Knock, knock, knock.
Fresh from training and resting in his room, Tsunayoshi heard the raps at his door. He rose and opened it to find Bert beaming.
"You did it?"
Tsunayoshi already knew, but he couldn't help asking.
"Of course." Bert's grin crooked into something wry. "The Dungeon plants that 'kill every adventurer' concept at a monster's birth. Even in terrain that favors it, a floor boss still pops up to attack. Just like you said—it only thinks about fleeing when it senses a crisis."
He almost laughed—mockery, really—at the idea of a floor boss wanting to run. "It proves something: the Dungeon not only births them and grants them power, it also gives them an instinct to judge danger. Maybe that instinct will grow into wisdom someday. For now, it's only instinct."
On any other day, Bert would have scoffed at the notion of a monster becoming "wise." But the instant Amphisbaena tried to escape before him, he admitted it wasn't impossible. Pure monsters don't so easily feel fear; only when cognition—wisdom—awakens do they feel fear and want to flee.
What caught his attention most was the meaning under Tsunayoshi's earlier words. "So… are there intelligent monsters in the Dungeon?"
"I can't say for sure," Tsunayoshi answered. "I only know there must be… unusual ones like that. I haven't seen them with my own eyes—I learned it elsewhere."
Bert nodded. He understood this was part of the information Finn had been hiding about Tsunayoshi, and he wouldn't pry about sources.
"Leave it for now," Tsunayoshi said, shaking his head. "It's not something a few words will clear up. Bury what I said for the time being. When I've tested more—learned more—I'll explain the rest."
"Want me watching for anything while I'm in the Dungeon?" Bert asked, suddenly serious.
Tsunayoshi blinked, then nodded. "If you don't mind the trouble, keep an eye out while we push the Dungeon—cloaked figures that smell like monsters. If it's you, you'll notice them easily."
Bert accepted without hesitation. Cloaks that hid forms but not the stench—that was answer enough.
"As for contact… don't," Tsunayoshi added. "You'll trigger a panic—and draw the wrong eyes."
"Whose?"
Tsunayoshi formed the words silently. Guild. Bert's pupils tightened.
Intelligent monsters born of the Dungeon tied to the Guild? He cut the thought short at once. If certain gods heard him follow that line, it would be trouble.
"We'll talk after we have more to go on."
"Mm." Bert exhaled, steadying himself. Enough on that subject.
Tsunayoshi smiled faintly. "Since you took down Amphisbaena, that means the thing I made worked out, huh?"
"It worked great," Bert said, interest lighting again as they circled back to the hunt's key. The moment he'd learned from Tsunayoshi that Amphisbaena would try to run at the brink, he'd received a talisman etched with a monster's mask.
"What is that talisman, anyway? Why did it hit that thing so hard?" he asked. He'd done nothing more than follow instructions—throw it the instant Amphisbaena turned to flee—and the boss had wheeled like it'd been provoked, charging straight for the ward.
"It hit hard because it was forged with Loki's divine blood," Tsunayoshi said. "To the Dungeon, gods are even more despised than adventurers. Monsters born below harbor their greatest hatred toward the gods—especially floor bosses. Throw that talisman, and a floor boss is drawn to it by nature."
He lifted a shoulder. "But right now it's only a perfect fit for Amphisbaena. Most other floor bosses can't go far; only Amphisbaena can use its floor's terrain to sprint. A boss that doesn't roam can't 'run' the same way—so there's less to bait."
Bert chuckled at the logic—and then didn't. He thought of the head he'd kicked apart, of the beast dragged to the edge that still tried to flee. Without that talisman, he wouldn't have finished it today.
"So you only came to share the good news?"
"Not only." Bert's eyes narrowed with purpose. "The news is a bonus. I want to recommend two people. They've been grinding as hard as I have. I think they deserve a chance at that power."
"Which two?"
"Alicia and Angie. The blonde elf and the black-haired catwoman."
"Ah. The pair I keep seeing in the Training Space and the Challenge Space," Tsunayoshi said at once, recalling them—adventurers strong enough to team into the Challenge Space and face Black Goliath usually had their eyes on climbing.
"For people like that," he added, "I won't be stingy with rings. If a set can give them a push, I'll make it."
"Then after tonight's celebration, I'll go talk to them," Tsunayoshi decided.
(End of Chapter)
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