The White Palace—so named for the pale color of the dungeon walls beyond the 30th floor.
The name sounds elegant, but that doesn't mean it's a good place.
The White Palace refers to the area beneath the 30th floor, where the walls are made of white rock. It wasn't named for beauty, but for its lifeless hue.
There is no "beauty" within this White Palace. Entering it means choosing life or death, and even being buried here is a decision made of one's own will.
Yes, another meaning behind the name is that it's a palace of bones.
Knowing exactly where she was, Ryuu sank into despair.
"To think I'd be dragged here..."
Her body was covered in wounds, a chunk of flesh missing from her right calf. Every part of her felt drained—she was barely more than a broken shell.
The White Palace was an adventurer's nightmare. Arriving here in such a state, Ryuu knew there was no way out.
"Hah... maybe this is where it ends."
With a faint, self-mocking smile, Ryuu collapsed onto the cold ground, accepting her fate.
But acceptance or not, it wouldn't change anything.
Even if she refused, what could a half-crippled woman do to escape this hell?
And even if she did escape, those who died on the 27th floor would never forgive her.
So, this was it.
The icy ground seeped into her body, freezing her to the core.
'I'm sorry, everyone. I guess I came a little too late... are you still waiting for me?'
Before her eyes, she seemed to see the faces of her fallen companions.
She could feel her blood flowing out, her body growing colder with each heartbeat. Her consciousness began to fade.
"Half-dead, huh? Good. That'll make things easier."
Just as her awareness slipped away, a voice echoed beside her.
Who…
She tried to open her eyes, but even that small effort was beyond her. The blood loss was too much; Ryuu finally succumbed and lost consciousness.
Then, the bleeding from her wounded leg suddenly stopped. Her body's rapid decline seemed to halt—as if someone had pressed a stop button. Slowly, her body began to lift from the ground.
Bell, who had arrived last, stood nearby watching the elf's condition.
"Hmm. Controlled right to the edge of death."
But Bell didn't heal her immediately. Some things, he thought, were best understood through experience.
He simply stabilized her half-dead state, set up a simple barrier around her, and froze time within its bounds.
As for treatment, that was something the female elf's companions needed to handle, not something an outsider like him should interfere with.
'So, should I send this female elf back immediately? Or wait for that guy to come looking for her?'
Bell had already chosen Udaeus as the key to his advancement, but Udaeus's regeneration would take another month. It required time, but Bell had never minded waiting. He preferred patience over reckless haste, and right now, he wasn't pressed for time.
After all, he would remain at Lv.6 for a while. Raising his Status wasn't something that could be accomplished in just one month. Therefore, he intended to use the time to reinforce his foundation and prepare for the upcoming battle against Udaeus.
However, things had taken a slight turn.
During the half month he'd spent training deep within the Dungeon, something rather interesting had occurred above ground.
The female elf Ryuu Lion from the 'Hostess of Fertility' had fallen to the 37th floor, gravely injured. This was a clear indication that Amphisbaena, the floor boss of the 27th level, had regenerated. It also meant that the 27th floor had been left in ruins once again by the man who had once engineered Astraea Familia's deathtrap.
Judging by Ryuu Lion's wounds, she must have fought against the Dungeon's Juggernaut—and the battle had ended abruptly, leaving her in a near-fatal state.
That meant, at this very moment, one Floor Boss had been reborn within the Dungeon, and a Juggernaut whose strength neared Lv.6 had also appeared.
Could this be Bell's opportunity?
The thought made his eyes gleam with anticipation. He couldn't help but consider whether he should eliminate those two monsters himself. If defeating them granted him enough Excelia for advancement, there would be no need to wait for Udaeus.
Should he wait a month, or strike now?
Just as Bell weighed his options, the ceiling began to tremble violently once more.
He shook his head slightly.
'I was still thinking about it. How come you made the decision for me?'
Despite still debating the pros and cons, Bell wasn't about to refuse if Juggernaut decided to come to him. After all, who would turn away a chance for Excelia—unless they lacked the strength to claim it?
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Visible spiderweb fractures spread rapidly across the ceiling until the rock could bear no more.
"BOOM!!!"
Massive chunks of stone collapsed from above, scattering countless fragments through the air. A colossal figure then leapt through the gaping hole.
Its body was covered in purplish-black skin, its head resembling that of a prehistoric dinosaur. Yet its body bore no visible muscle, only a sleek surface that gleamed more brightly than a Bugbear's hide. Its long tail was lined entirely with bone spurs, gleaming ominously in the light—a weapon of pure menace.
"Juggernaut."
The Dungeon's executioner—a cleaner dispatched only when a floor spawns too many monsters for the Dungeon to purge through ordinary means.
Bell could feel the raw terror radiating from the creature. Even crouched, it stood over three meters tall. Its oppressive presence made his skin prickle.
'Unexpected. I didn't think it would actually be Lv.6, not just close to it.'
That revelation genuinely surprised Bell.
It seemed the uproar caused by Jura on the 27th floor had been far greater than expected—enough to raise the Juggernaut's level by an entire rank.
...
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