“Interesting. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this.” Sol shot a look at Luna and Little Alshunna. “Are the lowest floors in all dungeons like this?”
After an hour of walking without encountering any more monsters, Sol’s group reached the far end of the floor. Before them stood a pair of doors so tall they disappeared into the darkness beyond the braziers’ light, presumably reaching the unseen ceiling. The height was clearly excessive for humans, suggesting that the doors were meant to be used by something appropriately tall. This, however, was at odds with the fact that everything had been human-sized so far. Sol had found himself asking, “Just who was it who built this place?” many times before, and never had he felt more convinced that “God” was the answer. Magic could indeed break all rules of reality, but a pair of doors clearly meant to be opened by something far larger than humans was still a little too much to take in.
Luna said, “Well, dragons don’t go dungeon diving...”
“And no devinian has even gotten this far inside a dungeon,” added Little Alshunna.
The answers from the two who were effectively the heads of their respective races were not particularly revealing. Come to think of it, the idea of a dragon actively making its way through a dungeon was ridiculous, and for some reason, it didn’t seem to suit demihumans either. When it was a demihuman accompanying a human party, however, the sense of oddness faded away, as if the dungeons had been made specifically for humans to conquer. Perhaps when all the dungeons were well and truly cleared, the enigma from the start of Art Thou One Who Adventures—and who could ever forget the line “the dungeons are a door” after reading it!—might finally be resolved.
“In any case, there’s no point just standing here,” said Sol. “We’ve no choice but to press on. Julia, can you buff us, just in case?”
“Sure thing.”
Although his memories of Art Thou One Who Adventures were hidden, what moved him in the face of the unknown was intellectual curiosity toward adventure, not cowardice toward retreat. This nature was why he had been chosen as Player in the first place.
“Luna, Aina’noa, Little Alshunna, be ready for action.”
As the buffs were cast, Sol decided to play it safe and lift his self-imposed restriction on using his monsters. Given how exaggerated the entrance was, a fight was definitely waiting on the other side, either with the boss of Floor 100 or at least an opening act. Either way, it was not to be underestimated.
Regardless of what meaning the dungeons held and what intentions were behind their creation, those who could not defeat the powerful guardians within had no right to any answers. Therefore, the first order of business was to punch everything into submission. That was the way of one who made a living challenging dungeons and territories—the way of an adventurer.
✦ ✦ ✦
The ridiculously large doors started opening slowly exactly ten seconds after Sol’s whole group stepped into the magic circle engraved in the ground before them. They didn’t stop when the gap grew just enough for one person to pass through, as some doors did for effect, but continued, filling the air with an intermittent growl that shook everyone’s chests. The light running every which way across the surface of the doors, and the blinking ancient script, left no doubt everything was, as expected, powered by magic. As the panels swung farther inward, what seemed like detritus built up over an eternity fell off and crashed to the ground, adding to the cacophony.
The darkness beyond the threshold was so absolute that it seemed to swallow the light of the braziers, giving the distinct impression that what lay in wait was nothing less than hell itself. The party had enhanced eyesight, but it was of no use in the complete absence of light. The inky void they were staring into stirred up an instinctive, primordial fear in their hearts. A wise person in their shoes would have immediately known to leave well enough alone.
When the doors fully opened, they fell apart and collapsed in one final din. And yet, the pieces did not pile up on the ground. It was as though there were a floorless perimeter on the other side that led to the true abyss that gave this dungeon its name.
Sol’s group, on high alert, refrained from immediately walking in. Floor bosses were all spawned, not permanently stationed, and the spawning didn’t happen until the room was activated, such as by someone entering it. Sol’s map told him that what lay beyond was an expansive circular space, but there were no red dots in it that indicated hostile presences, increasing the odds that this boss room worked the same way as the others.
Reen, the party tank, used eye contact to check with Sol, then quickly stepped inside. That very instant, a ring of torches installed at regular intervals on the wall came to life with one collective whoosh. They were so numerous that it was impossible to count them with a glance, and yet their flickering flames failed to illuminate the room itself. This suggested that the other side was so far away that the torches on the far wall weren’t visible from the entrance.
More torches flared to life in a rising spiral running counterclockwise, eventually disappearing into the darkness when they got too far away and reappearing a while later when the sequence moved close enough. The phenomenon gradually picked up speed, and before long, the ceiling grew visible.
Just then, a large orb of light wreathed in lightning appeared right under the ceiling in the center, instantaneously throwing the all too spacious boss room in stark relief. As it turned out, every inch of wall was covered in murals depicting history—not only that of this world from its creation to the birth of the dungeons but that of other worlds besides. Sol’s group had no idea what they were looking at, however, and merely stared at the breathtakingly beautiful artwork, mouths hanging open in awe.
The sphere of lightning-clad light descended slowly, pulsing at a consistent tempo. Each time it did, it grew a little larger, and three-dimensional magic circles based on ancient script on the circular wall emerged and slowly began rotating.
“This is amazing!” Rosalind cried, her face glowing with surprise and delight.
Julia chuckled. “Now that’s showy.”
Both Reen and Eliza were simply captivated, with the former saying “Wow...” and the latter “So pretty...”
Frederica, pragmatic as always, noted, “There is no doubt this is the most effort we’ve seen put into a boss encounter.”
All the in-character reactions almost made Sol laugh. As his group had recently learned, all dungeons had bosses on Floor 10 and beyond, and they all spawned with a certain amount of pomp and circumstance. They differed each time, matching not only the boss’s race and distinctive features but also the feel of the coming fight. Sol’s group actually looked forward to these displays, since they could afford to. It was one source of motivation for them to continue the dive, and they had recently taken to discussing their favorites over meals.
Furthermore, the fact that the flashy introductions contained hints about the boss gave Sol the impression that they were meant to help challengers make appropriate preparations. If so, the being who had created the dungeons wanted humans with appropriate levels and gear to engage them. They were not traps to kill those overconfident in their abilities but doors for people to pass through, as suggested by Art Thou One Who Adventures.
“Do you like this kind of thing, my lord?” Luna asked, looking straight into Sol’s eyes.
Still staring with fascination at the spinning magic circles, Sol answered absentmindedly, “They sure set my heart racing.” He had made no effort to evade the question because he saw no need to.
“I...see.” For some reason, the look on Luna’s face turned pensive, and she pulled Aina’noa closer for a very serious discussion.
It was still a mystery to Sol how these two managed to communicate when one of them could only voice melodies. He had asked once, but the answer that Luna had offered went so far over his head that he had promptly given up.
“Luna? Aina’noa?” His familiarity with the monsters told Sol that they were up to no good, and it was not helped by them seeming too occupied to answer him for once.
The doll on his head had no qualms about exposing what they were plotting, though. “My lord,” said Little Alshunna, “I believe you can look forward to rather flamboyant effects the next time the All Dragon forms an Astral or the Elven Queen summons the World Tree.”
Put simply, in seeing their liege being excited about the appearance of a mere floor boss, they were regretting not having made a bigger show of summoning their own avatars of power before and were brainstorming how to do better next time.