CHAPTER 177: THE THIRD LAYER

The group continued to move forward with their formation.

They had passed the first layer fast. Only a few goblins and two dire wolves dared to attack but soon turned into ash.

The second layer had squeezed them with narrow walls and a low ceiling. They didn’t face any difficulties here as well. Lilith alone turned their tiny horde into a pile of corpses. She was getting impatient without any real challenge.

Now they stepped through the short throat into the third layer.

The air shifted. It felt way different.

It didn’t feel like normal cold.... it was heavier and harder to breathe.

While walking, Gideon noticed something and lifted a hand. The party slowed.

Metal glinted on the floor. A knife lay half-frozen into the frost with the leather grip turned to wood-hard stiffness. Beside it, a snapped belt buckle. A cracked potion vial was sealed inside a thin glass of ice.

Melissa nudged the knife with her boot. The sound of metal tapping stone shot out and died.

"It seems, some tried to clear this dungeon already," she said while narrowing her eyes.

Ronald frowned. "Then where are the hunters?"

"Gone," Lilith said lightly, "can’t you tell even this much.

Ronald’s left eye twitched. But he tried to keep his emotions in check. "She is just a brat. I can’t lose my cool just like that."

Luna’s fingers tightened on her staff. She kept glancing up. "Someone’s staring," she whispered. Though she couldn’t see anything, she couldn’t shake away that sensation.

"From where?" Ronald asked, too loudly.

"I don’t know." Her voice stayed small. "Above. Behind. In the shadow."

Jessi stepped to the side and ran her glove over the floor. Frost clung in a smooth sheet and peeled off slowly. "No fresh tracks," she said. "No prints. Nothing was dragged either."

Raphael closed his eyes for a beat as if tasting the air. He opened them again. "Have you noticed something?" he asked. "The mana in the air is a bit thin here."

"Does that matter in any way?" Ronald was puzzled.

"If we try to cast a spell," Raphael continued. "Our attacks won’t be as effective as they normally are."

Ronald made a face. "Great. Any more bad news? Keep it coming."

Gideon was alarmed too. "Should we keep moving forward or maybe go back?" Though he wanted to clear this dungeon, he would never compromise his party’s safety for it

"I think it’s not that dangerous. It’s only a D-class after all. Even if it’s an anomaly type, our party is now capable of taking down and D rank dungeon." Ronald’s voice was filled with pride. The others nodded as well. It wasn’t arrogance. It was their feelings for the party. Nobody liked, other party leaders looking down on Gideon.

Gideon pointed left and right, setting angles. "Everyone be on guard then. No gaps."

They continued moving forward. The frost thickened in edges, thinned in the center path as if many feet had passed...but the surface held as smooth as glass. Any imprint that should have remained had been pressed flat by the dungeon itself.

Another weapon lay ahead. A short spear, haft splintered, head clean. That felt wrong.

"A clean head means a recent kill. A splintered haft means an old break. The two don’t match. What the hell is going on here?" Jessi murmured.

Suddenly....

A soft sound slid across the stone. Not a footfall. Not a growl. But like nails testing the surface from just out of the light.

Everyone stopped.

Gideon’s palm flared up, lighting the place. But nothing was there.

"Move," Gideon said. His voice did not rise. His composure was still intact. In any worst-case scenario, calmness wasn’t just important, it was crucial.

They continued walking and soon reached a split. The left passage dipped and widened. The right climbed and narrowed to a ribbed crack.

Gideon breathed in and let the air taste the back of his nose. Colder to the left. He pointed left and headed in that direction.

Everyone followed. The more they went inside, the creepier it became.

They felt faint vibrations in the walls. Something deeper inside was moving, and its rhythm didn’t match theirs.

Luna kept looking back. She could not stop. Her skin prickled between her shoulder blades. Every few steps she was sure that if she turned fast enough she would catch a face leaning out of the shadow. She never did.

Melissa bumped her lightly with an elbow. "You’re with us," she said.

Luna nodded. "I know." She did not loosen her grip on the staff though.

They entered a pocket of space where the ceiling pulled up enough for the heaviness of the air to fade a bit. The floor was broken across the middle like an old scar. On the far side, a bent shield was leaning against a rock as if someone had left it there for a minute and never came back.

Jessi crouched, examined the frost. "Half-melted edge here," she said. "But not by heat. Mana flow changed the ice. Something passed. Not long ago."

"Hunter?" Ronald asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

Just then a faint clink sounded behind them. Metal against stone.

They turned as one.

The corridor behind them was empty.

Lilith’s mouth curved, not with humor but with appetite. "You can come closer," she said to the darkness. "We won’t bite."

But no answer came.

Gideon was about to resume his march but just then.....

A thump sound echoed throughout the layer.

First just once. Then twice! Thrice!

The sound grew closer and repetitive.

And soon a creature emerged from within the darkness.

It looked creepy. It had two pairs of hands. Slight bluish skin, fangs instead of normal teeth. It looked almost like a huge goblin. But the menace it radiated was suffocating. Far from a normal goblin.

Everyone stiffened. Even Lilith looked worried.

Because the creature that just came in, its existence screamed of danger.

And before anyone could even react, it lunged at them.

To be continued....