The torches in the boss chamber flared to life all at once—an unnatural, synchronized ignition that bathed the ancient stone in a flickering orange glow.

  Dust stirred from the ground.

  No—not the ground.

  From its skin.

  The Black Scorpion was larger than any they’d faced so far, its obsidian carapace shedding centuries of grit like a waking god sloughing off sleep. Every twitch of its legs scraped against the silence, a chorus of claws on stone.

  Opel stepped forward and spoke a quiet prayer. A golden sheen passed over the group—[Divine Protection].

  Asha didn’t wait. She slammed her staff into the floor and threw up an [Ice Wall] between them and the creature, jagged frost rising like defensive spears. Protective instinct. She always shielded Opel first.

  To their right, Maya’s hands danced with methodical purpose. Her spell required time—more than most—but no one questioned her preparation. Not now.

  The [Swordsman] flanked left, Boris to the right, standing beside Opel in silent readiness. Boris twirled his spear once, loosening his grip.

  Kana exhaled and drew the string of her bow. Her arrow pulsed faintly, a glint of skill radiating through the tip—[Trueshot] humming just beneath the surface. She didn’t loose it. Not yet. She was waiting. Watching.

  Her gaze flicked behind her.

  Suri.

  Still.

  Eyes glassy. Head tilted slightly.

  Not casting. Not preparing.

  Kana narrowed her eyes. That was the look Suri wore when she was seeing through her illusion’s eyes. Somewhere distant. Somewhere else.

  She had considered that the dungeon was low-level—but they were still in the boss room. That alone made it significant. Something important might have happened.

  Why now?

  …

  “Ugh—!”

  Kana staggered, her hand tightening around the grip of her bow as another spike of pain stabbed through her skull. This damned headache—worse now, like something trying to crawl behind her eyes.

  She hissed in a breath, steadying herself.

  “Opel!” she called out. “Now—use your [Weaken]!”

  The tank didn’t hesitate. His gauntlet flared with dim light as he slammed it into the floor. The skill rippled forward like a shockwave, curling toward the Scorpion just as lightning cracked down from above—Maya’s spell landing with pinpoint precision.

  The boss reeled.

  And then—it froze.

  With her [High Awareness], Kana felt it—an invisible shift in the air, like a string pulled taut and suddenly released. The dungeon boss couldn’t move. Stun effect?

  She didn’t know how she recognized it. The knowledge came without thought, instinctual. A whisper in her mind, perhaps from the Text of God—or maybe something deeper. She could question it later.

  Right now, it didn’t matter.

  The boss was open. Vulnerable.

  It was only for a moment. But a moment was enough.

  “Now!” Kana shouted.

  The [Swordsman] was already surging forward, blade glinting with skill light as he slashed in a brutal arc toward the creature’s leg joints.

  Boris didn’t hold back unlike before. He charged with a cry, invoking his own sequence of skills.

  [Giant Spear] his weapon grew, lengthening and thickening mid-thrust. Then he used it along with [Consecutive Spear Strikes] his body moved faster than human reflex should allow, each motion flowing into the next and then spamming [Spear Strikes]—a brutal combo, hammering the beast’s head with spear after spear.

  The carapace cracked. Black ichor splashed the stone.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  One eye burst.

  Kana didn’t hesitate. She loosed three arrows in rapid succession. Then another. Then four more. Each one sang with [Trueshot], slamming into soft points—the second eye, the gills beneath its armored thorax, the weak joints where limbs met torso.

  The scorpion twitched.

  Then stopped.

  Silence fell. The ice wall melted in front of Opel.

  Asha cancelled her [Ice Shard], she didn't have the chance to deliver it. As if she was waiting for Kana’s go signal.

  And then—the letters appeared in the air, shimmering:

  [You have defeated the Dungeon Boss!]

  No roar. No death cry.

  Kana lowered her bow, her arms trembling, and let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

  …..

  “Is... the boss really that easy to kill?” Maya, the hooded lady, stared at the vanishing corpse in disbelief.

  She had told them earlier—warned them. The dungeon boss was supposed to be unpredictable, dangerous. The last time, ten of them couldn’t even get close to finishing it. That was why she hired help—when the rumors reached her about them. The five man team who cleared a mid-low level dungeon as a party.

  Kana didn’t answer. She just stood there, lowering her bow, heart still slowing from the tension.

  No, it wasn’t that easy. But it looked that way.

  They were still in a low-high level dungeon, after all. And they improved. Her [Trueshot] was dealing more damage than she’d realized. And Boris—he had pushed through the fight, he was able to spam his skills with his full mana. His damage output, combined with the others, had simply overwhelmed the boss before it could pull off its tricks.

  “Oh, you’re done already?” Suri’s voice cut through their thoughts.

  She was standing off to the side, calm as ever, but she stepped forward and immediately grabbed Kana and Boris by the wrists and went to the side. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  “Boris, your [Doppelganger] is gone.”

  “What?” Boris blinked.

  “I don’t know what happened, but I saw Leo, Adam, and Toby leaving your dorm room.”

  “What are they doing in my room?”

  Kana’s expression turned sharp.

  “We need to go. Now.”

  Without wasting a second, she turned to Asha and whispered something into her ear.

  “Academy trouble. We’ve got to hurry.”

  Asha only chuckled softly. “Alright, go. You can get your share of earnings when you have the time..”

  “We’ll owe you one.” Kana gave her a thankful nod.

  The trio turned and sprinted toward the exit.

  Three guards moved to intercept them, but Maya, already behind them as if expecting, stepped forward, raising a hand to stop them. “Let them through.”

  Boris waived his hand, “Thanks! We owe you one.”

  And then they were gone—hooves thundering into the tunnel as they raced back toward the underground city to return their horses then go to the Academy.

  …..

  They ran very hard.

  “We can still make it,” Suri said between breaths. “Leo has a class. Adam and Toby are still in the room.”

  That was good. If they timed this right, no one would suspect anything.

  It had already been a few hours since the academy gates opened. Too late to sneak in now—not without raising questions. If anyone realized they’d been gone overnight… well, rumors spread fast in the academy. And if the faculty caught wind, there’d be worse than rumors.

  So they ran. Not for stealth, but for timing.

  By the time they reached the gates, their uniforms were damp with sweat. They didn’t slow down, pushing through the courtyard, up the stairs, and into the hallway where their classroom was.

  Then the door slammed open.

  “We’re here!” the three of them shouted in unison, voices breathless.

  Inside, Adam and Toby blinked at them, startled.

  And then a fourth presence shifted in beside them.

  Wor-en had just arrived, his quiet steps unnoticed until he stood right beside them, arms folded. “What are you doing?”

  Kana had noticed him for a while now. He had less presence than others but not enough to be undetected by her [High Awareness]. She didn’t mind why he was doing that—at least not yet. What mattered was getting there first, before anyone could report them to their professor-advisor.

  The trio didn’t answer. They just dropped into their seats, panting, a sheen of sweat on their brows. Suri slumped back, Kana rested her head against her desk, and Boris wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

  Adam leaned in beside Boris, raising a brow. “Where’d you guys go?”

  Then, in a quieter tone, “Also… what was that in your bed? It vanished. Puffed out like smoke.”

  Boris didn’t flinch. He leaned back, voice as casual as he could manage.

  “We went out early this morning,” he lied smoothly. “And I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Toby and Adam narrowed their eyes. They had questions but they would keep them for themselves. At least for now.

  “Oh,” Toby said casually, “and Leo told us, his father invited Kana to their estate this weekend.”

  Suri’s head snapped toward him. Her eyes narrowed, glowing with interest. “Just Kana?”

  Toby nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching. “That’s what he said.”

  “Why?”

  He gave a helpless shrug, hands raised. “Didn’t say.”

  All eyes turned to Kana.

  She blinked, then tilted her head, “No idea,” she said slowly. “Maybe you two are eating too much food in someone else’s house.”

  Suri clicked her tongue. “Didn’t know nobles could be stingy for some foods…”

  “Probably about the land purchase." Boris murmured.