With a deafening roar, the terrain began to change.
The passage we were walking through widened dramatically, transforming into a vast space.
It was about the size of the playground at my old elementary school.
"What the hell!? What's going on!?"
"It's the boss. The boss of this dungeon," Snow said, calmly staring ahead.
What stood before us was—no, to be precise, it wasn't human.
It was a giant humanoid statue.
A golem.
A type of monster confirmed in various dungeons.
But I had never heard of one being this large. It was easily over 5 meters tall.
"What happens if we meet the boss… again?"
"Both of us will die. That is, if we try to fight," she replied.
Fight?
So, there was an option not to fight?
Naturally, I wasn't about to pick the option that would get me killed, so I chose to run.
"Let's go back the way we came!!"
"Sorry. Once you encounter the boss, the path you came from is sealed off," Snow said, her tone still calm.
I spun around, and sure enough, the way we came was blocked—by a solid stone wall.
Even if we broke through it, there was no sign of a passage on the other side.
Panicking, Snow spoke in a composed manner, as always.
"Don't worry. There's a way to escape."
"Oh, thank God. Then—"
"Just you, though. I'll buy you some time. You go."
I froze for a moment.
Just me?
"…I'm not leaving you behind."
"I don't want either of us to die, but if we're going to survive, one of us has to buy time. You can't fight. It's simple logic. You can see it too, can't you? Beyond that golem, there's a passage leading to the exit. Hurry and leave. You don't have to defeat the boss. As long as you reach the exit, you can escape."
Snow spoke matter-of-factly, as though it were all settled.
"What will happen to you…?"
"I'm a spirit. Death doesn't mean the same to me as it does to you."
"Can you be re-summoned?"
"That's impossible."
"Then…!"
"You're the summoner. And I'm your familiar spirit. So, you should know which one of us needs to survive."
The golem began to move.
Despite its imposing appearance, it was unbelievably fast.
"Ha!!"
Snow thrust both hands forward, and a massive ice shield appeared.
A hard, shattering sound echoed as the golem's charge was halted.
The portion of the golem that had collided with the ice began to freeze, but—
As the giant creature moved even slightly, the ice cracked and peeled away like fragile frost.
The ice statues of goblins we had seen earlier had been completely frozen, down to the core. But with a giant like this, it wasn't so simple.
"Hurry up. You've got a few minutes at most."
Snow's voice was as calm as ever.
But the thin sheen of sweat on her face made it clear.
She was pushing herself far beyond her limits, trying to keep up the pretense that everything was fine.
"Survive—because you're hope."
"Hope, huh…?"
"Just go!! If both of us die, it'll be pointless!!"
Snow screamed with a voice filled with desperation.
It was as if she couldn't maintain her facade anymore.
Meanwhile, the ice shield began to groan and crack under the pressure.
What could I do?
The world was different.
I had been destined to die helplessly when I first fell into the dungeon, but now there was a way to survive.
I had to escape.
I had to.
I was a summoner, after all.
Snow had said that I could summon other spirits.
She might end here, but as she said, death didn't mean the same to her.
Even if I couldn't meet her again, so what?
We had only met a few hours ago.
I had to escape.
I was the only one who could.
It was the best option, right?
I started to run.
I tripped on the first step.
I couldn't run properly, but I got up quickly and tried again.
I had to reach the exit.
The golem seemed to notice me, but Snow froze its gaze with a blast of ice.
Enraged, the golem took a step forward.
The ice shield, already cracked, was on the verge of completely shattering.
But I could make it.
I would reach the exit first.
I would survive.
Just me.
"Dammit!!"
Was that the best option—escaping alone!?
No. That's not it!!
The best option was to escape together!!
Without even realizing it, I was running toward the golem at an insane speed.
And with all my force—
A knee strike!
If I could knock it off balance, I'd create an opening!!
I crashed into it with my shoulder.
The impact was immense, and my brain felt like it was rattling in my skull as my vision flickered.
The golem… didn't even flinch.
I'd thought a knee strike would work, but this monster was made of stone.
Its joints weren't the same as a human's.
While I was thinking this, a massive hand—larger than my body—came rushing toward me.
Crack!
The impact was on a whole different level from what I had just tried.
I didn't feel the pain, but I could tell that the parts of my body that absolutely should not be damaged were probably shattered beyond recognition.
I was hurled through the air and slammed into a wall.
As I crumpled to the ground, boulders tumbled down onto me, but I didn't even feel their weight.
"Yūma!!"
I heard a voice calling my name, distant and desperate.
Snow.
If it were you, you could probably escape without me now.
Now that I was gone, you wouldn't have to waste any more time saving me.
Please, choose to survive.
And with that, my consciousness faded.