The trek toward the final boss has been progressing remarkably well.
Zeke reached level sixty-five somewhere along the way, receiving an Epic skill centered around momentum. Every consecutive hit he lands further amplifies the potency of his fire magic, which, judging by the expression on his face, has already resulted in approximately seventeen future experiments and at least three catastrophically irresponsible ideas.
Avelyn also reached her next skill selection shortly afterward.
Much like myself, she elected to postpone making a decision until after the final boss.
A sensible choice.
It would be deeply unfortunate to accidentally select an Epic skill mere minutes before the System decided to offer a Legendary one instead.
It seems the party is fairly confident that we can clear the dungeon without too much difficulty.
Which is, perhaps, a reasonable assessment.
I have also managed to discover no fewer than two exceptionally interesting rocks. Naturally, both have been liberated from the cavern floor for further academic investigation.
...Avelyn witnessed the entire operation.
Embarrassing.
Fortunately, this development was swiftly balanced by her quietly pointing out several rocks she found particularly pretty.
As the party's foremost expert in the field of discreet geological acquisition, I retrieved and stored them for her before anyone else could notice.
Drawing attention to one's rock collection is generally frowned upon.
Probably.
Solidarity between Foxkin is important.
I glance sideways.
Avelyn catches my eye and smiles, the faintest hint of amusement dancing across her face.
My ears remain perfectly still.
My tail, meanwhile, demonstrates a deeply concerning willingness to betray me once again, giving a small, satisfied flick behind my back.
…
Traitor.
I make a mental note to investigate whether tails can be disciplined.
The prospect seems increasingly unlikely.
Tragically, our brief moment of peace is interrupted by Sylrae calmly informing us of yet another incoming wave.
I sigh.
Everyone else sighs as well.
It has only been seven minutes since the previous one, after all.
Our forward progress is being aggressively bottlenecked by these constant assaults, and, as it turns out, experience gain suffers dramatically for everyone when repeatedly slaughtering the exact same species over and over again.
A remarkably unfortunate design decision.
Consequently, neither my own level nor anyone else's has moved since the roaming bosses, with the exceptions of Avelyn and Zeke.
Annoying.
The four vines sprouting from my thighs gently lower Marek back onto solid ground before retreating to my sides.
We slip into formation almost automatically, waiting for the next wave to arrive.
As we do, Avelyn frowns.
"...You guys feel that?"
Everyone except me gives a solemn nod.
I tilt my head, one ear following the motion.
Avelyn looks momentarily confused before her expression shifts in understanding.
"Right..." She gives an apologetic smile. "I keep forgetting you're manaless."
She points deeper into the cavern.
"Mana is flowing that way." Her expression tightens. "Really fast."
Ah.
"So that means..."
Marek nods grimly.
"The stampede is getting close." He glances deeper into the dungeon before looking back at the group. "We need to kill the final boss before it starts."
He turns toward me.
"Little Miss, got a question." He hesitates briefly. "That intimidation skill of yours. How much does it cost to keep active?"
I blink.
"...Nothing."
Everyone blinks back.
Avelyn leans forward slightly, her ears immediately locking onto me.
"Wait... how?" She tilts her head. "Shouldn't every skill cost something?"
I shrug.
"I am uncertain. It may simply be because it is a Title skill rather than a class or general skill."
She pauses.
"...Right. I forgot you had a title."
Rin immediately perks up, his tail lazily swaying behind him as a familiar grin spreads across his face.
"...You know." He points at me. "If we're gonna be a party and all… Isn't it about time you finally told us what that mysterious title actually is?"
I tilt my head.
"Are you certain you wish to know?"
The question earns several confused looks.
"...Yeah?" Rin replies.
I slowly glance around the group.
Avelyn has somehow leaned even closer, her molten-gold eyes practically sparkling with curiosity while her tail swishes back and forth behind her with all the restraint of an excited puppy.
Marek's expression has settled into quiet interest.
Zeke folds his arms, looking equally curious.
Even Sylrae has descended low enough that the rhythmic beating of her wings sends my hair and skirt fluttering dramatically around me.
…
They are all astonishingly invested.
I suppose there is room for a small amount of extra aura farming before the final boss.
Slowly…
Deliberately…
With exactly the appropriate amount of theatrical restraint…
I slide the Nullband from my arm.
A sharp intake of breath follows.
The silence is almost deafening.
It stretches on for several long seconds before Marek lets out a slow breath.
"...That's..." He pauses. "...A frightening title."
Zeke, meanwhile, laughs uncomfortably.
"...Gods." He rubs the back of his neck. "I thought it was gonna be something like 'Dungeon Conqueror.'"
He glances at me.
"...Apparently the System just warned us."
I tilt my head slightly.
"I thought it was rather elegant."
He opens his mouth.
Then closes it again.
"I've never seen the System write something like that," Sylrae murmurs quietly.
My tail swishes smugly.
Naturally.
As if anybody else in the universe could possibly possess a title as incredible as my own. I am, after all, the most talented and beautiful fox in existence.
I flick my hair.
Subtly.
Dignity is best appreciated in moderation.
Everyone takes another few moments to process the revelation.
Then Avelyn smiles softly.
"...It fits."
Everyone blinks at her.
Including myself.
She shrinks slightly beneath the sudden attention, her tail flicking nervously as a faint blush colors her cheeks.
"I mean..." she says quietly. "Lyn is strong, fast, and perceptive. She notices everything, nothing survives her, and nothing can escape her."
Her smile grows just a little.
"If she decides to fight, nothing stays standing for long, right?"
…
I avert my gaze slightly.
My ears angle outward.
Traitors.
Rin scratches the back of his head.
"Huh. Guess you've got a point there, little miss noble." He looks back at me. "Still kinda crazy that the System itself is warning us about you in an Inspect. What the hell did you even do to get a title like that?"
I recover instantly from an emotion that was very obviously not embarrassment, but rather dignified regality.
"My tutorial results were exemplary."
Technically true.
It was, after all, my highest-tier achievement together with the Outlier title that I was tragically unable to read that ultimately formed Apex Predator.
Letting them know I killed a dragon remains an... aspirational level of information to be handing out.
Which is merely a refined way of saying I would rather wait until we reach town.
Specifically because I intend to cook dragon meat for them. I shall graciously allow the system prompt that results from the meal to fill in the blanks.
Proper dramatic timing is important.
I can hardly wait.
It is going to be unbelievably funny.
My ears twitch.
Ah, the next wave is almost here.
Sylrae's scouting abilities really are incredible. She somehow managed to spot the incoming horde from an astonishing distance despite the forest—and despite the fact that literally everything blends into everything else, courtesy of both the monsters and the trees being made entirely of crystal.
I wonder if Wingkin possess some form of sight-enhancing racial skill.
Onto the "Future Questions For Sylrae" pile it goes, alongside whether it is socially acceptable to collect her loose feathers for decorative purposes, and whether she ever stubs her bare toes on rocks during the rare occasions she chooses to walk instead of fly.
An important field of research.
"The monsters are approaching," I inform the party.
Sylrae sends a vaguely envious look in my direction.
"...What I wouldn't do for a pair of ears like a Foxkin or a Catkin. They would make my life so much easier."
I nod solemnly.
My ears are objectively incredible, after all.
Even if they continue demonstrating the loyalty of a government employee who has mistaken "classified information" for a helpful public announcement.
... Acceptable.
Sacrifices must be made for proper perception.
Marek speaks up, his voice warm despite the quiet authority behind it.
"Alright. Back to what I was saying before the detour." He looks directly at me. "Little miss, if your intimidation skill doesn't cost anything... can you leave it active while we move?"
He pauses briefly.
"We need to hurry up and reach that final boss, and these constant waves are slowing us down too much. Your intimidation should make pushing through them a whole lot easier."
Hm.
A completely reasonable assessment.
Except for one rather significant issue.
"Will all of you be able to move under its effects?"
Nobody hesitates.
Marek nods confidently.
Zeke grips his staff a little tighter before giving a similarly firm, if somewhat grimmer, nod.
Rin answers with an easy thumbs-up.
Sylrae simply stretches both arms overhead, as though the matter has already been decided.
Avelyn steps just a little closer.
"We'll be fine, Lyn." She smiles reassuringly. "So don't hold back, okay?"
I blink.
…
They have already experienced Life Suppression twice.
They should possess a reasonably accurate understanding of what they are volunteering for.
Conclusion: they will be fine.
Probably.
A Crystal Stalker emerges from the treeline.
Life Suppression immediately flares to life, violently disagreeing with the very concept of resistance.
The air grows heavy. Crystal branches fall silent. Even the delicate chiming drifting through the forest abruptly ceases as the surrounding world seems to hesitate beneath my presence.
The Crystal Stalker freezes instantly, pushed down beneath my intimidation.
Everyone tenses, but that is about it.
Sylrae continues flying, seeming only mildly inconvenienced.
Zeke grits his teeth, his grip tightening around his staff while Marek experimentally shifts his tower shield from side to side.
Rin and Avelyn, meanwhile, appear almost completely unaffected by my presence, treating it as little more than a mildly inconvenient breeze.
Which is…
Strange.
I am beginning to suspect there is considerably more nuance to Life Suppression than I initially assumed.
The first time I subjected the party to it, several of them nearly collapsed. Now, during the incident atop the ogre, and again now, the effect appears dramatically weaker.
I tilt my head slightly.
No need to concern myself with the monsters anymore, after all.
They have collectively decided that approaching us would be a deeply regrettable career decision.
"I have noticed the effect is considerably weaker on all of you now." I glance around the group. "Would anyone happen to know why?"
Avelyn blinks.
"Ah... I'm not really sure." She smiles apologetically. "Intimidation skills all work a little differently depending on the type. Yours is... predator-based, right?"
She giggles softly before looking back at me.
"I just..." Her smile grows warmer. "I can't really see you as the apex predator your title says you are."
Hm.
So the target's perception of me influences the skill's effectiveness.
Noted.
Ideally, I would like to determine precisely how everyone here perceives me.
Scientific documentation is important.
I tilt my head a little farther.
"Might I inquire how each of you views me? It may assist in determining the exact mechanics behind this skill."
The responses arrive with all the orderly restraint of an avalanche.
"Lyn," Avelyn answers immediately.
"A little sister," Marek says at almost the exact same time.
"Someone who's really fun to annoy," Rin adds cheerfully.
"Someone I respect," Sylrae replies without hesitation.
"The strongest close-range fighter I've ever seen, at least for your level," Zeke finishes.
…
I stare at them.
Then slowly close my mouth again.
I should not have conducted this experiment.
The findings are... deeply unscientific.
Although…
I tilt my head toward Avelyn.
She immediately begins fidgeting, pressing the tips of her fingers together.
"...I don't really think about titles or things like that," she says, her ears angling outward in embarrassment. "You're just... Lyn."
…
My tail gives an appreciative sway.
I rather like that answer. Avelyn clearly understands that identity is the second most important thing in the universe.
Just after myself.
Ten out of ten.
Unfortunately, the mechanics behind Life Suppression remain frustratingly mysterious.
Tragic.
Perhaps the Archive will contain something useful once I finally manage to join the Adventurers Guild.
I slide my Nullband back on and clap my hands together lightly, despite already possessing everyone's attention.
"Well, shall we continue onward?"
Marek nods and hoists his shield.
No clue who he intends to bother with it. Nothing is particularly eager to attack us while Life Suppression is active.
I also intend to carry him again.
Rin beckons Sylrae lower.
Once she descends within whispering range, he leans over just enough to ensure I can still hear him.
"She's totally just redirecting because she's embarrassed, isn't she?"
Sylrae gives a small nod.
"Undoubtedly."
…
I bend down and pick up a rock.
They separate immediately.
Sylrae quietly returns to the air, her expression mostly neutral save for the faintest trace of a smile.
Rin whistles innocently.
His expression possesses approximately the same level of innocence as a raccoon standing beside a recently overturned trash can with a half eaten subway sandwich in its mouth.
I click my tongue and set the rock back down.
Mercy has been shown.
This time.
All four of my vines emerge from my thighs, working together to lift Marek cleanly off the ground.
He sighs with all the cadence of a grown man's dignity being repeatedly violated by a small Foxkin he has apparently decided to give the highly unusual classification of “little sister”.
I very deliberately choose to ignore one of those adjectives.
It is objectively incorrect.
Five feet is a perfectly normal height.
My tail flicks, challenging reality to produce evidence to the contrary.
Reality, evidently recognizing a battle it cannot win, remains silent.
Excellent.
We continue through the forest, the journey becoming remarkably peaceful now that roughly eighty percent of the local ecosystem has collectively decided that pretending we do not exist is an outstanding long-term survival strategy.
Reasonable.
The only notable exception remains the moths.
Naturally.
Thankfully, they rarely descend to the forest floor, and whenever they do, Sylrae promptly introduces a rifle round to whichever vital organs they would possess if the universe had elected to grant crystal moths the courtesy of proper anatomy.
One particularly unfortunate specimen had even mutated into possessing the Crystal Aspect rather than the usual Light.
Which is to say…
It acquired perhaps the single most dangerous possible Aspect while surrounded by an unreasonable quantity of crystal.
Sylrae introduced it to what the party collectively refers to as "the big one."
The discussion ended immediately afterward.
The remainder of our journey passes in relative peace.
Mostly.
I spend the time asking everyone questions.
Since I fully intend to continue traveling alongside them for the foreseeable future, learning more about my companions is obviously the most tactically sound course of action.
Certainly not curiosity.
That would be ridiculous.
Apparently, this party has been together longer than Avelyn's earlier explanation had led me to believe.
Rin, Sylrae, and Marek have all been adventuring together for a little over a year now.
Zeke joined two months ago as a temporary member, intending to travel with them only until we eventually pass through his hometown on the way to Ironvale.
Avelyn and Tali are the newest additions.
Tali only for this dungeon. Avelyn permanently.
Very unfortunate.
For Tali.
I also managed to obtain a bit more information regarding Velkhar while we traveled.
Including the name of the kingdom we currently find ourselves in.
Thornvale.
...I believe I am beginning to identify a pattern in Beastkin naming conventions.
I also had to prevent Avelyn from spoiling Bramblegate on no fewer than three separate occasions.
She appears to love her hometown with all the subtle restraint of an overly enthusiastic tour guide who has just discovered their first captive audience.
Adorable.
And also inconvenient.
I would very much like to experience it firsthand, after all.
It takes another hour of travel before the crystal forest finally begins to thin.
...Thank the stars.
I was becoming rather tired of watching moth corpses plummet from the canopy every few minutes before exploding into decorative shards nearby.
The forest eventually gives way to a massive crack carved through the cavern wall.
Beyond it lies an enormous crystalline geode.
Rivers of light flow through its walls in impossibly dense currents, illuminating the chamber so brilliantly that the interior rivals daylight itself.
The boss chamber.
Undoubtedly.
I dismiss Life Suppression and gently lower Marek back onto solid ground.
He surveys the party one last time.
"Ready?"
Everyone nods.
Myself included.
Avelyn's tail gives a nervous flick.
Zeke tightens his grip around his staff.
Rin rests his hands on the hilts of his sabers, the faint glow within their sheaths slowly beginning to intensify.
My ears perk.
I can finally discover what those do.
Astra Nocturne appears in my hand.
For some reason…
I become strangely certain that this battle will be memorable.
My tail swishes in excitement.