Cursed Villainess’ Obsession

As the cool, underground air brushed against our skin, we reached the third floor.

At the bottom of the stairway, we found a narrow, long hallway. And at the end of the corridor was an open exit, from which a soft blue glow seeped in. The usual darkness of the underground dungeon felt oddly tranquil, illuminated by that sacred blue light.

“The guardian should be up ahead.”

“…Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“It’ll be fine. Raphne and I will handle it quickly.”

I gently patted Emily’s head, trying to ease her nerves. With Raphne and me leading the charge, most battles could be wrapped up without much trouble. But Emily, as the party’s healer, still kept a vigilant air about her, which was both endearing and reassuring. Smiling, I stepped forward.

━Whoosh.

As we approached the glowing exit, a strange gust of wind blew toward us—odd, given we were underground.

‘…Is that really wind?’

The faint scent of a beast lingered on the breeze. With that strange wind tingling our skin, we cautiously emerged from the exit into a vast open space.

“So that’s where the blue light was coming from,” Raphne murmured.

Just as she noted, the interior of the hall was covered in self-illuminating blue moss and glowing rocks. And on the far end of the hall lay a shimmering blue pond, brighter than anything else in the space.

[ ━Grrrr. ]

Of course, in front of the pond lay the guardian of this dungeon—the boss monster—staring at us with a menacing gaze.

“It’s a beast-type monster. Watch out for any sudden moves! And Lize, stay close to Emily!”

The creature blocking our way to the pond was a white tiger, its fur shining blue under the light’s reflection. A white tiger, yet not the kind we’d usually picture; this one had some unusual features. For one, it didn’t just have two eyes—it had four, with a smaller eye beneath each of the normal ones. The patterns in its fur also differed from typical tigers, and its claws were wickedly sharp, almost like blades.

The moment we stepped out of the hallway, the tiger, which had been lying down, slowly rose and ambled toward the outer wall, never taking its eyes off us.