Katsuo and Serena descended the spiral staircase leading to the second-to-last floor of the dungeon. Unlike the previous floors, the atmosphere here felt different—quieter, almost peaceful. The cold, damp air they had come to expect was replaced by a stillness that bordered on eerie. The walls, carved from dark stone, were lined with flickering blue flames that cast long, dancing shadows across the floor.

"Where are all the traps?" Serena asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes scanned the empty corridor ahead, her body tensed for action. "No moving walls, no skeletons, no armor-clad giant waiting to take our heads off?"

Katsuo walked beside her, his hand resting on the hilt of his odachi, ready for anything. But as they moved deeper into the room, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this floor was testing something more than their combat skills.

The path led to a large circular chamber at the heart of the dungeon. In the center of the room stood an enormous stone door, covered in intricate carvings of ancient symbols. Three glowing runes hovered above the door, each one pulsating with a soft light. The room felt alive, as if the walls themselves were waiting for something—waiting for answers.

As they stepped into the center of the room, the door shifted slightly, and a deep, booming voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"To pass, you must answer the questions of Korgoth. Only when your answers are true will the door open. Fail, and you will remain here forever."

Serena glanced at Katsuo, raising an eyebrow. "Great. A dungeon that talks."

Katsuo took a deep breath, steadying himself. He could feel the weight of the questions before they were even asked. This wasn’t about traps or fighting—it was about them. About who they were.

The first rune above the door glowed brighter, and the voice filled the room once again.

"Why do you want to conquer the dungeon?"

Katsuo exchanged a glance with Serena. The question seemed simple enough, but he knew there was more to it. They couldn’t just give any answer; the dungeon would see through anything that wasn’t genuine.

Serena crossed her arms, leaning against one of the stone walls. "What do you think? Should we just say we’re here for the treasure? I mean, that’s what most adventurers want, right?"

Katsuo shook his head. "That’s not why we’re here, though." He stepped forward, staring at the glowing rune, as if the dungeon itself could see into his soul.

"I want to conquer this dungeon because it’s a test—a trial of strength, of will, of character. Every floor has challenged me to be stronger, to think more, to face fears I didn’t even know I had. I’m not here just for treasure. I’m here because it’s the path I chose, the path of a warrior who seeks to become better with every step."

The rune dimmed slightly, and for a moment, silence filled the chamber.

Serena stepped forward, adding her own voice to the answer. "I’m not in it for the treasure either. I mean, yeah, sure, gold is nice, but what I really want is something bigger. I want to prove myself. To the world, to those who doubt me... and to myself. Every fight, every challenge—it’s my way of showing that I’m stronger than my past, stronger than the people who tried to break me."

The rune pulsed, its glow shifting, before finally fading completely. Katsuo and Serena shared a brief look of relief—one question down.

"Guess that was the right answer," Serena said with a grin, though there was a seriousness in her eyes. "This place is digging deep, huh?"

Katsuo nodded. "Yeah. And we’ve still got two more to go."

The second rune above the door flared to life, glowing a brilliant blue as the voice asked the next question.

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"What will you do with the treasure?"

Serena’s playful expression vanished. Her jaw tightened, and her eyes flicked away, clearly unsettled by the question. Katsuo noticed the shift in her demeanor and stayed silent for a moment, waiting for her to speak.

"I...," Serena began, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. She clenched her fists, her gaze fixed on the stone floor. "I don’t care about the treasure. Not really. But… if I get it, if I make it through this dungeon…"

She trailed off, and Katsuo could see the memories flashing across her face. The fire in her eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a flicker of pain.

"I’ll use it to help those like me," Serena finally said, her voice shaking slightly. "To help the fighters who risk their lives in places like the colosseum, people who are forced to fight for money, for survival, for some twisted sense of glory. My father... he fought in the colosseum, and he died there. He died fighting Joel Ragnarok—the man who took everything from me, from my family. And what did we get? Nothing. Just broken promises and debts."

Serena paused, her fists trembling. "I want to use the treasure to build something better. A place where fighters don’t have to die for someone else’s amusement. A place where strength is honored, not exploited."

Katsuo listened quietly, his heart heavy with the weight of her words. He knew Serena was strong—fierce, even—but there was more to her strength than just skill with her tonfas. She fought for something bigger than herself, and that gave her a strength that few could match.

As Serena’s words hung in the air, the second rune flickered, dimming just as the first had.

Katsuo took a deep breath and spoke next, his voice steady. "As for me, I won’t lie—I don’t know what I’ll do with the treasure. But I know that what matters more than the treasure is the journey it took to get here. The trials, the people I’ve fought beside... the people I’ve lost. The treasure is just a symbol, a reward for the path I’ve walked. But it’s not the goal. The goal is to become someone worthy of the challenges ahead, someone who can use whatever power or riches I gain to protect those I care about. To bring balance to this world."

The second rune faded, and the door shifted slightly, as if acknowledging their answers.

Serena let out a slow breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "One more," she said, though her voice was still tinged with the weight of her past.

Katsuo nodded, feeling a sense of anticipation building in his chest. They were close—so close to the final floor, to the end of their journey through the dungeon.

The final rune above the door flared, brighter than the first two. The voice returned, louder this time, as if demanding their full attention.

"What makes you worthy?"

Katsuo and Serena both hesitated. This wasn’t a question they could answer easily. The dungeon wasn’t asking for what they had done—it was asking who they were, what made them deserving of passing through the final door.

Serena looked at Katsuo, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "Worthy? What does that even mean?"

Katsuo stepped forward, his brow furrowed in thought. "Worthy… it’s not about how strong we are, or how many enemies we’ve defeated. It’s about our resolve, our purpose."

He paused, feeling the weight of the dungeon’s gaze on him. "I don’t know if I’m worthy. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve lost battles, I’ve failed people I care about. But I keep moving forward. I keep fighting, not because I think I deserve victory, but because the people I care about deserve someone who will fight for them. That’s what makes me worthy—my willingness to stand up, again and again, even when I’ve been knocked down."

The rune flickered, its light shifting, but it didn’t fade completely. The dungeon wasn’t satisfied yet.

Serena stepped forward, her voice quieter this time. "I’m not perfect either. I’ve been driven by anger, by vengeance. I want to be strong enough to make a difference, but sometimes, I wonder if I’m just doing this to prove something—to myself, to my father’s memory, to the people who doubted me."

She hesitated, her gaze distant. "But maybe that’s what makes me worthy. I know I’m not there yet. I know I have more to learn. But I’m not afraid to keep trying. I’m not afraid to face my own failures. And I’m not going to let anyone decide what I’m capable of."

Just as Serena finished speaking, a deep quake shook the room. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and a distant rumbling noise echoed from far below, deep within the dungeon.

Katsuo’s eyes widened. "That came from the last floor."

Serena nodded, her eyes narrowing in concern. "Whatever’s down there, it’s waking up."

The quake subsided, but the tension in the air remained. Katsuo and Serena exchanged a quick glance. They needed to move.

The final rune pulsed once more, and after a long, agonizing moment, it flickered and faded. The massive stone door groaned as it slowly slid open, revealing another staircase leading deeper into the dungeon.

Serena gave a wry smile, though her voice was tense. "Guess we’re worthy after all."

Katsuo smirked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Let’s hope so. Whatever’s waiting for us down there isn’t going to give us a warm welcome."

With the door now open and the path ahead clear, they hurried down the staircase, the echoes of their footsteps mixing with the distant rumble of the dungeon’s depths. The final floor awaited them, and whatever test Korgoth had in store would push them to their limits.