Before it encases itself in ice once more, I press our advantage mercilessly. With its balance disrupted, the beast tries to regain its footing, but I don't give it a chance. I leap onto its back, feeling the massive muscles tense beneath my feet. My blade plunges into its side, slicing through fur and flesh with brutal efficiency.

Blood gushes from the wound, staining both my sword and armor, but I don't care nor relent.

The Direwolf thrashes violently, its elemental fury still potent, but I dance around its desperate attacks. My movements are a blur of calculated strikes and evasions, each one designed to inflict maximum damage at minimum risk. I slash at its flanks, severing tendons and muscles, rendering its powerful limbs useless.

Its icy breath comes in ragged gasps, frost forming on the ground around us. I drive my sword into its spine, feeling the blade scrape against bone as I twist and yank it free. The creature's fierce howls turn into desperate whimpers.

I bring my sword down in a powerful overhead strike, "[Crescent Moon Cut]" the energy wave emanating from the blade slices through its neck finally.

The beast's severed head rolls to a stop, its eyes dimming as the last vestiges of life fade away. The chamber falls silent. The brutal battle is finally over. I stand over the fallen Direwolf, my sword dripping with its blood, feeling the rush of triumph coursing through me.

What a mighty beast, it took so many hits from my blade that I can't help but admire my fallen foe.

"Pfew! That was good!" I exclaim with abundant adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Quinlan looks at me wryly, "well, I'm glad that at least one of us had fun."

"Aww… Don't brood, little one. We won't come back to the big and ugly labyrinth without Blossom assisting us. It will make everything entirely different." I console him. I find it particularly humorous when I call him little, as he is at least two heads taller than me. I should do it more often.

"Let me correct you there, young lady. We won't come back until I have my fucking magic and an amazing weapon."

Hehe. I find it so cute how he is so fixated on getting his magic and new weapon all of a sudden, like a child impatiently waiting to receive his birthday present that he decided he absolutely must have.

Though I can't argue with the fact that if he does manage to become a Wizard, his potential will skyrocket to never before seen heights as a combatant. Just imagining Sword Saintess Rose slinging mighty magic spells while cutting through veteran combatants with her blade like they are made of butter makes me shiver involuntarily.

With the combat done and the final boss monster of the day defeated our labyrinth exploration session has been officially concluded thus I bend down to pick up the final loot drop we will receive for the foreseeable future. It is one of the Tri-Elemental Direwolf's giant claws. Now this will fetch a price Quinlan won't whine about. I hope.

He can whine about a lot of things, to be honest.

I'm very happy to know that I managed to refrain from letting my battle crazed grin from slipping through. I want to retain my elegant ladylike image in front of Quinlan, or he might begin to think of me as a brutish barbarian.

…

Pov: Quinlan

I think back to the struggle we've been through and can't help but exclaim inwardly at how beautiful Ayame looked while wrestling with the boss monster. Their high octane, speedy duel was an extremely satisfying sight to behold, I'm just saddened that I couldn't contribute to a good-enough degree that I could be proud of.

As soon as Ayame laid eyes on the Direwolf, a battle-crazed grin spread across her face, transforming her usually composed and serene demeanor into that of a fierce warrior woman eager for her upcoming death battle. Her eyes gleamed with an intense, almost manic light and her lips curled into a smile that promised nothing but pain for her adversary. I found this sight absolutely mesmerizing.

There was something tantalizing, almost intoxicating about the way she embraced the fight. Her fierce expression, filled with exhilaration and bloodlust, struck me as incredibly gorgeous. It was a side of Ayame that was raw, powerful, and undeniably sexy. I had only seen this side of her once before, when she was massacring Grunt and his slave women. Watching her, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

She was in her element, a true warrior, and the Direwolf had no idea what kind of trouble found herself in its chamber.

Naturally, her crazed expression never left her features for a second during the fight either.

Ayame picks up the huge claw monster drop and puts it into our bag, and I'm very happy to see that the bag is nearly bursting apart from all the goodies that are stuffed inside. After decimating five floors in a single go I hope we will make some big bucks.

We move down towards the 6th floor and the safe chamber greets us, where the exit portal is located.

As we emerge from the portal, the bustling sounds of the labyrinth's entrance greet us. Adventurers and merchants mingle, exchanging stories of their exploits and the treasures they've gathered. The air is filled with a mix of excitement and fatigue, the atmosphere buzzing with energy.

"We should head to the slave market before it gets too late," I say, scanning the crowd. "We need to reach the old bones at the market before he slithers off into the night."

Ayame nods, her gaze scanning the area for any potential threats or allies. Her alertness never ceases to impress me, always ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

"Agreed," she replies. "But since we've finished earlier than expected, we have some time to sell our loot first."

"What is your guess?"

"Are you asking what I expect us to get for all these drops? I suppose somewhere between five to ten silver."

I can't help but grimace. "Shit, woman. You certainly know how to ruin a man's mood."

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow, "what were you expecting? This is not a get rich quick scheme, Quinlan… My estimate would mean that repeating this activity every day would earn us a very comfortable income, and as you get stronger none of us would be in danger while doing so."