Chapter 36: The Engineer’s Final Gift

’I’ll have to fight without Presure Shot.’ Aiden gritted his teeth.

But still, He wasn’t fighting recklessly, instead, he was waiting.

Waiting for the mistake he knew would come. Then... It happened. Driven by mounting rage, the Fallen Engineer raised its colossal wrench overhead.

Black lightning converged around the weapon. Its entire body twisted. Then it brought the wrench crashing downward with all its strength.

Aiden moved.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the entire platform. Concrete exploded and metal warped.

The wrench became embedded deep within the reinforced steel floor. For the first time since the battle began...The boss couldn’t move for a slight second as it tried to draw the weapon out..

Aiden’s eyes flashed with icy determination. "Now."

His left hand slammed against the ground. ’Root Entanglement!’

The last of his Mana erupted. Countless emerald vines burst upward, wrapping around the Fallen Engineer’s legs, torso, and even the embedded wrench.

The restraints wouldn’t last long. They only needed to last long enough.

Aiden inhaled deeply. Every muscle in his body tightened. The mechanisms inside the Power Gauntlets roared to life.

But he wasn’t activating Charged Strike, which was a basic skill every player can do to add more damage to their skill. He wasn’t doing that because he didn’t need it. Mana gathered within his arm and Kinetic energy began compressing.

Titan Strength surged through his body.

’Kinetic Smash!’ Aiden carefully poured everything he could safely handle into the attack. His arm trembled under the pressure. His bones screamed, unlike the past times he used this soul trait he could feel that he’s at his limit but he forcefully held it together.

His gaze locked onto the damaged control chip embedded within the boss’s chest.

The unstable energy core flickered between blue and crimson.

’There.’

The Fallen Engineer struggled against the roots that just caught it while it was trying to raise its wrench. And they began snapping one after another.

Aiden’s eyes became cold. "Die!"

He exploded forward like a cannon fired at point-blank range. His fist pierced through the swirling black lightning and ghostly aura surrounding the boss.

Straight toward the damaged control chip.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact echoed through the entire dungeon. The control chip shattered instantly.

CRACK!

Cracks spread across the Fallen Engineer’s entire body. Black lightning erupted in every direction.

Ghostly blue flames burst from within the broken machine.

The mechanical half began collapsing into rust and fractured steel.

The Fallen Engineer let out one final, distorted shriek as its body began to fall apart.

The spectral half trembled violently and for the first time... The hatred faded from its face. What remained was exhaustion, relief, and peace.

The ghost looked at Aiden silently. Then gave the faintest hint of a grateful smile.

"...Thank you..."

The whisper disappeared into the darkness. The Fallen Engineer dissolved into countless streams of brilliant blue data, rising toward the ceiling like fireflies before slowly fading away.

Silence returned to the abandoned station.

[Successfully defeated Level 8 Hidden Boss: Fallen Engineer · Alan’s Resentment!]

[Reward: +1,500 EXP]

[Level Up! You have reached Level 4!]

[Strength +1]

[Agility +1]

[Constitution +1]

[Spirit +1]

[Free Attribute Points: +5]

[Greed activated!]

Obtained:

[Twisted Metal] ×3]

[Solidified Resentment Lump] ×1

[Soul Essence Absorbed!]

[Spirit +3 acquired from Fallen Engineer · Alan’s Resentment.]

[Hidden Boss First Kill Reward!]

[Engineer’s Core: Legendary Grade!)

[Skill Book: Engineering Basics]

Stan eyes widened, he was quite lucky to get a skill book, it was the only way one can use skills unrelated to their class, but the more unrelated it is to one class the harder it is to learn it...

Anyways the list of rewards kept going...

[Gold +50]

[Dungeon Cleared: Abandoned Subway Station]

[Completion Rewards:]

[EXP +1,000]

[Reputation +100]

[Subway Station Locker Key] ×1]

A waterfall of brilliant system notifications flooded Aiden’s vision, each one more dazzling than the last.

The oppressive atmosphere that had filled the dungeon vanished completely.

The abandoned station fell silent once more.

Only Aiden remained standing amidst the ruins, breathing heavily as golden and blue streams of light spiraled around him.

His first hidden dungeon had been conquered.

A pillar of golden light descended from above, enveloping Aiden Cross, the golden light had a healing effects of its own, combined with his healing trait from the salamander, his healing was momentarily boosted to a whole new level...

Warm energy surged through every fiber of his body. The fatigue accumulated from the two brutal boss battles vanished in an instant, washed away by the familiar brilliance of leveling up.

His breathing steadied. The cuts and bruises covering his body faded. Power coursed through his limbs as every attribute rose simultaneously, filling him with a renewed sense of strength.

[Level Up!]

Without the slightest hesitation, Aiden opened his status panel.

His gaze swept across the newly acquired 5 Free Attribute Points.

There was nothing to consider.

[Strength +5.]

He invested every point into raw offensive power. In this era, the greatest defense was overwhelming damage.

The faster he could kill his enemies, the fewer opportunities they would have to threaten him.

As the points were allocated, the muscles beneath his skin tightened subtly.

His grip became firmer. His entire body felt lighter yet more explosive, as though every movement now contained greater force than before.

Satisfied, Aiden turned his attention to the real prize.

His heartbeat quickened.

Among the pile of loot, one item radiated a magnificent Legendary glow, the unmistakable radiance of Legendary quality.

Beside it floated a weathered skill book that shimmered with faint blue runes, pages turning on their own as though eager to impart forgotten knowledge.

[Engineer’s Core]

[Type: Material]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Usage: ]

[Advanced Engineering Crafting]

[Class Advancement]

[Unknown Applications]

[Description: A legendary core forged from the life’s work and endless resentment of a genius engineer. Hidden within its intricate structure are technological secrets far beyond the understanding of the current era.]

[Skill Book: Engineering Basics]

[Type: Life Profession]

[Quality: Special]

[Effect: Learn Engineering (Beginner), unlocking the ability to craft basic engineering devices and tools.]

[Engineering Creations Include: Explosives, Specialized Utility Tools, Mechanical Devices, Various Practical Equipment]

[Grade: Legendary Grade.]

Even if it was only a crafting material, its value couldn’t be measured with ordinary currency.

Countless top guilds in his previous life had fought bloody wars over materials of this caliber.

Some had even exchanged entire cities’ worth of resources for a single Legendary crafting component.

And this... Was only obtainable through the hidden boss.

A faint smile finally appeared on Aiden’s face. The risk had been worth it. Every drop of blood. Every potion. Every near-death experience. It had all paid off.

The Engineering Basics skill book was equally valuable. It solved one of the biggest obstacles in his future plans.

Engineering was one of the rare Life Professions capable of dramatically increasing a player’s combat strength.

Unlike professions such as Blacksmithing or Tailoring, Engineering specialized in creating unconventional equipment.

Explosives, Mechanical traps, Portable devices, Combat drones, Utility gadgets, and one item Aiden desperately needed... Rust Remover.

It seemed insignificant. But it was an essential crafting material for several hidden quests and advanced equipment in the early game.

Without Engineering, acquiring it would have been extraordinarily difficult.

Now... That problem no longer existed.

His gaze shifted to the final reward.

[Subway Station Locker Key]

A seemingly ordinary key. Yet Aiden knew exactly what it represented.

Somewhere beyond the dungeon, inside an abandoned employee locker, waited a cache of emergency engineering supplies left behind before the subway’s fall.

Another hidden reward. Another advantage no one else in this version of the game knew existed.

The sheer magnitude of his gains left even Aiden momentarily overwhelmed.

He closed his eyes, rook one deep breath. Then another.

Slowly, the excitement settled. Only calm determination remained.

"The hidden boss..." He murmured to himself. "...was even more generous than I expected."

He crouched down and methodically collected every item scattered across the battlefield.

The Legendary Engineer’s Core was wrapped carefully and stored in his backpack with exceptional care.

The Engineering Basics skill book followed. Then the remaining materials. Not a single piece of loot was left behind.

Only after confirming everything had been collected did Aiden continue deeper into the dungeon.

The tunnel eventually opened into the central control room.

Unlike the rest of the subway station, the room was eerily peaceful.

No monsters. No traps.

Only a solitary portal stood at its center, glowing with a gentle white radiance.

The exit.