The Holy Light Knight kicked at the bonfire.
Kicked at the bonfire.
Bonfire.
And yet—the bonfire didn't so much as flicker.
It was as though an invisible wall of air stopped his foot in place. His heel halted just two or three centimeters away, repelled by something unseen.
No matter how much strength he poured into it—every ounce he had—he couldn't break through that barrier. He panted heavily in frustration, kicking again and again!
At last, someone snapped.
"Stop it!"
Two voices shouted at once—Stella and Leon!
Stella sprinted forward, grabbing the knight's arm from behind and trying to lock it in place. But his sheer size and strength dwarfed hers; if he thrashed, she wouldn't be able to hold him.
Leon's approach, however, was far simpler—and far more brutal.
He took a single step forward and drove his fist straight into the Holy Light Knight's face!
The punch connected with a wet crack, sending a spray of blood and teeth into the air.
That one hit jolted the knight back to his senses. He stared blankly at Leon, shaken by the man's furious expression.
"Do you even know what the hell you're doing?!" Leon roared, cocking his fist again.
Before he could swing, Maru rushed over and grabbed his arm, holding him back.
"Do you realize what your actions could've caused?!" Leon barked, still seething. "If you damaged the bonfire—could your damn Holy Light Church take responsibility for that?!"
Everyone knew the dungeon automatically repaired destroyed terrain. But the bonfire was… different. Too special.
Leon treated it like sacred ground—because if it couldn't be restored, if they lost something so extraordinary right after discovering it—
Just thinking about it made his blood boil all over again.
Drew glanced between the two men, then sighed. This time, he didn't even bother casting a calming spell.
"Heh… heh…"
Still sprawled on the floor, the Fire Priest clutched his cheek and began to laugh.
To him, the Holy Light Knight's rage meant only one thing: he'd broken.
The revelation that the world hadn't been forged by the God of Light had shattered him completely.
In short—it was a victory for the Fire God.
"Religious fanaticism ruins people," Roger muttered, shaking his head as he pressed Perry's head down. "Kid, don't you ever fall into that trap."
Perry swatted his hand away, saying nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on the bonfire.
The flame that once seemed ordinary now glowed with a strange, divine allure—like a relic wrought by gods themselves.
After seeing that vision with their own eyes, after living through the Age of Fire in that illusion, how could anyone doubt its truth?
Perry wanted to believe. But he hesitated.
Since childhood, he'd been taught that truth required corroboration. Evidence from many sources. You could never trust a single account.
So until he found more—murals, relics, texts—he decided to remain cautious.
Melga, meanwhile, simply watched everything like a spectator at a theater. Detached. Unmoved.
Eventually, Stella released the Holy Light Knight. He sat there for a moment, breathing heavily, then rose shakily to his feet, eyes clouded with complicated emotion.
The air thickened with tension.
Leon cursed under his breath.
Why the hell did Mr. Sid bring a fanatic?
Everyone knew zealots were unstable. It was only natural one would snap after seeing something like this.
Sid had sworn before departure that every member of the team was an elite—not to be underestimated.
"…Unless this Holy Light Knight has some hidden quality I haven't seen," Leon muttered to himself, "then Sid really misjudged."
Without realizing it, Leon was already growing strangely attached to the dungeon—or rather, to everything it represented.
On one hand, he wanted to tear this deathtrap apart. On the other, it thrilled him. Being tricked infuriated him in the moment—but afterward, it was… almost fun. Because it gave him a reason to fight back, to plan, to grow stronger.
Damn it… am I turning into a masochist?
He smacked himself twice on the head, muttering,
"Time to move. Let's find the Sun Altar."
Then he strode toward the passageway.
But just as he reached the entrance, the air shifted.
A thin layer of white mist materialized out of nowhere, sealing the corridor shut.
"What is this?"
He pressed a hand against it. The fog looked insubstantial, like he could just walk through—but no matter how he pushed, it wouldn't yield.
"Boss! There's mist here too!"
Terl shouted from the back. He kicked and punched at the fog wall that now sealed off the giant curse toad's chamber. No use—it didn't budge.
Both exits were sealed.
They were trapped.
A cold weight settled in Leon's gut. That all-too-familiar sense of dread.
Why does this happen every damn time I step into a dungeon?
"This is your fault—you've angered the Fire God! It's divine punishment!"
The Fire Priest, clearly unhinged, jabbed his finger toward the knight's face.
The Holy Light Knight glared back, towering over him—three times his size.
Yet the smaller man didn't back down. It was as if the Fire God himself stood behind him, filling him with righteous fury as he met the knight's eyes head-on.
Stella tensed, ready to jump in if blows were exchanged.
But instead, the Holy Light Knight just gave a cold snort, turned away, and joined Leon in pounding against the white fog—calm now, unlike before.
…Was that a good sign? Stella tilted her head uncertainly.
Dong. Dong.
A deep, booming bell toll echoed through the chamber.
The bell only rang when the dungeon was closing—but it wasn't anywhere near closing time.
So why now—?
Leon's unease deepened. He half-joked to himself that he could probably get hired as a prophet at this rate.
Then—
ROOOOAR!
A thunderous dragon's cry split the air, drowning out the bells!
"My gods, a dragon!"
Roger's eyes lit up with wild excitement. Monster research was his specialty—and his obsession.
"Idiot! This is no time to be thrilled!" Maru snapped, nerves tight.
Nearly everyone had gone rigid at the sound.
Dragons—mighty, ancient beasts. Even the weakest wyverns outclassed most monsters, and their appearances always triggered top-tier extermination orders from the guilds.
Their party was strong enough to take one down… probably. But still—dragons were dragons.
Tension was only natural.
Surprisingly, the roar faded into the distance. The dragon didn't come for them.
"Huh?" Stella gasped.
She'd thought for sure the dragon had appeared because they'd attacked the bonfire.
Everyone else had thought the same.
It was a relief the dragon hadn't come—but they were still trapped.
So what now?
Crackle.
The bonfire flickered, letting out a sharp pop.
Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!
The flames flared upward in a violent surge, twisting into distorted, shifting silhouettes.
[Invaded by Dark Spirit: Avatar of Left Bow!!!]
[Invaded by Dark Spirit: Avatar of Swift Slash!!!]
[Invaded by Dark Spirit: Avatar of Katana!!!]
At the same time, new black text floated before their eyes:
[Due to hostility toward the bonfire, a Punishment has been automatically activated. Exploration difficulty increased.]
Behind the scenes, Wade swiped through the Available Monsters panel and sighed.
"If only it were unlocked… I'd drop the Soul of Cinder on you right now. Be grateful for my mercy."