The strike on the lower level gave Luki a crucial advantage, but it wasn't the end of the chase.
Carrying Lili in his arms, the adventurer plunged back into the three-dimensional labyrinth that was the Upper Floors Maze.
The escape became a chaotic sequence of life-or-death decisions, where every step demanded parkour, climbing, and desperate leaps, all under the weight of armor and the extra load of a thin Pallum.
The chase lasted so long that even the thick mist that once blinded their eyes slowly began to disperse, a sign that they had been running for hours.
Luki climbed short vertical walls, using small ledges to push his heavy body upward, and leaped over deep, nonsensical chasms that split open across the ground, relying only on the strength of his muscles.
And to make things worse, the Dungeon seemed to be playing against him.
At a sharp turn, Luki was forced to swerve abruptly to avoid a swarm of giant bats, losing traction and almost falling into a dark pit that appeared just inches away.
Farther ahead, the chase led him into a narrow corridor where he had to squeeze sideways to pass, only to find a group of Orcs blocking his path, forcing him to dash through them on sheer luck alone.
With every maneuver, Luki's muscles burned in protest, and the air in his lungs began to run thin.
They weren't gaining distance, only borrowing time from luck. Exhaustion started to weigh on every movement.
Meanwhile, the Lizardmen had long since given up. After running for so long and letting the Dungeon's own traps and chaos thin their numbers, Luki had finally shaken them off.
But he almost wished it was still just them, because with every passing moment, the horde behind him grew, not only in number but in the diversity of monsters chasing him.
What a Deja vu!
'What the hell is that thing? It looks like a floating ball of light and it's shooting lightning and fireballs at me?!' he screamed internally, dodging one of the electric blasts by a hair's breadth.
Just when Luki could feel the hot breath of the monsters on his neck, the corridor opened into a wider section. In the distance, Lili spotted something unusual amidst the gray stone.
— Luki-sama! There! — Lili shouted, pointing toward a distant structure. It was a tall, milky-white marble door set into a perfect arch, standing out even in the gloom.
Luki glanced for an instant and gritted his teeth.
— Are you insane, Lili?! That's a dead end! If we go in there, we'll be trapped!
— It's the only way! — she protested, her voice a mix of desperation and conviction. — Please, Luki-sama! Trust me!
Luki looked back. The horde was closer than ever, the distance shrinking with every step.
— Argh! Screw it! — Luki roared in frustration.
With no other choice, he used the last of his strength to sprint toward the white door. He crossed the threshold, diving into darkness.
Luki threw himself into the chamber and, in one swift motion, turned and drew his sword, ready for the final stand.
At that exact moment, just as the last Lizardman reached the doorway, a golden barrier of energy flared to life, sealing the archway with a silent flash.
Then... then nothing, really, nothing happened.
Luki wasn't attacked. He stood in the dark chamber, gasping for air.
Outside, the horde came to an abrupt stop.
The monsters, distorted, fierce, and terrifying, advanced again. The first to touch the barrier was blasted apart by a surge of lightning, disintegrating instantly.
KRSSSH!
The others screeched and hissed in terror, backing away. They clawed at the air and snarled in frustration, but none dared touch the pulsating white energy that now guarded the entrance. The lesson was brutal and immediate.
— What... what the hell is this? — Luki muttered, lowering his sword slowly.
One by one, the monsters realized it was pointless. Reluctantly, they scattered, retreating back into the darkness of the labyrinth.
The chase had finally ended.
Luki stood still, feeling the adrenaline fade. Exhaustion hit him like a crashing wave.
— Phew... — The sound was rough, barely audible, filled with desperate relief as it echoed faintly through the chamber.
The silence that followed was a strange, intoxicating drug. They were safe, protected by some incomprehensible force of the Dungeon itself.
Lili, who had been nestled in Luki's arms since the beginning of the escape, moved timidly. The tension drained from her body.
— Luki-sama... — she whispered softly. — You can let me down now.
That caught his attention, and he looked down, only then realizing their position.
He was holding her tightly, bridal-style, while she clung to his neck.
Lili's cheeks grew redder by the second. She refused to meet his eyes, but didn't make any effort to pull away either.
The moment was awkward, but the sheer physical and mental exhaustion prevented either of them from reacting dramatically or holding a real conversation.
— My bad... — he muttered, acknowledging the situation.
Luki gently set her down, letting her slide onto the stone floor. Lili let out a quiet groan, not from embarrassment, but from pain.
Luki immediately knelt beside her. He examined the wound: the arrow was lodged in her thigh, just above the knee. A little lower, and it could've been devastating.
— This is going to hurt a bit... — Luki warned, his voice low and steady.
He pressed one hand tightly above the wound to stem the bleeding, while the other gripped the arrow.
Lili clenched her teeth and shut her eyes, bracing for what was coming.
With a deep breath and firm grip, Luki pulled.
SQUELCH!
— Ah! — Lili cried out, the pain muffled as the arrow tore free.
The wet sound of metal sliding out of flesh made Luki swallow hard. The wound wasn't too deep, but it bled heavily.
'Did it hit an artery?'
He wasted no time. With quick, practiced movements, Luki tore a piece of Lili's cloak and used it to tie the wound tightly.
Once done, he dug into his backpack and pulled out a small potion vial — his last one, meant for the return trip. But now, it had to be used.
— D-don't use it, Luki-sama! — Lili coughed, panic in her voice.
— It's just a small wound! We need to save our supplies!
— Don't care. Open your mouth. — He popped the cork and pressed the vial to her lips.
Lili tried to resist, but before she could protest, Luki lifted her head and tilted the potion, forcing her to take only a small sip of the glowing liquid.
— Just one sip should be enough. We'll save the rest for later.
He sealed the vial again, the precious liquid swirling inside.
— Uhm... th-thank you, — Lili murmured, her body still trembling slightly from the pain and shock.
— Nah, don't mention it. — Luki's reply was curt, drained of energy.
With no monsters left chasing them, and Lili no longer in immediate danger, the two finally allowed themselves to rest. The tension of the pursuit melted away, replaced by bone-deep exhaustion.
Even Luki, with his innate Tireless Explorer skill, couldn't ignore the fatigue that had built up after everything that had happened.
Parkour in full armor wasn't easy.
— Long day... — he muttered, voice muffled by his helmet.
Without realizing it, the warrior let himself fall back. He lay on the cold stone floor, one hand behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. He closed his eyes to "rest" for just a moment.
Luki felt the oppressive weight of his armor, but didn't care. Screw it. If he woke up next year, then he'd take it off.
The silence of the marble chamber wrapped around them. Lili, beside him, leaned her head against the wall and finally allowed herself to relax, watching the warrior lying down.
They were safe. For now.
...
[Meanwhile, elsewhere]
Deep beneath the earth, where no light had ever reached, lay the Abyss.
It wasn't a cave, but a colossal void, an immense crater plunging into endless darkness, as if the land itself had been devoured. Along the jagged edges, one could make out stones and organic remnants that seemed burnt and petrified.
From their frozen expressions of despair and vaguely human shapes, those things appeared to be bodies long forgotten, relics of an ancient battle that claimed thousands of lives.
Amidst the absolute darkness, a supernatural cold lingered. No creature could be seen, but a female voice, light, youthful, and annoyingly casual echoed from nowhere, chattering into the void:
— (Ah, finally! It's over! Seriously, I had to spend so much energy fixing the Labyrinth and adjusting the mob spawns... and that ungrateful idiot didn't even thank me! How can someone be so talented yet so utterly incompetent? He can't even handle a bunch of weak monsters!)
The voice sighed, a dry sound of youthful frustration.
— (And to make things worse, I had to conjure a Safe Room out of thin air just to keep him alive! This is the last time I'm doing that! Next time that idiot's about to die, I'm not interfering! I swear!)
She laughed, a dry, mocking sound.
— (At least the little mouse was useful. I admit, I didn't expect that bond between them, but since she's a canonical character, it's only natural they'd cross paths eventually!)
— (She led him straight to the Safe Room. Her survival instincts are sharp... unlike a certain suicidal idiot. Damn it! How did he almost die THREE times in a row while I was watching?! I'm going to lose my hair because of him!)
The voice calmed, though irritation lingered.
— (Well, he'll be staying put for a while now. I'm exhausted from rearranging nonstandard walls, it messed up the Labyrinth's entire randomization system. But at least he's safe, and he'll be lost down there for a good while.) — She paused proudly.
— (That idea of placing a teleport trap right beneath him was genius, by the way! His senses are so sharp that tricking him with a normal trap is impossible... what pisses me off is that he didn't even notice how close he was to dying while literally walking over me! Unbelievable!)
The voice hesitated, her playful tone fading. She spoke to the darkness itself:
— (Hey... don't you think he's evolving a little too slowly?) — she asked, waiting for an answer.
Then, the massive, shadowy form of a great black figure emerged, emanating an aura of ancient, hostile power. The air trembled as a deep, ancient voice, heavy with millennia of wisdom, replied:
— His awakening draws near. We are only here to ensure that nothing... unexpected occurs.
The female voice hissed in frustration, echoing through the endless chasm.
— (Oh, that's easy for you to say! "Ensure nothing unexpected occurs!") — she mocked in a low, sarcastic tone.
— (May I remind you who's doing all the work, creating opportunities, removing obstacles, manipulating the minds of monsters and adventurers to keep them away, and rearranging the Labyrinth's energy flow to save his sorry ass? ME!)
— (You've been sitting here for ages, taking your millennia-long nap, like some statue in the middle of my Abyss, and I'm the one doing all the heavy lifting! Do you have any idea how chaotic it is to rearrange the Labyrinth during a chase?!)
She sighed dramatically.
— (Fine, fine, the "awakening is near." Great. But how about you haul your scaly ass up and help me cause a little chaos instead of giving me cryptic lectures? Hey! Don't you ignore me while I'm talking to you!!)
The Black Figure remained silent, its aura fading, signaling the end of the conversation.
The Abyss returned to what it always was: darkness, cold... and the promise of ruin.