The dust slowly settled among the rubble, revealing the wreckage of the chamber. Alynia stepped forward carefully, the pain in her body gradually returning in full force. After a few steps, she finally caught sight of a silhouette through the lingering gray haze.

  Veil was kneeling beside the Hydra’s corpse, his gaze vacant. His left arm still hung uselessly, while his right hand clutched Alynia’s dagger in an iron grip.

  “You did it… you fool,” Alynia murmured with a faint smile.

  Veil struggled to his feet, staggering as he turned toward her. His face bore the deep marks of exhaustion. Slowly, he moved closer, leaving the Hydra’s carcass behind.

  “We… we actually did it. Do you think we can finally get out of here now?” he asked, breath ragged.

  “I don’t know… but honestly, I’m tired of this too. And in our state, I doubt we’d survive another fight like that,” she admitted.

  Their eyes roamed across the chamber, desperately searching for a door, a symbol, a light—anything that might signal the end. But only silence answered them. A heavy, suffocating silence that stretched time into infinity.

  Veil walked to the massive doors and pressed his hands against them, trying to push them open. They didn’t move an inch.

  “Of course… Why am I not surprised? We’ve never been able to go back. The exit must be somewhere else.” He lowered his head, defeated. “Does this never end?”

  His gaze shifted back toward the monster’s body… and something caught his attention.

  “Alynia, is it normal that the body isn’t reacting like the others? It’s not changing, not fading…” he muttered, frowning.

  As Alynia turned to look, a pungent odor spread across the room. The stench of stagnant humidity mixed with hot metal—like burning blood—rose into the air. The water on the ground, mingled with the Hydra’s blood, began to bubble faintly.

  “What the hell…? I’ve never seen a defeated creature behave like this,” Alynia said, grimacing as she covered her nose.

  A strange wind rose, sweeping through the chamber. It carried the dust and rubble toward the walls as if brushed away by an unseen force. The suffocating stench vanished with it, replaced by crisp air—cold, almost glacial.

  “What’s happening now? Alynia… do you think it’s still alive?” Veil asked, his voice trembling.

  “I don’t think so. The light inside its body is completely gone. This is something else… maybe the dungeon’s end. Or a reward,” she answered, her eyes still fixed on the carcass.

  Suddenly, a shockwave burst from the Hydra’s body, hurling them violently to the ground. A thin, vertical column of black light erupted from the corpse, piercing toward the ceiling. It expanded steadily, making the air heavier, more suffocating. A strange heat filled the atmosphere, while white lightning spiraled around the pillar, lashing against the walls until cracks split across the stone.

  Then, abruptly, the black light recoiled, collapsing into a single point. A floating orb emerged, suspended above the Hydra’s lifeless body. It hovered there… waiting.

  “Do you… do you think that’s what you came here for?” Veil asked, eyes locked on the sphere.

  “No. Impossible. The treasures at the end are always in chests—and they only appear once everything is over,” she replied firmly.

  Then, a faint beat echoed—barely audible at first. Another followed, louder, closer, until it settled into a steady rhythm… like a drum, deep and resonant.

  A sharp pain shot through Veil’s head. He dropped Alynia’s dagger, clutching his temple with his free hand.

  “What’s wrong, Little Wolf?” Alynia asked, seeing him wince.

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  He didn’t answer. He simply lifted his hand, a silent gesture that he was fine. But the truth was far from it. The pain was the same as what he had felt at the dungeon’s entrance. After everything—the dream, the voice, his resurrection—he wasn’t ready to speak of it. Not yet.

  The sphere hovering above the Hydra’s corpse began to pulse gently, like a beating heart. Rings of energy rippled outward, visible to the naked eye. At first, they were small and fleeting—but with each pulse they grew wider, stronger.

  Veil and Alynia cautiously stepped back, but a heavy BOOM erupted from the orb, sweeping through the chamber in a deafening wave. The aura exploded outward in an invisible, crushing force that drove them both to their knees, unable to stay upright.

  Then, without warning, the veil of mana that hung in the chamber was violently pulled into the sphere. It swelled to three times its size, glowing in a blinding light, before detonating in one final blast. In a single motion, the sphere shot upward, piercing the air before vanishing—gone through the ceiling without leaving a trace.

  “What… was that? I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve seen more than my share of strange things,” Alynia whispered, wiping her eyes still blurred by the glare.

  “I don’t know, but I’ve had enough. I just want to get out of here and rest. I can’t take another floor of this—I don’t have the strength,” Veil admitted, exhausted.

  But just when they thought it was over, the Hydra’s body began to glow beneath the fading light. Its once-blue skin darkened into a crystalline black. With a coarse, crackling sound, the transformation spread like something consuming it. Piece by piece, the carcass solidified, until all that remained was a gleaming, dark crystal mass.

  Veil’s eyes narrowed. At the spot where the Hydra’s heart had been, something shone brighter than the rest. A thin blue light pulsed there, tugging at him, resonating with his very spirit—as though calling to him.

  “Look there… What do you think that is?” he asked quietly.

  Alynia followed his gaze, but all she saw was the inert crystal husk.

  “I… don’t see anything. Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve pushed yourself too far, you need rest,” she said with a worried smile.

  “My state? Should we really talk about yours? You burn through some strange transformation, survive a deadly fall, take hits from that monster—and you’re still standing. But from the way you’re grimacing, you look more like a corpse than I do,” Veil retorted with a crooked grin.

  He stepped forward toward the glow only he could see, each movement unsteady after what they had just endured. There, at the precise spot where he had pierced the Hydra’s heart, the crystal had formed an opening.

  And within it… lay a dagger.

  It gleamed with a deep, vivid blue, pulsing faintly—as though the Hydra’s heart still beat inside it.

  “What the hell is this? And why doesn’t Alynia see it shining?” he muttered under his breath.

  The weapon rested untouched, as though the crystal had formed around it with careful intent. Veil reached out, grasped the hilt, and carefully drew it free.

  It was surprisingly light for its size, nearly as long as a short sword.

  The pommel held a blue gem that pulsed like a heart. The grip was carved with delicate, fine lines that fit perfectly into his hand. The guard was ornate, intricate in its design, flowing seamlessly into the blade itself—its edges sharp, its surface gleaming with an otherworldly brilliance.

  What caught Veil’s attention most was the blade’s core. A pulsing light, echoing the gem’s glow, coursed through it. Runes and patterns stretched along its length, the material looking like glass—yet its subtle ripples made it seem almost alive. Its grayish edges contrasted sharply with the luminous center.

  A gentle breeze rose around Veil, and a soothing warmth spread through his body. It felt as though the dagger resonated with him, as if it acknowledged him—attuning itself to his heart.

  Alynia stepped closer, noticing him standing motionless, transfixed. She placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him.

  “Have you ever seen anything like this? I… I don’t know what it is, but it feels like it’s trying to speak to me,” he said, eyes still fixed on the blade.

  “No, never. It looks like it was crafted with some elven artistry… but mixed with something else I can’t identify,” she replied. Then, with a faint smirk: “Anyway, I hope you don’t change women as often as you change daggers.”

  “You really need lessons in humor. You’re a good fighter, but your jokes sound like they crawled out of an abandoned well,” he muttered.

  She shot him a glare, then let out a laugh.

  “But seriously, I don’t see any glow in that blade,” she added.

  “That’s strange. To me, it pulses as if there’s a heart beating inside it. And these patterns… they’re odd, kind of like the ones we saw at the entrance,” Veil murmured, biting his lip.

  He fastened the dagger to his belt, then picked up Alynia’s blade, which he had set down near the Hydra’s body.

  “Here, I’ll give this back. At least it held up better than the one I had before,” he said, extending it to her.

  “That’s normal. My weapon was forged by a blacksmith. Yours was just something you picked up,” she answered, sheathing it again.

  Her words made Veil raise a brow.

  “How do you know I found it? I never told you that,” he asked, surprised.

  “Because I saw you after your fight with the wolves. If I hadn’t, I never would have seen you fall—and I wouldn’t have come to find you,” she admitted, her gaze flicking away.

  Veil frowned at her response. Odd as it was, now wasn’t the time to press. More urgent was finding a way out of this place.

  Together they turned, scanning the chamber for any sign of change, a clue, a door—anything.

  But nothing appeared. No exit, no staircase, no mechanism.

  Before he could speak, a mechanical sound echoed overhead. A small hatch opened above the great doors they had used to enter the chamber. From it, a tiny sphere of light drifted out, floating gently before passing them without pause.

  “It’s the same as the one in the forest. Do you think it’s come back to guide us?” Veil asked, his eyes following the glowing orb.

  “I hope not. If it leads us to another passage, that means the dungeon isn’t over yet. And in our condition, if more monsters like that appear… we won’t last long,” she replied.

  The sphere floated toward the place where the Hydra had first appeared upon awakening, but stopped abruptly in the middle of the chamber. Slowly, it descended toward the ground, its glow fading with each passing moment.

  Then, as it touched the stone floor, it released a blinding flash, forcing Veil and Alynia to shield their eyes.

  Another mechanical sound echoed through the chamber. Alynia cracked her eyes open just in time to see the small sphere shift shape. Gradually, it transformed into a chest, settling gently on the floor before its light vanished completely.

  Alynia tapped Veil on the shoulder. Still blinking away the blindness, he opened his eyes to where she pointed.

  “We did it. This time, we really reached the end,” she whispered, her voice laced with relief.

  After everything they had endured, they could finally breathe. Alynia knew better than anyone—this simple chest was the sign. They had conquered the dungeon.

  When Veil saw the relief shining in her eyes, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. At last, they would be able to leave.

  But along with that thought came a flood of questions.

  For now, he pushed them away.

  He only wanted to savor this rare moment—one where they could finally breathe.