…
"Yue!" Nagumo grabbed her shoulders and shook her urgently. "Yue, are you okay?!"
For a few long seconds, there was no response.
Then her lashes trembled. She blinked once… twice… and the haze clouding her crimson eyes slowly receded.
"I'm… fine," she said, her voice faint but steadying. "But if you're here… then who's fighting the Hydra?"
Nagumo froze.
"…I think I may have accidentally left Sylas to face that thing alone." A strained, almost guilty smile tugged at his lips.
He scratched his cheek. "I hope he's not too mad. He's the strongest among us. I'm sure he'll be fine without us for a little while."
…
"It's finally done," Sylas muttered.
Five minutes.
In those five minutes, he had compressed a month's worth of calculations, theories, and ruthless decision-making into a single conclusion.
His second Specialist ability.
"Come out… Sacrificial Scale."
A golden scale materialized before him, suspended in midair. Its surface gleamed with sacred radiance, yet the aura it emitted felt mercilessly impartial.
Sacrificial Scale: Envision what you desire. If you possess what is required, the scale will demand a price equal to your wish.
Behind him, Mud's barrier trembled violently. Cracks spread across its surface like spiderwebs. It wouldn't hold much longer.
Sylas turned back to the scale. What he needed most right now… was overwhelming offensive power.
And for him, there was only one path forward.
"I want to gain an additional Nen Type." The scale glowed red.
"I wish to become a dual-affinity Nen user. A Specialist… and an Enhancer."
The crimson light intensified as a contract manifested before him—a floating sheet of paper etched with glowing script.
Three options appeared:
— Sacrifice both Nen Beasts.
— Sacrifice one Nen Beast and ten skills.
— Sacrifice no Nen Beasts and twenty skills.
Sylas closed his eyes.
After consuming countless types of monster meat, he had accumulated just over thirty skills. Slowly… calmly… he selected twenty of the least essential.
The moment he attached those skills to the contract and signed—
Something tore away from him.
Then—
A green fruit materialized before him, pulsing with overwhelming life energy.
Without hesitation, he bit into it.
Rumble
"AHHHHHHH—!"
A scream ripped from his throat, piercing through the dungeon like a blade.
By the time he swallowed the final bite, the pain had surpassed unbearable. It felt as though his body was being split apart from the inside out.
Worse than when his genes mutated from monster meat.
That pain had been physical.
This…
This was mental.
It was the difference between an injury that only hurts when you move—and a sickness that seeps into your mind, suffocating you even when your body lies still.
…
While Nagumo reloaded his weapons and Yue recovered her mana through his blood, Sylas's scream echoed through the labyrinth.
They froze.
Slowly, they peered out from behind their cover.
What they saw made them question their own vision.
"This can't be right…" Nagumo muttered.
"This can't…"
Sylas lay motionless on the ground. No movement. No presence of life.
And before Nagumo could say another word, Mud—the Nen Beast they had come to know—began dissolving into particles of light.
"That can't mean…"
During their journey through the labyrinth, both Nagumo and Yue had relentlessly questioned Sylas about the creatures he summoned.
Day after day.
Until he finally snapped.
"They're my Nen Beasts," he had said flatly. "Consider them my special ability. I can summon them as long as I have energy. If I run out—or if something happens that disrupts my concentration—they disappear. They can only exist with me. I told you, so stop bugging me."
…
"No, that's not possible!"
Nagumo exploded forward, charging the Hydra with a speed and strength he didn't know he possessed.
The Sylas who saved him.
The Sylas who stood by him when no one else did.
The Sylas who crushed every obstacle in his path.
There was no way he would fall to this overgrown snake.
"I refuse to accept this!"
He unleashed his entire arsenal. When his revolver ran dry, he switched to his heavy sniper. When he needed to reload everything, Yue covered him.
They pushed forward relentlessly.
Until only one head remained.
"This is what you get, you bastard!"
Boom.
The heavy round struck its head dead-on.
The massive creature began to collapse, crashing into the ground and kicking up a storm of dust.
Nagumo lowered his weapon.
"I've avenged you, Sylas."
He turned toward Yue, who was panting on the ground.
They did it.
They had beaten the labyrinth.
But as the smoke slowly cleared, Nagumo didn't see it.
Behind him—
One of the Hydra's severed heads began to rise.
"Hajime! Look out!" Yue screamed.
A blinding flash erupted from the serpent's maw, racing toward his exposed back.
"I told you not to let your guard down. Did you forget?"
A calm voice cut through the chaos. "Remember this from now on."
Boom
The explosion swallowed the room.
When the dust settled—
A figure stood untouched.
Tattered black pants. Pitch-black hair. An arm extended forward, a translucent barrier shimmering before him.
"Die," he whispered.
Aura enveloped his arm as he launched himself forward.
Whrrrr—
In a single motion, he sliced the final head clean off.
Silence fell.
He landed lightly before Yue and Nagumo, both staring at him as if they had seen a ghost.
"How did you—" Nagumo began.
"Had to make a deal," Sylas cut in. "But it's all good now."
He rolled his shoulders casually.
The moment he finished the fruit, he felt his aura transform—both in quality and quantity. Sacrificing twenty skills had granted him not only a second Nen affinity, but even more aura than before.
A win was a win.
"Enough about me," Sylas said smoothly.
"Care to explain why two of those heads magically started targeting me instead of you?"
He began walking toward Nagumo, a chilling smile spreading across his face.
"About that… well, you see…"
Smack
"I don't care about that." Sylas struck him squarely on the back. "You do that again without warning and I'll—"
He cracked his knuckles.
Nagumo swallowed. "My bad. I got a little emotional there." He cleared his throat quickly. "Now that we're all good… let's clear this thing, shall we?"
He gestured toward the massive door at the end of the room.
To be continued…