The moment Ethan, Lia, and Luna stepped through the portal, they were greeted by a wave of dry, scorching heat. The sudden shift from the damp swamp to an arid desert left them momentarily disoriented.
Luna coughed, waving a hand in front of her face as the hot wind carried fine grains of sand around them. "Ugh! Big brother, it's in my mouth!"
Ethan squinted against the sunlight and took in their surroundings. The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, filled with golden dunes and jagged sandstone cliffs. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, the heat shimmering over the sand like a mirage.
He immediately noticed the difference in atmosphere compared to the previous dungeons. The swamp had been thick with mist and predators lurking in the shadows. Here, it was open—yet strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Lia shaded her eyes with her hand, scanning the horizon. "Master… I don't see any monsters."