While Leo and his party were struggling through the high-altitude bridge, another quadrant of the dungeon was experiencing a very different reality. Rose, the woman who had secured the second-place ranking during the Tithe of Souls, moved through the mist with an ease that bordered on the supernatural.
She was tall and graceful, with soft brunette hair that spilled over her shoulders like warm silk. Loose strands framed her face, brushing against rosy cheeks that carried a quiet, natural glow. The strange thing happening here was that Rose just stood still; the Stone-Eater Locusts, which were currently tearing into the lords behind her, treated Rose as if she were a ghost. They rippled around her in a perfect circle, never landing, never clicking their mandibles.
Steven Lockwood was among the blood-drenched crowd, his face twisted in a mask of exhausted rage. 'I thought she was prey,' he thought, his lungs burning as he swung his blade. 'I thought I was the one who would do the devouring.'
When the rankings had been revealed, Steven had seen a beautiful girl in second place and assumed she was a lucky fluke—a target with a massive point bounty and a soft heart. He had brought his entire remaining force to join her, intending to kill her the moment they were out of sight. Instead, he had walked into a trap made of smiles and soft words.
The thirty lords following her were acting like a hive mind. They fought with a suicidal ferocity to keep a single speck of dust from landing on her sapphire-trimmed tunic. The luck of the entire group seemed to be flowing toward her, leaving the rest of them to face every mechanical failure, every hidden trap, and every aggressive swarm.
Rose stopped and turned, her expression one of heartbreaking concern. ''I am so sorry, everyone. I feel like such a burden, watching you all work so hard while I can do nothing.''
The reaction was instantaneous and terrifying. The lords, some missing fingers or bleeding from deep gashes, looked at her with glazed, adoring eyes.
''Miss Rose, do not speak such nonsense!'' one man cried out, his voice cracking with fanatical loyalty. ''To protect your purity is the only reward we need!''
'We will be your shield, always!'' another woman added, her eyes wide and unfocused.
Steven felt the familiar, greasy pull on his mind. He tried to spit on the floor, to draw his sword and end the glamour, but his body betrayed him. His lips pulled into a stiff, obedient smile.
''Yesss.... Don...t wor...y,'' Steven rasped, the words feeling like hot lead in his throat.
Rose's lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, making her look like a painting of a saint. ''Thank you, everyone. I am truly blessed to have such noble companions. I will be forever in your debt.''
The path ahead seemed to stretch into infinity, mocking their progress. As the lords reached their breaking point, a man staggered forward. ''Miss Rose, please... we need to rest,'' he pleaded.
Rose surveyed the haggard faces of her followers. She opened her mouth to grant the request, but her soul suddenly recoiled. An icy, predatory draft billowed through the bridge, carrying the scent of ancient earth and rot.
''Miss Rose?'' someone started to ask, but she silenced them with a frantic wave of her hand.
''Be silent. Do not move a muscle,'' she hissed. She turned to the girl in glasses beside her. ''Diana, the dome. Now!''
Diana acted instantly. A shimmering, translucent veil expanded from her position, wrapping the thirty-person party in a pocket of non-existence. To the outside world, they were gone.
The lords huddled together, paralyzed by the shift in Rose's demeanor. Since the trial began, she had been a beacon of serene confidence. To see her this sharp, this terrified, sent a wave of genuine dread through the ranks.
Rose's instincts were screaming. Her talent, Providence's Favored, was more than just good luck; it was a cosmic steering wheel that ensured her survival. It was why Steven Lockwood, despite his murderous intent, found his tongue tied and his sword heavy whenever he looked at her. But now, that same providence was pinning her to the ground. 'Do not breathe,' it whispered. 'If you are seen, you cease to exist.'
Steven felt a surge of rebellious anger, but a sudden vibration in the bridge stone silenced him.
Thud. Thud.
The rhythmic impact was so heavy it made their teeth rattle.
A howling gale accompanied the noise. Through the white fog, two massive orbs of glowing crimson drifted past. They were eyes, each one larger than a carriage, scanning the bridge with a cold, mindless hunger. The creature paused, its gaze passing over Diana's dome. For a heartbeat, the lords felt a pressure so immense it threatened to crush their lungs.
Finding nothing but empty stone, the titan let out a huff of disappointed air that nearly blew the party off their feet. As it moved past, the mist parted just enough to reveal a face the size of a fortress wall. It was a landscape of deep wrinkles and a tangled, mossy beard. When it clicked its jaw, rows of jagged, yellowed teeth flashed like tombstones.
''GIANT,'' a lord managed to breathe, his voice cracking with pure, unadulterated fear.
The giant's footsteps made the entire bridge shake like it was made of thin glass. Every time a foot hit the stone, dust and small pebbles fell from the bridge's underside, vanishing into the clouds below. Rose held her breath, her eyes fixed on the massive back of the creature as it slowly walked away. It was wearing clothes made of rough, gray animal skins that looked like moving mountains.
''Is it gone?'' a lord whispered, his voice barely audible over the whistling wind.
''Shut up,'' Steven hissed, though he was shaking just as much as everyone else. His hand was clamped tightly around the hilt of his sword, but he did not dare to draw it.
Rose did not move until the red glow of those massive eyes had completely vanished into the thick mist. Only then did she signal Diana to drop the dome. Diana collapsed immediately, her face pale and covered in cold sweat. The effort of hiding thirty people from such a monster had drained her nearly to the point of fainting.
''That... that was not an E-rank monster,'' one of the lords cried out, his voice high with panic. ''The system lied to us! How are we supposed to fight that?''
''The system said they are suppressed to our rank, not that they are weak,'' Rose said, her voice finally returning to its calm, melodic tone. But inside, her heart was still hammering against her ribs. 'If not for Providence, that thing would have stepped on us without even noticing. It was not even hunting; it was just walking.'
She looked toward the north. The bridge was still there, but now it felt like a dining table for something much larger. The realization that they were effectively insects in this dungeon started to sink in for everyone.
''We need to move,'' Rose commanded, her dimples appearing as she gave a small, encouraging smile to the panicked lords. ''If one giant is here, there will be others. We cannot be caught on the open bridge again.''
Steven watched her, his mind a mess of conflicting thoughts. 'She is too calm. Is her talent really that powerful, or is she just insane?' He followed, his pride stung, but his fear kept him in line.