Deep within the Dungeon—its walls and ceiling formed from pale, ashen rock—the world seemed swallowed in a bleak shade of gray. The air itself carried a heavy, oppressive weight.
Tap-tap-tap!
Unbroken footsteps echoed through the distant cavern.
The sound drew closer. A pack of monsters came rushing backward in panic, and behind them, a group of Adventurers surged forward with weapons drawn.
Whizz!
An arrow sliced through the air, striking cleanly into the crook of a monster's leg. The creature collapsed with a thud, losing all balance.
A boot came down hard on its back. The Adventurer's twin hands raised his sword high and brought it down in one clean motion, severing the monster's head. Without even glancing at the fallen corpse, he dashed ahead, chasing the next group of fleeing beasts.
An elf archer and a dwarven shieldbearer hurried to keep pace behind him.
A hunting party of more than a hundred Adventurers chasing monsters through the deep floors—such a sight was rare indeed. Yet on the Thirty-Seventh Floor, scenes like this had become almost routine… and worse, they were growing increasingly excessive.
Boom!
A three-meter-tall golem swung its massive fist at the Adventurers charging within its reach.
Four or five dual-blade fighters darted around it, moving like wind. Sparks flared wildly where their blades scraped against the creature's stony hide. Chunks of rock had already been carved away from its heels, and its movements had grown visibly sluggish.
The golem's attacks weakened, its swings becoming slow and clumsy. Not far off, several dwarves hefted their axes and charged forward, each heavy step echoing like a drumbeat. The sound drew the golem's attention—just in time for another barrage of metallic strikes to rattle its legs and halt its motion.
The dwarves reached the creature's heels. One raised his axe high, aimed for a crack already worn into the stone, and swung down with all his strength.
Crack!
The golem's heel shattered completely. It could no longer stand.
The giant's enormous body toppled backward, crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking roar.
Four or five shadows leapt toward the fallen monster, driving twin blades into the glowing core at its chest. They retreated instantly. Then, a dwarf with a warhammer charged in and brought his weapon down hard upon the embedded knives.
Thunk!
The blades sank deep into the golem's chest. The red light pulsing beneath the stone flickered once… and went dark. The rock composing its body began to crumble away.
With a clatter of falling stone, the creature disintegrated. At the center of the rubble lay a single purple Magic Stone—several short blades still jutting from its surface.
"That thing was tough."
"Stone Golem. Its entire body's made of rock, and in this white chamber, even the walls are tougher than normal. The ones using this stuff as their core material are nearly impossible to break through."
Fortunately, their numbers weren't large.
All around, other Stone Golems were being brought down one by one. At last, with the immediate threat cleared, the Adventurers could catch their breath.
BOOOOM!
Without warning, the ground trembled violently. Those just beginning to clean up stumbled, losing their balance.
"What was that!?"
Everyone turned toward the source of the tremor. The walls shook harder, dust raining down as the floor itself quaked. Then—someone came sprinting from the distance, and behind him thundered an enormous, towering Stone Golem—larger and far swifter than any before it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Its massive frame smashed through the cavern walls as it ran, sending showers of debris tumbling down.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
The Adventurers shouted as they scrambled aside.
The creature burst into a more open area, its hulking form finally clear to see. Over six meters tall—its stony bulk alone was enough to make anyone's breath catch.
Though its body was rock, its movements were disturbingly agile. Compared to the usual golems, this one was different—larger, thicker, faster by far.
Every Adventurer watching understood instantly.
"An Enhanced Species!"
No doubt about it. This was a variant among its kind—a Stone Golem that had undergone special strengthening somewhere in the depths.
And standing before this monstrosity, ready to face it head-on, was Tsuna.
Yet something about the golem unsettled him. It wasn't just its size or power—it was the way it looked at him. As though it had come here for him alone.
That feeling only grew stronger by the second. Tsuna noticed the creature's glowing red eyes—buried deep within the hollows of its face—locked solely on him. There was intelligence in that gaze.
It's rare to see something like this…
The thought flashed through his mind as he broke into a sprint. No matter what, this thing wouldn't simply walk away. He needed to confirm what it was. But before he could act further—
The golem charged.
Man and monster collided in an instant. The golem's fist came crashing down at him like a falling mountain. Any normal Adventurer would have been crushed instantly.
A golden aura burst forth around Tsuna, boosting his speed in a flash. He dropped into a low bend, slipping beneath the descending strike by a hair's breadth. With a twist of his torso and a leap driven by sheer core strength, his hand brushed lightly against the creature's arm.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out as contact was made—something green embedded itself into the golem's arm.
Without pausing, Tsuna kicked off the limb, twisting midair as he flung several green seeds into the cracks between its rocks. Each one shot precisely into the gaps as if guided.
But the golem seized its moment. As Tsuna spun midair, unable to dodge, the creature swung upward, its colossal fist crashing toward him.
The blow should have hit square—
—but an orange flame flared to life.
BOOOOM!
The punch struck the ground with cataclysmic force, shaking the entire floor of the Dungeon as though the world itself reeled from the impact.