"What are you guys still waiting for?" Ren's voice cut through the silence like a whip, snapping both Isolde and Ragnar out of their daze.
Isolde blinked, her thoughts scrambling to catch up. A moment ago, she'd been frozen—half in disbelief, half in awe. She'd been confident in her skills, certain that her marksmanship made her the group's primary damage dealer before Ragnar joined them. But now, after witnessing Ren's overwhelming power, that confidence felt small.
She clenched her jaw, a little embarrassed. She'd questioned whether Ren was worth the pay earlier—yet seeing his precision, his sheer ATP and mastery over magic, she realized how wrong she'd been. If Ren wanted to, he could probably solo the Gargantuan Cave himself . . . maybe with Leonel tanking beside him.
"The Dread Widow won't die by itself," Ren reminded sharply, stepping back to the rear line as the enormous spider shook violently, shedding flames from its body. The [Burn] status blinked out.
Then it screamed.
With a sound like stone grinding against steel, the Dread Widow lunged. Its eight legs struck the floor in a blur, splintering stone tiles and shaking the air. In a heartbeat, it closed the distance between them.
"Move!" Ragnar barked, instincts taking over. His boots slammed against the cobblestone, and he sidestepped the incoming beast with practiced agility.
But the spider wasn't after him.
Its next target loomed clear—Isolde.
She gasped, her mind still catching up. The monster's massive shadow engulfed her as it reared up, its mouth splitting open in a nightmare of fangs.
Ragnar's grip tightened around his axe. He was ready to throw it, but hesitation flashed across his face. Even if he hit, it wouldn't deal enough damage to pull aggro away from her.
The spider's legs came down like guillotines.
And then—
"Aggro on me!"
Leonel's shout echoed through the chamber, loud and commanding. His taunt skill activated in a golden flash, and the Dread Widow froze mid-swipe.
Its eight gleaming eyes turned toward Leonel instead.
"Come at me, you overgrown spider!" Leonel growled—though his knees trembled visibly behind his shield.
"Leo, remember to use your skill as soon as the Boss appears," Ren called out as he cast another [Multiattack].
Four fireballs spun into existence around him, streaking through the smoky air—but only one struck true. The others exploded harmlessly across the webs, clearing more space.
–547 Critical Hit!
[Dread Widow is afflicted with BURN]
–5% HP every minute
–28 (BURN)
Ren clicked his tongue. If all four had hit, this fight would already be over.
"Ahahaha—sorry!" Leonel choked out, barely managing a nervous laugh before the Dread Widow slammed into him.
Its leg hammered his shield once, twice, and then its fangs darted forward in a flurry of strikes.
–24
–17
–15
–22
Leonel staggered back, the numbers flashing above his head in red.
Ren's hands moved fast. [Heal] activated.
+10
But the spell's limit—healing only 10% HP—barely made a dent. Leonel's HP bar stayed deep in the red, flashing dangerously. One more attack and he'd be done for.
Even so, Leonel didn't panic. He'd fought beside Ren long enough to trust him completely. If Ren wasn't panicking, neither would he.
And besides—he still had one trump card.
Ren's eyes narrowed. Another [Multiattack]. If his fires couldn't all hit the Boss, he'd at least keep clearing webs so the others could move freely.
One of the flames hit its mark.
–540 Critical Hit!
[Dread Widow is afflicted with BURN]
–5% HP every minute
–27 (BURN)
The monster reeled, screeching as its body caught fire again.
Isolde exhaled in relief, taking the chance to fire her revolver. Ragnar followed up with a heavy swing of his axe. Their attacks barely scratched the creature, but they didn't care—they just needed to keep it from reaching Ren.
"We've got it!" Isolde said, grinning despite her exhaustion. She felt a wave of gratitude—and humility. She hadn't contributed much, but it didn't matter. Ren carried them through.
Ragnar stayed focused, but a thought crept into his mind. Just how high is Ren's INT stat? For damage like that, his numbers had to be insane.
Leonel, on the other hand, grinned ear to ear. As long as Ren was around, he never lost. "The spoils of war are ours!" he cheered.
"Leo, activate [Last Stance] now!" Ren suddenly barked.
Leonel froze but immediately obeyed, the command sinking in through instinct. His shield glowed golden just as the Dread Widow staggered, its HP flashing red with only a sliver left.
Then—
[The Dread Widow has entered BERSERK MODE!]
[All Skills and Spells increased by 1 Level!]
[The Dread Widow used BITE!]
The monster lunged, fangs closing around Leonel's shoulder.
–240 Critical Hit!
[You are poisoned]
–5% HP every minute
Leonel's health plummeted to one. His [Last Stance] kept him barely alive. Without it, he would've been reduced to a ghost already.
Ren's hands flashed again. [Heal].
+10
–5 (POISON)
Just barely enough.
"Now!" Ragnar roared. He and Isolde surged forward together. A single bullet slammed into the Widow's eye, and Ragnar's axe followed, cleaving its head in two.
The monster convulsed—then detonated in a spray of green mist.
They jumped back just in time as a poisonous cloud filled the room.
REWARDS:
❶ 1,000 EXP
❷ 5,000 Gil
❸ Dark Thread ×5
❹ Sharp Talons ×8
❺ Dark Poison ×1
❻ Dress of the Black Widow ×1
Everyone exhaled in relief as the notifications appeared. Everyone except Ren, who immediately turned to Leonel.
"Leo, drink your health potions. Now."
"Right, right," Leonel said, chuckling weakly. "It'd be dumb to die after killing the Boss." He gulped down a [Health Potion], color returning to his face.
Ragnar raised a brow. "Wouldn't it be better to just die and respawn? No penalty since we already defeated the boss. You'll have full health, and you save your potions."
"Really?" Leonel asked, though he kept drinking anyway. Between Ragnar's logic and Ren's composure, he knew who he'd trust.
"Let's go back to Venezia," Leonel said after chugging another potion. "We can rest there and buy some antidotes. This poison's annoying."
Antidotes weren't available yet in the early stage, and only White Mages could cleanse poison this early. Without one in their team, Leonel had to ride it out.
Ren simply nodded. "Don't worry. It's a weak poison—it'll wear off soon."
Leonel sighed in relief. "Still, how do we get back? Log out and log in again?"
"Exactly," Ren replied. "We can't log out inside a Boss room, but once we step outside, we can. When we log back in, we'll spawn at our last save point."
Isolde frowned. "Wait. Are we sure that was the Boss? The rewards don't look like first-blood rewards. Shouldn't there be at least a platinum chest?"
Ragnar crossed his arms. "She's right. And there was no first-blood notification either."
Leonel blinked, finally realizing. "Yeah, come to think of it . . . wasn't that fight a little too easy?"
Ragnar chuckled. "Easy? You nearly died if not for Ren's healing."
Leonel pouted. "That's not what I meant! I mean, for a ten-player group with double-digit ATPs, this should've been a breeze."
Isolde frowned. "True . . ."
Ragnar smirked. "Surprising. You actually made sense for once."
"Huh? I always make sense!" Leonel protested.
But their argument died when they saw Ren—silent, still, a faint troublesome smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Wait," Ragnar said slowly. "Are you saying . . ."
Ren's eyes gleamed in the dim torchlight. "Who said that was the Boss?"
". . ."
". . ."
". . ."
"Huh?" Leonel blinked, confusion written across his face. "If that's not the Boss . . . then who is?"
A cold breeze swept across the room.
Then came a voice—soft, distant, and dripping with sorrow and rage.
"Who . . . ?" it whispered, echoing like wind through dead trees. "Who killed . . . my adorable pet . . . ?"
The torches flickered violently, and every hair on their bodies stood on end.