We ventured deeper into the dungeon, pushing further until we reached the sixth stratum. By this point, the air had grown thick — not just with stale dampness but with something far more oppressive. The mana clung to my skin like a cold, invisible shroud, crawling along my arms and neck. Each breath I took seemed to drag that heavy presence into my lungs, leaving me uneasy.
Even here, I couldn't shake the feeling that something lay far deeper within — something far worse than anything we'd seen so far. This place... it felt wrong.
"Don't you feel that?" I asked Rose, my voice lower than I intended.
Rose glanced at me, her expression blank. She was dressed in a black tank top, with leather gloves snugly fitted over her hands — her typical adventurer's attire, it seemed. Even in such a grim setting, she looked stunning. The way her top clung to her curves made it hard to focus, and though her pants covered her legs, her hips and thighs were... well, hard to ignore.
