Chapter 35: The Boss Room (part 2)

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Boss Room (part 2)

The words immediately caused the atmosphere to change.

Everyone looked at the enormous door.

A boss room.

If this really was the boss room, then whatever waited behind it was almost certainly stronger than everything they had encountered so far.

One of the adventurers whispered,

"Do you think the boss is stronger than those wind beasts?"

Darian’s grip tightened around his sword.

"I don’t know."

He looked at the door.

"But we’ll find out."

----

Inside the deepest part of the dungeon, Ragnar was already watching them.

A massive floating screen hovered before his throne, displaying the thirteen surviving adventurers standing in front of the enormous door.

Ragnar leaned forward.

"They finally made it."

His eyes moved across the group.

Only thirteen remained.

The twenty-three adventurers who had entered the dungeon had been reduced to nearly half.

Ragnar’s lips slowly curved upward.

"Not bad."

The purpose of the dungeon’s defenses had never been to wipe them out immediately.

He wanted to weaken them.

He wanted to see how far they could go. And now they had finally reached the place he had been waiting for.

The boss room.

Ragnar slowly stood from his throne. His expression became serious.

He straightened his clothes, adjusted his posture, and deliberately placed one hand against the armrest of his throne.

If he was going to act as the Dungeon Master, then he needed to look like one.

He couldn’t exactly greet them while slouching around like an ordinary person.

Behind him, the throne room was illuminated by several dim magical flames. The enormous chamber stretched into darkness, while the throne itself stood upon a raised platform overlooking the entire room.

Ragnar looked toward the entrance.

"Alright."

He took a deep breath.

"Time to look intimidating."

Veyra, who had been watching him with a smile, suddenly stepped closer.

"My Lord."

Ragnar glanced at her.

"What?"

"You’re trying very hard to look like a proper dungeon boss."

"I am."

Veyra giggled softly.

"I think you already look impressive."

Ragnar gave her a suspicious look.

"You say that about everything."

"Because everything about my Lord is impressive."

Before Ragnar could respond, Veyra moved behind him and casually wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she sat down comfortably on his lap.

Ragnar’s body stiffened.

"Veyra..."

"Yes, My Lord?"

"We’re about to receive guests."

"I know."

Ragnar opened his mouth.

Then closed it, he couldn’t exactly argue with that.

Veyra leaned comfortably against him, her crimson eyes focused on the floating screen.

"Besides, I believe this is the proper position for a loyal subordinate."

He turned his attention back toward the screen.

The thirteen adventurers were still standing outside the massive door.

Darian had his sword drawn. Eric stood behind him with his staff in hand.

The others were positioned carefully around them.

Ragnar’s expression became more serious.

"Let’s see what you can do."

He slowly raised his hand.

The massive doors of the boss room suddenly began to tremble.

BOOOOOOM...

A deep rumbling sound traveled through the corridor.

The adventurers immediately reacted.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

Darian stepped forward and raised his sword.

The thirteen adventurers tightened their formation.

The enormous stone doors slowly began to open.

Creeeeak...

A wave of cold air swept through the corridor.

The magical light floating above Eric flickered violently.

Nobody could see what was inside yet.

Darkness filled the opening.

Darian narrowed his eyes.

"Stay together."

The doors continued opening.

The ancient stone groaned as the massive slabs slowly separated, sending a deep rumble through the entire corridor. Dust drifted down from the ceiling, and the magical light hovering above Eric flickered several times as though even the spell itself could sense the strange pressure coming from the chamber beyond.

Nobody spoke.

The thirteen surviving adventurers stood shoulder to shoulder, their weapons already drawn. Their eyes remained fixed on the darkness behind the opening, and every one of them was prepared for something to charge out the moment the doors were wide enough.

Darian stood at the very front.

His sword was held firmly in both hands, his body slightly lowered, ready to react.

"Don’t let your guard down," he said quietly.

"I don’t think anyone is planning to."

The reply came from one of the adventurers behind him.

Darian almost smiled at that, but the expression disappeared immediately.

The doors finally opened completely. Eric instinctively raised his staff higher.

The sphere of light floating above him drifted into the chamber.

The darkness slowly receded.

Then everyone froze.

At the far end of the enormous chamber stood a raised platform.

And upon that platform was a throne.

A massive throne.

Sitting upon it was a creature unlike anything they had ever seen.

Darian’s pupils contracted.

The first thing he noticed was the creature’s size.

It was enormous.

The figure sitting on the throne alone was several times larger than an ordinary human, and judging from its proportions, it would have towered over even the largest man in their group if it were standing.

Its body was covered with powerful muscles, its features were sharp and unnatural, and its presence alone made the air around the throne feel heavy. A gigantic greatsword was strapped across its back, the weapon so large that Darian couldn’t imagine an ordinary human being capable of even lifting it.

But that wasn’t what shocked them the most.

There was someone sitting on the creature’s lap.

A woman.

She looked almost human at first glance, yet the longer they stared, the more obvious it became that she wasn’t.

Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with her pale, flawless skin. Her crimson eyes were sharp and intelligent, carrying none of the mindless hostility they had come to expect from monsters.

She wore a fitted black-and-crimson battle dress reinforced with dark metallic armor around her shoulders, waist, and thighs. Long black gloves covered her arms, while dark boots reached beneath her knees.

She was beautiful.

But there was something dangerous about her beauty.

Something that made every instinct in Darian’s body tell him not to underestimate her.