A giant golden sword of light descended from the sky like divine judgment, cutting through the towering tree with overwhelming force. In its devastating sweep, it also managed to slice off half of the black dragon's body, even as the creature was already entering the 60th floor.
But at that very moment, the giant crater carved into the ground, closed.
Leon hovered silently mid-air, floating above the reformed terrain. Despite witnessing the sudden collapse and regeneration of the floor, he made no move to blast through it again.
"Did the Dungeon personally intervene?"
That was the only possible explanation for what just occurred. There was no way such rapid large-scale recovery could take place unless the Dungeon itself had actively taken part. This was no ordinary regeneration.
During their previous expedition, when the Valgang Dragon had launched an ambush, and blasted through a vertical shaft, the Dungeon had taken an entire hour to mend the damage.
But now?
It had repaired itself in two seconds, and over such a massive area. This was something Leon had never heard of before.
The Dungeon, taking action on its own, intervening to aid the Black Dragon's escape?
Even if Leon wanted to blast another hole and force his way down, the Dungeon would now stop him with everything it had. Moreover, the Black Dragon itself probably had no idea which floor it had ended up in now.
What Leon was more concerned about was something else entirely.
Just what exactly was the Dungeon planning?
It had birthed a new Black Dragon, then gone so far as to expend immense effort to ensure its escape from his hands.
Why?
Leon didn't believe that the Dungeon, after being so quiet for so long, had suddenly decided to create two Level 8 monsters for no reason and even gone so far as to sacrifice one in order to let the other escape.
This Black Dragon must be special. Special enough for the Dungeon to take such drastic actions.
"Still no clues…" Leon murmured in a low voice, his brows furrowed.
He took one last look at the pit, which had fully returned to its original appearance and then disappeared in a flash of light.
By the time he reappeared, Leon was standing in front of Finn and the others.
"Leon! What happened?"
As soon as they saw him, everyone immediately rushed over, questions flooding in one after another.
From their location, they couldn't see what had transpired inside the pit, nor could they sense it clearly. They had no idea what had happened on the battlefield just now.
Leon didn't keep them guessing. He explained everything that had just occurred. And the moment he finished, everyone's expressions grew grim.
No one had expected the Dungeon to intervene and help a monster escape. This was unprecedented, something that had never been recorded in the history of Orario and that made it all the more terrifying.
If the Dungeon was now capable of doing this, the danger level for all adventurers would multiply many times over. They were inside the Dungeon, inside the belly of the beast.
Previously, the Dungeon had always remained passive. It would spawn monsters, sure but it never took direct action.
But now?
Now, the Dungeon had intervened. This meant, at any moment, any adventurer might become prey trapped in the jaws of something far more terrifying than they'd ever imagined.
"We need to report this to the Guild immediately." Finn said, his voice heavy with urgency.
After all, it was Ouranos who had long been using his divine power to suppress the Dungeon. He would be the first to understand the implications. But even then, there was a limit.
Although Ouranos' divine suppression had dulled the Dungeon's instincts for years, the Dungeon itself wasn't without resistance.
Just like the appearance of the Juggernaut in the past, the emergence of enhanced species, and now the abnormalities on the 59th floor, each had been a form of the Dungeon's resistance.
"Yeah." Leon nodded. "We'll report it to Ouranos after we return."
"Then… should we continue on to the 60th floor?" Riveria's voice broke the silence.
Everyone turned to her. It was rare, Riveria actually looked nervous.
Leon saw her expression and immediately understood what she was worried about.
He smiled. "Yeah. It's fine. We'll keep going."
"Even though the Dungeon's shown some strange behavior, it's just the 60th floor." Finn added with a calm smile. "With our current strength, we can manage."
"Exactly, exactly. As long as we don't run into that Black Dragon again, we're more than capable of handling whatever else comes our way." Tiona pumped her fists confidently.
"That guy already ran away. It's impossible for it to show up again so soon." Tione chimed in.
"Let's keep going." Ais said softly, her voice resolute.
The rest of the group followed with similar affirmations, all agreeing to proceed toward the 60th floor.
"Thank you…" Riveria whispered, a visible breath of relief escaping her lips. Then, with a gentle smile, she offered her thanks to everyone.
She had always held deep expectations for this expedition, especially for reaching the 60th floor. There, between the 60th and 61st floors, she hoped to find something, some clue, some sign, about her long-lost mother.
She had longed to reach this place. To have it all end prematurely on the 59th floor would've been too painful.
The others offered her warm, reassuring smiles.
"Leon, get some rest. We'll head out in half an hour." Finn said.
"Understood."
Meanwhile, far above, in the temple at the surface—
Ouranos stood in silence, his face darker than ever. After so many years of exerting pressure on the Dungeon, this was the first time he had encountered something like this. The Dungeon had actively helped a monster escape.
"Ouranos… what do you think the Dungeon is planning?" Fels asked, clearly shaken by what he had seen.
He turned to face the god, who stood upon the stone altar in deep thought.
"I'll look into it once Leon and the others return from their expedition."
"But…" Ouranos paused and looked downward. "I expect the Dungeon will try to stop me. Whether I'll be able to uncover anything remains to be seen."
The truth was, since he began suppressing the Dungeon with his divine power, Ouranos had rarely attempted to probe too deeply because with each attempt to reach the deeper floors, the Dungeon's resistance would spike and the further down he tried to go, the stronger that resistance became.
Every time he touched those depths, the Dungeon reacted violently. In order to prevent a full-blown riot, he had refrained from acting recklessly.
But this time…
This time was different.
And Ouranos knew he couldn't let this go.
Even if the Dungeon was at risk of rioting, this mystery had to be investigated thoroughly.
However, it would take time, a great deal of time, to use divine power to probe the Dungeon beyond the 60th floor.
Leon and his companions were still located on the 59th floor, and they were now preparing to advance toward the 60th.
If Ouranos attempted to investigate now, stirring up the Dungeon's wrath and triggering a potential riot, it would inevitably bring immense trouble to Leon and the rest. Thus, for now, he could only wait.
***
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