Chapter 90: Quetzalcoatl

[Congratulations. You have obtained a Gliding Wing.]

[Congratulations. You have obtained Glock 22.]

“Yes! A gun!!” the soldiers cheered when they saw the contents of the chest James opened. As usual, James had unlocked them with the ritual he always performed.

“Yes, yes. You can have the gun,” James sighed as he inspected the metal wing from the other chest. He already had a bow skill, so he wasn’t interested in firearms—especially since ammunition was far more expensive.

The Gliding Wing reminded him of those sci-fi superhero movies. James couldn’t help but wonder if these dungeons would eventually turn into full-blown science fiction, with plasma guns and lightsabers replacing swords and bows.

[Gliding Wing]
A device made by a deceased alchemist who wished to soar through the sky. This is a failed prototype, as it requires air propulsion from beneath and behind the wing to remain airborne. It cannot reach beyond a certain altitude.
To install the wing, simply strap it to your back.
Warning: The straps are fragile and tear easily. If they are cut mid-flight, the survivor will fall.

“Damn. You should’ve given me this stuff from the beginning!” James cursed under his breath. If he’d had this wing earlier, navigating the poison swamp would’ve been a breeze. Crossing that cliff would’ve been trivial too—just fly over it.

“Sir, we’ve found a blue portal!”

“Huh? Where?” James asked.

It was true. After crawling through a narrow vent that barely fit the soldiers, they discovered a hidden chamber containing a portal. A lever was conveniently put next to the portal, and pulling it revealed the altar room they had come from.

When they stepped through the portal, they were transported to the fourth floor—right to the outskirts of the goblin town.

“So this was the true path… I should have known,” James muttered. On one hand, he was glad the system didn’t block him from using unconventional methods like flying—but he frowned. This route would’ve made things far easier from the beginning.

The group returned to the eighth floor. Since they didn’t have to fly back, they carried the corpse of their fallen comrade with them. James also retrieved his raptor, which he had left near the cliff’s edge. By the time they reached the fortress on the sixth floor, the sun had nearly set.

Rather than carrying the corpse themselves, the soldiers had the ingenious idea of loading it onto James’ raptor. James didn’t mind, but he had expected soldiers to treat their dead with a little more reverence.

They cut logs from the forest and brought out wooden tables and chairs to be used as firewood. James lit the bonfire while the soldiers roasted meat butchered from the serpent.

“Boss, would he have liked this?” the captain asked, glancing over at their fallen comrade.

“I like it when I’m winning. That’s why I don’t like it when you guys lose and die like that. I’m not like Andrew or Kouki. I don’t want to be responsible for your lives,” James replied flatly.

“I see. Well… it’s nobody’s fault. We chose this path. We’ll do better. What do you think is on the other side of that giant door?”

“A boss monster,” James said.

“Stronger than this one?”

“Stronger than this one.” James nodded. He was convinced—whatever awaited them beyond that door would be a far deadlier foe.

The conversation died there. The soldiers ate in silence and retired to sleep, leaving two of them on night watch. James followed soon after.

“Three dead. One wounded. That left six who were combat-ready. If the last boss was as cunning as the lamia… then more would die.” James thought

Morning came swiftly. James returned to the giant door, carrying both medallions with him. As they approached, the gate reacted differently this time. Both the gate and the pedestal glowed with a purple light, and the medallions James carried flared in response.

He hesitated for a moment, then placed the medallions on the pedestal. The round gate creaked as it slid open, driven by some invisible force.

James stepped through, where two humanoid eagles stood silently on either side of the entrance. No words were exchanged. Their mission was clear—guard the portal and protect the king. James’ mission was just as clear—kill the dungeon king. He drew his halberd and shield.

The gate led into a cylindrical dome. The portal at the far end remained dark. James assumed he would have to defeat these guards before it would activate and allow passage to the ninth floor.

The two birdmen immediately took flight, drawing longbows in mid-air. They might have been elite marksmen, but against American-trained soldiers—men from the land of guns—they stood little chance. One soldier, newly armed with the Glock 22, fired in the blink of an eye. The bullet flew straight at the birdman on the left.

Another soldier, equipped with James’ rifle, took aim and squeezed the trigger just a moment earlier—faster than the hawkman could fire his arrow. James was impressed by their reaction speed.

“They’re still alive!” one soldier exclaimed.

These enemies were elite. A single bullet wasn’t enough to bring them down. But the shots forced them to the ground, and that gave James and his team the opening they needed to surround and finish them off.

“I’ll handle the left! You take the right!” James ordered as he leapt with his axe in hand. With a single, powerful swing, he crushed the birdman’s head.

“Powerslash!” one soldier shouted, unleashing a weapon skill. They had grown stronger. Their levels had risen, and thanks to the coins James gave them, they had leveled up their weapon skills.

[Congratulations. You have defeated an Eagle Watcher. You have obtained 50 coins.]

James frowned. The kill didn’t even grant him a level up in his class. Still, with the death of the Watchers, the previously unlit portal suddenly glowed blue, signaling that it was ready to transport them to the next floor.

Without further ado, James stepped into the portal to the ninth floor. The system flashed a warning.

[Warning: Survivors cannot return to the previous floor once they take this portal. Are you sure you want to continue?]

James hesitated. Had he missed a chest or two? Maybe. But he didn’t want to waste any more time in this hellhole. The longer he stayed, the more time slipped by in the real world. He was fine with that, but the soldiers—his men—had families.

James nodded, and white light enveloped him, carrying him to the next floor.

As the light faded, James stood in the middle of an open arena. A dense jungle loomed all around, framing the battlefield in green shadows. On his left stood a massive statue of Quetzalcoatl, the winged serpent dragon, standing guard in silence.

Moments later, more flashes of light appeared beside him—his soldiers and raptors had arrived.

“Are we going to explore that jungle this time?” the captain asked, eyeing the dense trees with a sigh. They had trained hard, but exploring a jungle without proper equipment was dangerous. They could get lost, catch disease, fall into traps, or be ambushed.

“No,” James replied. “Based on my experience, there should be a boss monster here somewhere. It’s likely to challenge us in this arena.”

True to his words and experience, the monster soon appeared. A flying serpent glided through the sky. It was smaller than James expected—slightly smaller than the snake he had fought on the third floor. But size didn’t equate to power in this world. James quickly changed his mind about underestimating the boss as dark clouds gathered overhead.

The serpent glared down at the intruders from the heavens. Its white horn glowed blue, and lightning bolts shot out from it. Using its four wings, the Quetzalcoatl swam through the air, raining bolt after bolt of lightning on the helpless soldiers and James below.

“Take cover!” the soldiers shouted as they scattered. Gusts of wind blew from all sides, causing leaves and branches to lurch.

A bolt of lightning blasted down toward James and the soldiers, shattering the paved tiles of the arena and sending pebbles and shrapnel flying.

“ARGH!!” One unlucky soldier was struck, collapsing unconscious and twitching on the ground. The other soldiers drew their guns and aimed at the sky, but the strong winds threw off their aim. Bullets veered off course, narrowly missing the Quetzalcoatl.

James drew his bow. It was time to test his new skill [Homing Shot]. Golden motes of light glowed from the arrow. When James released it, the arrow transformed into a golden meteor that streaked toward the Quetzalcoatl, unwavering even against the howling wind.

The serpent roared. A bolt of lightning shot from its horn, striking the homing arrow mid-flight and deflecting it. The golden meteor and blue lightning clashed in the air, exploding on impact and leaving behind only smoke and frustration.

Seeing how easily the serpent deflected his arrow, James felt despair. He had just lost his only reliable way of damaging the creature from afar. With no choice left, he dashed for cover, hoping the beast would soon tire and descend.

Another bolt flew straight at James, striking him in the shoulder. He groaned as lightning coursed through his body. His consciousness flickered and he collapsed to the ground, his legs weak and trembling. Thanks to his high level and stats, James suffered only a minor burn.

Sensing danger looming overhead, James rolled to the side with all the strength he had left. Moments later, a barrage of lightning bolts hammered the spot where he had just been.

He pulled himself up, though his legs still trembled from the earlier shock. But he endured. The serpent showed no signs of landing any time soon. As James looked over at his raptor, originally intending to take it into the jungle, an idea struck him.

He sprinted to the raptor as lightning rained behind him, then quickly strapped the gliding wing to his back. The powerful gusts of wind inside the arena turned out to be a blessing—he didn’t even need to use wind magic to lift off into the sky.

With halberd in hand, James turned to face the Quetzalcoatl once more. This time, it was an aerial battle.

The flying serpent glared at James, amused. It was the king of the skies, yet a foolish human dared to challenge its dominion.

Bolts of lightning burst from its horn, but they struck an ice shield cast by James. Then, executing a tight aerial maneuver like a fighter jet, James soared toward the serpent and swung his halberd. The blade grazed the creature’s white-blue fur, drawing a trickle of blood that stained its silken coat red.

Unfortunately, without solid footing, James couldn’t activate his weapon skill in midair. The Quetzalcoatl hissed at the human who dared lay a scratch on it.

James tightened his grip and angled his wing toward the serpent again. The battle for the skies would be decided purely by stats—and real skill.

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Author notes (In case if you are confused how many portals in this dungeon)
Floor 1 desert. 2 portals 

Floor 2 fortress 3 portals 2 go to first floor 1 go to 3rd floor

Floor 3 jungle 2 portals 1 up 1 down

Floor 4 town 3 portals  1 up 2 down

Floor 5 forest 3 portals. 2 up 1 down (curse swamp)

Floor 6 fortress 3 portal. 2 down 1 go to 8 floor

Floor 7 dragonkin 1 portal to 8th floor

Floor 8 giant door 1 go to floor 7 1 go to floor 6)