Chapter 35

“Haaa… haaa…”

A young, dark-haired man stood at the center of what appeared to be a corpse party.

His face was hidden behind a dark mask, but his eyes glowed bright red, peering out from beneath the hair that covered his face.

In this hellish world, one filled with unbearable heat, steam, and flaming geysers, the young man let out a musty sigh and chuckled.

“Hehehe… hahaha… hahahahahaha!!!”

Gleaning Monster Cores appeared around him, as well as the destroyed bodies of what appeared to be crimson-looking monkeys—a striking variant of the Monkey Monsters and BigFoot Monsters

The creatures had dark, crimson bodies covered in dirt. Now, their bodies were a chaotic mess, with their insides strewn about and cooked by the blistering heat of the area.

“Looks like I made it in time!” The boy chuckled, a smirk playing on his lips as he spotted a crawling figure ahead.

It was the Boss Monster—a colossal Crimson Bigfoot—struggling to crawl away on just one remaining limb after losing three to the young man.

At that moment, it had only one option… RUN!

Unfortunately for the beast, escape was no longer an option.

“[Force].”

The Boss Monster suddenly lost control over its battered body, feeling itself get pulled back despite all attempts to flee.

It screamed at the top of its lungs for help, but…

~FWUUSH!~

… There was no one to listen.

“G-gurrruk!”

It was the strongest on that Floor, and now it was the last one standing

~SQUELCH!~

A hand plunged into its chest, causing hot blood to flow out like a faucet.

The monster could feel as its Core was grabbed and forcefully yanked out.

This was the end.

“G-gurrrr…k….”

It couldn’t complete whatever pitiful words of plea it had to say before it lost its life.

All its life, this creature never imagined it would die this way. It had always assumed that it would live long enough to challenge the Ice Dwellers who dwelled a Floor above them.

But now… it was too late.

Or perhaps it was a dream not worth having, to begin with.

The light in the Boss Monster’s eyes went out as it collapsed to the ground, splashing heated blood all around.

In life, it had been the apex of its kind, but in death, just another corpse in a sea of corpses.

“Alright, then! Once I pick up these Cores, I should be done.”

He was impressed with himself for what he had achieved thus far.

If there was one problem, though—

“Level 33, huh? It’s not bad, but I wanted Level 35 at least,” Rey mused, shrugging off the disappointment with a bright smile.

‘I achieved a great deal today. If I continue at this pace, I should be able to grow considerably more powerful.’

And in the end, that was what mattered most.

**********

Night fell over the realm of H’Trae, casting its darkness over the Royal Estate like everywhere else.

As darkness crept through the Castle Walls, Light Crystals that were affixed on the pillars that stood in several locations began to glow.

This source of illumination, very similar to street lights, ensured that even on an evening stroll, the pathways were not too dark to walk in.

Despite this thoughtful provision, the vast compound of the Estate was mostly deserted at the late hour.

The only ones that walked about were the guards on patrol, as well as one particular student—Rey.

He had barely made it just in time for curfew, and after tending his ‘Pass’ at the Gate before entering, he jogged inside the Castle.

“Home sweet home…” Rey mumbled, realizing just how much he had gotten used to this place.

It wasn’t just him, though.

Everyone in their class had already gotten accustomed to this world in their own way.

Rey almost thought it scary at this point.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Rey focused on his plans for the remainder of the day.

‘First a good ol’ shower… and then the Library!’

He could already feel a smile forming on his face as he strolled past a few guards while thinking about hanging out with his friend.

‘I better hurry, then!’

**********

Approaching the Library, Rey felt a smile tug at his lips.

After a long hard day, this was always the place that gave him solace.

Not just because of the books—though he enjoyed feasting on them, especially these days.

No, it was due to someone else.

“Alicia…?”

Rey's surprised voice echoed through the library as he scanned the empty space, finding no sign of her.

He made his way to Alicia’s favorite spot, finding only a closed book on the table.

‘Strange…’

Alicia never left a book lying around, so it surprised Rey to see the book on her table.

‘First time for everything, I guess. Maybe she went for a short stroll…?’

There was also the possibility that she went to the restroom, though Rey didn’t want to imagine that scenario for some reason.

“I guess I’ll just check out what she was reading while I wait for her.”

Rey sat on the chair that was right beside Alicia’s and opened the book to start reading.

********

‘Okay, something is definitely off…’ Rey thought to himself, growing increasingly uneasy.

Even after what felt like an hour—though it was probably longer—Alicia hadn’t shown up.

It was concerning, but Rey tried not to overthink things.

Perhaps Alicia simply forgot her book here and went back to her room to relax.

Yes… that was probably it.

‘But why does that feel unlikely? I should probably just hang around here for a while longer…’

Rey felt so distracted by her absence in the Library that he couldn’t focus on the book.

He merely skimmed through the pages, flipping them without absorbing anything.

And just like that, another hour passed.

“Okay… maybe I should go to—”

“Hey, Rey! Are you there?” A voice suddenly called out at the entrance of the Library as someone walked in.

‘Isn’t that… Adonis…?!’

Rey’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly shrugged it off and stood from his position.

Sure enough, it was Adonis making his way toward Rey’s table.

“Something’s happened, Rey. You need to come with me to the Living Quarters,” Adonis said urgently.

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

Looks like stuff is about to go down!