Lydia stopped covering Liam’s body.
The gelatinous mass that had been wrapping around her husband slowly began to retract, sliding down his legs and arms until it once again concentrated into a single point.
Within seconds, the slime form disappeared.
Standing before Liam once again was Lydia, his wife.
The illusions of the supposed hunters who had accompanied them also disappeared one after another.
At last, they were alone.
Lydia took a step forward, and her feet touched the grass.
She stood still, lowered her gaze, and wiggled her toes slightly, feeling the grass beneath them.
Liam watched her in silence.
He knew exactly what she was thinking.
The last time they had been there, Lydia had barely been able to experience that place with her own body. They had accidentally fallen into the dungeon, and she had been forced to use her new abilities as a slime in order for them to survive together.
Lydia was there again, but this time, she could see everything with her own eyes.
She slowly raised her head.
The landscape was practically unchanged.
A massive forest stretched out before them, covered in a strange yellowish light.
And above their heads...
The sand-filled sky.
A gigantic expanse of sand suspended above the forest, as if an entire ocean had become trapped in the sky.
Lydia took a deep breath.
"It’s strange..."
Liam approached her.
"What is?"
"Coming back here."
Lydia smiled.
"Last time, I was terrified."
Liam took her hand.
Lydia intertwined her fingers with his and smiled.
Then, a window appeared before Liam’s eyes.
[Achievement Unlocked: Combine your Slime’s abilities to deceive others.]
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
Another window immediately appeared.
[Your Slime has reached level 49.]
Liam’s eyes widened.
"Lydia!"
"What happened?"
"You leveled up!"
Lydia blinked.
"Again?"
"Level forty-nine."
Liam smiled broadly.
"You’re only one level away from evolving again."
Lydia smiled as well.
However, her happy expression didn’t last long.
Liam noticed his wife slowly lowering her gaze.
"What is it?"
Lydia remained silent for several seconds before finally sighing.
"I think..."
She squeezed his hand slightly.
"I’m scared."
Liam stopped smiling.
"The evolution?"
Lydia nodded.
"Yes."
She looked at her own hands.
"What if this time I lose my ability to maintain my human form?"
Liam didn’t answer immediately.
"What if I lose my body again?"
Her voice began to tremble.
"What if, after evolving, I become nothing more than a green gelatinous mass again?"
Liam felt a pressure in his chest.
He stepped closer and embraced her.
Lydia rested her head against him.
"I don’t want to lose this..."
"Your body?"
"Everything."
Lydia closed her eyes.
"My body. My voice. Being able to hug you. Being able to cook with you. Being able to walk beside you..."
Liam hugged her tighter.
"I don’t think that’s going to happen."
Lydia looked up.
"So far, you haven’t lost any of the abilities you’ve obtained."
"That’s true."
"You’ve evolved several times."
Liam smiled.
"And every time, you’ve kept everything you had before."
Lydia thought for a few seconds.
"You’re right."
"Then don’t think about what you might lose."
Liam kissed her forehead.
"Think about what you might gain."
Lydia smiled.
"That sounds easy when you say it."
"That’s because I’m very wise."
"Idiot."
They both laughed.
Liam gently held his wife’s cheeks with both hands.
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Listen to me."
Lydia stopped laughing.
"Whether you’re a gelatinous mass..."
Liam paused briefly.
"...or a woman."
He smiled.
"You’re still my wife."
Lydia froze completely.
"And I love you."
Lydia’s eyes became slightly teary.
Then she hugged him with all her strength.
"I love you."
Liam smiled.
"Besides..."
Lydia raised an eyebrow.
"I don’t know if it’s legal to ask a gelatin for a divorce."
Lydia’s mouth fell open.
"Liam!"
"What?"
"You can’t say that!"
"I’m asking a serious question."
"There aren’t any lawyers for slimes!"
They both burst out laughing.
◇◆◇
After a while, Lydia pulled away from her husband.
"There’s something I’m worried about."
"What?"
"Where is everyone?"
Liam looked around.
His wife was right. The forest was practically empty.
There was no sign of the guild hunters.
They couldn’t even see the sub-captains who had entered earlier.
"I thought we’d find someone."
Liam looked at the ground and noticed there were no recent footprints.
"Maybe they moved ahead."
Liam raised his gaze.
"Remember where the final floor is."
Lydia looked upward.
The sand-filled sky seemed endless.
"It’s above this."
"Exactly."
Liam crossed his arms.
"If the sub-captains came to conquer this dungeon, they must have found a way to get up there."
Lydia looked at the sky again.
"Then we have to find it too."
"Yes."
They both began walking slowly between the trees.
Liam looked upward every few seconds.
Until something caught his attention.
"Wait."
Lydia stopped.
"What?"
Liam pointed toward the horizon.
"Do you see that?"
In the distance, beyond the trees, something gigantic pierced through the sand-filled sky.
At first, it looked like a mountain.
But the longer they watched it, the more obvious it became.
It was a gigantic tree.
Its trunk rose from the forest and pierced through the enormous layer of sand suspended above them.
Its branches disappeared into that strange golden mass.
Lydia’s eyes widened.
"It’s enormous."
Liam smiled.
"I think we just found our way."
"Do you think they climbed up through there?"
"I can’t think of any other way."
Lydia looked at the tree.
"Then we have to climb it."
Liam nodded.
"I suppose so."
Lydia smiled.
"Do you think it’ll be dangerous?"
"We’re inside an S-Rank dungeon."
Liam shrugged.
"It would be strange if it wasn’t."
Lydia let out a small laugh.
"I like it better when you say everything will be fine."
"Well..."
Liam looked at the gigantic tree again.
"Everything will be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"No."
Lydia looked at him in surprise.
Liam smiled.
"But we’ll be together."
She stepped closer and took his hand.
"Then let’s go."
The two of them began walking.
Each step brought them closer to the gigantic tree that pierced the sand-filled sky.
Above them, tons of sand continued to fall like an endless waterfall.
That tree seemed to be the only connection between the forest and the final floor.
And the closer they got...
The larger it appeared.
Lydia looked up.
"I think this is going to take a while."
Liam let out a laugh.
"Then we’d better not waste any time."
Lydia nodded.
And together, they headed toward the giant tree.