Ryusei teleported to the next floor—the one right before the dungeon master.
Soft sand shifted beneath his feet. It wasn't just under him; it stretched out endlessly in every direction. The scorching heat of the sun bore down on his skin, confirming what he already suspected.
A desert.
First a place flooded with water, and now this...? Ryusei sighed.
Before figuring out what this floor had in store for them, he had one priority—healing Haku.
He extended his hand and imagined the recovery potion. Instantly, a green vial shimmered into existence in his palm.
A potion that fully heals all wounds and restores every drop of lost mana.
To use it, simply pour it anywhere on the target's body. If it fails... then that person is already gone.
Ryusei uncorked the vial and poured the glowing liquid over Haku's body. Slowly, the wounds sealed shut, and the light of recovered mana flowed through him.
Not even a second later, Haku shot upright.
"Ryusei! Where are—"
He paused mid-sentence, his gaze locking onto a beautiful figure waving at him with a bright smile. His eyes widened the moment he recognized the person.
What gave it away were those strikingly blue eyes—eyes that seemed to hold all the blue in the world.
The little snake.
"R-Ryusei..." he breathed.
Ryusei grinned. "Correct."
Haku sat back down, regaining his composure, though a faint smile lingered on his lips.
"So, you've become a Tyrant. What happened? And... where exactly are we?"
Ryusei settled down across from him, the sand warm beneath his fingers.
"Let's see... where should I begin?"
And so he told Haku everything—from his battle with Vazrothvra to the moment he evolved into a Tyrant. He also revealed something else.
He wasn't just any Tyrant—he was a named Tyrant.
The moment those words left his lips, Haku's eyes widened with a mix of surprise and awe.
So that's why Ryusei's mana skyrocketed... It was nearly double his own.
Then he asked the question.
"Do you know what a named Tyrant even is?"
Ryusei shrugged. "Someone strong?"
Haku let out a short laugh, though his expression stayed serious.
"You're half right. A named Tyrant is far stronger than a normal one. But more importantly—they're immortal."
And that's exactly what had happened to Ryusei. He was now immortal. Only soul-based attacks could harm him.
But what were soul-based attacks?
Haku explained.
There are three categories of attacks: normal, soul, and oblivion.
Normal attacks were the standard—skills like Fast Strike or Gale Wind.
Soul attacks, however, bypassed the body and targeted the soul directly. If your senses weren't sharp enough, you might not even realize you'd been hit.
And then... there were Oblivion attacks.
Devastating forces that could erase the fabric of existence itself. No trace. No remains. Nothing.
Ryusei's Black Hole came eerily close to being one of them—but it wasn't quite there yet.
That was everything Haku shared. But something lingered at the back of his mind as he looked at Ryusei.
He became the Tyrant of Greed.
That meant he had a desire so powerful, he was willing to destroy himself—again and again—just to attain it.
That was how a named Tyrant was born.
Unlike Haku, who forgot everything else to pursue one goal, a named Tyrant erased themselves in pursuit of an answer they couldn't let go of. That basically meant they killed themselves over and over again.
What had Ryusei discovered?
Of course, Haku didn't ask. Some answers were meant only for the one who found them.
Still, he noticed something else. Ryusei seemed... different.
The old Ryusei felt like an empty shell—like someone wearing a mask. But now...
Now, he felt more real. More like 'Ryusei'.
Gentle and dark, all at once.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
This floor was unlike anything Haku had ever seen.
An endless desert. A silence that felt unnatural. And the unknown floor master Ryusei had warned him about.
"Hey! Haku!" Ryusei suddenly called out.
"Yes...?" Haku replied, still deep in thought.
"I think we should start flying."
That snapped Haku back to reality. "What do you mean?"
Ryusei pointed behind him.
Haku glanced over his shoulder.
A massive wall of sand—like a tsunami—was barreling toward them.
What shocked him most wasn't its size.
It was the silence.
The earth didn't tremble. The wind didn't howl.
Without hesitation, Haku grabbed Ryusei and launched into the air, his wings bursting open. A dust cloud exploded behind them.
Seconds later, the silent wave swallowed the area they'd just been in.
But both of them noticed something else.
Black spikes.
Jutting out of the sand.
Strange.
The wave eventually faded into the horizon.
"Ryusei, did you see those black spikes too?"
Ryusei nodded. "Yeah. I also felt a bit of mana from them. Just a theory, but... could there be a monster inside the sand?"
Haku gently descended, still holding Ryusei in his arms.
"It's very possible..."
He landed, deep in thought once again.
The only kind of monster that could live in sand like that was—
His thoughts were interrupted.
"Could you please let me down now?" Ryusei asked.
Haku blinked. He had completely forgotten he was carrying him.
Ryusei felt light—almost like a feather.
Meanwhile, Ryusei felt like a princess being carried by her knight.
And for the first time in his life... he wished he had wings.
Haku gently placed him on the sand.
They still had no clue how to clear this floor.
And that giant wave of sand... wasn't going to make things any easier.
With no other option, they decided to head west—toward the horizon, and away from the blazing sun.