The door was older than the dungeon around it.
That alone was enough to put Leon on edge.
It stood at the far end of the widened corridor, carved from dark stone streaked with faintly glowing veins. Strange runes crawled across its surface, shifting subtly whenever someone stared at them too long.
> [Boss Chamber Detected]
The system message appeared without ceremony.
The Iron Vein raid team slowed to a halt.
"Positions," the raid leader ordered. "Standard D-rank protocol."
Standard meant predictable.
Two melee in front. Shield bearer in the center. Casters in the rear.
Leon was waved aside.
"Stay out of the first exchange," the leader said, eyes fixed on the door. "If things go wrong, buy us time."
Leon nodded.
Buy time.
That phrase meant one thing.
Be disposable.
---
The door groaned open.
Cold air rushed out, heavy with the scent of damp stone and old blood.
The chamber beyond was massive—far larger than any D-rank boss room Leon had ever seen. Broken pillars rose unevenly from the floor, and the ceiling vanished into darkness above.
Something moved at the center.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Then red system text burned itself into Leon's vision.
> [Dungeon Boss: Stone Devourer]
[Rank: D Plus]
"D plus…?" one of the casters muttered.
The raid leader's jaw tightened.
"Stay sharp."
The Stone Devourer raised its head.
Its body was a monstrous fusion of layered stone plates, bone, and crystal. Its mouth split open far too wide, revealing grinding slabs of rock instead of teeth.
When it roared, the entire chamber shook.
---
"Engage!"
Magic erupted.
Fire and lightning slammed into the boss's armor, leaving scorched marks but little else. The melee hunters charged in, weapons glowing as they struck joints and exposed seams.
Leon stayed back.
He always did.
His card window rotated steadily in his vision.
Blue Card.
Red Card.
Gold Card.
The familiar rhythm steadied his breathing.
---
The Stone Devourer retaliated with brutal force.
It slammed one foreleg into the ground.
Stone spikes erupted upward.
The shield bearer barely raised his barrier in time.
"Shield integrity dropping!" he shouted.
"Redirect spell, now!"
Leon felt it then.
The shift in pressure.
This fight wasn't under control.
---
The boss lunged again.
One of the melee hunters was too slow.
A massive stone maw clamped down around his leg.
"Agh—!"
Leon didn't wait for orders.
Lock.
The rotation halted.
Gold Card.
The card formed instantly in his hand, warm and heavy with condensed power.
Leon threw it.
The Gold Card struck the Stone Devourer's head, releasing a pulse of golden light.
The boss froze.
For one heartbeat.
Then another.
"Focus damage!" the raid leader barked.
Weapons slammed into the immobilized boss. Cracks spread across its stone plating.
The stun shattered.
The Stone Devourer roared and flung the injured hunter aside like debris.
Leon's jaw tightened.
Still not enough.
---
The cards resumed their rotation.
Blue Card.
Red Card.
Gold Card.
Too slow.
The Stone Devourer reared back, energy gathering in the crystal embedded in its chest.
"Fall back!" someone shouted.
Leon felt pressure spike behind his eyes.
Mental load.
He ignored it.
Force Lock.
The system resisted.
Pain exploded through his skull like a spike driven straight in.
Gold Card — forced.
Blood ran from Leon's nose as he hurled the card.
The stun landed.
Leon didn't hesitate.
Red Card.
The explosion detonated against the boss's chest, tearing chunks of stone free. Fragments rained across the chamber.
The Stone Devourer screamed.
---
Leon dropped to one knee.
His vision darkened at the edges.
> [Warning: Mental Load Exceeded Safe Threshold]
He wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve.
Not yet.
---
"Finish it!" the raid leader shouted.
The team surged forward, unloading everything they had left.
With a final, echoing crash, the Stone Devourer collapsed, its body crumbling into lifeless rubble.
Silence followed.
Then—
> [Dungeon Cleared]
Leon slumped against a pillar, breathing hard.
His cards rotated slower now, their glow dimmer—but they were still there.
Still responding.
---
The raid team gathered around the remains, collecting mana cores and materials.
The raid leader approached Leon.
He studied him for a long moment.
"You're not listed as combat-capable," the man said.
Leon met his gaze calmly. "Reports are often incomplete."
The raid leader snorted quietly.
"Seems that way."
Then his tone changed.
"You exceeded your assigned role."
Leon didn't respond.
"In Iron Vein," the man continued, "unexpected assets create complications."
He gestured.
Two hunters stepped closer.
Blocking the exit.
Leon's cards began to rotate faster.
---
"You'll hand over the cores," the raid leader said evenly. "And your contract ends here."
Leon pushed himself upright despite the ache in his body.
"And if I refuse?"
The raid leader smiled thinly.
"You're an F-rank," he said. "In a cleared dungeon."
Accidents happened.
---
Leon glanced at the hunters.
Then at the exit.
Then at his cards.
Blue Card.
Red Card.
Gold Card.
His mental load screamed in protest.
But beneath the pain, something shifted.
A new system message flickered into existence.
> [Condition Met: High-Risk Engagement]
[New Effect Unlocked]
[Blue Card — Secondary Effect Available]
Leon's eyes widened.
Now?
The raid leader frowned. "What are you staring at?"
Leon smiled.
Not wide.
Not confident.
But genuine.
"You should've read the full report," Leon said quietly.
He raised his hand.
Blue Card.
The card formed brighter than before.
Leon dealt it straight into the ground.
The card shattered on impact, releasing a wave of cool light that surged back into his body.
Stamina flooded his limbs.
His vision cleared.
The pain dulled—just enough.
The hunters hesitated.
"What did you just—"
Leon's cards spun rapidly.
Red Card.
Gold Card.
Blue Card.
He locked Gold.
The Dealer's hand was far from empty.