Today was the refresh day for the floor boss, Amphisbaena.
At dawn, Finn and Grace were already set.
"Bert, today you're challenging the floor boss alone," Finn said flatly. "Grace and I will make sure you live, but we won't help you during the fight. You understand that."
"Tch. Of course."
Bert could hear the warning behind Finn's words. "This is my hunt. I won't let anyone steal my prey."
As for who would walk away—him or the prey? Hah. He had no intention of dying on a promotion hunt. With a way to rewrite a past tragedy right in front of him, he wasn't about to let it slip by. He would keep walking forward until he had the strength to protect them. The resolve in his chest had already settled: not just today—again and again, he would not go "down below" to see them so easily.
"Then… we only head back after dark?"
"And do we need to drag Tsunayoshi along?" Grace asked.
"No need. It's just a floor-boss hunt. I don't need him breathing down my neck. I'm not like those two air-headed Amazons."
Bert knew he'd had Tsunayoshi training Dying Will Flames with him nonstop; the guy hadn't had a proper rest in more than half a month. As for those two dumb Amazons—after so long without clinging to Tsunayoshi, who knew how much resentment had piled up. Let Tsunayoshi keep them company today. This hunt didn't require him watching from the sidelines. If even this needed Tsunayoshi to supervise, then Bert's half-month of grind had been for nothing.
He would bring back a win. That was enough—to prove to Tsunayoshi that the last half-month hadn't been wasted.
"Let's go, Finn. Old man."
"I wonder if Valetta's still lying in wait at the Great Azure Falls this time," Bert added, a nasty grin curling at his lips.
If he could help it, he'd love to watch Valetta come deliver herself again.
"She's the 'Killer Empress,' not some brain-dead fool," Finn snorted. "If someone steps into the same pit twice, she's our mole in Evilus."
He didn't believe Valetta was that stupid. "And besides, your challenge to Amphisbaena isn't the same situation as Tiona and Tione's. Those two got ambushed because they went twice already—their intent to rank up was obvious, and Evilus seized the chance."
"This time is different. Even if we broadcast the news, Evilus isn't dumb enough to come throw themselves away."
"Grace and I tagging along is also to mock her last ambush outright—to nail down just how foolish it was."
"But if it hadn't been for Tsunayoshi last time," Finn admitted, "any one of us—me, Grace, or Riveria—would've suffered for it."
Just remembering what he'd seen in Valetta's memories made his back go cold. If she had forced the Dungeon to spawn a "Cleaner" with a suicide play, even Finn and Grace together might not have been enough. Riveria had been sealed from all magic then; she'd have been a fish on the chopping block. Only because it was Tsunayoshi did the trap fail before it even sprung—Valetta herself ended up the fish instead.
If that ambush had worked and the "Cleaner" really appeared—ignoring magic, high offense and defense, speed off the charts—no one would've gotten out clean. Finn reckoned none of them would have escaped.
"That woman is crazy enough," Grace growled. "Throwing away her own life just to pull a big move. She thought Tiona and Tione were bait we released, so she drew up that whole plan to wipe us out."
"No. Valetta's unhinged, but she isn't an idiot," Finn said. "She wouldn't plan a mutual kill without a way out. I'd bet there's a hidden passage at the Great Azure Falls—likely tied to Evilus's god."
He bit lightly at his right thumb, thinking it through. From the intel they had, the conclusion wasn't hard to reach.
"In that case, won't they try the same thing again?" Grace asked.
"They absolutely won't," Finn shot back.
"Last time confirmed Tsunayoshi as the variable. Even if we spread the word openly now, they'll worry he's lurking behind us with spatial abilities. No matter how strong their 'Cleaner' is, if we get dumped into another dimension, their whole plan is wasted—and this time it might expose their secret passage. So there's no way they repeat that trick."
Space itself was a strategic resource. In the past, it didn't exist; blocking a doorway and unleashing the hounds could work. But once space entered the board, those door-blocking ambushes became jokes.
Evilus wouldn't dare gamble on whether Tsunayoshi was tailing them in the Dungeon. With a rule-breaker like him around—and after eating one lesson already—they wouldn't bet.
Finn's mouth quirked up. "Grace, we're going into the Dungeon without weapons today."
"Our goal is to laugh in Valetta's face."
"The more unrestrained we are, the more cautious they'll be."
Grace's own grin turned razor-sharp. "Then we'd better give her a good, loud laugh."
(End of Chapter)
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