CHAPTER 38: DUNGEON EXPEDITION 2.0 [1]

The day Oliver was teleported to the bottommost floor of the dungeon, the others were not at ease.

Daniel and the rest of the heroes once again gathered before the gaping maw of the [Erevalis Dungeon]. Only the elites had come this time, escorted by a small company of mercenaries. These mercenaries weren’t there to clear monsters or carry the team—they were strictly bodyguards, tasked with stepping in only if the heroes faced certain death. The church had made that much clear: no unnecessary protection.

The reason was obvious.

Though unspoken, Oliver’s death weighed on them. It wasn’t merely the loss of a comrade—it was the cold reminder that they weren’t untouchable. They were supposed to be chosen by the Goddess, blessed with skills and classes beyond imagination. But Oliver’s end proved one thing: even "Heroes" could die. That shadow clung to them, making blades hesitate and spells falter. A single mistake, and they could meet the same fate.

The Palace officials, however, didn’t care. To them, hesitation was weakness, and weakness was intolerable. Their logic was cruel but simple: Throw them into battle again and again until they stop trembling. The best way to erase fear was to bury it beneath repetition.

But not everyone agreed.

Standing in their way was one person—Evelyn Greeves.

Evelyn hadn’t joined the expedition that day. It wasn’t her role to fight—her awakened class was [Tutor], an A-rank, a rare support class focused entirely on teaching and nurturing growth. Her abilities strengthened the learning speed, comprehension, and adaptability of those she guided. She wasn’t a warrior, but she was their teacher, and she took that role more seriously than anyone.

And now, one of her students was gone.

When the news of Oliver’s death reached her, Evelyn collapsed. Bedridden for days, she wrestled with guilt—while she had been in the safety of the city walls, her student had been abandoned to die in the dark. Worse, there was no going home anymore. They couldn’t bring these children back to Earth. That weight crushed her, leaving only one conclusion: she would not allow another senseless loss.

It was more than grief—it was failure. A failure as a teacher, as the one who was supposed to guide and protect her students in this unfamiliar world. That’s why she swore she would never again permit those unready to be thrown into battle.

Her class made her protest impossible to dismiss. [Tutor], though not a combat-oriented class, was exceedingly rare—an A-rank support specialization that amplified the growth of anyone under her instruction. Students training with Evelyn absorbed knowledge faster, mastered their skills with fewer mistakes, and adapted to combat dozens of times more efficiently than normal. In the long term, she had the potential to raise an army of elites, stronger than anything the church or palace had fielded before.

That alone made her indispensable.

And Evelyn wielded that fact like a weapon. She protested with unwavering determination, her words laced with the authority of a teacher who had just lost a child under her care. Even the church officials, notorious for their rigidity, faltered before her conviction. They had no desire to damage relations with someone who could produce future generations of warriors—and they knew if they forced her hand, she might turn that gift against them.

In the end, they conceded. The weaker ones were pulled back under her wing, shielded for now.

But the others—the ones stubborn enough to push forward—continued. Daniel, Jason, Selene’s favorites, and a few others stood at the gates of Erevalis again, weapons in hand.

~~~~

Daniel along with his classmates, mercenaries and some knights led by Samuel stood at the entrance of the dungeon.

This time, instead of starting from the 1st floor, the expedition party walked toward another section of the [Erevalis Dungeon]. Unlike the massive entrance where merchants, adventurers, and mercenary bands usually gathered, this path was quieter, guarded only by a handful of knights from the Church.

Here stood one of the dungeon’s greatest conveniences—the teleportation facility.

Every five floors, the dungeon generated a unique magic circle, a checkpoint of sorts. Once a floor was fully conquered, explorers could use the circle to travel directly there, skipping the tedious climb through the lower levels. It was like an invisible hand rewarding progress, while also urging challengers to push deeper.

But the rule was absolute: the circle only activated if a floor was properly cleared.

And because the 20th floor had repelled them before, they could not use its gate. That was why today, Daniel and the others would begin again from the 15th floor, the highest checkpoint available to them.

"Fifteenth floor, huh..." Jason muttered as they stood before the glowing circle. "Can’t say I’m happy about having to redo all this."

"Be glad we don’t have to slog through fourteen floors first," Brandon replied, rolling his shoulders. His hammer rested casually against his back, but his tone was tense.

Daniel was the first to step forward. He raised his hand, and the circle flared to life. "We’re not running this time."

One by one, the others followed.

The teleportation light swallowed them, and in the blink of an eye they stood within the 15th floor.

A vast cavern spread out before them, lit by faintly glowing crystals embedded in the walls. The air was thick with dampness, and the faint echo of claws scratching against stone reached their ears.

"Form up," Lisa said immediately, her staff glowing as she layered protective wards over the frontliners.

From the darkness ahead, low growls erupted. Armored hounds with molten cracks running along their stone hides surged forward.

Jason cracked a grin, lifting his twin blades. "Looks like the welcoming party’s here."

He darted forward, wind gathering along his swords.

[Wind Slash!]

A crescent blade of air cut into the lead hound, sending it skidding across the ground.

"[Blazing Shot!]" Sophie loosed an arrow that exploded in fire, scattering the beasts.

"Don’t overextend!" Daniel shouted as he dashed in, sword flashing with holy light. He cut down another hound, his strikes precise and calm.

Brandon barreled through the center line like a moving fortress, his hammer smashing down with bone-cracking force. Amy’s healing light wrapped around him, keeping his movements smooth despite the shallow cuts he received.

Lisa’s wards held strong against claw strikes that slipped past, shimmering like glass before shattering, then reforming again. Alice froze two hounds in place with ice chains, allowing Ray’s lightning to arc through them both in a burst of sizzling sparks.

The monsters fell one after another. No wasted movements. No panicked screams. Just a steady rhythm of trained coordination.

Minutes later, silence returned to the cavern.

"Better than last time," Samuel said gruffly, scanning the battlefield. "But don’t get complacent. Even though you had cleared these floors before but you can never be complacent when it comes to monsters."

"Yeah-yeah, we know. But we are not same either."

On the 16th floor, the terrain shifted. The cavern widened into a network of underground marshes. Foul water covered the ground, bubbles breaking the surface with a stink of rot.

"Eyes sharp," Samuel warned. "They like ambushes here."

His words were proven true when the water rippled and Swamp Serpents surged upward, their scaled bodies glistening with slime, jaws snapping with rows of jagged teeth.

Alice reacted instantly, chains of frost lashing out to bind the nearest serpent. Jason slashed it apart before it could break free.

Brandon waded forward, hammer spinning in arcs, smashing serpents that tried to coil around him. Lightning from Ray sizzled across the water, stunning multiple enemies at once. Sophie’s arrows struck the stunned serpents clean through their eyes.

The marsh slowed them down, but their teamwork carried them through. Daniel cleaved a serpent’s head in two, his calm precision contrasting Jason’s reckless aggression.

When the last serpent sank beneath the murky water, Jason exhaled heavily. "Damn things don’t stop wriggling."

"Quit whining," Lisa said, smirking as her wards reformed. "You weren’t poisoned, were you?"

Jason scoffed but didn’t reply.

The 17th floor was narrow tunnels of jagged stone, forcing them into tight formations. Here, they faced Rock Crawlers, grotesque insectoid monsters with armored shells and mandibles sharp enough to crack steel.

The cramped space restricted movement, but their training paid off. Brandon led the front, hammer blocking and shattering mandibles. Daniel struck openings with quick, lethal precision. Jason darted along the edges, his blades whistling as he carved through softer underbellies.

"[Flame Burst!]" Sophie called, her arrows exploding and scattering crawling swarms.

Alice reinforced the narrow passage with walls of ice, funneling the Crawlers into choke points where they were crushed. Ray’s lightning lit the tunnels in blinding flashes, frying anything that dared to climb the walls.

The battle was longer, but systematic. Every monster that charged into the narrow path was met with overwhelming force.

When the last crawler collapsed, Jason leaned against the wall. "This is almost too easy now."

Samuel shot him a glare. "Say that again when your neck’s in a crawler’s jaws. Confidence is good. Arrogance will kill you."

Jason shut up.

The 18th floor opened into a wide chamber, eerily silent. The ground shimmered with a faint red glow, heat radiating from below. Then, the ground cracked, and Lava Wraiths emerged—fiery spirits clad in molten armor, wielding swords of flame.

"Don’t let them surround you!" Daniel barked.

The fight was chaotic. The Wraiths were faster and stronger than the monsters before, their flaming blades cutting through wards like paper.

Lisa gritted her teeth as she layered one barrier after another, shouting, "I can’t hold forever!"

Alice countered by conjuring a dome of frost, slowing the wraiths long enough for Brandon to smash them apart. Ray unleashed arcs of lightning, clashing against their fiery cores. Sophie’s enchanted arrows struck through cracks in their molten armor, making them howl before disintegrating into embers.

Daniel took charge, rallying everyone together. He fought at the front with unshakable calm, blade flashing as he cut through two wraiths in a single sweep.

When the last flame died, everyone was drenched in sweat. The cavern reeked of smoke, their breathing ragged.

"That..." Jason panted, "was not easy."

"And it won’t get easier," Samuel said, voice firm. "Steel yourselves."

The 19th floor was deceptive—silent forests of stone pillars stretching endlessly into the dark. At first, it seemed empty. Too empty.

Then, shadows detached from the pillars. Phantom Stalkers. Beasts made of darkness, their red eyes gleaming as they darted between stone like living nightmares.

The students froze for a heartbeat, remembering all too vividly the glowing red eyes of that night. Oliver’s screams. The betrayal. The retreat.

Their chests tightened. Their hands shook.

"Move!" Samuel barked, snapping them out of it.

Jason roared and lunged forward, slashing through a phantom, but it melted back into shadow. Alice tried to bind them with frost, but they slipped through the cracks.

Daniel clenched his teeth. "They’re illusions—hit their cores!" His sword glowed bright, cutting down a phantom and revealing the black crystal within. Brandon crushed another, the shards scattering across the floor.

Once they understood, the battle turned. Sophie’s arrows pierced glowing cores, Ray’s lightning forced shadows into solid form, Alice froze them in place, and Jason cut them apart.

But it wasn’t without toll—the memory of Oliver still lingered in every red gleam they struck down.

Finally, silence returned.

No one spoke. They all knew what awaited them on the 20th floor.