"Buha—hum hum hum—ha ha ha!!!"
A twisted laugh echoed through the dungeon walls not the laughter of amusement, but of despair.
"Why… why does this always happen to me?" were the words that followed from the person who finally stopped laughing.
The sound came from Amane, still trapped deep inside the dungeon. Beneath her feet glowed a gigantic, colorless magic circle seemingly connected to the one that had appeared after she defeated the boss.
"In addition to this damn system that refuses to register 'teleportation' as a skill, I also had to forget my shoes." She sighed, picking up a stone and tossing it at the glowing interface it passed right through.
Her anger echoed through the empty corridors like a haunting vibration. Shaking her whole body in frustration, she muttered to herself just as something crept up behind her.
A monster lunged at her from the shadows but before it could attack, it froze. Its eyes widened as it sensed a far greater presence behind her. Turning, it spotted a small goblin wielding an axe.
The monster trembled. In that goblin's eyes shone menacing red light — demonic, overwhelming.
It dropped its weapon and instinctively burrowed into the ground, vanishing from sight.
Amane blinked, confused. "A goblin…?"
Her eyes lit up.
"A goblin that weak…? Then the exit must be close."
She brushed off her uniform — the same one from before she was summoned.
Step by step, confidence crept back in.
For several minutes, she walked through the twisting passageways. In the distance, she began to hear sounds; voices, steel, the clash of battle.
"Maybe this is a sign," she said, smiling faintly. "Fate has finally decided to help me."
She crept closer.
Shiiing! Gush! Don!
"Oh! Humans, finally!" she whispered.
Ahead, five people fought against dozens of goblins. They were well-equipped, veterans by the calmness in their movements.
"Shin, go!" shouted one of them – a man holding a shield, blocking the goblins' blows.
"Now, we finish this!" replied the swordsman beside him. Behind them, a girl raised her staff.
"I'll assist you!" she chanted briefly, and Shin's sword flared crimson as he slashed through the goblins one by one.
Another mage hurled black fireballs over his shoulder. "I've got your back!" he shouted.
Within moments, all the goblins lay dead.
"Ha… I'm tired," one of them groaned, wiping sweat from his brow.
They slit open the goblins' chests and extracted crystal stones — these ones a deep blue, unlike the purple ones Amane had seen before. She didn't pay much attention.
Only one member hadn't fought; he was carrying a huge backpack full of supplies.
"So, how many days are we camping this time?" he asked.
"At least until we reach the fifth floor," the shield-bearer replied. "There's no set number of days."
"Well then, the road ahead is still long," he said with a grin.
"Yesss!"
"Let's go!"
"I'm gonna slay every monster in sight!"
Amane watched them from behind a rock, unimpressed.
"What a lame fight… and to think I was expecting some action."
She stood up as they walked away. "No point in speaking to them. If I do, my aura of command might show" she muttered to herself.
At last — a door. Relief washed over her. Maybe… her first real victory.
"The taste of freedom… it's almost palpable."
She broke into a run.
The air outside hit her face — cold, alive.
After days in that dungeon, even a single breath felt divine.
It was as if she were rediscovering the world itself the wide, bright blue sky; sunlight warming her skin; towering trees and soft grass dotted with flowers near the dungeon's entrance.
"Finally… freedom." she whispered, stretching her arms.
Then she frowned. "Wait… there's no guard in front of the dungeon?"
Her eyes darted left and right, panic rising.
"Damn, I've seen this kind of scene before! If no one helps me at the start, that means I'm just an extra!" she cried, recalling too many fantasy stories she'd read.
"Aah… and here I thought I was the protagonist…" She sighed, slumping in disappointment.
While she sulked, a figure emerged from the forest dressed entirely in black, hood pulled low.
Amane straightened herself immediately. "Who are you, to stand before me?" she declared boldly.
The figure knelt before her like a vassal greeting a queen. A woman's voice replied:
"I am honored to meet you, Goddess."
The hood fell back, revealing a pale, serious face. Dark brown eyes, chestnut wavy hair and on her forehead, two curved horns, like those of a demon king.
"The Demon King sent me to assist you." the woman said calmly.
"So she's the one he sent. Wait, how did the Demon King, who's dead, manage to do that?" Amane wondered. "Maybe he can appear like he did with me…"
"Alright, you can rise," she said, crossing her arms. "Tell me, how did you get here so fast? I saw humans nearby — I'm sure this is human territory."
"My skill is shadow manipulation," the woman explained. "I can move through shadows and materialize anywhere they touch. But I wasn't that fast you've been in the dungeon for two days."
"What! I'm sure I was only trapped for a few hours…"
Her thoughts tangled. "Maybe my perception of time's different now… since I can live longer," she muttered, still puzzled.
"I want you to tell me everything you know," she ordered. "Actually – what's your name?"
The woman bowed her head.
"I am Eleanor, one of the five great generals serving the Demon King. From now on, I am at your disposal."
"Wow… the Demon King really doesn't do things halfway." she thought.
"My name is Amane Seiren the demigoddess who possesses ultimate power!"
"Damn… I got carried away," she thought, embarrassed.
Eleanor softly clapped her hands in admiration.
"Okay, that's… awkward," Amane muttered under her breath, though her pride wouldn't let her show it.
"Take me to the Demon Realm with your power," she ordered firmly.
"At once."
Eleanor's shadows stretched across the ground, growing larger and darker until they formed a dome around them both and then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
As if they had never been there at all.