Carmine had passed out unconscious. I decided it was time to take a much-needed break. We had been pushing hard to reach the dungeon’s bottom floor, and it had been over ten hours of tense and frantic searching. It was enough to cause anyone to grow exhausted. Although I was worried about the city above, the Bandit King seemed to have come down here with most of his most trusted men. Hopefully, the city above was fairing better by his absence.

I considered sending one or two of us to the 1^st-floor kiosk, but there was no telling what the Bandit King had done. He could have left a dozen men behind ready to cut down anyone who came out. He could have set a brutal trap. In the end, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Humans weren’t like monsters. I had considered it before. A ghost or undead flew at me with a singular purpose. Humans could strategize and prepare. They could be cruel just for the sake of being cruel. Overall, I was much more paranoid when it came to them than any monster, including this guardian.

I finally put down the heavy Terra, healed Carmine with a few spells, and then worked on setting up a fire. As far as locations to stay went, this dungeons dirt-filled grave-like rooms were far less hospitable compared to the library of the cathedral. It gave me a feeling of being buried alive. Terra seemed to be acting the most at home, lying casually on a dirt mound, further dirtying her dress.

I got the fire going, and then pulled out food to prepare. I made sure to use some of the food we had acquired from the last dungeon. This food was special and would give everyone status bonuses. Thanks to my preservation spells, it was still in good shape too. I ended up making a meat stew with potatoes, two kinds of vegetables I had gotten off mobs, and a meat that dropped from one of the bosses. It would definitely boost status.

When the good smells started flowing from it, I used item identify. All it said was that the meat stew would increase offensive and defensive capabilities for some time after the meal. Unless I could use God Eye, which required the fairy dust I no longer had, I couldn’t get anything more specific than that. I couldn’t wait for Moderate and Advanced item identify.

“Rooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaar!”

A roar came from the stairway below us. It was loud enough that I went to cover my ears and almost pour some hot stew on my lap. The ground shook and a little bit of dust and dirt fell from the ceiling. The guardian must be getting impatient that we haven’t come down. As soon as I shut the door, it would have spawned. The call caused Carmine to snap awake. As for Terra, a look of fear shot on her face and she leaped off the mound. Running over to me, she hid behind my back and grabbed my shirt.

“What has you so scared…” I muttered to myself.

It was at that point that my eyes fell on the mural. It was only half-lit by the firelight, but the image I saw immediately caused me to gasp. The sound of the guardian’s roar was still echoing in my mind. I had been wondering what form the guardian would take for a while now. There was a picture of the guardian on the mural. The creature below we were about to fight was none other than a dragon!