The ruined chamber had become almost impossible to recognize.
What had once been an ancient room hidden deep within the dungeon was now little more than a massive battlefield of destruction. The walls that had stood untouched for countless years were covered in black scorch marks and deep fractures. Several of the enormous pillars supporting the chamber had been shattered, their broken remains scattered across the floor. Sections of the ceiling had collapsed entirely, leaving jagged openings above them through which dust, loose stones, and fragments of ancient masonry continued to fall.
The floor had suffered even worse damage.
Countless craters covered the stone tiles, some still glowing faintly from the heat of the attacks that had struck them. Long cracks stretched from one side of the chamber to the other, while burning fragments of stone and armor were scattered throughout the battlefield.
Smoke drifted through the air.
The temperature was almost unbearable.
Every breath carried the smell of burning stone and scorched metal, while the intense heat made the air shimmer around everything within the chamber.
At the center of that devastation stood the cause of it all.
Apollonius, The First Ray.
The twenty-one-foot-tall flame warrior stood motionless among the destruction.
Her enormous body radiated an increasingly intense golden-orange light. The armor covering her body burned brighter than it had moments ago, each plate appearing to contain a furnace of concentrated flame.
The enormous bow in her hands glowed with compressed heat.
Even when she remained completely still, the flames surrounding her continued to move.
They crawled across her armor.
They twisted around her limbs.
They rose from her shoulders like enormous wings made entirely of fire.
And there was something deeply unsettling about them.
It almost seemed as though the flames themselves had developed a will of their own.
Across the ruined chamber, Ryota stared at her.
His breathing was rough.
His clothes were torn and scorched, and several injuries covered his body.
More importantly, his health bar remained dangerously low.
2%.
That number hovered above him like a death sentence.
One mistake.
One attack.
One moment of hesitation.
That was all it would take.
Beside him, Fayzan held a sword.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the weapon he had entered the dungeon with.
His original sword had been destroyed during the battle, leaving him with nothing but its broken grip. After realizing he could no longer fight effectively without a weapon, Fayzan had searched through his inventory and pulled out the only usable replacement he had.
A common sword.
There were no enchantments carved into its blade.
No special abilities.
No rare effects.
It was an ordinary weapon that could probably be purchased from any basic equipment shop.
Under normal circumstances, Fayzan would have considered it practically worthless.
Right now, however, he was grateful to have something he could hold.
He tightened his grip around the weapon.
The common sword trembled slightly in his hand.
Not because he was afraid.
Because his arms were exhausted.
Behind them, Ramos remained crouched among the broken stones.
His breathing was nervous and uneven.
He had been watching the battle from the beginning.
At first, he had believed Ryota and Fayzan would eventually defeat the boss.
After all, the two of them had already demonstrated abilities far beyond what he expected from ordinary players.
Ryota had survived attacks that should have killed him.
Fayzan had fought against Apollonius even after losing his weapon.
Together, they had managed to damage the boss.
But now Ramos finally understood the problem.
They weren't losing because they were weak.
They were losing because their opponent refused to remain within the limits of what they could handle.
Every time they thought they had discovered a way to hurt Apollonius, the boss simply became stronger.
And now, she was stronger than ever.
Apollonius slowly lifted her massive bow.
Ryota's expression immediately hardened.
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"She's attacking again."
Fayzan raised his common sword.
His eyes remained fixed on the boss.
"How many arrows?"
Ryota watched the flames gathering around Apollonius's bow.
At first, one flaming projectile appeared.
Then another.
Then several more.
The number continued increasing.
Ryota's expression became grim.
"...Too many."
The bowstring was pulled back.
The sound of compressed flames filled the chamber.
One arrow became three.
Three became five.
Five became ten.
Then dozens of flaming arrows appeared around Apollonius, all suspended in the air for a brief moment as if waiting for a command.
Their combined radiance illuminated the ruined chamber.
The orange light reflected across Ryota's face.
Ramos stared at the enormous number of projectiles.
His face slowly lost its color.
"That's..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Everyone understood what was about to happen.
Apollonius released the bowstring.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The arrows erupted forward.
It wasn't a volley.
It was a storm.
Dozens of flaming projectiles tore across the chamber simultaneously, their blazing trails crossing over one another as they raced toward Ryota and Fayzan.
The speed was terrifying.
The arrows moved so quickly that they barely looked like projectiles anymore.
They resembled streaks of sunlight tearing through the darkness.
Ryota raised his sword.
His mind began calculating possible escape routes.
There were too many.
Even if he managed to dodge the first few, the remaining arrows would cover every direction he could possibly move.
He prepared to activate Scalular Impact.
But before he could move—
a small blue figure suddenly flew in front of him.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"Indra!"
The tiny dragon spread its wings.
Blue light immediately erupted from its body.
A translucent barrier formed in front of Ryota, Fayzan, and Ramos.
The barrier expanded rapidly until it covered all three of them.
The first flaming arrow struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire barrier shook.
A ripple spread across its surface.
Indra's small body trembled.
Then another arrow slammed into the shield.
BOOM!
A second ripple spread across the blue barrier.
Then a third.
BOOM!
Then dozens.
The attacks began striking simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The chamber shook beneath the relentless bombardment.
Every impact pushed the barrier backward by several inches.
Indra's wings trembled violently as it struggled to maintain the shield.
Ryota stared at the tiny dragon.
"Hold on!"
Indra responded with a low, determined roar.
Its wings spread even farther.
Blue energy surged from its body and flowed across the barrier.
The shield brightened.
The cracks that had begun appearing across its surface briefly disappeared.
Fayzan immediately realized what Ryota was thinking.
He looked toward him.
"Now!"
Ryota nodded.
"Right!"
He raised his sword.
White light immediately gathered around the blade.
The energy became brighter and brighter until the sword appeared almost completely white.
Ryota took a deep breath.
Then he swung.
[Sword Skill: Radiance Cascade]
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
A brilliant burst of light erupted around him.
Dozens of white spheres materialized throughout the chamber.
For a brief instant, they hovered in the air.
Then they launched toward Apollonius.
FWOOOSH!
One.
Then five.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
The radiant projectiles formed a continuous barrage as they crossed the battlefield.
Ryota continued channeling the skill, forcing more spheres into existence.
They struck Apollonius one after another.
BOOM!
A sphere exploded against her chest.
BOOM!
Another struck her shoulder.
BOOM!
A third slammed into her bow.
The chamber filled with white explosions.
Smoke and light swallowed Apollonius's enormous body.
For several seconds, the First Ray disappeared completely beneath the barrage.
Ryota's expression remained focused.
He continued pouring energy into the attack.
His health was dangerously low.
His body was exhausted.
His mana was being consumed.
Yet he refused to stop.
The final radiant sphere appeared above his sword.
Ryota swung.
The projectile shot forward.
BOOOOOOM!
It struck Apollonius directly in the chest.
The resulting explosion shook the entire chamber.
Then silence followed.
Ryota slowly lowered his sword.
His breathing was heavy.
Smoke drifted through the battlefield.
For a moment, neither he nor Fayzan could see the boss.
Ryota stared into the smoke.
"...Did we get her?"
Fayzan didn't answer immediately.
He narrowed his eyes.
The smoke began to clear.
A massive silhouette emerged.
Apollonius was still standing.
Completely motionless.
Her armor remained intact.
The flames surrounding her body continued burning.
There wasn't even a visible wound.
Ryota's expression froze.
"...What?"
Fayzan's eyes widened.
"She didn't even flinch."
Apollonius slowly raised her head.
Her burning eyes became visible through the smoke.
Then the flames surrounding her body intensified.
Golden-orange light spread across the chamber.
The floor beneath her feet began glowing red.
Heat seeped into the ancient stone.
The surface cracked.
Then slowly began to melt.
Ryota's expression became grim.
He recognized the pattern.
"...She's powering up again."
Fayzan's grip tightened around his sword.
"Every time."
Apollonius raised her bow.
The flames around her body began moving toward a single point.
They gathered around the bowstring.
The temperature rose sharply.
Then an arrow began to form.
It was enormous.
Far larger than the projectiles she had fired earlier.
Flames compressed around its shaft, becoming increasingly dense as more and more energy was forced into the projectile.
The arrow's surface burned with golden-orange light.
The air surrounding it distorted from the heat.
Ryota felt sweat form across his forehead.
He was standing several dozen meters away.
Even so, the arrow felt like standing beside the surface of the sun.
Ramos stared at it in terror.
"That can't be good."
Ryota didn't take his eyes off the projectile.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"It isn't."
Apollonius pulled the bowstring farther.
The muscles of her enormous arms tightened.
The flames surrounding her armor surged.
Then—
the ground beneath her feet exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A shockwave spread through the chamber.
The stone surrounding Apollonius shattered.
Chunks of the dungeon floor were launched into the air.
Several nearby walls cracked.
The remaining ceiling trembled.
Fayzan raised his arm to protect his face from the debris.
"She's not even firing yet!"
Ryota stared at the boss.
He had never seen an attack like this.
The projectile wasn't simply powerful.
Apollonius was compressing an enormous amount of energy into a single shot.
Then she released the string.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The arrow launched.
The battlefield seemed to disappear beneath its speed.
The projectile tore through the dungeon.
Anything caught in its path was obliterated.
A stone pillar was struck.
It exploded instantly.
A section of wall was grazed.
The entire section collapsed.
The floor beneath the projectile was ripped apart as the force of its passage shattered the ancient stone.
And that was only one arrow.
The attack continued.
Multiple flaming projectiles followed behind it, transforming the chamber into a sea of fire.
Indra immediately reacted.
The tiny blue dragon spread its wings as wide as possible.
"ROOOOOAR!"
Blue energy exploded from its body.
The barrier expanded.
Ryota, Fayzan, and Ramos were completely enclosed within the protective shield.
Then the first arrow struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The barrier shook violently.
Ryota's feet slid backward.
Indra's entire body jerked from the impact.
Another arrow struck.
BOOOOOOM!
The shield rippled.
Another followed.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Indra cried out.
Its tiny body trembled.
Blue energy continued flowing through the barrier, but the bombardment showed no sign of stopping.
Arrow after arrow struck the shield.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
The barrier began developing cracks.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"Indra!"
The dragon pushed harder.
Its wings spread farther.
Its entire body began glowing blue.
The barrier brightened.
But the arrows kept coming.
More.
And more.
The cracks continued spreading.
Then—
CRACK.
Ryota's expression changed.
A single fracture had appeared across the barrier.
"No..."
The crack lengthened.
A second fracture formed.
Then a third.
CRAAAAACK!
The barrier was beginning to collapse.
Indra let out another roar and poured everything it had into the shield.
But the attack was simply too powerful.
The barrier shattered.
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
Fragments of blue light scattered through the chamber like pieces of broken glass.
The remaining arrows passed through the opening.
One struck Indra directly.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The tiny dragon was launched backward.
"INDRA!"
Ryota reacted instantly.
He pushed himself forward.
Despite having only two percent health remaining, he forced his body into motion.
Indra's small body spun helplessly through the smoke.
Ryota reached out.
His fingers caught the dragon.
He pulled Indra against his chest.
Then he twisted his body.
He positioned himself between Indra and the wall.
The next impact came immediately.
CRAAAAASH!
Ryota slammed into the stone wall.
A spiderweb of cracks spread outward from the point of impact.
His body absorbed the majority of the force.
He groaned as his back struck the stone.
"Ugh..."
His legs buckled.
He slowly slid down the wall while keeping Indra protected against his chest.
Ramos immediately ran toward him.
"RYOTA!"
He dropped beside him.
"Are you okay?!"
Ryota slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurred.
His entire body felt as though it had been struck by a hammer.
"...Yeah."
He looked down.
Indra remained in his arms.
The tiny dragon was trembling.
Its blue scales had lost much of their usual brightness.
Ryota's expression softened.
"Indra..."
The dragon attempted to move.
One of its wings twitched.
Then stopped.
A system notification appeared in front of Ryota.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Guardian Status]
Indra has sustained excessive damage.
Guardian is entering Rest State.
Summoning functions temporarily unavailable.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Ryota stared at the notification.
His heart sank.
"...You're resting?"
Indra's body began dissolving into blue particles.
Ryota immediately tightened his arms around the dragon.
"Wait."
But there was nothing he could do.
Indra's body continued breaking apart into glowing particles until the tiny dragon disappeared completely.
Only a faint blue glow remained around Ryota's hands.
Then that too faded.
Ryota lowered his arms slowly.
He stared at the empty space where Indra had been.
For several seconds, he couldn't say anything.
Then his fingers curled into a fist.
He looked toward Apollonius.
The boss was already preparing another attack.
There was no pause.
No hesitation.
No opportunity to recover.
Fayzan was still fighting.
His common sword was raised in both hands as flaming arrows continued raining toward him.
CLANG!
He deflected one.
The impact forced him backward.
Another arrow came from the side.
Fayzan twisted his body.
The projectile grazed his shoulder and burned through part of his clothing.
Another followed immediately.
He raised his sword.
CLANG!
The impact nearly tore the weapon from his hands.
Fayzan gritted his teeth.
His arms were trembling.
His breathing had become increasingly heavy.
The common sword was beginning to crack.
A thin fracture appeared along the blade.
Fayzan looked at it.
Not this again.
He barely had time to react before another arrow came toward him.
He swung.
CLANG!
The projectile was deflected.
But the impact pushed him several steps backward.
Fayzan's boots scraped against the stone.
"She's not slowing down!"
He raised the sword again.
Another arrow.
He blocked.
Another.
He twisted aside.
Another.
He barely dodged.
His movements were becoming slower.
His breathing was becoming harsher.
His arms felt as though they were filled with lead.
He looked toward Ryota.
"RYOTA!"
Ryota heard him.
But he didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on Apollonius.
Part of him still wanted to continue.
He wanted to fight.
He wanted to defeat the boss.
They had come this far.
They had discovered the hidden dungeon.
They had fought through its monsters.
They had uncovered its secrets.
They had reached the boss.
They had already managed to damage Apollonius.
Giving up now felt wrong.
It felt like admitting defeat.
But then Ramos spoke.
His voice was quiet.
Almost hesitant.
"I think..."
Ryota finally looked toward him.
Ramos swallowed.
His hands were trembling.
"I think we should retreat."
Ryota froze.
Ramos looked toward Fayzan.
Then toward Apollonius.
Then toward the destroyed chamber surrounding them.
"We can't beat her."
His voice trembled.
"Not like this."
Ryota didn't answer.
He looked away.
He didn't want to admit it.
But Ramos was right.
They couldn't win.
Not anymore.
Apollonius had grown stronger every time they damaged her.
Indra had been forced into a Rest State.
Fayzan was exhausted and barely managing to defend himself with an ordinary sword.
Ryota had only two percent of his health remaining.
Their strongest attacks had barely accomplished anything.
And if they stayed—
someone would die.
Ryota lowered his sword.
The moment he did, a memory surfaced.
Rio.
He remembered her standing before them before they had entered the dungeon.
He remembered the calm certainty in her expression.
The way she had looked directly at him.
The way she had spoken without raising her voice.
"Be careful."
He remembered her following words.
"If you get into trouble, don't try to be a hero."
And finally—
"Your life matters more than a dungeon."
Ryota closed his eyes.
He remembered the trust behind those words.
Rio hadn't sent him here to prove himself.
She hadn't asked him to defeat the boss at all costs.
She had sent him to explore.
To gather information.
To discover what was inside the hidden dungeon.
And most importantly—
to come back alive.
Ryota slowly opened his eyes.
"...She's right."
Ramos blinked.
"What?"
Ryota pushed himself upright.
"We're leaving."
Fayzan glanced toward him.
For a moment, surprise crossed his face.
Then the tension in his shoulders eased.
He nodded.
"Yeah."
Ryota looked toward the ruined ceiling.
His sword began glowing.
Fayzan noticed immediately.
"What are you doing?"
"Making an exit."
Ryota raised his sword.
He didn't aim toward Apollonius.
Instead, he aimed directly at the ceiling.
[Sword Skill: Radiance Cascade]
White light erupted from his blade.
A barrage of radiant energy spheres formed around him.
Then they shot upward.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ceiling cracked.
Another blast followed.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ancient stone began breaking apart.
Fayzan immediately understood what Ryota was doing.
"Move!"
He grabbed Ramos by the arm.
The ceiling began collapsing.
Massive pieces of stone broke loose and fell into the chamber.
Dust exploded outward.
Ryota grabbed Ramos's other arm.
"RUN!"
The three of them sprinted toward the dungeon's exit.
Behind them, Apollonius raised her bow.
Even as the chamber collapsed around her, the First Ray continued fighting.
She released another barrage.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Flaming arrows tore through the collapsing room.
One struck the floor behind them.
BOOM!
Another shattered a pillar.
CRASH!
A third passed over Ryota's head so closely that he felt the heat against his hair.
Fayzan immediately pulled Ramos downward.
"Keep moving!"
They reached the corridor.
Ryota glanced behind them.
Apollonius was still coming.
Her enormous figure emerged through the smoke and falling debris.
Her burning eyes remained fixed upon them.
Her bow was already drawn again.
Ryota's expression hardened.
"Fayzan!"
"Got it!"
They both turned toward the entrance.
Ryota raised his sword.
Fayzan placed both hands around his common blade.
They struck the damaged entrance simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ancient stone doorway collapsed.
Huge chunks of rock crashed down between them and Apollonius.
The boss's flaming arrows immediately struck the newly formed barrier of rubble.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
The entire corridor shook.
But the passage remained sealed.
Ryota took several steps backward.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His health bar still displayed 2%.
Fayzan leaned against the wall.
His common sword was almost completely destroyed.
A massive crack ran along its blade.
Ramos finally collapsed onto the floor.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The only sound was their exhausted breathing.
Then, from beyond the collapsed entrance, a distant roar echoed through the dungeon.
The sound reverberated through the corridor.
Apollonius was still alive.
Still waiting.
Still burning.
Ryota stared at the rubble separating them from the boss.
He felt no satisfaction.
There was no feeling of victory.
Only frustration.
They had lost.
Yet beneath that frustration was another emotion.
Relief.
They were alive.
Ramos slowly looked toward Ryota.
"...We made it."
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
Fayzan slowly lowered himself against the wall.
He looked down at the broken common sword in his hands.
"Next time..."
His gaze shifted toward the sealed dungeon.
"...we come back stronger."
Ryota looked at him.
A faint smile appeared.
"Definitely."
His expression then became more serious as he remembered Indra.
He looked down at his hands.
The tiny dragon was no longer there.
For a moment, worry crossed his face.
Then he looked toward the distant exit.
They had learned something important inside that dungeon.
Apollonius wasn't simply a powerful boss.
She was a boss whose strength could change throughout the battle.
Every time they damaged her, she became stronger.
Every successful attack could potentially make the next phase of the battle even more dangerous.
That meant returning without a plan would accomplish nothing.
If they wanted to defeat the First Ray, they would need to become stronger.
They would need better equipment.
Better skills.
More information.
And most importantly—
a strategy.
Ryota slowly turned toward the exit.
"Let's go home."
Fayzan nodded.
Ramos pushed himself upright.
The three survivors began walking through the dark dungeon corridor.
Their footsteps echoed quietly against the ancient stone.
Behind them, the hidden chamber remained sealed beneath tons of rubble.
And somewhere beyond that collapsed entrance, the twenty-one-foot-tall flame warrior continued to stand among the ruins.
Apollonius, The First Ray.
Undefeated.
For now.
Ryota glanced back one final time.
His eyes narrowed.
They had failed to defeat her.
But the battle had given them something more valuable than victory.
It had shown them exactly what they were up against.
And now they knew what they needed to overcome.
Ryota turned forward and continued walking.
The first retreat had begun.
But it would not be the last time they faced the First Ray.