Chapter 221: The Dungeon Boss, the Sand Guardian

The group began making their way back through the ruins.

Liam walked close to Emma while Lydia helped her keep her balance. The girl still looked exhausted, and every now and then, she would reach down to touch her aching leg, but she never complained.

The other hunters spread out around them, maintaining a formation that would allow them to react to any potential threats.

"Do you remember which way you came?" Liam asked.

Emma nodded slowly.

"I think so. I passed through a courtyard that looked like this one before I hid, but then I heard some noises and ran in a different direction."

"Don’t worry. We’ll find the exit."

Liam glanced at Nora, who was walking a few steps ahead while her shadow creatures explored the corridors.

"Can you check if the path is clear?"

"I’m already on it, Boss."

A small, dark creature slid across the floor and disappeared behind a collapsed pillar.

Then Nora frowned.

"Something’s wrong."

Liam stopped.

"What happened?"

"The shadows I sent ahead have stopped moving. I can’t see through them anymore."

"Did they disappear?"

"Not exactly. It’s as if something interrupted the connection."

Liam looked down the corridor ahead. Sand covered the floor and had piled up against the walls, forming small dunes between the rubble.

"Nobody moves ahead of the group. Ray, check the ground. Zayn, stay close to everyone else. If anything appears, I want everyone to protect Emma."

Chuck adjusted the knives he carried.

"And here I thought the hard part was over once we found the girl."

"Stop tempting fate, old man," Lena muttered.

They hadn’t gone more than ten meters when the ground began to tremble.

At first, it was a faint vibration, almost imperceptible. Then small grains of sand began falling from the nearby walls and pillars.

Emma clung to Lydia’s arm.

"What’s happening?"

"I don’t know yet, sweetheart," Lydia replied, stepping in front of her.

A current of air swept through the corridor. Sand rose in spirals and began gathering in the middle of the path, as if an invisible force were drawing it together.

Liam raised a hand.

"Everyone, back!"

The sand continued to accumulate. First, it formed a torso, two long arms, and legs that sank partially into the ground. Finally, a featureless head emerged from the mass.

The creature had a tall, slender humanoid shape, with disproportionately long arms. Its entire body was made of compacted sand.

Two reddish points of light appeared where its eyes should have been.

A notification appeared before Liam.

[Enemy Detected: Sand Guardian.]

[Classification: SS-Rank Boss.]

Liam gritted his teeth.

’Of course. It just had to show up right after we found the girl.’

The guardian tilted its head toward them.

Then it opened its mouth, despite having nothing resembling a jaw, and let out a harsh sound that echoed throughout the corridor.

The creature lunged forward.

"Spread out!" Liam shouted.

The team moved just as one of the monster’s arms slammed into the ground. Sand exploded in every direction, and several fragments of stone shot toward the walls.

Jordan stepped in front of Emma, hardening his body to shield her from the debris.

"Now this is downright unpleasant!"

Lucas didn’t wait for the creature to attack again. He charged forward with his enormous gloves ready and drove a punch into its torso.

The impact was powerful enough to leave a hole in the guardian’s body.

However, before Lucas could retreat, the sand began moving around his arm. The grains joined together and filled the gap, temporarily trapping his glove.

"What the hell?!"

Lucas yanked hard and managed to free himself just as the monster swung its other arm at him.

Eve raised both hands.

"Get out of the way!"

An explosion erupted in front of the guardian. The shock wave forced it backward and crumbled part of its legs.

For a moment, it seemed as though the attack had worked.

Then the sand scattered across the floor began to rise.

The fragments returned to the monster and rebuilt its legs within seconds.

Eve slowly lowered her hands.

"That’s not fair."

"We don’t need it to be fair!" Liam replied.

"We need to figure out how to stop it!"

Emily unleashed an electric blast at the guardian. The current coursed through its body, scattering some of the compacted sand, but the creature barely reacted.

Carol seized the opportunity to transform her arm and strike it with a hardened coating. The impact tore another gap in its torso, but the result was the same.

The sand reassembled itself.

"Normal attacks aren’t doing much!" Carol warned.

"Then we’ll stop attacking it like it’s a normal monster," Liam replied.

He carefully observed the guardian as it advanced. Every time it was struck, part of its body crumbled, but the grains returned to their original positions.

It didn’t seem to have any organs that could be destroyed or bones that could be broken.

’If its entire body is made of sand, we need to stop it from rebuilding itself. But how?’

The monster stretched out both arms.

Suddenly, several pillars of sand erupted from the ground and shot toward the team.

"Watch out!" Ray shouted.

He touched one of the approaching pillars and altered its density. The structure lost its consistency and crumbled before reaching the hunters.

However, two more pillars emerged behind them, blocking part of the corridor.

Liam glanced back in the direction they had come from.

The path was still open, but the guardian was positioning itself directly between them and the exit.

"Nora! Can you find another route?"

The hunter closed her eyes and sent her shadow creatures through the side passages.

"I’m looking. There’s a corridor to our left, but it’s partially blocked. If we can clear it, we might be able to get around the creature."

"Good. Ray, Jordan, clear that path. Everyone else, keep the guardian occupied."

Lydia looked at Liam.

"I can help cover them."

"All right, but don’t use up all your energy."

Lydia nodded.

She first extended several tentacles that hardened to deflect the monster’s blows. Then she unleashed a gust of wind to push some of the sand away from her companions.

The guardian turned toward her and raised an arm.

Lydia ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Now!" Liam shouted.

Lucas and Eve attacked from opposite sides. Their punches and explosions forced the creature to divide its attention, while Emily and Carol took advantage of every opening to keep it away from the group.

Meanwhile, Jordan began removing the stone fragments blocking the side corridor. Ray touched a large slab and reduced its density, allowing him to move it as if it weighed nothing.

"The path is clear!" Ray announced.

Liam looked at Emma.

"We’re moving. Stay with Lydia and don’t leave her side."

The girl nodded fearfully.

"What about you?"

"We’ll join you in a moment."

Liam had no intention of abandoning his companions, but he couldn’t allow Emma to get caught in the middle of the fight either.

Zayn appeared beside them and crouched down.

"I can carry her to the next corridor."

Liam studied him for a moment. Zayn wasn’t particularly good at stopping once he got moving, but the distance was short, and there were no major obstacles.

"All right. Don’t run any more than necessary. Lydia will go with you."

Zayn carefully picked up Emma and made his way down the newly cleared corridor. Lydia followed, keeping watch to ensure no pillars of sand appeared behind them.

When they reached the other end, Zayn set the girl down beside a wall and immediately returned to help the team.

Liam waited until he was certain Emma was out of the monster’s immediate reach.

Then he turned his attention back to the guardian.

The creature had managed to knock Lucas down. Eve kept a safe distance while preparing another explosion, and the others continued retreating toward the side corridor.

Liam watched the monster’s movements.

Every time it was attacked, part of its body scattered. But not all the sand returned immediately.

Maybe they didn’t need to destroy it.

Maybe they only needed to keep it from reaching them long enough to escape.

"Don’t try to finish it off!" Liam shouted.

"Keep it occupied and fall back toward the corridor!"

Chuck threw several knives, which the guardian caught with one of its arms. Lena created a spear of burning charcoal and hurled it at the monster’s legs, forcing it to rebuild part of its body before it could advance.

Eve’s explosions sent clouds of sand into the air, hampering its movements, while Lucas struck whenever the creature tried to approach.

Little by little, the team managed to gain some distance.

"Everyone, into the corridor!" Liam ordered.

The hunters retreated. Liam was the last to pull back, keeping his eyes fixed on the guardian.

The creature remained motionless for several seconds.

Then its reddish eyes glowed more intensely.

The sand in the courtyard behind it began to rise, forming an enormous wave that surged toward the corridor.

"Liam!" Lydia shouted from the other side.

He turned and ran.

The wave of sand slammed into the entrance just as Liam managed to cross it. The impact shook the walls and filled the passage with dust, but the structure held.

All that could be heard was the hunters’ labored breathing and the sound of sand sliding on the other side of the wall.

Liam straightened up and looked at his companions.

"Is everyone okay?"

One by one, the hunters confirmed that they hadn’t suffered any serious injuries.

Emma stood beside Lydia, trembling but unharmed.

Liam released the breath he’d been holding.

They had managed to escape the first attack, but they still hadn’t made it out of the dungeon.