"Where in the world did he run off to?"
Dean irritably stared at his watch. It had been about fifteen minutes since Liam had left for the 'coffee', and he hadn't returned since.
"Did he get into some sort of trouble, or is he dozing off?"
Either way, Dean couldn't dwell on Liam for too long. His current focus was on the girls who had since collected all the cores and were now headed deeper into the dungeon.
'The haul this time isn't too bad.'
They had managed to get about fifteen cores. It was a lot more than he originally thought, and Dean felt a little better about the situation.
Given the number of cores they had collected, they could partially offset the dungeon's expenses, but they were still a few dozen cores short of reaching a profitable point.
Cores were an important asset. With almost all of the world's energy powered by them—in a clean and efficient fashion—they held a lot of value.
Collecting them was rather important.
The forest grew thinner with each passing moment, uncovering the night sky above. It twinkled with countless stars, while the moon bathed them in its gentle glow, illuminating their paths.
"Okay girls, you're doing good. Just keep yourselves focused and don't get distracted. The moment you sense danger, use your return stones immediately."
There was a bit of pain in his voice when he mentioned the 'return stones'. Not only were they costly, but each instance of use took a toll on the girls, leaving them exhausted and unable to partake in diving activities for at least a couple of weeks.
That was the same as suicide for them. They weren't big enough to afford to be gone for weeks. Within two days, they'd be forgotten from the minds of the common folks. That was how the industry worked.
—There's nothing to worry about Director. We can handle this.
"I believe you Joana, but still be careful."
—Noted.
—Hey, Director...
"What is it, Mia?"
—About what I said before…
"What about what you said before?
—You know…
Mia fidgeted on the screen.
—…about the editing. Like I said, I think recently I've been retaining a lot of water, and I kind of feel rather fat. I don't want whoever watches the streams to-
"Alright, good luck girls."
—Wait!
Click—!
"Aish."
With a long sigh, Dean leaned back in his chair. His eyelids felt heavy, and although he wanted to rest, he couldn't. Turning his head to stare at the door, he could only silently curse under his breath.
"Just see what I'll do when you get back."
***
"I'm thirsty, do we have water?"
"You didn't bring any?"
"No. I was in a rush."
"What… Nevermind, here."
Joana handed her bottle to Mia. Taking it, she took several large gulps before handing the bottle back to her.
"Ha. That's more like it. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Joana nodded, tucking the bottle on her waist. After that, turning her wrist she turned to look at her watch.
"We have a couple of hours to clear this dungeon. We should hurry."
"Aye. I wonder what kind of boss we'll get."
"…I don't know."
Pursing her lips, Joana carefully looked around her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but a sense of unease crept up her spine, causing her heart to beat a little faster. The tranquility of her surroundings only amplified the feeling, making the absence of noise all the more unsettling.
"I just hope we won't face against something that we can't handle."
The fact that this happened to be a 'random' dungeon also seemed to have heightened her sense of unease as she secretly prayed for everything to work out.
It had been… years since she had debuted as a Star Chaser. She was now 24, and she wasn't going to get any younger.
Her looks and skills would only last for so long, and she knew that she would soon be scrapped if she didn't produce any results.
This dungeon… it was one of the only chances she had left.
No. Not just her. Everyone else too with the exception of Lyla. She was the only one amongst them whose future wasn't bleak. They needed this as much as she did.
"Aigh."
Mia ruffled her hair.
"If we do end up facing a strong boss, do you think the guild will continue sponsoring us?"
The sudden question made the air tenser, and just as Joana was about to answer, Mia continued.
"Like, haaa…" Mia let out an audible sigh. "If we do end up splitting I'd at least want to take a photo with everyone. And as always, I'd want Liv to take the photo."
"It's Olivia."
Olivia frowned, turning her head to look at Mia.
"...and why are you always asking me to take the photos for you?"
"Why do you think?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."
"Well… I mean, do you want to know how you can tell if you're ugly?"
"Why are you suddenly changing the topic?"
"It's when you're always handed the camera for group photos. I thought you'd catch on by the fifth time it happened."
"…"
After a sudden pause, a strained scream reverberated throughout the empty surroundings.
"Kyaak!"
"Come here. Say it again!"
With a firm grip, Olivia held Mia in a chokehold, exerting all her strength. It didn't take long for Mia's face to turn purple, and her lips to swell. Desperately, she tapped on Olivia's forearm.
"I.. Gwive. I gwive."
Click! Click!
"Smile for the camera."
"Nwo! My fwace!"
"Shut up and smile!"
"Hiek!"
But Olivia didn't seem to care as she took her phone out and took several selfies of each other.
"Who's ugly now?"
"Ywo."
"What'd you say?!"
"Hyaak!"
"You girls…"
Joana didn't know what to make out of the situation, but a smile gradually formed on her face. While not obvious, Joana could tell that Mia had done all of this in order to alleviate the somber mood that had swept the group.
She… had always been like this. Behind that dumb facade of hers, she was really someone who understood the room far better than anyone else.
Perhaps, it was because of her that they had managed to stick for all these years. She was like the glue that held the group together.
"Girls, please stop for now. You're being too loud. Remember where we are."
At some point, Joana had to interfere. To her right, Sarah was leaning against one of the trees, eating her candy while admiring the scene with gusto while Lyla lay beside her with her eyes closed.
If not her, who would interfere?
"Huaaap. Thank you! Thank you!"
Released from Olivia's grip at last, Mia leaped towards Joana, wrapping herself around her body like an octopus. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Boohoo. What do I do now? If Olivia spreads those photos, my life will be ruined."
Joana rolled her eyes. What reputation? We don't even have fans to begin with...
"Don't worry about it, Mia. I'll get it sorted for you after the dungeon. For now, get a grip on yourself. We're still in a dungeon."
"…Okay."
Only then did Mia finally let go. Sulkily rubbing her pants, she silently glared at Olivia before picking up her spear.
"Where are the monsters? It's been quite a while since they haven't shown up."
"Now that you mention it…"
Joana looked around and frowned. Indeed, despite all the noise that they were making, no monsters showed up. In fact, the stillness that surrounded them became even more pronounced.
"I don't like the situation that we're in."
Joana turned to look at Sarah and Lyla.
"You two get up. Get yourselves ready. I don't like where this is he—"
Rumble—! Rumble—!
At that moment, a tremor rippled through their surroundings. The nearby trees thrashed vigorously, and the entire land quivered visibly.
"What in the…"
"What's going on?"
—Girls what's going on? What suddenly happened?
The director's panicked voice echoed through the coms.
"Girls get ready!"
With no time to pay attention to the director, Joana warned the girls as she tried to keep her footing in check. In the midst of the violent tremors, Mia, Sarah, Lyla, and Olivia fought to maintain their footing, desperately trying to withstand the relentless force that threatened to topple them.
…and it was then that it happened.
Swoooosh—!
In the distance, an enormous brown pillar emerged, piercing the night and stretching towards the sky. It stood tall and thick, emanating a profound sense of dread that caused Joana's heart to race with anxiety.
With just one gaze Joana understood something, and just as her mouth parted open, the solid pillar started to morph. It gradually split apart, fragmenting into eight distinct pillars, unveiling an imposing form nestled within their midst.
A massive body emerged and bristly hairs sprouted from every joint and back. All sharp enough to resemble swords.
Within the shroud of the night, eight crimson eyes radiated an otherworldly glow. They pierced through the darkness with intensity as they fixed their gaze on Joana and the others.
Joana's heart sank at the gaze, but despite it all, she was still able to utter a few words.
"That…"
For she knew the beast that was right before her.
"R…red ranked beast. Mother of all spiders."
***
I couldn't pinpoint the moment, but sweat covered my body. My back was completely soaked, and droplets trickled down my forehead, occasionally reaching my eyes. But I continued forward. I had to. There was no other choice.
I needed to make sure I warned them of the possible danger. I hoped I wasn't too late.
…and seeing the familiar watch room, I didn't hesitate to open the door.
"Haa… Director, I—"
But when I came in, I understood that I had been too late and my heart started to sink. Staring at Dean, whose face seemed to have aged a couple of years, and turning to look at the monitor, my legs almost faltered.
I… I came too late.
Seeing what was projected on the monitor ahead of me, I knew that I had arrived too late.
Red-ranked beast. Mother of all spiders.
A monster that was widely regarded as one of the hardest to beat. Unless one had a team equipped with the best equipment, it was almost impossible to defeat such a monster.
Even though I stood outside the dungeon, I could sense the sheer might of the monster, and it left me with a parched sensation in my mouth.
Did I make the wrong choice?
I thought that so long as I followed the visions, I'd be able to turn my life and the girl's life around, but I was wrong. I had been too hasty, and I trusted the information too much. No, the information was right.
The only problem was that I didn't know all the details. I jumped at the opportunity without knowing the whole picture, and that… that was my mistake.
Damn it.
"There's no hope."
Dean's mouth slowly parted, his complexion growing paler with each passing second. His eyes remained transfixed on the screen, where the girls' expressions of panic were shown. He nervously licked his dry lips, a subtle gesture betraying his disappointment and sadness.
With a defeated look, he pressed onto his coms.
—Girls, use your return stones.
His voice emerged hoarse. As if he was someone who had smoked their entire life. Yet, as I observed him in that solemn moment, I understood the rationale behind his words.
Considering the girls' limited equipment and capabilities, engaging in a battle against a red-ranked beast would have been anything but rational. It was the logical command.
Even so. Despite it all. I had hoped. Hoped that he would say something else. I didn't want things to end like this, and…
"Don't use your return stones yet."
For some reason, I was standing before the monitor. I stared at the girls before me, each holding onto a glowing blue stone.
"There is a way."