Chapter 161: The Center of the Forest, the Crystal Flower, and a Talk About Family

After walking between the trees for several minutes, the forest began to change.

The trees became less dense, and sunlight began to filter through more easily.

Liam was the first to notice that they were approaching somewhere different.

"I think we’re close."

Jordan was walking a few meters behind him.

The small orange-furred sub-boss followed him like a puppy.

Jordan carried a bag of crackers in one hand, giving one to the little monster every now and then.

After handing it one, he would take another for himself.

"I need to recover my energy too."

The creature seemed to completely agree.

It sniffed the next cracker and waited patiently.

Chuck watched the scene.

"This is ridiculous."

Jordan looked at him.

"What is?"

"An SS-Rank Dungeon sub-boss following you around so you can give it crackers like it’s your pet."

Jordan smiled.

"I think it likes me."

The creature wagged its tail.

Lena let out a small laugh.

"It definitely likes you."

Finally, the group emerged from the denser part of the forest.

Everyone stopped.

In front of them was a huge open area.

A sort of clearing.

But it wasn’t a normal clearing.

There were bushes everywhere.

And instead of berries or small fruits, crystals grew from them.

Crystals of different colors.

Some were as small as stones, while others were the size of a hand.

They all reflected the sunlight, filling the area with tiny flashes of light.

But that wasn’t the most surprising part.

In the center of the clearing stood an enormous flower.

A flower made entirely of crystal.

Its petals were transparent and shone with increasing intensity.

It looked as though it was absorbing the sunlight.

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"It’s beautiful..."

Everyone fell silent.

Even Chuck stopped joking.

The enormous flower was shining incredibly brightly.

Every time it received sunlight, its petals glowed with greater intensity.

Liam took a few steps forward.

"What is this place?"

Then a message appeared in front of his eyes.

[Pix: Liam.]

Liam smiled slightly.

’I already know what you’re going to say. That I’m getting myself into trouble again.’

[Pix: That flower is the dungeon’s exit.]

Liam blinked.

’The flower?’

He looked at the enormous crystal structure again.

It didn’t look like a portal.

There was no opening.

It didn’t even look like there was a door.

’How can that be the exit?’

[Pix: The portal isn’t inside the flower.]

Liam frowned.

[Pix: The portal is the beam of light the flower releases once it has accumulated enough energy.]

Liam looked toward the sky and remembered the beam they had seen earlier.

’So... that beam was the portal?’

[Pix: Exactly.]

Liam looked at the flower again.

[Pix: According to my analysis, you will have to wait approximately one hour for it to release enough energy again.]

Liam sighed.

One hour.

After everything they had been through, waiting for an hour didn’t seem like too much.

He looked around.

The forest was quiet. There were no insects, no signs of other sub-bosses, and the little orange monster seemed far too busy following Jordan to cause them any trouble.

"All right."

Everyone looked at him.

"The exit is here."

Emily smiled.

"Really?"

Liam pointed at the flower.

"The little pixie in my system says that flower is the exit. Once it gathers enough energy, it’ll release the beam of light again, and we’ll be able to leave."

Chuck looked at the flower.

"How long?"

"An hour."

Chuck’s shoulders dropped.

"An hour?"

Emily sighed.

"I just want to get out of here."

Lena let out a laugh.

"These old men can’t handle anything."

Chuck looked at her.

"Old men?"

Emily pointed at herself.

"Who are you calling old?"

Lena smiled.

"You two."

Carol raised a hand.

"I want to get out of this dungeon too."

Lena looked at her.

"You too?"

Carol sighed.

"Yes."

Liam pulled out his phone and set a timer.

Exactly one hour.

Then he put his phone away.

"We’ll wait."

He dropped to the ground.

The rest of the group did the same.

Jordan sat down while continuing to share his crackers with the little sub-boss.

The creature settled down beside him.

Lydia sat beside Liam.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to fight right now.

They didn’t have to run.

They didn’t have to desperately search for an exit.

They just had to wait.

◇◆◇

A good amount of time had passed.

The sun continued shining over the clearing, and the enormous crystal flower kept slowly absorbing the light.

Everyone was lying down or sitting around.

Chuck looked up at the sky.

"We should’ve brought a deck of cards."

Emily laughed.

"A deck of cards?"

"Yeah. Or some kind of board game."

Chuck sat up.

"To pass the time."

Emily smiled.

"That’s not a bad plan for a dungeon trip."

Lydia began laughing.

"That reminds me of when I used to get together with my family."

Lena turned her head.

"With your family?"

"Yeah."

Lydia smiled.

"We’d get together for barbecues and play board games."

Emily smiled.

"That sounds fun."

"It was."

Lydia looked at Liam and smiled.

"Although Liam always lost to my dad."

Liam immediately raised a hand.

"That’s not true!"

Lydia began laughing.

"Yes, it is."

"Your dad is really good at games."

"You always said you were letting him win out of respect for your father-in-law."

Liam laughed.

"Because it’s true."

Carol raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Liam crossed his arms.

"If I’d ever played seriously, I would’ve beaten him easily."

Lydia let out another laugh.

"You’re lying."

Liam smiled.

"Maybe."

"I knew you were lying."

The others began laughing.

Carol looked at Lydia.

"You don’t go to those family gatherings anymore?"

Lydia’s expression changed. Her smile slowly disappeared.

"Unfortunately, no."

The atmosphere became a little quieter.

Liam looked at her.

"It’s not something we talk about much."

Lydia lowered her gaze.

"I’m estranged from my family. They didn’t support some of the decisions I made about my life, so we decided to distance ourselves."

Nobody said anything.

"Now the only person I have is Liam."

Liam gently took her hand.

Lydia continued.

"Although I’ve always liked big families."

Emily and Carol looked at each other.

Then they both began laughing.

Lydia looked at them.

"What?"

Emily smiled.

"Nothing."

Carol laughed.

"It’s just that it sounds like you’re saying you want to have lots of kids with the Boss."

Lydia fell silent.

Liam turned red.

"Well..."

Everyone looked at him.

Liam cleared his throat.

"I think one or two kids would be fine."

Lydia slowly turned toward him.

She had a huge smile on her face.

Liam saw her expression and became even more nervous.

"But..."

Lydia continued smiling.

Liam sighed.

"I’d have as many kids as you wanted."

Lydia’s eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Chuck raised his hand.

"Boss, you don’t have to worry about money."

Liam looked at him.

Chuck continued with a completely serious expression.

"Whether you have one, two, or ten kids, your job is enough to give all of them a good life."

Liam stared at Chuck.

"Ten?"

Chuck nodded.

"Ten. Not bad, right?"

Lydia began laughing.

"Then I like the idea of having ten kids."

Liam turned completely red.

"Y-You mean it?"

The entire group burst out laughing.

Emily covered her mouth.

Carol let out a loud laugh.

Chuck slapped the ground as he laughed.

Even Jordan smiled as he gave the little sub-boss another cracker.

Lydia moved a little closer to Liam.

"Maybe."

Liam didn’t know where to look.

"I think we should start with one."

Lydia smiled.

"Okay."

Then she gently rested her head against his shoulder.

For a few seconds, Liam forgot they were inside a dangerous SS-Rank Dungeon.

He forgot the monsters.

He forgot the sub-bosses.

He forgot the strange way that dimension worked.

All he could think about was that conversation.

A home.

A family.

And a future that seemed much closer than he had ever imagined.