It was a quiet night. The children at the orphanage were just about to fall asleep. Silence filled the building—only soft breathing could be heard. Lounis lay in his bed, staring at the stars through the window. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something rushing past. He blinked and looked again, but there was nothing there—no sign of any creature.
Then, out of nowhere, Lounis felt a strange thirst for blood, as if it were coming from the window across the street. But again, no one was there. A faint tremor shook the floor beneath him. It didn't feel like a normal earthquake. A distant scream followed.
With every passing minute, the tremor grew stronger, and the screams got louder—until finally, it all became clear. The shaking wasn't an earthquake. It was the march of an army. The cries were from townspeople calling for help.
The orcs had come. Savage and merciless, they destroyed everything in their path.
But wait… where did they come from?
The Abysse…
But how did they escape?
Suddenly, the door burst open. It was Miss Lily, with the guard Koro beside her.
"Everyone, get up! We have to leave—now!" she shouted. "The orcs are attacking! We're heading to the safe zone!"
As Miss Lily and Koro rushed to evacuate the children, an orc broke into the house. Koro reacted instantly, slaying the beast before anyone could be hurt. But he was exhausted—the journey to the orphanage had already drained him. He had fought many orcs along the way.
With so many children, protecting all of them at once would be impossible. So, they split into two groups.
Koro led the first group of ten children, including Adam and Isabella. Miss Lily took the second group of seven, including Lounis.
They chose separate paths. While Koro led his group, he suddenly felt a powerful aura coming from the direction of Lily's path. But he didn't turn back. He had to protect the children with him. He quickly contacted the organization, requesting they send an A-rank guardian to assist Lily's group.
Meanwhile, the second group ran into danger. A terrifying orc blocked their path—not just any orc, but a leader. His presence was overwhelming, and he wasn't alone.
The orc leader sneered and spoke:
"Kneel and beg for your pathetic lives, humans! You stand before Oghlu, the last Flame Sorcerer."
Miss Lily stepped forward without fear.
"We will never kneel to a monster like you," she said.
Her defiance enraged him. His aura flared, the air grew heavy and hot. A few of the children fainted under the pressure. To protect them, Lily charged with a dagger. But to Oghlu, she was like a fly swiping at a tiger.
With one swing of his wooden staff, he knocked her down. She tried to rise, but couldn't. He stepped on her chest, pressing down hard. She gasped for air.
Lying on the ground, close to losing consciousness, she turned her eyes to Lounis.
Her voice trembled, weak and broken:
"Take the children… and run."
Then she collapsed.
And in that moment, everything changed.
Silence filled the place until Lounis spoke in a cold, mocking voice:
"Still the same, Oghlou. You haven't changed after all these years. You even stole the title of Floor Leader."
Oghlou was surprised and replied,
"Who are you? How do you know me and the Floor Leader?"
Lounis answered,
"It doesn't matter who I am. You're going to die soon anyway. But before I kill you, I want to know—how did you manage to escape the maze?"
Oghlou laughed loudly and said,
"Fine, I'll tell you how we got out. It was your mistake. After you defeated the Floor Leader of the Illusion Floor, a path to the next floor—the Great Orc Army Floor—was opened. But you didn't use it, and you didn't close it either. That was the perfect chance for us, and..."
Lounis interrupted,
"That's enough. I get the idea."
Oghlou spoke arrogantly,
"You think too highly of yourself, boy. If you're really as strong as you say, then stop me from killing this woman—if you can."
He pressed harder on Lady Lily's chest. But in the next moment, black energy chains wrapped around Oghlou's body and started to pull him. Though they didn't move him far, he lost balance, and his foot lifted from Lady Lily.
The chains were thin, and their pull wasn't strong, so they broke easily. But Oghlou was surprised and responded with fire magic, creating fireballs and launching them. Lounis dodged most of them and blocked the rest with a magic shield.
Seeing Lounis's power, Oghlou screamed in anger,
"How are you still alive?! You cursed traitor rat! These powers, this combat skill—even though your body is smaller, I still recognize you! You can't escape! Your fate is—"
Lounis cut him off, speaking calmly,
"Foolish beast. Even if you recognize me, what of it? Since we met in this arena, only one of us will walk away alive. And you've annoyed me by hurting this woman. Enough talking—fight to the death."
Oghlou looked frightened, but he continued to fight.
After many clashes, Lounis finally managed to cut off Oghlou's arm. Though wounded himself, he kept fighting. Oghlou, determined to finish him, launched another attack—but then, something unexpected happened.
A man appeared, holding a scythe and wearing a guard's uniform. Oghlou stared at him and said,
"Who are you? Identify yourself!"
The guard replied,
"I'm Louis, an A-rank guard. I'm here to take you down."
Louis attacked Oghlou with speed, precision, and strength. Oghlou couldn't match him—especially with one arm missing from his fight with Lounis. Oghlou fell to the ground, admitting defeat. But in his last moments, he used a powerful sound spell that forced both Louis and Lounis to cover their ears.
It was a signal—he was summoning the Floor Boss.
Within seconds, a terrifying pressure filled the air. A powerful aura approached.
It was the Orc Floor Boss…