However—
Before Raven Eltharion could enjoy the moment for long, he suddenly blacked out after taking just two steps. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground once more.
At the same time, the golden magic barrier enveloping him immediately dispersed.
Alfia quickly rushed over to support him.
"Are you alright?"
"You're completely drained—your mana and mental strength are severely overused."
Yes.
Even though the summoned [Silence] was essentially invincible… Raven was still a beginner.
And beginners didn't have infinite mana.
Especially when summoning stronger beings—the stronger the summon, the more power it drained.
At this point, just keeping Alfia around for 15 minutes had nearly overdrawn Raven's mana and mental reserves.
Moments later—
Feeling lightheaded and dizzy, Raven forced his eyes open and gave a weak smile.
"Sorry, Alfia… I'm still too weak for now. Once I'm stronger, let's fight side-by-side again."
Alfia understood.
"Alright. I'll help you with physical training later."
"You'll grow strong quickly."
His face now pale, Raven murmured,
"Yeah… then… until next time—no, just see you in a bit."
With that, he cut off the magic power supply sustaining her.
Soon—
Alfia's form rapidly faded, vanishing into thin air as though she had never existed.
The mana slowly flowed back into Raven's body.
Now without Alfia's support, the exhausted Raven flopped down and sat on the ground.
He realized something—
As a Level 1 adventurer, after using his summon magic, he couldn't activate his [Heaven's Feather Annihilation] offensive spell.
Even [Feather of Illusion]—his defensive spell—could only cover himself alone.
Because…
All his mana and mental strength were being funneled into supporting his summon!
If he wanted to use all three of his spells at once, he needed to increase his abilities and physical attributes.
After resting for a while—
Raven's complexion improved slightly, no longer as weak and miserable as before.
He stood up using his staff as support.
He collected the magic stone dropped by the slime monster that Alfia had one-shot earlier.
Then he activated his magic shield again and continued forward into the dungeon.
His footsteps echoed through the winding corridor, stomping softly on the earthen floor.
The pale blue walls and ceiling gave off a cold, eerie stillness.
The first floor was short in length, and after a few forks in the path—
Raven found himself at the end of the hallway.
"This is… the passage to the next floor?"
He hesitated briefly.
"Alright, let's go check out the second floor!"
With that—
He entered the staircase and arrived on the second floor.
In the dungeon, the spawn rate and number of monsters increased with each floor.
He wandered around for a while…
But strangely, there weren't any monsters in sight.
"That's odd."
"Don't tell me… this place is already cleared?"
Suddenly—
A black line seemed to flash across his mind.
Raven froze.
He could clearly sense a few monster presences lurking just around the corner.
It was the effect of his skill [Sanctified Palace of Sorcery]—specifically, the 4th passive trait activating:
Detect enemies within range.
It felt a bit like Observation Haki from One Piece!
Though limited in range for now, the detection was effective.
As he leveled up, not only would the range increase—he might even unlock "killing intent detection"!
Delighted, Raven gripped his staff tightly and moved toward the corner.
Sure enough—
He spotted three Red-Eyed Rabbits and four One-Eyed Lizards!
The moment they saw him, all seven monsters rushed straight toward Raven.
But he only gave a calm smile and didn't move.
Next second—
The Red-Eyed Rabbits and One-Eyed Lizards were violently repelled and slammed into the walls, all seriously wounded.
The powerful burst of repulsion was similar to Shinra Tensei from Naruto.
With a thought, Raven enchanted his staff.
The skull on the staff glowed with an eerie red light.
Instead of casting elemental magic, he used the staff like a spear.
With a leap, his thrust was like a dragon's strike—piercing straight through a rabbit's heart.
"Nice!"
Raven's eyes gleamed with satisfaction and relief.
Before long—
The seven magic stones lay in his palm.
"Yeah… my mana, spirit, and stamina have almost recovered."
"Time to let Alfia handle the rest so I can level up fast!"
After pocketing the stones—
Raven chanted the Reincarnation Summon incantation again.
Soon, a dark magic circle appeared once more.
But this time—
Raven noticed that it didn't drain two-thirds of his mana, stamina, or mental power again.
Finally! All he had to do was supply her with mana—no more massive drawbacks!
Alfia, upon reviving, would retain the memories from her last summoning—
No more "factory reset"!
"My mana… already recovered that fast?"
Alfia opened her eyes, slightly surprised.
"Yeah, I feel ridiculously strong right now. Let's go deeper—I want to grow stronger!" Raven said, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
"Alright, I'll take you to the middle floors to get some real experience," Alfia replied gently.
And with those words—
She suddenly flashed to his side.
"Gos——pel!"
With her shout, a wave of violent magic burst forth.
"Holy crap?!" Raven flinched. "What are you—"
Before he could finish—
A sonic shockwave blasted downward, piercing through the floor beneath them.
And it didn't stop—it kept penetrating deeper and deeper.
The entire second floor quaked violently from the explosion.
The intense tremor knocked Raven off his feet.
Just as he was about to topple—
[Silence] calmly placed her hand on his shoulder, stabilizing him.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore open the floor, revealing a black, bottomless hole.
A path to the lower floor.
And just as Raven was still confused—
Alfia suddenly grabbed him by the waist and leapt down into the hole!
Third floor…
Fourth floor…
Fifth floor…
Sixth…
Seventh…
Eighth…
Tenth…
"AAAAHHHHH—!"
As they fell in free-fall, Raven screamed at the top of his lungs.
It was even more exhilarating than bungee jumping!
"Are you insane—?!" Raven was already numb from shock.
Alfia replied nonchalantly,
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you won't die."