The three survivors continued their slow journey through the narrow dungeon corridor.
Their footsteps echoed weakly against the ancient stone walls, each step accompanied by the faint scraping of damaged armor and the occasional clink of equipment shifting against their bodies. None of them spoke for several minutes.
There was little to say.
They were exhausted.
Behind them, the massive stone entrance to the hidden dungeon had been completely buried beneath a mountain of rubble. Great chunks of stone had collapsed from the ceiling and walls during their retreat, sealing away the chamber they had fought so desperately to escape.
Every few seconds, a faint tremor passed through the ground.
It was subtle enough that someone unfamiliar with the dungeon might have mistaken it for their imagination.
Ryota did not.
Whenever the ground trembled beneath his feet, his eyes instinctively moved toward the corridor behind them.
Apollonius was still down there.
The First Ray.
The enormous warrior of living flame who had completely overwhelmed them.
She was the boss they had entered the dungeon hoping to defeat.
And she was also the reason they had been forced to run for their lives.
Ryota hated admitting defeat.
He had always preferred finding a way forward, even when the situation looked impossible. Retreating had never felt satisfying to him, especially after coming this far.
But there was something he understood now that he hadn't fully appreciated before.
They had survived.
That mattered more than his pride.
His entire body still ached from the battle. His armor had been battered and cracked in several places, and every movement caused dull pain to spread through his muscles. His breathing had yet to return completely to normal, while the lingering fatigue made even walking feel heavier than it should have.
More importantly, his health bar remained dangerously low.
Only two percent.
Ryota glanced at the translucent interface floating near the edge of his vision.
HP: 2%
He stared at the number for several seconds before sighing.
"At this rate, a mosquito could probably kill me."
Fayzan, walking beside him, gave him a tired look.
"Don't joke about that. After what we just fought, I wouldn't be surprised."
Ryota let out a quiet laugh.
"Fair."
He opened his inventory while continuing to walk.
Rows of items appeared before him, most of them familiar. Equipment, materials, miscellaneous dungeon loot, and the empty slots where his consumables had once been stored.
His eyes moved through the list.
Empty potion bottle.
Empty potion bottle.
Another empty bottle.
He had used almost everything he had carried into the dungeon.
Then, near the bottom of the consumable section, he found it.
One final potion.
A medium-sized red bottle.
Ryota stopped scrolling.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
That was the last one.
There would be no more emergency healing after this.
He sighed and selected the item.
"Guess you're coming out."
The potion materialized in his hand.
The glass bottle glowed faintly beneath the dim blue light produced by the dungeon crystals embedded in the walls. The liquid inside was a deep crimson, swirling slowly as if it contained a tiny storm.
Ryota pulled the cork free.
The bitter smell immediately reached his nose.
He frowned.
"Still smells terrible."
Fayzan glanced over.
"You know you're supposed to drink it, right?"
"I know."
"Then stop staring at it."
Ryota sighed.
"You're very helpful."
"I'm doing my best."
Ryota raised the bottle to his mouth and drank.
The potion tasted exactly as awful as he remembered.
It was bitter, metallic, and almost painfully sharp against his tongue. Ryota's entire face twisted as he forced himself to swallow the last drop.
"Ugh."
The empty bottle disappeared from his hand.
Almost immediately, a warm sensation spread through his body.
It began somewhere in his stomach before flowing outward through his limbs. The exhaustion did not vanish, and his injuries did not magically disappear, but the suffocating weakness that had accompanied his dangerously low health began to recede.
His health bar moved.
2%.
Then—
5%.
Ryota watched the number rise.
8%.
The warmth gradually faded.
12%.
The healing stopped.
Ryota released a slow breath.
"Twelve percent."
It wasn't much.
Under normal circumstances, twelve percent health would still have been considered dangerously low.
After fighting Apollonius, however, it felt almost luxurious.
At least he wasn't one random attack away from dropping dead.
Fayzan glanced at him.
"Better?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
He checked his health again.
"Twelve percent."
Fayzan stared at him for a moment before giving a tired laugh.
"That's what we're calling better now?"
Ryota smiled.
"After what just happened?"
He gestured vaguely toward the sealed corridor behind them.
"Absolutely."
Fayzan laughed quietly.
"Fair enough."
Several steps behind them, Ramos continued walking in silence.
The poor NPC looked as though he had aged several years during the dungeon expedition.
His clothes were covered in dust and dirt, his hair was disheveled, and several scratches were visible across his arms. His face had lost much of its usual composure, and his hands still trembled slightly whenever another distant tremor passed through the dungeon.
Yet despite everything, he was alive.
That seemed to be enough for him.
Fayzan eventually slowed down and leaned against the wall for support.
He closed his eyes and took a long, exhausted breath.
"That was a tough boss."
Ryota stopped beside him.
"Yeah."
His gaze moved toward the darkness behind them.
"Really tough."
Fayzan let out a dry laugh.
"I've fought plenty of bosses before. Some of them were stronger than anything I'd seen at the time."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"But that one..."
His voice trailed off.
He slowly shook his head.
"That thing was ridiculous."
Ryota couldn't disagree.
Apollonius had been unlike any boss either of them had encountered.
She hadn't simply possessed overwhelming strength.
She adapted.
Every time they thought they had understood her attack patterns, she changed them. Every time they discovered a weakness, she found a way to compensate. Her attacks became faster, her defenses became more difficult to break, and the pressure she placed on them continued to increase throughout the battle.
The more they damaged her, the more dangerous the fight became.
It was almost as though the battle itself had been feeding her power.
And then there was the fact that they had never been able to establish a reliable countermeasure against her.
They had entered expecting a difficult battle.
They had encountered something far beyond their expectations.
Ryota's expression changed slightly as another thought entered his mind.
Indra.
His gaze lowered.
The little blue dragon had protected them again and again throughout the battle.
Despite its size, Indra had repeatedly placed itself between them and danger, using its abilities to create openings whenever Ryota and Fayzan were struggling.
And eventually, it had taken too much damage.
The small dragon had disappeared into its rest state.
Ryota still felt guilty about it.
He hoped Indra would recover soon.
Fayzan noticed the change in his expression.
"You thinking about the dragon?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked down at the floor.
"Indra saved us."
Fayzan smiled faintly.
"Then you owe it one."
Ryota chuckled.
"Definitely."
He paused before adding quietly,
"I just hope it wakes up soon."
"It will."
Fayzan gave him a reassuring look.
"You've seen what that little guy can do. Something tells me it's tougher than it looks."
Ryota smiled.
"I hope you're right."
The three resumed their journey.
The corridor seemed endless at first, stretching farther into darkness with every turn. Their pace remained slow, but the further they traveled, the less oppressive the dungeon felt.
Then, after several minutes, something changed.
A faint blue glow appeared in the distance.
Ryota noticed it first.
He stopped walking.
Fayzan nearly walked into him.
"What?"
Ryota pointed ahead.
"Look."
Fayzan narrowed his eyes.
The faint light was barely visible beyond the darkness, but it was unmistakable.
Natural light.
The exit.
Ramos noticed it a moment later.
"Is that..."
He took a hesitant step forward.
"Is that the exit?"
Ryota smiled.
"Yeah."
Ramos immediately increased his pace.
"Thank goodness."
Fayzan laughed.
"Can't blame him."
The corridor gradually grew brighter as they approached.
The blue glow became white sunlight.
The stale dungeon air began to change.
Then the three finally crossed the threshold.
Fresh air struck their faces.
Ryota instinctively closed his eyes.
Warm sunlight washed over his skin, and the gentle breeze of Floor Two moved through his hair.
After spending so long beneath the earth, the open sky felt almost unreal.
Ramos stopped immediately.
He tilted his head upward and took a deep breath.
"Air."
He inhaled again.
"Real air."
Ryota couldn't help laughing.
"You make it sound like we were trapped underwater."
Ramos opened his eyes and looked at him with complete seriousness.
"After that boss?"
He gestured toward the dungeon behind them.
"I'd rather have been underwater."
Fayzan burst out laughing.
Ryota shook his head.
"Fair enough."
For several moments, none of them moved.
They simply stood there and enjoyed being outside.
The Sandy Oasis looked completely peaceful.
Golden sand stretched across the landscape beneath the afternoon sun, forming gentle dunes that seemed to continue toward the horizon forever. Palm trees swayed lazily in the warm breeze, their leaves rustling softly above them. The nearby lake reflected the blue sky, its surface disturbed only by occasional ripples caused by the wind.
Nothing about the area suggested danger.
Nothing about it revealed what was hidden beneath the sand.
Anyone passing through the oasis would have seen nothing more than a beautiful desert landscape.
They would never have guessed that beneath their feet was a dungeon containing one of the strongest enemies the group had ever encountered.
Ryota slowly turned around.
His eyes settled on the dungeon entrance.
The opening looked almost insignificant from the outside.
It was difficult to believe that such a terrifying battle had taken place beneath it.
Ryota stared at the entrance for several seconds.
This had been his first dungeon without Rio.
Normally, she would have been standing beside him.
Rio would have analyzed every room.
She would have examined every enemy.
She would have calculated their options and pointed out things that everyone else had overlooked.
Even when the situation became dangerous, Rio always seemed to have a plan.
This time, she hadn't been there.
Ryota had been responsible for the exploration himself.
And honestly?
It had been terrifying.
They hadn't defeated the boss.
They hadn't obtained the dungeon's greatest treasures.
They hadn't even been able to fully explore the deepest sections.
They had barely escaped alive.
Yet Ryota didn't feel disappointed.
Because they had accomplished something else.
They had discovered the dungeon.
They had discovered Apollonius.
They had learned how she fought.
They had seen her abilities firsthand.
They had discovered the existence of the strange armor fragments.
They had learned just how dangerous the dungeon truly was.
And, most importantly, they had returned alive.
Ryota smiled.
For him, that was enough.
"Successful."
Fayzan turned toward him.
"Hm?"
Ryota continued looking at the dungeon entrance.
"The exploration."
Fayzan raised an eyebrow.
Ryota smiled.
"It was a success."
Fayzan stared at him.
Then he pointed toward the dungeon.
"We got our asses kicked."
"Still a success."
"We ran away."
"Still a success."
"We didn't kill the boss."
"Still a success."
Fayzan's expression slowly changed into disbelief.
Then he laughed.
"You really have Rio's mindset."
Ryota chuckled.
"Maybe."
He turned toward the distant horizon.
"Information is important."
His expression became more serious.
"Now we know what's inside."
"We know what Apollonius can do."
"We know how dangerous she is."
"And we know we need to become stronger before we ever come back."
Fayzan nodded slowly.
That was something he couldn't argue with.
"Fair enough."
Ryota looked toward the dungeon one last time.
"We'll be better prepared next time."
Fayzan smiled.
"Assuming we don't need another month to recover from this one."
Ryota laughed.
"Hopefully not."
They began walking again.
The three of them slowly moved away from the dungeon and deeper into the desert.
After some time, Fayzan glanced toward Ryota.
"So..."
Ryota looked over.
"What?"
"What are you doing now?"
Ryota didn't hesitate.
"I'm going back to Rio."
Fayzan nodded.
"To report?"
"Yeah."
Ryota's expression became determined.
"I'm going to tell her everything."
"The dungeon."
"Apollonius."
"Indra."
"The armor."
"Everything we discovered."
He looked toward the distant settlement.
"She needs to know."
Fayzan remained quiet for a moment before nodding.
"She'll probably be angry."
Ryota blinked.
"Angry?"
"You know."
Fayzan smiled.
"She'll probably wonder why you decided to fight a hidden dungeon boss without her."
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"She might."
"Actually..."
He thought about it.
"She definitely will."
Fayzan laughed.
"Good luck."
Ryota sighed.
"Thanks."
The two walked in silence for another few seconds before Ryota looked toward Fayzan.
"What about you?"
Fayzan glanced at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to tell Eternity Lions?"
The question caused Fayzan to stop walking.
Ryota continued for several steps before realizing his companion wasn't beside him anymore.
He turned around.
Fayzan stood silently in the middle of the desert.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Ryota.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"No."
Ryota raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
Fayzan smiled.
"This dungeon belongs to Crowned Era."
He placed a hand against his chest.
"I was invited here by you, my good friend."
His smile became more serious.
"So what right do I have to take this dungeon's location and hand it over to my guild?"
Ryota looked at him for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"I appreciate that."
Fayzan shrugged.
"Besides..."
His expression suddenly changed.
A mischievous grin appeared on his face.
"I think this is enough for my silence."
He reached into his inventory.
A system window briefly appeared beside him before disappearing.
Then something materialized in his hand.
Ryota's eyes widened slightly.
It was the armor fragment.
Even separated from Apollonius, the piece of armor retained a faint golden-orange glow.
The material looked like metal at first glance, but the longer Ryota examined it, the more obvious it became that it wasn't ordinary metal.
Strange patterns seemed to move beneath its surface.
They resembled tiny flames trapped inside the material.
The fragment was enormous.
Even though it was only a portion of Apollonius's armor, it was roughly two feet long and thick enough that Fayzan needed both hands to hold it comfortably.
Fayzan looked at the fragment with barely concealed excitement.
"I'm glad you let me have it."
Ryota laughed.
"Yeah."
He stepped closer and examined the strange material.
"Hopefully you can find a good enough craftsman to turn that thing into a weapon."
Fayzan's eyes immediately widened.
"A weapon?"
Ryota nodded.
"Probably."
He pointed toward the fragment.
"That thing came from a Legendary boss."
His expression became thoughtful.
"It would be a waste to leave it sitting in your inventory forever."
Fayzan's excitement became impossible to hide.
"So..."
He lifted the fragment slightly.
"You think I can actually make a weapon from this?"
"If you find the right craftsman."
For several seconds, Fayzan stared at him.
Then—
"YES!"
Ramos jumped slightly.
Fayzan grinned from ear to ear.
"I'm so excited!"
Ryota laughed.
"What are you imagining already?"
Fayzan's eyes practically sparkled.
"One of those cool, ridiculously powerful swords!"
He began gesturing dramatically with his free hand.
"Massive blade!"
He swung his arm through the air.
"Flaming edge!"
Another dramatic gesture.
"Special boss effect!"
He pointed toward the fragment.
"Maybe it shoots fire!"
Ryota laughed harder.
"You're already designing it?"
"Of course!"
Fayzan hugged the armor fragment protectively against his chest.
"This thing came from Apollonius!"
His expression became intensely serious.
"I refuse to believe I'm going to make something boring out of it."
Ramos finally smiled.
"I just hope you don't accidentally burn yourself with it."
Fayzan pointed at him.
"That's part of the experience."
Ryota shook his head.
"You two are ridiculous."
Fayzan grinned.
"And yet you keep traveling with us."
Ryota sighed dramatically.
"Unfortunately."
Ramos chuckled.
The tension that had followed them out of the dungeon finally began to disappear.
For the first time since entering the hidden dungeon, the three of them were able to laugh without wondering whether something was about to attack them.
Their footsteps continued across the sand.
The dungeon entrance slowly became smaller behind them.
The sunlight reflected from the distant lake, and the warm breeze carried the sound of rustling palm leaves across the oasis.
For now, Apollonius remained beneath the desert.
Waiting.
The First Ray had defeated them.
There was no point pretending otherwise.
They had entered the dungeon with the intention of conquering it and had instead been forced into retreat.
But their expedition had still given them something far more valuable than a simple victory.
Information.
They now knew what waited beneath the Sandy Oasis.
They knew Apollonius existed.
They knew how overwhelming her power could become.
They knew that Indra could not continue fighting indefinitely.
They knew that the strange armor fragments could potentially become valuable equipment.
And, perhaps most importantly, they knew exactly how much stronger they needed to become.
Ryota glanced back one final time.
The dungeon entrance was now barely visible behind them.
His hand tightened slightly.
One day, they would return.
But when they did, things would be different.
They wouldn't be the same players who had entered the dungeon today.
They would have more experience.
Better equipment.
More information.
And a far better understanding of the enemy waiting at the bottom.
Most importantly, Rio would be with them.
Ryota smiled at the thought.
Soon, he would return to her.
He would tell her everything.
He would explain what happened.
He would tell her about Apollonius, the First Ray.
He would tell her about Indra.
He would show her the armor fragment.
And then they would decide what to do next.
For now, however, there was nothing left for them to do except walk.
Ryota, Fayzan, and Ramos continued across the desert beneath the afternoon sun.
Their first dungeon expedition without Rio had ended in retreat.
They had failed to defeat the boss.
They had failed to claim the dungeon.
They had even been forced to flee from the deepest chamber.
Yet Ryota couldn't stop smiling.
Because failure had taught them something victory never could.
They had learned what waited ahead.
They had survived an enemy they weren't ready to defeat.
And they had returned with the knowledge necessary to prepare for the next battle.
Sometimes, victory wasn't about defeating the enemy standing in front of you.
Sometimes, victory was simply surviving long enough to come back stronger.
And for Ryota, that was exactly what this expedition had been.
A successful failure.