Chapter 93: Child’s Play

The larger life signature remained completely still deep within the cavern.

Reiji quietly stared in that direction while his thoughts lingered on the realization that had just crossed his mind.

"...An ordinary F-Rank Boss."

He almost found it strange.

Ever since entering the Blacklake Realm and returning to Earth, every Gate he encountered had seemed abnormal in one way or another.

Some had climbed an entire Rank.

Others had developed unusual mutations.

Then there were the anomalies.

Creatures that never should’ve existed inside ordinary Gates.

His grip around the handle of the bone sword loosened slightly as he let out a quiet breath.

"...I’m overthinking it."

Not every Gate should morph into a higher Rank.

Not every Gate should suddenly gain an additional ’+’ beside its classification.

And certainly...

Not every Gate should contain an anomaly.

If every Gate evolved into something far beyond its original Rank, the military would’ve noticed long ago. If every Gate suffered a Dungeon Break, cities would’ve already fallen into chaos.

The last few Gates had simply been exceptional.

Nothing more.

He had allowed those experiences to cloud his judgment.

"...I’m just being paranoid."

The thought made him shake his head faintly.

Gathering more information would always be better than jumping to conclusions.

One Gate proved nothing.

Ten Gates might.

Until then...

There was no point worrying about possibilities that existed only inside his own head.

Behind him, Aoi noticed the subtle change in his expression.

He had stopped smiling.

Instead, he looked strangely thoughtful.

She wondered what had suddenly crossed his mind.

Curiosity tugged at her, but she chose not to ask.

If there was one thing she’d already learned about Reiji...

It was that asking unnecessary questions rarely produced useful answers.

The two of them continued deeper into the dungeon.

The tunnel gradually widened before ending inside a massive circular chamber.

Ancient stone doors stood before them.

Both were covered in deep cracks left behind by countless years of erosion.

A faint roar echoed from the other side.

Aoi instinctively tightened her grip around her longsword.

Even if it was only an F-Rank Gate...

The Boss Monster was still the strongest creature inside.

Reiji, however, showed no reaction.

He calmly walked toward the enormous doors before placing one hand against the cold stone.

A faint smile appeared beneath the hood covering his face.

"...Child’s play."

BOOOOM!!

His kick slammed into the ancient doors with explosive force.

The heavy stone doors burst inward as dust and broken fragments scattered across the Boss Room.

A deafening roar immediately answered.

"ROOOAAARRR!!"

The creature waiting inside stood nearly three meters tall.

Dark green skin covered its muscular body while crude iron armor protected parts of its chest and shoulders.

One crimson eye had been scarred shut long ago, leaving only the other glaring toward the intruders with obvious hostility.

Its massive iron club rested upon one shoulder.

A translucent screen appeared before Reiji.

[Hobgoblin Chieftain (F)]

The monster didn’t hesitate.

The moment it spotted the humans...

It charged.

BOOM!

Its heavy footsteps shook the chamber as it swung the enormous club downward with enough force to crush an ordinary person into paste.

Aoi instinctively shifted her footing.

Then...

Reiji disappeared.

[Shadow Step.]

The Hobgoblin’s club smashed into the stone floor.

CRAAASH!!

Fragments of rock exploded in every direction.

The Boss blinked.

Its target had vanished.

For the briefest moment...

Confusion appeared across its ugly face.

SHING!

A single silver flash crossed the chamber.

Reiji reappeared several meters behind the Hobgoblin.

The bone sword slowly completed its swing before disappearing back into his Inventory.

Silence filled the Boss Room.

The Hobgoblin remained standing.

Its remaining eye slowly widened.

The massive iron club slipped from its fingers before crashing against the stone floor with a loud clang.

A thin crimson line appeared around its neck.

Then...

Its head slowly slid from its shoulders.

BOOM!

The enormous body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The entire battle had lasted less than a second.

The system notification went off in his head but he didn’t even bother to look.

Aoi stared blankly.

"..."

She had prepared herself to witness an impressive fight.

Perhaps several exchanges.

Maybe even a powerful skill.

Instead...

The Boss had died before she could properly register what happened.

Her eyes shifted toward Reiji.

He looked completely uninterested.

It wasn’t confidence. It wasn’t arrogance. It simply hadn’t been worth his attention.

Blue particles gradually consumed the Boss’s corpse.

Unlike ordinary goblins...

One object remained behind.

A glowing crimson crystal.

The Boss Core.

Reiji walked over and picked it up.

He briefly examined the crystal before casually tossing it toward Aoi without another glance.

She instinctively caught it.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"...You’re giving me the Boss Core too?"

"Our deal."

His answer came without hesitation.

Aoi lowered her gaze toward the crystal resting in her hand.

An F-Rank Boss Core wasn’t priceless.

But it was still valuable.

Most Awakeners would happily spend days searching for one.

Reiji had handed it over as casually as someone tossing away loose change.

She quietly stored it inside her pouch before looking back at him.

"...You’re really strange."

Reiji simply shrugged.

Not that he didn’t really care but because the F-Rank monster cores can’t give him skills.

Before Aoi could respond a deep rumble echoed throughout the chamber.

RUMBLE!!

Long cracks spread across the ceiling.

Small fragments of stone began falling onto the floor.

The familiar blue light slowly spread through every wall inside the Boss Room.

The Hobgoblin’s enormous body slowly dissolved into countless blue particles before disappearing completely.

A low rumble echoed throughout the cavern.

Ding!

[The Gate will close in thirty minutes. Host is advised to leave before then.]

RUMBLE!!

Fine cracks spread across the walls while loose rocks began falling from the ceiling. The crimson crystals embedded overhead flickered repeatedly, their glow becoming increasingly unstable.

The dungeon had begun collapsing.

Reiji calmly glanced toward the tunnel they had entered from before turning around.

"...Let’s go."

Aoi nodded and quietly followed behind him.

Neither of them rushed.

Unlike dimensional Gates that expelled Awakeners after the Boss was defeated, dungeon Gates remained stable for a short period, allowing anyone inside to leave through the entrance portal.

The two walked through the winding tunnels in silence as the tremors gradually grew stronger.

Several rocks crashed onto the path behind them while clouds of dust drifted through the narrow corridors.

Within a few minutes, the familiar entrance chamber came into view.

The light blue portal still floated quietly in the center of the cavern, its surface rippling like calm water despite the dungeon collapsing around it.

Aoi glanced at it before looking toward Reiji.

"So that’s it?"

Reiji nodded.

"That’s it."

She couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed.

She had imagined her first Gate raid alongside the mysterious Night Empress would be far more dramatic.

Instead...

The Boss had died before she could even draw her sword.

Reiji walked straight toward the portal without another word.

The rippling blue surface distorted as he stepped through it.

Aoi looked back at the collapsing cavern one last time before following after him.

The moment she crossed the portal, both figures disappeared from the dungeon as the light blue gateway quietly rippled once more.