This chapter will contain many idiotic, impulsive, and clearly forced moments, something I find difficult to swallow in a written work, because unlike an anime we can't see the characters' faces, so please read this with an open mind. I tried my best to make it as bearable as possible, but this type of scene was necessary.
//
Luki remained kneeling at the center of the fractured stone.
The crater beneath him still smoked faintly, thin cracks spreading across the corridor floor. The air felt heavy, almost suffocating, as if the Dungeon itself had grown tense.
Slowly, he raised his head.
His long hair shifted just enough to reveal the light blue glow burning in his eyes. There was no distortion or fury in his expression, only a calm that felt far more dangerous.
— Dun… geon…
The pressure around him deepened, turning the air thick enough to make breathing feel heavier. A low tremor ran through the corridor as new cracks crept across the stone, spreading faster and faster.
He remained perfectly still, yet the force gathering around him kept growing. The blue glow in his eyes shone brighter, and with it the oppressive weight in the air intensified, as if something inside him was steadily pushing outward.
Luki slowly rose from the crater.
His sword lay a few steps away, half buried among the fractured stones. He walked toward it in silence, and with each step the pressure in the corridor seemed to grow heavier, the air tightening as if something unseen was steadily gathering around him.
When he finally reached the weapon and picked it up, the blade trembled faintly in his grip. A dim blue glow surfaced along its edge, the same cold color burning in his eyes. The runes carved into the metal lit one after another, and beneath the torn remains of his clothes the mark of his Falna shone as well, both lights resonating together in a quiet, steady pulse.
Luki began to walk.
A pale blue mist slowly seeped from his body, curling faintly around his shoulders and arms. Yet that was the least strange part. The pressure in the corridor had grown so intense that the very space around him seemed distorted; small stones lifted from the ground and hovered in the air, trembling as if caught in an invisible current.
He took another step. The blue light around him deepened, the mist thickening as it poured from his skin like vapor escaping through every pore. Whether he didn't notice it or simply ignored it was impossible to tell.
Another step.
Without warning, the ceiling shattered.
Stone exploded outward in a violent burst, cracks racing across the overhead structure as entire slabs broke apart at once. Yet none of the debris fell. The broken fragments hung suspended in the air, trembling slightly as if some unseen force was constantly pushing them away from the ground.
Luki took another ste-
— Uh?! — Luki froze mid-step.
His eyes had widened slightly, the calm expression from moments ago breaking for the first time. Confusion crossed his face as his gaze shifted without focus, his irises trembling faintly from side to side as if he were trying to look at something that wasn't truly there.
It's also worth mentioning that, with his eyes open like that, it was possible to see that they had changed color. They were no longer the usual emerald green, but a beautiful shade of sky blue.
In any case, that wasn't the most important thing. Inside his mind, something strange was happening.
Something he couldn't properly describe. A strange combination of mental clarity and headache, as if his mind had gone into overdrive.
His strange sixth sense was growing stronger. Much stronger. The change happened so quickly that for a brief moment his mind struggled to keep up, as if there was simply too much information being forced into it at once.
Fifty meters... one hundred... two hundred... three hundred...
In the past he had described that sense as a form of touch. As if he were standing in complete darkness, slowly feeling the space around him and building a rough map inside his head.
But now the sensation was completely different. The information flooding his mind was sharper, clearer, far more precise.
Five hundred... seven hundred and fifty meters... one thousands meters...
It was like a fog that had shrouded his mind seemed to dissipate, as if it had been illuminated by Buda, as if he had been blind all this time and was seeing the world for the first time.
It was overwhelming and breathtaking all at once, the kind of clarity that felt both alien and... instinctively natural, as if this was the way he had always been meant to perceive the world.
And the sensation did not stop growing.
It continued expanding outward, faster and faster, pushing the limits of his perception as the invisible reach of that strange sense stretched further into the depths of the Dungeon.
Two thousand meters! Five thousand meters!! Ten thousand meters!!!
Yet that wasn't the most important part.
As incredible and inexplicable as it was, it was obvious this was the result of a Unique Skill awakening without his awareness. The true significance lay in the information it carried.
Everything and everyone, all at once. All this, inside his mind, compressed into a single vast mental image.
A map!
Every corridor, every curve, every chamber, every hidden trap. The structure of the Dungeon unfolded before him with impossible clarity, as if its countless secrets had suddenly been laid bare. No darkness or dense fog, could obscure it.
And scattered throughout that immense structure were moving figures, complex shapes occupying space and constantly shifting. From them came faint sensations, subtle signals that his mind interpreted almost like warmth.
Luki recognized them instantly. He didn't need to think; he simply knew instinctively what each one meant.
Monsters, whether they are random monsters scattered throughout the labyrinth, or even those on the battlefield who have not yet died.
A large group of humanoid figures walking in coordination, wearing and carrying complex equipment, this could only be a group of adventurers. Strangely, wherever they passed, the path ahead was reshaped, ignoring everything.
Far away, behind dozens of layers of stone and twisting corridors, a massive dragon shaped monster remained still in the darkness, yet somehow it seemed to be staring directly toward him.
And in the middle of it all... she.
— Lili… — The name left his lips in a low, incredulous whisper.
He couldn't believe it, but he couldn't deny it. She was there; he could see her clearly.
A small, fragile body lying on the ground deep within the Dungeon, thin and motionless.
— Lili... Lili! LILI!!! — Despair, fear, determination, and hope echoed in his voice as the realization hit him.
At that moment he forgot all, completely ignored everything he was doing, his anger, resentment, his desire for revenge.
He could only think of running to her, reaching her as quickly as possible, giving her a hug and never letting go again.
And that was exactly what he was going to do.
WOSH!
Luki disappeared, leaving only a small cloud of dust where he was.
A blue flash cut through the darkness of the Dungeon swiftly. Luki was running faster than ever, practically throwing himself forward with each step. The blue in his eyes intensified as that bright blue smoke kept billowing out, as if he were evaporating.
Where was he going? How would he get to her so fast? He didn't know, nor was he in the right mind to think about it.
But somehow he knew; in his mind, a perfect route was forming on the mini-map in his head.
Left, right, left, right, right again. He took sharp turns without slowing down or doubting his path, just following it as if he knew exactly where to go.
Luki was so focused on that moment that he didn't even notice the large, dragon-like figure that had started chasing after him, running parallel to his side.
Luki was so focused that he didn't even notice that the route of that group of adventurers had changed drastically, speeding up and heading towards where he was going to pass.
Luki was so focused on that moment that he didn't even notice his hair changing color...
...
[Somewhere in the Upper Labyrinth]
A blinding flash of white tore through the darkness, bursting into existence without warning.
And then a small figure was thrown out of the light appearing high up in mid-air
— LUKI-SAMAAAAA!!! — Her voice echoed desperately, cut short as her body came crashing down.
THUD
She hit the ground hitting her head and rolling across the rough stone floor, her small frame tumbling, thankfully, the helmet absorbed the impact and preventing what could have easily been a far worse injury, but not all.
— Gah… A-AHHH!! — Liliruca gasped, her body curling instinctively as a sharp, unbearable pain shot through her side.
Her fingers trembling as they clutched her hip, pressing desperately against it as if trying to hold herself together.
She tried to move, and immediately regretted it.
— Hngh…! I-It hurts…! — Her voice broke, weak and shaking.
Lili had felt this kind of pain many times before in her life, she broke a bone, but never in such a precarious situation.
Her body was already fragile due to the curse consuming her, a fall from that height was more than enough to break something, and judging by where she's pressing with her hand, it must have been the hip bone.
Although the pain was sharp and consumed most of her attention, after a few seconds forcing herself to endure it, Lili managed to steady her breathing just enough to think. Gritting her teeth, she slowly lifted her head, her vision still blurred by tears as she tried to understand where she was.
A dark and damp place stretched around her, like any other place of the Dungeon. The natural darkness and the dense, creeping fog that almost completely engulfed his body lying on the ground only opened gaps for her already fragile, troubled mind to feel suffocated by the silence.
She looked around, still hoping it was just a mistake, a cruel joke of life, but no. The realization hit her like a hammer, she was alone, truly alone this time.
— L-Lu… Luki-sama…? — Her voice trembled as it left her lips, uncertain.
How she wished he would appear now, to give her a hug and tell her that everything would be alright, that he would get them through this like he always said, but no, he wasn't there.
Tears welled up in her eyes once more, and she lowered her head slightly as she absorbed that harsh reality.
… …
Lili flinched, the sound echoing through the damp, empty walls of the Dungeon. Her eyes scanned the space, trying to locate the source of the strange noise. Her heart raced, every muscle in her body tense, alert.
— W-what… was that…? — she whispered, her voice almost swallowed by the echo, but heavy with fear.
P... P...
The sound came again, closer this time, rhythmic, steady.
Pa... Pa...
These were steps
Her eyes widened once more, hope sparking in the darkness. Without a second thought, impulse took over.
— Help! Someone, please! Please help me! — she shouted.
She swallowed the pain shooting through her body, her breath ragged, and continued:
— Is anyone there?! I need help! Please! I-I think I broke a bone or something! Don't leave me here alone! — her words nearly breaking between tears and sobs.
The Dungeon was cruel in many ways, everyone knew that. But there was a harm few immediately noticed: the mental damage it inflicted.
The constant silence, the invisible danger, the suffocating darkness, the emotional shift of hope into despair over and over. It was an emotional rollercoaster that slowly eroded the mind, leaving anyone who passed through it fragile, dependent on any form of comfort, any small relief.
Lili was already deeply affected by this, which is why her actions lately have been so driven by emotion, which is why she cries so easily. Even disregarding the supernatural aspect of it, her psyche had already been stretched, worn thin like a rubber band ready to snap.
And that comforting presence, that smiled, that showed affection, that was familiar, her source of positivity that held everything together, is no longer there with her, leaving only the desperate need to feel something safe again.
Now, mentally exhausted, she didn't think about the consequences. She didn't consider whether what was there was actually a person, or... worse...
— Please! Can anyone hear me?! Please, help! — she begged, her voice trembling.
— I can't be alone anymore! Please, someone, find me! — tears began to fall uncontrollably, her whole body shaking.
— Luki-sama... I… I need you… please… — she cried, the memory of him and hope tangled with pure desperation.
PA…! PA...!
The footsteps grew louder, closer. Lili's heart skipped. Hope flared like fire, warm and sudden, pushing the pain and fear to the back of her mind.
— Oh… oh, thank goodness…! I thought… I thought I was alone forever… — she whispered to herself, a small, trembling laugh escaping.
For a moment she tried to crawl forward using her forearm, but the pain made her recoil.
— P-please… I… I don't know if you can help me, but… I… I've been stuck here… alone… and I'm hurt… really hurt… I-I… I can't move properly… could… could you… help me, please? — her voice cracked, desperation seeping into every word.
— I… I can pay you! I… I mean, I don't have much, but… I'll give… give anything I have! Just… please… don't leave me here… I can't… I can't do this alone… — she gasped, clutching her hip tighter as tears welled in her eyes, trembling with every syllable.
And then, finally, the figure stepped into the faint light.
It had greenish skin, small, with wiry limbs and clawed hands. Its eyes were big red orbs, and its mouth twisted in a permanent sneer. Walking around naked with only a groin cloth to cover his private parts, and carrying a kitchen knife.
It was a goblin.
— H-hello…? Are… are you here to help me…? I… I'm hurt, and my companion… he… he got separated from me because of a teleportation trap… please, if you… if you could help him too… — Her voice trailed off mid-sentence as slowly, the realization hit her. — I promise, I'll pay! Anything! I… I'll make it worth your while…
So when it finally dawned on her, when she realized how stupid she was being, it was already too late.
The goblin stopped a few steps away, tilting its head, its gaze scanning her from head to toe. It paused on the metal covering her small frame, so much metal… such a strange, heavy suit. Usually, it meant a strong intruder.
For a moment, the goblin considered turning away, pretending not to see. Perhaps the intruder would ignore him, and he might live.
Then it caught a scent, a sweet and intoxicating smell, iron, but not metal.
Blood. Fresh blood.
The realization hit the goblin, and its expression twisted. Its eyes darkened, claws flexing. Hostility flared, muscles tensing as it crouched slightly, readying for an attack.
— N-no… stay back! Please, don't… don't come near me! — she shouted, her words sharp and frantic, each syllable shaking. Her hip screamed with pain, but suddenly, it didn't matter anymore.
The goblin crept forward, low and deliberate, eyes locked on its trembling target. Every hesitant movement Lili made only fueled its confidence; the way she recoiled, the way she dared to flee, t spoke of fear, weakness, inferiority.
The corner of its mouth curled upward into a wicked grin.
— Hyaaah! — it shrieked, leaping with clawed hands aimed at her chest.
— AAAH! — Lili screamed, flailing desperately, her voice cracking in terror.
She tried to push it away, tried anything, but the creature was stronger. Lili's body jerked under each strike, her voice weakening as panic overtook hope.
— STOP!!! STOP!!! PLEASE STOP!!! HELP!!! HELP ME!!! SOMEONE HELP!!! — Lili's screams tore through the Dungeon, raw and desperate, her voice cracking as she thrashed beneath the creature. — HELP!!! PLEASE!!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!
Her struggles were frantic, but meaningless. Every push, every kick, every attempt to escape was futile. She was too weak, too slow, too broken.
The only reason she wasn't already dead was the armor.
The thin chainmail Luki had given her barely held, metal rings grinding and bending under the goblin's claws. Each strike should have torn her apart, but instead it scraped, resisting just enough to keep her alive.
The goblin noticed that to.
Its strikes slowed, its head tilting as it understood. That metal… it was protecting her. Annoying. But not enough to matter.
With a sharp snarl, it lunged forward, pinning her down completely. One clawed hand pressed hard against her chest, holding her in place, while the other reached for her helmet.
— STOP!!! PLEASE!!! DON'T!!!
CRACK
The goblin ripped the helmet off with brute force, tossing it aside.
Lili's face was exposed.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes wide, trembling, filled with pure, unfiltered terror. Her lips quivered, her breath uneven and broken.
The goblin froze for a brief moment, then its grin widened.
That expression… it knew it well. Fear. Helplessness. The look of prey that understood it was about to die.
Now it was time to eat.
The goblin opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of jagged, filthy teeth, slick with saliva.
— LUKI-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! — her scream shattered into the darkness, voice breaking, stretching, desperate beyond words.
A wet, violent sound echoed.
SHLK