Chapter 158: On the Way to the Exit, The Forest Insects

The enormous beam of light continued rising from the center of the forest.

Liam and the rest of the squad remained motionless, watching as the light pierced through the treetops and disappeared into the dungeon’s sky.

No one seemed to understand what they had just witnessed.

Lydia was the first to break the silence.

"What was that?"

Chuck shrugged.

"I have no idea."

"Me neither," Emily replied.

Carol shook her head.

Jordan simply looked up at the sky as he finished eating what he had in his hands.

"I don’t know."

Lena crossed her arms.

"So what do we do now?"

Emily looked toward Liam.

"Should we go deeper into the forest?"

Liam looked once again at the place where the beam had emerged.

He couldn’t deny that he was curious.

But he also knew that this dungeon had already shown them several times that anything could become a threat.

Before he could make a decision, a message appeared in front of his eyes.

[Pix: Liam.]

’What’s wrong?’

[Pix: The dungeon’s exit is farther ahead.]

Liam’s eyes widened.

’Are you sure?’

[Pix: Yes. According to my analysis, it is in the same direction the beam of light came from.]

Liam looked toward the rest of the group.

That changed things.

"I know where the exit is."

Everyone paid attention.

"It’s farther ahead, in the same direction the beam came from."

Emily looked toward the depths of the forest.

"Then we should go."

Liam remained thoughtful.

"The problem is that we don’t know what’s there."

Chuck stepped forward.

"I think we should do whatever gets us there faster."

Liam looked at him.

"Go straight there?"

"Exactly. We’ve already wasted enough time."

Chuck pointed toward the path ahead.

"If the exit is over there, we go straight toward it. If something shows up, we deal with it."

Liam looked at the others.

"What do you guys think?"

Carol was the first to respond.

"I think we should go around the area. If that beam came from there, there’s a good chance something dangerous is there."

Lydia nodded.

"I agree."

Lena raised a hand.

"I’d rather go around too."

Jordan shook his head.

"I’d go straight there."

Emily smiled.

"I’m with Jordan and Chuck."

Liam crossed his arms.

The opinions were split.

Three wanted to avoid the area, three wanted to go straight ahead, and the final decision was up to him.

Liam looked at the forest.

Then he looked toward the path where the beam had appeared.

’If that’s really the exit, going around could make us waste even more time.’

Besides, according to what Pix had told him earlier, this dungeon didn’t seem to have any normal concept of time.

They didn’t know how long they had been there.

They didn’t know when it would change again.

Finally, Liam made his decision.

"We’re going straight toward where the beam came from."

Lydia looked at him.

Liam continued.

"But if we see that there’s something dangerous there, we’ll try to avoid it. I don’t want us getting into another unnecessary fight."

Everyone nodded, and no one argued with Liam.

"Understood, Boss," Emily said.

Chuck smiled.

"I knew you’d make the right choice."

Liam sighed.

"Let’s go."

The squad began moving.

Deeper and deeper into the forest.

◇◆◇

After walking for a while, the forest began to grow denser.

The trees became taller, and their branches intertwined above their heads.

The sunlight barely managed to pass through them.

Liam walked at the front, observing every corner.

He didn’t want to run into another creature like the one they’d left behind.

Suddenly, something appeared in front of his eyes.

[Danger]

Liam stopped immediately.

"Everyone, stop."

The group came to a halt at the same time.

Chuck looked around.

"What’s wrong?"

"Something’s approaching."

Liam slightly raised his pistol.

The forest fell silent.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then...

Bzzzzzzzz...

A buzzing sound.

Liam looked up.

Bzzzzzzzz...

The sound grew louder.

Emily frowned.

"What is that?"

Liam began looking through the treetops.

He couldn’t see anything, but the sound continued getting closer.

Bzzzzzzzz...

Chuck didn’t wait. He pulled a grenade from his belt and threw it directly toward the canopy of one of the trees.

Lena’s eyes widened.

"Have you lost your mind?"

The grenade exploded among the branches.

BOOM!

A figure fell from above.

It slammed into the ground in front of the group and rolled several yards.

Liam immediately aimed his pistol.

It was a massive creature.

It looked like a beetle, but had a humanoid shape.

Its body was covered in a dark shell, and its limbs were long and slender.

Chuck pointed toward the tree.

"That bastard was about to attack us."

Liam didn’t respond.

He raised his pistol and began aiming toward the sky.

He was looking for something. Anything.

The buzzing hadn’t disappeared.

In fact, it was getting louder.

Lydia moved beside Liam.

She extended one hand and brought her fingers together, mimicking the shape of a gun.

Liam glanced at her.

She was preparing her [Laser Shot].

"Lydia, honey."

She looked at him.

"What?"

"We’ll protect you."

Lydia frowned slightly.

"You don’t have to pretend."

"But..."

"Please."

Lydia remained silent for a few seconds.

Finally, she lowered her hand.

"Okay."

Her expression showed that she wasn’t entirely happy about it.

But she accepted.

Lena extended one hand, and a black spear appeared in her palm.

It immediately burst into flames.

Lena looked around.

"Seriously..."

She raised the spear.

"Everything in this dungeon wants to kill us."

Carol walked over to one of the trees and placed a hand against its trunk.

Her skin began to change.

Her arms took on the same texture and appearance as the wood.

Carol flexed her fingers.

"That’s part of entering a dungeon."

She looked at Lena.

"You have to get used to everything trying to kill you."

Lena sighed.

Then another buzzing sound swept through the forest.

Bzzzzzzzz...

Everyone looked up, and this time they could see them.

A figure appeared between the trees.

Then another.

And another.

Shadows began moving among the branches.

Huge insects began descending from the treetops.

Some looked like beetles, while others resembled bees and flies.

They had long, slender bodies.

Some had transparent wings.

All of them were enormous.

And they were all heading toward them.

Jordan clenched his fists.

Emily wrapped her arms in electricity.

Carol took a fighting stance.

Lena firmly gripped her flaming spear.

Chuck pulled out one of his knives.

Lydia remained behind Liam.

The sound of the insects filled the entire forest.

Bzzzzzzzz...

Liam aimed his pistol at the creatures.

Far too many had arrived, and they didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.

Liam took a deep breath.

"Wait for my signal."

Everyone prepared themselves.

Chuck smiled.

Emily clenched her fists.

Jordan stepped forward.

Carol watched the shadows.

Lena raised her spear.

Lydia remained beside Liam.

"Yes, Boss."