As soon as we reached the 20th Level, I noticed something off. It’s far too quiet. That in itself wasn’t so weird; the only monster roaming around a Boss’s territory was, of course, the Boss. Nevertheless, something was strange. Though it was nothing more than a gut feeling, I was sure something horrible was about to happen.
My father’s past words echoed through my mind: Eugene, trust in your swordsman’s instincts.
“Leona,” I started, but I refrained from suggesting that we go back.
Leona, the captain of her party, had a grave expression on her face. She must have sensed the wrongness in the air as well.
“Eugene, what do you think about this place?” she asked.
“I don’t know why, but it feels off here,” I replied honestly.
“Captain, is something the matter?”
Sumire and the members of the Martial Arts Club were waiting for Leona’s order. Normally, I entered the dungeon on my own, so I could leave off exploring the moment I didn’t feel like it anymore. But right now, we were moving as a team. Our journey here had gone smoothly, and morale was high. They would never turn back without a plausible reason.
Leona looked like she was struggling to make her decision, but she sucked in a small breath and said, “Watch out, everyone. Move carefully.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
In the end, she chose to continue the exploration. I didn’t say anything to dissuade her or change her mind. After all, I was an outsider in this party. The Martial Arts Club had the final say in what we did.
We slowly made our way deeper into the 20th Level. Unlike during our journey through the previous floors, everyone was silent. They must have caught on to their captain’s anxiety. The 20th Level was still the Rainforest Area, so tall plants surrounded us on all sides, making it hard to see beyond them.
Rustle...rustle... The sound of grass being trampled caught my attention, and when I looked toward the sound, I saw a deer staring at me. Other herbivorous animals—harmless creatures—were visible among the greenery. I didn’t see any monsters.
“No Goblins as far as the eye can see,” a Martial Arts Club member muttered.
The only monsters that existed on the 20th Level were the Goblin King and the Goblins under its command. However, we hadn’t seen hide nor hair of them.
As we continued our trek through the 20th Level, we came across something strange. It was a small humanoid monster lying prone in a puddle of blood.
It was a Goblin’s corpse.
Without hesitation, I said, “Leona, let’s retreat. There’s something weird about the 20th Level right now.”
“Yes, let’s turn back,” Leona agreed.
“Huh? Captain Leona, we’re heading back?!” a Martial Arts Club member cried.
“Eugene, what’s wrong?” Sumire asked.
“The 20th Level is the Goblin King’s territory right now, so the only monsters we should encounter are Goblins,” I explained.
“But that’s a Goblin corpse right there. Something really bizarre is happening here,” Leona added.
The only possibility I could think of was that a new Boss had emerged and taken the Goblin King’s place. On rare occasions, two Bosses spawned on the same floor, leading them to fight to the death for the territory. If we encountered them during their battle, we would have to deal with two Bosses at once. The instructors at Lykeion Magic Academy had taught us to always avoid such a scenario.
We turned around and started heading back. Leona and I brought up the rear, and without slowing our fast pace, Leona asked, “Eugene, what do you think is going on?”
“I think one Boss is usurping another,” I replied.
“Yeah, same. Bosses that commonly appear on the 20th Level, aside from the Goblin King, are Kobold Kings or Orc Kings.”
A Goblin King and its subjects were fighting against another group of monsters for this patch of land. That would explain the Goblin corpse we’d seen back there. But something about that explanation didn’t sit right with me.
“It’s too quiet,” I said.
“It is. I was wondering about that too,” Leona replied with a nod.
Goblins, Kobolds, and Orcs weren’t exactly known for their quiet demeanor. In battle, they often roared to intimidate their foes. If two different groups and species of monsters were duking it out, then it should have been far noisier than this. Yet the Rainforest Area remained silent, as if all the living creatures on this floor were holding their breath. We quietly yet swiftly made for the Dungeon Elevator.
One of the Martial Arts Club members asked in a dissatisfied voice, “Captain Leona, are we really going back down? We made it all the way here.”
“Yes, even if you think I’m being overly cautious, we’re leaving.”
Beyond the trees of the rainforest, I saw the long, thin spire of the Dungeon Elevator. Right as I breathed a sigh of relief, a loud boom resounded through the air and shook the ground. A massive shadow stood before us on four legs. At first glance, it resembled a black Great Wolf, but it wasn’t. It was so large that it towered over the treetops.
This thing was far bigger than the Boss of the 10th Level. The moment I laid eyes on it, goose bumps rippled over my skin. Every instinct was screaming at me: This thing is dangerous!
“Th-The Goblin King!” someone yelled.
The corpse of the Boss we came here to defeat—the Goblin King—hung in the mouth of one of the four-legged monster’s three heads. The beast calmly stared down at us.
“I-It’s Cerberus!” someone else screamed.
Cerberus, or the Guard Dog of the Underworld, was a monster said to reside in the land of the dead. It was a creature we’d only heard about in old legends. Despite being far bigger than the Troll on the 10th Level, it was so light on its paws that it could easily leap over our heads. It had taken the Goblin King, the original Boss of this floor, for its prey and was now consuming it. Humans were nothing more than insects to a monster of this caliber.
“Everyone, run!” Leona yelled. At her command, the club members scattered in all directions.
Sumire didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, so I grabbed her hand and ran deeper into the rainforest.
“Sumire, we’re getting out of here!”
“O-Okay!”
I had no idea what was happening either. Why were we encountering a Cerberus on such a low floor?
“Eugene, is that three-headed dog really strong?!” Sumire asked.
“That’s a Divine Beast! There’s no way to kill it!” I said.
“Huh?! Wh-What do you mean?!”
But before I could answer Sumire’s question, I heard an ear-piercing scream, so chilling that it raised the hair on the back of my neck. It was followed by the snap of breaking bones, and then the wet crunch of something being chewed reached us.
“Eh?” Sumire sucked in a breath, her face pale. The next moment, she tripped on her feet and fell. “Ah!”
“Sumire!” I picked her up and kept running.
“E-Eugene, that sound was—”
“Don’t think about it right now,” I panted.
I focused on sprinting as fast as I could, trying to put distance between us and Cerberus. But the worst was yet to come.
“Commencing Deus Discipline, the 100th Level challenge,” a mechanical voice sounded out over the 20th Level.
“Th-The 100th Level?” Sumire echoed in a confused voice, but I couldn’t answer her.
I was just as lost as she was. Why was an announcement for the 100th Level playing here? I looked around as I ran, trying to find somewhere safe. Is there anywhere we can hide? There! I spotted a hole in the base of a giant tree, just large enough to fit two people. Monsters might be hiding out from Cerberus inside the hollow, but fighting them was far preferable to trying to fend off Cerberus.
Still holding Sumire in my arms, I dove into the hollow, which was just large enough for both of us to fit if we squeezed together. W-We’re safe! I set Sumire down and immediately cast a spell over the entrance. Barrier Magic: Hidden Veil. This kept those outside from seeing us in the hole. In fact, the spell should disguise the hollow as well. But I wonder if my barrier can mask our scents from Cerberus, a Divine Beast?