Damn it, turns out there's nothing inside this empty room.
There are no signs or clues intentionally made on the walls, or some sort of button that needs to be pressed.
In reality, this is just an empty room that might not even have any purpose.
There is no entrance, except for the small hole that Hime saw earlier.
Without that small hole, no one would be able to enter this empty room.
What exactly was the person who created this dungeon thinking, to make an empty room that's completely useless?
Most of the time, dungeons are created by someone who possessed great power in the past.
They built rooms underground and placed various obstacles before one could obtain rewards from their efforts.
—
"Yuu-chan, Hime, are you alr—" I turned around and was shocked by what happened to them.
Both of them were unconscious, their bodies leaning against the wall, unmoving.
I rushed toward them and checked whether it was really happening or not…
I placed my finger near their noses to make sure they were still breathing.
"Thank goodness…" I said in relief.
They were still breathing, which meant they were probably just asleep from exhaustion.
And while they slept, I had to stay here and protect them from that monster's attack.
But… what if the monster realizes we're here? I hope not.
Dug, dug.
The tremor was felt again, and this time it was quite strong.
I couldn't even control my body and almost fell to the ground.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt the walls and floor of this room cracking a little.
"Hime, Yuu-chan!" I shouted as I realized what might happen.
I took off the cloak I was wearing and put it on the two of them.
At the very least, it would help shield them if the ceiling collapsed, and also keep them from getting cold.
Well, even though I felt cold now, it wasn't that cold, and I could endure it.
Damn it! Why won't the tremors stop?!
——
Without me realizing, the walls of the room began to collapse.
The small hole we used to enter turned into a large opening that allowed the monster to come in.
I immediately felt uneasy, because a hole that big would surely allow the monster to enter and search for the three of us.
"I need to find a way—"
And then, something terrifying really happened.
Behind me, the monster was already standing, waiting for me to notice it.
I didn't know when it entered, but I could feel its overwhelming presence, enough to make my skin crawl.
If I had turned around earlier, it would've already swung its scythe and sliced my body in two.
But… if I didn't turn around, I wouldn't be able to protect the two of them.
If I got attacked, they would suffer the same fate… I don't want that.
——
Someone needs a desperate, chaotic situation in order to continue growing into a higher level.
A vast difference in strength can be overcome with great intelligence.
The desire to protect someone will grow stronger the more cornered they are.
In moments when their lives are in danger, people like him will think of the ones important to them before themselves.
With feelings that strong, it seems humans will always be granted the best way out.
And that is what is happening to Yukito now — he will not die this time.
——
I turned toward the monster, and sure enough, it had already raised its scythe into the air, ready to strike me.
As if pushed by the wind, my body—which had been so difficult to move—managed to dodge the deadly attack.
The scythe stabbed into the floor, and I could see the dent was pretty deep.
Crack.
It pulled the scythe back, and the impact caused the surrounding area to crack.
This is bad… if it keeps attacking the floor recklessly, sooner or later this room will collapse.
And I have no idea what lies below this room.
I stepped backward, trying to avoid its attack again… but then I heard the sound of stone and dirt falling apart.
Wait a second… why does it feel like I'm stepping downward…
While I walked backward, of course I wasn't looking behind me, only in front.
Until without realizing it, my left foot got stuck in a small hole on the floor.
Crap, this must be the result of the earlier scythe attack… I need to free myself!
——
Even though he tried pulling it out, Yukito still couldn't free himself from the small hole.
And now, the monster was getting closer, clearly pleased that its prey could no longer escape.
——
The monster once again lifted its large scythe and swung it at me.
Is… this the end…
Crack.
What was that cracking sound…
W-wait… the floor beneath me looks like it's about to collapse.
——
Sure enough, the floor Yukito was standing on collapsed and created a large hole leading to the deepest floor.
The appearance of the hole caused Yukito's entire body to fall inside.
Meanwhile, the monster that had been attacking him had no intention of chasing him down.
Instead, it approached Yuu and Hime with hidden intentions.
——
Ughh… I fell just now, didn't I… it seems that hole appeared because of the repeated attacks from that terrifying monster.
My head might have hit something… but I can still see… I'm still okay.
I lifted my head to see how far I had fallen. I couldn't even see the small light from the hole above anymore.
There were no signs that the scythe-wielding monster had jumped down after me.
W-wait! If that's the case, Hime and Yuu-chan are in danger now… but how can I help them?
"Yukito-sama."
I suddenly heard that voice in my head. It couldn't be Yuu-chan waking up and falling down with me.
That means… she appeared again.
"Cyve, why did you suddenly speak?" I asked.
"Oh come on, you're in a dangerous situation right now, so I decided to help you~!" she replied.
It wasn't normal for Cyve to appear in my head. That meant I was truly in danger.
"So?" I asked.
"You fell all the way to the last floor of this dungeon. And where you landed is not far from the floor boss's location," she answered.
"Why doesn't my body hurt? This must be your doing, right?" I asked.
If I fell from a height like that and there was no soft landing, that meant I hit something hard.
But strangely, I was completely fine, as if the fall never happened.
"You should be thanking me, you know? Thanks to the amazing Cyve, I made your body float before you hit the ground," Cyve said.
"Yeah, yeah… thanks…" I replied.
Cyve looked at my gloomy expression, since I was thinking about Hime and Yuu-chan. I felt she already realized what was on my mind.
Well yeah, she's literally inside my body.
"Calm down, those two are fine… also, the boss on the 40th floor is actually nice, you know," Cyve said, leaving me confused.
"Huh?" I replied, not believing what she said.
"I'll explain later, the important thing is that they're safe… anyway, we have to defeat the boss on this floor if we want to return to the surface," she said.
"Are you insane?!" I asked.
Of course I'd say that. After all, on the 40th floor alone, the three of us struggled so hard to face that floor's boss.
What about the boss on the last floor?
"There's no other way! We have to use everything we can," Cyve said.
Even though the chance of me defeating it seemed impossible… I feel like maybe we can do it.
"…Alright! I'll do it," I said.