"King!"

As the adrenaline rush subsided, a sharp pain immediately followed. Thorian's comrades rushed to his side, eyes wide with worry. His right hand, from palm to wrist, was a mangled mess, the unfortunate consequence of thrusting his flesh into Ventus's Gale Slash.

"Moon's Healing," the priest uttered swiftly, not daring to waste another second as the gravity of the situation became apparent. Thorian's wounds began to mend, skin and flesh knitting together to once again conceal the underlying bones. However, even as the priest's spell concluded, there remained deep scars on Thorian's hand, a stark testament to the high price of his necessary sacrifice.

"King, we were so worried," Saxum voiced, his voice heavy with concern. "Why would you risk yourself like that?"

Ventus too nodded in agreement, his expression mirroring Saxum's worry. "Yeah, King. I couldn't have lived with myself if my skill had crippled you. That was far too dangerous!"

"It was a necessary sacrifice," Thorian replied, shaking his head. "If that creature simply had a robust shell, we would have gradually weakened it and eventually brought it down with repeated uses of Gale Slash and Combustion Touch. But its rapid regeneration made any strategy that didn't lead to instant death futile."

While they comprehended Thorian's logic, the group couldn't shake off their sense of guilt and helplessness. The image of their leader having to injure himself for their victory filled them with a mixture of remorse and frustration.

"Is your hand going to be alright?" Nox asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Don’t worry. I can move it just fine; it merely throbs a bit," replied Thorian, giving a rueful smile. "Once I evolve further, these scars will vanish."

As their conversation reached its conclusion, Thorian's gaze drifted towards the twisted and shattered corpse of the Guilded Spiketail. Its form flickered, dissolving into golden particles of light. These particles gathered in the heart of the grotto, merging into a large, luminous chest. At the same moment, an ethereal, system-like voice resounded, its echo reverberating throughout the grotto.

"Congratulations, adventurers," the voice intones, "You have vanquished the Guardian of the Second Layer, the Gilded Spiketail. You've shown strength, courage, and exceptional teamwork. The treasure of this layer is yours to claim."

Upon hearing the nearly otherworldly voice, Thorian couldn't help but smile. Accustomed to this voice from a decade of traversing dungeons, spending even a few days without its familiar sound felt strange to him.

"Well, brighten up," Thorian said, his voice buoyant as he began to stride toward the chest. "Let's reap the rewards of our hard work."

Notification

Dungeon Layer Completion

You have successfully cleared the second layer of the Verdant Labyrinth. As you are the first to clear this layer of the Verdant Labyrinth, your rewards are doubled.

Total Arcane Coins Gained

Additional rewards await in the Guardian's Chest.