She’s My Wife, So I’ll Protect Her However I Want

Chapter 07: The Evolved Stone

—Floor 01—

They reached the first floor at last. The silence that greeted them was unnerving.

It wasn't the relief they had expected after barely surviving that fight. Instead, it was something far worse—something unnatural.

Leon exhaled slowly, his hand resting on his sword hilt as his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. "Stay sharp," he murmured. "If something pushed that thing upto 10th floor, we might not be out of danger yet."

No one argued.

They moved carefully, each step calculated, every breath measured. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, as if the entire floor had been abandoned.

But dungeons weren't supposed to be empty.

Arthur adjusted his glasses, his brows furrowed deeply. "This is… highly irregular."

Mira scoffed, but the edge in her voice betrayed her unease. "Irregular? Try terrifying."

Elara tightened her grip on her staff, her violet eyes darting across the dim corridors. "Something isn't right here."

They continued forward, each of them expecting an ambush at any moment. But none came.

Not a single monster.

No lesser goblins. No lurking beasts in the shadows. No signs of movement.

The entire floor was dead.

And that was wrong.

Dungeons had strict ecosystems. The deeper the floor, the stronger the monsters. They didn't just disappear without reason.

Leon's expression darkened. "...We need to inform the guild about this. Whatever's happening here, it's not normal."

Kael remained silent, his gaze lingering on the dungeon's depths before he turned away.

With their unease growing heavier, they pressed on until they reached the entrance.

The cool night air washed over them as they stepped outside, filling their lungs with much-needed relief. The oppressive weight of the labyrinth faded the moment they left, but the questions in their minds remained.

Something was happening inside that dungeon.

And it wasn't natural.

---

At the Adventurers' Guild

The heavy wooden doors of the Adventurers Guild creaked open as Leon, Mira, Arthur, Elara, and Kael stepped inside. The warm glow of lanterns illuminated the vast hall, where adventurers gathered around tables, drinking, laughing, and sharing stories of their latest exploits. However, the moment Kael entered alongside the A-Rank party, a hushed silence spread across the room like a ripple.

Muttered whispers filled the air.

"No way… Kael? That weakling?"

"Did he actually get accepted into an A-Rank party?"

"What kind of joke is this?"

Kael, as usual, remained silent, his expression unreadable. He had long since learned to ignore their words. It wasn't new. The stares, the whispers, the disbelief—it was something he had experienced countless times before.

Leon, walking beside him, clicked his tongue but didn't say anything. Mira rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed by the guild members reactions. Arthur simply adjusted his glasses, pretending not to notice, while Elara, ever the calm one, only let out a quiet sigh.

Ignoring the growing attention, the party approached the large wooden counter at the front of the hall. Behind it stood a young woman, her long auburn hair tied neatly into a braid, her sharp hazel eyes narrowing the moment she saw Kael.

Celeste.

Among the guild's receptionists, Celeste was known for her efficiency—and her open disdain for certain adventurers. Kael, unfortunately, was one of them.

She tapped her fingers against the counter, her lips curling slightly. "Well, well. Look who actually came back alive."

Kael, as always, didn't react. He simply reached into his bag and placed a heavy pouch onto the counter. The soft clinking of stones could be heard from within.

Celeste opened the pouch, raising an eyebrow as she saw the sheer number of magic stones inside. She dumped them onto the counter and started counting, her practiced hands quickly sorting through them.

"...Twenty-five in total," she said flatly. "Is that all?"

Without a word, Kael reached into his bag once more.

And then, he placed the green stone onto the counter.

The moment it hit the wooden surface, a faint pulse of light shimmered across its surface, and Celeste's breath hitched.

Her eyes widened.

"W-What?!" Her voice, usually so controlled, rose in shock. She took a step back, staring at the stone as if it had just spoken to her. "Why do you have this? Where did you find it?"

Leon frowned. "We defeated an Abyssal Warden, and it dropped that stone. Is there a problem?"

Celeste was still staring at the stone, her fingers twitching slightly before she exhaled sharply and forced herself to regain composure.

"You fought an Abyssal Warden?" Her tone was skeptical, but seeing the exhaustion in their faces, she knew they weren't lying. "I see. But do you even understand what this is?"

Arthur adjusted his glasses. "It's obviously not a regular magic stone. Judging by your reaction, it must be something rare."

Celeste nodded."Yes, it is. This is called an Evolved Stone."

A heavy silence followed.

Mira was the first to break the silence. "Okay… and what the hell is it? I've never heard of this named magic stone."

Celeste hesitated for a moment before speaking. "...That's not surprising. Evolved Stones are extremely rare. They only appear when a monster undergoes evolution."

Arthur blinked. "Evolution?"

Celeste nodded. "Yes. But there's something important you should understand."

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.

"You all know that some monsters outside of dungeons evolve over time, right? They adapt, grow stronger, sometimes even mutate. But in a dungeon… that's not supposed to happen."

Mira frowned. "Wait—are you saying dungeon monsters don't evolve?"

Celeste nodded. "Exactly. Dungeons follow strict magical ecosystems. The creatures inside are bound by the dungeon's mana structure. They don't 'grow' like wild monsters. They respawn at fixed strengths. That's how it's always been."

Arthur inhaled sharply. "Then this Evolved Stone…"

Celeste's fingers drummed against the counter. "It shouldn't exist."

Leon's grip on his sword tightened. "...Then why did we find this?"

Celeste exhaled sharply. "That's what makes this so alarming. If a monster in the dungeon did evolve… it means something has disrupted the system. And that is very bad news."

Celeste gave a slow nod. "Also if the Abyssal Warden had an Evolved Stone, then it wasn't a B-Rank threat anymore. It was A-Rank—possibly even stronger."

The realization sank in.

Arthur's fingers curled slightly. "That explains why it was so much stronger than expected..."

Mira let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. "So we basically fought an A-Rank monster without knowing? Great. Just great."

Leon frowned. "That's… concerning. If monsters are evolving more frequently, then the dungeon is definitely unstable."

Elara, who had been quiet, spoke softly. "Ms. Celeste, how rare are these stones?"

Celeste glanced at the glowing green gem. "Rare enough that we usually only see one every few years. And that's in the entire kingdom."

Celeste reached under the counter and pulled out a ledger, quickly jotting down calculations. After a few moments, she looked up.

"For the twenty-five regular stones, that's 25 gold. And for the Evolved Stone… 475 gold. That brings your total to exactly 500 gold coins."

Mira's jaw nearly dropped. "Five hundred coins?! For one trip?"

Celeste gave a small smirk. "Like I said. That stone is rare."

Leon took the pouch of coins and secured it in his belt. "We appreciate the exchange, but there's something else we need to talk about."

Celeste arched a brow. "What is it?"

Leon's expression darkened. "The Abyssal Warden we fought—it was on the 10th floor."

The color drained from Celeste's face. "...The 10th floor? That's way too high for a B-Rank, let alone an evolved one."

Arthur nodded. "Exactly. It wasn't supposed to be there. We barely managed to defeat it."

Celeste looked down, deep in thought. Then she exhaled and closed her ledger. "We've been getting similar reports. Other adventurers have mentioned unusual monster activity. We're already investigating it, but…"

She hesitated.

Elara tilted her head. "But?"

Celeste finally looked up, her expression serious. "If this continues… the entire dungeon might be changing. And if that's the case, then we might be looking at something much worse than just stronger monsters."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Leon nodded grimly. "Let the Guild Master know. Whatever's happening, it's only going to get worse."

Celeste sighed and rubbed her temple. "Yeah. I'll report it immediately." She glanced at Kael for a brief moment before looking away. "...And be careful out there. All of you."

---

(Chapter Ended)