Their jaws hit the floor when Rina just… died.
No dramatic scream. No final stand.
The boss's tongue snapped out—and she was gone.
"Rina!!!"
Roma's face twisted in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing, idiot?! Move!"
He glared at Yor. "Did the boss scare you or something?"
But Yor didn't answer.
Sigh... This guy's always yelling in my ear.
He stepped forward instead, cloak flicking behind him as he reached for his sword. With a sharp metallic hiss, he drew the blade.
A pulse of corrupted mana oozed from the figure ahead.
[BOSS: LADY OF THE ROTTEN FLOWER]
[HP: 200,000]
The boss's head tilted, like a puppet on broken strings. Her opal eyes glimmered with a trace of confusion.
She stood—slow, eerie, towering over them at nearly seven feet. Her skin was a sickly gray, cracked and veined like weathered statue. The closer Yor got, the more unreal she seemed.
Then she moved.
With a sudden stomp, the ground cracked apart. The ground crumbled under Yor's feet, shifting into loose sand as a magical pit opened up, ready to swallow him whole.
But Yor was already gone.
He kicked off the ground, spinning midair. A blur. His afterimage lingered—just long enough to fool the boss.
In the blink of an eye, he was behind her.
His sword whistled through the air, quick as lightning—aimed straight for her neck
A clean hit.
[CRITICAL STRIKE!]
[DAMAGE: 30,000]
She barely twitched before Yor chained the next move, slashing through her neck in a lethal flurry.
[DAMAGE: 50,000]
He pushed off and flipped away, landing light on his feet like nothing happened.
Lifa's jaw dropped. "W–What the hell? Did he just—? That damage…"
She swallowed hard. "He didn't even use a skill."
Roma blinked, still processing. "No way... he just shaved off half her HP."
"We can't just stand here like NPCs! Move!" he yelled, snapping back to action.
He swung both arms behind him, drawing the twin swords on his back. A faint magic circle formed at the tip of his sword as he began the chant.
"Frostbane!"
He planted his sword, then a blast of freezing air crawled across the ground. The boss froze mid-motion, her limbs locking in place as a thin sheet of ice wrapped around her.
[Frozen – 3 seconds]
Yor lunged again.
Meanwhile, Lifa tightened her grip on the staff. She was tense, hands shaking.
A spike of water formed at the tip—but she still looked unsure, like she didn't even believe she could hurt the thing.
She threw it anyway.
"Hiyaa!"
[DAMAGE: 300]
She was right...
The boss, sensing weakness, kept trying to break away from Yor—zeroing in on Roma and Lifa first. But Yor never let it happen. She held its attention, again and again, no matter how hard she tried.
Few minutes later—
[BOSS DEFEATED!]
[REWARD GRANTED]
[Gummybear +30 Battle Mastery Points
• Legendary Crossbow of the Rotten Flower
• Silver Pouch
• Rotten Crown (Material)]
[Roma +30 Battle Mastery Points
• Rare Shoes of the Rotten Flower
• Rare Sturdy Baldric]
[Lifa +30 Battle Mastery Points
• Epic Staff of the Rotten Flower
• Ring of Undying (Consumable)
• Silver Pouch]
Yor stashed the loot into his inventory right away. That legendary crossbow would go for a good price—maybe even enough to give his Sen balance a serious boost if it sold well on the Deimos Online marketplace.
Just a little more, and he could finally afford a new phone.
In the meantime, Ludwig was managing Yor's Gummybear account on Webchan—posting mercenary ads offering Yor's services for 24-hour contracts in exchange for a fixed silver payment.
Gummybear wasn't well-known—at least, not until now.
Roma, on the other hand, didn't look too thrilled with his rewards. Maybe it was karma catching up to him.
Lifa, though? She was clearly happy. It wasn't god-tier loot, but anything was better than the chipped junk she used to wear.
They stepped out of the cave together and were immediately met with the sight of several parties gathered just outside, all gearing up for their turn.
Every head turned toward them.
Three players, walking out of the Nightmare boss cave—alive, unscratched, and successful.
Just three of them.
Then Ludwig showed up, riding his flashy alpaca mount—a reward from that world event Mereon the Tireless.
The thing was all white, with a dramatic emo fringe covering one eye and a glowing gem on its forehead.
Ludwig, never one to waste an entrance, straightened up and slipped into his usual prince act.
"Ladies and gentlemen—Gummybear!" he announced, waving a hand like he was presenting royalty. "Carried that boss fight like it was nothing! If you've got a tough quest, you know who to call. Follow Gummybear on Webchan!"
He grinned, adjusting his seat on the alpaca. "Anyway, just rolling through. Seeya!"
Yor didn't say anything. Normally, being the center of attention would tie his stomach in knots—but the mask helped. It hid his face, his nerves… made it easier to pretend he wasn't the one everyone was looking at. So he let it happen. Besides, a little spotlight wasn't bad for business.
"Tch. That guy again," Roma muttered, looking away.
Lifa, meanwhile, had gone full fangirl. Her eyes practically turned into hearts as she clutched her staff, staring at Ludwig like he was the main character in some romance sim.
"Let's just exclude Rina from this one. She can't log in anyway," Roma said. "But I'll give her a share of my loot tomorrow."
As a penalty for dying, Rina wouldn't be able to log in for the next 24 hours—and she'd lose 20 points in her Battle Mastery.
"Let's head back to the village for the next boss quest," Roma said.
"This time, I don't doubt you," he added, turning to Yor. "You've proven your strength more than enough."
He offered his hand.
Yor took it.
"You'd do well in the Champion's Arena," Roma said. "It's happening three days from now."
"I was planning to join for the Unique Divine Tome reward," he added with a small shrug. "But if you're entering… well, I already know how that'll end."
After a full 24 hours of hiring Yor as their mercenary, the contract was over. They'd grown stronger—and finally earned enough favor points to enter the City of the Beastmen: a free city called Zaitanu, nestled along the inland border between the Isles of Kaedros and the Drakmire Marshland.
Yor was heading back to Cael Lorinth on his donkey mount, even though he had twenty teleportation stones in his inventory. He just wanted to take in the scenery—the cold night wind on his face, the crunch of the rocky road beneath him, and the Iris flowers dancing under the soft glow of the moon.
Ahh… the real world doesn't have this kind of beauty anymore.
Suddenly, a message popped up from Ludwig:
Message from Ludwig: Yor!!! I have gud news!!! The Leviathan Guild wants to hire us :D
The Leviathan?
Isn't that… Rywes's guild?