That was the last of the Sidrothia.

We cautiously waited a little longer to make sure no more creatures were coming out, then took the time to organize and clean up what we had.

Going back to the entrance was pointless, so we finally had to go to where the boss was.

We sent the sylph to scout while we took a short rest.

Felicia kept looking at Claude, unable to contain her curiosity, and finally asked, “I didn’t know Your Highness had reached the level of Sword Master.”

Sword Master. It referred to those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship and were able to summon a special power known as ‘Aura.’

He had been hailed as a sword prodigy since childhood, so it seemed fitting that he possessed such a talent. Perhaps he had secretly trained on his own while living a carefree life.

Even for someone like him who had given up everything and tried to live freely, this seemed to be an area he couldn’t just give up.

Lost in thought, I hastily added to Claude’s silent presence, “It was just something that happened! I’m not someone who flaunts and struts around everywhere, I promise.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

He replied briefly. Was it a misunderstanding? There seemed to be a hint of exhaustion in his voice. I looked at him worriedly.

He was preparing to assist Reedmore, still lying unconscious next to him.

Though he wasn’t completely out of breath or unable to control his body, he was visibly different from before the Sidrothia attack. His hand on his thigh trembled.

“Now that we know Your Highness’ skill level, it shouldn’t be a problem no matter what comes next!”

“I’m sorry that I’m not someone you can completely rely on, Lady Oakley. Unfortunately, my body seems to be quite strained, and I can’t use my abilities freely.”

He gestured to the ceiling.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to use Aura to bring down rocks in the cave. We don’t need to test that.”

Earlier, there had been a disturbing vibration throughout the cave. The aftermath left broken rocks and dust scattered on the floor.

“That’s true…”

Felicia replied, somewhat dejectedly.

Meanwhile, the sylph returned. Felicia told him what she had heard.

“I felt the aura of the strongest monster in this area.”

“Why didn’t you mention what kind it was?”

“I didn’t want to get closer and risk an attack, so I retreated first.”

There was a short silence among us.

“The last time we were here, the boss was at most a king slime or some goblins wielding forks… It just doesn’t make sense, no matter how you look at it.”

Upon hearing Felicia’s muttered observation, Claude seemed to want to say something, but then he remained silent.

From his expression, I seemed to understand why he was like that.

“I don’t think what Your Highness is thinking is true.”

I said to him immediately. He raised his lowered head with a worried expression.

“What?”

Felicia didn’t grasp the situation and looked between us in confusion.

He seemed to feel guilty.

Perhaps he thought we were interfering because he believed there was a plot against him.

However, it didn’t seem likely that the Second Prince – or rather, the Empress’ faction behind him – would do such a thing.

Even if she was an Empress, it was hard to imagine that a single human had the power to turn a lower-level dungeon into a hellish nightmare filled with crazy monsters.

Claude tried to say something.

“But…”

“Anyway, now is not the time for such discussion. Let’s concentrate on escaping first.”

“…Alright.”

He nodded in agreement as I interrupted him, gesturing with my head.

We led with the spirits and moved slowly forward.

As we got closer to the boss, it felt like we were going deeper underground.

The number of magic stones embedded in the walls decreased, making the place darker, with dampness seeping in at various places.

Unknown plants grew sporadically.

Following the winding path down, we finally reached a flat surface without a slope.

A wide open space stretched before us.

“It feels eerie.”

Felicia’s voice echoed in the empty space.

We cautiously approached the center without lowering our guard and looked around.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any unusual presence…’

As I wondered, Felicia pointed somewhere and exclaimed.

“Oh, look over there!”

Following her gaze, we saw a wall in the distance.

“Behind the ivy!”

She shouted again. Upon closer inspection, the space densely covered with ivy cascading down from above seemed strange.

Instead of rocks, there was a small cave-like opening. It looked like a passageway.

“This must be where the teleportation node is. We can escape if we go there!”

Felicia’s face, covered in dust and tangled strands of hair, lit up with hope.

“Let’s go.”

We sprinted to the escape route. Felicia led the way, and behind her, Claude carried Ridim, making a heavy thud as he ran.

Just a little further and we would finally escape from this dreary dungeon.

[Khalia!]

Undine’s voice sounded a warning of imminent danger. I felt a tingly danger signal. A terrifying sensation came from above.

“Duck!”

We all shouted without hesitation. We ran as far away from the center as we could.

Boom!

“Ugh, ack!”

There was a loud noise and a massive impact from behind, as if something heavy had fallen.

I rolled to the ground and stood up. Dust filled the air, obscuring my vision.

I squinted. Through the dust, and amidst arms shielding my face, a silhouette appeared.

“A spider…?”

“Ahh!”

I turned at the scream, shocked at what I saw.

“Felicia!”

Moments ago she had been running and laughing, but now she was stuck to the wall with spider silk.

The threads wrapped around her body, anchoring her to the wall.

Smooth, silvery threads quickly covered her face as she struggled, muffled sounds escaping her covered mouth. Soon she collapsed, unconscious.

Her now unconscious face turned pale.

There was no time to dwell on the shock.

“Be careful, it’s coming back.”

Claude leaned Reedmore against a corner and said calmly.

“It’s coming.”

It felt as if everything was about to collapse.

First Reedmore, then Claude, and now Felicia.

Everyone who had come into this cave with me seemed doomed to die. I could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

Was this the hell I was destined for?

“You have to snap out of it.”

Claude nudged me gently. His voice brought me back to reality.

Tears welled up. I didn’t realize how grateful I was to have him by my side right then.

I pushed my sentimental feelings aside and regained my composure.

The spider turned back to us.

It was as big as a draft horse or a cow. Its sharp fangs clicked together menacingly.

As it was about to shoot something at us, Undine shot a pillar of water from under the spider like a cannon.

“Kiii!”

The spider was thrown off balance and staggered away. Its eight legs flailed grotesquely in the air.

Claude shot out like an arrow. At that moment, spider silk shot out from its abdomen and stuck to the ceiling.

In an instant, it disappeared upward, along with the spider, pulled by the silk.

When I raised my head, I realized how high it had gone.

Over time, stone pillars and strangely jagged rocks formed a complex structure that resembled the architecture of a great hall.

Spider silk crisscrossed the sky.

“It seems to be shooting poison.”

Claude remarked as he carefully examined the ground. Suspicious fluids were scattered about, emitting a foul odor.

“Nice shot.”

It wasn’t the best news to hear, but Claude smiled wryly.

“Your Highness, you seem calm even in situations like this.”

There was a hint of a smile on his tired face.

“Well, it’s better than the alternative.”

He whispered back determinedly.

“Kiing.” A strange, eerie scream came from above.

I looked up quickly. Baby spiders were emerging from the stone pillars and jagged rocks.

“Ugh…”

It was a grotesque sight, like something from a nightmare. The baby spiders quickly began to shower us with venom like rain.

Undine formed a semicircular barrier of water above us. We hadn’t forgotten our fallen friends.

As the poison poured down, the baby spiders went limp. Even though they were babies, they were still about the size of a medium-sized dog.

They lifted their upper bodies, legs clicking menacingly, and then quickly lunged at us.

Time seemed to slow down as blood and various bodily fluids splattered everywhere. It felt like we were soaked in it.

Claude quickly sliced through them, sometimes using Aura on his sword when they swarmed too much or throwing them far away.

I also protected us from the poison and used spirits to sweep the spiders away.

We must have killed dozens of them.

“Kiing!”

The adult spider shrieked again, and the poison rain stopped. As I deactivated the watery barrier blocking our view, the enraged creature shot its silk at us.

Claude deflected it like an arrow. I countered immediately, attacking in the direction of the boss.

The spider hurled its massive body at us. Its looming shadow descended upon us with terrifying speed.

Claude quickly wrapped his arms around me and rolled us aside. As we stood up, we saw the boss jump back up.

A blindingly bright light emerged from the side. It was the most powerful and brightest aura yet. Claude grit his teeth.

His sword sliced right through the center of the spider as it descended.

Shaaaa! Blood vessels and entrails gushed out wildly, splattering across its hairy face and entire body.

The severed body split in two and fell to the side. Intestines, blood, and sticky mucus poured out incessantly. Its legs flailed wildly, then stopped abruptly.

“Ugh…”

I took a deep breath. Claude jammed his sword into the ground and leaned on it, gasping for air. We were both covered in blood.

But we were still alive.