Chapter 60: The Final Floor [Bonus - ]
Liam and Lydia continued climbing the staircase formed by the branches inside the gigantic tree.
Each step brought them a little closer to the top, but it also made the tremors stronger.
The entire tree creaked.
The branches shifted beneath their feet, and every now and then, small pieces of bark fell into the void below.
Liam looked up.
He could already make out an intense light above them.
The exit was close.
Then, a blue window appeared before his eyes.
[Danger Sense activated.]
Liam stared at the message for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Thanks a lot."
Lydia turned her head toward him.
"Why?"
Liam pointed at the window.
"The system is warning me that there’s danger ahead. If it weren’t for it, I never would have realized that it was dangerous."
Lydia burst out laughing.
"Don’t make fun of the system!"
"What? It’s warning me that we’re in danger while we’re inside a shaking tree because there’s probably a battle between giant monsters happening above us."
Lydia laughed again.
"Maybe Pix just wants to make sure we don’t do anything stupid."
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"Then it should have started warning us from the moment we left the guild headquarters."
Lydia smiled.
"Touché."
Another tremor traveled through the tree.
This time, it was so strong that Liam had to grab onto a branch.
Lydia looked upward.
The light coming from the top was becoming more and more intense.
"We’re almost there."
Liam took a deep breath and then remembered something.
"Before we go out, I need my weapons."
Lydia nodded, and her body began to transform.
The skin on her arms became gelatinous, and a small opening appeared in one of them.
Several objects began emerging from inside her body.
First came the pistol, then the magazines, followed by the cartridges Liam had prepared specifically for his submachine gun.
Finally, Lydia pulled out the automatic weapon.
Liam held it for a few seconds.
It was the first time he was going to use it in a real situation.
"Time for its debut."
Lydia looked at him and noticed something different in her husband’s expression.
It wasn’t just concentration.
It was excitement.
A mixture of adrenaline and happiness.
"You’re excited."
Liam began loading the pistol with his new gem bullets.
"A little."
"A little?"
"Well..."
Liam smiled.
"A lot."
Lydia laughed.
"I have to admit, I’m a little scared."
Liam looked at her.
"Of the dungeon?"
"Yes. But..."
Lydia paused.
"Seeing you like this makes me feel more confident."
Liam smiled.
"I think we’ve both changed a lot lately."
"A lot."
"When we first entered a dungeon, we practically had no idea what we were doing."
Lydia raised a hand.
"I didn’t even want to go in."
"I remember."
"And now I’m here, on the final floor of an S-Rank dungeon, waiting to face the boss."
Liam let out a small laugh.
"When you put it that way, we sound like a couple of crazy people."
"Maybe we are."
Another thunderous sound interrupted their conversation.
BOOOOM!
The entire tree shook.
Liam looked up.
Something had happened above them.
"What was that?"
Before Lydia could answer, several figures appeared in the opening at the top.
They were people.
"What?!"
Two men fell through the center of the tree.
Liam and Lydia barely had time to react.
The bodies passed right by them and continued falling into the depths of the tree.
"Are they okay?!"
Liam looked upward.
"We need to hurry."
Lydia nodded.
"Yes."
"We need to see if the others need help."
They both began climbing as quickly as they could.
As they advanced, Lydia looked toward the light above them.
"What do you think the boss looks like?"
Liam didn’t answer immediately.
He had been wondering the same thing.
He remembered the first time they had accidentally reached the final floor.
The violet sky, the sand, and those enormous eyes watching them from above.
"Maybe those eyes have something to do with it."
Lydia swallowed.
"I hope so."
Finally, they reached the top.
And what they found there left them completely motionless.
◇◆◇
Liam and Lydia remained hidden among the tree’s branches.
Before them stretched an enormous sea of sand.
As far as the eye could see.
And above that golden ocean stood the guild’s hunters.
Liam frowned.
There were several wounded people. Some were unconscious, while others sat on the ground, leaning against their weapons.
But those who were still capable of standing weren’t attacking.
They were waiting.
"What’s going on?"
Lydia observed the scene.
"I don’t understand either."
Amber was there.
Beside her stood Millie, still wearing her armor.
Don Rouch had arrived as well.
The jeweler was holding a massive golden spear.
Several hunters who appeared to belong to his squad were standing nearby.
And then Liam noticed something else.
Several hunters were suspended in the air.
Energy platforms floated beneath their feet over the sea of sand.
Evan was one of them.
The young man held his bow while carefully watching the horizon.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
"Where’s the boss?"
Lydia shrugged.
"That was exactly my question."
They both looked around.
There was no monster.
No creature.
No enemy.
Nothing.
Only the hunters waiting.
"This is strange."
Liam was about to step out of hiding when he heard a voice.
"What are they doing here?!"
They both froze.
Liam slowly turned his head.
A man was floating several meters above the ground on an energy platform.
He wore dark sunglasses and a long black trench coat.
He was looking directly at them.
"We’ve been spotted."
Lydia swallowed.
The man shouted again.
"You two!"
Amber and Don Rouch turned their heads.
Little by little, all the hunters began looking toward the tree.
Liam timidly raised one hand.
"Hi."
Lydia looked at him.
"Seriously?"
"What did you want me to say?"
Amber’s eyes widened.
"Liam?!"
Don Rouch looked completely shocked.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Liam didn’t have time to answer.
The man with the sunglasses shouted again.
"Watch out!"
Liam frowned.
"Watch out for what?"
The hunter pointed directly at them.
"It’s heading straight for you!"
Liam looked at Lydia.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Then...
[Danger Sense activated.]
Liam’s smile disappeared.
"Oh."
Lydia looked at him.
"What?"
"Now I understand the message."
The sand in front of them began to move.
An enormous amount of sand rose up before the tree.
The hunters backed away, and the ranged fighters raised their weapons.
Amber shouted something Liam couldn’t make out.
Don Rouch gripped his spear tightly.
The sand began forming a mountain.
Until finally...
Something gigantic emerged from the depths.
First came enormous fangs.
Then a head.
And then a monstrous mouth that looked capable of swallowing an entire building.
The creature opened its jaws.
Its roar shook the entire sea of sand.
Liam felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Lydia took a step backward.
"That..."
Liam slowly raised his pistol.
The monster rose even higher.
Its body seemed to have no end.
Its mouth opened completely.
And then it lunged directly toward them.
"LIAM!"
"I KNOW!"
The Danger Sense continued flashing before his eyes.
[DANGER.]
[DANGER.]
[DANGER.]
Liam gritted his teeth.
The creature opened its jaws even wider.
And the entire tree disappeared beneath its shadow.