit the target straight in the neck. Its head yanked back, away from Naomi, but a drop of poison hit her neck.

"Agh!" she screamed in pain.

Magnus quickly ran toward her, picking her up and bringing her back to Lily for treatment.

"She got hit by the poison. Can you heal her?" Magnus asked with worry.

"Yeah, I got this. But why did the sandworm suddenly move away?" Lily asked with confusion.

"I'm not sure. It was probably Naomi," Magnus said. Then, he looked back at the field to see Sarah's spirits eating the corpse of the sandworm.

Sarah rushed over with worry.

"Sorry, if I had paid more attention to its head, this wouldn't have happened," she said with regret.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Lily here is a really good healer, and this is just a drop of poison, so it's fine," Naomi replied.

"Okay, well, we defeated that worm, so let's behead it and bring it back!" Sarah said with a greedy look on her face.

As they traveled back to the exit, Naomi came closer to Magnus.

"Thank you for being our porter today! Without you, I think that both Lily and I would be tired because we would have to carry our weapons," Naomi said with a smile on her face.

"No problem. It's my job anyway, and you guys also killed the boss. I get some profit too," Magnus said, scratching his head.

"That's true, I guess... Oooh, how about we use this money and go for dinner sometime?" Naomi asked with a wink.

Magnus had no experience in talking to girls a lot, as he only cared about his sister. But Naomi was beautiful. Her armor also increased her beauty as it showed her skin.

"Umm, sure, I guess," Magnus said, blushing.

"Then it's a date!" Naomi said as she went back to Lily's side.

Then a voice came from behind Magnus.

"You're good at attracting girls, huh?" Sarah asked with sarcasm.

Before Magnus could say anything, she continued.

"I don't know what happened to that worm, but I know it was you. That hole in its head. It could not have been my spirit."

"Hmm? Nah, you've worked with me so many times; you know that my power is to store items," Magnus denied.

"Hmm, sure, sure," Sarah said as she walked out of the Door's exit.

***

After getting their rewards, the four said their goodbyes to each other and started to head their way back.

For his reward, Magnus asked for the blood of the sandworm. People thought he was strange and gave it to him without any trouble. But the truth was that Magnus wanted to test if it was only space blood that could evolve his abilities.

As Magnus waited for his bus, he heard a familiar voice.

"Magnus! We forgot to exchange contact information. How are we going to go on a date without contact?" Naomi asked, pouting.

Fuck, she is so fucking hot, Magnus thought to himself.

"Ah, I forgot. Sorry, my bad. Here is my number," Magnus said apologetically as he showed her his phone number.

"Thanks! See you soon then!" Naomi said as she rushed back to Lily.

"Yeah... see you soon," Magnus said, blushing a little bit.

As Magnus sat on the bus, his mind wandered back to the day's events. He couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness about his upcoming date with Naomi. It was a new experience for him, and he was eager to see how it would go.

When he finally arrived home, he found Ava doing her homework. He quietly put away his things and sat down at the kitchen table, thinking about the future. With his new abilities and the support of his friends, he felt more prepared than ever to face the challenges ahead.

The next morning, Magnus woke up early and decided to go for a run to clear his mind. As he jogged through the park, he thought about the mission and the team he had worked with. Sarah, with her spirit-taming abilities, and Naomi, with her water control, were both impressive in their own right. And Lily's healing skills had been crucial in keeping everyone safe.

Magnus knew that he had to continue honing his skills and learning more about his powers. The world of Ascenders was dangerous, and he needed to be ready for anything. But for now, he was content with the progress he had made and the new friends he had found.

Later that day, Magnus received a message from Naomi. She had set up a time and place for their dinner date. He felt a flutter of nerves but also excitement. It was a step into uncharted territory for him, but he was ready to embrace it.

As the days passed, Magnus continued to train and prepare for his next mission. He spent time with Ava, making sure she was doing well in school and taking care of herself. He also kept in touch with Sarah, Lily, and Naomi, building a strong bond with his new team.

On the night of the date, Magnus dressed up and made his way to the restaurant Naomi had chosen. When he arrived, he saw her waiting outside, looking stunning in a simple yet elegant dress. Her smile lit up when she saw him, and Magnus felt his heart skip a beat.

"Hey, you made it!" Naomi said, hugging him.

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it," Magnus replied, smiling back.

They went inside and found a cozy table near the window. As they talked and laughed, Magnus realized how much he enjoyed Naomi's company. She was smart, funny, and kind, and he found himself opening up to her in a way he hadn't with anyone else.

The evening flew by, and before they knew it, it was time to leave. As they walked out of the restaurant, Naomi took Magnus's hand.

"I had a great time tonight," she said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Me too," Magnus replied, feeling a warmth spread through him.

They stood there for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence. Then, Naomi leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Magnus. I'll see you soon," she said, squeezing his hand before walking away.

Magnus watched her go, a smile on his face. It had been a perfect night, and he felt more hopeful about the future than ever before.