Chapter 222: The Sand Guardian’s Core

Dust still hung in the corridor as Liam got to his feet and checked that everyone was all right.

The wave of sand had struck the entrance with enough force to shake the walls, but fortunately, the passage had held.

On the other side, the guardian was still moving.

"Is everyone okay?" Liam asked.

"No serious injuries," Jordan replied, brushing the dust off his shoulders.

Lucas raised his enormous gloves.

"I think I’m still in one piece. Although I’d much rather fight something that doesn’t rebuild itself every time I punch it."

"Believe me, so would I," Eve remarked.

Liam looked toward the other end of the corridor. Emma stood beside Lydia, clutching her hand. The girl was trying to be brave, but the trembling of her legs made it clear that she was terrified.

They couldn’t stay there.

"Nora, did you find another way out?"

The hunter closed her eyes and sent several shadows through the nearby corridors.

"There’s a passage that seems to lead to an open area of the ruins. I can’t guarantee it’ll take us back to the entrance, but we can make our way through there."

"Good. I want everyone ready to move. We’re not going to try to clear the entire dungeon."

Liam turned toward Emma and crouched down to meet her at eye level.

"I need you to follow the group’s instructions. We’re going to get you out of here, okay?"

The girl nodded.

"What about that monster?"

"We’ll take care of it."

Liam stood up and studied the corridor.

The guardian was already approaching the entrance. Its silhouette had been completely restored, and its red eyes glowed through the cloud of dust surrounding it.

Then the creature tilted its head and attacked again.

Sand surged down the corridor, covering the floor and climbing the walls. Liam barely had time to raise an arm before a mass of sand slammed into the entrance.

"Move!" he shouted.

Ray touched a section of the wall and altered its density, preventing the dislodged fragments from falling on his companions. Jordan stepped in front of Emma while Zayn helped her move toward the corridor Nora had identified.

Lydia stayed beside the girl until Emily and Chloe arrived to escort her.

"Go with them," Liam ordered the rest of his squad.

"Nora, lead the group. Ray and Jordan, protect the rear. Don’t stop until you reach a safe area."

"What about you?" Chloe asked.

"I’m going to deal with the guardian."

Chloe frowned, but she understood that Liam wouldn’t change his mind.

"You’d better come back."

"That’s the plan."

Lydia approached her husband as the others began to withdraw.

"I’m staying with you."

Liam looked at her. He had expected that answer.

The slime hunter smiled briefly before shifting into her slime form and sliding across the floor to avoid the sand covering the corridor. A moment later, she resumed her human form beside Liam.

Lucas and Eve moved to stand beside them.

"I guess we’re not leaving just yet either," Lucas said.

"After all, we were assigned to this mission," Eve added.

"It’d be pretty embarrassing to leave the boss to handle everything himself."

Liam acknowledged their decision with a nod.

However, his attention remained fixed on the guardian.

The creature advanced toward them.

Liam watched as Lucas punched one of its arms while Eve blew it apart with an explosion. The result was always the same: the sand scattered, then returned to its original position.

But something didn’t add up. The red eyes.

Even when the guardian’s body crumbled, those two lights remained visible for a few moments. They didn’t disappear with the sand or change position until the creature began rebuilding itself.

’Wait a minute...’

Liam remembered the monster they’d found inside the stone container. That creature had also remained hidden until someone got too close. And although it looked different, something about both encounters felt familiar.

The monster inside the jar hadn’t been the container itself.

It had been hiding inside it.

Liam looked at the guardian again.

’What if it’s the same here? What if the sand isn’t the monster, but some kind of armor?’

His eyes settled on the reddish lights.

’The real body must be in there. An energy core that controls all that sand.’

A smile appeared on his face.

"Lydia!"

She dodged an arm that tried to crush her and looked toward him.

"What is it?"

"I think I’ve figured out how to defeat it."

"I hope your plan is better than punching it until it gets tired!"

"Much better. I need you to use your new ability."

Lydia immediately understood what he meant.

"Energy Crystallization?"

"Exactly. If my theory is right, those red eyes are the manifestation of a core that controls all the sand. If you can crystallize it and then absorb it, the guardian should disappear."

Lydia looked at the monster.

"And how exactly am I supposed to reach that core?"

Liam turned toward Lucas and Eve.

"We’ll clear a path for you."

Lucas grinned and slammed his gloves together.

"Now that’s something interesting!"

Eve raised her hands, gathering energy to prepare her explosions.

Liam looked at Lydia one last time.

"Don’t approach until I give you the signal. When you find the core, focus on crystallizing it. We’ll keep the sand away from you."

Lydia nodded.

"Understood."

The three hunters advanced.

Lucas attacked first. His punch tore through the guardian’s torso, scattering an enormous amount of sand. Eve took advantage of the opening to trigger a side explosion, forcing the creature backward.

"Lydia, now!"

The slime slid between them, keeping close to the ground while the two hunters continued attacking the monster.

Liam fired several shots to deflect the arms trying to close around her. Whenever a mass of sand threatened to block her path, Lucas knocked it aside with his gloves, or Eve scattered it with a controlled explosion.

Little by little, Lydia drew closer to the red eyes.

Then the guardian reacted.

Its entire body disintegrated, transforming into a sandstorm that spread throughout the corridor. The grains swirled around Lydia, forming a sphere that tried to trap her inside.

"Lydia!" Liam shouted.

"I’m fine!"

The slime adopted a more compact form and hardened part of her surface to withstand the impact. However, the pressure continued to increase, and the sand began to cover her completely.

Liam felt his heart pounding.

"Lucas, open up the right side! Eve, I need an explosion right in front of Lydia!"

Both reacted immediately.

Lucas struck the mass of sand, opening a gap through which Lydia could advance. Eve unleashed a precise explosion that scattered the grains accumulating in front of her.

The slime seized the opportunity.

Instead of trying to return to her human form, she slid straight toward the center of the storm.

There were the red eyes.

And between them was a small sphere of energy, glowing far more intensely than the rest of the creature.

’There it is!’

Lydia extended one of her appendages and pressed it against the sphere.

The sand reacted violently. Several arms emerged around her, trying to force her away, but Liam and his companions intercepted them.

"Don’t let it get near her!" Liam shouted.

Lucas delivered another blow to the guardian’s torso. Eve blew apart the sand trying to surround Lydia.

The slime wrapped her tentacle around the core.

Then she activated her new ability.

[Energy Crystallization.]

A thin crystalline layer began spreading across the energy sphere. The core emitted a reddish glow, and the sand thrashed even more violently.

Lydia felt the energy resisting her, but she refused to stop.

Finally, the core was transformed into a compact crystal.

The sand lost its cohesion.

The guardian’s arms disintegrated, its legs sank into the ground, and its enormous body began collapsing in on itself.

Lydia absorbed the crystal before it could fall to the ground.

For a moment, light coursed through her slime body.

Then the guardian crumbled completely.

[Your Slime has consumed the Sand Guardian’s Energy Core.]

[Your Slime has leveled up to Level 75.]

Liam stared at the messages in amazement.

"You did it!"

Lydia returned to her human form and smiled, although she was breathing somewhat heavily.

"I think so."

Lucas looked at the pile of sand covering the floor.

"So... does that mean we won?"

Liam waited a few seconds, watching for any movement.

The sand remained still.

"Yes. The guardian has been defeated."

Eve let out a sigh of relief.

"Perfect. Now I’d like to get out of this dungeon before another monster made of something impossible to hit shows up."

Liam approached Lydia and took her hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I’m tired, but that’s all."

"And your copy?"

Lydia briefly closed her eyes, checking that she was still connected to the copy she’d left at home.

"Everything’s fine. The twins are still with her."

Liam smiled in relief.

They had found Emma, defeated the guardian, and prevented any of their companions from suffering serious injuries.

Now there was only one thing left to do.

"Let’s go," he said, looking toward the corridor where his squad had gone.

"We have a little girl to return to her father."