The path ahead did not descend immediately.
Instead, it stretched forward in a long, uneven slope, carved naturally through layers of dark stone and mineral deposits that glimmered faintly under the dungeon's ambient light. The air grew cooler with every step Arios took, carrying a faint metallic scent mixed with something older—stagnant, but not lifeless.
Lucy walked a step behind him, her posture alert but controlled. Liza brought up the rear, her gaze constantly shifting, staff lightly tapping against the ground at irregular intervals as if she were mapping the space by sound alone.
None of them spoke for a while.
The dungeon had changed again. Not dramatically, not with traps or sudden hostility, but with intent. The corridors no longer felt like obstacles meant to be overcome. They felt observant. Reactive. As though the dungeon was no longer content with testing individuals in isolation and had begun adjusting to them as a group.
Arios was the first to break the silence.
