The massive stone doors groaned open.
Sylvie stepped into the boss chamber, careful not to make a sound. The air was thick with corrupted mana, swirling in violet wisps that clung to her skin like a warning. Broken pillars and fractured runes lined the vast hall, all leading toward the looming silhouette at the far end—a hulking chimera mutated by the Void. The final guardian of the dungeon.
She narrowed her eyes. This was it.
Her fingers tensed around her twin daggers, heart pounding with anticipation. If she could kill it fast, collect the core and relics, and make it out—she'd meet her master's quota. She might even earn a reprieve. A full week without bruises. Maybe food that wasn't rotten.
She dashed across the floor like a wraith, keeping to the shadows, blades drawn. Her first strike was swift, cutting into the beast's leg before it fully emerged from the fog. It shrieked, swiping blindly with a massive claw.
She danced back. One strike at a time. Bleed it out. That was the plan.
Until the faint rumble behind her made her freeze.
The door.
Sylvie cursed under her breath and immediately leapt behind a shattered column near the chamber's edge. She pressed herself into the stone, suppressing her aura and breath to nothing.
Then she heard them.
Heavy boots.
Panting.
Voices.
"Is this... the sanctum?" Reynar's voice echoed.
"Yeah," Liora muttered, her tone grim. "Be ready. The core monster's close."
Sylvie clenched her teeth.
"No. No, no… they weren't supposed to make it this far."
She'd spent hours pushing through the dungeon's inner rings, wading through wave after wave of monsters. But her injuries, the growing resistance—it had slowed her. Let them catch up. Now, they were here. Right before the boss fight.
Her hands trembled—not from fear of them, but of what this meant. Her mission. Her quota. Her master's patience.
"If they steal the kill… if I lose the loot…"
She dared not imagine the punishment.
From her hiding place, she watched.
Reynar and Liora didn't notice her presence. Their focus was on the beast, now fully emerged, growling with fury, voidlight leaking from its wounds—one of them caused by her earlier ambush.
"They're stronger than before," Sylvie thought as she watched Liora conjure slicing winds that drove the chimera back. Reynar followed up, his flames controlled and precise, boxing the monster into an unfavorable corner.
They moved in unison, not just allies—but synchronized.
"Tch. Figures."
The chimera screeched and lashed its tail, slamming Liora hard into the wall. She coughed blood and dropped to one knee. Reynar's eyes widened.
"Liora!"
Sylvie bristled as he rushed forward—not in panic, but with clear intent. He ignited both arms and punched the beast square in the jaw with a fiery blast, staggering it.
From the shadows, Sylvie blinked.
He was different now. No longer that weak, trembling boy she'd seen once in the forest. He fought like someone who'd made up his mind.
The chimera roared, summoning a wave of void energy that cracked the chamber floor and flung the duo backward. They staggered, bruised and winded—but not broken.
Sylvie narrowed her eyes.
"This is dragging on. If I wait too long, I lose everything."
The creature lunged for Reynar, claws aimed to tear him apart.
And that was when Sylvie moved.
In a blink, she darted from the shadows and sliced clean through the monster's tendon, then yanked Reynar out of harm's way with one hand before vanishing back into the dark.
Reynar barely saw a blur of silver hair and golden eyes.
"What—was that…?" he gasped.
Liora stood, her breathing heavy. "You tell me. That wasn't your spell."
"No. It wasn't."
Up above, Sylvie perched silently atop a broken beam, heart pounding.
"Damn it. That was stupid. Too risky…"
But it had worked.
The beast was reeling now—injured, cornered.
Reynar and Liora pressed the advantage, attacking with renewed fury. Wind and flame intertwined. The chimera faltered, shrieked, and began to fall.
Sylvie didn't wait to watch the end.
She turned away, slipping deeper into the dungeon's shadows.
She wasn't here to make friends.
She had a quota to meet.
A master to appease.
And if Reynar and Liora reached the treasure before she did—if they interfered even further…
"What will he do to me…?"
Her jaw tightened.