The group moved in tense silence, their footsteps crunching softly against the forest floor. The weight of Ludwig’s rebuke lingered, a heavy cloud of unspoken guilt. Even Kassandra, usually quick with a quip to lighten the mood, remained quiet.
Despite the grim atmosphere, Ludwig’s mind raced. The lizardman’s death had given him more than just a Wayward Soul—it had revealed the dungeon’s deeper mechanics. If souls could be ranked and used to enhance his abilities, then every battle wasn’t just survival; it was an opportunity. The realization felt both exhilarating and grim, like a secret whispered by the dungeon itself.
As they pushed further east, the dense trees began to thin, giving way to a wide clearing. Ludwig’s sharp eyes quickly took in the scene before him, and his breath caught in his throat.
The clearing was a war zone.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground, none dead for some reason but most moaning in pain. Blood soaked the dirt in dark patches, didn’t look like it was human, at least mostly, and the air was thick with the iron tang of spilled life. Several lizardman corpses, their twisted forms sprawled in grotesque angles, were mingled among the injured students. Broken spears and shattered shields littered the area like discarded debris.
In the center of the carnage stood the remains of a flagpole, the banner once mounted there now tattered and stained. It lay crumpled on the ground, a stark reminder of their predicament. The flag—an emblem of safety and escape—was no longer flying.
A noblewoman knelt near one of the injured students, her hands glowing with a soft green light as she channeled healing magic into his wounds. Her face was pale, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. It was clear she’d been working tirelessly, but her efforts weren’t enough to undo the damage, but enough to lessen it.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” a familiar voice sneered.
Ludwig turned to see Bron, his face twisted in anger. He was leaning against a tree trunk for support, his torn clothing exposing bruises and gashes across his body. A makeshift bloodied bandana covered his forehead.
“What happened?” Ludwig asked, his voice calm despite the rising tension.
“What happened?” Bron repeated, his words dripping with sarcasm. “While you were off playing scout, this happened! We were out here fighting for our lives while you strolled around doing nothing!”
Ludwig’s group bristled at the accusation, but Ludwig held up a hand to silence them. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene, his mind working through the pieces.
“I don’t know what you’re so mad about,” Kassandra said, stepping forward with a defiant glare. “We were doing exactly what we were supposed to—scouting. If you got yourselves into this mess, that’s on you.”
“This mess?” Bron snapped, pushing off the tree and staggering toward them. “You think this is just a mess? We were ambushed! While you were out wandering around, we were out here, bleeding and dying!”
Ludwig’s patience thinned as he took a step forward, his expression unreadable. “We scouted ahead, like we agreed,” he said evenly. “But it looks like you didn’t hold up your end of the deal. You left the position we agreed on. Why?”
Bron faltered, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. “We—”
“You rushed ahead,” Ludwig continued, his voice hardening. “You made a scene. You attracted every lizardman in the area. And now, you’re blaming us for your stupidity.”
“You little—!” Bron snarled, his hand flying to his wand.
Ludwig didn’t flinch. He took another step forward, his voice lowering into a cold, steely tone. “What are you going to do, Bron? Attack me? Then what? You’ll be down one more ally. But go ahead—prove to everyone here how good of a leader you are. You couldn’t protect anyone even with your superior ‘firepower’.”
Bron froze, his hand trembling as he gripped the wand.
“Enough!” a noblewoman with golden hair shouted, her voice cutting through the tension. She stepped between the two of them, her expression exasperated. “We don’t have time for this. The flag is down, that thing is still out there, and it is not alone.”
Ludwig turned to her, his gaze steady. “And what’s your plan?” he said mockingly.
She hesitated, glancing around at the injured students. “We wait,” she said finally. “The teachers will come. They have to.”
“Do they?” Ludwig asked, tilting his head. “What if this is part of the test? What if they want us to figure it out on our own? You think they’ll swoop in and save us because we’re hurt? Think again. This is the Black Tower Academy. You’re not here to be coddled. You’re here to survive.”
Ludwig did a quick headcount, “Also, two of you guys are missing, and I don’t see their bodies… I can give a rough guess, either dead or kidnapped, both should require the attention of a teacher or the intervention of, none happened though,” he said to female student. “But there should be another way out.”
“We don’t have a way out!” Bron shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of his frustration. “The flag is the only way, and it’s down! What would a commoner like you know about any of this?”
Ludwig’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. “This is a dungeon,” he said slowly. “And what do you do in a dungeon?”
Bron stared at him, his anger giving way to confusion.
“You kill the boss,” Ludwig said simply.
A ripple of uncertainty passed through the group.
“That’s insane,” Bron muttered, shaking his head. “You didn’t see it. That thing is unkillable. If it weren’t for an artifact I had, we’d all be dead. You don’t know what it’s capable of.”
“I know enough, after all, we met it before you, and look at my group, they’re all safe and sound” Ludwig countered. “It’s blind during the day. It tracks by sound. You brought it here with your noise. If you’d stayed quiet, it wouldn’t have found you.”
Bron opened his mouth, then closed it again, the truth of Ludwig’s words cutting deeper than any blade.
“And what’s your plan now?” Ludwig continued, his voice unwavering. “Sit here and wait for rescue? Hope the lizardmen don’t find you before the sun sets? Because if you think it’s bad now, imagine what happens when they can see you. they’re cold blooded reptilians, they’re blind as a bat during the day, but at night, they’ll have better vision than any of us.”
The sun hung low in the sky, its light casting long shadows across the clearing. Ludwig’s words settled heavily over the group, the implications too grim to ignore.
Kassandra placed a hand on Ludwig’s shoulder, her touch grounding him. “What are you going to do?” she asked softly.
Ludwig glanced at her, then at the rest of the group. “What I always do,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll find a way out.”
He turned and started walking toward the edge of the clearing.
“Where are you going?” Hoyo called after him.
“To clear this dungeon,” Ludwig said without looking back. “With or without your help.”