Kumodesu

He had made a grave mistake.

I knew that if he couldn't target me directly, he would go after someone close to me instead. Since Charlot interacted with me the most, she would've been his first choice—if only she were someone he could actually touch. But she wasn't. Which left only Seryl.

That line of thinking... I knew it too well. When I worked as an assassin, we always considered underhanded tactics like this to get to our target.

I needed to do something.

Should I just kill him outright?

I had already explained the anomalies and spirit behavior to Charlot and the Vice Director, so they likely wouldn't stop me—Charlot certainly wouldn't. But the Vice Director, a man of principle, might oppose what I was about to do: a premeditated execution.

At the very least, I'd need to inform him beforehand—but now wasn't the time. I refocused on the battle, keeping an eye on Muos's group. Seryl remained safe inside the stone wall I built—durable enough to give me peace of mind.

After the fight, we split into two teams: one to transport materials, the other to rest and wait for reinforcements. During the break, I made it clear to Muos with a few sharp glares that I knew what he was up to. He got the message and didn't try anything again.

In the days that followed, we cleared levels 13 and 14, extracting tons of ore—enough for long-term research, even without any major veins.

We then discussed entering level 15, which featured forest terrain and huge stone pillars with deep pits between—home to aggressive monkey beasts. A large, carved central pillar likely housed the boss.

After multiple scouting attempts and debates, we agreed to stop here and return later with reinforcements. Before leaving, we did one final sweep, covering about 80% of level 14.

"Let's head back," Charlot said.

A collective sigh of relief spread among the group. If she had ordered us to keep going, some people probably would've started a mutiny.

Since we had already traveled this path before and most of the creatures along the way had been cleared out, we made it back to level 13 quickly and regrouped with Alger's team. From there, we began our return trip through the same path we came.

This time, Muos didn't utter a single word about the route. He probably knew that if he complained again, the vice-director might break a few of his bones.

On the way back, we randomly encountered a few monster packs moving around, but since there were no mutants among them, we dealt with them easily and took the opportunity to gather more resources.

This expedition wasn't over yet, so we marked several points along the way to speed things up when we returned later.

After eight grueling days, we finally made it back to level eleven.

There were very few monsters on this floor, so our progress was much quicker.

"This is strange…"

The vice-director suddenly spoke up.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Charlot, walking beside him, replied.

What were they talking about…?

"There are too few monsters," the vice-director said, his tone growing grim.

Charlot nodded.

I was a little skeptical. Didn't we already clear this area once? It made sense that there wouldn't be many monsters left.

But then, I noticed something odd too.

There was a strong scent of blood lingering in the air—one that should've faded long ago. That alone tipped off experienced fighters like Charlot and the vice-director that something was off.

It took me a bit longer to catch on, but after scouting around, I had to admit—it wasn't normal.

We had passed through level eleven over half a month ago. Even if there had been battles back then, the smell of blood should've dissipated by now. But this level smelled like something had just died recently.

Stranger still, there were no visible traces left behind. No corpses. No bloodstains.

I looked at the others.

Their expressions weren't reassuring.

"I've got a bad feeling," the vice-director said. "We should move more cautiously from here on."

Charlot nodded and relayed the message to the rest of the group. We proceeded to level ten, moving as quietly as if we were trying not to be seen.

When we reached level ten…

How should I put this…?

It was eerily quiet. Unnervingly so.

The stench of blood here was several times stronger than on the previous floor.

That didn't make sense. We had only had one minor skirmish here before. There hadn't been any large-scale clearing operations.

Even if the monsters had killed each other, it shouldn't have come to this—shouldn't have reached a point where not even one creature remained.

We were traveling through the area beneath the coliseum, yet we couldn't sense anything coming from above.

"I'll go check it out," the vice-director said, pulling out a large paper that carried him upward.

He returned not long after, his face twisted in discomfort.

"There's not a single creature in the coliseum above," he reported. "Although the place looks old and worn, I found plenty of fresh signs of destruction. I'm certain a massive battle happened there."

Charlot asked, "Is it possible they just killed each other?"

The vice-director thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"They look more like they were wiped out by something. One side slaughtered the other completely."

A chill ran down my spine. What kind of creature could possibly kill off hundreds of powerful Orcs and Goblins all at once?

"The damage I saw—large, deep wounds everywhere—it points to something that came from outside and massacred everything here. No corpses were found… most likely because they were all eaten."

Everyone paled at those words.

A creature capable of annihilating over a thousand monsters on its own… there was no way we could stand up to something like that.

"Were you able to track where it went?" Charlot asked next.

The vice-director shook his head.

An unsettling silence settled over the group.

After a long pause, Charlot finally spoke. "Right now, our only option is to retreat as quickly as possible. From this moment on, we'll move at full speed. Anyone who can't keep up… will be left behind."

Her words sounded harsh, but in the face of an unknown and overwhelmingly powerful enemy, prioritizing survival was the right call.

No one objected. Everyone just started running like their lives depended on it.

I turned to Seryl, my voice a little awkward. "Miss Seryl… may I… carry you on my back? We'll be moving very quickly from here on."

Seryl smiled and nodded.

She was smiling, but I could still see the fear in her eyes. Someone like her was never meant for high-tension situations like this, yet she still smiled at me. That only made my heart ache more.

I swore to myself I'd protect her no matter what. And… her too.

I glanced over at Charlot as that thought crossed my mind.

It felt a bit silly, but I didn't want to lose a friend like her either.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Seryl climbed onto my back.

The softness pressing against me was immediate and unmistakable…

Ah—no. No. I need to focus.

Even with Seryl on my back, I was still faster than most of the group—only Charlot and the vice-director were ahead, and I was running neck and neck with Vorsel in the second row.

The next few floors were similar—strong scents of blood everywhere, but no monsters in sight. That made travel easy, but the easier it got, the more anxious everyone became.

This could only mean that the creature was headed for the upper levels.

Which meant we would likely run into it.

If it had accomplished this much, then I seriously doubted it was just a regular mutant. But it didn't feel like a Lord either, because the traces of battle still showed it had to expend effort to wipe out the monsters.

Still, if it wasn't a Lord yet, it probably wasn't far off. It must be killing its way up here to gather experience for its evolution.

So the real question was—

Where is it now?

I needed to figure out its general location… because we couldn't just keep running forever.

We've now made it back to the seventh floor, and only a short distance remains until we reach the sixth. Judging from the trail left behind by that creature, the chances of encountering it on the sixth floor are very high, so I need to brace myself.

After running a bit more, our group finally arrived at the sixth floor.

The scene here was almost identical to the previous floors—evidence that the creature had also passed through this place. The stench of blood was slightly stronger, indicating it had only left about two days ago.

I pushed my probing skill to the maximum, scanning the surroundings thoroughly—but still found nothing.

Honestly, I hoped I would never run into that thing. But wishes are nothing in the face of reality.

We made it halfway through the sixth floor without any incidents.

Eventually, we reached the fifth floor.

The moment I stepped into this area, an overwhelming sense of discomfort settled over me.

Something here felt… off.

There were claw marks everywhere. Several trees had been knocked down, each bearing enormous gashes.

I assumed the elementals were fine since they didn't possess physical bodies like normal creatures. But if that thing also had the ability to attack souls—then we'd truly be defenseless.

The elementals appeared before us again.

Their faces still wore the same serene smiles as usual, but it seemed… there were fewer of them?

Were they killed by the creature?

…Is that even possible?

I didn't have any solid evidence at the moment, so I refrained from making any remarks.

Considering this place appeared relatively safe—aside from the suspicious presence of the elementals—we decided to temporarily rest here and discuss our next course of action.

"If we've made it all the way here without encountering it, then the odds are high we'll run into it if we go any further," the Vice Director said.

I had never heard of a creature from within the Great Dungeon stepping outside its designated bounds.

So I assumed that it was currently wandering only within the top four floors.

But what if, after devouring everything in those four floors, it came back down here?

What would we do then?

I still couldn't come up with a viable plan.

Facing such overwhelming power… all I could feel was helplessness.

Most people had now accepted the idea that the creature was on one of the first four floors. So now the discussion shifted to whether we should risk charging upward in hopes of escaping the dungeon.

It was a massive gamble.

First, we still didn't fully understand the creature's capabilities. Second—and this was a certainty: if we tried to push upward, not everyone would make it out alive.

In other words… someone would have to sacrifice themselves.

But even suggesting that brought the discussion to a standstill, because no one wanted to be the one to die. Even the soldiers, trained not to fear death, weren't strong enough to stall the creature—not even for a second.

So they'd be dying for nothing.

Just when everything seemed deadlocked, Vorsel returned from his scouting mission—carrying news that left everyone stunned.

"How did it go?" one of the squad leaders asked.

Vorsel cast a glance at the man, who realized too late that he'd spoken without proper respect and awkwardly apologized.

Brushing aside the matter, Vorsel quickly delivered his report. According to him, the fourth floor was exactly the same—no trace of any creatures.

Furthermore, the passage between the third and fourth floors had been blocked off by rubble.

From his description, it resembled a landslide.

But if something had caused a collapse of that magnitude… there was no doubt—it had to be the creature's doing.

Now, the issue was figuring out whether the creature was on the third or fourth floor.

If it was on the fourth, then we were effectively trapped down here.

Worse, it might return at any moment.

But if it was on the third floor, then we still had a chance—at the very least, we wouldn't be stuck in this unstable forest filled with spirits.

Aside from the unidentified creature, this area itself harbored its own dangers.

"We'll need to go confirm the situation," Charlot said.

Everyone took in a sharp breath.

That mission could very well be a one-way trip, and no one was eager to volunteer.

"This time, I'll go myself," Charlot continued. "Along with the squad leaders and the Vice Director ."

She'd decided to bring the strongest combatants with her—so they could cover one another if they had to face the creature.

…I decided to go too.

Charlot hadn't called on me, but I added myself anyway. Something told me this wouldn't go smoothly, so I needed to be there.

Ah, and the reason I could leave so freely was because Muos had been dragged along as well. Thanks to the elemental power within him, his combat strength was now on par with a squad leader. Naturally, Charlot wouldn't overlook such a valuable asset.

Moreover, Charlot had left Alger behind. Knowing he was staying here gave me enough peace of mind to leave.

After finalizing our plans, we spent a short time preparing individually, then set out. Before departing, I returned to the tent to see Seryl one last time.

She was sitting inside, reading a book.

"Miss Seryl."

She looked up at me.

"I have to go for a while."

Seryl smiled faintly, not asking any questions. "Be careful," she simply said.

I nodded.

"If you need anything, look for Alger. I've already talked to him."

"I understand."

I stared at her.

Though she was smiling as if to ease my worries, I could tell she was anxious. How could I not notice?

Her hands trembled slightly now and then, yet she still gripped the book tightly.

"Miss Seryl…"

"Yes?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I stepped forward.

And before she could react, I leaned down and kissed her.

Seryl froze, eyes wide in surprise—but she didn't push me away.

Her lips were soft and warm, so comforting that I never wanted to let go… but it was time.

I slowly pulled away, locking eyes with her.

"Miss Seryl… please wait for me."

Tears welled up in her eyes. But through the tears, her smile was brighter than ever. She nodded firmly—pouring all her resolve into that one gesture.

This… this was all I could do for now.

With a heavy heart, I left the tent and made my way to Charlot's group. Everyone was already assembled, faces set with grim determination.

"Done saying goodbye?" Charlot asked unexpectedly.

I nodded.

"Then let's go." Charlot's tone was slightly different than usual—but that didn't matter anymore.

We departed from the fifth floor, heading toward the far end of the fourth.

The same suffocating silence, the same stench of blood…

We moved quickly, reaching the far end of the fourth floor, and saw the location that had been blocked off—just like Vorsel had said.

"Just regular stone," the Vice Director said after touching it.

I used my skill to analyze the structure—sure enough, it was just normal rock.

…That's not right.

If it's only ordinary rock, how could it stop that creature?

A wave of dread surged in my chest, my heart tightening painfully.

I glanced at Charlot.

She was also scanning the surroundings, looking for anything suspicious…

I followed her lead—

And then, I saw it.

It was coming down—

"Above us!!" I shouted at Charlot.

Charlot was the first to react, instantly activating her protective barrier. The Vice Director also deployed his barrier and moved toward her.

The others hadn't even realized what was happening when—

BOOM!!

A deafening crash echoed through the cavern, followed by a small explosion. Dust billowed everywhere—but quickly cleared, revealing a massive creature standing before us.

It had just tried to ambush Charlot—and failed.

Now, we could all see it clearly.

"…Cerberus?" someone whispered.

Hearing that name sent a chill down my spine. But I didn't have time to process it—I rushed toward Charlot immediately, needing to check on her condition.

Though she'd reacted swiftly and saved herself from a fatal blow, I doubted she came out unscathed.

I reached her side.

Just as I feared—she was injured.

Her barrier was shattered. A massive claw mark had torn through her armor, slashing deep into her arm. Even with the Vice Director 's timely aid, she still suffered this much…

This Cerberus…

It wasn't something we could handle.

"Are you okay?" I asked urgently.

"No poison… but my bone's fractured," she replied with effort.

That was a relief.

A broken bone could be healed by the Vice Director . Poison would've been far more troublesome. Knowing that this Cerberus wasn't venomous eased some of the tension inside me.

I finally turned to examine the creature more closely.

…No.

This wasn't right.

It didn't resemble anything I'd ever read about.

The Cerberus before us stood tall, pitch black, with three heads. But the strangest thing was… none of the heads had eyes. All three were eyeless. Six jagged spikes ran from its upper back down to its tail. It had six legs, and its body was low to the ground—completely unlike a typical Cerberus.

"Is this… its evolved form?" I muttered.

"Not yet a King," the Vice Director said. "But it's at least a hundred times stronger than a normal aberration."

That one statement made my blood run cold.

How… how are we supposed to fight this?

Even before considering raw power, the fact that it had been lurking above us all this time without being noticed…

That alone proved it was a foe far beyond our reach.

"Hold the formation," Charlot commanded, voice sharp. "Our objective is to fall back to the fifth floor. If it's waiting to ambush us here, instead of returning to the fifth floor, then something must be blocking it from going back. If we can get there, we'll be safer."

I had never heard Charlot speak so much—but she made perfect sense.

Everyone immediately tightened the formation and prepared for battle. The Cerberus had no eyes, yet I could still feel the crushing pressure of its gaze.

I summoned all eight of my chains and my dagger, slipping into stealth mode.

Charlot activated her barrier again, and the Vice Director took point beside her. The others hastily began invoking their skills or drawing weapons.

The air grew heavy.

The pressure was suffocating.

There was no turning back now…

This would be a fight to the death— And only one side would walk out of here alive.