Night had fallen over the city when Liam and Lydia finally started making their way home.
After spending practically the entire day training at the guild headquarters, both of them were tired.
But it was a pleasant kind of exhaustion.
The kind that came after accomplishing something important.
Liam walked with his hands in his pockets, smiling as he thought about the new bullets he was carrying.
The small pieces of ammunition made from the gems they had obtained in the F-rank dungeon had significantly changed his options.
Until recently, his greatest contribution inside a dungeon had been observing, thinking, and giving Lydia directions whenever she needed them.
It wasn’t something that bothered him.
In fact, he was proud of being able to help her that way.
But now...
Now he could fight.
He could shoot.
He could use different weapons.
And, thanks to the idea he had come up with alongside Don Rouch and Lydia, he could even turn his wife’s power into a source of energy for his own bullets.
’Maybe next time I can actually be useful on the front lines.’
Liam smiled.
Beside him, Lydia walked in silence.
She seemed to be thinking about something.
"What’s wrong, darling?"
Lydia looked up.
"I was thinking about the S-rank dungeon."
Liam’s smile faded slightly.
Lydia looked toward the night sky.
"It seems strange."
"What does?"
"That they called three vice captains to deal with it."
Liam immediately understood what she meant.
Don Rouch had told him that Vice Captain Amber and Vice Captain Wayne would be participating in the raid alongside him.
"I suppose it must be something pretty serious."
"But we were on the top floor."
Lydia brought a hand to her chin.
"And that was by accident."
Liam let out a small laugh.
"Yeah. Definitely not something I want to repeat."
Lydia smiled as well.
"I want to go see it."
Liam looked at her.
"The dungeon?"
"Yes. Just from the outside."
She pointed ahead.
"I want to know how they’re doing."
Liam remained silent for a few seconds.
"I was thinking the same thing before we left headquarters."
Lydia’s eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Liam scratched the back of his head.
"But I didn’t ask because I thought it might be dangerous."
"Dangerous for me?"
"A little."
"After everything we’ve done..."
Lydia moved closer and took his arm.
"Now that you know how to shoot, have several weapons, and a bunch of different bullets, I feel much safer."
Liam smiled.
"I’m glad to hear that."
"Besides..."
Lydia looked him up and down.
"You look pretty sexy when you take that shooting stance."
Liam blinked.
"What?"
"And also when you make that serious face because you’re waiting for things to go the way you planned."
Liam started laughing.
"You’re quite the comedian!"
"Isn’t it true?"
"That’s why I love you so much."
Lydia smiled.
"I love you too."
Liam looked ahead.
The street was practically empty.
Then a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"You know what?"
"What?"
Liam moved closer to her and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was nearby, playfully slapped her on the butt.
"I bet you can’t beat me in a race to the dungeon."
Lydia’s eyes widened.
"WHAT?!"
Liam had already started running.
"Last one there has to wash the dishes!"
"That’s cheating!"
Lydia started laughing.
"You didn’t even give me a warning!"
Liam raised one hand while running.
"It’s a race!"
Lydia shook her head.
"Cheater!"
Her body began to change.
Her skin turned green and gelatinous.
Within seconds, Lydia’s human figure disappeared, leaving a small mass of slime on the pavement.
Liam continued running.
Then...
BOING!
His slime wife jumped.
She bounced off one wall.
Then another.
And jumped again.
"What are you doing?!"
BOING!
[Rabbit Jump.]
Within seconds, she had gained a considerable lead.
Liam watched her pull away.
"That doesn’t count!"
A message appeared before his eyes.
[Lydia: Run, darling. You can’t catch me.]
Liam burst out laughing.
"We’ll see about that!"
And he sped up.
◇◆◇
A few minutes later, Liam finally reached the area near their apartment.
The smile on his face slowly disappeared.
The S-rank dungeon stood before him.
The enormous structure towered over the buildings in the area.
Metal fences surrounded it everywhere.
Huge signs warned of the danger.
ACTIVE DUNGEON
NO ENTRY
RESTRICTED AREA
Several patrol vehicles were stationed around the perimeter.
Armed guards were watching every entrance.
And, standing in front of one of the fences, Lydia was already waiting for him.
She had returned to her human form and was smiling proudly.
"You won..."
Liam was breathing heavily.
"Then you’re washing the dishes tonight."
Liam looked at her, and Lydia burst out laughing.
The two of them walked toward the restricted area.
But they didn’t get very far.
Two guards stepped in front of them.
"Stop."
One of them raised a hand.
"You can’t go any further."
Liam nodded.
"We’re hunters from the guild."
Both he and Lydia pulled out their hunter IDs.
The guards examined them, and one of them shook his head.
"Sorry."
He pointed toward the fences.
"We have direct orders from Vice Captain Wayne."
Liam frowned.
"What orders?"
"Not to allow any Emerald-rank hunter or below to enter, even if they’re from the guild."
Lydia slowly put away her ID.
"But..."
"Those are the orders."
The guard didn’t seem willing to argue.
Liam observed the area.
The guards.
The fences.
The patrol vehicles.
Then he looked at Lydia.
She realized that he was thinking of something.
Liam communicated with her through their thoughts.
’I have an idea.’
Lydia raised an eyebrow.
[Lydia: What are you thinking?]
’Follow me into the alley.’
They both smiled.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Liam gave a small bow, and the guards relaxed.
"It’s fine."
Liam and Lydia walked away calmly.
They appeared to simply be accepting the refusal.
But once they turned the corner, Liam looked back.
The guards could no longer see them.
"And now?"
Lydia asked.
Liam pointed toward the alley.
"First, we need to find a way to get closer."
Lydia looked toward the dungeon again.
The structure was truly imposing.
Despite having been inside it before, seeing it from the outside still gave her a strange feeling.
She remembered that violet sky.
The enormous eyes that seemed to watch them from everywhere.
The endless sea of sand.
And that feeling of being completely outside her own world.
Lydia swallowed.
"I wonder what the real boss of that final floor is like."
Liam looked up as well.
"I don’t know."
His expression became serious.
"But I suppose we’ll find out soon enough."
"Do you think the vice captains can defeat it?"
Liam took a few seconds to answer.
"I hope so."
Then he smiled.
"But I want to see it too."
Lydia looked at him.
"You want to see it?"
"Yeah."
Liam watched the lights surrounding the dungeon.
"I want to know how far we are from being able to face something like that."
Lydia took his hand.
"Then we’ll have to get stronger."
Liam intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Together."