They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 211: Staging Area!

I opened my eyes, rolling my shoulders as the new stats settled in.

From the chamber ahead, the Mini-Boss let out a deafening, agonizing shriek as Edric’s blade finally severed its head from its shoulders.

The heavy thud of the monster hitting the floor echoed into the corridor, followed by the sound of Mira’s triumphant laughter.

A moment later, they stepped out of the hidden chamber, covered in monster ash and glowing with residual mana.

Garf rolled his massive shoulders, his joints popping loudly, while Mira stretched her arms high above her head with a satisfied groan.

Tessa immediately shot to her feet and hurried over to the two veterans, her eyes wide with undisguised awe.

She started chattering animatedly with them, asking how Mira managed to perfectly time her shots around Garf’s shield bashes.

Mira grinned, clearly enjoying the adoration, and threw an arm around Tessa’s shoulders to explain her archery stance.

Edric didn’t join the celebration. He casually wiped a streak of purple miasma off his blade, sheathed it, and turned to the dark corridor ahead.

"Let’s go," Edric said, his voice cutting through the chatter.

Rolf immediately stepped forward, his hands raised in a nervous gesture.

"Wait... don’t you think we now should at least rest for a minute? We just fought a Mini-Boss! We need to recover our mana and stamina. Let’s just catch our breath and come back later for the floor boss, it’s not like it’s going to go—"

"No," Edric interrupted, not even looking back.

And just started walking.

The rest of the party exchanged tired glances.

Mira let out a long, dramatic sigh, unstringing her bow for the walk. "He’s right, though. The faster we clear this, the better. Let’s move."

As the group fell into formation behind Edric, I kept my eyes locked on Rolf.

The rogue had fallen to the rear again. His head was down, and his hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were bone-white.

He was losing control of the situation. I couldn’t wait anymore. I had to tell Edric.

So, I quickened my pace, weaving past Yenna and Garf until I was right behind Edric’s dark cloak.

I reached out, grabbing his shoulder.

"Edric, listen—" I started, keeping my voice low.

But before I could say anything more...

RUMBLE!

The word died in my throat.

As a massive, deafening tremor violently shook the entire seventh floor. It wasn’t the natural, settling groan of a dungeon. It was sharp, explosive, and terrifyingly violent.

"What the hell?!" Garf roared, planting his shield as the ground heaved beneath us.

"The floor!" Mira screamed.

The stone corridor directly ahead of Edric simply ceased to exist, collapsing into a massive, yawning chasm. A thick cloud of choking dust and debris exploded upward.

"Run!" Edric shouted, spinning around.

The dungeon began to tear itself apart.

The walls splintered, massive chunks of the ceiling raining down like artillery fire.

We sprinted blindly back the way we came, diving into a maze of interconnecting corridors that branched off the main path. The air filled with the deafening roar of collapsing stone and the panicked shouts of the party.

"This way!" Garf yelled, pointing toward a reinforced archway.

I pushed Tessa ahead of me, ensuring she was running right behind Mira. "Keep moving! Don’t look back!"

I barked.

Suddenly, a terrifying crack echoed right behind me.

The floor gave way.

Scarlet, who had been guarding our rear, let out a sharp gasp as the stone beneath her boots simply vanished into the dark abyss below.

She fell.

"Scarlet!" I roared, throwing myself backward.

I slammed onto my stomach, my upper body hanging over the edge of the newly formed chasm, and shot my hand out.

My fingers clamped around her wrist just as she dropped out of sight.

Above us, the ceiling groaned. A massive, jagged boulder the size of a carriage detached from the roof, plummeting directly toward us.

Fuck!

[Target: Falling Boulder -> Modify Property: Mass = 0.1 lbs]

[Target: Falling Boulder -> Modify Property: Air Resistance = Max]

The boulder hit my back, but it felt like being struck by a large pillow. It bounced harmlessly off me and tumbled into the abyss.

"Pull!" Scarlet grunted, digging her claws into the side of the cliff.

With a surge of my newly allocated Strength, I hauled her upward. She scrambled over the ledge, panting heavily. I didn’t give us a second to breathe. I grabbed her hand and we sprinted into the nearest stable corridor, outrunning the cascading wave of collapsing rock.

Finally, the deafening roar of destruction subsided, replaced by the eerie, choking silence of settling dust.

I stood in the dark, coughing up powdered stone, my Light Orb flickering dimly through the haze.

"Is everyone okay?" I called out, wiping my watering eyes.

But...

Only the echo of my own voice answered.

I froze.

The dust slowly began to clear, revealing a dead-end cavern. There was no Edric. No Garf. No Mira. No Yenna. No Rolf.

And no Tessa.

My heart completely stopped. The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold and numb.

"Tessa?" I shouted, my voice cracking with pure panic.

I ran back to the collapsed tunnel entrance, pulling frantically at the massive boulders blocking the path.

"Tessa! Edric! Anyone?!"

Nothing.

She’s gone, a suffocating wave of terror gripping my chest.

She’s separated. And she’s down here with Rolf.

"Scarlet!" I spun around, my breathing ragged. "Track them! Find her scent!"

Scarlet was already on her hands and knees, her nose twitching frantically as she sniffed the dust-choked air.

She let out a frustrated, whining growl.

"I can’t... Jin, I can’t smell her. There’s too much crushed stone. The collapse ruined the scent trails. I don’t even know which corridor they took."

I stared at the rubble, my hands trembling violently.

A dark, terrifying rage began to boil in my stomach, mixing with the volatile dark lightning in my core. I clenched my fists so hard my short nails bit into my palms, drawing blood.

"We’re going to find them," I snarled, my voice dropping to a lethal, vibrating pitch. "If he touches one hair on her head..."

I spun around, stepping forward toward a narrow passageway leading deeper into the dark.

CLICK!

My boot pressed down on a raised stone tile.

BOOM!

The ground beneath me instantly detonated.

A concussive shockwave of pure fire and shrapnel erupted from the floor but my agility saved my life; I threw myself backward a fraction of a second before the blast could turn me into mist, but the shockwave still slammed into my chest, throwing me through the air.

I hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop, coughing violently as the smoke burned my lungs.

"Fuck!" I cursed, forcing myself up onto one knee, drawing Oathstorm in a blur of motion. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Through the thick, swirling smoke of the explosion, the shadows along the cavern walls began to detach themselves.

One by one, five figures stepped into the dim light of my orb.

They were all wearing the exact same pitch-black cloaks as the executioners we had killed on the fourth floor.

Their faces were obscured by deep hoods, and the poisoned steel of their drawn blades gleamed with lethal intent.

The staging area.

We had found it.