Chapter 35
The cavern shook. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the hunters of Obsidian Fang clutched their weapons, their hearts racing.
Hiroto stood calmly, his twin daggers gleaming in the dim red glow of the crystals. His golden eyes locked on the towering insect monster that glared back with blood-red fury.
The dungeon boss roared, its voice echoing like thunder. "You mock me, human? You dare hold back against me?!"
Hiroto chuckled, tilting his head. "Hold back? Ohhh no, my dear talking bug. I haven't even started."
The boss's massive claw slashed down at him with enough force to split a mountain. The ground cracked and broke, stone splinters flying everywhere.
But Hiroto… simply stepped aside. His movements were casual, almost lazy, like he was dodging falling leaves in the wind.
Another claw came from the right, faster this time. Hiroto leaned back slightly, the claw missing his chest by an inch. But the tip of the claw grazed him, leaving the faintest scar across his shirt.
The guild gasped. Anya's eyes widened.
But then...
Hiroto looked down at the small scar. And then, he laughed. Hard.
"HAHAHAHA! All that power, all that screaming, and this…" he pointed at the mark on his shirt, "…is all you managed to do?!"
The hunters froze. The boss froze.
The dungeon boss's eyes burned hotter, fury boiling in its chest. "He… he's toying with me?!"
Hiroto's grin widened, sharp and mocking. "Oh, yes. I am. Because right now…" He raised one dagger, his aura beginning to flare like fire. "…you're boring me."
Anya groaned loudly, pressing her palm to her face. "He's showing off again…"
The dungeon boss roared in rage, charging with full speed, its body blurring through the air. Its claws came down in a frenzy of strikes, each one strong enough to tear through steel.
But Hiroto's body moved like lightning. He ducked, sidestepped, spun, his daggers clashing with the monster's claws in sparks of steel and fire. Every time the monster thought it had him, Hiroto was already gone, leaving afterimages behind.
The ground shattered with every missed strike.
The hunters watching could hardly keep track. Their eyes struggled to follow, but Hiroto's movements were too fast, too fluid.
"An S-rank boss…" one hunter whispered, "…and he's playing with it like a child."
Then Hiroto stopped, twirling his daggers and pointing one at the beast. His grin faded, his tone shifting into something colder.
"Playtime is over."
The air shook as his aura exploded outward, golden flames wrapping around his body. His presence crushed the cavern like a storm.
"Now…" his voice echoed. "…time to get serious."
In a blur of motion, Hiroto vanished.
The dungeon boss's eyes widened. Where did he?
Before it could react, a fist slammed into its jaw. Not a dagger. A fist. Hiroto had struck with such overwhelming power that the massive insect flew across the cavern, crashing into the wall so hard the entire chamber quaked.
The monster roared in pain, pulling itself free from the rubble. But before it could stand, Hiroto raised one dagger high, golden energy wrapping around the blade.
"Skill: Blazing Fang."
He swung, and a wave of golden energy tore across the cavern, slamming into the monster and ripping through its armored body. Sparks, blood, and broken carapace scattered into the air.
The boss shrieked in rage and pain, but Hiroto wasn't done. He twirled his daggers again, crossing them over his chest. His golden aura condensed, growing sharper, denser.
"Special Skill…" His voice dropped, deadly calm. "…Heaven's Rend."
He vanished again, his speed now completely beyond the monster's sight. The only thing visible was golden light streaking through the air, like a storm of blades.
The dungeon boss froze in terror. "I—I can't—see him…!"
Then it happened.
A hundred golden slashes carved across its body in an instant. Cuts appeared faster than it could scream. Its legs buckled, its claws snapped, its armor shattered.
And then
With one final strike, Hiroto appeared right in front of its massive head, both daggers glowing brighter than the crystals around them.
"Game over, talking bug."
He slashed.
The blades tore straight through, and the monster's body exploded into countless shards of flesh and light. The roar of its death shook the dungeon, before silence fell.
The dungeon boss was gone.
Hiroto spun his daggers, sheathing them with a lazy grin. "And that's how you deal with pests."
The hunters stood frozen.
Some dropped their weapons. Others simply gawked in disbelief.
Anya sighed, her voice filled with both relief and irritation. "…He didn't even use half his skills."
Hiroto turned, his golden eyes still glowing faintly, and smirked. "Didn't need to."