The Drillmole's mechanical drills roared as the creature burrowed beneath the stone floor, tearing through earth and rock with frightening efficiency. A widening trail of fractured stone marked its path across the arena, while the vibrations of its movement traveled through the chamber and rattled loose fragments from the walls.
Ryota stood near the center of the ruined floor, watching the shifting ground with a crooked smile. The hidden dungeon boss had already attempted to tear him apart with its rotating drills, only to miss when he casually stepped aside. Now it had disappeared beneath the earth, preparing to attack from an angle that would have been difficult for an ordinary player to anticipate.
"Ryota! Be careful!" Suo called from the edge of the arena. "It's moving underground!"
"I noticed."
His relaxed response did little to reassure her. The Drillmole's movements were difficult to track, and every time its drills cut through the earth, the resulting vibrations made it harder to determine where it would emerge. An inexperienced player could spend the entire fight watching the ground, only to discover that the monster had already chosen a different attack angle.
Rabbit and her two companions had retreated toward the chamber wall, keeping as much distance as possible between themselves and the disturbed ground. They had expected a hidden dungeon boss to be dangerous, but they hadn't anticipated that someone would volunteer to fight it alone while the rest of the group watched.
And Rio?
She remained seated on the flat rock beside the wall, one leg crossed over the other, watching Ryota with the calm expression of someone waiting for a performance to begin.
Suo glanced between her and the arena, struggling to understand why Rio seemed so unconcerned.
"Rio, shouldn't you help him?"
Rio rested her chin against one hand. "Why?"
"Because the boss is underground!"
"That does make things more interesting."
"That's not what I meant!"
Rio smiled faintly and returned her attention to Ryota. "Relax. He can handle it."
Suo wanted to believe her, but the growing tremors beneath her feet made that difficult. The Drillmole had the advantage of being able to attack from almost anywhere in the chamber, and Ryota had no obvious way to predict its movements. Even if he was stronger than he appeared, that didn't necessarily mean he could deal with an enemy that refused to remain above ground.
Before Suo could voice another objection, the floor beneath Ryota exploded.
KRAAAAAASH!
Stone fragments burst into the air as the Drillmole erupted from below, its enormous drills spinning at full speed. The creature emerged almost directly beneath Ryota, its body propelled upward by the force of its burrowing attack. Both drills were aimed at him, one threatening to tear through his upper body while the other swept toward his waist.
"RYOTA!"
He moved at the last possible moment.
Ryota twisted sideways, allowing the first drill to pass so close that it brushed against his clothing. He then bent backward as the second swept toward his waist, letting the rotating weapon tear through empty air. The Drillmole's momentum carried it past him before it crashed against the opposite wall.
BOOOOM!
The impact shook the chamber. Dust cascaded from the ceiling, and several loose stones rolled across the floor as the creature's drills gouged deep furrows into the rock. Ryota landed lightly on his feet, straightened his back, and watched the boss struggle to turn around.
"...Whoa. That thing really doesn't like missing."
The Drillmole answered with an angry squeal. Its tiny eyes narrowed beneath its heavy brow, and its drills began rotating even faster. Without giving Ryota an opportunity to counterattack, it lowered its head and plunged into the floor again, disappearing beneath the stone in a shower of dirt.
Suo stared at the empty patch of ground.
"...It went underground again."
Rabbit nodded nervously. "Can he even hit it like that? It can attack from anywhere."
"If it keeps doing that," one of her companions murmured, "it'll eventually catch him."
Ryota, however, looked less concerned than ever. Rather than searching frantically for the boss, he studied the hole where it had disappeared. His gaze shifted from the fractured stone to his own hand, and a small smile gradually spread across his face.
"Oh."
Rio noticed the expression immediately. Her own smile widened as she settled back against the rock.
There it is.
She knew that look. It was the expression Ryota wore whenever he discovered a way to turn an inconvenient situation into something spectacularly unreasonable. Most players would have tried to predict the Drillmole's movements or waited for it to emerge before attacking. Ryota, on the other hand, had apparently begun considering a solution that had nothing to do with chasing the monster.
He crouched slightly and placed one hand against the ground.
"Hey, little mole."
The earth beneath his palm trembled faintly. He tilted his head as though speaking to a particularly stubborn animal, then tightened his fingers into a fist.
"If you want to hide underground..."
His grin widened.
"...then I'll just bring you back up."
Suo blinked. "...What?"
Ryota's fist clenched.
A faint distortion spread around his knuckles as the system recognized the activation of his unique skill.
[Unique Skill: Scalular Impact]
The air around his arm seemed to compress. The skill was known for manipulating the force associated with physical contact, allowing Ryota to reduce, disperse, or redirect the impact of incoming attacks. Most players would have regarded it as a defensive ability, something useful for surviving powerful strikes and protecting themselves against opponents who relied on brute strength.
Ryota had never been particularly interested in using his abilities the way other people expected.
Instead of directing the force through a conventional punch against an opponent, he focused the skill on the stone beneath his palm. He intended to transfer the impact through the floor, allowing the resulting shockwave to travel beneath the surface and disrupt the earth around the hidden boss.
It was a simple idea.
Whether the dungeon would survive it was another matter entirely.
Ryota punched the ground.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact was catastrophic.
A circular shockwave exploded outward from his fist, shattering the stone floor across the arena. Cracks raced through the chamber in every direction, branching across the ground like lightning. Entire sections of stone buckled upward as the force propagated beneath the surface, while dust and fragments of rock burst into the air.
The surrounding walls trembled violently. Loose crystals shook in their sockets, and the sound of splitting stone overwhelmed the mechanical roar that had filled the chamber only moments earlier. Suo stumbled backward and raised her arms to protect her face, while Rabbit and her companions instinctively recoiled toward the wall.
For a brief moment, the entire dungeon seemed to be coming apart.
Then the floor ruptured.
KRAAAAAAAAAACK!
A massive section of stone erupted upward, carrying the Drillmole with it. The boss was thrown out of the ground as though the earth itself had rejected it. Its rotating drills spun wildly as its body sailed several meters into the air, leaving a trail of dirt and shattered rock in its wake.
The Drillmole let out a bewildered squeal.
It had burrowed underground to escape its opponent.
Instead, Ryota had punched the ground hard enough to launch it into the air.
Suo stared at the airborne creature, her mouth slowly falling open. "...He can do that?"
Rabbit looked equally stunned. "I didn't even know that was possible!"
Her Explorer Scout instincts immediately began trying to make sense of what she had witnessed. She mentally reconstructed the sequence of events, recalling how the Drillmole's ability to burrow had made it difficult to target. Most players would have tried to anticipate its movements, lure it toward the surface, or wait until it emerged before launching a counterattack.
Ryota had skipped all of that. He had simply attacked the ground, using Scalular Impact to send a shockwave through the earth and force the monster out of hiding.
Suo had never considered using a force-manipulation skill that way. More importantly, she had never imagined that someone could apply such an ability with enough power to rupture an entire section of a dungeon floor.
"...That's ridiculous," she whispered.
Rabbit could only nod. "Yeah."
Then she noticed the Drillmole reaching the peak of its trajectory.
"...Wait. What happens when it comes down?"
Ryota looked up.
The boss began falling, its drills still spinning as its compact body rotated awkwardly in the air. Gravity pulled it toward the shattered arena, and for a moment, it seemed as though the creature might crash into the ground without giving Ryota another opportunity to attack.
Instead, he stepped forward with an almost delighted expression.
"Well, that's convenient."
He drew back his right fist.
Scalular Impact gathered around his knuckles once more. The air compressed against his arm, and the force of his upcoming strike seemed to make the surrounding dust tremble. The Drillmole descended directly toward him, its body lining up with his position as though the dungeon itself had arranged the perfect opportunity.
For one brief instant, the two were perfectly aligned.
Then Ryota punched.
DOOOOOOOOOOM!
His fist struck the Drillmole squarely in the torso.
Scalular Impact concentrated the force of the blow into a single devastating impact. A shockwave burst through the creature's body, and the sound of the collision reverberated throughout the chamber. The Drillmole's health bar vanished almost instantly. Its drills stopped rotating, and its body froze in midair for a fraction of a second before being hurled backward.
The boss crashed onto the ruined stone floor.
CRAAAAASH!
Silence followed. A few pieces of debris rolled across the arena, while dust slowly settled around the fallen creature. The Drillmole made no attempt to rise, and its mechanical drills remained motionless beside its body.
Then a system notification appeared above it.
[Hidden Dungeon Boss Defeated.]
[Drillmole has been defeated.]
[Experience awarded.]
The creature dissolved into shimmering particles, leaving behind scattered materials and a faint glow that gradually faded into the air.
The entire battle had lasted less time than it took Suo to understand what Ryota was doing.
She stared at the spot where the boss had disappeared, then looked at Ryota and back at the empty arena.
"...He killed it."
Rabbit nodded slowly. "He killed it."
"With one punch."
"One punch."
They exchanged a look, but neither seemed capable of saying anything else. The hidden dungeon boss, which had appeared so dangerous only moments earlier, had been defeated through a combination of an unconventional strategy and an absurd amount of force.
Even Rio finally stood from her rock. She brushed the dust from her clothes and approached the arena, stepping over the fractured stone as though the damage to the dungeon floor was a minor inconvenience.
"Not bad," she commented.
Ryota turned toward her with an exaggeratedly smug expression. "Not bad? Rio, that was amazing."
"You punched a mole."
"I launched a mole out of the ground and punched it into oblivion."
"An important distinction, I'm sure."
"It absolutely is."
Rio shook her head, although she couldn't completely hide her amusement. Ryota looked as though he was considering explaining the difference in greater detail, but before he could begin, Suo suddenly noticed a series of notifications appearing in her interface.
She froze and opened her status window.
"...Wait."
A bright notification appeared across her display.
[Level Up!]
[Level 11 → Level 12]
Before she could finish reading it, another message followed.
[Level Up!]
[Level 12 → Level 13]
Then a third notification flashed into view.
[Level Up!]
[Level 13 → Level 14]
Suo stared at the screen, completely speechless.
"...WHAT?!"
Rabbit immediately opened her own status window. The moment she saw the notifications displayed there, her expression changed just as dramatically.
[Level Up!]
[Level 11 → Level 12]
[Level Up!]
[Level 12 → Level 13]
[Level Up!]
[Level 13 → Level 14]
Both girls stared at their screens in disbelief. They had entered the hidden dungeon expecting to struggle through a difficult boss fight, yet Ryota had defeated the Drillmole so quickly that they had barely participated in the battle at all. Nevertheless, the experience rewards had been distributed to the eligible party members, and the result was unmistakable.
Three levels in a single boss encounter.
Rabbit's companion leaned forward to inspect her screen. "You're both level fourteen?"
Rabbit nodded, still trying to process the result.
Suo slowly lifted her head. "...I'm level fourteen."
"So am I," Rabbit replied.
The other companion looked toward Ryota, whose expression suggested that he was perfectly satisfied with the outcome. "...What kind of player are you?"
Ryota simply smirked. "Someone who appreciates efficient leveling."
Rio walked past him toward the spot where the Drillmole had fallen. "Don't get too pleased with yourself. We still need to check the boss's loot."
Ryota immediately followed. "Right."
He stopped beside the place where the creature had dissolved and carefully examined the scattered materials. After a moment, however, his expression shifted slightly, and he glanced toward Rio.
"Hey, Rio."
"Hm?"
"Do you think it'll come back?"
Suo blinked. "Come back?"
Ryota pointed toward the empty arena. "You know. The blood-release thing."
Rabbit looked confused. "...Blood release?"
Rio immediately understood what he meant. Some monsters possessed a rare mechanic that could trigger upon defeat, allowing them to revive or transform into a more dangerous state. The possibility was uncommon, but experienced players knew better than to assume every boss was finished simply because its health bar had reached zero.
Ryota had apparently remembered that possibility at the last moment.
Rio shook her head. "No. The Drillmole has a low chance of triggering that mechanic, but it didn't activate this time."
Ryota examined the empty arena for another second. "...You sure?"
"Yes."
"Completely sure?"
Rio gave him a flat look. "Would you like to punch the ground again just to check?"
Ryota considered the suggestion with surprising seriousness. "...Tempting."
"Don't."
"All right."
Apparently satisfied, he straightened up and followed Rio toward the center of the chamber. Suo and Rabbit exchanged another look before joining them, their earlier anxiety gradually giving way to excitement. The boss had been defeated, and the hidden dungeon's reward chamber should now be accessible.
For the first time since entering the forest, Suo felt that things might finally be going her way. She had found a place where she could gain experience, advanced three levels in a single encounter, and witnessed a unique skill being used in a way she would never have imagined on her own. Whatever else she learned about Rio and Ryota, following them had already proven far more rewarding than she had expected.
Unfortunately, that thought lasted only a few seconds.
BANG!
The first gunshot echoed through the dungeon.
Suo froze.
A second shot followed almost immediately.
BANG!
Two of Rabbit's companions jerked violently as the bullets struck them. Their bodies collapsed onto the stone floor before either could react, and their health bars vanished almost simultaneously.
For one terrible moment, nobody moved.
Then Rabbit screamed.
"NO!"
She rushed toward her fallen guildmates, but another gunshot rang through the chamber before she could reach them.
BANG!
The bullet struck her left shoulder.
Rabbit cried out as the impact spun her sideways. Before she could recover, a fourth shot followed.
BANG!
The second bullet struck her right knee. Her leg buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor with a pained gasp.
"AAAAH!"
Suo's face drained of color. "RABBIT!"
Rio and Ryota turned around at the same time. The cheerful atmosphere that had followed the boss battle vanished instantly, replaced by a silence so tense that even the settling dust seemed to hang motionless in the air.
At the dungeon entrance stood Erik.
His face was twisted into a triumphant grin, and the humiliation he had suffered in the Town of Beginnings had been replaced by the satisfaction of someone who believed he had finally regained control of the situation.
Beside him stood a tall, broad-shouldered man with black hair and a massive greatsword strapped across his back. Unlike Erik, whose anger had always been easy to read, this man's expression was cold and controlled. His gaze moved across the chamber, taking in the ruined floor, the fallen Drillmole, and the players who had been caught by surprise.
Behind the two men stood approximately fifty members of Necroshama.
Twenty had already taken positions around the entrance and along the sides of the chamber, their rifles aimed directly at Rio, Ryota, and Suo. The remaining players spread out behind them, carrying swords, spears, shields, and an assortment of other weapons. They blocked the available routes through the chamber, leaving little room for anyone to escape without passing through the firing line.
Rabbit stared at her fallen companions. Her hands trembled as she tried to comprehend what had happened. Only moments earlier, the three of them had been standing together, celebrating their unexpected level-ups and discussing the rewards they might receive from the hidden dungeon.
They had followed her here because she believed it would be safer to stay with Rio and Ryota.
Now, her companions lay motionless on the stone floor.
"...No..."
The word barely escaped her throat.
"No, no, no..."
She tried to push herself upright, but the pain in her shoulder and knee forced her back down. Suo hurried to her side, crouching beside her and reaching out to keep her from moving.
"Rabbit, stay down!"
Rabbit barely seemed to hear her. Her eyes remained fixed on the two motionless figures, and her breathing grew increasingly unsteady as the realization settled over her.
Erik laughed.
"Well, well. Look at that." He stepped into the chamber, his boots crunching over the loose stone fragments scattered across the ground. "Seems like you had a pretty successful little adventure."
His gaze moved toward the arena where the Drillmole had been defeated before shifting to Ryota.
"And you even managed to clear the boss. What a shame."
Rio stood perfectly still. She had not drawn her weapon, raised her voice, or even changed her expression. Her eyes moved across the fifty players surrounding them, counting rifles, examining their positions, and noting the distance between the gunmen and the others.
Twenty rifles. Several melee fighters. One narrow entrance. Rabbit wounded, two players dead, and Suo exposed in the open. Ryota stood beside her, while the enemy formation covered nearly every obvious route out of the chamber.
The situation was clear.
Necroshama had not come here to demand another toll. They had come to punish the people who had humiliated them in the Town of Beginnings.
Erik stopped several meters away and spread his arms as though presenting the scene to an audience.
"This is what happens when you mess with Necroshama. You thought you could walk into our town, destroy our property, insult us, and leave without consequences?"
He pointed toward Rabbit.
"Look at your little friends. This is what happens when weak players forget their place."
Suo's fists tightened. "You killed them!"
Erik glanced at her without the slightest hint of remorse. "Of course we did."
He shrugged as though the matter were too trivial to deserve further explanation.
"They were standing with you."
Suo stared at him, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and horror. Erik continued speaking, seemingly pleased by the fear and anger spreading through the group.
"And that little stunt with the building? That was a mistake. A very expensive mistake." His attention returned to Rio. "Now, let's see how brave you are when you don't have a crowd watching."
The tall man beside him finally stepped forward. His black hair fell across his forehead, and the greatsword on his back looked heavy enough to cleave through a shield in a single blow. He carried himself with the confidence of someone accustomed to giving orders, and the other Necroshama players made room for him without being asked.
This was Redus, an officer of Necroshama who held Rank Four within the guild's internal hierarchy. Erik occupied Rank Three, but Redus was still one of the organization's most dangerous combatants. His greatsword was a high-grade weapon, and his strength had earned him enough influence to command dozens of guild members without needing to raise his voice.
Redus looked at Rio and Ryota.
"Both of you. Kneel."
His voice was low and direct, carrying easily through the chamber.
"If you obey, I may allow you to leave this place alive."
Ryota stared at him. "...Kneel?"
Redus's eyes narrowed. "You heard me."
He raised one hand, and the twenty riflemen adjusted their aim. The muzzles pointed more precisely toward Rio, Ryota, and Suo as several players shifted to secure clearer firing angles. Others moved to block the routes leading deeper into the dungeon, tightening the formation around their targets.
Redus rested one hand on the hilt of his greatsword.
"You destroyed guild property, attacked our captain, and interfered with our operations. You will apologize, surrender your equipment, and accept whatever punishment Necroshama decides is appropriate." He paused, allowing the threat to settle over the chamber. "Do that, and I might show mercy."
Ryota looked at the rifles, then at Redus, and finally back at the rifles.
"...Rio?"
"Hm?"
"Are we supposed to be impressed?"
Rio's mouth twitched. "No idea."
Redus's expression hardened. "You think this is a joke?"
Ryota shrugged. "Not really. I'm just trying to figure out why you brought fifty people to deal with two players and a scout."
He glanced toward the gunmen.
"Twenty rifles, too. That's a lot of equipment for people who claim they're strong."
Several Necroshama players immediately bristled.
"Watch your mouth!"
"You're surrounded!"
"Do you think you can fight all of us?!"
Ryota looked genuinely thoughtful. "...Probably."
Rio covered her mouth for a moment, not because she was afraid, but because she was trying very hard not to laugh. The sight of fifty armed players surrounding them might have been intimidating to an ordinary adventurer, but Ryota had somehow managed to turn the situation into an opportunity to insult their opponents.
Redus noticed Rio's reaction, and his eyes narrowed.
Then Rio laughed.
It wasn't a nervous laugh or the strained sound of someone desperately trying to hide her fear. It was a genuine, amused laugh that echoed through the chamber, leaving Erik staring at her as though she had just committed some unforgivable offense.
"...What?" he demanded.
Rio continued laughing softly.
Redus's expression darkened. "What's so funny?"
Rio finally looked at him. The amusement in her eyes only made Erik's face twist with anger.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!"
Rio tilted her head. "Didn't I tell you already?"
Erik froze.
Her smile faded, and the warmth disappeared from her expression. What remained was a cold certainty that made the room feel noticeably smaller.
"You're not nearly as strong as you think you are."
She looked around at the rifles, swords, armored players, and fifty people who had entered the dungeon believing that their numbers guaranteed victory.
"I'm not afraid of Necroshama," she continued calmly. "And I never will be."
The chamber fell silent.
Rio lowered her gaze toward the players surrounding her.
"Your guild is nothing more than a hindrance."
For a moment, nobody moved. Then Redus raised his hand.
"Fire."
The command came without hesitation.
One of the riflemen pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the dungeon, and the bullet raced toward Suo.
She barely had time to register the sound before Rio moved. A crimson flash appeared in her hand, and her sword materialized just as the projectile reached her.
CLANG!
The bullet struck the blade and ricocheted away, sparking against the stone wall behind them.
Suo froze. Ryota's eyebrows rose slightly, while even Redus looked momentarily stunned. Rio stood in front of Suo, holding a weapon none of them had seen before.
It was not her Imperial Saber.
The blade was a deep, dark crimson, its polished surface reflecting the dungeon's dim light like fresh blood beneath the moon. Strange patterns ran along its length, and a faint red glow pulsed near the guard. The sword looked less like ordinary equipment and more like a weapon created for someone who had no intention of losing.
A system notification flickered beside Rio's hand.
[Mythic Weapon: Crimson Bloodmoon]
Silence spread through the chamber.
A Mythic weapon.
The highest rarity in Evermount, the kind of equipment most players only heard about through rumors, tournament reports, and stories told by people who claimed to know someone who had seen one. Such weapons were the sort of treasures that could define a player's reputation, yet Rio held hers as casually as someone carrying an ordinary sword.
And she had just used it to deflect a rifle bullet.
Redus's expression changed. His gaze shifted from the blade to Rio, then to the bullet mark on the wall.
"...Who are you?"
Erik's face had gone pale. He recognized the name Crowned Era from discussions among higher-level players, but he had never expected to encounter its leader in the Town of Beginnings. More importantly, he had never imagined that someone from an Apex guild would personally interfere with Necroshama's operations.
Rio slowly lowered Crimson Bloodmoon and opened her player settings.
Until now, the privacy restrictions concealing her guild affiliation had kept her information from being displayed openly. She changed the setting, allowing her character information to refresh in front of everyone watching.
A flash of light appeared beside her name.
The shortened identifier expanded, and the emblem of her guild materialized above her.
[Player: Rio]
[Guild: Crowned Era]
[Guild Rank: Guild Master]
Suo's eyes widened.
"...Crowned Era?"
Rabbit stared at Rio in disbelief, momentarily forgetting the pain in her shoulder and knee. Redus stopped breathing for a moment, while Erik looked as though someone had struck him across the face.
They knew that name.
Every serious player who followed the rankings knew that name.
Crowned Era was an Apex guild whose reputation had grown rapidly through its achievements on the higher floors. Its members were rumored to possess unusual skills, rare equipment, and an almost absurd ability to survive situations that would destroy ordinary parties. Even players who had never encountered the guild directly knew that it was not an organization to provoke casually.
And its guild leader was the silver-haired swordswoman standing before them.
Rio.
Redus stared at the name displayed above her head.
"...You're the leader of Crowned Era?"
Rio smiled. "That's right."
Suo looked between Rio and Ryota, struggling to reconcile the quiet woman who had offered her a hidden dungeon with the guild leader now standing before a crowd of armed Necroshama players. She had known Rio was strong. She had seen her defeat Erik and watched Ryota destroy the Drillmole with a single punch. But she hadn't understood what that strength meant until now.
Redus tightened his grip on his greatsword. For the first time since entering the chamber, uncertainty crept into his expression. He had expected two players who could be intimidated through sheer numbers. Instead, he had discovered that one of them led an Apex guild, while the other possessed a unique skill powerful enough to destroy an entire building with a single punch.
Their earlier confidence suddenly seemed foolish.
Nevertheless, Redus still had fifty players behind him, and twenty rifles remained trained on Rio, Ryota, and Suo. He forced himself to speak, attempting to regain control of the situation.
"An Apex guild..." His eyes narrowed. "That doesn't change anything. You're still outnumbered."
Rio looked at him for a moment before smiling.
Not warmly. Not kindly.
It was the sort of smile that appeared when someone had finally offered her an excuse to stop pretending that the situation was worth discussing.
"Is that what you think?"
Her eyes began to glow.
A brilliant blue light illuminated her irises, and the air around her seemed to shift. At first, the change was subtle. A faint pressure spread through the chamber, causing loose dust to tremble against the stone floor. Then the pressure intensified, and a blue aura began gathering around her body.
The light spread from her shoulders and arms, curling around Crimson Bloodmoon like mist illuminated by moonlight. The nearest Necroshama players instinctively stepped backward. One of the riflemen lowered his weapon without realizing it, while another swallowed hard and tightened his grip on the stock.
Redus's expression changed completely.
He had fought powerful players before. He had encountered high-level warriors, rare-class mages, and opponents whose equipment alone could intimidate an entire party. But the pressure coming from Rio felt different. It was not merely the presence of a powerful weapon or the confidence of someone who had earned a high rank.
It was the sensation of standing before someone whose strength had suddenly become impossible to measure.
Rio opened her status window.
A notification appeared.
[Level Up!]
[Level 24 → Level 25]
The experience gained from the Drillmole had pushed her to the next level. As the system finalized the increase, the blue aura around her intensified, spreading across the shattered floor like a wave of cold light.
Then another notification appeared.
[Lost Skill Activated: Chronos Eye]
Rio's blue eyes shone brighter.
The space around her seemed to grow unnaturally still, as though the world itself had paused to acknowledge the activation of her skill. Chronos Eye was not an ability that could simply be activated and forgotten. Its power required physical contact with a target, allowing Rio to manipulate the target's temporal flow by slowing or accelerating it. But whenever she prepared to use it, the skill produced an unmistakable sign: the strange blue radiance surrounding her eyes.
Now that glow was visible to everyone in the chamber.
The aura around Rio continued to spread, its light reflecting off the crimson blade in her hand. Suo felt her breath catch, while Rabbit remained motionless despite the pain from her wounds. Erik stared at Rio with wide eyes, the confidence he had carried into the dungeon collapsing beneath the weight of the revelation.
Redus remained standing, but his grip on his greatsword had tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Around them, Necroshama's members felt the same oppressive change. Their numbers had not diminished, and their weapons remained in their hands, but the certainty that had brought them into the dungeon was rapidly disappearing. They had seen Rio destroy Erik's weapon, watched her deflect a bullet, and learned that she led an Apex guild. Now they were witnessing another side of her strength, one that none of them had anticipated.
Rio slowly raised her gaze.
Her glowing blue eyes swept across the twenty riflemen, the armed players behind them, and finally Redus and Erik. She did not shout, threaten them, or make a grand declaration of victory. She simply stood before them, holding Crimson Bloodmoon in one hand, surrounded by an aura that made the entire dungeon feel smaller.
For the first time since Necroshama had begun intimidating the weaker players of the Town of Beginnings, its members found themselves wondering whether they had finally chosen an opponent they could not force to bow.
The Silver War Goddess had awakened.