CHAPTER 71: ALL ABOUT THE LOOT

"It’s you... but how... it’s impossible!" a voice rang out from within the growing crowd.

Sporting chestnut hair that framed a pair of sharp amber eyes, Sara stepped into the light. Her gaze was locked on the battle before them, one that would likely decide all of their fates. And as she watched, a gnawing feeling of defeat clawed at her.

The youth she had dismissed at the dungeon entrance was now standing toe-to-toe with an evolved E-rank dungeon boss. Something she couldn’t have imagined even in her wildest dreams. She had sensed something different about him from the start, but this... this was beyond extraordinary. This was ground-breaking.

Her fingers clenched into fists as memories of the dungeon’s earlier carnage replayed in her mind. Had she been more insistent about letting him join their group, would Marcus, Gravis, Elya, Kira, and the others still be alive? She could still see their bodies being torn apart by slimes that eclipsed their strength with ease. Yet here stood the youth they had discarded, casually exchanging blows with a monster that had treated those same slimes as cannon fodder.

"I was wrong," she whispered. Tears streaked her battered face, soaking into her tattered robes. Slowly, she steadied her breath, eyes burning with new determination. She had made one mistake already. She would not repeat it again.

As she refocused, her ears tuned to the whispers rippling through the crowd, the conversations about the battle, the feats of the youth before them. Every word only strengthened her resolve. And she knew exactly what she needed to do to make things right.

***

"Wait, why’s the Grim Reaper just dodging? Shouldn’t he..."

"You know what you should do? Shut the fuck up! I don’t see you out there. Why don’t you hop in and show us your brilliant plan?"

"Wait, I didn’t mean it like that, I was just—"

"—saying you should shut the fuck up. It’s clear he’s doing something your pea-sized brain can’t understand."

"Holy shit... look... he’s doing that thing... his signature move..."

"You mean poking it? That’s what it looks like. Am I missing something here?"

"Wait for it... this is where it gets good."

***

"HAHAHAHA! What’s the matter? Can’t heal from that? Just as I thought!" Aurelian roared, bursting into a fit of villainous laughter. Both blades gleamed in his hands as he watched the mutant slime shriek in pain, one massive tentacle severed and writhing on the ground.

The difference was clear, its regeneration wasn’t kicking in this time.

Childish or not, Aurelian had always been vengeful toward beings that crossed him. And right now, one mutant slime that had impaled him with spikes and pumped vats of acid into his body was sitting comfortably at the very top of his list.

"Yeah, I know I said we were almost even." His figure flickered to the side, dodging a tentacle that crashed into the ground where he had stood a second ago. "But then you just had to pull that shit. You should’ve stayed dead the first time."

Mana surged into his legs as he launched upward. Before the mutant slime could retract its tentacle, his blade slashed clean through it, severing it in one stroke.

Before it could scream in pain, Aurelian vanished again, using the severed limb as a springboard to propel himself across the slime’s monstrous frame. His blades carved long gashes along its body, each cut searing into flesh with soul-severing energy. Without its regeneration, the beast’s frantic movements slowed, its rhythm growing sloppy.

Tentacles, spikes, acid...none of it mattered. Every attempt to strike back was dodged with ease. Even when it tried to mix up its patterns, the youth was always a step ahead. And with its heightened sentience, the mutant slime recognized something it had never known before.

Despair.

As it collapsed under its own weight, tentacles severed one by one, its mind clouded and weak, it realized this was the end. For the first time since its evolution, it truly understood what it meant to face death as a sentient being.

"Suppose you’ve suffered enough," Aurelian muttered, walking up to the twitching beast. Both blades crossed above its head. Inhaling sharply, he brought them down in a ruthless arc, slicing through flesh and bone alike.

The mutant slime king’s head flew, bouncing across the chamber before crashing with a wet splatter. Its colossal body convulsed in its final death throes before lying still. Lifeless.

"For what it’s worth... you were a formidable opponent." Aurelian whispered, watching its massive body dissolve into motes of light. A cascade of notifications flared before his eyes.

***

Dungeon Boss cleared: Leave Dungeon?

Yes No

[Ding! The host has slain a Level 43 Rare Evolved Mutant Slime King! 400,000 dungeon points awarded!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host has leveled up!]

[Level 31: 100,000 / 100,000]

[Ding! Congratulations, host has leveled up!]

[Level 32: 110,000 / 110,000]

[Ding! Congratulations, host has leveled up!]

[Level 33: 120,000 / 120,000]

[Ding! Congratulations, host has leveled up!]

[Level 34: 70,000 / 130,000]

***

Aurelian’s lips curled into a smile as the notifications stacked one after another, his level skyrocketing in an instant.

This was it, he thought, turning toward the swirling green portal now unfurling in the distance. The crisis of a dungeon break had been averted. For now.

Silence fell across the chamber as the last of the survivors stood frozen, staring at the opened exit, their last chance at survival, then back at the figure who had made it all possible.

It was surreal. Just minutes ago, most of them had accepted death. And now, life was being handed back to them by the boy they called Grim Reaper.

But the silence didn’t last long.

A roar of cheers erupted. Chants of "Grim Reaper!" filled the air, echoing through the dungeon. Spirits rekindled, many of the survivors immediately rushed for the exit, desperate to escape while they could.

And then Aurelian finally moved. His figure flickered, appearing in front of the portal. A crooked grin tugged at his lips as he whispered words that carried across the entire chamber.

"Well... aren’t you forgetting something?"

The grin unsettled the crowd, unease rippling through them.

Before a young man from the back stepped forward, eager to break the tension. "Ah, right, right! How could we forget? On behalf of everyone, thank you for saving our lives. Your talent.."

Aurelian snickered, cutting him off. His grin widening. "Your treasures. I want them all."

"Huh? That’s... unbecoming of a hero..."

"Oh, I never said I was one."

"But you can’t do that—"

"Willing to bet on that?" Aurelian’s tone dropped, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

The crowd erupted with mutters.

"What nonsense is this? The Grim Reaper saved us all. It’s the least we can do."

"I agree! Wasn’t he the one who promised his entire life savings if the Grim Reaper killed the beast? What a stingy bastard!"

"Yeah, take mine too! And anything else you want!" another voice chimed.

Before long, survivors were tossing their interspatial rings and treasures into a growing pile at his feet before hurrying out of the dungeon.

Among the last to leave, a girl approached, her black eyes fixed on him. Tossing her ring into the pile, she cast him a fierce glare.

"I’ll grow strong like you, Aurelian. Just you wait," Lena muttered, turning away.

But the words that followed nearly made her stumble, heat flushing her cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah. Good luck with that," Aurelian muttered, brushing off her dramatic exit with a smirk.

When the last survivor vanished, he stretched his arms and sighed. "Finally." His gaze flicked to the glittering pile of loot. Then, with a grin, he gave the command he had been itching to say ever since the battle began.

"Allocate sixty attributes to Charisma."

It was time. The third Supreme Record awaited.