Buzz—buzz—buzz!
The relentless ringing in her ears wouldn't stop. Asfi felt a wave of nausea surge through her, her face drained of color as the urge to vomit overtook her entirely.
"Ugh!!!"
"Hermes-sama!"
Forcing herself to resist the sickening dizziness, Asfi turned toward the sound of retching nearby.
Her blurred vision settled on Hermes, sprawled on the floor, vomiting uncontrollably without any trace of composure.
Thankfully, most of the furniture and Magic Stone lamps in the room remained intact. Asfi silently thanked her own foresight—she had reinforced the underground chamber in case of tremors or cave-ins. Without that precaution, she and Hermes-sama might have already been buried beneath the rubble.
Even so, the earlier explosion had left her head spinning. The room swayed before her eyes, and the nausea refused to subside, making it impossible to stand upright.
"Ugh!"
The retching continued, but soon the sound was forced down.
"Asfi, check the Dungeon first!"
"!"
The command snapped her out of her daze. Asfi immediately darted to the stone table, shifting the view onto the Dungeon's map.
Sure enough, on the 32nd floor—coordinates 117—large numbers of adventurers appeared on the display, most of them Lv.1 and Lv.2, but among them were several Lv.5s as well.
Realizing the situation's urgency, Asfi didn't hesitate for a second. She slammed the red button beside the table.
Within five seconds, a calm, familiar voice filled the room.
[Understood. I've confirmed their presence on the 32nd floor. They used the surface explosion as a distraction to begin their operation.]
[I'm heading to Floor 32 to lock onto their exact position. You and Hermes must stay alert.]
After sending out the report, Asfi's legs gave way and she slumped to the floor.
Her disoriented mind gradually cleared. The piercing ring in her ears faded, and even the nausea began to ease.
But instead of resting, Asfi pushed herself back up and hurried to Hermes-sama's side. He was covered in vomit, barely holding himself together. She reached down to help him up.
"Ugh…"
Even standing with her support, Hermes looked ready to collapse again. His body lacked the endurance of an adventurer's—the shockwave alone had nearly rendered him immobile.
His limbs were weak, his mind foggy, and the splitting headache left him on the verge of blacking out.
Wiping the corners of his mouth with the cleaner part of his sleeve, Hermes's eyes flickered faintly red.
"Those lunatics…"
He growled between clenched teeth.
"Hermes-sama."
"...No need. My mind is fine. Perfectly fine!"
The strained tone and grinding of his teeth made the reassurance anything but convincing.
...
At the same time, Bell had already reached the corridor on the 33rd floor after receiving the alert.
"Hurry!"
"Move faster!"
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he locked his gaze on the Evilus Familia members ahead—those carrying the massive, grotesque fetus.
"Strange… why are there so many mushrooms here?"
The Familia members carrying the cargo couldn't help but feel puzzled.
They had passed through this path not long ago, but back then, the "White Palace" hadn't been covered with mushrooms like this.
Those with sharper instincts immediately felt a twinge of unease.
"Stop immediately. Inspect these mushrooms."
"Yes!"
All transport operations came to a halt at once.
They still had plenty of time for the delivery, but before completing the mission, every possible threat or anomaly needed to be checked. They had to make sure nothing—or no one—was watching them.
The Guardian quickly pulled several Magic devices from his gear and began scanning the mushrooms.
"Confirmed. They're just ordinary poisonous mushrooms—the same kind found in the Great Tree Maze on the 24th floor."
The result, however, was strange.
"How could mushrooms from the 24th floor end up on the 32nd?"
It was a difficult question to answer. After all, each Dungeon floor had vastly different flora and fauna.
Only in areas with similar environments would the same types of plants and creatures appear.
For this to happen here was highly unusual.
"This isn't the time for questions. Focus on the cargo."
"But these mushrooms…"
"The readings say they're just regular poisonous mushrooms. Sure, cross-floor plant growth is rare, but mushrooms are hardy. Maybe someone brought the spores down by accident."
"But still…"
"But what!?"
The Guardian's voice thundered through the corridor of the 33rd floor, echoing sharply against the white stone walls.
He quickly caught himself, lowering his voice, though the anger in it still burned through.
"The only thing that matters now is getting the cargo to the base. Understood?"
"This is about whether we'll ever get to see them again in the next life. Do you understand that?"
A heavy silence followed.
"...Understood."
The hesitant voice finally relented, no longer arguing.
"Confirmed. Proceed!"
The main group began moving again.
With a clear route ahead and the protection of Magic tools, nearly everyone reached the 35th floor safely.
Before long, they carried the large fetus into a designated sector.
Known as the "White Palace," its walls were made of pale rock, and the interior paths twisted and branched endlessly. Finding any specific point within this maze was nearly impossible—which was exactly why Evilus had chosen it as their base.
At the end of one false passage, a wall of rock blocked their way forward. Yet instead of frustration, the group sighed in relief.
"We finally made it."
The entire team murmured in unison.
The leader at the front confirmed the group's condition, then reached into his robes and took out a single "Eye."
Holding it up to the wall, he activated it. Like a lock being turned, the stone began to shift and split apart, revealing a dark, narrow opening.
"Wait!"
"One by one this time."
The Guardian beside him frowned, his face lined with irritation and unease.
"You think someone's infiltrated us?"
The leader gave a small shake of his head. He couldn't say for sure.
"Check anyway. We're already at the door. If anything goes wrong now, do you really think our wish will still come true?"
The Guardian froze for a moment, then nodded silently, offering no further protest.
...
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