The bicycle chain shrieked, metal grinding against metal with a dry, harsh friction that occasionally spat sparks into the dark.
A low whirring sliced through the dungeon's oppressive silence, catching the attention of a lone goblin. The creature had barely turned its head when a cold steel spearhead lunged into its throat. Its entire body was hoisted into the air, dragged along by the sheer momentum of the collision.
It let out a gurgling moan, a mess of choked sounds drowned by the hot blood surging from its neck. The last thing its fading eyes saw was a towering silhouette with a smooth, rounded head, and behind that, a petite figure with piercing violet eyes staring back at it with chilling indifference.
Lia tapped her fingers against the plastic shell of Long's helmet, her voice low: "Hey, you can dump the carcass now. Isn't that getting heavy?"
Long didn't answer. He tightened his grip on the wooden shaft and gave a violent flick of his arm. The goblin's body was hurled aside, tumbling across the floor before coming to a dead stop in the shadows.
The path this bicycle traveled was paved with the remains of monsters. Leveraging the momentum of their speed, Long's spear had claimed more lives than he could count. With Lia balanced firmly on the rear rack, her blend of magic and precision nail-gun fire ensured that no target escaped their deadly tandem.
The bike was hurtling forward when Long suddenly slammed on the brakes. Rubber tires screeched against the dry stone, leaving a long black streak that led right to the foot of a massive, sealed stone door.
"Don't get any closer, Long."
Lia's voice was low and cold. She narrowed her eyes at the towering gate.
"That is the dwelling of one of the seven commanders under the Demon King."
Long felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Cold sweat broke out, soaking the inner lining of his helmet. He turned to Lia, his lips trembling for a moment before he could find his voice.
"Wait... didn't your group already defeat the Demon King? Why is one of his generals still alive in here?"
Lia didn't look at him. Her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with pure contempt.
"It's all because of that Great Sage. He had the insane idea to reconstruct this entire dungeon after the war, turning it into a controlled monster sanctuary."
She clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white, her small frame shivering with rage.
"That madman imprisoned the spirits of the commanders in these rooms. He turned them into eternal raw materials—forced to be killed, then resurrected, over and over, never able to escape."
Lia stomped hard on the rear rack, her voice hissing through gritted teeth.
"He said it was for the future of humanity. That high-level monster materials were too rare to let them go extinct... and the result is the mess of bastards you just killed on our way here. His system has already collapsed."
Lia jumped down, biting her thumb as she stared intensely at the stone monolith. She paced back and forth, her breathing heavy with irritation.
"Dammit. If we don't take this guy down, the path to the next floor is cut off. Even with their power forcibly suppressed, the spirit of a commander is still too much to handle."
Her fury boiled over. Lia swung her leg, kicking a pebble with sheer frustration. The stone flew through the air, striking the surface of the gate with a sharp clack.
Suddenly, the ground began to shudder with deep, rhythmic tremors. The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed as the massive doors slowly parted, revealing a pitch-black crevice. Lia flinched, instinctively ducking behind Long and clutching his coat. She peered out cautiously, then let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness... it seems the rules are still in effect. Spirits aren't allowed to step foot outside—Um!"
Before she could finish, Long's hand shot out, clamping firmly over her mouth and nose. Lia looked up in shock to see Long using his other hand to reach inside his helmet, tightening his grip on the lining as if trying to prevent air from entering.
A pungent, acrid smell—reminiscent of rotten eggs—began to snake through the crack in the door, flooding the hallway. The surrounding air grew hazy and thick as a grey mist crawled along the floor.
Gas!
The thought flashed through Long's brain like lightning. He could taste a sharp metallic tang on his tongue, and his lungs began to burn after only a single short breath.
He was about to pull Lia back and retreat when a flash of bright red deep within the ink-black darkness caught his eye. Long's emerald eyes lit up with shock.
Without a second of hesitation, Long yanked off his helmet, shoved it onto Lia's head, and snapped the chin strap shut. His voice was urgent, raspy from the beginning of the gas inhalation.
"Get out of this stinking place first. I'll be right behind you. Move!"
Ignoring the muffled screams coming from behind Lia's plastic visor, Long charged straight into the gateway. Exactly as he had seen, amid the thick grey smog lay several bodies. A man with hair as red as fire was the beacon that guided him through the gloom.
They were still breathing.
Long gritted his teeth and hauled the red-haired man onto his shoulders. He reached out, grabbing two girls by their belts and hoisting them up. Still not enough, he crouched low and used his teeth to bite firmly into the shirt of another youth, lifting him like a wild beast carrying its cub.
The weight of four bodies bore down on his muscles, making his joints creak with every step. He turned to escape, but another large figure lying deep in the corner made his footsteps falter.
He was about to take one more step when a massive whoosh—tearing through the air like the crack of a giant whip—rang out.
Long's spine went cold. He spun his head around. The large body from a moment ago had vanished without a trace, as if the darkness itself had swallowed it. Long looked up.
In the swirling mist, a pair of massive, glowing eyeballs hung suspended, staring down at him with absolute hunger. Without a moment's delay, Long poured every ounce of strength into his legs, kicked off the stone floor, and bolted out like a speeding arrow.
His breathing grew heavy as the gas and the massive weight consumed his oxygen. The gateway was right in front of him, yet his legs grew slower by the second, and his consciousness began to blur.
Just as his knees buckled, a pair of small, steady hands caught him. Lia's petite figure blurred past him, circling to his back. She slammed her palms against his sweat-soaked spine, and a massive force surged forward, launching him out.
Lia fired a shockwave at the stone doors, forcing them shut, before leaping out herself at the last second.
Long coughed violently, gasping for air as his mind slowly cleared. Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm weight collapse onto him, accompanied by the scent of herbs.
He looked down to find Lia lying facedown on his chest. Her violet eyes were brimming with tears, her face contorted with anger and fear. She sobbed, her voice breaking into a loud scream:
"WHAT DID YOU PROMISE?! You said you wouldn't do anything reckless again... YOU STUPID BRAT!"
She crawled on top of him, her small fists raining down blows on his chest and shoulders. The punches were fueled by her fury, causing Long sharp pain, but he didn't dare resist.
He simply lay there, teeth clenched, enduring it. He didn't say a word, for he could feel her hot tears soaking through his shirt—burning even more than the gas had.