Gary and his party appeared from the shadows. Gary stopped a few feet away, glaring down at Kairo's group.
"Did the floor boss spawn?"
Eric, keeping his tone calm, replied, "No. We just crossed it, but the lair's still empty."
Gary nodded absently, barely acknowledging the answer. But his eyes locked on Kairo. The unflinching stare Kairo gave him in return was sharp, burning with barely contained fury.
Gary's lips curved into a smirk. "What are you staring at?"
Kairo didn't answer. He simply looked through him, as if Gary's presence was nothing more than an obstacle between him and what he truly wanted.
The smirk faded. Gary's expression darkened. "Looks like someone's begging for a beating."
His hand reached forward. His party laughed behind him, amused by the display. One of them muttered something about teaching the kid a lesson.
Before Kairo could react, Eric stepped in between them, forcing a smile, "His face always looks like that," Eric said, trying to laugh it off. "He's not staring at you."
Gary tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "Doesn't look like it to me. Move aside."
Eric didn't move. His hand drifted toward his shield. "We don't need trouble."
"Trouble?" Gary's voice dropped lower. He shoved Eric to the side with one arm.
Gary grabbed Kairo by his neck, slamming him against the rock wall, "Look down."
Kairo didn't. His cold eyes stayed fixed on Gary's, unflinching even as his neck strained under the man's grip. His jaw was set, teeth clenched.
Kaya's voice trembled from behind Eric. "S-Stop!"
Gary raised his other hand, fingers curling into a fist. "I'm going to break your face today."
The scrape of metal rang through the corridor as Eric's sword came up, the edge pointed at Gary's throat. "Let him go."
Laughter echoed behind Gary. Even he chuckled, unfazed by the blade hovering inches from his skin.
Then Gary's aura flared, filling the air with killing intent. The ground seemed to hum under the weight. It wasn't as suffocating as the demon-masked man's, but still powerful enough to make Kaya take a step back, her staff trembling in her grip.
Gary leaned forward, his breath hot against Eric's face. "Do you have a death wish, shield-boy?"
Before Eric could answer, a voice thundered from behind, "What are you doing?"
It wasn't shouted, but its weight froze everyone. Even Gary's men stepped aside instinctively, their laughter dying in their throats.
A tall figure walked forward, clad in radiant silver armor that gleamed despite the dim light. Blond hair shone faintly under the torchlight.
"Altharion," Eric whispered.
Gary instantly dropped Kairo, stepping back as if burned. His cocky demeanor evaporated. "Just fooling around, sir."
The man, Altharion, Vice Captain of the Heaven Clan, rested a hand on Gary's shoulder. The gesture looked gentle but carried unmistakable authority. "Enough. We're leaving."
He turned toward Kairo's group and gave a brief nod, his expression unreadable. "My apologies for their behavior."
Then, to Gary's men, "Move."
The Heaven Clan's party retreated. Their laughter was gone now, replaced by the shuffle of boots and the clink of armor.
...
Eric let out a long breath, his sword lowering slowly. "That… was Altharion," he muttered, his voice half disbelief, half awe.
"Level 25. Vice Captain of Heaven Clan. I heard he soloed the 21st floor boss once."
He turned to Kairo, who was still pressed against the wall, rubbing his neck. "If you'd fought, we'd all be corpses right now."
But Kairo wasn't listening. He was still staring down the tunnel where they'd vanished, not in fear, but in quiet, burning frustration. His fists clenched at his sides.
Too strong…
Too strong, and I can't even touch them yet.
Eric nudged him. "Let's move."
They continued deeper, slaying packs of shadow wolves that emerged from every crack and crevice. Kairo fought with a ferocity that bordered on reckless. Each swing of his blade carried more force than necessary. Each kill was brutal, efficient.
Eric and Kaya watched him fight, exchanging worried glances. The rage radiating from him was palpable.
"Kairo," Kaya called softly after he'd torn through another wolf. "Are you—"
"I'm fine," he cut her off, not looking back.
They filled their bags with Greysteel ore, mining from veins that glowed faintly in the darkness. The work was mechanical.
Later, as they returned toward the 5th floor, the temperature shifted.
A pulse of heavy air rolled through the dungeon, thick and oppressive.
When they stepped into the lair, a faint clang echoed, the sound of metal sliding against stone.
At the center of the chamber, a massive skeleton clad in ancient armor rose slowly, its greatsword buried in the ground before it. Dust cascaded from its joints as it moved.
Its hollow eyes burned faint red as it looked down at them.
Kaya's breath hitched. "Is… that the boss?"
Eric raised his shield, the metal catching the crimson glow. "Stay calm."
He glanced at the monster, then at the two beside him. The skeleton stood at least twelve feet tall, its armor covered in runes that pulsed with dark energy. "We can't fight it, I'll distract it. You two run, I'll catch up soon."
Kairo shook his head. "I'll help."
"No," Eric said firmly. "Even I can't handle that thing. Just take Kaya and—"
"I said I'll fight."
Eric's jaw tightened, "You're Level 2, don't be stupid. We can't risk her."
Kairo's eyes hardened. "I'll distract it. Take Kaya and run."
Eric glared at him for a moment, searching his face for any hint of doubt. Finding none, he sighed. "Fine. But if it gets too dangerous, I'm stepping in."
Kaya whispered, voice trembling, "We shouldn't… we can't trust that other soul. And if anyone sees you die and come back, it'll cause chaos."
Kairo's expression softened slightly. "Okay. If anything happens too risky, I will retreat."
He drew his short sword and stepped forward.
The boss stirred. Its massive blade lifted with a low metallic groan that reverberated through the chamber.
Kairo activated [Sonic], vanishing in a blur. He reappeared beside its leg, slashing at the joint. Sparks flew, but the armor didn't even dent.
The skeleton turned its hollow gaze toward him and swung downward.
Kairo darted aside, sliding across the stone. The greatsword smashed into the ground where he'd stood, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the floor.
He kept circling, slashing from every angle, but his strikes barely scraped the surface.
Eric watched from the edge of the lair, gripping his shield. "He's fast," he muttered, "but he's not hurting it."
The boss's swings grew heavier, more deliberate. It was learning.
Kairo blurred again, slicing across the creature's side. Steel screeched against steel, but the armor refused to break.
He leapt again, blade flashing toward the skeleton's neck.
This time, the boss anticipated.
Its massive sword moved faster than it had any right to, a blur of steel cutting through the air straight toward him.
Eric's eyes widened. He can't dodge that!
He moved, ready to jump in—
But then everything slowed.
...
For Kairo, time itself crawled. The sword's edge shimmered in the air, cutting through particles of dust that floated lazily now. His heartbeat echoed, slow, powerful, controlled.
In that suspended instant, he muttered, "[Gravitas]."
The air bent.
A sudden, invisible force yanked his body sideways, not with a leap, but with impossible speed. It wasn't a dodge born of reflex; it was like reality had bent just to let him survive.
He shot across the chamber in the opposite direction of his momentum, twisting in mid-air as the blade tore through where he'd just been.
To Eric's eyes, it defied everything he knew, It was backward. It shouldn't have been possible; momentum doesn't reverse like that.
Dust exploded as Kairo landed, skidding to a stop.
The boss's massive sword embedded itself deep in the stone where Kairo had been a heartbeat ago.
Eric stood frozen, eyes wide. "That… wasn't human."