Beale turned the knob and pushed the door open. A sunlit hallway of arched sandstone walls and impeccable statues greeted them. The sculptures depicted regal-looking men with jeweled crowns and gigantic holes where their chests should have been. Checking levels revealed that every statue was level 27—a level that made sense, considering the immaculate detail. The sound of a cheering crowd just outside the hallway caught Huay off guard.

“What the… Are we out of the dungeon?” There was a big wrought-iron gate at the end of the hallway. “Where is this place?”

“No,” answered Jorlaan, “But I can see why you’d think that. Funeral rooms usually have strange things about them.” He let out a big sigh. “Anyway, I hope you’re ready to fight. We have a plan, but things might get messy regardless…”

Suddenly one of the statues came to life and bowed to the group. Huay froze up at the unexpected movement and looked to the others for help. They didn’t seem all that worried, so Huay followed suit and tried to relax—though she struggled to hold in her shock.

The three experienced adventurers started walking toward the gate and the other statues bowed as they passed. Huay, realizing that she was falling behind, got up and chased after them. Finally, when everyone was at the end of the hallway, the gate opened on its own accord.

The four of them stepped out onto a perilous bridge over a deep abyss that led into what she recognized as the center platform of a great colosseum under an open sky. Cheers and roaring applause erupted in the stands as thousands of spectators celebrated their arrival. Hauy, now more anxious than before, surveyed the crowd in confusion. They were unmistakably human.

“Are we sure this is the dungeon?” The impending fight was enough on its own to make her uneasy, but the knowledge that thousands of people were staring at her was much worse.

“We are,” answered Salein, “The miniboss is about to come out. Stay on guard.”

The bridge leading to the platform retracted into the walls as soon as the four of them had made it onto the enormous circular platform on which their battle would soon take place. Huay gulped. There was no sight of the pyramid from where she stood, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d stepped through another portal.

The three experienced adventurers dropped their backpacks and readied their weapons. Huay did the same, dropping off a pack of food and water provided by the Baranzaars next to the others’ belongings.

“The three of us need to distract the miniboss,” said Salein. “Jorlaan can use firebreath to kill it in one hit.”

Huay was a little relieved. That sounded like something she could let the others handle. All she had to do was stay out of their way during the battle.

“Firebreath is suicide even for expert pyromancers except under perfect conditions. So we’ll protect Jorlaan until he can get close enough to use his power. You and Beale will take the front line while I control his movements with arrows.”

The front line? So this is how it ends… Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

The gate on the opposite side of the arena opened outward, and a man in a loincloth walked passively through. He was skinny, emaciated even, and the countenance was heavy. Behind him, he dragged an already bloody metal pipe.

The crowd exploded at the sight of this man. It was evident that he was the colosseum’s main attraction, its hero. At level 29, he horribly outmatched every member of Huay’s group. The man began toward his opponents, his stride confident.

Beale readied her spear and returned the gesture, approaching the man with rehearsed steps. Huay stood frozen in terror. She thought she had already accepted her fate but, now that she could tangibly perceive it, her will faltered.

“What are you doing?” said Salein. “Go."

“But he’s level 29!” Huay could tell how dangerous he was even without her power. She noticed that her hands were trembling and that her legs were heavy.

“We know. Now get on with it.”

Huay remained paralyzed until Salein shoved her into the fray with a force that almost knocked her down. Scared of the woman behind her, Huay scampered away from the group until she was trailing Beale.

“Stay behind me and I’ll do what I can to keep you safe,” Beale said quietly. “Just make it look like you’re doing something.”

Huay nodded. She was relieved to find out that Beale had already realized the truth about her, though she didn’t know what gave it away. After this fight, I’ll tell the others. It’s better to get it out of the way soon. If I survive this, I might even make it out of the dungeon. Huay let Beale step out further ahead of her, amazed that the woman could remain so composed.

The gladiator stopped his approach as did Beale.

“Mighty challengers!” he exclaimed. The voice was high and nasal. “I am the Champion of Prince Sosiri! Saathraan is my name. What, challengers, are yours? It is dishonorable to kill a stranger.”

“Beale.” Her spear began to glow with an especially brilliant golden hue. It was far brighter than it had been against the crawler on the first floor, and not even the bright sunlight could drown it out. “Those three are Salein, Jorlaan, and Huay.”

“Thank you, challengers. Please bow with me to Prince Sosiri. Do not bring dishonor upon yourselves before our match.”

Beale and the others turned to look at a man sitting atop a throne in the audience. Huay had never seen such an unsettling individual before, and her stomach knotted at his figure. There were no limbs; only a head and a torso. The man had dark skin on his body, but his face was pale and expressionless, with closed eyes and a feeble mouth slightly agape. His face looked like a corpse’s, but his oversized heart bulged through the skin of his chest, pulsing with inhuman speed audible throughout the entire colosseum.

The other four bowed in unison, then lastly Huay followed with her movement stiff and unnatural. Saathraan then bowed once more, this time to his opponents.

The group bowed in return and, with the formalities complete, everyone except Huay took a fighting stance. The battle had begun.

Beale charged in first, the golden aura from her spear more intense than before. A barrage of arrows from Salein complemented the assault and allowed Beale to close the distance as the miniboss dodged each projectile. Jorlaan started inching forward too, already taking huge gasps of air followed by forceful exhales in preparation for what was to come.

Huay kept her distance and awkwardly circled the opponent, admiring the group’s coordination while lamenting her inability to contribute. The simple act of staying on her feet was a test of will for her, and she never got closer than twenty feet to the action and yet even that was too close for comfort. The speed with which everyone else moved was far too overwhelming for there to be any sense of security. All that stood between Huay and her demise was Beale and her Golden Glow.

Beale’s barrage allowed no openings, and it sounded as though there was a gunshot whenever the golden tip of her spear collided against the champion’s pipe. Huay was sure that any normal human being, no matter how athletic, would have died to Beale’s first strike and yet miniboss deflected every blow with ease—even managing to dodge most of the arrows that came his way while doing so.

To Huay, however, it seemed as though Beale had the advantage. Her eyes were not used to seeing such fast movements and so all she could decipher was that Beale was attacking while the miniboss was defending. She didn’t realize that Beale was losing ground with every attack. Saathraaan could manage the recoil better than Beale and he used this to inch forward after every block.

Though Beale was barely holding on, Salein’s arrows occasionally drilled into his side when Saathraan was blocking a stab. The damage was light since her otherworldly arrows dissipated after penetrating and the opponent seemed to hardly bleed at all from the wounds they left, but it was enough to keep stalling a while longer.

Jorlaan was getting close. He had already managed to get behind Saathraan and his breaths continued to deepen until his inhales were heaves that incorporated his entire body and his exhales carried hints of flame.

The gladiator, perhaps realizing that he wasn’t making progress, suddenly leapt back twenty or so feet. He stood still for a few moments, which allowed Salein to land around a dozen arrows at vital points across his body.

Blood exploded out from his wounds and he fell to his knees. Salein kept shooting even while he was down. Her speed and precision with the bow were otherworldly. Several arrows per second penetrated deep into the miniboss though they hardly solicited even a flinch.

Huay stared at the emaciated husk, wondering if he was dead. It was a miracle that he had ever stood in the first place. “Is… it over?” Even if Sathraan was the strongest fighter in the arena by a huge margin, the fight had nonetheless been 3 against 1. The miniboss had been doomed from the start, thought Huay. She was halfway into a breath of relief when Beale shouted.

“No! Keep your distance!”

Saathraan looked up at the group. Salein’s barrage still hadn’t stopped and yet there was a joyful smile was plastered across his bony face; it was as though he had been reunited with an old friend. The pool of blood started to ripple at his feet, and Huay instinctively took a step back.

“Attack when you can, Jorlaan. I’ll take the hit.” The aura of gold disappeared from Beale’s spear. Her armor began to glow in its place.

Saathraan’s blood began to trickle up his legs and then to the rest of his body. The coating of red continued wrapping his skin until only his eyes remained visible, and then those too were covered. His previously scant form ballooned until his musculature became impossibly massive and defined. Salein’s arrows now failed to pierce his crimson armor, leaving only dents in their wake.

The gladiator moved in a flash. His pipe landed firmly on Beale’s shoulder. Her glowing chainmail absorbed much of the blow but it wasn’t enough to keep her standing. She flew back a few feet and landed flat on the ground.

Saathraan approached his now helpless adversary and began beating her to a pulp. Heavy overhand swings bruised skin and cracked bones even through the armor, but the experienced soldier retained just enough agility to dodge any hits to her skull. The miniboss was blindly attacking at this point and showed no concern for efficiently dealing out calculated strikes.

Seeing the unfolding carnage, Huay’s body moved on its own. She sprinted toward Beale and the miniboss to do something—though her mind was blank and she had no plans as to what that would be—blocking Salein’s line of fire in the process.

“Stay back!” shouted Beale. But Huay didn’t listen, the words barely even registered in her head. She couldn’t bring herself to do nothing while Beale was on the verge of death.

“Fucking dumbass!” exclaimed Salein. Jorlaan was already in range. He was sucking in all the air that he could, his lungs seemingly about to burst. The attack would be ready in only a few moments.

Huay made it to Beale and stood in Saathraan’s way.

Before even a single attack could connect, Beale kicked Huay’s leg out from under her, knocking her to the ground beside her. Another attack from Saathraan came, and Beale blocked it messily with her right arm, snapping bones in the attempt.

“Just get up and run!”

Huay stumbled to her feet and tried to scamper off. The miniboss turned his gaze to her, having lost interest in Beale, and took a step in her direction. He raised his club above her head as Huay struggled to get any distance. Huay knew she was about to die, and all she could do was scream.

A deafening rumble filled the arena as a raging vortex of flame spilled from Jorlaan’s mouth. Saathraan had no time to brace himself, as the wide column of fire flew with the speed of a cannonball.

The attack did not merely hit Saathraan, it pushed through his body as easily as it did the surrounding air. Huay was just barely out of the blast radius and yet even she felt as though she were standing inside a kiln. The battle was over.

“Partial Kill. +1207 XP.”

“Level increased to 8.”

“Level increased to 9.”

“Jorlaan! Are you alright!?” Salein called out. Jorlaan was already collapsed on the ground.