Out of the Dungeon

Zal's mind raced, strategizing how to defeat the monster, a behemoth of speed and strength. It wasn't just the creature's physical prowess—the Zephyrbane could fire deadly sonic blasts, winds so sharp they could shred a human. As it lunged at them, Zal and Tia dodged in opposite directions, Zal ensuring the beast's attention stayed on him.

Feeling confident after handling the plasma blaster, Zal decided to fire it himself. To his surprise, the shot worked perfectly. A grin spread across his face as the monster's scaly hide burned from the blast. Though injured, the Zephyrbane was far from defeated, but it was now focused entirely on Zal.

The battle escalated. Plasma bursts from Zal's blaster clashed with the creature's sonic attacks, each impact shaking the cavern walls. Watching from a distance, Tia felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. It was as if she were witnessing a duel between titans. Desperately, she told herself she needed to help Zal.

In the middle of the frenzied clash, Ellen's voice chimed in through Zal's mind.

"You can increase your strength and speed by entering Overdrive Mode," she advised. "But there's a risk. Without a proper limiter, it could destroy you."

Zal blinked in surprise. "Overdrive Mode? That's a thing—no, can I even do that? You know I deviate differently from other automatons, right?"

"Yes. I scanned your body again and found that the mode is also available within you, even though you are different. However, you do not have a limiter yet. For that matter, I just set up one."

"Oh, man, you can do a lot of things, huh, Ellen?"

"Angel-class automaton are built to do things as such," Ellen replied, matter-of-factly. "I've programmed a temporary limiter into your core. It will prevent you from reaching critical levels. At your behest, I can tap into your systems and assist—"

With no time to waste, Zal granted Ellen full control over his body. "Do it," he commanded. "I'll give you full control. Let's bring this thing down!"

Ellen acknowledged, her tone focused. "Engaging Overdrive. I'll activate my combat mode and eliminate the target."

Zal felt heat surge through his body as his transformation began. His shoulders and legs glowed with an intense light, and the core indicator on his chest flared brightly beneath his robe. Raw power flowed through him, and Tia, from a distance, watched in awe. But before she could get caught up in amazement, she snapped back to the situation at hand—the monster wasn't giving Zal the time to complete the transformation.

As the Zephyrbane dove toward him, Tia acted. With her last ounce of Mana, she formed a dirt-encased fireball, hurling it with precision at the monster's eye. The blast struck true, blinding the creature in one eye and buying Zal the time he needed.

Fully transformed, Zal—guided by Ellen—moved like a force of nature. He dashed toward the creature, his speed and strength tripled. With an unstoppable charge, he slammed the Zephyrbane through the rocky walls of the cavern. The monster retaliated, sinking its fangs into Zal's shoulder, but Zal felt nothing. With a powerful uppercut, he sent the serpent crashing into the ceiling.

The cave shook from the impact, mini quakes rippling through the area. The Zephyrbane, battered and weakened, stood momentarily, whining before turning to retreat, flying away into the dark recesses from where it came. Ellen chose not to pursue. The immediate threat was gone, and there was no need to risk further damage.

As the glow around Zal subsided, Ellen returned control to him. For the first time, Zal felt exhaustion wash over him.

"My apologies, Zal" Ellen said. "There's an unexpected fluctuation which exceeded the limiter by 26.3%. I might've tapped too much power from your core."

Zal shrugged it off. "Nah, it's okay. No harm done. You did great."

He made his way back to Tia, his steps heavy with fatigue. Not long after, the red-haired rover emerged, the spear in her hands.

"Are you okay, Mr. Zal?" she asked, her eyes scanning him for injury.

"Heh, got out without a scratch," Zal cracked a smile. "That was the wildest dance in my life. Though, when did you get your spear back? I thought I failed to fetch the spear back."

Tia let out a breath, relieved to see him standing. "The spear fell when you slammed the monster into the wall. But even if I'd lost it, I can get another. You're the one I was worried about."

Zal glanced down at his robes, noticing several burnt patches. "Eh, I'll craft new ones," he said, brushing it off.

Seeing him in good spirits, Tia's knees finally buckled, and she sank to the ground with a long sigh. Zal walked over and patted her head gently, as if she were his granddaughter.

"That fireball was impressive," Zal complimented her. "You gave us just the opening we needed."

Tia chuckled weakly. "I almost pissed myself from fear. I'm surprised I could do that in the first place."

"And you did really well, Tia. I'm proud of you."

"Ahahaha… Thanks."

Helping her to her feet, the two continued their way upward, their bodies aching but their spirits lighter. Soon, Tia's eyes brightened with recognition. They had reached the open cliffs where she had fallen to the lower stratum.

Excited, she smiled. "We're close to the exit!"

As they continued their walk through the winding tunnels, Zal couldn't shake the memory of the axe-wielding orc that had knocked Tia into the lower stratum. He glanced at her, then focused inwardly. "Ellen," he thought, "any sign of that orc monster?"

"I've conducted preliminary scans," Ellen responded, her voice resonating in his mind. "No threats above E-rank within a five-hundred meter radius."

Zal breathed a small sigh of relief but couldn't help but chuckle. "So... Talking about threat levels, what rank was the Zephyrbane?"

There was a momentary pause before Ellen's voice returned. "S-rank. In the Rovers' bestiary, it's classified as a disaster-class monster."

Zal stopped in his tracks, his expression frozen in disbelief. "S-rank?!" His mind reeled. He had just fought an S-rank monster and survived. "What's the highest threat level?" he asked, still processing what he had just gone through.

"Currently, the highest threat level is SSS," Ellen replied. "Though it's possible the demon ruling the lower stratum exceeds even that classification."

Zal felt a cold sweat trickle down the back of his neck at the mention of the demon. "I'm glad we're out of the lower stratum then," he muttered under his breath. "Still, I can't believe that the Zephyrbane was an S-rank monster."

"It was the reason why I constantly warned you to take cover with Tia. …You seemed to have other plans, however."

"Good thing we made it out alive, haha."

Shifting his attention back to the present, Zal glanced at Tia, who was walking beside him. "Say, Tia, what kind of monster rules the upper stratum?" he asked, trying to anticipate what might be waiting for them next.

Tia didn't hesitate. "Oh, that's gotta be the Ironhide Ant," she said.

Zal raised an eyebrow. "Ants?"

Tia nodded. "Yeah. They're the size of deer, only weak to magic, and each one is ranked B. But they travel in swarms. If they coordinate an attack, they can act as an S-rank threat."

Zal winced at the thought. "Well, ants are resourceful creatures. I wouldn't be surprised if they traveled in swarms." He imagined the sheer numbers and coordination such a swarm could muster. The idea of fighting them seemed daunting, even with his newly acquired powers.

After walking for what felt like another hour, Zal couldn't help but wonder aloud, "How is it that we haven't encountered any monsters yet?"

Tia, lost in her own thoughts, nodded. "I was thinking the same thing… It's not like I'm complaining, though. I'm tired from all that fighting."

Ellen chimed in, her tone analytical. "It's likely that your battle with the Zephyrbane caused other monsters to flee the area. Its presence was a dominating force in the ecosystem."

Tia let out a small laugh, though her voice was shaky. "I just hope that orc is gone too... That thing wasn't like the others. It felt wrong, like it didn't belong here." Her eyes flickered with unease. "Maybe the Rovers already killed it."

Zal considered her words. "Either that, or it took down any Rovers that tried to fight it." He paused. "Hopefully it's dead."

After a few more minutes of silence, Tia's eyes lit up as she spotted something up ahead. "There!" She pointed. "That path leads upwards—toward the dungeon's entrance."

Without another word, the two quickened their pace, following the passage as it gradually sloped upwards. Their steps echoed in the tunnel, anticipation building with every meter they climbed. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a bright light appeared in the distance. Tia broke into a smile, her excitement growing as they neared the exit.

"We're almost there!" she cried.

As they stepped into the blinding sunlight, the two emerged at the top of a hill, overlooking a vast, lush landscape. Tia stretched her arms wide, breathing in the fresh air, a look of triumph on her face. "Finally! The surface!" She twirled with glee, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Zal, however, was frozen in place, staring out at the world before him. The green hills and dense forests stretched out for miles, but what caught his attention wasn't the natural beauty of the landscape—it was the impossible sight in the sky.

Above them, rock formations floated, defying gravity. Massive chunks of land hung in the air, suspended like islands in the sky. Atop one of the floating rocks stood a towering structure, its spires stretching toward the blue skies. Water cascaded from the rock, creating waterfalls that seemed to vanish into the clouds below.

Zal's eyes widened, his mind racing. This wasn't just a different place—it was a completely different world.

"Ellen…" he whispered, still in disbelief. "What is this place?"

Ellen remained silent for a moment before responding softly. "It seems, Zal, that you've found yourself in a realm unlike anything you've known."

Zal shook his head slowly, still in awe of the floating islands. "Yeah, no kidding." His thoughts spun as he tried to make sense of it all. "So… where do we even go from here?"

Tia, oblivious to Zal's shock, stretched one more time and looked back at him with a wide grin. "We keep moving forward, of course!" She pointed towards the forest below. "The town isn't far from here."

Zal blinked, his thoughts finally snapping back into focus. He took one last glance at the surreal sky before turning to Tia. "Yeah," he muttered, a small grin forming on his face. "Let's get going, then."

And with that, the two made their way down the hill, leaving the dungeon behind.