The Bond That Even Gods Cannot Break

It wasn't something one could describe as a spectacle. In fact, the scene unfolding in front of the girl could only be called a gut-wrenching, bloody battle. Yet, raising her free hand to the sky, Sophia shouted with joy as yet another bee was split in half.

"That's it, Melissa! Finish them off!"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

With a slight scowl, Melissa growled while using the surrounding tree branches to crush the last of the bees attacking them.

"But you can understand where I'm coming from, right? The first time we entered this place, they almost killed us countless times, but now that we’ve grown stronger, they’re the ones running from us!"

As Melissa sighed at her response, Sophia pulled a fluorescent fruit from her newly acquired inventory and began chewing it enthusiastically.

"You have a strong stomach, being able to eat in this situation..." Noticing the girl in her arms ignoring the bloodied bees around them, Melissa protested again. "And shouldn't you be supporting me with the lantern?"

"The situations we've been through these past few days have become so absurd that I think my mind has gotten used to it. Besides, you're taking them out with just one hit each. Using the lantern would be a waste of mana."

Now that the battle was over, Sophia slipped out of Melissa's arms and instructed her to approach the lower half of one of the dead bees.

Touching the defeated monster, its body disappeared into the invisible space of the inventory.

"It seems like we can’t store living things, but as long as they're dead, they’re treated as items, even if they're organic," Sophia murmured, placing a hand on her chin.

"Although defeating regular monsters doesn’t grant rewards directly like the floor boss, it looks like the inventory can also separate the useful parts if we want. But I don’t think this will be all that helpful." Melissa let out a wry laugh as she touched the floating panel and withdrew an object.

---

[Stinger of a Moss Bee]

Rarity: F 

A broken stinger from a moss bee. No remaining venom.

---

"Rarity F? That's the lowest we've gotten so far." Sophia sighed before standing up and pulling some water from the inventory. "Rolling leaves into makeshift cups to scoop water was really smart before we started climbing again."

"Well, we have no idea when we'll find potable water next, so it’s a good idea to stock up as much as we can."

Mirroring Sophia and drinking a bit of water, Melissa scanned the tall, abnormally fluorescent trees of the forest. Whether she looked to the right or left, everything seemed the same, and she shuddered slightly.

"You're sure we're heading toward the exit, right, Snow Curls?"

After resting while they waited for their secondary class cooldown to end, the girls finally left the lower layer of the Fluorescent Forest. However, their adversaries no longer posed a threat, leaving their only challenge the task of finding the way out of the area.

"It’s just like the first time. We just need to memorize the patterns in the rocks on the ceiling. Actually, even the trees work as landmarks, especially since we’ve been destroying the monster bee nests along the way. Plus, as we move away from where we fought the floor boss, the sound of the rivers is getting more distant."

"That brain of yours and your sharp hearing sometimes scare me."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now let's go, we need to make the most of your enhanced strength to cover as much ground as possible."

Sophia jumped onto Melissa as if it was natural at this point that she would catch her. She wrapped her arms around the girl's neck until the familiar notification to choose a stat increase echoed in her mind.

"I put everything into agility. Now go, Melissa!"

"You're having fun with this! Just be careful not to bite your tongue." Growling, Melissa darted through the forest in the direction Sophia pointed.

With their speed boosted by the secondary class and the status enhancement, it didn't take long for the scenery to finally start to change. The dense canopy of trees gradually faded, and when they passed the last tree and emerged into a grassy meadow, the girls could finally see the gigantic rocky wall of the cavern.

"It's still hard to believe this is all underground," Sophia said, gazing at the massive wall, which, like the ceiling, was dotted with white crystals.

"We're in a world with magic. I think it's natural to expect one or two absurdities," Melissa replied, her eyes scanning the grassy field.

Since the entire floor followed a dome-like pattern, as long as they kept moving in a straight line from the entrance, they should eventually find the exit. Indeed, following Sophia's directions, when Melissa crossed the meadow, they found a small wooden door.

The moment Melissa stood before the door, a green glow pulsed around them, and she reverted to her normal state. The one-hour limit on using the secondary class had expired.

"So, what now? Do we go through or wait a few more hours until we can use the secondary class again?" Melissa asked as Sophia stepped out of her arms.

Sophia placed a hand on her chin, thinking for a moment before replying, "I don’t think we should rely on the secondary class all the time. We’ve got plenty of mana now, so we can use the lantern to fight more freely."

Melissa nodded in agreement and reached for the wooden door. The structure offered no resistance, opening easily. Beyond the door was a narrow corridor with a long stone staircase. As soon as they crossed the threshold, a heavy thud echoed behind them. Looking back, they saw that the path they had just traveled was now sealed shut.

With no way back and only the blue light of their lantern to guide them, the two girls exchanged a glance before starting up the stairs. The climb wasn't long, and after a few minutes, they reached what seemed to be the final step.

[Floor Mission – Cross the Fluorescent Forest – Completed]

[2nd Floor – Palace of Crystals]

[Floor Mission – Defeat the floor boss.]

As soon as they stepped onto the final stair, the usual floating red panels appeared.

"Straightforward enough," Melissa said, her amber eyes scanning the instructions.

"Palace of Crystals...? But... is this really right?"

Sophia's words weren’t without reason. When they reached the top, all that lay before them was a vast, dark hall.

Similar to when they entered the Forest Guardian's chamber, nothing could be seen ahead. However, this wasn’t the feeling of stepping into a beast's den, ready to defend its territory. This was different. The darkness that enveloped them felt dense, as deep as staring into an abyss and being unable to see its bottom.

“Hey, this has to be a joke. Is this... water on the ground?” At Melissa’s words, Sophia lowered her gaze.

A transparent liquid reflected the faint blue light of her lantern. What Sophia initially thought was solid ground was actually covered by a thin layer of liquid. It was almost like looking at a vast, still lake.

Casually, Melissa crouched down and touched the liquid with her finger, then brought it to her mouth. The moment the cold substance touched her tongue, her expression twisted in disgust.

“It’s saltwater,” Melissa said, grimacing as she spat a few times.

“Melissa! We don’t know if it’s poisonous. You can’t just put things in your mouth like that!”

“Sorry, sorry. But hey, look on the bright side. It’s not exactly a good thing, but at least stocking up on water in our inventory wasn’t a waste.”

Sophia’s jaw dropped at Melissa’s nonchalant comment. Shaking her head, she pointed the lantern deeper into the darkness.

“Alright… Yay!”

With a thought, Sophia condensed her mana, sending a small blue fireball into the darkness, where it flew for about a hundred meters before vanishing. Throughout its flight, the only thing visible was its reflection in the water.

“This place is huge. It’s way bigger than the Forest Guardian's chamber.”

“What should we do? Keep going or not? Your call.” Melissa turned to Sophia, fully trusting that the brown-haired girl would follow whichever decision she made.

“The goal of this floor is to find and defeat the boss, so it must be in here somewhere. The water doesn’t seem too deep, so it shouldn’t be too much of a health risk. Melissa, do you think we can use the lantern’s flame to keep us warm?”

Although hesitant, Sophia knew there was no turning back once they had crossed the door.

“It’ll be tough to manage the mana cost, but I think I can do it.”

Taking the lead, Melissa held the lantern in place of Sophia. A few moments of concentration were all it took for a faint blue aura to surround them, bringing a comforting warmth.

“If I keep it steady, it should last a few hours.”

“Well done. Let’s go.”

At Sophia’s words, Melissa tightened her grip on the girl’s hand and scanned the room, her sharp eyes searching every corner.

Carefully, both girls stepped into the saltwater, which reached halfway up their shoes, and began walking forward, seemingly without end.

In the pitch-black world of the cave, there were no landmarks or guides. In this absolute darkness, even the deadly buzz of the bees would have been comforting. The confidence they had gained from navigating the first floor was slowly eroding.

Could they still find the way out if they decided to turn back? Sophia recalled various studies on experiments where blindfolded people were instructed to walk in a straight line. No matter how many times the tests were run, they always ended up walking in circles. Would that be the case here as well?

How much time had passed? 

Sophia could check her status window to see the cooldown time on her abilities and get an idea, but she chose not to. 

She could walk around her modern school for a few hours to complete her duties, but caves and forests were far beyond what her physical condition could handle. Sophia feared that if she looked at how long she had been walking, the little mental fortitude she had built would shatter, and she would become exhausted, hindering Melissa. 

“Melissa, is the water rising?” 

Her vision, blurred by the low light, didn’t miss the fact that the water level had already reached their ankles. 

“The floor doesn’t seem level but rather sloped. That must mean we’re heading in the right direction. Let’s go,” Melissa said without turning, her eyes still scanning the darkness for something. 

The air, though cold, wasn’t fresh; it carried a strong smell of salt, and the high salinity made Sophia’s nose itch and her throat sore. Even with the protection of the lantern’s flame and the warm hand she held, everything else felt like it was trying to torture her. 

The discomfort made Sophia wipe the sweat from her forehead more frequently. Her eyes wandered through the darkness, her heart uneasy, but forcing herself to take another step while maintaining her composure, she continued walking. 

“Melissa, what do you think about talking a bit while we walk?” 

“Snow curls, remember why we’re here. We’re not exploring this floor for fun. If I lose concentration, we’ll start freezing in this cold water. You’re proud of your hearing, aren’t you? Then be quiet and try to find where this damned boss is so we can leave.” 

Melissa’s attitude wasn’t wrong, and Sophia knew that. Still, walking in silence through the darkness wasn’t easy. Biting her lip in frustration at having her attempt to calm down with conversation rejected, Sophia tried to focus by closing her eyes. 

Minutes, or maybe hours, passed without them encountering any sound or light besides their wet footsteps and the faint glow of the lantern. 

It was like walking through a labyrinth without walls, just endless darkness. The conditions were getting worse. No matter how far they walked, the water level only seemed to rise. What had once been a small pool barely touching their ankles now reached above their knees. The inevitable physical fatigue turned mental, and Sophia began to think that if this continued, they would be in danger. 

“Don’t you think it might be better to turn back?” 

However, she received no response. 

“Melissa, did you hear me?” Sophia tried to ask again. 

“Tch!” Instead of an answer, what she got was an impatient grunt. 

“I know you can hear me, so don’t pretend you can’t! Answer me!” Sophia raised her voice to the edge of her limit in protest. Each step they took made her body feel heavier, and Melissa’s attitude of ignoring her was starting to fray her patience. 

Abruptly turning, Melissa used their clasped hands to pull Sophia toward her. Her face was sweaty from the exertion of walking, and her amber eyes were sharp with frustration. 

“Can you just shut up!? All I’ve been trying to do is find a path to wherever this damn floor boss is, and all you’ve done this whole time is annoy me!”

The sudden outburst caught Sophia by surprise, but the words directed at her were something she couldn’t let slide. 

“Melissa, can’t you at least try to consider how I’m feeling!? You’re talking like I haven’t done anything this whole time, you idiot!” 

“You were the one who told us to enter, but all you’ve done since then is talk non-stop without contributing any more than that.” 

Sophia’s mind went blank. 

No matter how many steps they took, it felt like crossing an endless desert, with the horizon stubbornly refusing to show them a path. Fatigue and doubt were all that filled Sophia’s mind. She had been trying her hardest to make sense of what little information they had. She wasn’t wasting time.

Her patience snapped like a thread pulled too tight. Sophia pointed her finger at the girl in front of her. 

“Nothing? You think walking in a straight line while holding a lantern is doing something?” 

“Do you even know how hard it is to maintain mana output at an unstable level with this cursed thing? Besides searching for that damned floor boss, I’m also keeping both of us alive!” 

“Weren’t you the one boasting about being good with fire since childhood? Melissa, you loved showing off, and now you’re saying it’s difficult?” 

The moment Sophia realized what had come out of her mouth, she knew it was too late. 

All at once, the warmth surrounding her vanished. Her once-dry clothes, even in the water, began to soak, and the icy coldness crept into her skin. 

“If you think fighting for your life is so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Oh wait, you can’t, can you, princess?”

A laugh colder than the water itself came from the girl in front of her. It wasn’t anger; it was the genuine laughter of someone finding something truly amusing, echoing deep within her bones. 

“You want attention again, don’t you? Just like how your little entourage followed you everywhere because you were the student council president. The way all the students respected you because you were the best in the whole school!” 

“What are you implying?” 

“You want to go back, don’t you? Back to that crappy school, back to that rich family of yours that gives you everything you want! Life in this damn dungeon has been way too hard for the little princess who grew up with everything handed to her!” 

“Shut up!” Grabbing Melissa by the collar of her hoodie, Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs. “You were the one excited about all of this, treating it like some big game! Yes, that’s what this is to you, a game! Including our lives!” 

“See? You want to do it again, don’t you? Hit me just like you did when you killed me!” 

Hatred burned in both their eyes. The heat of their anger blazed inside them like the sun. 

“What are you talking about? It was because you refused to listen to me so many times that the platform collapsed, and a beam ended up in my chest!” 

“Listen to you? It was because I finally listened to you that we’re in this place now, about to die! If I had known it would end like this, I’d rather have stayed alone!”

Each girl gripped the other’s clothing tightly, their racing hearts fueling the urge to fire back at the insults they had just received. 

“If you want so badly to be alone, then go ahead and find your way to survive without me!” 

“Fine! I can find a way out of here on my own! Go away!” 

Fueled by their anger, both girls turned their backs on each other and began walking in opposite directions. 

For the first time since they had faced death together… 

The two hands that had been clasped from the very start... 

Let go.