The golden corridor had felt safe.
At first.
That illusion didn't last.
The deeper Ryota walked, the more the light changed.
Not dimmer—
But colder.
Sterile.
Like something artificial trying to imitate warmth.
His footsteps echoed.
Too clean.
Too perfect.
Each step repeating just a fraction longer than it should.
"…Yeah…"
He muttered, glancing around.
"…This place is definitely messing with me."
The walls were smooth.
Polished.
Almost reflective—
But not enough to show his face clearly.
Just vague shapes.
Distorted.
For a brief moment—
He thought he saw something else moving in the reflection.
He stopped.
Looked again.
Nothing.
"…Nope."
He shook his head.
"…Not dealing with that."
He kept walking.
Then—
RUMBLE.
It started beneath his feet.
A low vibration.
Like a heartbeat echoing through stone.
"…Uh…"
RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE
The ground shook harder.
Cracks spread rapidly—
Jagged lines tearing through the perfect floor.
"…WAIT—"
Too late.
The entire surface gave way.
CRASH
The world disappeared beneath him.
Ryota dropped.
Wind tore past his ears.
His body twisted mid-air—
Instinct screaming.
"Inventory—!"
The interface flashed open—
Barely visible in the chaos—
His hand moved on reflex.
Iron Steve.
The iron sword materialized in his grip—
And without thinking—
He slammed it into the wall.
SKREEEEEEEEEE—!
Metal screamed against stone.
Sparks exploded in bursts of orange light.
His fall slowed—
Not stopped—
But slowed enough.
"…COME ON—!"
His arm strained.
Muscles burning.
His shoulder nearly dislocating from the force.
The blade dragged down—
Grinding—
Fighting gravity itself.
His descent became a violent slide.
Until—
Something moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before he could even process it—
GRAB.
Something wrapped around him.
Not a hand.
Not a claw.
Force.
"…—What—?!"
And then—
BOOOOOOM
He was slammed into the ground.
The impact shattered the stone beneath him.
Cracks spiderwebbed outward.
Dust exploded into the air.
His body bounced slightly—
Before crashing back down.
"…GHH—!"
Pain shot through his ribs.
His lungs emptied instantly.
For a moment—
He couldn't breathe.
Everything went white.
Then—
Slowly—
Sound returned.
A low hum.
Heavy.
Mechanical.
"…Heh…"
A weak laugh escaped him.
"…Okay…"
He forced his body to move.
Every joint protested.
Every muscle screamed.
"…That's… definitely worse than Rio's training."
He pushed himself up.
One knee first.
Then the other.
Dust cleared.
And then—
He saw them.
Seven massive silhouettes.
They stepped forward—
One by one—
Emerging from the shadows.
Dragons.
Each one different.
Each one terrifying.
A crimson dragon—
Flames leaking from its jaws.
A deep blue dragon—
Water swirling endlessly around its body.
A violet dragon—
Lightning crackling violently across its scales.
A pale white dragon—
Frost forming with every breath.
A brown dragon—
Stone embedded into its very flesh.
A green dragon—
Wind spiraling constantly around its wings.
And—
A black dragon.
Darkness itself clung to it.
Like it was devouring the light.
"…Seven…"
Ryota whispered.
"…Seven dragons…"
And then—
THUD.
The ground shook.
Behind them—
Something else moved.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
A towering figure stepped forward.
Half-man.
Half-machine.
A techno-centaur.
Metal legs slammed into the ground.
Each step leaving dents.
Its torso—
Humanoid.
But armored.
Mechanical plating layered over its body.
At its core—
A glowing energy source pulsed.
In its hands—
A massive blade.
No—
Not a blade.
A weapon of execution.
Large enough to cleave through entire structures.
"…Yeah…"
Ryota tightened his grip on his sword.
"…This is definitely a boss room."
The dragons lowered their heads.
The centaur raised its weapon.
And then—
Everything attacked.
At once.
Seven dragons opened their jaws.
Energy gathered.
Fire ignited.
Water compressed.
Lightning surged.
Wind spiraled.
Ice crystallized.
Earth condensed.
Darkness deepened.
Then—
They fired.
BOOOOOOOOOOM
Seven elemental breaths collided into one catastrophic wave.
The air screamed.
Space distorted.
The ground beneath Ryota cracked instantly.
"…OH—"
He didn't dodge.
Couldn't.
"…THIS IS BAD—!"
Meanwhile—Rio
Silence.
Not empty.
Not calm.
Oppressive.
Rio stepped forward into the darkness.
No light guided her.
No path revealed itself.
Only instinct.
Her hand moved.
Inventory opened.
Her Imperial Saber—
Returned.
Stored.
Replaced.
A crimson blade emerged.
The Crimson Bloodmoon.
The moment it appeared—
The darkness reacted.
A faint red glow pulsed outward.
Like the weapon itself was alive.
In her other hand—
Her musket.
Loaded.
Ready.
"…Now…"
She whispered.
"…Let's stop holding back."
She stepped into the chamber.
And immediately—
Her instincts screamed.
She moved—
CLANG—!
A massive force struck from behind.
Her blade barely intercepted it.
The impact—
Sent her sliding across the floor.
Stone cracked beneath her feet.
"…!"
She stabilized.
Looked up.
A massive figure loomed above.
Flames ignited.
The entire room lit up—
And revealed—
A phoenix.
Towering.
Majestic.
Terrifying.
Its feathers burned crimson—
But beneath them—
Black veins spread like corruption.
Its wings stretched wide—
Covering half the chamber.
Its beak—
Larger than Rio herself.
"…So you're the welcome party."
The flames spread.
And revealed the rest.
A cerberus—
Molten lava dripping from its three jaws.
Each breath releasing heat intense enough to warp the air.
A gryphon—
Lightning danced across its wings.
Each flap sending sparks across the ground.
A unicorn—
Radiant—
But wrong.
Its golden light pierced through with black blades embedded into its body.
A golem—
Massive.
Covered in moss and stone.
Each movement slow—
But unstoppable.
Rio stood still.
Unshaken.
"…Five beasts."
Then—
She saw them.
Three figures behind the monsters.
Knights.
Black armor.
Cracked.
Corrupted.
One—
Dual blades.
Fast.
Deadly.
One—
A staff.
Magic already gathering at its tip.
One—
A spear.
Long reach.
Perfect control.
Unlike the monsters—
They stood her height.
Human.
But their presence—
Far more dangerous.
"…Eight total."
Rio whispered.
A pause.
"…Perfect."
The phoenix screamed.
A sound that shook the chamber itself.
And then—
Everything moved.
The cerberus lunged.
The gryphon took to the air.
The unicorn charged like a beam of light.
The golem advanced like a moving wall.
The knights followed—
Perfect synchronization.
Rio didn't move.
Until the last second.
Her blade shifted slightly.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…Come."
And the battle—
Began.
Back to Ryota
The world disappeared in light.
Seven elemental forces collided into him.
Fire burned.
Ice froze.
Lightning tore.
Wind crushed.
Water drowned.
Earth shattered.
Darkness consumed.
Everything—
At once.
Ryota stood at the center of it.
"…Heh…"
A grin.
"…Guess there's no holding back either."
He raised his sword.
The techno-centaur charged.
Its massive blade lifted high.
The dragons descended.
And in that moment—
Two separate trials began.
One of overwhelming force.
One of absolute precision.
And neither—
Was meant to be cleared.
Because this dungeon—
Didn't reward the strong.
It rewarded the ones—
Who could break the impossible.