Kaiden’s eyes shot open to the sound of banging on his door.

“It’s time,” Ashkar’s voice called sharply from the other side.

Kaiden scrambled out of bed with blazing speed. Of course, I overslept! Six hours had been nowhere near enough to recover after spending over 26 hours navigating the last area and fighting monsters. Well, technically, he hadn’t done any of the fighting—but the endless walking and stress had taken their toll.

In truth, he hadn’t even had the full six hours. Between the bacon hunt, cooking, eating, and bathing, he’d burned over an hour. And despite the excitement of his earlier gains, he was still exhausted. His stats still simply didn’t measure up to the others’.

Yet, he realized, he didn’t feel as tired as he thought he would. Regeneration must’ve helped, subtly easing his fatigue over time. And maybe the increased strength played a part too? He wasn’t sure how, but he wasn’t about to complain.

Two minutes later, Kaiden shuffled out of his room, fully dressed and ready to depart. Zinnia chuckled into her hand at the sight of his disheveled appearance, but Kaiden didn’t have the energy to react. He braced himself for a scolding from Ashkar. To his surprise, the swordsman only said, “Let’s go.”

Without another word, the group stepped through the portal to the next area.

On the other side, they were greeted by a familiar, yet unwelcome, sight: another maze.

Ashkar grumbled something unintelligible, his frustration clear, while Zinnia stood by, utterly unbothered.

Boork glanced at the twisting paths ahead and asked, “Should I use the compass again?”

Ashkar narrowed his eyes, silent for a moment as he weighed the decision. Finally, he exhaled in defeat. “Yes. But this will be the last time. We can’t risk using it further.”

He must not want to risk losing whatever he’s looking for at the end of the dungeon, Kaiden thought to himself.

Boork nodded, his expression neutral, and activated the compass. With their direction set, the group moved together into the labyrinth once more.

The new type of monster in this area was salamanders—fire-breathing, lizard-like creatures that walked on all fours. They were massive, each the size of a car, with thick, armored skin and sharp teeth. Despite their intimidating appearance, they proved no more challenging for Ashkar and the rest of the group.

As usual, Kaiden stood back, feeling utterly useless. He didn’t even have a chance to use Healing Touch, as no one got injured. That wasn’t surprising, considering both Ashkar and Zinnia were strong enough to solo Diamond-grade dungeons, but the constant feeling of being out of place lingered like a heavy shadow.

After about 20 hours of navigating the maze and fighting monsters, they finally made it to the exit portal. With no boss to fight, they stepped through to the other side.

Kaiden’s heart sank as they were greeted not by a recess area, but by another maze.

“You sure about that no compass rule?” Boork asked, glancing at Ashkar.

Ashkar gritted his teeth, remaining silent for a moment before replying, “Yeah, I’m sure. I bet Thorne isn’t using one because there’s no way he thinks I’m in this dungeon too. He knows I was alone, and this dungeon can’t be entered solo. He’s probably taking his time gathering all the rewards. We should be well ahead of him.”

Boork nodded reluctantly. “I suppose. And every area we reach is the next inner ring, which is a smaller area, so it should be faster to clear anyway.”

“Exactly,” Ashkar said with a curt nod.

Kaiden listened to the exchange and could see the logic in Ashkar’s reasoning, but it wasn’t entirely correct. Without a clear heading, even a smaller maze could take twice as long to navigate. He figured the others were well aware of this but needed the comfort of justifying their decision to forgo the compass.

Zinnia, her tone light, broke the silence. “So, what is this artifact you’re trying to get before Thorne?”

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Ashkar turned to her, his gaze sharp. “I wasn’t willing to tell you before, and I’m not willing to tell you now.”

Zinnia didn’t seem upset in the slightest. Instead, she smiled and said, “Perhaps later, then.”

Ashkar harrumphed but didn’t answer further. Instead, he straightened and said, “Okay, let’s go.”

Without further discussion, the group proceeded into the next maze.

The next monsters they encountered on this floor were winged serpents that Kaiden recognized, but had no idea what they were called until Zinnia gave him a knowing look and said, “Those are amphipteres.”

Even the name sounded strange to Kaiden’s ears. He was fairly certain he’d seen similar beasts in fiction back on Earth, but he couldn’t recall ever hearing the name before. He sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to spell it.

“Amphiptere,” Kaiden repeated slowly, trying to wrap his tongue around the unfamiliar word. Without Mindforge, he was sure he’d have forgotten it instantly.

These winged serpents were surprisingly agile in the air, their movements unnervingly swift and precise. Unlike the wyverns, which relied on brute strength, the amphipteres darted and weaved through the air with uncanny grace. They weren’t as large as wyverns, but their agility made them far more dangerous foes. It was like comparing a plane to a helicopter—the amphipteres were smaller, but they could maneuver circles around their bulkier counterparts.

Adding to the difficulty, they came in much larger numbers. After the first group was dispatched, the party moved carefully through the maze, their heads constantly on a swivel as amphipteres tended to descend from all directions.

With each swarm, the number of enemies grew larger, and the serpents’ attacks more dangerous. Even Kaiden, who usually stood back from the action, found himself needing to block incoming attacks with his shields.

“Protect the Bracer!” Ashkar’s voice cut through the chaos as he and Boork took the brunt of the swarms with blazing speed and lethality.

Kaiden barely had time to process why the command came before an amphiptere dove down and crashed into him from above, slamming him to the ground. He raised his shields just in time to absorb the brunt of the impact, but it still left him pinned beneath the serpent’s weight.

Had Kaiden not blocked with the shield, the amphiptere’s crushing weight would’ve squished his skull like a grape. The force of the impact sent him sprawling to the ground, the monster's mass slamming into him like a falling boulder. While the shield absorbed enough of the blow to save his life, the rest of his body paid the price. His shoulder throbbed fiercely, the joint straining under the weight it had partially borne. His ribs felt like they’d been hammered, sharp pain flaring with every shallow breath. Bruising was certain, and fractures were a distinct possibility. The ground itself had done no favors, the collision jarring his spine and leaving his entire left side screaming in protest.

Thankfully, no follow-up attack came. A flash of light and a deafening crack split the air as Zinnia unleashed a massive lightning bolt, striking the amphiptere dead. Its body convulsed once before dissolving into mist.

“I’ve got a potion if you need one,” Zinnia called, her tone playful but with an undercurrent of seriousness.

Kaiden cast Healing Touch on himself, coughing up blood as he did. This is getting real old, he thought grimly. As much as he hated the idea of falling further into debt with Zinnia, he needed that potion. If the fight were over, he could manage with Healing Touch, but why take the chance?

“Plea—” Kaiden managed to choke out before he began gagging on the blood pooling in his throat. Before he could finish the word, Zinnia was already pouring a potion over his head. He silently thanked her as the warm magic coursed through him, mending his wounds instantly. His health ticked up to 94%, the familiar sensation of near-complete recovery washing over him.

While Kaiden recovered, Zinnia stood guard, unleashing bolt after bolt of lightning at the remaining amphipteres. Her focus never wavered, each strike sharp and precise.

A few seconds later, Kaiden pushed himself back to his feet, wincing as residual pain lingered in his ribs and shoulder. The potion had done most of the work, but his body still felt battered. He raised his shields again, his eyes scanning the sky. Above, the last amphipteres circled ominously.

Moments later, they dove, only to meet their swift end at Ashkar’s blade, the swordsman’s strikes came as quick as Zinnia’s lightning.

The rest of the floor proceeded more or less the same. The party was able to suppress the amphipteres, but their sheer numbers meant that occasionally one or two slipped through, nearly killing Kaiden. Yet, again and again, he survived.

For anyone else, almost dying repeatedly might have been maddening, enough to break their resolve. But for Kaiden, it had the opposite effect. Each brush with death only made him more determined—determined to survive and, above all, to grow stronger. As far as he was concerned, he’d already died once back on Earth, and that had been his choice. Here, there would be no choice to die. Here, he would survive, no matter the cost.

As the party trudged through yet another twisting corridor, Kaiden wiped blood from his mouth for what felt like the hundredth time. They were 18 hours into this floor, and though stress and exhaustion gnawed at his nerves, he didn’t complain. None of them did. Survival was the only thing that mattered.

Rounding a corner, they finally saw it: the exit portal. Relief washed over the group, even though they knew what was next. Circling directly above the portal was the largest amphiptere they had encountered so far. Its massive wings beat the air with heavy, deliberate strokes, its scales glinting like molten metal. Flanking it were two others, slightly smaller but still larger than any they’d faced until now.

“Finally,” Boork said, his tone a mixture of relief and anticipation.

Ashkar grunted, most likely in agreement.

“Wonder what we’ll get this time,” Zinnia said with a grin.

Kaiden said nothing as his grip tightened on his shields as he prepared for the fight.

The boss fight.