We reached a clearing—the threshold of the boss zone.
It wasn't peaceful.It felt… paused. Like the dungeon had briefly stopped trying to kill us so it could check whether we were worth finishing off properly.
The wind slowed just enough for a familiar blue screen to surface.
Cold. Precise. Judgmental.
---
SYSTEM MISSION PROGRESS
Team Objective: Defeat 1,000 MonstersProgress: 947 / 1,000
Individual Objectives:• Lenna Ironcreed — 96 / 100• Alfred Eswald — Completed• Arial Seabreath — Completed• Augustus Ironcreed — Pending: Appraise the Boss Monster
---
I stared at the numbers longer than necessary.
"…Nine hundred and forty-seven," I said quietly.
Alfred wiped his blade with methodical care. "Five days of near-constant combat."
Arial nodded. "It… aligns with our pace."
Lenna said nothing. She was already looking past the clearing, deeper into the twisted jungle, as if the numbers were irrelevant.
I exhaled slowly.
"We're still short," I said. "Fifty-three monsters. And you still need four kills."
"Solo kills," Lenna corrected. "Yes."
That made the situation worse, not better.
I stepped closer to the edge of the clearing, careful not to cross the invisible line where the wind felt… heavier.
"We should finish the count before going in," I said. Calmly. Deliberately. "Clear the remaining monsters outside. Then enter the boss zone clean."
Alfred considered it and nodded once. "That would reduce variables."
Arial hesitated, then agreed softly. "It may be safer."
For a brief, dangerous moment, I thought logic might win.
Then Lenna turned.
"No."
Just one word. Flat. Final.
I met her gaze. "That's not reasonable."
"It is," she replied evenly. "The boss will have minions."
I paused. "…How many?"
"Beast-type anomalies spawn escorts," she said. "Thirty at minimum. Possibly more than a hundred."
Arial's grip tightened on her staff.
"Those kills will count," Lenna continued. "For the team objective. And for mine."
Alfred nodded in understanding. "Boss minions are valid contributions."
I ran a hand through my hair, thinking it through despite myself.
"So instead of hunting scattered packs," I said, "we walk into the center, trigger everything at once, and let the numbers resolve themselves."
"Yes."
"That's not efficient," I said carefully. "That's suicide."
Lenna's expression didn't change.
"The longer we remain outside the boss zone, the more dangerous the dungeon becomes," she said. "Wind density is already decreasing because of our killing. Late-stage hounds will begin roaming to find answers."
I looked around. The forest had gone unnaturally still. Too still.
"And the boss zone?" I asked.
"Predictable," she said. "The boss does not wander or care much about outside of its zone, and late-stage hounds won't dare enter here."
I hated that answer.
Because it made sense.
Alfred spoke next. "A faster clear also improves reward tiers."
Arial nodded. "Rare drops are more likely with shorter completion times."
I let out a slow breath.
"So we're trading unknown ambushes for a known massacre," I said. "And calling it strategy."
Lenna met my eyes again.
"You value efficiency," she said. "This is efficient."
"I value survival."
"That is why we proceed now."
I didn't argue after that. There was nothing left to discuss.
Lenna turned toward the warped path leading forward.
"Formation."
The wind shifted again—subtly, eagerly.
Alfred stepped into position.
Arial steadied herself behind me.
I adjusted my grip on Ironhowl blade and followed.
"…Alright," I murmured. "Let's finish this the clean way."
Lenna nodded once.
And we moved toward the boss zone—toward the Gale Hound—and toward the last fifty-three monsters that would decide whether this dungeon ended with rewards…
or with silence.