Aragi's eyes froze on the page of the book.
Floor 10 Boss: Vrick.
He expected a beast, some grotesque monster with fangs or claws. But the sketch looked like… a man. An old man, bald, with hollow eyes and a twisted smile. The text detailed only one thing about his weapon: "Right arm — deformed, embedded with countless weapons."
Aragi's chest tightened.
A human...? No. That can't be. It's supposed to be a monster… right?
He slammed the book shut, shoved his gear into his bag, packed food and water, and tried to calm the unease crawling through him. Tomorrow, he would face his first true boss.
---
The next morning, he stopped at George Soros' shop.
"Any advice?" Aragi asked, his voice low but edged with tension.
Soros raised an eyebrow. "The tenth-floor boss… careful with him. He's not like the others. He talks. He remembers. Don't let that fool you, though. He will kill you if you let your guard down."
Aragi nodded silently.
As he left the shop, he noticed someone waiting near the elevator.
"Mai?"
Mai Tsurugi leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed. "Just wanted to see if you're actually ready." Her sharp pink eyes studied him, searching for hesitation. "But that look on your face tells me you are."
Aragi smirked faintly. "Yeah. I'm gonna kick that boss's ass."
The elevator doors closed, and his heart began to pound.
---
The 10th Floor
The floor was silent. Empty. It looked less like a dungeon and more like an abandoned garage the size of a stadium, filled with shadows and dust.
Aragi moved cautiously until he found a massive lever. He pulled it.
The ground rumbled. A steel gate clanked open.
And there he was.
The "monster."
An enormous figure sat on the floor, hunched over a heap of meat, eating with slow, deliberate bites. His body was broad, scarred, and his right arm — swollen, mechanical, spiked with blades and hammers — rested against the ground like a weapon forged from nightmares.
The man looked up.
"Oooh… a rookie." His voice was calm, almost kind. "You don't look very strong."
His gaze flickered to Aragi's eyes. He smirked. "Gray eyes. Hmph. First time I've seen one of your kind."
Aragi's throat went dry. This… wasn't what he expected. No growling monster. No immediate attack.
Instead, the old man gestured. "Sit. Eat with me."
Aragi blinked. What?
This was the boss? The floor's guardian? He should be terrifying, but instead… he was offering him dinner. Against his instincts, Aragi sat down cautiously. They ate in silence.
When Aragi opened his mouth to ask—
"Shh," the boss raised a finger. "When eating, don't talk. Bad manners."
Aragi frowned. The hell is this guy?
After the meal, the man stood, his towering frame casting a shadow that swallowed Aragi whole.
"I am Vrick. Floor Ten Boss." He cracked his monstrous right arm against the ground. "And you are?"
"Aragi Zotai. A Vindicator."
"Good. Enough chatter." His eyes hardened. "You're here to defeat me. So let's fight."
Aragi hesitated, then asked, "Are you… human?"
A long silence.
Finally, Vrick muttered, "You'll know in time. But not today. Get ready."
---
The Battle
The hall was littered with junk and rusted machines. Vrick slammed his colossal right arm into the ground, the impact shaking the entire room. Cracks spread through the floor like spiderwebs.
Aragi barely dodged, the shockwave nearly breaking his legs.
His strength… insane. One hit and I'm done.
He drew his katana and slashed at Vrick's arm. Sparks flew. Barely a scratch.
"You'll need more than that, boy," Vrick growled. His fist collided with Aragi's chest, sending him flying into a wall. Pain exploded through his ribs.
For thirty minutes, they clashed. Aragi cut, dodged, and endured while Vrick taunted him, each blow testing his limits. His katana's strikes left shallow wounds at best, while Vrick's monstrous punches shattered stone like glass.
Think. Think. There has to be a way…
Aragi grabbed his water bottle mid-fight and splashed it onto Vrick's massive arm.
The boss laughed. "Waterproof, rookie. Nice try."
But Aragi wasn't aiming for the arm. While Vrick was distracted, Aragi slipped beneath him and hurled water directly into his face.
"Gah—!" Vrick flinched, blinded for a second.
In that instant, Aragi's blade flashed. With a roar, he severed Vrick's mechanical right arm. Metal and flesh tore apart, crashing to the ground.
The old man staggered back, grinning through the pain. "Good. Good! Now the fight's real."
He dragged out a massive electric sword, sparks dancing violently across its blade.
Their fight grew fiercer. Vrick's swings were slower without his arm, but each strike unleashed violent bursts of electricity that lit up the room. Aragi ducked and weaved, his breath ragged, his body bruised.
Finally, Vrick roared. "Enough!" He drove his sword into the ground.
"Thunderbolt!"
The room exploded in lightning. The storm tore through steel, walls, and even Vrick's own body. The shock was overwhelming.
When the light faded, smoke filled the air.
"…Dead," Vrick muttered.
But from above, a voice cut through the haze.
"Not quite."
Aragi dropped from the rafters, katana in hand, and slashed across Vrick's chest.
Vrick stumbled, coughing blood. "How…? No one survives Thunderbolt."
Aragi smirked, lifting his jacket. "I did my research. The shopkeeper gave me something. A rubber-lined jacket. Your lightning didn't reach me."
For the first time, Vrick laughed, a deep, almost fatherly laugh. "Clever kid. You've won."
But Aragi didn't feel victorious. His katana dripped with blood, but his heart was heavy.
This doesn't feel like killing a monster. This feels like killing… a man.
Vrick collapsed, his body dissolving into fragments of light. "Don't be sad, rookie. One day… you'll understand…"
And then he was gone.
A shining crystal clattered to the floor where his body had been.
Aragi picked it up slowly. "A… boss crystal."
---
He unlocked the 11th floor but didn't step inside. Instead, he returned home. His mind was a storm of questions.
Why did he look human? Why could he speak? Did Mai face the same person?
Back in Drektown, he searched for her, but she wasn't at the hotel. Sitting in silence, he thought of Vrick's last words, the weight of his death pressing on him.
A knock came at his door.
He opened it.
Mai stood there, her usual sharp gaze softened slightly.
"Oh, you're back."
"Yeah." Aragi forced a smile.
She tilted her head. "So? How did it go?"
Aragi exhaled, eyes drifting away. "Pretty good… but Mai, I need to ask you something."
---
End of Chapter 5