The Golem's roar was a promise of annihilation. Though frozen in place by its territorial protocol, its symbiotic rage pulsed outwards, causing the very air in the grotto to crackle with raw power.
"Do it!" Lucas commanded, his voice cutting through the noise. "Now!"
Evelyn didn't hesitate. "Helios, fire!"
The exhausted party unleashed what little energy they had left, not at the Golem, but at the beautiful, ancient cluster of Sunpetals. A warrior's shield bash crushed the delicate stems, a mage's frost bolt turned the petals to brittle ice, and Evelyn's final, sweeping blade strike shattered the Sunpetal Prime into a cloud of fading, golden dust.
For a moment, there was a profound, echoing silence.
Then, the Golem began to crumble.
The crimson light in its eyes faded to black. Deep cracks spiderwebbed across its stone body, widening with a series of low, grinding groans. Its massive form, once a symbol of insurmountable power, disintegrated into a colossal pile of dust and rubble, leaving behind nothing but the eerie quiet of the desecrated grotto.
A wave of notifications flooded the vision of every Helios member.
[World Boss Defeated: Awakened Grotto Guardian] [Server First Achievement Unlocked!] [Reward: +5,000 EXP, +100 Guild Reputation, Title: 'Guardian Breaker']
The rewards were staggering, a server-first achievement that would cement their guild's reputation. But the cost had been absolute. They stared at the empty space where the Sunpetals had been, the prize they had fought and nearly died for, now nothing but dust. The victory felt hollow, a bitter irony that settled over the exhausted party.
Lucas wasted no time. He walked to the pile of rubble where the Golem had fallen and picked up a single, fist-sized object that glowed with a soft, internal light—the [Guardian's Heart], a legendary crafting reagent and the boss's only drop. He tucked it into his inventory without a word.
Evelyn watched him, her expression a complex storm of emotions. He had saved them. He had outsmarted a World Boss. He had proven, beyond any doubt, that his strategic mind was a weapon more potent than her blade. And she hated him for it.
"The debt is acknowledged, Thorne," she said, her voice stiff. The use of his last name was a deliberate act of distancing, a refusal to accept the familiarity their forced cooperation had created. "Helios will honor its promise."
Lucas simply nodded. "I know."
He turned to leave, Kael trotting silently at his side. He had what he'd really come for—not the flowers, but the leverage.
"Wait," Evelyn's voice stopped him. "Why? You could have demanded all the Sunpetals. You could have taken everything. Why a debt?"
Lucas paused at the edge of the grotto, his back still to her. He considered the question, the complex web of his long-term plans, the cold calculus of his revenge against the system that had wronged him.
"Because flowers die," he said, his voice quiet but carrying a weight of absolute certainty. "Debts are forever."
He didn't look back as he and Kael melted into the shadows of the forest, leaving Evelyn and the remnants of her proud guild standing alone in the dust of their costly victory.