Chapter 147: A Strange Dungeon

Liam opened his eyes.

For a few seconds, he couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

There were no walls.

There was no sky.

Only darkness.

An immense darkness stretching in every direction, accompanied by tiny lights floating around him like stars.

Liam slowly lowered his gaze.

He was standing on a massive stone platform.

It was circular, although several sections appeared to have been carved in an irregular manner. The surface was covered with small cracks and symbols Liam didn’t recognize.

A few yards behind him was the portal they had just crossed through.

It was a circular opening suspended above the platform, surrounded by a faint violet glow.

Liam looked ahead again.

There were other stone platforms floating in the darkness.

Some were small, while others were enormous.

All of them were suspended in the void, separated from one another by several yards.

And floating between them were those tiny lights.

They looked like stars.

Liam’s eyes widened in surprise.

He had never imagined a dungeon like this.

In fact, it didn’t even feel like he was inside a dungeon.

It felt as though he were floating through outer space.

Surrounded by stars.

Liam smiled.

After two months filled with paperwork, meetings, and new responsibilities, he finally felt that excitement again.

The excitement of standing before something he didn’t know.

Something dangerous.

Something he couldn’t predict.

"This is incredible..."

Lydia was standing beside him.

She was also looking around curiously.

"It’s beautiful."

Liam nodded.

Then he remembered something.

"Wait."

He turned to Lydia.

"Can I have my camera?"

Lydia tilted her head.

"Your camera?"

"Yeah."

Liam smiled.

"I’m feeling inspired."

Lydia let out a small laugh and extended one hand.

Her arm began transforming into a gelatinous mass, and a few seconds later, a camera emerged from inside her body.

Lydia handed it to him.

"Do you think it’s okay to take pictures in here?"

Liam took it.

"Why not?"

"Because, remember, it was prohibited."

Liam fell silent.

She was right.

The guild had certain rules regarding photography and recording inside dungeons.

"It’s just for our memories."

Liam raised the camera.

"No one else will know."

Lydia looked at him doubtfully.

But eventually, she smiled.

"Okay, honey."

Liam raised the camera.

"Now pose."

Lydia smiled.

She stood in front of him while several tiny lights floated behind her body.

Liam adjusted the focus.

For a moment, the scene before his eyes looked like something straight out of a science-fiction movie.

Darkness, stars, floating platforms, and his wife standing in the middle of it all.

’Perfect.’

Liam pressed the button.

Click.

The photograph was saved.

Liam lowered the camera with a smile.

"Perfect, as always."

Lydia laughed.

"Can I see it?"

"Of course."

Liam showed her the screen.

Lydia stared at the photograph for a few seconds.

"I like it."

"I knew you would."

Lydia looked up.

"But..."

"What?"

"Why haven’t the others come in yet?"

Liam’s smile disappeared as he looked behind him.

The portal still looked exactly the same as before.

There was no one there.

"You’re right."

He walked a few steps closer.

He stared at the violet opening.

"What are they doing?"

Lydia shrugged.

"I don’t know."

Liam returned to her side.

"Maybe they’re arguing over who goes in first."

Lydia let out a small laugh.

"Chuck is probably trying to get someone else to go ahead of him."

"Probably."

Liam handed her the camera.

Lydia extended her hand.

Her body began to deform slightly, and the camera disappeared into her gelatinous mass.

[Storage Slime]

The skill Lydia used to store objects inside her own body.

Liam smiled.

"Good."

The two of them sat down on the platform.

Liam rested his arms on his knees as he watched the portal.

A few seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Then another, and still no one appeared.

Liam sighed.

"They’re really taking their time."

Lydia looked at him.

"Maybe they’re waiting for you to scold them."

Liam burst out laughing.

"Scold them?"

"Yeah. You’re the sub-captain now."

Liam smiled.

"I suppose I should tell them to arrive on time."

"You could."

"Maybe I should start enforcing some discipline."

Lydia laughed again.

"You’re taking your new position very seriously."

Liam shook his head.

"I’m joking."

Lydia looked at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Liam leaned back on the platform.

"You know that’s not really my style."

Lydia smiled.

"That’s what I thought."

Then a message appeared before Liam’s eyes.

[Your Slime has consumed Camera.]

Liam froze completely.

He blinked and read the message again.

[Your Slime has consumed Camera.]

Liam slowly turned his head toward Lydia.

"Lydia?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just...?"

Liam pointed at her body.

"Did you accidentally consume my camera?"

Lydia’s eyes widened, and she began laughing.

"Is that another one of your jokes?"

"No."

Liam quickly shook his head.

"It’s not my joke."

He pointed at the message in front of him.

"If anything, it’s Pix’s joke."

Lydia stopped laughing.

"Pix?"

"Yeah."

Lydia frowned.

"I didn’t consume it."

She extended one of her arms.

Her limb transformed back into a gelatinous mass as she tried to retrieve the camera.

But instead of the camera...

Several tiny mosquitoes shot out of her body.

[Mosquito’s Horde]

Lydia stared at the insects.

Liam did too.

The mosquitoes began buzzing around them.

Liam burst out laughing.

"So you’re the one making jokes?"

"No!"

Lydia waved her arms, trying to swat the mosquitoes away.

"I don’t know what happened."

Liam continued laughing.

"Where did they come from?"

"I didn’t mean to do that."

Lydia closed her eyes in embarrassment.

"I’m sorry."

Liam raised a hand.

"Don’t worry about it."

But before he could say anything else, he looked toward the portal.

It was still empty, and none of his teammates had appeared.

Something wasn’t right.

Liam stopped smiling.

Then he looked up.

"Pix."

He received no immediate response.

"Are you there?"

A moment later, the system chat appeared.

[Pix: I’m here.]

Liam sighed.

"Are you playing a joke on us, or did Lydia really swallow the camera?"

Lydia looked at him with concern.

Pix responded.

[Pix: I didn’t make a mistake this time.]

Liam raised an eyebrow.

[Pix: Lydia really did consume the camera.]

Lydia went completely still.

"I consumed it?"

[Pix: Yes.]

Lydia lowered her head.

"I don’t know what’s happening to me..."

Liam moved closer and placed a hand on her.

"Don’t worry."

Lydia slowly raised her gaze.

But she still looked sad.

"I’m sorry, honey."

"It’s okay."

"But we probably lost the picture you took of me."

Liam smiled.

"We have our whole lives for me to keep taking pictures of you."

Lydia looked at him.

"But that was the camera your parents gave you."

Liam remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

"That’s true."

Lydia lowered her gaze again.

But Liam gently patted her head.

"But I know you didn’t do it on purpose."

Lydia smiled a little.

"Thank you."

Liam looked at the portal again.

Still, no one appeared.

The situation was beginning to seem stranger and stranger.

’Why haven’t they arrived yet?’

They hadn’t been inside the dungeon for very long.

And yet, something seemed to be preventing the others from reaching them.

Liam crossed his arms.

"Pix."

[Pix: Yes?]

"Can you tell me what kind of dungeon this is now?"

There was a brief silence.

Then a new message appeared.

[Pix: Beginning analysis.]

Liam waited a few seconds.

Lydia sat down beside him.

Liam looked at the floating platforms again.

The tiny lights continued drifting slowly through the darkness.

"How long will it take?"

[Pix: The analysis may take a while.]

Liam let out a small laugh.

"Well, we’re not in a hurry."

Lydia looked at him.

"Really?"

Liam pointed at the empty portal.

"It seems the others don’t want to work."

Lydia laughed.

"Maybe they’re late again."

"That would be just like Chuck."

The two of them laughed again.

But their peaceful moment didn’t last long.

The system chat appeared before Liam’s eyes once more.

This time, the message was different.

[Pix: Analysis complete.]

Liam straightened, and his smile disappeared.

[Pix: You are not inside a normal S-Rank dungeon.]

Liam frowned.

"We already knew that..."

The next message appeared slowly.

[Pix: It appears that the dungeon is undergoing an alteration.]

Liam remained motionless.

He looked at the platforms, the lights, the portal, and the enormous stone structures suspended in that darkness.

Something was happening.

Something even James hadn’t been able to detect from outside.

Liam swallowed.

"An alteration?"