Chapter 221 – The Guardian of the Third Floor
Chapter 221
The Guardian of the Third Floor
Date : Day 9 of Deepwinter 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
Freedom Party continued their relentless and systematic clearing of the third floor of Akela Dungeon.
Their progress was steady, if not particularly fast. Each day was spent exploring unfamiliar corridors, fighting the goblin hordes that appeared along their path, and carefully adding every new passage to Elise's mental map.
By the fourth day of their dive, the month changed.
It was Elise who noticed it when they finally settled down for the night.
Inside their tent, the atmosphere was considerably quieter than the dungeon corridors outside. The Sanctuary protected their camp, while the Discourse Sphere muffled the sounds beyond the barrier.
Hyoren and Elise were already lying down, preparing to sleep. For a while, neither said anything. Then Elise suddenly shifted slightly beneath the blankets.
“Oh right. Today the month changed.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Time sure flies. Fufufu.”
Hyoren turned his head toward her.
“After Frostfall, Deepwinter, right?”
He paused for a moment, mentally going through the calendar.
“The last of the winter months, right? So next month... Finally spring?”
Elise turned toward him as well.
“That's right.”
Her smile grew a little brighter.
“I've been waiting for spring to come.”
She clasped her hands together lightly.
“I want to plant those seeds I bought in the yard of our manor. Fufufu.”
Hyoren couldn't help but smile.
“That would be nice.”
He glanced toward the tent ceiling.
“A herb and flower garden in our manor...”
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
“Our yard is pretty bare right now. Haha.”
Elise nodded.
“Exactly.”
She turned her gaze upward, already imagining it.
“Silverfern... Moonlight Petal... Solrose...”
She continued listing the plants she had chosen. Hyoren listened with interest, occasionally asking what a particular flower or herb looked like or what it was used for. The quiet conversation continued for a while, their voices low so as not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the tent.
Eventually, Hyoren smiled.
“Spring coming means it'll almost be half a year since I was transported here.”
He paused.
“I arrived in this world during early Crownfire...”
Elise's expression softened.
“Right...”
She looked back at him.
“Almost half a year.”
For a moment, she seemed to consider the passage of time.
“It's actually not that long when you think about it.”
She gave a small laugh.
“Only six months.”
Her smile became faintly thoughtful.
“But somehow... why does it feel like it's been much longer?”
Hyoren chuckled.
“Probably because so much happened.”
He shifted onto his back, staring at the ceiling as he began counting everything that had happened.
“We met in the Forest of No Return.”
He raised one finger.
“Then we escaped that place and fought the Alpha Green Wolf, the apex of the Green Grassland.”
Another finger.
“After that, we settled in Akela.”
His voice carried a faint amusement now.
“We dismantled the goblin settlement and fought Hifoppe.”
He paused.
“Then we discovered the dungeon and started exploring it.”
A small smile appeared.
“Ina joined us. Then Jackey. Then Arianna.”
He glanced toward Elise.
“Our family kept getting bigger.”
Elise quietly smiled.
Hyoren continued.
“We bought our current home on Wyvern Street.”
He let out a small breath.
“And then we dealt with the Voided Covenant in Riverville Town...”
Elise giggled.
“Almost every month, something big happens to us. Fufu.”
“Yeah.”
Hyoren laughed softly.
“I'd really like it if nothing happened this spring.”
He sounded almost pleading.
“Just one peaceful season. That's not too much to ask, right?”
Elise immediately reached over and placed her hand against his cheek.
“Hey.”
Her smile was gentle, but there was a hint of amusement in her emerald eyes.
“Don't jinx it. Fufufu.”
Hyoren caught her hand against his cheek and gave her a tired look.
“Please give me a break, Elise...”
Elise giggled.
“But yeah...”
Her voice softened.
“I hope nothing happens for a while either.”
She shifted closer. Then her expression changed. The playful smile disappeared, replaced by something quieter.
“Hey, Hyoren.”
Hyoren noticed the change immediately.
He tilted his head slightly.
“Hmm? What is it, Elise?”
Elise didn't answer right away. She stared at him for several seconds, seemingly trying to find the right words.
Finally, she spoke.
“It's been almost half a year.”
Her fingers lightly rested against his chest.
“Do you ever feel homesick?”
She paused.
“For your original world… Earth… isn't it?”
Her eyes softened.
“For the life you had there?”
Hyoren's smile faded slightly.
“Homesick, huh...”
He turned his head toward the ceiling. The soft glow of the magic lamp illuminated the inside of the tent, casting gentle shadows across the fabric above them.
“It would be a lie if I said I never miss it.”
His voice was quiet.
“Sometimes I do.”
Elise remained silent, allowing him to continue.
Hyoren took a slow breath.
“Soon, it'll be five years since my dad died.”
His expression became softer.
“I want to pay my respects at his grave.”
He smiled faintly.
“He died on Christmas... at the end of winter.”
His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling.
“So if I match that with the calendar here, it'll be around the end of Deepwinter.”
“I always visit his grave around that time.”
He paused.
“I tend to it. Pour his favorite sake over it. Leave some flowers.”
His smile was small and bittersweet.
“So... yeah.”
He looked back toward Elise.
“I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do that this year…”
Elise quietly listened.
Hyoren shifted closer.
“But that's about it.”
His voice became calmer.
“Maybe I'm a little sad that I couldn't finish medical university.”
He gave a small shrug.
“But there isn't really anything else on Earth that I miss.”
He paused.
“I didn't have any close friends.”
His expression was peaceful rather than bitter.
“And I don't have any family left there.”
Elise's eyes softened.
Hyoren reached over and pulled her into his arms.
“But here...”
His voice warmed.
“I have a family.”
Elise quietly wrapped her arms around him.
“I have you.”
He smiled.
“And Ina.”
His arms tightened slightly around her.
“Jackey. Arianna. Lena. Vina.”
He paused.
“And I have so many good friends now, too.”
A faint smile appeared.
“Jigor and his party. Dandi... and plenty of others.”
He looked at Elise.
Then, with his free hand, he gently moved the silver bangs that had fallen across her face.
“I want to keep living in Kresneger.”
His voice was quiet, but there was no hesitation in it.
“I won't forget Earth.”
He smiled.
“But I've decided. I'll live here.”
Elise remained silent for a moment. Then her smile slowly bloomed.
“I see...”
She rested her head against him.
“I suppose it's only natural to feel homesick sometimes.”
Her voice became quieter.
“I have painful memories of my homeland too.”
She paused.
“But sometimes...”
A faint smile appeared.
“I still find myself wanting to visit my little sister there.”
Hyoren nodded.
“Lyra, right?”
Elise nodded.
“Yeah.”
She stared toward the tent wall.
“I wonder what she's doing now...”
Hyoren thought about it for a moment.
“Maybe you could send her a letter?”
Elise blinked.
Then her expression brightened.
“Right...”
She smiled.
“It's been ten years since I last saw her.”
A small giggle escaped her.
“I suppose I should write one.”
She looked at Hyoren warmly.
“You really changed me a lot, Hyoren.”
Hyoren understood exactly what she meant.
Elise had once been a recluse who didn't want to connect with anyone. She had lived simply for the sake of continuing to live, carrying the deep trauma of losing her fiancé.
Now she had a home. People she cared about. And people who cared about her.
Elise continued softly.
“Thank you for being with me.”
Hyoren hugged her a little tighter.
“I'm the one who should be thanking you.”
Elise smiled.
For a while, neither of them said anything. They simply remained there, holding each other. The quiet warmth between them was enough.
Eventually, Elise shifted slightly in his arms.
“Anyway...”
Her voice returned to its usual gentle tone.
“We should sleep.”
She smiled.
“We still have the third floor to map tomorrow.”
Hyoren nodded.
“Yeah.”
He leaned closer and kissed her forehead.
“Good night, Elise.”
Elise smiled and returned the gesture, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Night, Hyoren.”
They settled back beneath the blankets, their arms still wrapped around each other.
Outside the tent, the Sanctuary continued protecting them from the monsters wandering through the dungeon, while the Discourse Sphere kept the distant sounds of snarls and movement from disturbing their rest.
Inside their small tent, Hyoren and Elise could sleep peacefully.
There was still much of the third floor left to explore. But eventually, they would map it all.
***
Freedom Party continued their relentless and systematic clearing of the third floor of Akela Dungeon.
The days blurred together.
Every morning, they left the safety of The Sanctuary and resumed their march through the seemingly endless corridors. Every encounter brought another wave of goblins. Every battle was followed by another corridor, another intersection, another dead end.
At night, they made camp beneath the protection of The Sanctuary and rested with the Discourse Sphere muffling the sounds of the monsters outside.
It was exhausting. But it was working.
And on the previous day, after eleven days of fighting and exploring, they finally reached their goal. They had mapped the entire third floor. More importantly, they had finally discovered the resting chamber at the very end of the floor.
And today, on the twelfth day since entering the dungeon, Freedom Party stood before the final obstacle—the Floor Guardian.
Their camp had already been packed away. Armor was secured. Weapons had been checked. Potion supplies were counted, and Elise had carefully checked her remaining arrows. There was no reason to delay any longer.
Freedom Party stood before the archway leading into the guardian chamber. And inside the chamber awaited the third floor Guardian.
Hyoren stared at it for a moment.
We finally made it…
He slowly turned around to face the others.
They all looked tired. There were faint signs of exhaustion on everyone's faces after two weeks of continuous exploration. Even Jackey, who usually seemed to possess endless energy, had lost some of his usual liveliness.
But there was something else in their eyes. Satisfaction. They were almost done.
Hyoren smiled faintly.
“Everyone. Standing before us is the entrance to the guardian chamber. And we fully mapped this floor too yesterday.”
Jackey immediately raised one of his axes.
“Finally! This floor bored me to death! Weak skulkers after weak skulkers! I could've advanced with my eyes closed!”
Elise covered her mouth as she giggled.
“But you kept getting wounded, Jackey. Those ‘weak’ goblins actually managed to hurt you. Fufu.”
Jackey's tabby cat ears instantly flattened.
“But that's because I don't want to waste too much time! Fighting them is boring!”
He grinned as though that completely explained everything.
“And Big Bro can heal me afterward, so it's fine! Haha!”
Arianna adjusted the brim of her wide-brimmed hat.
“Ohoho. I cannot disagree with that.”
She glanced toward the endless corridor behind them.
“This floor has certainly tested my patience. I wanted to finish it as quickly as possible as well.”
Hyoren couldn't blame them.
There had been nothing particularly difficult about the goblins themselves. They were weak. They lacked coordination, special abilities, and any particularly dangerous individuals.
But there were simply too many of them.
The high spawn rate meant the party was constantly fighting. The repeating corridors made it easy to lose their sense of direction. And every time they thought they had finally made significant progress, another dead end could force them to retrace their steps.
It had been less a test of their combat ability and more a test of their endurance.
Hyoren let out a small chuckle.
“Well, thanks to Jackey, at least I managed to raise my Light Magic proficiency.”
Jackey immediately pumped his fist into the air.
“See?! Even Big Bro agrees! WOHOO!”
The three others laughed.
Elise then tucked a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear.
“But you're right about one thing. This floor really is unusual.”
Her emerald eyes briefly wandered toward the archway.
“There weren't any traps. No monster rooms or hidden chambers either. Just corridor after corridor filled with goblins.”
Hyoren nodded.
“Exactly.”
He paused, then his expression brightened slightly.
“But at least this floor made us rich. Those magic stones are going to be worth quite a bit.”
Then he remembered something else.
“And that's not all.”
Hyoren pulled out his guild card.
He flipped it over and poured Aethell into it. The familiar magical display appeared across its surface.
Hyoren grinned as he held it out so everyone could see.
“This floor gave us a ridiculous amount of experience too. In the last eleven days alone, we killed a total of 5,100 goblins.”
He tapped the card lightly.
“No wonder we've all gotten stronger.”
The others gathered around slightly to look at his status.
Level : 20
Experience to next level up : 26,334/31,610
Status :
Strength : 24
Vitality : 24
Dexterity : 17
Agility : 17
Magic : 20
Skills :
Forest Walking Lvl 1
Spear Mastery Lvl 4
Throwing Lvl 2
Magic Manipulation Lvl 4
Instinct Lvl 3
Dissection Lvl 1
Magic Blade Lvl 5
Light Magic Lvl 4
Strong Legs Lvl 2
Sword Mastery Lvl 5
Shield Mastery Lvl 5
Dark Magic Lvl 4
Magic Eyes : Diagnostic Sight Lvl 1
Spell Learned :
Basic Light Magic : Healing Light, Accel Zone
Basic Dark Magic : Enchant Maledict, Shadow Bloom.
Active Skill :
Spear : Piercing Thrust, Meteor Thrust
Sword : Quick Slash, Sweeping Slash
Shield : Provoke, Shield Bash
Throwing : Precision Throw
Unique Skill : Berserker
Blessing : Divine Protection of Twin Goddesses
Elise leaned slightly closer.
“Your level increased by two, Hyoren.”
She smiled.
“And you're already quite close to the next one.”
Hyoren nodded.
“Yeah. Though my skills are still pretty stagnant.”
He looked down at the card.
“Only Sword Mastery and Magic Blade went up this time.”
Jackey crossed his arms.
“Who cares? More levels are always good, Big Bro!”
Arianna nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. We can focus on improving your skills on another floor after this.”
Hyoren nodded.
“That's true.”
Elise then reached into her own storage bag and pulled out her guild card.
“Then let's see mine...”
She activated it and held it up.
Level: 22
Experience to next level up : 31,444/38,248
Status :
Strength : 15
Vitality : 15
Dexterity : 33
Agility : 32
Magic : 17
Skills :
Bow Mastery Lvl 7
Forest Walking Lvl 4
Silent Step Lvl 5
Tracking Lvl 5
Sword Mastery Lvl 2
Dissection Lvl 3
Mapping Lvl 3
Poison Mastery Lvl 3
Trap Dismantling Lvl 2
Aethell Sense Lvl 1
Enchant Magic : Sacred Wind Lvl 1
Active Skill :
Bow : Charge Arrow, Double Shot, Tracking Shot
Unique Skill : -
Blessing : Blessing of the Verdant Mother
Elise's emerald eyes immediately lit up.
“Finally.”
She smiled brightly.
“My Bow Mastery increased.”
Hyoren smiled.
“It's been a while.”
He leaned slightly toward the card.
“With this, you're getting close to the advanced form.”
Elise's smile widened.
“Exactly. I can't wait.”
She looked down at her card again, then sighed softly.
“But leveling after level 20 really is much slower.”
Arianna nodded.
“It certainly seems so, Mentor. We have defeated an enormous number of goblins, yet you've only gained 1 level.”
Jackey pointed at her card.
“But you're almost there, Elise! Just a little more!”
Elise laughed softly.
“That's true. I'm already happy with my progress.”
Jackey grinned. Then he pulled out his own guild card with exaggerated enthusiasm.
“My turn!”
Everyone's attention immediately shifted toward him.
Jackey activated his card and proudly held it up.
Level : 21
Experience to next level up : 3,398/34,771
Status :
Strength : 25
Vitality : 16
Dexterity : 19
Agility : 22
Magic : 7
Skills :
Axe Mastery Lvl 5
Throwing Lvl 3
Dual Wielding Lvl 5
Keen Instinct Lvl 5
Dissection Lvl 1
Strong Legs Lvl 3
Evasion Lvl 2
Physical Enhancement Lvl 1
Active Skill :
Axe : Power Slash, Rotating Slash.
Dual Wield : Cross Slash, Whirlwind Slash.
Throwing : Precision Throw.
Unique Skill : -
Blessing : -
Jackey raised his card high above his head.
“WOHOO! I'm level 21 now!”
Hyoren looked over the status carefully. His eyes stopped on the skill section.
“Hmm.”
Jackey's grin froze.
“What is it, Big Bro?”
Hyoren looked back at him.
“Jackey... your skills didn't increase at all.”
The cat beastkin's ears slowly drooped.
“What?”
He stared at his card. Then his expression collapsed.
“NOOO!”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Arianna covered her mouth, but even she couldn't completely hide her amusement.
“Jackey...”
She shook her head.
“After our last dive, you said you were going to ‘whack the skulkers with elegance’ so you could finally improve your skills.”
Elise giggled.
“But you forgot all about that the moment you saw the next horde.”
Her silver hair swayed as she shook her head.
“You simply charged in without thinking.”
She smiled knowingly.
“The Law of Aethell won't reward you if you neglect your form, Jackey.”
Jackey's ears flattened completely.
“I'm sorry...”
That only made everyone laugh harder.
Hyoren finally raised a hand.
“Don't worry, Jackey.”
Jackey looked toward him.
“You still gained 2 levels, so you're definitely stronger than before.”
Hyoren smiled.
“But next time, try to remember your form, okay?”
He paused.
“Just like Arianna said.”
A small grin appeared on his face. He gestured with his fingers.
“‘Whack the skulker with elegance.’”
Jackey stared at him for a second. Then he laughed.
“Yeah! I'll do that!”
Everyone laughed again.
Finally, Arianna stepped forward. She reached into her purple storage bag and produced her own guild card.
“Then I suppose it is my turn.”
She activated the card and let everyone see the result.
Level : 20
Experience to next level up : 1,679/31,610
Status :
Strength : 6
Vitality : 16
Dexterity : 8
Agility : 19
Magic : 44
Skills :
Magic Manipulation Lvl 8
Aethell Sense Lvl 4
Runic Theory Lvl 5
Magic Conversion Lvl 6
Earth Magic Lvl 10 (MAX)
Fire Magic Lvl 8
Wind Magic Lvl 5
Water Magic Lvl 5
Advanced Earth Magic Lvl 1
Terraforma Magic Lvl 1
Lava Magic Lvl 2
Spell Learned :
Basic Earth Magic : Stone Bullet, Boulder Throw, Earth Wall, Earth Spikes, Sand Storm.
Basic Fire Magic : Fire Javelin, Fire Ball, Combustion, Ring of Flame.
Basic Wind Magic : Wind Arrow, Wind Slicer, Wind Barrier.
Basic Water Magic : Water Needle, Mist Fog, Water Cutter.
Advanced Earth Magic : Earth Hammer.
Terraforma Magic : Earth Fissure.
Lava Magic : Lava Surge.
Unique Skill : -
Blessing : -
For a moment, there was silence.
Hyoren looked over the numbers again.
“Arianna's growth is really something.”
He glanced toward her.
“Not only did your level catch up to mine...”
Elise finished his thought with a small smile.
“A lot of your skills increased too.”
Hyoren nodded.
“Yeah.”
He looked back at Arianna's card.
“But I guess it was expected. You did most of the work on this floor.”
Arianna smiled elegantly.
“Ohoho. I suppose I cannot deny that.”
Hyoren continued scanning her spell list. Then his eyes stopped.
“Wait.”
He pointed at the card.
“You unlocked another Water Magic spell?”
Arianna blinked.
“Yes? What's wrong with it, Leader?”
Hyoren tilted his head.
“You only had Water Needle and Mist Fog before. Now there's Water Cutter too. How did you unlock a new spell without specifically training it?”
Arianna adjusted her robe before answering.
“My Water Magic reached level 5.”
She tapped the card lightly.
“That unlocked the third-tier spell slot.”
Then she smiled.
“And, Leader, I already decided which spells I wanted to learn while I was at the academy.”
Hyoren's eyes widened slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Arianna's expression became a little proud.
“I trained the basic spells beforehand. So when my Magic skill reaches the required level and unlocks the spell slot, the spell is automatically learned.”
She gave the card another small tap.
“That is why I have it.”
Hyoren nodded slowly.
“I see.”
He considered it for a moment.
“So unlike me, where I wait until my Magic skill increases before deciding which spell I want...”
He looked at her.
“You already prepared everything during your five years at the academy.”
Arianna smiled.
“Exactly, Leader.”
Hyoren's eyes brightened with understanding.
“So we can actually decide and pre-train the spell before reaching the required Magic level.”
Arianna's smile became slightly wry.
“We can.”
She slipped her guild card back into her storage bag.
“But I wouldn't recommend it unless you have plenty of time.”
Hyoren frowned.
“It's that difficult?”
Arianna nodded.
“Very.”
She folded her arms lightly.
“Before you meet the requirement, the spell simply won't manifest. But you still have to spend Aethell trying to construct it.”
She paused.
“And without the assistance provided by the proper Magic level, the burden on your mind to construct the Runic Array is much heavier.”
Hyoren's expression immediately became serious.
“I see.”
Arianna nodded.
“So unless you have the time to study and practice like an academy student, it's better to wait until you actually meet the required Magic skill level and unlock the spell slot.”
Hyoren nodded slowly.
“Got it. Then I'll probably do that instead.”
He looked down briefly.
“That sounds much more reasonable.”
After everyone was already done talking about their progress, Hyoren’s gaze then shifted toward the archway behind him. The pale blue runes continued to pulse quietly.
They had been inside the dungeon for twelve days already. It was time to finish this dungeon dive.
Hyoren turned back toward his companions.
“Alright.”
He smiled.
“We've all gotten stronger, and we've already been diving for quite a while.”
A faintly worried expression crossed his face.
“If we don't come back today, Ina is definitely going to send a rescue party.”
Everyone immediately laughed.
Jackey shook his head.
“Big Sis really will do it too!”
Elise smiled softly.
“She probably will. Fufu.”
Arianna gave a small laugh.
“Ohoho. I would rather not make her worry any more than necessary.”
Hyoren chuckled.
“Then let's finish this.”
He looked toward the archway one last time.
“So... what do you say?”
His hand settled on Dawn Breaker's hilt.
“Shall we fight the guardian?”
One after another, his companions nodded. They were tired. They were battered. They had spent twelve days fighting their way through the third floor.
But none of them hesitated. The third floor was almost conquered. Only the Floor Guardian remained.
***
Hyoren turned toward his companions one last time.
No words were needed.
Elise gave him a calm smile. Her hand rested naturally on Moonveil Bow, her fingers lightly touching its grip.
Jackey grinned as he rested both hands on the handles of his twin axes. His tabby cat ears stood upright and his tail spiraled. His excitement was obvious even after twelve days of dungeon exploration.
Arianna simply nodded with her usual graceful composure, tightening her grip around the Quadraflux Weaver.
Hyoren nodded back.
“Let's go.”
The four members of Freedom Party stepped toward the guardian archway.
Their footsteps echoed softly across the ancient chamber. One after another, they reached out and touched the seemingly solid surface filling the center of the stone arch.
The instant Hyoren's fingertips made contact—that familiar voice echoed directly inside his mind. Mocking. Grating. Almost oily.
Hoaaahmmm... ooh, it's the pretend heroes.
The voice sounded sleepy, as though whoever was speaking had just woken up. A faint yawn followed.
Hyoren's expression didn't change. The voice continued, its lazy tone doing little to hide the amusement underneath it.
I was bored waiting... You took too much time here...
There was a short pause.
And now you want to fight my guardian? Well... go and die to my fighter, then. Xixixi.
Hyoren didn't flinch. He had heard that voice before. He was already used to it. He simply answered within his mind.
Yes.
The world around him immediately dissolved. The resting chamber stretched into countless streaks of light, the ancient stone walls and pale blue lamps vanishing into the blur. An instant later—Freedom Party appeared inside the third-floor guardian chamber.
Hyoren's body immediately tensed. His eyes swept across the surroundings.
The chamber was large. Not quite as massive as the second-floor guardian chamber, but still considerably larger than the one on the first floor. Its shape immediately reminded Hyoren of something from Earth. An oval-shaped arena—a colosseum.
Pillars stood around the outer edges, accompanied by ancient decorations carved into the stone. Tiered seats rose around the battlefield like the spectator stands of an enormous underground arena. The actual battle area occupied the center.
Freedom Party stood at the entrance of the arena.
Behind them was the archway they had just passed through—the way back to the dungeon proper. And ahead of them stretched the vast battlefield.
At the opposite end stood the guardian. It hadn't moved. The creature simply waited there in silence. It didn't approach. It didn't attack.
It seemed as though it would remain completely still until Freedom Party entered the arena.
Hyoren narrowed his eyes.
“Single Elite Guardian... in a duel arena...”
Then he noticed something.
He corrected himself almost immediately.
Not a single monster. Two…
One was riding the other.
The creature beneath the rider immediately caught Hyoren's attention. It was a pure-white monster covered in thick fur.
At first glance, it resembled a rhinoceros. But it was much stranger. Its massive body was supported by six powerful legs, each one thick enough to suggest tremendous strength. A majestic single horn protruded from its head, similar to a rhinoceros's horn.
Even the horn was pure white.
White armor-like streaks covered its neck and head, protecting the creature's vulnerable areas. The strange beast gave off a faint glow, making its white body stand out against the darker stone of the arena.
And sitting on its back—was a goblin.
Yet this goblin was unlike the ordinary skulkers they had spent the past twelve days slaughtering. Its body was much closer to that of a human. It sat upright. Its posture was straight. Its physique was muscular.
But its green skin and unmistakable goblin face left no doubt about what it was.
It looked like a knight mounted on a war beast.
Reins were held firmly in its left hand. In its right was a long, massive white lance. The goblin itself wore white armor that covered much of its body. And then Hyoren noticed the strangest detail—a white blindfold covered its eyes.
“...A blindfold?”
Hyoren's brows furrowed slightly.
His instincts told him not to underestimate something simply because it couldn't use its eyes.
He immediately activated his Magic Eyes.
“Magic Eyes: Diagnostic Sight.”
His vision sharpened. His gaze settled first on the white monster.
The appraisal result appeared.
Blancorn - Level 16
Weak Point : Brain (Head) - Protected. Neck - Protected. Heart (Middle Chest) - Protected.
State : Healthy
Hyoren's expression tightened.
The creature was already troublesome enough from its appearance alone. Its thick fur and massive body suggested considerable physical durability. And now he knew that all of its major weak points were protected.
His dark eyes shifted upward. To the rider. The result appeared.
Goblin Rider - Level 18
Weak Point : Brain (Head) - Protected. Heart (Left Chest) - Protected.
State : Healthy
Hyoren stared at the result for a moment.
Level 18…
The same level as the Goblin Ruler they had fought on the second floor. He slowly lowered his hand.
A Level 18 guardian…
And unlike the second floor, there wasn't an entire army surrounding it. Only the rider and its mount.
For a brief moment, Hyoren felt a little relieved.
At least it wasn't another overwhelming horde...
They had fought thousands of goblins on the third floor. After that, facing a single Level 18 monster shouldn't have been particularly frightening. Shouldn't have been.
Then Arianna spoke. Her voice was unusually quiet. Her lips trembled.
“A Blancorn...”
Hyoren turned toward her. The crimson-haired mage was staring at the white beast. Her fingers had tightened around the Quadraflux Weaver.
The confident smile she usually wore was gone.
“This is troublesome... Leader.”
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Hyoren, Elise, and Jackey all looked at Arianna.
Something about her reaction was enough to make the atmosphere in the arena change. If Arianna—who had calmly faced countless goblin hordes and even powerful monsters before—was calling it troublesome.
Then this Blancorn was clearly not something they could afford to treat lightly.