When the captain heard Mr. Joe's complaint, he sighed deeply, clearly annoyed by this man's habit of whining. He replied in a tired tone as if explaining something he'd repeated hundreds of times before:
"Do you want me to send that man alone there? And what if he encounters a beast kaiju and gets killed? Are you ready to bear the responsibility in front of the Adventurers Association and justify his failure?"
Mr. Joe was about to respond angrily, but the captain continued, not giving him a chance to interrupt.
"And by the way, that woman asked me to send her water and the rest of the members. She might be finished now and waiting for the supplies. You know very well how she gets when she's angry. No one wants to see Samantha's face when she's mad, so you should hurry up and get back before you regret every second you're wasting here."
He added coldly: "And as you can see, we're all exhausted, so spare us the complaints and just go."
Mr. Joe shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Damn you, did I ask for your help or for you to meddle in my business? Why do you always throw all the responsibility on me?"
But he had no other choice. Sighing loudly, he turned to Noah, the porter standing behind him, and said, "Follow me, porter!"
".."
Noah, who stood next to the large bag filled with water and provisions, nodded quickly and replied, "Oh, yes sir."
He hurried to hoist the bag onto his back, trying to keep up with Mr. Joe, who had already stormed off without even a glance at him.
As Noah jogged behind him, he couldn't help but wonder 'Why does everyone act like I'm invisible? Is it just because I'm a porter? Or maybe because this bag feels heavier than the world itself?' But he pushed aside his sarcastic thoughts, focusing on the task at hand.
When they reached the end of the corridor, Mr. Joe suddenly stopped.
Noah, panting from the effort, looked around. The place was littered with the scattered corpses of monsters killed in previous battles, and on both sides were two entrances to dark caves.
Mr. Joe stood there, clearly hesitant, unsure which cave Samantha and the others were in.
He didn't have the time or patience to search. Suddenly, he raised his voice, shouting:
"Samantha! Where are you?!"
Moments later, Samantha emerged from one of the caves, her angry expression unmistakable. Noah could feel the tension in the air rise.
Behind her, two other party members, a man and a woman, appeared. But it was clear that Samantha was in charge. With her hair flying and eyes blazing, she looked like a living flame.
"You fool, why are you screaming my name? Are you a lost child?" Samantha taunted, her words biting with a sharp edge of sarcasm.
Mr. Joe froze for a moment, feeling the sting of her words, but he collected himself and replied coldly, "The captain wants you and the others to return. We might be leaving the dungeon soon."
Samantha responded with a single word, "Fine." Then, she quickly turned her gaze to Noah, who was still trying to catch his breath. She asked him, "Where's the water?"
Noah hurried to open the large bag, trying not to cause a disaster. But as he bent down to retrieve the water, something unexpected happened.
Whoosh-!
Out of nowhere, a beast that had been lying hidden among the dead bodies leaped up, charging straight at Samantha.
Noah's eyes widened in horror as time seemed to slow down. Mr. Joe drew his long sword, attempting to react, but he was far too slow.
The beast was much faster, and in that critical moment, Samantha raised her hand with lightning speed.
A massive fireball formed in her palm, and she hurled it at the charging beast.
BOOOOM-!
The sound of the explosion was deafening, and flames engulfed the monster entirely, sending it flying back into the depths of the cave, where it shattered into pieces.
The fireball obliterated part of the wall, and the sound of the explosion echoed throughout the dungeon.
Noah, who had still been crouched down, jumped back, using the large bag as a shield. Mr. Joe, on the other hand, fell onto his backside, desperately trying to get away from the flames.
Samantha looked at them both and chuckled softly as she took in the scene. Noah and Mr. Joe resembled marionettes jumping about in panic.
"Were you really scared of that little fireball?" she mocked, wiping the dust off her hands.
Mr. Joe, regaining his balance after the shock, glared at her with fury and shouted, "Damn you, Samantha! You nearly killed me!"
Samantha laughed coldly and replied, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now, you coward."
Then, she turned to Noah, who stood frozen, still processing what had just happened. She asked, "And you? Are you alright?"
Noah, embarrassed by the sudden attention, stammered, "Y-yeah... I'm fine."
As they exchanged these words, the captain and the rest of the team arrived, drawn by the sound of the massive explosion.
"What happened here?" the captain asked, his voice filled with concern.
Mr. Joe, still fuming, replied angrily, "Samantha! She launched a fireball that almost killed us!"
The captain looked at Samantha angrily and demanded sharply, "Is this true? Why would you do that?"
Feeling wronged, Samantha calmly replied, "There was a beast hidden among the bodies. It tried to attack me. I had to defend myself."
Hearing her reasonable explanation, the captain lowered his head slightly, suppressing his anger. However, before the discussion could continue, another voice interrupted them, "Captain, you need to see this!"
The captain, startled by the sudden urgency, turned towards the direction of the shout. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed a large hole in the wall, the result of Samantha's fireball.
"What's going on here?" he muttered to himself in disbelief. Then, without waiting for a reply, he moved closer to inspect the hole.
What lay beyond was unexpected – a hidden cave, previously concealed within the dungeon's structure.
The captain stepped closer to the hole, his brow furrowing as he peered into the dark, hidden cave that Samantha's fireball had accidentally revealed.
It was an eerie, silent void, as if untouched by the chaos of the dungeon around it.
The air was still, and a faint, chilling breeze seemed to seep out, carrying with it an unsettling feeling of foreboding.
"Everyone, gather around," the captain ordered, his voice steady but tense.
The group, including Samantha, Noah, and Mr. Joe, cautiously approached the newly uncovered space.
The faint light from the dungeon barely penetrated the cave's entrance, leaving the rest of its interior shrouded in darkness.