The transition between the dark and the light was never proper here. It would flash momentarily, the screen reading — Floor 3 Cleared — and then suddenly, there was a blinding light everywhere. As the light faded, I found myself in a world that was like being inside a furnace.
The air rippled.
The ground groaned beneath my boots.
And nothing but sand and wreckage stretched out before all of me — an endless desert speckled with half-hidden stonework spires, broken statues, and ancient temple skeletons.
I squinted against the searing sun. ".Where the hell are we now?
Seris strode beside me, her silver hair tied behind her, though even she seemed apprehensive. The golden glow caught on her sword and armor and cast flashes of brilliant flashes of light onto the sand.
"The fourth floor," she said softly. "A world of desert. following the mana in the air, it is shrouded in illusion and mirage magic.".
"Great." I moaned. "Now the dungeon's suddenly decided to give us a heatstroke simulator, huh."
She cocked her head a little, amusement dancing behind her serene face. "If your body can handle the skill Forced Enforcement, I think the sun will not be what kills you, Master."
".You really know how to comfort a guy, huh."
I tore open my system window, the greenish-blue panel drifting in front of me. It'd been ages since I last viewed it seriously — between slime attacks, zombies, and necromancers, I didn't even get a moment to gasp.
[Status – Player: Yuta]
Level: 17
HP: 540 / 540
MP: 320 / 320
Attack: 145
Defense: 110
Agility: 130
Magic Resistance: 60
Skill: Forced Enforcement (3★)
Equipment: Black Jacket (Defense Shield – 5 min duration)
Dungeon Coins: 426
Not bad," I complained. "That fight with the beast necromancer really got me pumped up."
Seris regarded the floating panel curiously. "You seem pleased."
"Of course, my stats are all over the map. well, less horrible than they were, anyway." I forced a weak smile, then clicked to call up her status screen. I'd never really looked at it in detail before — I was afraid that I'd somehow crash something by touching her data.
[Servant: Seris – Swordmaster (4★)]
Level: 45
HP: 1400 / 1400
MP: 980 / 980
Attack: 520
Defense: 460
Agility: 390
Magic Resistance: 210
Skill: Lightning Blade, Thunder Step, Light Slash
Loyalty: 100 (Max)
Affection: Unknown
I blinked. "Wow. You're literally a walking storm."
She smiled weakly, brushing the sand from her armor. "I was called to protect you, Master Yuta. It's only natural that I possess power enough to do so."
"Yeah, yeah. You're always humble."
I closed the panel with a sigh. My 426 coins seethed like an itch at the corner of my interface. Four draws. Maybe five if I was lucky. A new servant? Something unique? Something that would make this nightmare a tad less painful?
My thumb hovered over the Gacha icon.
Seris picked up on immediately. "You're going to draw again?
"I. thought it over," I admitted, eyes still on the icon. "I mean, I do have the coins. A mage this time, maybe. Or a shield-type servant. Would be handy."
Her expression didn't change, but her voice did — soft but authoritative.
"You already have me, Master."
That made me stop. I looked at her — at the faint smile twisting the corner of her mouth, the sun glinting from her silver eyes.
"You saying I don't need another servant?"
"I am saying not to leave it to chance when you already have what you need."
Her hand wandered across the hilt of her sword. "Coin chance can be cruel. Skill and perseverance make better companions."
I chuckled. "That's. fair. You win this round."
I closed the gacha menu before greed could nip any harder. "Alright, I'll save them. Maybe for something more important."
"Wise choice."
We started walking. Every step caused the sand to crunch and hiss beneath our boots. The ruins in the distance shone dimly, as if the air itself was tenuous. Bizarre circular runes adorned some of the rocks, glowing softly whenever the sun hit them.
It was hot — sweat ran down my neck and penetrated my shirt in seconds. Even breathing felt like inhaling steam.
Seris, of course, was completely fine. Her armor wasn't even glinting. I had no idea if she just got used to awful conditions or if her status window had anti-sweat magic or something.
"Seris," I gasped a bit, "how don't you get heatstroke?
She glared at me off to the side. "I do not 'die,' Master. I am a spirit-bound servant."
"Great, then how do you avoid turning into a puddle of goo?"
"I regulate my mana to maintain my body temperature."
"You've got air conditioning inside you, I guess?"
".If you can say that, Master."
I couldn't help but laugh. Even her serious answers had this dry deadpan charm which made it hard to keep a face that was unfriendly.
We reached the outskirts of what seemed to be a ruined temple. Pillars jutted out of the sand like broken teeth, and inside, soft whispers echoed each time the wind blew through. Symbols were on the walls — sketches of beings bowing to a gigantic, faceless sandy person.
Seris stroked her fingers against the carvings. "Ancient rituals of worship. Maybe this floor used to have people living on it before it was incorporated into the dungeon."
"So this wasn't always. artificial?"
"Some floors are made of debris from collapsed worlds," she replied, a faraway look on her face, as if remembering something in the past. "Sometimes, the dungeon keeps their leftovers — remnants of civilizations that were devoured by mana storms or corruption."
"That's. sad.
"Yes," She glanced at me. "But that is why we keep moving. To escape it."
We rested in the shade of a collapsed archway. I drank from my canteen, though the water seemed to disappear as soon as it touched my tongue. Sand shone around us, the horizon wobbling like reality itself were unsteady.
"Seris. are we safe here for now?" I asked.
She closed her eyes for a moment, sensing the mana coursing. Then she frowned. ".No. Something lies beneath us."
"Beneath—?"
The ground flexed.
A vast wave swept across the sand, as though some enormous creature swam just below the surface.
"Run!" Seris shouted.
I dodged to one side just as a humongous sandworm burst out from beneath — its body armored in layers of hardened plates, its maw a spiral of jagged teeth. The monster bellowed, vomiting hot sand everywhere.
"Naturally it would have to be something that buries itself underground!" I shouted, grabbing my dagger — but compared to that monster, it was almost a toothpick.
Seris unsheathed her sword, lightning playing upon the blade. "Back, Master!"
She charged forward, feet barely on the sand, and swung her sword in a great arc. Lightning flared — the blow connected, but the worm barely flinched. It shrieked, burrowing back under the sand.
"It's fast!" I cried, staring at the rippling ground. "Can you sense it?"
"Only when it's close!"
She closed her eyes, focusing her mana. "When I give the signal — jump."
I nodded, holding my dagger tightly despite the fact that it was apparently unnecessary.
The sand shifted again. I saw the ripple coming straight at us.
"Now!" she shouted.
We leaped both. The worm exploded out below where we had been, jaws snapping on nothing but air. Seris spun in midair, swinging her sword in a straight-down cut that shot a bolt of thunder flying across the desert. The worm let out a scream of pain, sparks detonating across its carapace.
I rolled onto the ground, burying my face from sand spattering everywhere. "Damn— that was mad!"
"It's not dead yet," she cautioned, dropping in beside me. "Its hide is impervious to physical attacks."
"So. we're fighting an electric-resistant sand tank?"
She didn't answer — her focus tightened. Lightning coalesced around her sword once more, more brilliant this time, crackling with unbridled power. "Then we attack what magic cannot protect."
I inferred what she was getting at. The mouth.
The ground trembled again. "It's coming back!"
The worm lunged upward, mouth wide open, revealing a swirling tunnel of teeth and glowing veins. Seris charged, using the worm's own momentum against it. She dove straight toward its open maw, slicing upward in one clean, explosive motion.
A blinding flash followed — thunder, heat, and the scent of ozone.
When my vision cleared, the worm's body crashed into the sand, split from head to midsection. The desert went quiet.
Seris panted quietly, tucking her sword back into its sheath. "That should do."
I let out a wheezing laugh. "Remind me to never question your air conditioning again."
Her mouth curved. "As long as you remember not freezing when the sand moves."
After making sure it was actually dead, we rested once more close to the ruins. The heat continued to scorch, the sun showing no quarter. I swiped the sweat away from my forehead and looked out at the horizon — endless dunes giving way to a haze.
"This place." I said softly. "It's only becoming crueler, isn't it?"
Seris wrapped up her sword and looked out towards the sun. "That's the dungeon way. Each floor is designed to break you — not with strength, but with endurance."
I sat back, looking up at the white sky. "Then I'll just have to keep reaching. Floor by floor."
She nodded. "And I'll keep chopping the way clear."
I smiled weakly. "Deal.".
As the wind howled over the dunes, waves of heat danced over the debris. The desert might have been silent for centuries — but today it carried the echo of our footsteps. And somewhere on the horizonless distance, the next challenge lay waiting.