"Should I go for it… or not?"
Lucas stood at the edge of the altar's passageway, staring at the hunched figure on the throne, surrounded by shadows and glowing glyphs. His fingers twitched around the hilt of his dagger. For the first time in this entire Secret Realm, he was hesitating.
The detection scroll revealed almost nothing—only the name Necromancer Ugwoma, Level 40. All other stats—HP, attack, defense, skills—were hidden behind layers of question marks. That kind of uncertainty was dangerous.
He glanced at the timer—just over an hour remained before the Secret Realm closed.
If he could defeat the boss, he'd be awarded a staggering 4,000 points. With that, his victory would be locked in—guaranteed.
But…
If he died, and someone else snuck in afterward to kill the boss?
They'd get the points. They could win.
Lucas exhaled slowly and made his decision: play it safe—for now.
He turned away from the altar and jogged back down the steps, eyeing the dozens of Level 35 skeleton monsters still wandering the ruins outside. He'd leave nothing to chance. If he could build a lead of 5,000 points or more, the boss wouldn't matter anymore.
He checked his leaderboard.
> Current Lead: 2,700 points.
Required Lead for safety: 5,000 points.
Estimated kills required: ~70 skeletons.
He still had time.
And when he'd fought his way through earlier, he'd only cleared about half the monsters in the center.
If he wiped out the rest, he'd be untouchable.
"Let's finish what we started," he said aloud, the glint in his eyes returning.
---
Up in the observation chamber, the audience watched in hushed anticipation. All eyes were glued to Lucas's figure, projected across the main screen.
Jade Walker, sitting with arms crossed, smiled slightly as she saw him turn away from the altar.
"He's hesitating," she said softly.
Not in disappointment—but in approval.
If he had charged forward recklessly, ignoring the risk, that would have been bravery, yes—but also foolishness.
It would've meant he lacked the patience and tactical sense required of a true professional. A powerful talent who couldn't keep his cool was just a loaded weapon—dangerous, unpredictable, and likely to self-destruct in critical situations.
But this?
This was discipline.
This was restraint.
"That's what I want to see in a guild recruit," she said, her gaze focused and impressed.
She turned to Emily Frost, who stood beside her silently.
"He's the perfect fit for our team," Jade continued.
Emily gave a noncommittal shrug. "Assuming he agrees to join."
Jade chuckled. "Oh, he'll join. I'm sure of it."
---
Back inside the Secret Realm, Lucas moved like a machine.
Clean. Precise. Efficient.
Each dagger slash decimated the skeleton hordes. Soul flames extinguished with a hiss as more bones fell into cracked heaps.
He harvested materials as he went—bones, dust, runes—though his eyes were on the scoreboard.
Finally, with a flourish of his dagger and the collapse of the last skeleton warrior, the system chimed softly.
> Points: 8,000+
Lead: 6,000+ points over 2nd place.
Lucas grinned.
"There it is," he murmured.
Even if he quit now, the championship would still be his.
The other areas of the Secret Realm didn't contain such high monster density. There wasn't enough time for any other player or team to catch up.
Victory was secured.
He could walk away right now and still win.
But then…
Why had he come here in the first place?
He stared once more at the altar—the twisted black stone, the faint pulse of dark energy, the skeletal figure still seated on the throne.
"If I don't fight him," Lucas said, "what was the point of all this?"
He hadn't come just to win. He'd come to test himself.
"Screw it. Let's fight."
---
Lucas climbed the long staircase again, this time with no hesitation in his step.
As he reached the threshold of the altar chamber, a bitter cold wind rushed out to meet him, as if the realm itself was warning him to turn back.
But he didn't stop.
At the top, the Necromancer Ugwoma stirred.
The blue flames in its hollow sockets flared like twin comets.
It slowly rose from the throne, clutching its staff made of twisted vertebrae, and stared down at the human who dared enter its domain.
Dark magic swirled, the energy coiling around the staff with a shriek like a hundred wailing souls.
Lucas's face hardened.
This was it.
The final boss.
He knew stealth was useless—boss-tier enemies like this had control immunity, and were immune to stuns, blinds, and most crowd control effects.
He couldn't afford tricks.
But he had one ace up his sleeve.
Lucas activated his Talent: Delusion-Breaking Eye.
A subtle glow filled his vision, and in an instant, the Necromancer's weak point was revealed—a chink in its magical armor, just below the ribcage.
"Got you."
With a blink, Lucas teleported forward, closing the distance instantly.
Slash!
His dagger cleaved across the boss's robes, tearing into enchanted bone.
Before the numbers even appeared, he spun around, reappearing behind the Necromancer in a blur of light.
Stab!
The dagger pierced directly into its weak point.
> 35612!
162871! (Critical Hit—Weak Point)
Two massive red numbers floated above the boss's head.
Then… silence.
The Necromancer shrieked—then collapsed.
Gone.
Just like that.
Lucas stood frozen. "...Wait. That was it?"
He hadn't even gotten to use his full combo yet. He'd prepared for a multi-phase battle, expecting summons, curses, maybe some death magic—
And it died in two hits.
"Did I just… one-shot a final boss?"
The Necromancer's form shuddered, blue flames bursting from within, and then—ashes.
All that remained was its skeletal staff and a tattered bundle of robes.
A moment later—FLASH!
A brilliant purple light filled the chamber.
Lucas's eyes widened.
"Purple light?! That means loot!"
It was the first time in this entire dungeon that something of this rarity had dropped. Everything else until now had just been bone fragments and low-tier materials.
He rushed forward and scooped up the glowing staff and bundle.
"Did the staff drop? Or is it something even better?" he muttered, breath quickening.
He opened his inventory, ready to inspect the new items.
But before he could—
BOOM!
A loud explosion shook the altar from outside.
----------------------------
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