Evan D. Sherden, Preparing for a journey. (5)

There was a time when all the explorers in the dungeon city of Sherden were unable to cross the 45th story’s floor master, Thunder Lycansrov.

It was a monster with a perfect balance of enormous physical strength, intelligent movements, and the mana of lightning properties.

To get beyond him, one had to overwhelm him in pure speed and strength, in defense, and in magic. It took several years for Sherden’s top guild members to meet the conditions, even on a by-party basis.

So, still in the dungeon city, Thunder Lycansrov was a symbol of fear. To name a guild representing the city of Sherden, the condition that one must break through Thunder Lycansrov was dominating the city like unwritten rules.

“Okay!”

Arisha stood up, trampling on the very body of the Thunder Lycansrov, raising her rapier high, with a proud look on her face. She had just succeeded in defeating Thunder Lycansrov alone.

“I overwhelmed it with speed!”

“…..Arisha, you’re so obsessed with speed these days!”

“I just concluded that if I can’t overwhelm everyone in every way, I should specialize in the areas I’m great at it… But I’m still losing to Shine.”

That was a reasonable idea. Evan nodded, retrieving the mana stone from the dying Thunder Lycansrov, who had holes all over his body. It was admirable that she went her way without needing any interference.

“Is this the last one?”

“Yes, there’s only the Hidden Boss left.”

After sending the junior team back first from the 35th floor, he joined the senior team from the 41st floor and came all the way here in a week. He still had some time until the day he would leave for Pellati, but he wanted to target the Hidden Boss today.

“Shine and Raihan will attack the Hidden Boss together.”

“Are we the only two doing it?”

“Yes, as I said before I joined the dungeon, this was the biggest purpose of the dungeon trip: to strengthen the remaining team’s skills. So please do so.”

“Then…”

“No, Master.”

At Evan’s words, Raihan shook his head as he tried to prepare for the match with the boss.

“I think I should do it alone.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to check Raihan’s tanking skills. So I’ll do it alone.”

“If I want to represent the Dungeon Knights in your absence, I have to do this by myself.”

“Hmmm…”

Evan thought for a moment before facing Shine. Shine’s attempt to live up to his expectations was, of course, a great pleasure. Evan was well aware that his skills were improving day by day. But letting him face the 45th floor’s Hidden Boss alone…

Of course, Shine had a history of defeating the 30th floor’s Hidden Boss alone a year ago at the age of 14. The Druid, Anastasia, helped him. However, her role at that time wouldn’t have been very big.

However, that was also because Shine trained at an unparalleled efficiency, receiving Evan’s support from an early age. Even though he hunted the Hidden Boss on the 30th floor on his own, the 45th floor’s Hidden Boss was nothing like that.

“But you can hunt alone, right?”

“Then I can do it.”

Shine clenched his fist, declaring this firmly. Facing his pure black eyes, Evan asked stealthily.

“If you’re saying you care about me…”

“Believe me. Trust me, Master.”

He thought he was also concerned about the conversation that happened….. However, Evan, who hesitated, soon fixed his thoughts, looking at the scimitar in Shine’s hand.

It was an artifact created by himself and Horta’s power by combining the scimitar, EB metal, and Shine’s original artifacts that absorbed the Devil Rune. If he had these on him, at least he wouldn’t die.

“Okay, then try it alone. But Raihan, please go in with him and keep an eye on him. If you think Shine’s going to die…”

“Of course, Master.”

Of course, they were already aware of the Hidden Boss Battle Room.

The condition to call up the hidden boss’s battle room on the 45th floor is to throw the Mana Stone of the floor mask into a trap hidden in a special location. The extraordinary mana wavelengths quickly spread to all directions, creating a square door on the blank wall.

“How the hell do you figure this out?”

“The reason why we believe in your foresight lies entirely on you.”

“No. I used to think there was no way to find out in advance, but it wasn’t necessarily the case when my alchemy skills were growing.”

“So it’s because of alchemy…”

Evan had indeed been making excuses for the doubt about the party members’ foresight for the first time in a long time, but it was counterproductive. Among them, several people would want to learn alchemy as soon as Bernard got back to the dungeon city.

“Then I’ll be right back after hunting.”

“Shine, the hidden boss on the 45th floor…”

“It’s all right.”

Shine interrupted Evan as he was about to explain the boss.

“I’ll prove I can come back without your foresight.”

“Then take this potion first.”

“As expected, you use Bernard’s style when it comes to alchemy. I’ll be heading off now.”

Shine received the potion from Evan and took a quick shot of it. It was made with tea leaves from Elven Tea. Then he opened the door first and entered the boss’s room, invoking the scimitar’s option.

As soon as Raihan rushed inside with his shield, the door closed with a glow. Evan looked at it blankly and said, “What the hell is Bernard’s style?”

“Being a softie. It’s when a person’s clearly cussing, but you can tell it’s because they’re worried.”

“Where did you learn the word ‘softie’?”

“From you.”

The room had been quiet since Shine and Raihan entered. Suddenly, Arisha asked.

“Then what is the hidden boss on the 45th floor, Evan?”

“Goonrang.”

“A pack of wolves? There’s only one hidden boss that’s ever appeared, but this time there’s a bunch of them?”

“No, it’s one. The problem is that it feels like a bunch.”

She couldn’t quite understand what Evan was saying. Then the moment she was going to inquire about it in detail, the boss room door opened. There were a fine-looking Raihan and Shine who looked like they had been beaten all over.

“What, it’s already over? If you don’t know his characteristics, you can’t hunt it fast.”

“I’ve been with you for years. I can tell the nature of the boss by one glance.”

Shine was flashy, but his whole body was bruised and full of electric shock burns, which honestly looked very ugly. Raihan gave a bitter smile as he poured therapeutic magic all over his body.

“Now I know why you let Shine deal with this Hidden Boss.”

“…..Well, frankly, Shine’s hunting was too fast, and I’m puzzled.”

Evan looked at Shine with amazed eyes, but he laughed it off. If he meant to reassure himself, it was a success.

“That’s enough to trust Sherden with him whatever unexpected happens.”

“Well, you said so.”

Shine posed again. It looked pretty plausible this time. Next to him, Arisha raised her eyebrows.

“So what kind of guy is that Hidden Boss after all?”

After hearing the explanation of the Goonrang, Arisha shuddered and admitted that she could not yet catch up with Shine. It was when some of the other party members looked at Shine with respect in their eyes.

[Your level has grown to 46.]

[It’s finally time. I will strengthen your Heaven’s Step in my name. Now Heaven’s Step will make it freer to control speed and pressure according to your will!]

Evan had the feeling of the voice of God and of the mysterious power that roared through his whole body. The feeling of stabbing each cell in the throat, then inflating it again. It was a cataclysm that one can’t just get used to.

At first, he didn’t know what the Heaven Step was, but the feeling of being engraved on his body made it clear that it was a unique awakening skill with Leo’s help. Come to think of it, the previously learned skill, Skin Blade, was also reinforced under the name Heaven’s Blade when he broke through the 40th floor of the dungeon.

“Does God receive a curse if He doesn’t put the word ‘Heaven’ in the name of a skill He gives? Can I tell you how to develop a curse tolerance?”

[Many say they can’t feel your strength with other words.]

“I think this is enough, so please reinforce it with others.”

[You are so good at it that you tend to be relatively less strengthened even if you get the same level of blessings as others.]

In the past, Evan saw god treating him like a monster.

He once thought that this was not something to be trusted.

What was important was that Evan now identified God as someone to be trusted.

“….You know, God.”

[Hmm?]

“Do you read your future destiny little by little?”

That must be why he asked such a stupid question.

[Like you?]]

“That’s…..”

[All we can read is the present. However, if you assemble countless presentations together, the outline of the future will be revealed. All we give to a man is a clumsy outline.]

[But you sometimes squeeze the outline more plausible than we do. It is for that reason that we call you a cheat.]

[If you insist on bringing it up in front of us, perhaps you have a question for us.]

[But no. There’s nothing we can tell you.]

Evan knew it. As expected, it was not helpful. When Evan shrugged and was about to say it was all right, God, who felt most intimate with him, spoke again.

[You’re doing well enough. There’s no need to worry.]

[But I’m not doing my best.]

[You can’t risk your life to be fully prepared for a future that you don’t know anything about. This kid is already doing his best.]

[Excuse me.]

[At least we can’t blame this kid. You can’t even thank him.]

[This child is a cheat. Since the mind, body, soul, and destiny are facing in different directions; happiness will never come.]

[How dare you say that to this child?]

Now, the different voices were starting a fight. As Evan’s eyes thinned, God, who took control again after a moment of silence, simply said:

[Well, it’s good enough if you live a life without regret.]

“Yes, thank you for saying that.”

Evan thanked God.

To sum up the words of the voices, something was going to happen this time anyway.

It was also clear that there was still work left for him to do. It was also true that he was slightly upset by the unknown voices’ provocation.

Evan declared to the party members, each of whom was rewarded by God and brought to his senses.

“Let’s go a little deeper. As far as we can go.”

“…..Yeah?”

“Deeper than now..?”

Evan and his party did so, coming out of the dungeon two weeks later than the original schedule.

As a result, the day of leaving for Pellati was just a day away.