"Huh?... Did I fall asleep?"

I blinked my eyes open, finding myself still on the floor of the safe room. I got up, my back hurt. Sleeping on the floor was not the smartest idea. Not that I had any idea to begin with when I entered this room; I think I've just collapsed.

I checked my codex, my second spell had already recharged.

"Wow... how much have I been here? More than six hours passed for sure..."

My legs weren't hurting as much as before, but both my back and neck did, surely they didn't like the hard surface I had slept on.

"My stomach hurts... I'm hungry..."

I redirected myself to the pool in the middle of the room, bending down to drink more and more from it. I stood there for a good minute, just filling my stomach with water. I had to satisfy my hunger, somehow; hopefully, I could deceive it with this. The water was still fresh, at least.

"Since I'm at it... I might as well clean myself..."

The water wasn't deep, but it was sufficient for me to sit in it and wash away the mess I had become. Splashing myself with water, the pool soon turned murky from all the dirt and blood that had stained me within the dungeon. Once finished, my clothes remained stained with blood, but at least my skin felt somewhat cleaner.

"I can't tell how much time passed, but surely many hours."

Now, cleaner and hydrated, it was time to go on with the dungeon. I made my way to the next door; once open, a spiral staircase made of stone greeted me.

"More stairs, huh."

I let out a sigh, mentally preparing myself to ascend the stairs, before finally slowly going up. However, at some point, I stopped; my breath grew heavy.

"I'm way too tired for just some stairs..."

I was literally deflated already.

"Am I really feeling this weak?"

I swear I saw blurry for a second.

I deeply inhaled before going for a run to quickly reach the top of the staircase. Finally reaching it, a lever on my left, and what looked like a trapdoor above my head.

"It probably opens it..."

I stopped to catch my breath for a bit, getting ready for whatever could've been on the other side of it. Then, I activated the lever. Upon activation, the trapdoor slid open, and I could step into the next room.

As soon as I stepped through, the trapdoor slammed shut behind me. In front of me: a colossal monster waking up.

"Wait, a boss?!"

I instantly panicked before regaining my coolness. I quickly scanned the room; behind me stood a door with no handle, meaning it could only be opened from the other side, and in front of me, beside the colossal monster's foot, a big red door. That was unmistakably the boss room. So, this was the monster guarding the way to the boss.

The roar of the creature was so loud I had to cover my ears. I could barely see its head looking at the top; its pectorals were covering half of the view. But despite that, the monster, akin to a beast, inclined its head towards its feet, meeting my gaze. It had spotted me.

Every nerve in my body electrified; the monster bent with the intention of hitting me with a fist.

"Bianca!" I shouted in response to its attack.

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In an instant, my demon rushed past me, going full force against the guardian's fist.

"It blocked it?!"

I couldn't believe it; my demon was blocking the attack head-on despite the fact that just the fist was double its size.

"This demon is insanely strong!"

I calmed my amazement; I had only one minute to use my demon efficiently, and this was a dire situation.

"Demon, go and sever its arm!" I shouted at my demon as I rushed to the side of the guardian, activating my first spell.

My demon emitted a loud and piercing cry; it was even worse than the guardian's. It hurt my head, but I'll take that scream as a 'Yes, ma'am, I will try'.

I aimed my blade at the colossal guardian's heel, attempting to limit its movement. I had to use my brain, I couldn't just slice and call it a day; that wouldn't be effective against this thick-skinned monster...

Glancing up, an idea flashed into my mind.

"I have to blind it..."

Thanks to my first spell, my strength and agility were enhanced; I used the wall, quickly running over it, using every muscle of my legs to propel me over the guardian's arms as it kept fighting against my demon. With a swift slice from the side, one of its eyes was gone.

The guardian didn't like that, unleashing even a louder scream, aiming towards me as I was still in the air. As soon as my feet touched the wall, I pushed myself to the ground, dodging its fist. My demon was now gone; one minute had passed.

"Ah..."

I was panting heavily. I was all alone, against a colossal monster enraged with me.

"One mistake..."

The guardian raised its foot, intending to crush me beneath it. Once again, using all the strength of my legs, I dashed to the side, evading the attack. The impact was so forceful that the ground beneath it shattered.

"A single mistake... and I'm done for."

A wide smile graced my lips, unable to hide my excitement.

"Good... I couldn't ask for anything better! Come at me, you beast!"

A punch was now coming my way. I leaped over the wall, using it as a platform to land over its arm, swiftly reaching for its face, plunging my dagger into its other eye before darting away.

"I shall satiate my hunger with your own blood and flesh!" I screamed at it, laughing mockingly.

My laugh echoed through the entire room, exhilarated as the guardian kept screaming in pain and agony with each slice of my dagger.

It's like I'm seeing double vision; darting around the entire room, dodging every single desperate attack. My blood rushed through my veins, my skin felt hot as fire as it itched from the action. The guardian could no longer see me, it could just attack aimlessly, hoping to hit me as the fear of Death slowly embracing its body only hastened its futile attachment to life. How cute, I almost felt sorry for it.

Eventually, the injuries to the heels were so severe it collapsed onto its back on the ground. Seizing the opportunity, I vaulted over its neck, planting my dagger in it, wildly rushing from side to side, blood spurting like a fountain, painting the floor of a bright and lucid crimson. The fight was now over.

"Ew... I can't believe I actually drank it..."

I spat the blood on the floor, it tasted awful and revolting. I looked up at the top; this room had no sky, I just realized. Before I knew it, I was now face on the floor.

"... Huh?"

I attempted to push myself back up, but my arms failed me, sending me to the ground once more- All my strength was gone. I turned around, rolling on my back, now facing the ceiling.

"Whoa... everything is spinning..."

I closed my eyes, but even then, the world kept spinning.

"Oh... Did I... push myself too hard?"

I tried to turn over once again; I really didn't have a crumb of strength to push me up. My body refused to obey as I commanded it to. My chest ached, and my stomach was eating back at me, angry for the absence of food I provided it.

"Ah... this is bad..."

- - - - - - -

"I'm about to open the door; stand on guard, everyone," Mika advised, before forcefully swinging the door open.

As the door creaked open, a sight never encountered before unfolded before our eyes.

"What happened here?!" I gasped.

Everyone was confused just as much as I was, filling the air with murmurs, trying to make sense of the scene ahead: a giant monster lay on the floor, it was dissolving, a pool of blood surrounding it, along with debris.

"Argenta!" Elizabeth shouted, sprinting toward the fallen creature, leaving her staff behind, letting it fall to the ground.

"What?!" my sweetheart exclaimed, following behind her.

Now I noticed her, too. Argenta was lying on the floor, just like the monster beside her, in a pool of blood. The view shocked me so much I instinctively covered my mouth. Then, together with the rest of the members, I reached for her. Many were still commenting about the scene.

"She's alive?!" Michael exclaimed, incredulous. Nobody could blame him.

"Wait... are you telling me... she defeated this monster alone?!" Louise asked, almost trembling, unable to digest the fact.

"Wow... she's a baddie!" Luke remarked.

Roland elbowed Luke with the only arm he had left.

"Ow! What was that for?" he winced, rubbing his side.

"Does it look like the time for such comments? She's covered in blood..." Roland replied, his hand meeting his forehead.

"So what? Hey man, hear me out... any girl who is capable of taking down a monster like that on her own deserves to be considered a baddie. That blood only makes her sexier, let's be real," he proudly replied.

Boys...

"She's awake!" Elizabeth exclaimed, interrupting the chatter.

"Everyone, give her some space!" Mika shouted, trying to disperse the crowd gathered around her.