Mark could do nothing but wait. The Hydra was still screaming with all six heads, thrashing its body against the ground. Being only ten meters away, it would have been easy for the beast to crush him. To say Mark wasn't anxious would be a lie, but this tension was nothing compared to the pressure he felt before the fight and during his preparations. It was strange. He couldn't move, and his life now depended on the outcome he had anticipated. Yet, Mark felt a sense of calm.
"I made my choice and did everything in my power. Now, the rest is up to fate," the thought crossed his mind.
Finally, the Hydra's movements slowed until the last sign of life vanished. Whether this wait lasted ten seconds or an entire day, Mark couldn't tell, but a sharp ding echoed in his mind as a panel appeared before him.
[Congratulations, Host! You have defeated the 2nd-floor boss. You may now proceed to the 3rd floor through the gate in the Safe Zone. Upon the floor boss's death, you are granted a one-time teleportation to the Safe Zone.]
Mark let out a long breath, and the last of his tension finally evaporated, replaced by a deep sense of satisfaction. He slowly stood up and approached the Hydra's carcass. His steps were heavy and slow, moving with great effort. Reaching the body, he stored it in his inventory and commanded: "System, return me to the Safe Zone."
Mark felt the sensation of being swallowed by a void and then spat back out; the experience was much like passing through a Gate. He collapsed onto the cold, smooth stone floor of the Safe Zone. His consciousness could no longer bear the weight of the exhaustion, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
When Mark finally woke up, his mind was a blur. For a fleeting moment, he thought the battle with the Hydra had been nothing but a dream. But the sharp memories of the fight, the lingering tension, and that final sense of relief were all too real—the Hydra's massive carcass sitting in his inventory was the ultimate proof.
He couldn't help himself; he slumped back onto the cold floor. He had actually done it. With "B-" rank mana, he had soloed an "A-" rank monster. He couldn't find the right words to describe his current state; there was satisfaction, but it was mostly a profound sense of calm.
This wasn't the "thrill of battle." That kind of excitement only comes from a fair and balanced fight. The gap in raw power between Mark and the Hydra had been absurd. Throughout the encounter, Mark had relied entirely on an ambush, never giving the beast a single chance to act. It was far from a "fair" fight. There was no grand sense of achievement in the kill itself, nor did the prospect of the 3rd floor seem particularly enticing. The greatest reward he could have gained—an A-rank Monster Core—had been the very thing he had to destroy to win.
Instead, this was about the realization that he could execute exactly what he envisioned. Mark had placed a bet, with his life as the stake, and he had won. Did he really need any other reason to be happy?
Mark replayed the battle in his mind. He had mastered three specialized spells specifically for this encounter. First, there was Stone Burst: compressing air within a stone and holding it until the perfect moment. This had been his opening move.
Next was Air Step: compressing and releasing air beneath his feet to move swiftly across the marsh without sinking, almost as if he were walking on air itself. Combined with Air Dash, he had closed the distance with the Hydra in an instant. Then came the new Burst Leap—essentially an Air Burst applied to himself to jump higher. Using it twice, he had reached a height of 60 meters above the beast.
From that vantage point, he released every stone and dry sand particle he had gathered in his inventory. Controlling them with HEEM, he rendered the Hydra immobile. Finally, the killing blow: Big Stone Bullet 2.0, followed by a quick Air Dash to propel himself out of the Hydra's body.
Calculating the time, the preparation of Stone Burst took 50 seconds. From the moment the Hydra arrived and swallowed the baited carcass until the explosion, he had held the spell for 5 minutes. The active combat—from the explosion to the final Big Stone Bullet 2.0 and the escape—lasted another 3 minutes.
Total time: 8 minutes and 50 seconds. It was a staggering figure. In less than nine minutes, he had exhausted his "B-" rank mana pool, but in exchange, an "A-" rank Hydra was dead.
In the past, there was a legendary human mage named August Morgan. Although his rank was only A-, he had single-handedly brought down more than ten monsters of equal or higher standing. Rumors even claimed he had slain an S-rank dragon, though that remained unconfirmed. One thing, however, was certain: he was a master of soloing monsters far above his own grade and had claimed the lives of several from the sapient races.
According to August Morgan, "If your enemy is stronger and possesses more mana, you must expend your entire mana pool within ten to twenty minutes. In that window, you must overwhelm them and decide the outcome. If you cannot defeat your opponent within that time, you will surely die."
While many of August Morgan's stories had been altered or fabricated over time, this piece of advice was undeniably true. And in his battle against the Hydra, Mark had just proven it.
Of course, it wasn't just the strategy; other critical factors were at play. Mark had thoroughly studied the Hydra beforehand. He had become convinced that this creature had zero experience fighting an equal opponent and had never faced a calculated ambush. Furthermore, its predatory instinct to consume any flesh it saw without hesitation was a fatal flaw. These specific traits were the foundation of Mark's plan—and ultimately, the very factors that led to the Hydra's inevitable destruction.
As Mark was analyzing the battle, a sharp ding echoed in his mind, and a panel materialized before him.
[Congratulations, Host! You have earned the right to ascend to the 3rd Floor. However, you will not be able to proceed for a certain period. Technical maintenance is currently underway. You will be notified once it is resolved.]
Mark was stunned. "Technical maintenance? What exactly is happening on the 3rd floor?"
[Because the 3rd-floor boss has been slain.]
Mark fell silent for a moment, then screamed: "WHAAAAT!!!?"