62nd day of the labyrinth expedition, Dragon's Lair.
About 30 minutes before reaching the portal to the 8th floor.
「The ring has detected the character's fate.」
The Traffic Light Ring lit up.
"Mister, it's red!"
Yeah, it's a red event.
I had hoped for at least a little green...
Damn it.
"...What should we do? Should we change direction?"
Erwen asked nervously.
We had been avoiding red events and Goblin's premonitions by changing direction...
But...
"It's too late to change our destination."
"I know, but..."
We were surrounded by flas.
Even if we ran, the flas would only close in on us.
There was only one way out.
To break through the flas.
"Parab, what's wrong?"
Goblin approached , a troubled look on his face.
"I... I feel safer near you, Leader..."
Safer near ?
That's a bit insulting...
But I let it slide.
He had been helpful so far.
"How do you feel?"
"I can't breathe... It's like... we're entering a burning forest..."
"Really? But why didn't you say anything? You always suggest changing direction when you feel uneasy."
"I... I feel uneasy, but... I also feel like this is the right path..."
I see...
"The portal is just ahead! Everyone, speed up!"
I ordered the expedition to speed up.
And after a while...
"There's the portal!"
The portal shimred in the distance, emitting a five-colored light.
And...
"...Enemies!"
The portal's light illuminated the area, revealing a group of enemies.
About 40 explorers.
They were also heading towards the portal.
"Royal bastards!!"
"They really ca this way!"
They had spotted us as well.
Damn, how did they know we were here?
As I was wondering, a familiar face appeared among them.
"You...!!"
Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.
"I knew you would co this way!"
He knows as well as I know him.
What a persistent connection...
"This is the end of the line for you rats!"
What? He's acting like he's cornered us.
'Good thing we sped up.'
I was glad I had made that decision 20 minutes ago.
If we had hesitated, we would have been surrounded by now.
"Don't just stand there! Run!"
We ran with all our might.
We were heading east, towards the portal.
They were heading north, also towards the portal.
"Run!"
We had to reach the portal first.
They were also running desperately.
'We're faster.'
We were closer to the portal.
"Damn it, what are you waiting for?! Attack!"
They started attacking us with ranged skills.
They had the numbers advantage.
Whiiiiiish! Boom!
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Arrows and abilities rained down on us.
"Faster! If we fall behind, we're dead!"
"M-my legs...!"
"Damn it! Get on my back!"
"But..."
"Now!"
I could endure the attacks, but the others couldn't.
"Ugh!"
One of the mbers was hit and injured.
And...
"Just hold on! We'll heal you soon!"
Another mber carried him on his back.
'Damn it, we're going to lose people at this rate...'
I gritted my teeth, and then...
A giant shadow appeared above us.
「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has summoned [Dicloe, the Dark Spirit King].」
Erwen had summoned her trump card.
Dicloe, the Dark Spirit King.
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
The Spirit King unleashed a barrage of dark energy.
It was overwhelming.
But it wouldn't last long.
The maximum duration was 5 seconds.
But it was enough.
"Run!"
"We're clear! Go ahead!"
We rushed through the gap created by the Spirit King's attack.
And...
Kwaaang!
The Spirit King was unsummoned, and Erwen stumbled.
"Mister, you're here..."
"Of course."
The other mbers had already entered the portal.
I carried Erwen on my back and ran towards the portal.
And then...
"You think you can escape?!"
His voice ca from behind us.
He was fast.
But too late.
Tadat.
I jumped into the portal.
「Entered the 8th-floor Dawn Land.」
I rolled on the ground and opened my eyes.
The other mbers were waiting for .
"L-Leader..."
They lowered their weapons as they recognized .
But then...
"The portal... it's glowing!"
They raised their weapons again.
We had all entered.
It ant soone else was coming.
'He followed us...'
Damn it, he's fearless.
But we didn't have ti to be scared.
"Battle formation!"
"Kill them all!"
We had to stop them before they could enter.
"He's here!"
"Kill them...!!"
We were ready.
_______________________________
I stand before the portal.
Or rather, I stand guard before it.
Hamr in one hand, shield in the other.
"..."
Alongside my teammates, ready to unleash their skills and weapons at a mont's notice.
"...It's too quiet. It's unsettling."
It's been over an hour since we barricaded the portal.
During that ti, the portal only spat out enemies once.
Right after we entered the 8th floor, when Dragonslayer and his n arrived simultaneously.
'I should have killed him then.'
We killed eight of his n, but unfortunately, we let Dragonslayer escape.
He was caught off guard by the entrance blocking tactic and retreated to the 7th floor, abandoning his n.
Since then, this eerie silence has persisted.
Like the calm before a storm.
'They're probably waiting to attack with a larger force.'
Once they gather enough troops, they'll try to push through.
And when that happens, we won't be able to hold them off, even with the entrance blocking tactic.
Well, I never planned to stay here forever anyway.
All I needed was ti to regroup.
And thankfully...
"Schuitz, the injured have all recovered."
"Food and supplies?"
"We've gathered everything we have and loaded it onto the sleds."
We were ready to enter Ice Rock.
But I decided to push a little further.
"We'll hold the line here. Everyone, take turns resting."
"...As you command."
Kaislan ordered the exhausted mbers to rest, and Akuraba approached .
"Shouldn't we leave soon? It's dangerous to stay here."
Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Akuraba's expression was grim.
Her gaze kept shifting towards the portal, her anxiety evident.
"...Schuitz, you know they could return at any mont."
Noark's elite force was currently exploring the 8th-floor rift.
If they cleared it and returned, we would be trapped.
'Well, at least we're lucky so far.'
My biggest concern was encountering them right after entering the 8th floor.
It was a slim chance, but a possibility nonetheless.
'The problem is, we don't know when they'll be back.'
It's like standing on a ti bomb.
If we're unlucky, they'll erge from the portal at any mont and wipe us out.
But...
"We've been marching for days without sleep. They'll collapse before they even reach the center of Ice Rock."
We had no choice.
Akuraba understood and left without further argunt.
And then, after about 12 hours...
Swaaaaaaaa!
The portal shimred, spitting out a Noark explorer.
He wasn't even wearing his armor, and he was imdiately killed by the guards.
"Just one...?"
"...A scout?"
It was a typical Noark tactic.
If the scout died, they would know we were still blocking the entrance.
If he survived, he would report back.
'But even Noark wouldn't keep sending scouts.'
I contemplated briefly and made my decision.
They wouldn't send another scout for at least an hour, maybe even three.
And we had rested enough.
"Everyone, get up and get dressed!"
Thirteen days until the labyrinth closed.
"We're entering Ice Rock!"
It was ti to face the final chapter.
_______________________________
The 8th-floor Dawn Land.
A peaceful expanse of green hills and adows.
But the atmosphere was far from serene.
The explorers gathered there were surrounded by an air of bloodlust and tension.
"Tell again. Cale Elbad Jeneger. What did you just say?"
"Give up, Vagos. We've already lost them."
"What?!"
Dragonslayer grabbed the man by the collar, but he didn't back down.
"It won't change anything. It's suicide to follow them into Ice Rock without any preparation."
"What are you talking about? We outnumber them by a large margin! If they could do it, why can't we?"
"You're saying that because you don't know Ice Rock. Numbers are aningless there. They'll only hinder our movent."
"..."
"I'm sure you're wondering if we could send an elite force. But that's also dangerous. They were able to escape because they were surrounded by enemies. If we follow them with a small group..."
"You're saying we'll be ambushed? By them?"
"Yes. They are... especially their leader. He's a monster—"
The man answered firmly, and Dragonslayer tightened his grip.
"Ugh...!"
"You worthless trash."
Dragonslayer's eyes were filled with killing intent.
The man, realizing his imminent death, blurted out,
"The Captain will hear about this—"
"The Captain, that damn Captain."
"Ugh—!"
"Do you think he'll choose you over ? Will he kill for this?"
"N-no..."
The man's body went limp, his blood flow constricted.
He would have died if Dragonslayer hadn't let go.
"Tsk."
Dragonslayer threw the man to the ground and spat.
He had lost control montarily, but he couldn't kill him.
He was a useful asset, despite his annoying habit of talking too much.
That's why the Captain favored him.
"Damn it..."
Dragonslayer clenched his fist, his anger still simring.
The other explorers looked down, avoiding his gaze.
But Dragonslayer's mind was cold.
'...He's right.'
If they couldn't overwhelm them with numbers, it was too dangerous to follow them into Ice Rock.
They were all elite, even if they weren't as strong as him.
'And Cale is the most competent one among them.'
If he had to push himself and use Dragon Speech, his recovery would be delayed.
It would take months to fully heal.
'The Captain will be furious.'
He would be risking everything.
But...
'Am I supposed to let them go? That bastard...?'
The thought was unbearable.
It wasn't just about revenge.
He had learned from experience.
[You always hesitate. When you need to make a decision, when you need to take a risk.]
He had ended up in that state because he had hesitated.
He had been crippled and lost his mories.
He had to endure over a year of humiliation and pain.
He couldn't let that happen again.
'I have to kill him.'
He couldn't give him any more ti.
He had to end this grudge, no matter the cost.
That was the only way to ensure his own survival.
As he reached that conclusion...
Swaaaaaaa!
A warm spring breeze swept through the plain, swirling into a vortex of light.
It ant only one thing.
"...A rift! A rift is opening!"
Noark's elite force, secretly trained and nurtured.
They wouldn't even touch a 4th-grade essence.
'Those lucky bastards.'
That was Dragonslayer's assessnt.
They were receiving countless resources and support because of their potential and their empty essence slots, while everyone else had to struggle from the bottom.
'Well, it's good timing.'
Dragonslayer smiled and walked towards the portal.
The rift explorers soon erged.
They looked exhausted, as if they had just finished a difficult battle.
"You're... Regal Vagos? What are you doing here?"
Dragonslayer smirked and answered their question.
"The Sky Eye has been destroyed."
"...What? The Sky Eye?"
"And the ones who destroyed it have escaped to Ice Rock."
"But why are we..."
"The Captain ordered us to pursue them."
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