The group finally stepped onto the seventeenth floor.
For those who had been there before, nothing changed. They simply adjusted their grip on their weapons and moved forward, their attention was focused on something else...
Bell was not one of them.
— Ohhh… — the sound escaped her lips before she could stop it.
The seventeenth floor was nothing like what she had imagined.
Instead of dark, cramped tunnels, the Dungeon opened into a vast, really vast! Unobstructed expanse.
The ground beneath their feet was smooth and solid, formed entirely of white crystal that stretched as far as Bell could see.
The walls and everything around them were made of the same material, their surfaces catching the light and refracting it into soft hues of pale blue and faint rose, shifting subtly depending on the angle of view.
Oh, there is also this right, the light. There's light in fucking entire floor.
There was no visible source for it, like the giant crystal on the eighteenth floor, yet the illumination was constant, diffused evenly through the crystalline structures themselves.
It was as if it were daytime.
Bell's eyes stung as they struggled to adjust, the sudden clarity overwhelming after so many floors spent in shadow.
But that was not what drew her attention the most, but the imposing pillars were scattered throughout his field of vision.
Massive pillars rose from the crystalline ground to the distant ceiling above. They were formed of the same white crystal as the rest of the floor, but twisted into spiraling shapes, coiling upward, as if the Dungeon itself had seized the earth and pulled it skyward.
Their surfaces were smooth yet uneven, frozen mid-motion, giving the impression that the pillars had been forced into shape rather than carefully formed like the crystal-clear floor where you could even see your own reflection.
For a brief moment, Bell forgot she was deep within the Dungeon.
— Beautiful, right? — someone said beside her.
— Huh? — Bell snapped out of her thoughts and realized someone was standing next to her.
It was another adventurer. Judging by his armor, he was from the Loki Familia, just like her.
Bell narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to remember him. She searched her memory, but nothing surfaced. A small wave of embarrassment followed when she realized she couldn't recall the face of a senior adventurer.
— This place it's beautiful, isn't it? — he said again, his gaze fixed ahead, his expression distant and nostalgic.
— Y-yeah. It's incredible. I didn't know the Dungeon could look like this!
He chuckled softly.
— Back in my day, this floor was still just a normal cave system. Only one chamber had this kind of crystal. After the Quake, though… things changed. Now it's all over the place.
— Really? — Bell asked, eyes widening.
Then she got closer and asked in murmurs.
— Then these crystals… are they valuable?
— Hahaha! Valuable? — He laughed louder this time.
— Maybe as fancy mirror's frame for rich ladies. Anything beyond that? I doubt you'd find anyone willing to pay for this stuff.
Bell's shoulders slumped slightly.
— Oh… — she murmured, her gaze drifting back to the crystalline ground.
'So much for that… I was already thinking about taking a piece back.'
'A new dress would've been nice…'
The adventurer watched her reaction in silence. The corner of his mouth lifted, as if amused, but whatever smile formed there never reached his eyes.
— If I were you, I wouldn't worry about that — he said quietly.
Bell blinked and turned toward him.
— Huh? What do you mean?
— …Nothing. — He dismissed it just as quickly.
Then he stepped closer.
Before Bell could react, he closed the distance completely, his cheek was practically pressed against hers as one heavy hand settled on her shoulder.
Bell stiffened instantly, instinctively trying to pull back, but she couldn't.
His grip didn't tighten, yet it didn't loosen either. It was effortless. Casual. As if her resistance didn't even register.
'He is strong!' She thought.
— Look around... — he said, ignoring her struggle.
Confused, Bell shifted her gaze past him.
At first, she saw nothing out of place.
The formation was intact. Weapons were ready. Everyone was moving forward as ordered.
But when she forced herself to slow down and observe meticulously, she noticed something.
Adventurers with rigid shoulders and shallow breaths. Cold sweat clinging to their armor. Teeth clenched so tightly she could hear the faint grinding even from where she stood.
It was as if the entire group was bracing for war, even with no enemy in sight.
'Why are they this nervous? They didn't react like this even when the monster army attacked us…'
— You're wondering why they're so scared, right? You can smell it from here.
Bell frowned, confused by his words.
He noticed her expression and let out a short breath.
— Werewolf... — he added. — The ears and tail are hidden.
— Oh… — Bell murmured in realization.
— Anyway. — His tone shifted, losing whatever casualness it had. — The reason they're trembling like this is simple. We all know we're not completely safe. Not here.
Bell looked ahead again, then back at him.
— But why? With Captain Finn here, we're totally safe. He's the strongest in the Familia.
For a moment, the man was silent.
Then he chuckled.
— Mm-hm. Well said, brat. That's the right mindset. — His grip on her shoulder tightened enough to be felt. — Keep thinking like that, and we won't even have to pay for your funeral.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping.
— Your guts will end up as monster shit anyway.
Bell went stiff.
'Brat…?' Her priorities were clearly a little off.
The man finally removed his arm from her shoulder, giving Bell space to step away. She did so immediately, but he paid her no mind. Instead, he looked down at his left arm and began fiddling with something beneath the armor.
— Hear me when I say this, brat. In the Dungeon, and especially here… you are never. Never. Safe.
Clack, clink.
The sound of buckles being undone echoed softly.
Then, almost casually, he slid the armor off his left arm and held it out to the side. What remained was exposed in full view.
— A warning... from someone who's already paid the price. — A crooked, knowing grin spread across his face.
Bell's breath caught.
— W-what… is that…?
What she had expected was a mangled limb, at least with a terrible scar to show her the dangers of this places.
Instead, what she saw was not even flesh at all.
His left arm was a prosthesis.
Crafted from polished metal, it followed the shape of a real arm, or at least that of a mannequin. The surface was smooth and silvery, segmented at the joints, where faintly glowing gems were embedded like artificial knuckles.
Thin lines ran along its length, etched with subtle patterns that suggested both craftsmanship and function rather than decoration.
Or maybe a magical shit.
The man flexed his fingers, the prosthetic responding seamlessly, metal plates shifting as naturally as muscle and bone.
— Lost it on this floor. Thought I was safe too. — he said lightly, as if he no longer cared about it.
Bell swallowed hard.
The seventeenth floor suddenly felt a lot more dangerous.
— What did this to you? Which monster? — She asked.
— Monster… Well, that big guy was a monster, I'll give you that. Worse than anything I'd ever killed before.
Then, his tone darkened for just a moment.
— I never want to see his ugly face again.
He slid the armor back into place over his left arm. Only now did Bell understand why that piece looked different from the rest. The prosthetic didn't need the same protection as flesh and bone. It was already harder than either.
— But you don't need to worry about that thing for now. If things go right, you won't even see him. Just stay sharp when it's time to run.
He took a step away.
Then the ground shook.
TREMBLING!
It wasn't violent at first, but soon enough, the ground began to shake violently and creak as if it were about to explode or something.
Bell lost her balance.
— Ah!
She fell hard, landing on her butt with a dull thud.
— Ouch…
Around her, the reaction was immediate.
The man froze mid-step. Cold sweat poured down his face beneath the helmet, far more than before. His breathing turned shallow, and then, slowly, a wide and unhinged smile spread across his lips.
The tremor intensified.
The crystalline pillars groaned. Hair stood on end. Bodies stiffened as instinct took over.
Fear turned into terror.
Adventurers who moments ago had been tense now trembled openly. Hands shook around weapon grips. Faces drained of color.
Bell pushed herself up, panic tightening her chest.
— W-what's happening?! — she asked, her voice unsteady as she scrambled to her feet.
The man glanced back at her.
— Sorry, kid. Looks like things went south.
The tremor surged.
CRACK CRA-RA-CA CRISSSSH!
A sharp crack echoed through the chamber as a fracture ran across the crystalline floor, red light flaring violently from within. One of the distant pillars let out a deep, grinding groan, its spiral surface shedding shards of crystal that shattered as they hit the ground.
— Oh no! He's comming!
— No way, already?!
— That wasn't supposed to happen yet!
The man's expression snapped from amusement to urgency.
— Run! Now!
He turned and sprinted, boots slamming against the crystal as he pushed past the others without hesitation.
— Wait! What is happening! — Bell shouted after him.
— Move! Move! Don't stop!
— Get away from here!
— Damn it, I said run!
Adventurers surged forward in a panicked wave. Bell was shoved aside, her shoulder slamming into someone's armor as another body crashed into her ribs.
— Ngh!
She staggered, barely keeping her footing as boots thundered past her from every direction.
Her voice was swallowed whole by the chaos.
...
— For fuck's sake… EVERYONE! START RUNNING! DON'T LOOK BACK! TAKE CARE OF THE WEAKER! HEAD TO THE EIGHTEENTH FLOOR, NOW!! — Finn shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos as he sprinted forward.
The effect was immediate, but not the way he wanted.
Whatever thin thread of discipline still held the group together snapped the moment those words left Finn's mouth. Adventurers abandoned formation entirely, fear overriding training and instinct alike. Some shoved past their comrades without a second glance, others trampled over fallen bodies, too terrified to stop and help.
— Move! Move!
— Don't stop, damn it!
— I'm not dying here!
Finn grit his teeth.
'Damn it… everything was going so well.'
His eyes darted through the crowd.
And then the realization hit him like a blade to the gut.
'Where the hell is Bell?!!!'
He scanned left. Right. Ahead.
Nothing.
He was too short to look through the crowd.
'Shit, Pallum height!'
Finn skidded to a stop and grabbed the collar of an adventurer rushing past him, yanking him back with brute force.
— Snap out of it! — Finn roared.
— C-Captain?! — The man's eyes were wide, unfocused, his breathing erratic.
— Get a grip! Listen to me! — Finn barked.
— B-but the grou-
— I don't care! — Finn cut him off sharply. — You're Loki Familia. Act like it!
The man swallowed hard, trembling.
Finn leaned in, his voice low and unforgiving.
— Gather a few men. Fan out and find Bell Cranel. White hair, red eyes. You know who she is, she came with you.
— C-Captain, we should just run! The Golia-
— You! Yill find her. And you!! Will get her out. No matter what. That's an order.
The man hesitated for half a second.
— MOVE! — Finn shouted and shived him aside.
— Y-yes, sir! — He spun around and started barking orders, forcing others to stop and listen.
Finn turned back toward the center of the floor.
The tremor intensified.
The crystalline ground beneath his feet bulged upward violently.
— Tch!
Finn leapt back as the floor rose, cracks ripping outward in every direction, glowing red light spilling from the fractures like blood from an open wound.
The entire floor screamed.
'…He's coming.'
KRRRRRAAACK!!
The crystal split apart.
A deafening roar tore through the seventeenth floor, so powerful it rattled bones and shattered crystal fragments loose from the ceiling.
— ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARR!!
Finn's grip tightened around his spear.
'Dungeon… you bastard.'
The Goliath had awakened.