The portal fell quiet. The remaining monsters—scrawny D-ranks and a few limping C-ranks—scattered into the shadows, too terrified to even hiss. The heroes stood in stunned silence, their eyes glued to Rudy as he casually dusted off his sleeves.
One of the heroes clapped. Then another. Soon, the whole group was cheering, their voices shaky but relieved.
"You… you saved us!" someone shouted.
Rudy shrugged. "Don't mention it."
Before anyone could say more, Triss pushed through the crowd, her face pale. She stared at Rudy like she'd seen a ghost.
"What… what just happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rudy looked up and shrugged. "Took care of the big guy. No big deal."
"No big deal?" Triss repeated, her voice rising. "That was a God-rank boss, Rudy! You took it down alone!"
"Yeah, well," Rudy said, scratching the back of his head. "It wasn't as tough as it looked."
