Raito hovered in midair, his body still glowing faintly with arcs of violet lightning. Beneath him, the Hydra’s titanic body thrashed weakly in the water, its three remaining heads writhing in pain.
I was still in mid-air, watching the Hydra thrash below me.
"Unbelievable..." I muttered. "I can’t believe I actually lifted it."
One kick. Just one kick—and that colossal body, weighing over 150,000 pounds according to the system’s estimation—was sent flying out of the water like it was nothing. The ground shook as it crashed back down.
"This power... this is insane," Raito said, staring at his hands, still wrapped in swirling violet lightning. "But let’s finish this."
The Hydra roared, one of its heads already missing from the earlier clash. It had regenerated most of its injuries, but its movements were slower now—hesitant, like it finally understood fear. Raito raised his hand. Purple thunder gathered in his palm, forming a crackling orb that distorted the air around it.
Raito was about to release the thunderball when his eyes widened. No... If he destroyed it now, Greed wouldn’t take it. The hunger—it was already satisfied. The first Hydra head alone had completed the quota of twenty monsters.
He smirked slightly. "So that’s it. Each head... has its own life."
Raito twisted mid-air, dodging the Hydra’s lunge, and landed on the shattered shore. Greed’s voice echoed in his mind:
[Greed’s Hunger has been quenched.]
Below the water’s surface, he could sense it—more life signs. Hydra eggs. Each one pulsing faintly with mana. Life energy.
"So that’s what you were protecting."
He extended his hand, summoning his newly forged weapon from the inventory. The Scorpion Stinger Dagger gleamed with infernal light.
With one swift motion, he drove his fist into the first egg. It exploded instantly, fragments of shell scattering across the ground. Another egg floated toward him, trembling as if alive. He spun and slammed his palm down again, smashing it completely.
"Two down," he muttered.
He moved to the fallen Hydra body. It was still twitching faintly. He crouched, stabbing the dagger deep into its scales, right where the mana flow converged—the core. The blade pierced through. A pulse of light shot out before fading to black.
[Hydra defeated – S-rank monster eliminated.]
[Level Up! Level 5 → Level 7.]
[New Skill: Flight (Activated).]
[Dagger Mastery +20 | Speed +80 | Strength +10.]
Raito exhaled, the thunder fading from his body. The purple mist dispersed into the air as if it was never there.
"It’s over..." Raito whispered.
The massive Hydra’s body lay motionless in the water, its heads limp, eyes dull. For a moment, Raito simply stared at it, breathing heavily. The surface rippled faintly around him.
"Wait..." he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Its body didn’t vanish?"
Usually, when a monster died, Greed would consume it instantly, breaking it down into energy, materials, or something useful. But this time... nothing happened.
"Why didn’t Greed take it? The hunger should’ve been quenched—but even if it wasn’t, it should’ve devoured it when it became weak. Maybe it’s because I already reached the limit?"
He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "This thing’s too big to just leave here. There has to be a use for it. Hydra oil sells for a fortune in some worlds, right?"
A thought sparked. "Wait... can I even fit this into my inventory?"
He raised his right hand. "Inventory box."
A faint purple glow surrounded his palm as he extended it toward the fallen Hydra. In an instant, the entire colossal body shimmered, broke into fragments of light, and vanished.
"Whoa... it actually worked." He blinked in surprise. "Guess that settles that." Latest content publıshed on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Just then, the dungeon trembled. A deep rumble echoed through the watery cavern as the dungeon entrance began to open, revealing the outside world once again. The final boss had been defeated—the path was clear.
Raito exhaled deeply, feeling the tension drain from his body. "That was the final boss, huh? I actually did it..." His voice grew quiet. "If that Life and Death scenario hadn’t activated back there... I’d be dead. I couldn’t have beaten an S-rank monster. Not yet."
He clenched his fist tightly, eyes burning with resolve. "I’m still too weak. I need to get stronger—strong enough to protect this world."
He glanced down at himself. His clothes were torn and soaked in blood, parts of his sleeves shredded to ribbons. His slippers had vanished somewhere during the fight, and dry streaks of blood painted his arms and neck. A thin scar ran across his cheek.
"Tch," he muttered, rubbing at it. His fingers came away stained with red. "Guess it’s not that bad."
He took a slow breath and began walking toward the open dungeon path. Each step echoed against the stone, until a deep cracking sound made him look back. The dungeon walls were starting to collapse—massive stones falling one after another as the structure broke apart.
"Figures," he said under his breath. "Boss defeated, dungeon collapsing. Classic."
"Status," he commanded. His interface appeared beside him, showing his injuries. He tapped the healing function. A faint glow wrapped around him, consuming 20 LP.
He winced, then sighed in relief as the scratches faded and the pain in his muscles dulled. "That’s better."
The ground trembled violently now, cracks racing across the walls. Raito pushed himself harder, sprinting toward the exit as the dungeon crumbled behind him.
When the final stones gave way, he leapt—straight through the glowing dungeon portal.
For a split second, everything went white. Then he was outside,
Raito staggered out of the collapsing dungeon and dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. His bloodied clothes clung to his skin, torn open in several places, and his bare feet pressed against the cold earth.
"Haah... haah... finally... outside..." he muttered, his voice barely holding together.
He lifted his gaze—and froze.
Standing at the edge of the path were Jiro, the Rank A hunter he’d once fought, and five Rank B hunters, all armed and battle-ready. The leader among them, Ken, wore full armor, his expression hard but uncertain.