Chapter 242 – Strategic Fallback and Renewed Spirit

Chapter 242

Strategic Fallback and Renewed Spirit

Date : Day 10 of Firstthaw 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Freedom Party stood in the Guardian Chamber of the Tenth Floor. Though it was a floating platform rather than a chamber.

Behind them, the retreat archway was still pulsing. In front of them, the Goblin Devastator still stood in the middle of the platform, unmoving.

Hyoren gritted his teeth.

“Retreat. Now.”

His party members didn't need to be told twice.

They hurried to the retreat archway, never turning their backs on the Guardian until they reached it. Hyoren placed his hand against its cold, solid surface.

Instantly, Demon God Gidol's voice exploded inside his mind.

XIXIXIXIXIXIXI! DID THE PRETEND HEROES FINALLY REALIZE THEY WERE NEVER HEROES? XIXIXIXIXI!

A pause.

And you want to retreat now? Go! And don't bother coming back! Now I know the pretend heroes are nothing but pretenders! FAKERS! XIXIXI!

Hyoren clenched his jaw and pushed the laughter out of his head.

Exit.

The world twisted.

They reappeared in the straight corridor of the Tenth Floor. The same hallway stretched out before them, exactly as they had left it. But the atmosphere was completely different now.

Nobody spoke.

They looked at each other. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were wide. The silence in the corridor was broken only by the sound of their own ragged breathing.

Hyoren's shield arm was trembling. He forced his fingers to loosen on the strap. Beside him, Jackey's tail was still rigid, his ears pressed flat against his head. Elise was staring at the floor.

Arianna was the first to recover.

Her lips were still trembling. She planted the butt of her staff against the floor to steady herself, and a thin, shaky smile appeared on her face.

“Well… My paper just got a lot more interesting.”

Nobody had the energy to answer the joke.

After a while, Hyoren's breathing slowly steadied. He looked back at the archway to the Guardian Chamber. Then back at his party members.

“That Goblin Devastator is impossible for us to defeat. It's Level 60. More than twice our average level…”

Elise gripped her Moonveil Bow tighter. She was pale, but she was calm. Her emerald eyes stayed on Hyoren, waiting. If anyone could find a way through this absurdity, it was him.

“What's the plan, Hyoren? Compared to the Goblin Ruler, this seems like a much harder hurdle to climb…”

Jackey's tabby cat ears flattened even further.

“I like challenges, Big Bro... But that's not a challenge. That's suicide.”

Hyoren nodded.

“Exactly. Level 60 is the realm of Gold-rank adventurers. Our average level is in the twenties… It would take us years of grinding to reach that.”

He gripped his shield tighter.

“It's impossible…”

He shook his head slowly.

“Gidol's joke is sick… This dungeon truly doesn't make any sense.”

He looked up at the magic lamps in the ceiling. His mind was already turning.

A Bronze-tier dungeon… with more floors than its tier, like a Silver-tier dungeon…

An inverted difficulty curve after the Fifth Floor…

And now, not even halfway down… a Gold-tier Guardian…

He turned to his party members.

“We should report this to the Guild Master. We know the Guardian's name and level because I have an appraisal skill. But not every adventurer has one.”

He gritted his teeth.

“This is Gidol's trap. He gave us boring, monotonous grinding from the Sixth Floor to the Ninth Floor. Then… this Tenth Floor…”

Hyoren paused.

Arianna's light blue eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.

“Adventurers without an appraisal skill might underestimate the Goblin Devastator… and decide to fight it!”

Jackey's ears flattened even more. He shivered.

“And they'll walk straight into their executioner…”

Elise bit her lower lip. Her shoulders were trembling too.

“This dungeon is truly sickening…”

Hyoren closed his eyes briefly. Then he opened them again.

“That's why we need to inform the Guild quickly. So no one fights that absurd Guardian.”

He started walking down the corridor, toward the Safe Room.

“Let's go, everyone.”

Arianna lifted her staff and followed him.

“Right behind you, Leader.”

Jackey walked alongside Arianna. His tabby cat tail swished slowly behind him, without its usual energy.

“Rest… Yes, please… The boring grind, and then this… I just want to rest.”

Elise glanced once toward the archway. Then she slung her bow over her shoulder and followed in silence.

It was not the first time Freedom Party had needed to retreat. But back then, against the Goblin Ruler, Hyoren had already seen a way to win before they even left the dungeon. This time, none of them knew if they could ever defeat the Goblin Devastator.

***

They didn't stay a moment longer than they had to.

Freedom Party walked straight back through the corridor to the Safe Room of the Tenth Floor. Hyoren placed his hand on the Teleport Orb, and the others put their hands beside his.

Exit.

The world twisted. And then, all at once, there was noise.

They were standing in the waiting room in front of the dungeon entrance, and it was packed. Adventurers sat in circles on the stone floor, resting their legs. Others checked their gear one last time before their dive, tightening straps and counting potions. Some simply wandered through the crowd, chatting with friends.

Along the walls, the street vendors were calling out to anyone who would listen.

“Potions! Fresh healing potions! Don't go in without one!”

“Hardtacks and Rations! Cheapest in Dungeon Town!”

“Spare blades here! Your sword broke? Mine won't!”

“Grilled horned rabbit! Hot and juicy! Eat before you dive!”

The smell of grilled meat drifted past Jackey's nose. His ears twitched once. But for the first time in a long while, he didn't even turn his head.

Freedom Party ignored them all.

They pushed through the crowd, left the tunnel, and went straight to the Adventurer's Guild branch. The heavy wooden door closed behind them as they stepped inside.

The guild was busy. Several adventuring parties were already inside, some reporting their dungeon progress to the clerks, others waiting nearby for their turn.

As usual, Freedom Party joined the queue at Sherly's counter. She was the one Ina trusted most in the Dungeon Town branch, so Hyoren always used hers.

When their turn came, the familiar sight of the blonde-haired, bespectacled clerk greeted him. Sherly's face lit up the moment she saw them.

“Freedom Party! Did you clear the Fifth Floor already? Or were there more complications like last time?”

Then she quickly raised both hands in front of her.

“But please leave the complications for Senior Ina, okay? I don't want to break down again.”

Hyoren smiled wryly as he stepped up to the counter.

Behind him, the rest of his party waited patiently. Official guild matters were always left to their leader. Arianna and Jackey stood a little to the side, whispering to each other. Meanwhile, Elise stood silently beside Hyoren, just like always.

Hyoren rested his hand on the counter.

“Well. There's definitely a complication…”

Sherly slammed her palm on the desk.

“STOP!”

Hyoren chuckled.

“Okay, okay. I'll only report the complications to the Guild Master and Ina…”

Sherly slowly raised her head and pushed her glasses back up her nose.

“Good… Okay, then…”

Her professional expression returned.

“How about you report your Dungeon Exploration Quest?”

She picked up her pen.

“Your kill tally and your loot.”

Hyoren nodded.

“Alright, Sherly. We'll report the results of our dive.”

He took out the Guild Cards of all four members of Freedom Party and handed them over.

Sherly placed the cards onto the familiar processing magic tool and began checking the Dungeon Exploration Quest recorded on each one.

Her eyes gradually widened. Then widened again. Then a third time, until they looked ready to fall out of their sockets.

“What…”

She looked at Hyoren. Then at the magic tool. Then at Hyoren again. Then back at the magic tool.

“WHAAAATTTTT?!”

Every clerk and adventurer in the guild turned toward her at once.

That woke her up. Sherly coughed into her fist.

“Ahem. Sorry. It's nothing.”

Slowly, the other clerks and adventurers went back to their business.

Sherly leaned across the counter and hissed.

“Why are there so many absurd things in your report?!”

Hyoren smiled wryly.

“But it's only the quest report, Sherly…”

Sherly coughed again.

“I know… I know… But…”

She looked down at the card and started listing everything that had shocked her.

“You cleared the Fifth Floor… Then the Sixth Floor… Then all the way to the Ninth Floor??? In ten days?? What?”

She scrutinized the numbers.

“7,900 Level 20 magic stones. One Level 21 Guardian stone. 26 Level 21 magic stones…”

She paused. She still couldn’t believe what she was reading.

“30 Level 16 magic stones. Then 140 Level 16 magic stones. One Level 16 Guardian magic stone…”

She pushed her crooked glasses back into place.

“23 Level 16 magic stones. Ten Level 10 magic stones… 80 Level 10 magic stones. And one Level 12 Guardian magic stone.”

She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Why does the level of the monsters you defeated keep going down? What?”

Hyoren opened his mouth to answer.

“Sherly…”

But before he could say another word, Sherly's eyes widened.

“Is this the complication?”

She waved both hands frantically.

“No. NO! Stop. Don't answer. Please. This is already enough to shock me!”

She processed the cards in a hurry and pushed them back across the counter.

“I don't want any more complications!”

Hyoren chuckled.

“Well… Okay then, Sherly. What about processing the loot?”

He turned to the silver-haired elf beside him.

“Elise, please hand over the loot.”

Elise nodded.

She opened her storage bag. One after another, the loot came out. Magic stones rolled across the counter and into the counting magic tool, then kept coming.

Sherly's eyebrows twitched as the pile grew. There were so many stones that the sight was almost ridiculous. Still, after working with Freedom Party for so long, she had become somewhat used to their absurdity. Especially now that she knew there were complications.

“Alright. Give me a moment.”

She operated the counting magic tool. The device glowed faintly as it worked through the enormous pile.

It took a while. Behind Hyoren, Jackey started bouncing on his heels, and Arianna placed a hand on his arm to keep him still.

Finally, Sherly looked up. She checked the number once more, as if she didn't quite trust it.

“Your total earnings are… 164,984,000 Kres.”

Behind Hyoren, Jackey's tabby cat tail shot straight up. Arianna quickly covered his mouth before a "WOHOO" could escape.

Sherly began operating the processing magic tool.

“Alright. I've updated your party account.”

She handed the Guild Cards back.

Hyoren accepted his card and put it away. A quiet sense of satisfaction settled inside him.

He saw the balance : 215,101,000 Kres.

He smiled.

“Thank you, Sherly.”

Sherly's professional smile had fully returned. She gave him a slight bow.

“My pleasure.”

Hyoren turned toward his party members. Together, Freedom Party thanked Sherly one more time before leaving the guild building.

***

Freedom Party stepped out of the guild.

The air outside was already a little warm. It still carried a chill, but Hyoren could feel that spring had arrived. Patches of snow lingered in the shade of buildings and along the edges of the road, but most of it had already thawed, leaving the cobblestones dark and wet beneath the adventurers' boots.

He looked up.

Sol, the golden sun, had been little more than a speck of dust when they entered the dungeon ten days ago. Now it hung in the sky considerably larger. Luna, the silver sun that had kept them company alone through the whole winter, had started to shrink beside it.

It's already spring… Next month, both suns will be the same size… Then Luna will keep shrinking until it's gone when summer comes…

He squinted against the warm light, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

I can't wait… Summer…

He lowered his gaze and looked at his party members. Elise stood beside him with the Moonveil Bow on her back. Jackey was stretching his arms over his head until his joints popped, and Arianna was holding back a yawn behind her gloved hand.

"Let's go home?"

Elise smiled. Jackey's tabby cat tail shot straight up, and Arianna lowered her hand with a soft nod.

Hyoren started walking toward the edge of Dungeon Town. The four of them wove through the crowd of adventurers: parties heading toward the Archway with fresh gear, porters hauling crates, vendors calling out the prices of potions and grilled skewers. At the carriage station they paid the fare and boarded the carriage that would take them back to Akela City.

With a creak of wheels, the carriage started moving.

It was empty. Freedom Party had been a little lucky. The afternoon rush, when most adventurers headed back to Akela, hadn't started yet, so they had the whole carriage to themselves.

Hyoren sat beside Elise on the bench at the far back. He preferred the privacy there, where the driver wouldn't hear their conversation over the rattle of the wheels. Arianna and Jackey sat across from them. Jackey immediately slumped back against the wooden wall, and Arianna settled beside him, smoothing her Royal Mage Robe over her knees.

Hyoren looked at the two of them. Even Jackey's usually restless tail lay limp on the bench.

"Jackey, Arianna. I know you two are tired. You can go straight home while I report to the guild."

Jackey's cat ears stood up.

"Really, Big Bro? You're the best!"

Hyoren chuckled. He knew that even if the cat-clan beastkin came along, he would spend most of the report asleep on a chair. And Arianna, who had the least stamina of the four of them, was already tired. The faint shadows under her light blue eyes said as much.

Arianna nodded. Her wide-brimmed hat swayed slightly.

"I appreciate it, Leader. Please send my regards to my Esteemed Mother in my stead."

Hyoren smiled.

"Will do."

He turned to the silver-haired elf beside him.

"What about you, Elise? Want to rest too?"

Elise smiled. She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear.

"I'm tired, yes. But I won't leave you to report alone. Fufufu."

She touched his arm lightly. Her fingers stayed there a moment longer than they needed to.

"I'll go with you."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

"Thank you, Elise."

Across from them, Jackey grinned and nudged Arianna with his elbow. Arianna covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes were smiling.

With that settled, Hyoren leaned back against the bench. The carriage swayed gently over the road, and the fields outside the window rolled past, brown earth peeking through the last patches of snow. They still had a while before they reached the city.

He reached into his storage bag and took out his Guild Card.

"We actually haven't checked our progress from this dive yet. We killed a lot of monsters, especially on the Fifth Floor."

He turned the card over in his fingers and looked at his party members.

"Let's see if we've actually gotten stronger or not…"

Jackey sat up at once, his drowsiness gone. Arianna leaned forward with interest, and Elise shifted closer to Hyoren's shoulder.

Hyoren poured Aethell into the card. The surface glowed faintly, and his private information appeared. He held it out so everyone could see.

Level : 25

Experience to next level up : 1,169/48,594

Status :

Strength : 30

Vitality : 31

Dexterity : 20

Agility : 23

Magic : 26

Skills :

Forest Walking Lvl 1

Spear Mastery Lvl 5

Throwing Lvl 3

Magic Manipulation Lvl 5

Instinct Lvl 4

Dissection Lvl 1

Magic Blade Lvl 6

Light Magic Lvl 5

Strong Legs Lvl 3

Sword Mastery Lvl 6

Shield Mastery Lvl 6

Dark Magic Lvl 5

Magic Eyes : Diagnostic Sight Lvl 2

Dual Wield Lvl 1

Indomitable Lvl 2

Spell Learned :

Basic Light Magic : Healing Light, Accel Zone, Lumen Severance.

Basic Dark Magic : Enchant Maledict, Shadow Bloom.

Active Skill :

Spear : Piercing Thrust, Meteor Thrust

Sword : Quick Slash, Sweeping Slash, Crescent Slash

Shield : Provoke, Shield Bash, Shield Stance

Throwing : Precision Throw

Unique Skill : Berserker

Blessing : Divine Protection of Twin Goddesses

Hyoren smiled at the numbers. After the Fourth Floor, where he had gone a whole dive without gaining a single level, this felt good.

Elise leaned in a little closer, her shoulder brushing his as she read.

"Level 25… up from Level 20 before our dive… It seems the Fifth Floor really is a good place to grind, huh…"

Hyoren nodded.

"Yeah. The place is safe, and there are plenty of monsters to fight."

Arianna pointed at a line on his card.

"Leader, your Dark Magic is already Level 5… That means you can learn a third-tier Dark Magic spell."

A smile spread across her face, and her eyes sparkled.

"I can't wait to see what kind of creative spell you come up with this time. Ohohoho."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

"Well, I'll consult you about it later."

He looked down at his card again and ran his eyes over the skills.

"Six of my skills leveled up too, not only Dark Magic."

Jackey nodded enthusiastically, his tail swishing against the bench.

"Big Bro's new sword skill is cool too!"

Hyoren smiled wryly. He remembered the moment well: they had just cleared the monsters on the Eighth Floor when the Voice of Aethell announced his Sword Mastery reaching Level 6, and the third active skill unlocked along with it.

Crescent Slash… With it, I can attack from a distance even with a sword. It opens up a lot of ways to fight…

He nodded.

"Yeah. The new sword skill really gives me more options in a fight."

He returned the card to his storage bag and looked at Elise.

The silver-haired elf nodded and took out her own card. She poured Aethell into it and held it up between them.

Level : 26

Experience to next level up : 44,610/51,024

Status:

Strength: 17

Vitality : 17

Dexterity : 38

Agility : 36

Magic : 22

Skills :

Bow Mastery Lvl 8

Forest Walking Lvl 4

Silent Step Lvl 7

Tracking Lvl 8

Sword Mastery Lvl 2

Dissection Lvl 3

Mapping Lvl 4

Poison Mastery Lvl 4

Trap Dismantling Lvl 5

Aethell Sense Lvl 2

Enchant Magic : Sacred Wind Lvl 2

Active Skill :

Bow : Charge Arrow, Double Shot, Tracking Shot

Sword : Quick Slash

Unique Skill : -

Blessing : Blessing of the Verdant Mother

Hyoren smiled.

"Your level went up by four, Elise…"

He read through the skills more carefully.

"And four of your skills also increased."

Elise's pointed ears twitched.

"The skills I used often in the dungeon grew quickly…"

Her emerald eyes lingered on the top of the list.

"And Bow Mastery… just two more levels until I max it."

Jackey gave her a thumbs-up.

"Elise is so strong!"

Arianna shifted on the bench, leaning forward until the brim of her hat nearly touched the card.

"And then you'll be able to evolve Bow Mastery into its advanced form, Mentor! Do you already have in mind which advanced Bow Mastery you're going to take?"

Elise tapped her chin.

"Hmm. Based on my current style… I suppose it would be Longbow Mastery?"

She traced a shape in the air with her hands, showing the length of her Moonveil Bow.

"I always use a longbow. And most of the time I'm picking enemies off from far away."

Hyoren smiled. He recalled her arrows flying across entire rooms, dropping goblins before they could attack the others.

He chuckled inwardly.

She really is a sniper… She taking enemies down before they even see her. Haha…

He turned to her.

"Are there any other choices, Elise?"

Elise looked out the window for a moment, trying to remember. The thawing fields drifted past in her reflection.

"The advanced forms of Bow Mastery, huh… There's Shortbow Mastery, Longbow Mastery, Crossbow Mastery, and lastly… Arcane Bow Mastery…"

Arianna furrowed her eyebrows. The last one had caught her off guard.

"Mentor, there's such a thing as Arcane Bow Mastery?"

Elise smiled.

"It's a rare one, because the prerequisites to unlock it are difficult…"

She traced a lock of silver hair that had fallen over her shoulder.

"It isn't exactly a secret. But most of the time, it's elves who use it, because it requires two things."

She raised one finger.

"Proficiency with the bow."

She raised a second.

"And proficiency in magic."

Something clicked in Hyoren's mind.

"So it's a magic archer…"

Elise smiled.

"Yes…"

She traced the edge of her card with her thumb, her gaze resting on the last skill in the list.

"At first, I planned to simply continue down the path of the longbow… I've never used magic. My attunement to both Wind and Water isn't high, even with the boost that comes from being an elf. But…"

Her thumb stopped on the line that read Enchant Magic: Sacred Wind.

"Ever since I got Enchant Magic: Sacred Wind, I've basically been using the Arcane Bow style. It's imbuing your arrows with your own magic."

She looked out the window again. A leaf fell from a tree where the snow had melted, and her eyes followed it for a moment.

"Maybe I should try learning some magic, so I can unlock Arcane Bow Mastery too."

Hyoren nodded in understanding.

"I see. So you either take the easy path… or the harder one, which unlocks more of the potential in one of your skills."

Elise nodded.

Arianna leaned forward so suddenly that Jackey had to catch her hat before it slid off.

"Then I'll help you learn magic, Mentor!"

Her light blue eyes were shining, and her words came out in an excited rush.

"You taught me when I was still a child! Now it's my turn to return the favor! Ohoho!"

Elise smiled softly. For a moment her expression looked far away, as if she were seeing a much smaller Arianna in front of her.

"Then… please do, Arianna."

Arianna nodded firmly. Her crimson hair swayed.

"With pleasure!"

Hyoren watched the two of them with warm eyes. Jackey quietly set the rescued hat back on Arianna's head, and she didn't even notice.

After a moment, Hyoren gestured to Jackey.

The Cat-clan Beastkin grinned and swiped his card out of his storage bag, his tail already swinging.

"My turn!"

Level : 25

Experience to next level up : 39,134/48,594

Status :

Strength : 30

Vitality : 21

Dexterity : 24

Agility : 27

Magic : 8

Skills :

Axe Mastery Lvl 5

Throwing Lvl 5

Dual Wield Lvl 6

Keen Instinct Lvl 7

Dissection Lvl 1

Strong Legs Lvl 5

Evasion Lvl 4

Physical Enhancement Lvl 3

Active Skill :

Axe: Power Slash, Rotating Slash.

Dual Wield : Cross Slash, Whirlwind Slash, Resonance Slash.

Throwing : Precision Throw, Trick Throw.

Unique Skill : -

Blessing : -

Hyoren nodded as he read.

"Your level went up by four, and you're close to leveling up again. That's good progress, Jackey."

Jackey raised his fist into the air, nearly hitting the carriage ceiling.

"I'm stronger! WOHOO!"

Up front, the driver glanced back over his shoulder, then turned around again with a shake of his head. Elise covered a small laugh, then nodded.

"Truly. His new skill has been useful too."

Jackey raised both hands and swung them through the air, crossing one over the other as if slashing with both axes at once.

"Yes! This Resonance Slash is STRONG!"

Arianna giggled.

"It suits him, too. Now he can deal with distant enemies by making the slashes of both his axes resonate and strike from afar."

Jackey grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Though the range isn't that far…"

He mimicked a throw with his left hand, his wrist snapping forward.

"If the skulkers are too far away, my Blackmaw Tomahawk is still better!"

Hyoren chuckled.

"Well, having more options is always better, Jackey."

The Cat-clan Beastkin nodded vigorously, his tabby ears bobbing.

"You are right, Big Bro!"

Arianna took her own card from her purple storage bag. She sat up straight and held it in both hands, as if presenting something at a formal gathering.

"Then it is my pleasure to show my progress as well, everyone."

She poured Aethell into it, and her status appeared.

Level : 24

Experience to next level up : 45,315/46,280

Status :

Strength : 7

Vitality : 20

Dexterity : 10

Agility : 24

Magic : 49

Skills :

Magic Manipulation Lvl 8

Aethell Sense Lvl 5

Runic Theory Lvl 5

Magic Conversion Lvl 8

Earth Magic Lvl 10 (MAX)

Fire Magic Lvl 8

Wind Magic Lvl 6

Water Magic Lvl 6

Advanced Earth Magic Lvl 1

Terraforma Magic Lvl 1

Lava Magic Lvl 2

Spell Learned :

Basic Earth Magic : Stone Bullet, Boulder Throw, Earth Wall, Earth Spikes, Sand Storm.

Basic Fire Magic : Fire Javelin, Fire Ball, Combustion, Ring of Fire.

Basic Wind Magic : Wind Arrow, Wind Slicer, Wind Barrier.

Basic Water Magic : Water Needle, Mist Fog, Water Cutter.

Advanced Earth Magic : Earth Hammer.

Terraforma Magic : Earth Fissure.

Lava Magic : Lava Surge.

Unique Skill : -

Blessing : -

Arianna smiled softly, but her eyes lingered on the list of magic skills a little too long.

"Once again, my skills didn't grow as much as everyone else's. Only my Aethell Sense and Magic Conversion leveled up… None of my magic skills increased."

Hyoren shook his head.

"But that's to be expected, Arianna. You spent over five years in the academy training your magic skills. Your skill levels started out far higher than ours. It's only natural that you've hit a plateau…"

Jackey lifted the wide-brimmed hat off Arianna's head and patted her crimson hair.

"Don't worry, Arianna!"

He gave her a thumbs-up with his other hand.

"You still got stronger!"

Elise nodded.

"Hyoren is right. As long as you keep growing, there's no need to be discouraged."

Arianna's light blue eyes grew slightly wet. She lowered her card to her lap and held it there with both hands.

"Thank you… Mentor, Leader, Jackey."

Jackey kept patting his lover's head, and Arianna didn't push his hand away. She only leaned a little into his shoulder, her hat resting forgotten on Jackey's knee.

Elise and Hyoren watched them with warm expressions. Under the bench, Elise's hand found Hyoren's, and he let it stay there.

The carriage trundled down the road toward Akela City. Sunlight slanted through the window, warmer than it had been in months, and the last of the snow glistened as it melted along the roadside.

Freedom Party had just been driven out of the dungeon. Yet their spirits felt renewed, the same way the snow was melting and spring was finally arriving. They were stronger now. And they would keep growing stronger.

***

At Akela City, they parted ways.

Arianna and Jackey headed home to Wyvern Street Manor. Jackey yawned so widely his fangs showed, and Arianna leaned against his arm as they walked. Meanwhile, Hyoren and Elise turned toward the Adventurer's Guild to make their report.

Hyoren pushed the heavy wooden door open.

The noise of the street faded at once, replaced by a quiet atmosphere.

The main hall was large and spacious. A polished wooden counter dominated one side of the room, and behind it a few clerks were working diligently. The walls were lined with massive corkboards covered in neatly organized papers. Quest papers.

It was afternoon. Most adventurers were still out on their quests. The morning crowd had come and gone, and the evening crowd had not yet arrived. The hall was quiet except for the scratching of pens.

Hyoren's boots sounded loud on the floorboards as he and Elise crossed the hall. Neither of them spoke.

Behind one of the counters, Ina looked up.

She set down her pen, left the counter, and came across the hall toward them. Her cat ears twitched. Her amber eyes went to Elise, then to Hyoren, and the cheerful greeting she had ready never came out.

"What's wrong, Hyoren?"

She tilted her head, confused. Her usually energetic tail swished slowly behind her.

Normally, Freedom Party reported their pioneering to Ina at their Wyvern Street Manor. She would write the report herself and hand it to the Guild. Hyoren never had any reason to come in person to deliver maps, or intel about monsters and the Floor Guardians.

And yet here he was, still in his dungeon gear, with Elise beside him and the same serious look on both their faces.

Hyoren nodded.

"There's an urgent report the Guild Master needs to hear as soon as possible."

Elise nodded too. For once, there was no teasing in her voice.

"We found complications in Akela Dungeon during our pioneering, Ina."

Hyoren looked up at the second floor, where the Guild Master's office was.

"Is Guild Master Fiona around?"

For a moment, Ina only looked at them. Her cat ears flattened slightly. Then she nodded. Whatever it was, she could tell it was important.

"Guildmas is in her office. Let's go."

The three of them climbed the stairs to the second floor. The wooden steps creaked under their feet. Below them, the scratching of pens went on as if nothing had happened.

Ina stopped in front of the Guild Master's office. She knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for an answer. The hinges creaked softly.

"I'm coming in, Guildmas. There's an urgent report from Freedom Party."

They entered.

The office was small and sparsely furnished: a sturdy wooden desk and several high-backed chairs. The furniture was worn and practical. Stacks of documents covered the desk, along with a cold cup of tea that had been forgotten long ago.

Guild Master Fiona sat behind the desk, her red wolf-cut hair as wild as ever.

She was writing at her desk and didn't stop. Her pen kept moving for a few more strokes before she finally looked up.

"What do you want, Ina? Why do you keep fucking disturbing me?"

Ina's tail swished.

"Language, Guildmas."

Fiona ignored her. Her blue eyes moved past Ina and landed on Hyoren and Elise.

"I'm busy. Spit out whatever report you've got. And if it's just your usual boring information about some dungeon floor, I'll end you myself."

Ina shook her head with a sigh, but she led Hyoren and Elise to the chairs in front of the desk. Then she went to one of the shelves and took out a sheet of paper and a pen. She didn't need to be told. Hyoren coming here in person was enough to tell her this needed a record.

Hyoren and Elise sat down.

Hyoren paused, wondering where to begin. There was too much to say, and he didn't want to say it in the wrong order.

Fiona clicked her tongue.

"Spit it out, fucker. Don't waste my time."

Hyoren smiled wryly. He glanced at Elise. The silver-haired elf gave him a small nod, leaving the talking to her party leader. Her hands rested still on her knees.

Hyoren looked back at Fiona.

"We have an urgent report about Akela Dungeon. You remember what the Dungeon Specialists said about the dungeon, right? About its complications…"

He paused.

Fiona's pen stopped.

She set it down on the desk. Her blue eyes narrowed, and for the first time since they entered she was truly listening. This was a matter for the Guild Master. It was also a matter for the whole territory of Akela, and Fiona Akela, the wife of Baron Akela, knew it better than anyone.

Behind them, Ina dipped her pen in ink. The faint scratch of the nib was the only sound in the room.

The red-haired Guild Master gestured with her chin.

"Go on."

Hyoren nodded. He sorted his thoughts.

Should I start with the inverted difficulty…? The monster levels dropping floor by floor…? Or the Floor Guardians…?

He remembered the Tenth Floor, the long corridor and the archway at its end, and what had been waiting behind it.

No… The Tenth Floor Guardian is more important…

He finally spoke.

"We found complications on the Tenth Floor."

Fiona raised her eyebrows.

Hyoren continued, keeping his voice calm and even.

"The complication is that the Tenth Floor Guardian is a monster that doesn't match the dungeon's classification."

Fiona narrowed her eyes even further, but she said nothing. Her fingers, resting on the desk, slowly curled into a fist.

Ina's pen had stopped moving. Her ears were turned fully toward Hyoren.

A Bronze-tier dungeon… Monsters around Level 10 to 20 on the early floors… Open to Copper rank adventurers…

Hyoren drew a long breath.

"We found a dungeon-exclusive monster as the Guardian. It's called Goblin Devastator."

He looked at Fiona. His dark eyes met with her blue ones.

"And it's Level 60."

Silence stretched across the Guild Master's office.

Ina's pen hovered above the paper, a drop of ink gathering at its tip. Elise lowered her gaze. Fiona didn't blink.

Then Fiona slammed her fist down on the desk with the full force of a warrior. The sturdy wood creaked and cracked, papers scattered, and the cold teacup tipped over and rolled off the edge. She shot to her feet and jabbed a finger at Hyoren, who stayed calmly in his chair.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?"