The Heaven’s Spire mountain range was one of four known areas that had been transformed into a dungeon. Unlike its peers, Naraka remained true to its original form. On the surface, anyway. The mountain biome surrounding the dungeon, the first layer’s tunnels, and the second layer’s forest all matched descriptions of the old mountain range. Meanwhile, the third layer’s jungle and the fog that encapsulated it were quite strange, but they didn’t feel entirely out of place. All of that ended with the fourth layer.

Beneath the humid rainforest lay a massive cavern that spanned the entire third layer and some of the second. About eighty percent of this area was a sandy desert while the rest was made up of gigantic porous rocks. These skyscraper-sized slabs of earth offered refuge for the fourth layer’s inhabitants, both human and monster, which was extremely necessary given the nature of the desert.

Although there was no sun hanging in the sky, the fourth layer was extremely hot. Its resources were also spread much thinner than the previous layers and there were plenty of monsters hiding beneath the dunes. However, these problems could only be called mundane when compared to the true danger of this desert.

That danger was the sand itself.

Theo was forced to squint as a wave of hot air blew past him. Grains of red sand battered his body, but his eyes never strayed from the one-way portal. Theo clenched his hand around Mavis’s core as the seconds passed slowly.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Five minutes…

Fifteen minutes …

Theo’s shoulders finally relaxed when he realized that Ravens wasn’t coming to chase them.

“Where is he?” Theo wondered aloud. “And what happened back there, anyway?”

The core in Theo’s hand began to vibrate and so he opened his fist.

“Don’t understand…but…I think…I did it.”

When he thought about it, Theo had to agree. Mavis must have done something. How else could he have teleported to the fourth layer while Ravens had seemingly lost that privilege?

“What exactly did you do?”

“I…um…felt we were going…deeper into the dungeon. I didn’t want to go…with scary man. Tried to stop it…but this happened. Who was he?”

“He is…was…my master.”

Theo caught himself looking away as he answered.

“His name is Ravens and he’s a very experienced raider. Very dangerous, too.”

“When Ravens…came to hollow…I couldn’t fight back. Very dangerous.”

“There are only a handful of people who could take him in a straight up fight, and he wouldn’t fight fairly against any of them. If we see him again, you should run away as quickly as you can.”

“I can’t…run.”

Theo’s lips curled into a frown as he stared at Mavis’s core.

“Are you, uh, feeling alright?”

“Feel…lighter…but still…ok.”

“That’s…good?”

Theo sighed. The fatigue from yesterday clung to him like an illness. He knew that he needed to sleep soon, but there were bigger things to worry about. At the moment, the only visible landmark was the one-way portal. If he wanted to get back to the third layer and regroup with Vivian, then there were two options.

The first would be to go back through the portal and then teleport to the third layer. While this was the fastest solution, Ravens was likely waiting on the surface. After listening to Nora’s story, Theo had some idea of why Ravens wanted to take Mavis further into the dungeon. Though, no matter what his master’s reason was, Theo didn’t want to let them meet ever again.

The second option would be to travel the desert and find their way back to the third layer. With Theo’s limited knowledge of the fourth layer, he couldn’t guess how risky this would be. All he knew was that it would be safer than fighting Ravens.

“What do we do?” Mavis asked.

“First, let’s find somewhere to rest. Also, water.”

The area around the portal was free from monsters, but it couldn’t be called a ‘safe zone’. If Theo slept there, the heat would eventually kill him. In fact, the outlaw was already feeling very weak. Theo rationalized that he was coming down from an adrenaline high, but there could be another reason.

“Which…way?”

“…Which way indeed…”

Theo scanned the rust-colored sand dunes for any clues, but there was nothing to see. Everything beyond a certain distance was incredibly hazy from the heat.

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“Well, if every direction looks the same, then I’d rather walk with the wind than against it.”

The pair set off together. Or, rather, Theo set off while carrying Mavis. He didn’t feel good about putting Mavis in his pocket, but the slime insisted that it could still see. In terms of equipment, Theo only had his boots and dagger, along with Mavis’s cloak and mask. Theo couldn’t regret leaving his other gear behind, since he would have lost Mavis if he’d taken the time to equip himself.

After a short internal debate, Theo put on the cloak and mask. The heat seemed to be radiating out from every direction, and he needed to protect his skin from exposure. As Theo pulled down on the cloak’s hood, something fell onto his head. It rolled forward and plopped onto the sand.

The treasure core gleamed brightly, almost as if it was delighted to have been found.

“Ah…” Mavis’s muffled voice rose from Theo’s pocket. “You wanted me to…give to Vivian…but I was tired…forgot.”

“I’m glad you did.”

Theo picked up the treasure core and channeled some mana into it. After a flash of light, a pair of gauntlets appeared in his hand. Theo grimaced for a moment before realizing that these were lighter than full plate gauntlets. The gloves were made of tough jet-black leather and reinforced by smalls sheets of lavender metal. Their most notable feature was the clear ovoid gem on the back of each gauntlet.

One appraisal later and Theo was grinning. While it wasn’t platinum, this treasure was on the upper end of gold. After binding the gauntlets to fit his hands, Theo slipped them on and clenched his fists. Surprisingly, the inside of the gauntlets felt cool—as if his hands were being caressed by a wet towel. He opened and closed his hands a few times, his eyes never leaving the gauntlets.

“Moving my fingers is a little more difficult, but these gloves are well worth it.”

“What do they…do?”

“Here, if I channel mana into them, you’ll see…”

Theo drew out his mana and immediately began to feel tired. His vision spun, and he had to make a conscious effort to stand straight. Even after he stopped channeling, the fatigue remained.

“That’s strange…I shouldn’t be running out of mana.”

Mavis thought this was odd as well, and so it focused its senses on Theo’s body. It wasn’t long before Mavis noticed that mana was leaving his body at a rapid pace. This energy was being sucked into the sand by his feet.

“Theo, your mana is…leaking out…tighten it.”

“Tighten it?”

Theo pulled out Mavis’s core and stared at it dubiously.

“Try…holding in.”

The outlaw sucked in a breath and focused on his mana. Now that he was looking inward, the problem was as clear as day. Theo pulled his mana back, but it continued to drain at a slower pace. No matter how much Theo tried, he couldn’t completely stop the sand from stealing his mana.

“Shelter.” Theo decided. “Shelter is our first priority.”

When the portal was just a speck on the horizon, Theo saw a large black…something…in the distance. He squinted, but the object was being distorted by the heat. At the very least, Theo knew that it was large, immobile and his best chance at finding shelter.

As Theo stepped forward with renewed vigor, a set of vicious talons stretched out above him.

“Bird!” Mavis yelled. “Dodge left!”

Theo followed Mavis’s advice without thinking. A split second after he dove to the left, a brown blur tore into the place where he’d stood. Sand was flung in all directions as the monster flapped its powerful wings. Rather than wait for the debris to settle, the ‘bird’ lunged towards Theo.

Pivoting, Theo activated his boots and sped away from the monster. He quickly lost his footing on the unfamiliar terrain and skidded along the sand. As he picked himself up, Theo drew his dagger and took a proper look at his opponent.

Two regal brown wings adorned the monster’s back. Its feathered upper body lead into a hawk’s head that was slightly larger than Theo’s own. Below that head lay two sets of sharp talons, while its back legs were furred paws. Theo immediately recognized it as a species of griffin—a chimera that combined traits from birds and large cats.

This griffin was barely larger than the second layer’s dire wolves, but Theo knew that it was much more dangerous.

Theo was forced to dodge again as the griffin leapt towards him. Its powerful hind legs worked in concert with its wings. The monster kicked up a whirlwind of sand as it was propelled forward.

Channeling mana into his boots, Theo tried to escape for a second time. He darted past the griffin and was immediately struck with a bout of fatigue. Clutching his head, Theo turned to prepare for the monster’s next attack.

Another lunge was countered with another dodge. However, this time Theo did more than just escape. Voidcutter sliced through one of the monster’s wings, crippling it. At the same time, the griffin struck out with its front talons. In his exhaustion, Theo failed to block.

Blood sprayed out as the griffon’s talons tore across Theo’s chest. The wound wasn’t deep enough to be fatal, but it may as well have been. Fatigue, pain, and a severe lack of mana all combined to paralyze the outlaw. Sensing weakness, the griffin let out a triumphant screech as it raised its talons.

Time seemed to slow down as Theo watched the griffin’s movements. This scene was eerily familiar to him. Back in Jigou’s mystery floor, he’d watched his brothers die in similar positions. An intense fear bubbled up from the center of his being. It spread through his body and pushed him to move. Sharp talons cut into Theo’s flesh, but the griffon’s aim was off. It hadn’t expected Theo to have any strength left. Theo plunged his dagger into the monster’s front leg and forced his last dregs of mana into the blade. After inflicting such a large wound, Voidcutter completely severed the leg.

Theo’s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to stay conscious. Biting his lip, he stepped forward and thrust Voidcutter towards the beast’s chest.

“Theo!” Mavis’s core vibrated as it cried out. The slime wanted to say something, but it had forgotten the right words in its panic.

While Theo was attempting his desperate final blow, Mavis could see mana coiling around the griffin. As another monster with unique magic, Mavis knew that something bad was about to happen.

Wind kicked up from out of nowhere to envelop the griffin. This wall of air suddenly expanded, flinging Theo several meters away. The outlaw didn’t catch himself as he tumbled onto the sand.

“Theo! Wake up! Theo!”

Mavis’s cries were answered as Theo slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the griffin glaring at him. Just as he was about to close his eyes in resignation, the monster fell over. Theo’s dagger had pierced its heart before it pushed him away.

A long, nearly silent, sigh escaped the outlaw’s lips.

For the next several minutes, Theo crawled towards the griffin’s corpse. He nearly passed out twice, but every time he stopped moving, Mavis would screech at him to keep going. Finally, Theo reached his dagger and cut out the monster’s core. His hand trembled as he stuck it inside his mouth.

Theo sincerely felt that his grueling effort had paid off as energy rushed through his body. His wounds weren’t fully healed, and his mana was only partially restored, but it was enough. Theo picked himself up and dusted off his cloak.

“Really glad you’re…ok.” Mavis said, releasing its own weary sigh.

A set of sunken eyes blinked as they stared at the hazy black object in the distance. Theo wordlessly began to trudge forward.

“Theo?”

After a few more attempts to grab his attention, the outlaw finally replied.

“Everyone else failed. I didn’t.”

His lifeless tone made Mavis’s core shudder. Somehow, it felt even more worried than when he’d been crawling along the ground.