The droplets collided with the small puddles—droplets falling not from the sky but from a rocky ceiling. Some of those puddles weren't even water… they were blood. The place was dark, a massive cave dimly lit by glowing diamonds embedded randomly into the stone walls. This was the tenth floor of the western dungeon, and it seemed to be the deepest point any adventurers had ever reached.
"I can't believe we're the first party to reach the tenth floor! We've officially beaten Etomi!!" a girl shouted excitedly.
She was a blonde with short hair, wearing a red cloak and holding two exquisite daggers. In front of her stood a short witch with gray hair and a white robe. Her expression was calm and cold. Behind them walked a dark elf girl with long white hair and crimson clothes. But away from these girls stood a young man with brown hair and an evil grin, scanning the surroundings. He was tall and clad in a massive green armor set, carrying a greatsword just as massive.
"Hahaha! Just wait, Etomi—I'll surpass you soon enough," the young man said with that same smirk.
This was Ralce and his party: Rommy the Red Hood, Ruby-ranked; Lisa, the silent, Ruby-ranked; Nowy, the Crimson Priestess, Gold-ranked; and finally their leader Ralce—an Emerald-ranked adventurer, the second-strongest in the guild. And now, they appeared to be the first party to reach the tenth floor of this dungeon.
"I don't see any rooms... or monsters," Rommy muttered while scanning the area.
"Then maybe…" Ralce whispered.
"This entire floor is a boss room," Lisa said quietly.
"Lisa, can you sense its power?" Ralce asked.
"Yes…"
The party began to follow Lisa as she walked ahead with her staff, eyes closed. The place was silent; only their footsteps and dripping water echoed in the cavern, along with the occasional sight of skeletal remains scattered here and there. Eventually, following Lisa's lead, they arrived at another section of the floor—a tunnel with a dark circular entrance that clearly led deeper into this desolate level.
"It's here," Lisa said.
"You dummy, you can't just say that! Do you even know how strong it is?!" Ralce snapped.
"Dummy? Ralce, this is the thousandth time I've asked you to do us all a favor and jump off a cliff to save us from your idiocy," Lisa replied coldly.
"What do you mean by that?" Ralce muttered.
"You idiot, Lisa can only sense the presence of a Nemesis core—not its exact location! How many times do we have to explain this to you?!" Nowy snapped.
"What a useless ability…" the armored warrior grumbled, walking away from the tunnel entrance.
"Come on, don't be idiots. It's obvious there's a monster in there," Rommy said.
"We know, dumbass. We just want to figure out how strong it is," Ralce answered.
A long silence followed. They were all thinking about their next move. Entering a floor no one had ever been to before wasn't exactly comforting—especially if there was a boss waiting. They remained deep in thought, especially Ralce. Unlike usual, he was quiet, lost in planning his next move. Entering such an unknown zone was a huge risk.
"By the way, Nowy… what happened with your sister?" Ralce suddenly asked.
"She keeps begging me to quit being an adventurer and come help her at the temple... but this time she's gotten more aggressive, even yelling at me. I don't think I can live with her if I want to keep adventuring," the dark elf answered.
"And what about you, Lisa?"
"They're going back to Magica…" the witch said quietly.
"You refused to go with them?" Ralce asked as he stood up.
"Yeah… but I don't think it changed anything. They're still forcing me to return."
"Well then… girls, let's make this adventure count. Let's make it our final one—if we part ways afterward!" Ralce declared with that grin of his as he stepped toward the dark entrance.
The girls smiled and followed their leader. His simple words had clearly lifted their spirits. It was rare for Ralce to encourage his party like that. He glanced back at them—they were smiling and exchanging glances with a look of surprise and determination.
"Lummia," Nowy muttered.
A glowing orb of light formed in her hand, illuminating the area. The bright light revealed the path ahead. As they expected, the tunnel was long and seemed to lead to another room, faintly glowing at the far end, unlike the darkness of the tunnel. After some time, Ralce stopped and asked everyone to prepare.
"My bag's ready! I've checked it ten times on this floor already!" Rommy said.
"My spells are just waiting to be cast," Lisa replied.
"Same here," Nowy added.
"Then let's go!"
They exited the tunnel and stepped into the next area. It was clearly a boss room—a huge circular room with no other exits besides the one they came through. The room was dimly lit by the same glowing crystals as before. Water still dripped from the ceiling, and the silence was eerie and suffocating.
"This is…" Lisa whispered.
"The final floor of the western dungeon…" muttered the Red Hood, shocked by the absence of any further exits like the boss rooms they had seen before, which led to deeper levels.
At that moment, Ralce realized he had achieved something he'd been striving for for months: reaching the final floor of the western dungeon. And it looked like he'd done it—not just done it, but done it before his rival Etomi. In that instant, Ralce felt immense power and pride swell within him, giving him the courage and desire to fight. He stared at his hands and muttered: "I did it! I beat that demi-human!"
Then, a massive hand gripped the top of a nearby boulder—like someone trying to pull themselves up from sleep. But that hand wasn't human. The creature rose behind the boulder, still hidden from view. A heavy silence fell over the party. Everyone shifted into a battle stance, including Ralce, who drew his greatsword.
The figure stepped out from behind the rock—and revealed itself to the party. It was a minotaur radiating a terrifying aura. Its fur was brown, with sharp curved horns. Its muscles were monstrous, towering over even the tall Ralce. It wore black armor with golden edges and dangling earrings. Its red, frenzied eyes locked onto the party while it gripped a massive silver axe.
"A minotaur!" Rommy shouted.
"But not a normal one…" Nowy whispered.
"Yeah… it's an evolved minotaur, clearly tier 8 or higher," Lisa added.
Ralce charged forward with a yell, swinging his sword in an attempt to land a decisive blow. But the evolved blocked the strike with its axe. A massive shockwave burst from the clash, followed by an explosive sound. Ralce was pushed back—and then Rommy appeared, short and blonde, her red hood covering her face. She lunged with her daggers, aiming to land the next strike.
The minotaur blocked her with its hand and attempted to finish her off with a crushing blow—but Lisa intervened from afar, hurling a fireball that struck the monster and forced it back from Rommy and Ralce. The beast growled, now even more enraged. It bared its teeth and breathed heavily, drooling with sheer madness. They had clearly provoked its wrath.
"You're the one pissing us off, you bastard!!" Ralce shouted as he charged again.
He launched a flurry of fast strikes, but the minotaur blocked them all as if it could predict where Ralce would aim—or maybe its concentration was just that sharp. Suddenly, a blinding light burst into the minotaur's eyes, disrupting its vision. Ralce took the chance to attempt a finishing blow—but the minotaur dodged by sprinting back. Still, Ralce managed to carve off a chunk of its flesh and flay its right arm.
"Nice move, Nowy!" Ralce called out.
"Winzell!!" Lisa shouted as she pointed her staff at the minotaur.
Suddenly, a whirlwind of wind surged toward it, lifting the beast off the ground and slamming it hard against one of the room walls. It was a powerful blow that made the minotaur fall and bleed a large amount of blood. After that, it got up, a crimson aura radiating from it. Suddenly, the evolved charged at Lisa with full speed, but Ralce stood in its way and blocked its with his sword. At that moment, Ralce expected the minotaur to grab the axe with both hands to increase his momentum.
But the raging beast did something else—it freed one hand and punched Ralce hard in the face, sending him flying back. It was a powerful punch that made Ralce bleed from his mouth and nose. After that, the minotaur continued its charge toward Lisa. Suddenly, a glowing shield with a soft green light formed around her, protecting her from the minotaur's attack. It was Nowy, and it seemed she had stepped in just in time.
"Rommy!" Ralce shouted.
"Rahhh!!!" Rommy screamed as she hurled several small black orbs at the minotaur.
The orbs exploded, forming a cloud of smoke that obscured the minotaur's vision. In that fleeting moment, Ralce appeared behind it. But the horned beast sensed him and leapt away. Even so, it couldn't completely dodge, and Ralce managed to land a deep wound on its back. The minotaur stood, staring them down. This time, it charged straight at Ralce with tremendous speed and force, its muscles and veins bulging as it ran with its axe.
Suddenly, instead of swinging the axe, the beast kicked Ralce hard. Ralce didn't fall as before but was knocked back. The minotaur then jumped, gripping the axe, and came crashing down with terrifying force, slamming it into the ground and creating a massive fissure. Had Ralce not dodged, he would've been crushed. At that moment, Rommy ran quickly behind the minotaur while it was distracted with Ralce.
"Rommy!!" Ralce shouted.
The minotaur turned and struck her with its axe. All that could be seen in that moment was a spray of blood flying through the air. Rommy collapsed on the ground after the axe struck her in the stomach. She quickly sat up, clutching her belly, then looked at her palm to see it drenched in dripping red blood.
"Nowy!!!" Ralce yelled.
The dark elf immediately moved to treat her comrade. At that moment, fury overtook Ralce's face, and he charged at the minotaur with force. As usual, the beast's roar echoed with its strike, but unlike before, the minotaur was hit by a fast-moving ball of wind that knocked it down, making it tumble across the floor. Ralce didn't waste the golden opportunity and lunged at the raging minotaur.
Suddenly, just before he could sever the minotaur's head, the monster dodged the attack, and Ralce only managed to cut off one of its horns. Ralce stood, glaring at his opponent who had lost a horn. The minotaur glared back. Then, it lunged forward with its axe in a furious frenzy, swinging it violently to strike Ralce.
Ralce stepped back as Lisa began firing fireballs, one after another at high speed, giving the minotaur no room to move. A cloud of smoke rose, but this time Ralce didn't attack. He quickly ran off to drink some potions—one for pain relief and another to restore energy. Apparently, Lisa's attack was meant as a distraction.
"Finish him quickly!!" Nowy screamed, crying as she pointed toward Ralce.
Suddenly, a radiant aura surrounded Ralce. He smiled and whispered, "Thank you." Then he charged the minotaur with fierce intensity, more powerful than ever before. This time, it was the minotaur who was forced backward, not Ralce. Both tried to overpower each other without attacking, knowing any strike would create an opening. This revealed their similar levels of intelligence. But what the minotaur lacked—was allies.
"Frozennis!!" Lisa shouted.
While the beast continued its pushing duel with Ralce, ice began to form on its shins and crept up until its legs were completely frozen. Immobilized, it could no longer move. Ralce gave a scornful smirk—that would be the last thing the minotaur ever saw. Suddenly, Ralce swung his terrifying sword—the Berserker's Blade—and sliced off the minotaur's head.
The head hit the floor and rolled away. Ralce and Lisa then moved toward Nowy, who was tending to Rommy. The bleeding had stopped, but she had passed out. Nowy was crying, which could only mean one thing—something serious, something tragic. Ralce didn't want to feel that way again.
"I've stopped the bleeding and closed part of the wound, but her condition will worsen if we don't take her to a doctor!" Nowy cried.
Ralce picked her up, and they left that floor, heading to the surface as fast as they could to get her medical help. And so, the western dungeon came to an end, and the final floor was reached—thanks to Ralce and his comrades, the party that surpassed all others in town. The only party to ever achieve this feat.
Final Floor—Cleared.
◆ ◆ ◆
In front of the western dungeon entrance, the sun blazed in the sky while evening cast its shadow over the town. A large crowd of adventurers stood gathered. Suddenly, Ralce and his party appeared—Ralce carrying the unconscious Rommy, with the minotaur's head hanging from his waist. Ralce stopped when he saw someone important to him—Etomi—who was just about to enter the dungeon that evening.
"Don't wear yourself out. We've reached the final floor," Ralce whispered to her.
Etomi pretended not to care and continued walking into the dungeon. Then Ralce looked at the crowd in front of him. Everyone was shocked by the minotaur's head and Rommy's condition. That sight could only mean one thing. After a long moment of proud silence, Ralce finally spoke: "I am Ralce. In my name, my party's name, and the name of my guild—Miracles—I declare that the western dungeon has been conquered and the final floor reached."
With that, he quickly withdrew with his party, leaving everyone in shock. Then the crowd erupted in cheers and cries. Joy and disbelief swept through everyone—except one person in particular. She was walking into the dungeon with cold eyes, but this time, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. It was clear—Etomi was furious. Her rival had bested her. She continued deeper in, seething with rage, not even sure why she was still going forward.
But beyond Etomi and among the crowd, someone else was far angrier and more spiteful. His furry ears stood out, and his yellow eyes hid a storm of emotions. He was more furious than Etomi. His orange fur seemed ready to catch fire, his eyes about to burst, and his teeth grinding so hard they might shatter. Ponier—the one who hated this achievement the most. Not because Ralce or someone from his party did it—but because it was Miracles guild, not Alis.