Chapter 32: Mini Boss (part 1)

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Mini Boss (part 1)

The battle continued for several more minutes, but eventually, the number of monsters began to decrease.

Shortly after, only the heavy breathing of the surviving adventurers remained.

Darian stood in the middle of the corridor with his sword lowered, his chest rising and falling heavily. Blood covered his armor, most of it belonging to the monsters he had killed, but there were several shallow wounds across his arms and shoulders as well.

Around him, the surviving adventurers were leaning against the walls, sitting on the floor, or simply standing motionless as they tried to recover their strength.

Nobody celebrated, or even spoke for several seconds.

The silence was too heavy.

Elric slowly lowered his staff, causing the floating sphere of light above them to dim slightly.

"Is... is it over?"

One of the adventurers looked toward the darkness.

"I think so."

Darian immediately shook his head.

"Don’t assume anything."

His voice was tired, but it remained firm.

"This is a dungeon. Just because the monsters stopped attacking doesn’t mean we’re safe."

The adventurer nodded quickly.

"Understood."

Darian then looked around, his expression became increasingly grim.

"How many?"

One of the surviving adventurers looked around before answering.

"Seventeen."

Darian’s eyes lowered.

Seventeen.

They had entered the dungeon with twenty-three people.

Six were dead.

Two of them had died almost instantly because of the spike trap, while the other four had been killed during the chaotic battle that followed.

They had lost six people in the first section alone.

And they still hadn’t reached the deeper parts of the dungeon.

One of the adventurers quietly walked toward a fallen companion. He crouched beside the body and stared at the man’s lifeless face for several seconds.

"We’ve lost too many."

Nobody contradicted him. Darian slowly sheathed his sword.

"Check the wounded."

Several adventurers immediately began moving.

Those who were still capable of fighting helped the injured. Potions were taken from bags, bandages were wrapped around wounds, and several people sat against the wall while their companions treated them.

One adventurer had a deep cut across his thigh.

Another had suffered a bite on his forearm.

Two others had bruises and cracked armor from the wolf attacks.

Elric walked among them, using his limited healing magic to stabilize the worst injuries.

However, he was not a healing mage.

His primary role was providing light and supporting the group with defensive magic.

Every spell he used consumed his mana, and Darian knew that they couldn’t afford to waste it.

"Elric."

The mage looked up.

"Yes?"

"How much mana do you have left?"

Elric hesitated.

"About half."

Darian’s expression became serious.

"Save it."

"But..."

"We don’t know how deep this dungeon goes."

Elric understood immediately.

If they encountered another battle like this one, they would need every bit of your support.

"Understood."

Darian looked toward the corridor ahead. The path was completely empty.

It was almost as though the dungeon itself had suddenly decided to give them a moment to breathe.

Darian didn’t trust it.

"This place is strange."

One of the Ironfang members nodded.

"First the trap, then all those monsters, and now nothing."

Another adventurer glanced toward the dark passage.

"It’s almost like it wants us to keep moving."

Darian’s eyes narrowed.

"Perhaps it does."

He looked toward the bodies of their fallen companions.

"We’re not leaving them here."

Several adventurers immediately began carrying the bodies.

There was no way they could bury them inside the dungeon, but they refused to abandon their companions completely. The bodies were wrapped as carefully as their supplies allowed, and those who could still walk carried them as they prepared to move.

After another few minutes, Darian finally gave the order.

"We continue."

Nobody argued, they had been sent here to determine the dungeon’s tier.

They couldn’t turn back after only the first battle. The group slowly moved deeper into the dungeon.

Their formation was much tighter now. Every strange sound caused several weapons to rise immediately.

The adventurers had learned their lesson. This dungeon didn’t need to overwhelm them with a powerful monster.

A simple trap was enough to kill someone.

After walking for some time, however, the corridor began to change.

The narrow passage gradually widened.

The stone walls became smoother, and the floor no longer looked as damaged as before. Strange symbols were carved into the walls, glowing faintly under Elric’s magical light.

Then one of the adventurers noticed something.

"There’s a room ahead."

Darian raised his hand. Everyone stopped.

He slowly approached the entrance and looked inside. The room was considerably larger than the corridor.

There were no monsters. And in the center of the room sat a wooden chest.

The chest was old, with dark metal reinforcements around its edges. Despite its age, it appeared surprisingly well preserved.

One of the adventurers immediately became excited.

"A treasure chest?"

Another adventurer smiled.

"Maybe we’re finally getting something for all this trouble."

Darian didn’t smile.

"Don’t touch it."

The adventurer stopped.

"But Leader..."

"Did you forget where we are?"

Darian pointed toward the chest.

"We just lost two people to a trap."

The adventurer’s excitement immediately disappeared.

"Oh."

Darian looked toward Elric.

"Can you detect magic?"

Elric nodded.

"I can try."

He stepped forward and raised his staff.

A faint magical light spread from the tip, sweeping across the room.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Elric frowned.

"I don’t detect anything unusual."

Darian remained cautious.

"Are you certain?"

"Not completely. There could be something beyond my ability to detect."

Darian nodded.

"Then nobody touches the chest."

He looked around the room.

"We’ll inspect everything first."

The adventurers slowly entered, and nothing appeared unusual.

Eventually, one of them walked toward the chest.

"Leader..."

Darian turned.

"What?"

"I think we’re safe."

He pointed toward the chest.

"There’s no trap."

Darian hesitated.

Then he looked at the surrounding room. It was completely silent.

But before he could say anything, a strange gust of wind suddenly swept through the chamber.

Everyone froze.

"Did you feel that?"

Elric’s expression changed.

"Where did that come from?"

The air began to move faster.

A faint swirling current appeared above the floor.

Then another.

The two streams of air twisted together, rapidly forming humanoid shapes.