CHAPTER 130: CH 130: CLEARING THE BOSS- PART 2

The guards stood tall, their expressions calm and confident as they waited for Fenrir’s answer.

He was silent, eyes fixed on the glowing seal that guarded the path to the seventh floor.

The wind around him stirred gently—less like a breeze and more like the warning growl of a beast.

Still, the guards believed they had him.

Why wouldn’t they? Their offer was perfect. No threats, only benefits. For someone as self-serving as Fenrir appeared to be, it should have been irresistible.

"You’ve made the right choice. No more fighting. No more unnecessary risk. You’ll have access to everything you need. Resources, status, safety."

The commander said smoothly.

Another guard added.

"You’ll be respected by everyone. Feared, even. You’ll be treated well, as one of us. All we ask is that you follow our will... once."

Fenrir tilted his head, eyeing them with a detached expression.

"So... if I take this deal, I’ll be under your umbrella."

"Exactly. Not under, per se, more like... aligned with us. In return, you gain stability. Power with security. It’s smart."

The commander said quickly, nodding.

They were confident. Too confident.

Fenrir glanced sideways.

Kael was still pinned down by two guards, his face pale and expression broken. It was obvious the elf had lost all hope.

Fenrir saw that doubt in his eyes—the certainty that Fenrir, like everyone else, would eventually bend to authority.

"...Kael. Do you have an offer?"

Fenrir said suddenly, his voice low but sharp.

Kael blinked.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. They made theirs. Do you have something better?"

The young elf looked away, jaw clenched.

"I don’t have anything to offer you. No safety. No power. Just... just what’s left of the truth."

"Hm...Then I guess I’ll have to choose."

Fenrir exhaled softly and turned back to the seal.

The guards stepped forward, hands extended, ready to seal the deal with a magical vow.

The wind changed.

Fenrir’s mana pulsed—deep and resonant—and the air grew sharp.

"I’ve made my decision."

He said.

A wave of relief washed over the guards. The commander’s shoulders dropped as he smiled in satisfaction.

"Excellent. Let’s make it official, then—"

CRACK.

The ground split beneath the seal as Fenrir raised his hand and slammed his power into it. The glowing glyph shattered with a piercing shriek, the magic binding it imploding violently.

A pulse of blinding light shot into the sky.

Alarms exploded across the floor.

From the broken seal, a thunderous roar rang out—and the boss emerged, its massive, winged form soaring into the sky before releasing a spiraling beam of pure energy into the plaza.

The explosion threw everyone back.

Kael’s captors were blasted aside, and the elf scrambled to his feet in stunned disbelief. The guards panicked, some shouting into comm devices, others erecting weak barriers against the onslaught.

The commander staggered to his feet, eyes wide in horror.

"What have you done?!"

Fenrir stood untouched in the center of the chaos, eyes glowing faintly, wind swirling around him like a cloak.

"You offered me a leash. And you expected me to wear it?"

He said calmly.

"We offered you freedom!"

"No. You offered me a cage with silk bars."

Fenrir corrected.

The boss roared again above them, its presence warping the air as it circled.

"You betrayed us! We trusted you!"

One of the guards gasped.

Fenrir raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"You shouldn’t have."

He turned slightly, looking up at the creature descending toward them, then back at the scattered guards.

"I don’t take orders. I make deals I like. That’s it."

He said coldly.

"People will die because of this!"

Another soldier screamed.

"Then they should’ve stayed out of my way."

Kael slowly stepped closer, eyes fixed on Fenrir with an unreadable expression.

The wind howled. The city shook.

And Fenrir? He was already moving—toward the boss, toward the chaos, toward the next floor.

Free. Unburdened.

Uncontrolled.

The guards didn’t waste a second once the boss descended, its wings kicking up powerful gusts and its eyes glowing with primal energy.

Panic overtook their earlier confidence as the weight of their mistake settled in.

"Fall back!"

One of the captains shouted, pushing his subordinates away from the center.

"That thing’s beyond our level!"

Another guard shouted into his comm device.

"Requesting immediate reinforcement from Floor Seven—emergency breach—boss-level threat—!"

But the signal fizzled out. The moment the seal had been broken, the floor’s internal systems had started to collapse.

Communications were down. Escape paths were unstable. The boss had been sealed here for a reason.

And now it was free.

The beast lifted its head and let out a piercing roar that sent cracks through the nearby buildings.

It was shaped like a drake—its scales dull silver, jagged with dark ridges that shimmered with built-up energy.

Then, with a speed that betrayed its size, it lunged—not toward Fenrir, but toward the retreating guards.

Dozens of them screamed as the first wave of energy burst forth, disintegrating their barriers like paper.

In a matter of seconds, the drake had torn through half of the squad. The survivors scattered in all directions, some abandoning weapons and gear in their blind panic.

Fenrir didn’t move. He simply watched, a calm expression on his face as the chaos unfolded.

The drake turned next, sensing the true threat.

It landed with a heavy thud in front of Fenrir, its body tense, its eyes narrowed with an intelligence that most monsters lacked. It didn’t charge in recklessly. It could feel it—this human was different. Powerful.

For a long moment, they stared at each other.

Kael, still trembling from where he’d been knocked aside earlier, managed to push himself upright and stumble next to Fenrir. His voice trembled.

"W-What do we do now?"

Fenrir chuckled, low and amused.

"We?"

He shot a sideways glance at Kael, smirking.

"Kid, we don’t need to do anything."

Kael blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

"I’m more than enough for a small fry like this."

It wasn’t arrogance in his tone—it was certainty. Kael, stunned, finally understood. Fenrir wasn’t telling him they had a plan. He was telling him to get out of the way.

"I... I see. Then... I’ll hide. I’d just be a liability anyway."

Kael muttered, stepping back.

He quickly ducked behind a large broken chunk of wall that had collapsed in the earlier explosion, peeking from behind it.

Out in the open, Fenrir finally lifted his hand.

The ground beneath him rumbled. With a flick of his fingers, a tall shield of earth rose around him, swirling with dense mana and reinforced with hardened stone—his signature defense.

The drake let out a sharp hiss, slamming a claw into the shield to test its strength. The impact reverberated like a bell, but the barrier held firm.

Fenrir didn’t even flinch.

"So you’re the boss of this floor. Let’s see if you’re worth the effort."

He muttered, a faint grin on his lips.

The wind stirred again—soft at first, then sharper, pulling around Fenrir’s body as his aura began to build. He was calm, composed, and completely unfazed by the threat in front of him.

The drake raised its head and charged a second blast.

Fenrir smiled.

"That’s it... show me what you’ve got."