[Ronald's Side]
The moment Ronald stepped into the unknown path, the darkness swallowed him whole.
Tch... I can't see a damn thing. Where am I heading to?
His voice echoed feebly as he called out, "Rona! Rona! Where are you?!"
Silence.
The stillness gnawed at him. Each step forward made his spine crawl. Something unseen—watching. Breathing. Waiting.
His instincts screamed: Run.
But he clenched his fists. Not until I find Rona.
Eventually, the suffocating darkness gave way to a hollow cavern—its entrance lined with tangled cords of ancient webs. The walls were pale and cracked, as though the very stone recoiled from whatever lived here.
"A cave? In the middle of the maze...?"
He moved cautiously. Dust stirred beneath his feet. The walls felt unnaturally cold.
Zzzzt.
A subtle shift in the air drew his gaze upwards—and his breath caught.
Cocoons. Dozens of them, swaying gently like grotesque fruit on invisible threads.
His knees weakened. "A... spider den?"
One thought drilled into his mind.
Rona might be in one of those.
Despite the trembling in his limbs, Ronald steadied himself. "Okay. I've climbed trees before. I can do this."
But then, a memory resurfaced.
The fall. The sharp pain. The world spinning upside down. Blood dripping from his skull.
The cat was saved—but at what cost?
His legs hesitated. Sweat beaded his brow.
"No." He inhaled deeply. "No running. I made a promise."
With one hand gripping the web-laced wall, Ronald began climbing. Step by step, inch by inch. The stone bit into his palms. His legs shook like leaves in a storm.
He reached the first cocoon.
"Alright… here goes nothing."
He ripped it open.
"WAAA!"
A human boy tumbled forward—unconscious but alive.
Ronald exhaled sharply. "Gave me a damn heart attack…"
He scanned the wall beside the cocoon, then punched through the brittle rock.
Crack!
A hole formed, wide enough to store the body. "You'll be safer here. I'll pick you up after."
One after another, he tore through the cocoons. Victim after victim. But no Rona.
Then—
Shhk.
He froze.
He looked up.
From the depths of the ceiling shadows, something shifted—and then descended.
A grotesque, hulking spider, its eight glossy eyes glimmering like obsidian glass, crawled into the open.
"S-spiders…?" Ronald's voice cracked.
The monster didn't wait.
It reared back—and then spat.
A volley of silk whistled through the air.
Ronald twisted his body at the last second.
Splat!
The web struck the stone wall behind him, hardening instantly like concrete.
"That was close," he muttered, clinging desperately to the cocoon-laced wall. "I almost fell…"
But the spider wasn't done.
With terrifying speed, it lunged.
Its eight legs stretched wide, its fangs bared in a venomous snarl.
Ronald barely had time to gasp before it slammed into him.
THUD!
He was pinned.
The spider's weight drove the air from his lungs. Its hairy legs anchored it against the stone as it reared its head.
Drip. Drip.
Poison leaked from its twin fangs, sizzling as it hit the rock.
"Gah…!" Ronald grunted, twisting left and right to evade the stabbing jabs.
Each time, he narrowly avoided being impaled.
I won't last long like this...!
Then—he saw it.
A glint of metal. A sword.
It was tucked at the waist of a cocooned body, just beneath him.
"I hope that sword still has an edge!"
Roaring with adrenaline, Ronald raised both legs and kicked the spider in the face.
CRACK!
The monster shrieked, its body flailing back. It skittered across the wall to regain balance.
Ronald wasn't safe yet.
The kick sent his body sliding—downward.
He twisted midair, grabbed onto the hanging leg of the cocooned victim, and caught himself.
He exhaled. "It works…"
Without wasting a second, he pulled himself up and grabbed the sword from the bound figure's waist.
It was dull… but it would have to do.
"Okay. Let's go down in one piece."
Ronald dug his heels into the wall and slid down, controlling his descent with expert precision, bouncing off small ledges until he reached the cave floor.
Just then—
A screech echoed above.
The spider, now beyond furious, plunged downward like a falling meteor.
Its monstrous body twisted through the air, aiming to crush him entirely.
Ronald dodged sideways, barely avoiding the impact as the ground shook beneath him.
"I'm done playing defense."
He turned and faced the beast.
With a growl, he gripped the sword by the hilt, spun, and hurled it with everything he had.
FWOOSH—
The blade flew in a perfect arc, whistling through the air.
SHHK!
The tip pierced between the spider's many eyes, driving through its skull and pinning it to the cave wall.
The beast let out one final screech—
—and collapsed.
Dead.
"I did it!" Ronald's triumphant shout echoed across the cavern. "Woohoo!"
His chest heaved with exhaustion. He allowed himself a moment to celebrate.
Then it hit him.
"Oh right! Rona!"
Without pause, Ronald sheathed the remaining dagger he found, scrambled back up the wall, and tore open every last cocoon.
One. Two. Five. Ten—
Still no Rona.
"None of them are Rona?" he muttered. His heart dropped. "Then where… where is she?"
His breath quickened. The silence of the cave returned, broken only by the sound of his pulse echoing in his ears.
Where are you, Rona?
Step. Step. Sniff.
A sound from the entrance. Ronald turned sharply—ready to fight again.
A small silhouette appeared from the shadows.
Rona. Holding a small girl's hand.
"Ronald! You're here!" she beamed.
Ronald froze. "...She's… safe?"
He sagged against the wall. "Haah…"
He climbed down and slung a few of the rescued over his shoulder.
Rona tilted her head. "Who are they?"
"They're contestants. Caught by the spider."
She shaped her mouth like an "O" when she noticed the dead spider.
Ronald glanced at the girl. "Who's she?"
"Don't know. She was crying, so Rona thought Rona should help. Rona did good, right?"
He smiled and patted her head. "Yeah. You did."
"Yay~!"
"Let's get out of here. Help me carry the rest."
With bodies slung over shoulders and the little girl between them, they exited the den and returned to the ever-shifting maze.
Ronald frowned. "The maze changed again."
Rona twitched her nose. "I can smell Isaac."
He blinked. "Smell?"
She nodded. "Follow Rona!"
Ronald just shrugged and followed.
[Llyne's Side]
The little green slime bounced on my head like it was at a festival. "Bluuu!"
I laughed. "Oui~ Excited for adventure, are we?"
"Blu!"
"Hopefully we can find your mom too. You said she's a big green slime?"
"Blu!"
I sighed and flopped down on the stone floor. "Ugh… We've covered this entire damn maze already. Even found the center. Still no Isaac, no Ronald, and no momma slime…"
"Blu…" the tiny one drooped.
"Don't worry. We'll check Level Five too. Just gotta keep going."
I stood up and stretched. "Alright! Let's continue our adventu—"
"Blu!"
The little guy jumped off my head and hopped ahead. I chuckled. "Okay, okay. But don't get squished!"
We turned the corner.
And I saw it.
A shadow—human-shaped, too big to be Isaac.
I squinted. Dan…?
The tiny slime turned the corner first.
I screamed. "Wai—!"
Splat.
The slime got flattened.
I dropped to my knees and gathered its splattered remains.
"No… Tiny slime… You can't die now… I should've warned you…"
The slime goo wriggled in my hand.
I blinked. "Wait—?"
It pulsed, then reformed.
"Tiny slime!!"
I hugged it. The slime bounced with joy. "Blu!"
I kissed it. "Still adorable after a squish…"
"Ewwww…"
I looked up.
Isaac stared at me, horrified. Rona and Ronald stood beside him.
"You kissed the slime that just got squashed?" Isaac gagged. "So unhygienic…"
Ronald scratched his head. "Sorry. Didn't mean to step on you, little guy."
"Blu!" the slime now happily sat on Ronald's head.
I pouted. "Tiny slime said it's fine…"
I glanced away, grumbling. So you leave me for someone taller? Hmph.
Isaac sighed. She's doing it again… thinking nonsense.
Rona smiled brightly. "Rona is happy we are all together again!"
We looked at each other—smeared in sweat, monster guts, and minor trauma.
I didn't care.
I grabbed them all. "Group hug!"
Isaac shrieked, struggling. "PERSONAL SPACE!! PERSONAL SPACE!!"