Ding!

[Congratulation to Participant no. 966001 for breaking through his current limit. Permanent +10 increase in all stats.]

A familiar notification sounded clearly inside his mind. It surprised him a little to receive System's notification under such situation, though he quickly tossed it aside as he still needed to focus on these incoming attacks which quickly approached him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Heavy cloud of rubbles were blasted high up on the air and loud explosions resounded loudly from their impact.

"Haha! There's no way he can-... eh? Gah!"

Before the boss could even laugh on their victory, he felt a strong kick on his abdomen accompanied by fierce jolt of electrocution which stunned him for a moment.

Following him, his three subordinates were also shot out, each with various degree of burn injuries from being electrocuted.

Five black arrows with blood red vein-like lines on it were shot out almost at the same time as those people, heading directly to their archer, hawk-beastman warrior.

Their archer quickly responded by sending his own arrows to block the incoming black arrows in which they exploded together on midair. From within its explosion, axe, spear and hammer flew at him at even greater speed as they were imbued within lightning arcs, destroying his bow and pounded him to the ground with a flying hammer.

"...have you all had enough?" A cold, chilling voice sounded calmly as a person came out from within those cloud of dusts, dense arcs of white lightning covered him fully as if he was a thunder incarnate.

With a sinister-looking black sword on his hand, that man looked coldly at those five who were trying to get up.

When he glanced behind him, seeing Rukino smiled weakly to him, his expressionless face softened slightly before he turned to look at his enemies.

"...don't take it to heart, you're all going to kill me after all, so I will return this sentiment... with interest of course."

When he saw those five already stood up, preparing to fight again even with their shaking body, he couldn't help chuckling darkly.

A split second next, his figure was nowhere to be seen, only flickering lightning was left on his place.

"You're first to die, worm." Rafi said coldly as he arrived in their midst, straight in front of the snakeman.

The snakeman's pupil suddenly contracted fiercely as along with that cold voice, a dark swordlight flashed on his face. He barely managed to evade it by a hair's breadth, leaving a deep gash on his forehead.

'Shit, this kid is getting faster!' That snakeman grimaced as he felt a threat of death just visited him for a brief moment. If he was cut a little bit deeper, his brain might have been cut into a mess...

Even so he has experienced far more dangerous situations, he quickly calmed down as he used his tail to try binding his enemy for a moment. Even if it was only a brief moment, it would be their win.

Cut.

Sinister dark swordlights quickly flashed, reducing the snake's tail to a bloody pulp.

"Argh! My tail, dammit!"

Along with the snakeman's painful cry, he still managed to laugh mockingly at Rafi as he succeeded to stall him for a moment.

Roar!

"Damn kid, drop dead already!"

The boss roared as he sent heavy fists which even made the surrounding space trembled slightly. While weaponless as they were, the other three people similarly launched their own attacks.

Facing their encirclement again, Rafi was still expressionless as his figure moved as if swaying leaf under the wind, smoothly evading their strikes. Then he lightly jumped, using the force behind that fist to reach those floating disks.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

A thunderous cut flashed, slashing those tools apart, effectively destroying them. Along with their destruction, the gravity field was finally lifted.

Rin and Luvia finally were able to stand up again, as they then intended to help him solving those five bastards. Even if they looked like frail young rich ladies, they were still legitimately a descendant of prominent magus family. If someone underestimated those two as only girls with beautiful look and no substance, then they might be in a deep shit of trouble.

However, when both of them saw how his fight was going on, they couldn't help taking a deep breath as they looked at each other, noticing the shock on each other's eyes.

From the way it went, they couldn't even find a chance to help Rafi as he didn't seem requiring their help at all. In fact, if they really acted to help, it might hinder him instead.

Under Rin's and Luvia's astonished gaze, there was a white flash which kept flickering among those five people.

The moments the white flash went past them, painful and blood-curdling shrieks were heard from those five as they were cut miserably.

Not long after, those painful and fearful cries started getting slower until they were totally gone along with their death.

"I guess we don't need to help him... it's her who need immediate treatment however." Rin said awkwardly to Luvia before she turned serious after she finished checking Rukino who was unconscious.

After she went all out previously, currently, Rukino's condition was so weak. Her face was sickly pale as though she didn't even have blood, her pulse and breathing were too weak that they were barely discernible.

"What's happening to her? Is Rukino in danger?" Rafi suddenly arrived behind them as he quickly went to Rukino's side, checking her condition. As he felt her weak breathing and pulse, he knew that her condition was dangerous.

"She really pushed herself to the limit, spending all her mana at once like that. It's a mana deficiency, a severe one at that. If she doesn't get to be treated quickly,..." Luvia spoke with a rare helpless face from her.

It wasn't she didn't want to help her, but her magus lineage didn't have any means or magecraft for curing other people. If she wanted to do a mana transference to Rukino...

Luvia glanced at that man before she blushed a little at the thought of it, 'It should be that man who does it to her. But then, how can I help her now?'

Similar with Luvia, Rin also arrived at that conclusion after she checked Rukino's condition. However, it didn't mean that she couldn't help her at all.

Rafi knew that Rukino's mana would be restored slowly later on, though he didn't dare to bet whether she could hold on until that time or not.

As she was also a magius like him, Rukino could also suck other's blood to restore her own mana.

However, knowing that blood-sucking species were scorned and detested within this Dungeon world, both of them might be hunted if those magus from the Association knew about it.

Looking at Rin and Luvia, weren't they also magus from the Association?

'...it's better for us to get away from this place. I can find some blood later after she's in a safe place first.' Rafi thought quietly as he carried Rukino on his back, intending to quickly get away from the Labyrinth.

"Wait. I may have a way to save her, believe me, it will be able to stabilize her condition at least."

Just then, before he started to walk away, Rin called him with a serious expression as she went to him. After seemingly arrived at a decision, Rin took out a pendant with heart-shaped red jewel on it, and chanted special activation spell to that pendant.

"Ms. Tohsaka?" When he caught a glance on that red jewel, he immediately knew what she was going to do. He couldn't imagine that she would go to such length to help him, as he knew that jewel pendant was a precious item for her.

"Shhh, shut up. I am still concentrating now." Rin replied impatiently.

The red jewel shone before continuous stream of mana started flowing into Rukino's body. After awhile, the mana infusion stopped when the jewel went dim. At that point, Rukino's complexion became better, as her breathing and pulse became calm and steady. Though she was still unconscious because she's still too tired.

'Even those mana contained inside the jewel isn't enough to completely restore her? It was accumulation from 10 years of my mana... just how large is her mana capacity?' Rin hid the shock in her heart.

She looked pained at the red jewel which has now became useless, though she heaved a relieved sigh in the end before loosening her hold on it, letting it fell on the ground.

'Since it's used, then so be it. This isn't a bad thing I guess. I don't really like owing them a favor, even more so when they saved me.'

Due to the nature of jewel magecraft, once the mana inside a jewel was used, it couldn't be recharged anymore. Even those which could be recharged would expend at least three times more amount of mana due to the mana loss in the process. That situation was mainly caused by the ruined magical structure within the jewel after it was used to cast a magecraft.

"Ms. Tohsaka, can I keep that jewel?" Rafi suddenly asked after seeing that red jewel on the ground.

"Hmm, why? It doesn't have any use now."

"Let me keep it as a remembrance for your help today, Ms. Tohsaka. This gratitude, I will remember it. Thank you for saving her." Rafi said while slightly bowing to Rin as he felt grateful for her help.

Although he could solve it himself, but it might end up exposing their status as blood-sucking species to the Mage's Association. Not to mention completing his mission, they would need to keep their life safe from the Mage's Association's endless pursuit instead...

'What's he saying? I only repaid their favor for saving me, not the other way around.' Rin felt a bit awkward after hearing him as she then said while being slightly flustered, "Huh, it-it's fine, you can keep it. It isn't like I can still use it anymore."

Shortly after that, their group of four went back together to surface, going to return to Clock Tower.

When both Rin and Luvia realized that Rafi and Rukino were supposed to join a raid team to the Yggdmillenia family, they couldn't be more surprised. It was because those two young ladies actually wanted to sneak inside the raid team...

As Rukino was still unconscious, she wouldn't be able to participate her in the raid this time. Luvia suggested to him for letting Rukino to rest in her mansion.

When he looked at Luvia's sincere eyes, Rafi relented after giving it some thought. Besides, he and Rukino also didn't have any lodging in this Dungeon world.

Although Luvia might be a kind of opportunist, but deep down she wasn't a bad person. Her pride wouldn't allow her to stoop so low to use Rukino for threatening him.

It was decided then that Rukino would take a rest in Luvia's place, while Rafi, Rin and Luvia would join the raid.

However, unknown to them, there was actually another person who has been following them ever since that battle inside the Labyrinth.

She was an extremely beautiful woman, with long purple hair and red eyes which radiated wisdom as if she has seen through everything. Her full-body suit was skin-tight with metallic shoulder pads, accentuating her curvaceous figure to the utmost.

"That pair of young man and girl... ho, interesting. It has been so long since I found someone with talent comparable to those two.

And this magic fluctuation, it seems this world will have a big change. I hope it isn't like what I predicted..."

She muttered softly as she looked deeply at that pair as if she could see their essence. Still hiding herself, she quietly followed them as they went out of the Labyrinth.

...

When the raid team finally assembled again and boarded on the airplane, Rafi didn't see some Participants who previously also attended the meeting. Either they have gone ahead first, or there were some cases like what happened to him and those five people.

Rin and Luvia sat not far from his seat as they seemed engrossed within their own spat, completely undaunted by the current raid mission.

'...actually, how can I become a Master? The Grail was already tinkered to allow the summoning of fourteen Servants by Yggdmillenia family.

Their taunt to the Association is only a ruse to 'invite' the Association into Holy Grail War, as well as a chance to weaken the Association after all.'

'There are only seven spots to be a Master. Not to mention these magus, there are still around 20 Participants here, we will likely compete fiercely for those seven spots.

Rin and Luvia are off-limit. Even if they get to be a Master, I can't harm them, and I may need to protect them considering their help.

Although I can also be said to have helped them too, it will still leave bad aftertaste if I really act on them. Well, as long as they don't hinder me to get another spot, then it may be fine.

It means there are only five spots left. I have to get one of them, even if I must steal it.

And what's with that previous notification? My stats were raised like when I level up, though my current level doesn't seem to increase, it's still 31. Perhaps, is this...'

Rafi thought quietly as he silently conditioned himself, trying to recuperate as much as possible within those time. Because, it was more likely that he would get into another confrontation with other Participants within this raid, as they were similarly aiming for a chance to be Master.