Nova watched as Anny stood in the center of the room, studying the intricate formation he had just finished drawing on the floor. The runes pulsed with a faint blue glow, spreading outward in concentric circles from where she stood.

"So this is how you absorbed the Mountain King's blood," she said, toeing one of the outer runes with her foot. "Pretty elaborate setup."

"It's necessary," Nova replied, checking the final connections between the formation layers. "The blood of powerful beings isn't something to take lightly. Even diluted as this vampire lord's blood probably is, it's still incredibly potent."

He straightened up, satisfied with his work. The formation looked almost identical to the one he had used for himself in Damascus. The silencing barrier would be crucial—he remembered all too well the screams he had barely managed to contain during his own ritual.

"I should warn you again, this will hurt. A lot," he said, meeting her eyes with complete seriousness. "And there's no guarantee that it will play nicely with your beasts."

Anny rolled her shoulders, looking remarkably casual for someone about to undergo what amounted to magical surgery without anesthesia. "I told you, I don't fear pain."

She had lived through countless battles across multiple lifetimes. Pain would be an old friend to her as well, just like to Nova.

"...There's just one more thing before we begin."

"What's that?"

"The blood needs direct contact with your skin." He kept his voice professional, bringing out his experience as a doctor. "All of it."

Understanding dawned in her eyes. She glanced down at her clothes, then back to him. "Ah."

"I could turn around, of course," Nova offered. "Or I can add another formation layer to hide you. I'd still need to monitor the process, but I wouldn't be able to see you."

Anny was quiet for a moment, considering. "We've both lived for centuries in different bodies. Should we really care about things like that? Not to mention the fact that we're four years old still."

"It's not about how we should feel, but about how we do feel," Nova spoke softly, with a hint of a smile on his face. "I won't care either way, but I believe the pain will be discomforting enough alone."

She seemed to weigh his words, then smiled slightly. "Make a barrier, then. I'd hate to distract you if anything goes wrong."

They both knew that was an excuse, but Nova wasn't going to point that out.

"Good thinking." He bent down and began tracing additional runes along the floor, extending the existing formation. "This will create a veil of darkness around you. I'll still be able to sense your condition through the formation, but I won't be able to see anything."

The runes connected, completing the new layer of the formation. "What about restraints?" he asked, straightening up again. "I used a binding spell when I did this. The pain can make you thrash around, which might disrupt the formation."

Anny raised an eyebrow. "Would they even hold me if I tried to break them?"

Nova paused, considering her beast-enhanced strength and the new cultivation breakthrough she'd experienced. After a moment, he shook his head with a rueful smile. "Not if you really wanted to break free."

"Then why bother?" She shrugged. "I'll control myself."

"Are you sure? The pain isn't..." He trailed off, remembering how it had felt like his very cells were being torn apart and reassembled. "It's not normal pain."

"I'll manage," she stated simply. "I have yet to experience a level of physical pain that can break me."

Nova nodded, respecting her decision. "Alright. No chains, then. But I'll still be monitoring everything. If something goes wrong, I can stop the process immediately."

She looked at him with an expression of light confusion, as if his assurances were unneeded. "I trust you."

He smiled, feeling a hint of warmth spreading through his chest. "Then we're ready to begin whenever you are."

"Right. Should I just stand here, or...?"

"Center of the formation is best," Nova confirmed. "Once you're ready, I'll activate the barriers, then you can remove your clothes and pour the blood onto the central rune. It will handle the rest."

She moved to the exact center and stood with her feet spread slightly apart, grounding herself. "I'm ready."

Nova nodded and began activating the formation layers, starting from the outermost. The silencing barrier shimmered into place first, ensuring no sound would escape. Next came the protective ward that would contain any unexpected energy discharges. The veil of darkness followed, obscuring Anny from view while leaving the rest of the room untouched.

Through the formation, he could sense her removing her clothes, followed by the distinctive sound of the orb of blood falling to the ground. There was a moment of stillness, then the central runes flared to brilliant life as the blood made contact.

The ritual had begun.

Nova monitored the formation intently, feeling the flow of energies through the interconnected runes. The blood was being absorbed—he could sense its power entering Anny's system, beginning the transformation process. Despite the silencing barrier, he could feel rather than hear the tension in the air, knowing she was experiencing the first waves of pain.

He remembered his own experience all too vividly. The burning sensation as the blood carved pathways through flesh and bone, the feeling of being unmade and remade in agonizing increments.

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'I hope I'm not making a mistake in doing this… We still don't know exactly what triggers that perfect beast state. But at least we'll know if pain is enough on its own now.'

Anny had made her choice. And as he sensed the ritual progressing smoothly through each stage, he knew she was handling it with the same iron will she brought to everything else.

The minutes stretched into an hour, the formation glowing with increasing intensity as the blood's power fused with Anny's essence. Nova maintained his focus, ready to intervene at the slightest sign of trouble, but none came. The process continued exactly as it should, the pain no doubt excruciating but the transformation proceeding successfully.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the formation's glow began to subside. The blood had been fully absorbed, its power now part of Anny herself. Nova deactivated all formations except for the veil of darknesst, letting her get dressed in privacy.

When she emerged from the fading barriers, she looked exhausted but triumphant. Her skin bore the faint tracery of crimson veins, similar to what Nova had experienced, but with a distinct pattern that suggested the vampire essence had influenced the integration differently.

"How do you feel?" he asked, watching her carefully for any signs of adverse effects.

"Stronger. Different." She flexed her fingers experimentally. Then she looked up at him with an expresison he hadn't seen in her before. "And hungry, strangely enough."

Nova smiled, relieved that the ritual had concluded successfully. "That's to be expected. The blood enhancement requires significant energy to stabilize. We should get you something to eat."

"...Sure, I could eat."

"Did the system give you any notifications?" he asked, curious about the specific benefits she'd gained.

Anny nodded thoughtfully as she processed the information only she could see. "It says I've gained a regenerative ability… But, like we expected, it only works if I have stored blood in my body."

"Ah… Is it that kind of hunger you feel?"

"I don't think so. But there is a certain… void, in my body. It's not unpleasant, but I think I'd like it if it was filled." She looked at him while biting her lip, with that same strange look in her eyes. "And I can smell blood from several kilometers away."

"Useful," Nova remarked, already thinking of the tactical advantages such abilities would provide in the dungeon. "The regeneration will definitely come in handy if we get separated."

"It also mentioned that my body will be enhanced by the blood power, though it didn't specify how." She rolled her shoulders, testing her range of motion. "I guess I'll find out when I try it."

Nova nodded in agreement. "We should test the effect when we go into the dungeon. But first, let's eat!"

Once again the duo stood in front of the dungeon entrance. Or rather, Nova stood in front of it, looking like a grown adult with his unification skill activated. His tall form was draped in a dark cloak, a borrowed helmet concealing his distinctive white hair. Anny was hidden completely within his backpack.

The morning sun cast long shadows across the plaza as early risers went about their business. A few merchants were already setting up their stalls, preparing for another day of selling wares to hopeful adventurers. None paid particular attention to the solitary figure approaching the dungeon's entrance—just another diver seeking fortune or glory.

(You're sure they didn't figure out it's you?) Anny asked through the ring, shifting slightly in the backpack. Her mental voice carried a note of concern mixed with the discomfort of her cramped position.

(The helmet hides my hair color. And I'm sure they expect us to go in together, if nothing else.)

He walked down the final steps, reaching the shimmering blue membrane that separated the dungeon from the outside world. Just before he entered, he reached up to his neck and stealthily crushed the tracker he had received, preventing them from spying on their progress. Then he stepped forward, through the blue drape once again.

The room that greeted him was just like the one they had arrived in last time, only darker. As soon as he entered, the light from the outside vanished, leaving him with only the soft blue glow from crystalline formations embedded in the walls. The air felt cooler here, carrying the faint mineral scent that seemed unique to the dungeon.

The message greeted him after only a second, materializing before his eyes. Glowing runes assembled themselves into words that hung suspended in the air, casting faint blue shadows across his face.

[Welcome back to Bergrott Dungeon!]

[Floor 7 - Special Effect: Essence can no longer leave your body.]

[Objective: Defeat the Floor Guardian]

[Party Size: 2]

[Note: All loot is shared evenly among party members]

Nova studied the effect with interest, immediately calculating its implications. No essence leaving the body meant no external spells, no barriers, no ranged attacks using magic. It was a particularly troublesome limitation for a mage.

"Ah, so we're already on floor seven… You can come out now," he called over his shoulder.

Anny didn't waste time, bursting out of the backpack and nearly ruining the clasps. She landed lightly on her feet behind him, immediately stretching her cramped limbs with visible relief.

"Ugh, finally," she groaned, rolling her shoulders and twisting her neck to work out the stiffness. Her face bore the imprint of what must have been a water bottle pressed against her cheek. "I vote for invisibility spell next time. Or you can be in the backpack."

Nova smiled, reaching up to remove the helmet. His white hair spilled free, catching the blue crystal light. "I wouldn't mind. But your drake form is already well known."

"Ah…" Anny frowned, absently brushing dust from her clothes. "Well, I'm sure we can use one of the hearts we got during the last dive to give me a new form."

"Sure." Nova nodded, mentally cataloging the materials they'd acquired. "I have two troll hearts, a few bat hearts, a slime core, and a dozen hearts of the furry creatures we defeated on the first floor. What kind of humanoid would you like to become?"

Anny paused, considering the options with a frown on her face. None of the options seemed to tempt her much. "...Invisibility spell, then. Or whatever we find on these next few floors."

"Good choice." Nova removed the backpack and made it vanish in thin air, storing it in his ring. "Now, how would you like to approach this floor? Magic is useless here, so I won't be as strong as I usually would."

"Don't worry," Anny replied with a confident grin. "I'll use my superior strength to protect you."

"You do remember that we were evenly matched in the spar, right?" Nova raised an eyebrow, wearing an intentionally unpleasant smirk. "Even after you begged me to fight in close combat?"

"Yeah, without weapons." Anny's grin widened as she drew her sword from her side with a fluid motion. Then she equipped her shield on her left hand, keeping the straps loose. "Let me show you how to use a sword properly."

As she spoke, her body began to change. Scales erupted across her skin in waves of crimson, her form stretching and expanding until she stood twice her usual height. The transformation completed in seconds, leaving her drakeling form towering over Nova's adult height.

"It's nice to see you so confident after all the complaining about being weak in the past," he observed, adjusting his own equipment in preparation for what lay ahead.

Anny's expression softened, if Nova interpreted the drakeling face correctly. "...I have you to thank for that. So, thank you."

The simple sincerity caught Nova off guard. He had expected another quip, another layer in their verbal sparring. Her honest gratitude left him momentarily speechless.

"You're very welcome…" he finally replied, feeling the weight of her words and the bond they represented. He cleared his throat slightly, returning his focus to the path ahead. "Now, let's see what we've got in store!"

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