The Eyebat twisted and writhed, its oversized eye darting wildly as it fought to break free. But no amount of thrashing could loosen its bonds.

  "Let’s end this. Vanguards, take it down—just make sure not to damage the eye. I have some use for it."

  One of the Vanguards stepped forward, with a deliberate swing, it's blade sliced cleanly through the creature. The Eyebat eye, once glowing with a sinister red light, flickered out, leaving behind nothing but a lifeless, glassy stare.

  [Your slimes have defeated an Eyebat. EXP +2.]

  I exhaled slowly, the tension in my chest easing slightly. Without the Eyebat to call for reinforcements, the immediate threat of being overwhelmed was finally gone.

  The creature’s death wasn’t just about earning experience points. As I stepped closer, my eyes fixed on its massive, lifeless eye. I crouched down, inspecting it carefully. A faint grin tugged at my lips.

  "One down," I muttered to myself. "This is one of the ingredients I needed to craft that item."

  Crafting.

  The concept of using materials to create items—a staple in almost every game out there, and Dungeon End was no exception. But crafting in this world was far from simple. The challenge didn’t lie in the act itself but in acquiring the materials.

  In Dungeon End, floors weren’t static. They reset, environments changed, and the monsters inhabiting them shifted. That randomness meant you couldn’t just farm a specific floor for materials unless you were lucky enough to find it again. Grinding for the exact ingredient you needed was extremely daunting.

  And yet, here I was, standing in the Hall of Silent Watchers, one of the few floors where I knew I could find the essential crafting ingredients. The kind of item that had such great usage it would remain useful for the rest of my playthrough. Even back when I played my Bloodzerker, I had Elara craft and use that item to help me climb the tower. It had been invaluable then, and now, it was my turn to create it.

  I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. The task wasn’t pleasant, but it had to be done.

  I crouched beside the Eyebat’s lifeless body, its grotesque and oversized eye still staring blankly ahead. Without hesitation, I dug my hands into its eyelid, the slick, moist surface squelching unpleasantly under my fingers. The disgusting texture clung to my skin as I worked to loosen the eye from its socket.

  With a sharp tug, I began scooping the massive eyeball out, the wet sound of it detaching from its casing making even me grimace. As I pulled, thin veins and ligaments stretched and clung stubbornly to the back of the eye.

  “Come on,” I muttered, giving one last firm yank. The veins snapped with a sickening pop, and the eyeball came free, dripping with fluid as I held it up.

  Inside the now-vacant socket, something gleamed faintly. The Eyebat’s crystallized heart. With a quick motion, I reached in and retrieved it as well.

  I stood up, holding both the massive eyeball and the crystallized heart, ready to tuck the eye into my pouch.

  “Wait!” Lila’s voice cut through my focus.

  I glanced down at her, sitting on the edge of my pouch, her tiny face scrunched up in pure disgust. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice rising.

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  “Uh…” I gestured to the massive, bloodied eyeball in my hand. “I’m putting this away.”

  Lila’s eyes widened, and she threw her hands up, shaking her head vigorously. “No! No, no, no! Are you seriously going to put that thing in here? A bloodied eyeball the size of me? In this limited space? Are you insane?”

  I blinked, taken aback by her reaction. “I mean… yeah? Where else am I supposed to put it?”

  Lila crossed her arms, her tiny form showing exasperation. “This pouch is pretty much my home at this point! I’m not sharing it with that! Find another solution!”

  I stared at her for a moment, then down at the gruesome eyeball. “Okay, fair point,” I admitted.

  Thinking quickly, I turned to one of the nearby Rangers. “Hey, you!” I called out, holding up the eye.

  The slime wobbled slightly in acknowledgment, its crossbow quivering in its hands.

  “New job,” I said, tossing the eyeball toward it. “You’re carrying this.”

  The Ranger reacted instantly, absorbing the massive eye into its body. The surface of the slime rippled as it sucked the eyeball, the object floating eerily within its translucent form.

  “There. Problem solved,” I said, brushing my hands off.

  Lila peeked out cautiously, her expression still wary but slightly relieved. “Using the Rangers as porters… I guess that works. Just keep it away from me.”

  “Noted,” I said, smirking slightly. “Besides, they’re at the backline. They’ll be fine.”

  With the eye safely stored, I turned my attention back to the task ahead. The danger wasn’t clear yet.

  And now, I had the first key ingredient for the item I planned to craft.

  My eyes darted toward the hallways branching off from the grand chamber. Sure enough, the four gargoyles were still advancing.

  “Five total,” I muttered.

  Before I could give the next command, a notification popped into view:

  [Your slimes have defeated a Stone Gargoyle. EXP +3.]

  A faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Make that four.”

  It seemed the slimes I’d assigned to the lone gargoyle had finished the job while I was focused on the Eyebat. Their efficiency was improving with every encounter.

  “Alright,” I said, raising my voice to address the slimes. “Four left. Tanks, get into position! Vanguards, support them! Rangers, spread out and take aim!”

  After a few minutes of focused coordination, it didn’t take long for my slimes to handle the remaining four gargoyles earning me an additional twelve experience point. Using the same tactics that had worked so well before, the tanks held the line while the Vanguards and Rangers dealt the killing blows.

  Unfortunately, gargoyles weren’t exactly known for their material value. At the end of the day, they were just piles of animated rocks—no useful crafting ingredients to be found. But what they did have were crystallized hearts, and I wasn’t about to leave those behind.

  With the battle finished, I took a moment to breathe and strategize.

  “Are we going to the next floor now? Or you going to grind for levels in this floor?” Lila asked.

  I shook my head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “No, we’re not leaving yet,” I replied.

  “So we’re farming for experience here?”

  "Kind of," I replied, keeping my tone steady. "But this won’t be your usual farming run. We’re not focusing on experience this time."

  Lila tilted her head in curiosity. “What do you mean?”

  I gestured toward the shattered remains of the gargoyles. “We’re not here to grind the gargoyles. They’re tough, sure, but they’re not the reason we’re staying. We’re focusing on the Eyebats.”

  “Eyebats?” she repeated, blinking. “Because they aren’t dangerous?”

  I shook my head, smirking slightly at her assumption. “Not because they aren’t dangerous. But because they have something I’m interested in.”

  Her eyes widened slightly. “Are we staying to farm more of their eyes?” she asked, her face wrinkling in mild disgust at the thought of handling them.

  I shook my head. “No, I only need one for the ingredient requirement. Though…” I paused, glancing at the remains of the Eyebat. “Their eyes are valuable materials. They sell for far more than a low-ranked crystallized heart, so yeah, I’ll be taking all the eyes we come across. But that’s not why I’m going to focus on them.”

  Her brow furrowed as she tilted her head in confusion. “What else do they have that’s worth all this trouble?”

  I leaned back slightly, crossing my arms as I surveyed the dark hallways ahead. “They have something I’m interested in.”

  “Something… like what?”

  I glanced down at her, my smirk widening. “It’s an ability. One I want to add to my arsenal. It’ll be my first new ability since I got here.”

  Lila’s curiosity deepened, her expression shifting from confusion to intrigue. “Your first new ability? You mean...”

  “That correct, we’re not leaving until we find one of their awakened crystallized hearts. That’s the goal.”

  It’s time for me to learn a new skill for the first time.