The guards exchanged looks the moment they saw him walk out alive, and although they recovered quickly, the brief surprise on their faces was obvious enough to irritate Zich immediately.
One of them straightened slightly and looked past him toward the dungeon entrance.
"You survived," the guard said slowly.
Zich narrowed his eyes.
"That sounds like you expected otherwise."
The guards coughed awkwardly at almost the same time, clearly realizing they had revealed more than intended. One older guard scratched the side of his beard while avoiding direct eye contact.
"It is… rather common in dungeons like this," he admitted carefully. "Especially hard-ranked ones shared by multiple groups."
Another guard sighed and crossed his arms.
"We were honestly more surprised you came back alive. Usually, it is the other way around."
Zich stared at them quietly for a few seconds.
