As the floor beneath them gave way, Bell and Ottar plunged into the abyss, falling through a series of narrow tunnels that twisted and turned with reckless abandon. The icy wind whipped past them as they descended, the temperature dropping with each passing second. Bell's heart raced—not from fear, but from exhilaration. This was what he lived for, the thrill of the unknown, the promise of a challenge unlike any other.
With a deafening crash, they landed on the 65th floor. The impact sent a shockwave through the icy terrain, but both warriors emerged from the fall unscathed, their bodies fortified by years of battle-hardened experience. Bell rose first, brushing off the frost that clung to his clothes. He glanced around, taking in their surroundings. The floor was a vast, frozen wasteland, with jagged ice formations jutting out like the teeth of some great beast. The walls of the cavern were coated in a thick layer of ice, reflecting the dim blue light that seemed to emanate from the very air itself.
Ottar joined Bell, his axe held at the ready. His breath came out in visible puffs of steam as he surveyed the icy expanse. "This floor… It's colder than the 59th," he muttered, his voice tinged with concern.
Bell nodded, his breath forming clouds in the frigid air. "We're in the heart of the Dungeon now. It's not going to let us pass without a fight."
As if on cue, the dungeon stirred to life around them. The ice beneath their feet began to crack and split, and from the fissures emerged a horde of monsters, their forms twisted and grotesque. They were unlike anything Bell had encountered before—massive, ice-covered creatures with jagged claws and glowing, sapphire eyes. Their roars filled the cavern, a cacophony of rage that sent shivers of Battlehunger down Bell's spine. ''I jinxed it, didn't I.'' Bell said while cracking his knuckles.
"Frost Wolves, Ice Drakes, and… what's that?" Bell pointed at a colossal figure emerging from the shadows, a towering monster with an icy exoskeleton that gleamed in the dim light. It was a Frost Giant, one of the most feared creatures in the depths of the Dungeon.
Ottar's grip tightened on his axe. "Frost Giants… formidable adversaries. We'll need to be careful."
But Bell was already in motion, his excitement overpowering any sense of caution. "Careful? What's that is it eadible? Sounds like some disgusting stuff though." He said while sticking his tongue out in mock disgust.
He leaped forward, his hand outstretched as he called forth his power. "Cursed Technique: Lapse Blue!" The air around him shimmered as the gravitational force pulled the Frost Wolves together, their howls of fury cut short as they were crushed under the intense pressure. But Bell didn't stop there. He darted forward, his movements fluid and precise, as he unleashed a barrage of strikes imbued with blue as usual, his fists moving faster than the eye could follow. Each hit landed with the force of a sledgehammer, shattering the icy armor of the monsters with ease.
Ottar watched in awe as Bell tore through the horde, his power a blur of motion and destruction. It was clear that Bell had grown far beyond what he had been during their first encounter. The boy who he had once been evenly matched with, was now a force of nature, a whirlwind of energy and raw power.''It seems I have failed to keep up, Bell.'' Ottar muttered with an almost unnoticible smile as he continued watching Bell fight.
But the dungeon was relentless. For every monster Bell felled, many more took its place. The Frost Drakes circled overhead, their icy breath freezing everything in its path. One of them dove towards Bell, its jaws wide open, ready to snap him in half. But Bell was faster. He jumped over the attack, his hands shooting out, a whirlwind of motion.
"pathetic weakling!" he shouted, and his hands grabbed his upper and lower jaws and with a grunt of excertion he tore the drake in half, horizontally. Seconds later a red blast lit up in Bell's hand, The repulsive force exploded from his hand, sending another weird ghastly monster crashing into the cavern wall with a bone-shattering impact.
Ottar moved in to cover Bell's flank, his axe cleaving through the horde with brutal efficiency. His strikes were methodical, each one designed to take down the monsters with the least amount of effort. He knew Bell was more than capable of handling the brunt of the assault, so he focused on keeping the monsters off his back, ensuring that none could get close enough to take him by surprise.
The Frost Giant roared as it lumbered towards Bell, its massive fists slamming into the ground with enough force to send tremors through the ice. Bell turned to face it, a wild grin on his face. This was what he had been waiting for—a true challenge.
He met the giant's charge head-on, his body a blur as he darted to face the huge fist rushing towards himself. with a maniacal smile and laugh he shot his fist out and met its massive blows. The giant's fists came down like hammers, but Bell was equal in terms of physical strength, thus nullifying its one advantage, its strentgh. His movements too quick for the behemoth to follow. He leaped onto the giant's arm, racing up its length towards its head.
"Let's see how you handle this," Bell muttered as he reached the giant's shoulder. He planted his foot on the huge monster's shoulder and swung his foot in a soccer kick-like fashion. "Let's see if it Knuckles!" Bell roared as he kicked the giant's head, hard.
A massive shockwave of Bell's right foot and the Head of The monster colliding shot out from the point of impact, slamming into the surroundings with devastating power. The giant slumped to the floor, its icy armor cracking under the impact. But it wasn't what Bell focused on, He saw the head making a perfect arc and as it land it hit a Drake hard enough to bring it down, headless aswell.
Bell leaped back, landing gracefully on the ice as the giants roared in anger. "You're tough," he admitted, a hint of respect in his voice. "But I'm tougher."
Ottar joined him, standing at his side as the monsters rushed at them. "Together," the Boaz warrior said, his voice steady.
Bell nodded, his grin widening. "Together."
The two charged as one, Ottar's axe blazing with magical energy as he struck at the monsters all around , while Bell unleashed a flurry of blows at the ones Ottar wasn't attaking. The Beasts roared in defiance, but they were no match for the combined might of the two warriors. With a final, thunderous crash, the Frost Monsters fell, Their bodies shattering into a thousand pieces of ice.
As the last of the monsters were defeated, the icy cavern fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the two fighters. Bell looked around at the carnage they had wrought, the excitement slowly fading as the reality of their situation set in. This was only the 65th floor. There were still deeper, darker places to explore, and far more dangerous foes to face.
Ottar placed a hand on Bell's shoulder, a gesture of camaraderie. "You fought well, Bell Cranel. But this is only the beginning."
Bell nodded, his mismatched eyes filled with determination. "I know. And I can't wait to see what comes next."
As they prepared to move on, Bell couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them, something far more powerful than anything they had faced so far. The dungeon was alive, and it was angry. But Bell was ready. Whatever the dungeon threw at him, he would face it head-on, with Ottar at his side and the strength of his resolve guiding him forward.
This was his story, and it was far from over.