“Well, this is problematic…”

Riley exhaled sharply, his fingers lightly tapping against his arm as he surveyed the battlefield.

The situation wasn’t just bad—it was a logistical nightmare.

Unlike most dungeons, where the dungeon core was a separate entity hidden deep within, this one was different.

This dungeon’s core was the boss itself. That meant there was only one way to clear it—defeating the boss.

And yet, the boss was nowhere to be found.

His gaze flickered toward the massive castle before him, then back toward the ninth floor, where Lucas, Kagami, and Janica were still locked in battle against an endless wave of golems.

At this rate, the golem horde would never stop.

Because the ninth and tenth floors were directly connected, their mechanics were also linked.

In the game, these two floors were designed to be cleared separately—one party would hold back the golem army outside, while the main party fought the [Heavenly Golem], the dungeon boss, inside the castle.

A straightforward strategy.

But this wasn’t the game.

Riley frowned as he scanned the battlefield. In theory, the lineup they had should make dealing with the golem horde easy. But theory and reality were two different things.

Sure, with their current strength, they could hold the line for now, but stamina wasn’t infinite.

The real problem was their team composition.

Lucas, Kagami, and Janica were all warrior-types—close-combat specialists.

None of them had the kind of widespread, large-scale area-of-effect abilities that could quickly wipe out an entire horde at once.

Which meant the longer this dragged on, the harder it would get.

Suddenly—

DING!

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

The system notifications rang in Riley’s ears.

“…So, Lucas and the others are cutting through the horde just fine, huh?”

His level rising meant Lucas, Kagami, and Janica were tearing through their enemies with ease.

That was good. It meant they weren’t in immediate danger.

Riley closed his eyes and expanded his mana sense.

A wave of invisible energy pulsed outward as he carefully scanned every inch of the castle’s interior.

Nothing.

Just as he expected, the boss wasn’t here.

“The boss only moves when someone grabs its aggro…”

Riley muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes as he pieced together the puzzle.

Yet—no one here, nor outside the castle, had done that.

So, where the hell did it go?

“…It can’t be… right?”

A creeping thought gripped his mind. There was only one explanation.

Riley’s expression darkened as he recalled a certain skill—one that belonged to one of their party members.

“Kagami…”

His jaw clenched slightly. Did that guy already unlock [Meteor’s Call]?

No, that shouldn’t be possible.

That skill was an S-rank martial technique, one of Kagami’s signature abilities in the game.

It was directly tied to his [Meteor Fist] martial manual—a powerful but extremely difficult path to master.

By activating [Meteor’s Call], Kagami would release an intense battle aura, one that instantly provoked the attention of strong enemies in the vicinity, forcing them to target him.

At the same time, his Endurance and Strength would double, temporarily making him an unbreakable wall in combat.

But there was no way he should’ve been able to learn it this early.

Unless… he broke through his limits mid-battle.

The possibility sent a strange mix of concern and frustration through Riley’s mind.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Kagami gaining such a powerful skill early was insanely beneficial. It meant his growth was accelerating at a ridiculous rate.

But at the same time…

If the [Heavenly Golem] had locked onto him because of it…

Riley exhaled, rubbing his temple.

“Tch… doesn’t matter right now.”

Whether this was good or bad didn’t change the fact that Kagami, Lucas, and Janica were now in serious danger.

And if they didn’t do something fast, they wouldn’t last much longer.

Riley tilted his head up, his eyes tracking the fierce battles unfolding in the air.

Rose vs. the dragon.

As expected, she wasn’t even going all out.

From the way her golden eyes gleamed with curiosity rather than urgency, it was obvious—she was simply testing her new spells against the massive dragon-like golem, treating it like a practice dummy rather than an actual threat.

On the other hand—

Seo.

She was nothing but a streak of lightning, darting through the castle with terrifying speed, her movements so fast they left afterimages.

She chased after the white tiger golem, engaging it in a relentless pursuit across the vast throne room.

Sparks of energy trailed in her wake, but despite the intensity of their battle, Seo didn’t seem to be struggling at all.

With nothing else to do here, Riley grabbed the black boxes containing the Heavenly Divine Pills and tucked them into a small pouch at his waist—a spatial storage item with a pocket dimension inside.

“Seo, Rose! I’ll leave these two to you guys!” he called out.

“Sure…” Rose replied absentmindedly, still engrossed in her spellcasting.

“Okay…” Seo replied on her usual tone.

With their acknowledgment, Riley turned away.

[Blink Step]

His body flickered, vanishing from his position as he moved toward the castle’s exit.

“If Lucas is holding out against the [Heavenly Golem]… defeating it should be possible. But…”

Riley’s brows furrowed as he muttered to himself.

“With Kagami and Janica around, I doubt he can go all out.”

That was the real issue.

Lucas might be strong, but he always held back when allies were around. If he was forced to protect the others while fighting, it would severely limit his potential.

They needed to change that.

[Dashing Sprint]

Mana surged through Riley’s body, enhancing his movement. His speed tripled in an instant.

His surroundings blurred as he shot forward like a bullet.

And then—he saw it.

Up ahead in the distance—

Explosions of green, gold, and cosmic energy clashed violently, colliding with the overwhelming presence of a dull, grayish electrical field.

It was suffocating.

Even from here, Riley could feel the density of the mana radiating from the battlefield.

There was no doubt—

That was the boss’s power.

’I just hope they won’t let it get to that stage….’

…

“Man, this is getting ridiculous…!”

Kagami gritted his teeth as the towering two-meter-tall golem lunged at him once again.

FWOOOSHHH!!

ZOOOSHH!!

The air screamed as the golem’s colossal fists swung toward him, tearing through the space where he stood.

Kagami barely had time to react. His body twisted as he narrowly dodged one strike—only for a second attack to come barreling toward his ribs.

BAM!

The impact rattled his bones, sending a dull, numbing pain through his side. Even with his enhanced endurance, it felt like he had just been hit by a boulder.

And yet…

Why did he feel stronger?

He could tell. His muscles felt tighter, his reflexes sharper—like his body had suddenly been boosted.

Even though he was tanking some of the golem’s attacks, something about this fight was off.

But now wasn’t the time to think about it.

“Guys, hurry up!” he shouted, frustration leaking into his voice as he continued to hold his ground.

Just behind the Heavenly Golem, both Lucas and Janica were in position, their weapons charged with energy, ready to strike the moment an opening appeared.

“On it!” Lucas called back, his expression tense.

He knew they were only getting these attack windows because of Kagami.

The guy was taking the brunt of the damage, forcing the boss’s attention on himself while they prepared their attacks.

But even then—

Lucas couldn’t afford to waste this chance.

[Luminous Pierce]

SWISSHH!!

A streak of blinding light shot from Lucas’s blade, cutting through the air with pinpoint precision—aimed straight for the Heavenly Golem’s core.

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TWIST!

The golem’s body suddenly pivoted, moving with unnatural grace for something of its size.

Lucas’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It dodged. Again.

“Tch—!” He clicked his tongue, frustration bubbling in his chest.

It had taken only a single turn of its body to completely evade what should have been a fatal attack.

And just like that—

It was already moving.

The golem ignored Lucas completely, charging straight back toward Kagami, its massive stone arms glowing with a grayish lightning pulse.

“HAAAH—!!”

A blur of green suddenly dashed into the fray.

[Twin Blades]

Janica shot forward, her rapier making a clone of itself slicing through the air in perfect sync.

SWISSHH!!

SFFT!!

She struck the moment the golem turned its back.

But—

TWIST!

The Heavenly Golem’s body spun at the last second, its arm sweeping back in a fluid motion.

CLANG!

The tip of Janica’s rapier was deflected—not with brute force, but with a casual backhand, as if the golem had anticipated her attack from the start.

BZZT!

Gray lightning pulsed from its arm.

The shockwave slammed into Janica mid-air, throwing her off-balance as she spiraled backward.

“Ugh—!!”

Her body twisted as she barely managed to land on her feet, but the impact had already disrupted her momentum.

She gritted her teeth, her hands tightening around her blades.

This thing…

It wasn’t just strong—it was reading their moves.

Like a seasoned martial master evaluating his students, the Heavenly Golem stared at the three warriors for a brief moment.

Its grayish, orb-like eye gleamed with an eerie, calculated light—silent, unshaken, and utterly unreadable.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep