Just that moment, right when I thought I'd be having another meeting with that four-headed guy, the guardian stopped mid-motion.
Its pupils widened.
The skin-drenching heat vanished like someone snuffed out the sun.
"So that brat had kids, huh?"
I didn't hear it. No sound.
It echoed straight into my head.
"Huh?" I muttered, blinking stupidly.
But there was no time to ask who or what that voice was.
Because the beast, Ignivra, moved its paw again. Slower this time.
And then—
Blink.
I was gone.
One second I was staring at death incarnate. The next, I was where Clara had been. And Clara... had taken my place.
She didn't flinch.
Mana surged through her as she met the incoming paw with her dagger. The impact forced her backward, skidding along the stone, but she maintained the distance between herself and the guardian with precision only Clara could pull off.
Smart move.
Veilstep token.
A rare item that swaps your position with a target. She yanked me out before I could get roasted alive.
"Everyone! Run to the glyph! Clara will engage the boss!" I shouted, already sprinting.
The transfer glyph shimmered faintly ahead. Our only way out.
But there's a problem.
Clara's agility stat is freakishly high, sure. That's what gets her labeled a powerhouse. But the rest of her stats, while solid, aren't built for raw tanking.
Meanwhile, the boss's base agility already surpasses Clara's mana-boosted version.
At best, she'd last a minute.
I reached the glyph and spun around.
That's when I saw it. The artifact sitting smugly at the center of the chamber.
"Haa?" I muttered, squinting at the utterly ridiculous description Inspect decided to bless me with. No way. I need that thing.
But of course, asking Clara to grab it in the middle of the battle? Yeah, no thanks. I still remember what happened with the ogre.
Just as I was brainstorming a dozen borderline-suicidal ways to reach it myself, Clara vaulted straight onto the artifact.
Did she sense its value too? Was she retrieving it? For me?
My heart actually skipped, then she bounced off it like it was nothing.
And right on cue, Ignivra's gaping mouth swallowed the artifact whole, along with the ground Clara had just used as her springboard.
Motherf—
I clenched my jaw and swallowed the scream.
Sylvia and the four elves were still dashing across the chamber, but the Scaleblends, now fully alerted by the boss's awakening, began creeping out of the shadows.
They were hunting.
"Sylvia! Three incoming from your left!" I yelled. "Some are crawling on the ceiling toward you. Prioritize escape. Don't engage!"
She reacted instantly.
"Mages, run to the glyph! Don't fight the Scaleblends!" she shouted. "Sera, use fire, repel them! Darren, soften the ground! Make them lose their grip on the walls! Predict their path!"
Then she turned to Lyra.
"Lyra! Wind, now! Channel it straight ahead, force a lane. Scaleblends will move to avoid direct current. Keep your path streamlined!"
Orders snapped out with machine-like efficiency.
They obeyed, no hesitation.
Sera's fire flared in quick bursts. Darren's tremors sent crawling monsters tumbling. Lyra's wind did the trick, creating a corridor through the chaos.
They broke into a sprint, now making progress.
Sylvia and Zephyr hung back, dealing with the few Scaleblends that had already reached them.
There was no more silence. No restraint. Every movement was clean, decisive, lethal.
But it wasn't enough. Time was bleeding out.
I glanced toward Clara. And to my shock, she was still holding out.
Not only that.. she didn't look tired.
What the hell?
Ignivra wasn't even pushing its full speed. It could move faster, but it matched Clara's pace instead.
Why?
I didn't understand it, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Sylvia! Run! More are coming, but they'll take time to reach you!"
She kicked the last Scaleblend she was dueling, sending it crashing into a pillar, then broke into a run. Zephyr followed.
Clara, goddess bless her, was pulling Ignivra toward the far end of the chamber, luring it away from the others. Her movements were exact. Controlled.
"Good job!" I screamed. "Clara, now!"
She didn't miss a beat.
Out came a teleport scroll. She tossed it at the ceiling, not activating it the usual way. The parchment latched itself midair with a soft snap of magic.
Ignivra's paw lunged. Clara twirled.
Her dagger met the blow, and shattered into shards.
Mithril. Mana-infused. Still broke like glass.
But Clara, having calculated the trajectory, used the force to launch herself upward. Her body arced perfectly.
She hit the scroll with precision.
Vanished—
—and reappeared next to me, hand slapping down on the transfer glyph.
***
Lyra had done a brilliant job streamlining the path. The scaleblends weren't exactly known for their brain, charging forward like headless beasts, no grasp of flanking or retreat.
I kept my focus ahead, eyes locked onto the sanctum glyph etched into the chamber wall.
Then, like a flicker of wind shaped into a woman, Clara appeared.
"The plan worked," I said, heart quickening.
She didn't waste a breath. Her palm slammed onto the glyph.
A hum.
A shimmer.
A portal tore open, swirling with a glow I hadn't dared to hope for. Relief bloomed in my chest like spring after a storm.
We made it.
Lord Hugo stepped through with Clara. He turned, waved his hand—
Then his expression shifted.
"Lady Sylvia, run faster!"
I blinked. He never raised his voice like that.
I turned back just in time to see the boss, a massive blur of muscle and magic, launching itself from the far end of the chamber. Clara had baited it perfectly there, but the creature was already correcting.
One leap. It was already at the center of the chamber.
It was closing in.
Lord Hugo grabbed the elves and extended his hand toward me. I stretched mine forward—
But something tugged at my belt.
A sudden force jerked me back.
And then—
Zephyr.
He sprang past me, using my body like a launchpad.
My back arched midair, helpless, and when I twisted—
Ignivra loomed behind me, maw wide open, enough to swallow a grown wyvern whole.
I was flying straight into it.
No time to scream.
No time to breathe.
Just one look toward the portal.
Lord Hugo didn't flinch.
His eyes didn't even widen.
He simply grabbed Clara's belt beside him and—
Smiled.
Then the portal snapped shut.
I hit the ground.
Hard.
But I was alive.
On the other side.
Then, the torn belt, ripped apart when Zephyr yanked it, gave way, and everything I had tucked inside scattered into the air.
Among them, a small glint. A bottle.
The potion bottle.
The one Lord Hugo had given me.
My eyes widened. His voice echoed in my mind, clear and steady.
"Lady Sylvia, think of it as another me… don't lose it."
My hand shot out, desperate to catch it.
But my fingers missed by a breath, and the bottle tumbled, striking the stone floor with a soft, hollow clink.
My breath came in sharp bursts as I looked up. Clara stared at me, her expression blank for just a beat, then horror dawned in her eyes.
She lunged at the glyph, pressed her palm against it.
Nothing.
Cooldown period.
She slammed her already broken right arm against the glyph's wall, cracking bone against stone.
Still nothing.
"Young Master!" she screamed, her voice splintering like glass.
I turned sharply, instincts flaring. Zephyr.
Before he could react, I had him pinned to the wall, my hand gripping his throat.
"Ugh—what are you—?"
He reached up and grabbed my wrist. Ice bloomed over my skin, creeping cold and numbing fast, but I didn't let go. My other hand curled into a fist.
I was ready to drive it into his face with every ounce of strength I had left.
"Yes. Dive that sucker in, Lady Sylvia! Don't let him breathe!"
I paused.
That voice.
I turned—
"Huh?"
It slipped out of me before I could think.
Lord Hugo stood there, completely fine, brushing dust from his shoulder.
"Why did you stop?" he asked, tone casual as ever.
My arms moved before my mind did. I let go of Zephyr and threw myself into Lord Hugo's chest. I wasn't even thinking. My body just acted.
"H-Hey, what are you—?"
His words were cut off as Clara rammed into him from behind, hugging him tight like a vice.
"Woah.. okay now," he said, wobbling slightly.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, voice still shaking.
He shrugged like he'd merely stepped out for a walk. "Well… you'd be eaten otherwise."
Clara smacked the back of his head.
"OW—!"
"Can you please give us a heads-up before doing something that reckless?" Clara snapped, her voice cracking.
"Hey, what's reckless in that?" he protested.
"Swapping positions into the beast's mouth!"
He held up a finger. "That's exactly why I gave Lady Sylvia the potion bottle."
I blinked. "Potion bottle?"
"Yeah. For Veilstep to activate, the target needs to carry a tokened item," he said, like this was common knowledge. "I tagged that potion I handed you. Used it to swap myself out once I was inside the Guardian's mouth."
Clara paused. "Oh…"
She glanced at his head.
"Did the hit hurt?"
Lord Hugo rubbed the spot, winced. "Not at all. Felt awesome."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, still holding him.
As I stood there, arms wrapped around him, I realized neither of us dared to let go.
***
Not gonna lie… they were soft.
Hehe.
…Hehe.
…He..okay, William, control.
This is how men die. This is exactly how men die.
I closed my eyes and summoned inner peace. Buddha. Gandhi. My mom. Whoever. Just peace.
"Umm… so, shall we get out of here first?" I muttered, ignoring how both Clara and Sylvia were still holding on to me like I was some plush toy that healed taxes.
They let go.
I immediately regretted saying it, but I stood my ground. Proud. Free. Cold.
Clara glanced around and said, "This is the floor the Sanctum is on."
Sylvia turned to Zephyr, her voice sharp like a noble's blade. "The moment we step out, you'll know exactly who you dared to provoke."
Zephyr flinched. Man was already halfway cooked.
But Clara looked calm, eerily calm. "Why wait till then, my lady?" she said, tone smooth. "Let's end him here and say the guardian took care of him."
Darren dropped to his knees. "Please… let him go. We'll take responsibility. We'll report everything to the guild and the guards. Just… spare him."
Clara seemed thoughtful.
Sylvia's voice cut through the pause. "No need. We won't kill him. But we will handle the legal punishment. Personally."
Yep. Zephyr was well done now.
As for me?
I was good. I got what I wanted—from the guardian's mouth. Almost costed my life, but hey.
Then Clara turned to Darren.
"Can you use Perception to check where we are?"
Darren nodded, still kneeling. "Of course. Give me a moment."
Just in case, I activated Perception too. So did Clara. So did Sylvia.
I was about to pair it with Inspect, just to double-check, when—
The Inspect window popped open on its own.
Wait… what?
That only happened when something was already near.
I opened my eyes to check the window.
And something cold landed on my face. A drop. Then another.
Drip.
Drip.
I turned, instinctively wiping it.
And my heart stopped.
"Huh?" I gasped, clutching my chest.
Lyra's torso—
Fell.
Right. In. Front. Of. Me.
Her body hit the ground with a horrible thud, headless. Lifeless.
And beside it—
It stood.
Not moving. Not breathing. Human in posture.
Just calmly drinking the blood from her head.
Its blood-smeared eyes half-lidded. Drowsy.
Homosetis. 19 out of 22 floors.