Huay pretended not to hear. She didn’t know how to respond.

“Don’t ignore me.”

“I… What?”

“Your power. I know that you lied about which one was the weakest. That’s how someone like you survives. Just come out and say it. He’s already dead anyway.”

Huay didn’t respond, so Beale stepped in. “The guidebook said that the golems increased in strength from left to right. That matches what Huay told us.”

“Then how the hell did she survive?! Tell me how, Beale, how could a level 9—someone with neither an Ability nor a Title—win against something three levels above her!”

“A level 12 golem is weaker than a level 12 human. You know this already.”

“And yet Jorlaan somehow lost to a level 9 one?! How does that make any sense?! Isn’t a golem supposed to be weaker than a human?! And the level gap was huge…That thing was half his level! Isn’t a golem supposed to be weak!?”

“I don’t know… Maybe he tripped, or something,” Beale said softly.

“Don’t try that shit with me! Why are you defending her in the first place?! We both know that she’s dead weight! Huay, do you honestly believe you could do anything for us—anything at all?!”

“She has the thing with the levels…”

“I’m not talking to you. Huay! Answer the question.”

Huay just stared at her feet, wishing desperately for the silence to return.

Salein jumped to her feet and marched over to Huay. Beale reached to grab her shoulder in an effort to stop her, but Salein shoved Beale away and continued forward. She stopped in front of Huay and squatted down to eye level.

“So? What’s your answer?”

Huay glanced up at Salein, her eyes drained of life.

“Salein… I’m sorry.”

“Wow? Really? Because none of this would have happened if you hadn’t lied to us.”

“She wasn’t lying about the golems,” said Beale.

“I wasn’t talking about the golems. Before we entered the dungeon, she said she was level 25. What do you call that, Beale?”

“I didn’t say I was level 25, that was just the Baranzaar who said that,” said Huay.

Salein clenched her fists tight at her waist, the violence in her glare forcing Huay to tense up and look the other way. Beale had resigned herself to watching from some distance away. The room stood still for a few moments, then Salein scoffed and turned to face Beale.

“Survival comes first. Let’s move to the next floor,” Salein said sternly. “We’ll stay there for the night.” That was a shift…

Beale nodded, then started up the stairs alongside Salein. Huay followed some distance behind.

An expansive stone platform hanging above a black abyss met them upon their arrival to the fourth floor. The whole area was silent, immediately imparting a sense of anxiety in Huay as she stepped out toward the endless darkness. The other floors had been at least somewhat rooted in reality, but it was now as though she were standing on the edge of the universe—with the void at the world’s end surrounding her on all sides.

The sole feature besides the initial platform was a narrow bridge that faded into heavy fog before its end could be seen. It was a rickety thing, with boards in varying states of decay, and the frayed ropes that shouldered its weight did not look like they could take much stress. Oil lanterns suspended motionless in the air lined its sides, and the infinite chasm beneath the bridge, never out of sight, made even Beale visibly uneasy.

“I’ll set up camp. It’s safe to sleep here.” Salein dropped her backpack and started working on a fire.

“I can help,” said Beale.

“You’re injured. I want you to rest.” Salein frowned. “The guidebook puts our trek at about ten miles long and you’re still limping. Recovery is important. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Beale did not protest. She lied down near Salein and closed her eyes.

Huay stood distant from the others, facing away so that they couldn’t see her face. She had killed a man, and the guilt squeezed at her heart like pliers. Huay couldn’t even muster the strength to cry, the weight of her regret sapping away the energy it would have taken to do so. God, I wish I was the one who died instead… Her problems would have stayed hers alone if the desert heat had killed her before she made it to the dungeon.

She walked over to the edge of the platform and stared down at the emptiness. The guidebook had put the distance between the bridge and the unseen floor at the bottom at more than three miles. That’s a long fall. Huay stared out the abyss for only a few seconds before turning away with a sigh, heading back to her belongings.

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“So, Huay, how about getting in some practice?” Beale noticed Huay’s melancholy and decided to give her a distraction.

Huay’s whole body was like lead, and she didn’t feel like moving—the injuries she’d incurred during her fight playing no small role in that—but looked over and nodded her head regardless.

“We’ll skip sparring this time. I don’t think anyone is in the mood for that right now. Draw your sword.”

Huay spent the next hour and a half practicing swings, mostly on her own. Beale was too tired to take a more active role, but she watched from afar and occasionally gave critiques. Huay felt self-conscious about her skills throughout the session, especially when Salein glanced over at her, and she tried her best to look like she knew what she was doing. Eventually, the voice spoke.

“Certification upgraded. Swordsmanship [Novice] improved to [Basic].”

She took another swing. It didn’t feel very different to Huay—her grip was slightly more comfortable, and that was it—but Beale noticed immediately. “Seems like you’re getting the hang of it.”

“Yeah…” Huay responded, her breath strained, “The voice just spoke. I’m ‘basic’ now, I guess.”

“I can tell,” Beale smiled, “You’re amazing, Huay. It took me more than a month to get that far when I was going through military training as a teenager. I wonder what kinds of great things you’ll go on to accomplish if we—when we get out of here.”

“Um, alright.” Huay felt a little embarrassed about the compliment. “So… What now? Keep training?”

Beale got up onto her feet and walked toward Huay. “You said you were level 9, right?”

“Yeah… Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Nothing you can do about it at the moment.” Beale shrugged. “How close do you think you are to a level up? Things will be different when you reach level 10.”

“I’m not sure… But you’re asking because of the… Title and Ability… right?” Huay understood that level 10 was a so-called “milestone level”, meaning that she would therefore receive a Title and an Ability upon reaching it. She didn’t know exactly what either of those entailed but, based on how much her general capabilities had improved after obtaining “ordinary” level-ups from the death of the funeral room boss, it could safely be assumed that breaking into the double digits would make a massive difference in combat.

Beale continued. “I want you to be the one to cut the bridge after we reach the end. Dirma is a very powerful monster and, based on what you’ve said so far, I think killing it might net you enough XP to level up one more time.”

Dirma was a monster that would appear behind the group near the end of the bridge, chasing them to the end. Huay had read about it in the guidebook. Engaging in a fight with the risk of falling into the abyss would be a bad idea, so running to the end and cutting the bridge was the recommended strategy.

“Why bother?” Salein said. “Whatever she gets will probably be worthless. Someone with her background won’t be getting anything combat-oriented.” She let out a big sigh. “You’re better off taking the XP for yourself.”

“But I won’t level up from this anyway… Even the smallest improvement to our odds of survival is worth it.”

“The two of us together wouldn’t lose to Sosiri. The only threat to our survival is Huay destroying the bridge trying to fight back against Dirma.”

“But even still,” Beale insisted. “When she leaves the dungeon, she’ll need the XP more than I will.”

“…Then it’s your call.” Salein closed her eyes and sighed.

Huay, who had been standing awkwardly as the superhuman adventurers argued over her, sheathed her sword and took a seat by the campfire across from Beale.

“So…” Huay looked down at her feet—which were still shoeless following the incident with the sticky crawler on the second floor.

“Yes?” Beale looked at her with a gentle gaze.

“I don’t know… I don’t know, I’m sorry. I know I already said it, but I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I forgive you.”

Huay looked up at her with a bewildered gaze. “But your friend is dead because of me. You don’t have to forgive me. I can’t even forgive myself…”

Beale smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But Jorlaan is dead!” Huay shouted back. “Do you not see that?! He’s dead because I lied to you guys!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so get some sleep.” Beale crawled into her bedroll and closed her eyes.

Huay walked to the other side of the platform where she’d set down Jorlaan’s belongings and took out his bedroll. She stared at it for a minute before bursting into tears. Huay couldn’t bring herself to use it. She cried on the cold floor as thoughts of her own situation drifted into mind.

She wondered if her parents had found out about her death by then—she didn’t have much contact with them—and if they were sad for her. Probably not… She wondered about her friends too, and felt guilty about taking satisfaction in the fact that at least a few people would miss her.

----------------------------------------

Huay awoke to Salein standing over her. “Get up. We’re eating.”

Salein walked away, toward the fire, and Huay got ready. She packed up Jorlaan’s things, reminded of her guilt with each of his possessions, and walked toward the Beale and Salein. The two sat silent until Huay got close.

“Good morning,” said Beale, “Hope you slept well.”

“Thanks,” said Huay as she sat down by the fire to eat and opened an unlabeled tin she had found in Jorlaan’s backpack. Inside was a piece of dried meat that Huay found difficult to chew—but the others seemed used to eating this mystery jerky.

Salein looked sternly at Huay. “We’ve decided that I’ll go in front, then Beale, then you. Even with Beale’s injuries, you’re the slowest, so if you fail to match Dirma’s pace then the rest of us can still survive.”

The group finished their meal quickly and approached the suspension bridge.

“Wait a moment.” Beale stopped just before stepping onto the path.

Salein turned around with a frown. “What is it?”

“Huay, you’ll get splinters walking barefoot. Do you mind if I tie some footwraps for you?”

“Umm… Sure?”

“Thank you.” Beale took out a pack of square cloths from her backpack and kneeled down before Huay. She spent a few minutes tying them with careful attention to detail, going back and redoing anything that was less than flawless. By the time she was done, Beale had applied several layers to Huay’s feet. “That should do it. Those wraps will last you until the end of the dungeon.” She looked up at Salein. “Okay. We’re good to go.”

Salein nodded and started down the bridge without a word. Beale followed close behind. Huay got up, thanked Beale, and stepped onto the bridge herself.