Chapter 34: The Boss Room (part 1)

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Boss Room (part 1)

The adventurers had been fighting for too long. They were tired, and wounded.

Their weapons were damaged, their mana was running low, and six of their companions had already died before they even reached this room.

Now the second Windfang Beast was relentlessly attacking them.

Darian knew they couldn’t continue like this.

"Elric!"

"Yes!"

"Can you use that binding spell again?"

The mage’s face became pale.

"I can, but I only have enough mana for one more!"

"Then make it count!"

Elric tightened his grip around his staff.

He took a deep breath.

The Windfang Beast descended from the ceiling.

Its body became a blur, and disappeared.

Darian’s eyes narrowed.

"Wait..."

He listened, the room became strangely quiet.

Then he heard it. A faint rushing sound.

"Now!"

Elric slammed his staff against the ground.

"Earth Bind!"

The stone floor erupted.

Stone pillars shot upward around the Windfang Beast just as it reformed.

The creature attempted to disperse.

But this time, the stone pillars had already surrounded it.

Its body slammed into the barriers. The Windfang Beast released a shrill cry.

"It’s trapped!"

Darian immediately raised his sword.

"Everyone!"

The remaining adventurers understood.

They gathered whatever strength remained in their bodies and charged.

Swords flashed.

Spears thrust forward.

Arrows flew through the air.

Several attacks struck the condensed body of the Windfang Beast simultaneously.

The creature violently twisted. Its body began breaking apart.

Darian stepped forward.

"Finish it!"

He raised his sword above his head. Then he brought it down with all his remaining strength.

Slash!

The blade tore through the center of the creature.

The Windfang Beast released one final shriek before its entire body exploded into countless streams of wind.

The currents swept across the room, then slowly disappeared.

One of them lowered his weapon.

"It’s dead..."

Darian remained still for several seconds. Then he slowly lowered his sword.

"Check everyone."

The surviving adventurers immediately began looking around.

The result was devastating, four more people had died during the battle.

One had been struck by a wind blade through the chest. Another had suffered a fatal injury while protecting Elric.

The remaining two had been overwhelmed after their formation collapsed.

Darian stood silently as the bodies were placed together.

They had entered with twenty-three.

Six had already died in the earlier traps and monster attacks.

Now another four had fallen. Only thirteen remained.

Thirteen adventurers, and their mission wasn’t finished.

One of the younger adventurers looked toward Darian.

"Leader..."

Darian looked at him.

"Should we go back?"

The question lingered in the room. Everyone looked toward Darian.

Nobody wanted to say it aloud, but everyone was thinking the same thing.

They had lost ten people.

Ten.

And they still didn’t know the dungeon’s tier.

Darian looked down at the body of one of his companions.

His hands slowly tightened.

"We’re going forward."

Several adventurers looked surprised.

"Leader..."

"I know."

Darian’s voice was heavy.

"I know we’ve lost too many."

He looked at the remaining adventurers.

"But this is our work."

He paused.

"We’re adventurers."

His gaze hardened.

"We knew the moment we accepted this profession that there would be places where we could die."

Nobody spoke.

Darian continued.

"The mayor didn’t send us here to clear this dungeon. Our task is to determine its tier."

He pointed toward the corridor ahead.

"We haven’t reached the boss room. We haven’t even seen what this dungeon is capable of."

One of the adventurers swallowed.

"So you think we should keep going?"

"Yes."

Darian nodded.

"But we’re not going to be reckless."

He looked toward Elric.

"How much mana?"

Eric slowly lowered his staff and took a moment to examine his remaining mana.

His face was pale from exhaustion, and sweat had soaked through his clothes, but his breathing had already begun to stabilize now that the battle was over.

"If I rest for about an hour," he said after a brief calculation, "I should be able to replenish enough mana to fight comfortably again."

Darian finally nodded.

"Then we’ll rest."

One of the adventurers immediately let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Thank goodness."

Another slowly sat down against the wall.

"I don’t think my legs would let me continue right now anyway."

Darian didn’t criticize him.

"We’ll rest for one hour. Nobody wanders off, and nobody touches anything unless we know exactly what it is."

His eyes moved toward the remains of the Windfang Beast.

"This dungeon has already shown us that it likes to hide things."

Everyone nodded.

They understood what he meant.

---

After approximately an hour, Eric slowly stood. He closed his eyes and circulated his mana.

A faint magical glow appeared around his body before gradually disappearing.

He opened his eyes.

"I’m ready."

Darian stood as well.

"Good."

The others began gathering their equipment.

Their movements were slower than before, but there was still determination in their eyes.

Darian looked at every surviving member.

"Everyone ready?"

"Ready."

"Yes."

"Let’s go."

Darian nodded.

"Then move."

The group continued deeper into the dungeon.

Their formation was tighter than before, and every step was taken with extreme caution. Eric kept the magical light floating above them, illuminating the corridor while several adventurers constantly watched the walls and floor for hidden mechanisms.

For a long time, nothing happened. The silence itself became unsettling.

They passed through several empty corridors and a number of small chambers, but there were no monsters and no traps.

Then, after walking for several more minutes, Darian suddenly stopped.

Everyone behind him froze.

"What is it?"

Darian didn’t answer immediately. He was staring ahead.

At the end of the corridor stood an enormous door.

It was far larger than anything they had encountered inside the dungeon so far.

The door was made of dark stone reinforced with thick metal bands, and strange patterns had been carved across its surface. Two enormous pillars stood on either side, covered in ancient markings that seemed to disappear into the darkness above.

There was no handle, no visible mechanism. Only the massive door standing silently before them.

One of the adventurers swallowed.

"That’s..."

Another took a cautious step forward.

"There’s no way that’s an ordinary door."

Darian slowly approached it. His expression became solemn.

"This must be the boss room."