The Boss of the 50th Floor

Lee Jae-heon stood before the boss room door and pushed the massive gate open.

“This is horrible.”

Someone peeking inside muttered.

A circular arena rose above a pit of flowing lava.

And on the high steps at the end, a monster in crimson armor sat like a king.

“A humanoid monster.”

Immediately, Ailen canceled the spell she had prepared and began chanting a new one.

Just as Kang Yujun attempted to step forward, the monster opened its mouth.

— You have come.

Its voice echoed strangely, vibrating in the air.

“The monster can talk?”

Ailen nearly broke her incantation.

She had seen many monsters, but never one that spoke intelligible words.

“Kang Yujun.”

“Yes!”

“From now on, stay back.”

He handed the flowerpot to Yujun.

Yujun had fought while holding it until now, but this opponent was different.

If it could talk, its intelligence was higher.

That meant it could strategize and the fight could be much harder.

Most of all, the room was surrounded by lava, and the monster seemed completely unaffected by it.

That meant only one thing.

The monster had extremely high fire resistance.

And this place was the land of fire.

A fire-type monster with fire resistance.

It was a terrible match-up for plants.

Although Jae-heon had cast many protective spells on the flowerpot, he still had to prepare for the worst.

“Ailen, throw up the buffs.”

“I’m already on it!”

— Come forth!

Debuffs rained down on the monster, and buffs surged onto Jae-heon.

As he stepped forward, fiery monsters crawled out of the lava.

Guild members behind him moved to intercept them.

“Kill them! Protect the guild master!”

They could all feel it intuitively.

The monster sitting above them was not something they could defeat with their strength.

There was only one strategy.

Protect Lee Jae-heon, clear out the surrounding monsters, and create a one-on-one fight.

And until now, their guild master had never lost a one-on-one battle.

Their trust pushed Jae-heon forward.

“Freeze, all of you!”

The moment Ailen shouted, cold air spread outward from her.

She couldn’t freeze the lava, but she could affect the monsters crawling out.

Some shrank in size and slowed down.

“Pull them!”

Tanks dragged the slowed monsters out, and the dealers finished them off.

Anyone exhausted or injured retreated for healing or drank a potion.

Only after half the flame monsters were gone did the boss finally move.

The crimson armor wielding a greatsword darted across the arena with frightening speed.

It didn’t try to face Jae-heon directly.

Instead, it targeted those behind him—the weaker guild members.

One healer nearly died, but someone managed to yank them out of the way just in time.

They couldn’t, however, stop the next attack.

‘I’m going to die.’

The healer closed their eyes—

But nothing happened.

When they opened them, Jae-heon was already there, blocking the monster’s blade.

“Focus.”

Leaving only that word, he forced the boss back and away from the others.

The healer stood shakily and began casting again with renewed determination.

Because of the boss monster’s cunning behavior, the fight dragged on.

It desperately avoided Jae-heon, fleeing and picking off weaker targets.

Yet the guild members held their formation, refusing to break.

How much time passed?

Eventually, Jae-heon succeeded in severing the boss monster’s leg.

Even then, the monster didn’t give up.

It lunged forward, screaming viciously.

It was more tenacious than any monster they had fought before.

— Uhehehe…

Potions were running out, and people were exhausted.

But at last, the ideal position was formed.

— This is now the 50th floor.

Above lies a place with even stronger beings.

Will you be able to overcome them?

“That’s for us to worry about.”

Jae-heon replied calmly and severed the monster’s head.

[You have defeated Barrel, the boss monster of the 50th floor.
The dungeon will close in 24 hours.]

It meant they had one day to collect whatever they needed from the boss room.

“You were amazing, guild master!”

Ailen gave a thumbs up before collapsing on the spot.

Kang Yujun, who had protected the flowerpot and stayed mostly out of danger, was the least exhausted.

“The flowerpot.”

“Here.”

Yujun handed it back to Jae-heon.

Then he voluntarily began searching the boss room.

Half a day passed before they found everything they wanted.

It was now time to return outside.

At that moment, outside the dungeon, a celebration had begun to commemorate the alliance with another city.

The event was scheduled for 10 o’clock, and cars had begun lining up early.

Among them was the vehicle of the Haechi Guild.

“I’m nervous.”

Garam loosened the tight collar of her shirt.

“It’s fine. You look great. I’ll help you, so nothing will go wrong. Just consider it a casual event.”

“Why did they suddenly move the event date forward?”

“The other side requested it.”

“So they’re trying to finish everything before Jae-heon comes back?”

“I doubt it. It’s only two days earlier. And they know clearing the 50th floor takes time. Mayor Choi Gun-woo isn’t careless. He must have his reasons. He cares deeply about this city.”

“I see…”

Hearing that from Jeong Jin-young helped calm Garam a little.

They entered the building and saw a sizable crowd.

People glanced at them entering but didn’t speak to them.

It seemed like they could spend the event quietly.

“Do you like champagne?”

“Champagne?”

“Do you like alcohol?”

“Not really.”

“Then non-alcoholic for you.”

Jeong Jin-young stopped a passing server and took two glasses from the tray.

Inside the glass, pale apple-colored liquid bubbled gently.

“Try it.”

Garam took a sip as recommended—and it tasted good.

A sweet, fizzy flavor spread through her mouth.

“It’s good.”

“Right? That’s why I like events. You can drink as much as you want. Since it’s non-alcoholic, feel free to drink.”

“Yes.”

The champagne eased Garam’s nerves.

They spent time in a corner, sipping their drinks and nibbling on finger food.

Before they knew it, it was nearly 10 o’clock.

“We will now begin the ceremony!”

The doors closed, and Choi Gun-woo stepped onto the raised stage.

“Welcome, everyone. I am Choi Gun-woo, mayor of this city. Today marks the day we form an alliance with another city. We’ve prepared a light gathering, so please enjoy yourselves.”

Then Kim Sun-young came up to talk about the city’s strengths and weaknesses.

Next, the representative of the allied city spoke.

It seemed they were teaming up because both cities lacked certain resources the other could provide.

“Why Hyunmu, of all places?”

“Isn’t the mayor being too ambitious? Even if he has a plan, Hyunmu is dangerous.”

Garam overheard the conversation beside her.

Jeong Jin-young heard it too and offered an explanation.

“Hyunmu is also called the city of outlaws.”

“A city of outlaws?”

“They’re obsessed with awakened superiority. Ordinary people are basically treated like slaves.”

Garam had heard rumors of places like that, but never expected to encounter one like this.

She glanced at Hyunmu’s representatives, who looked surprisingly normal.

Then her eyes landed on a man standing far away.

Neatly styled hair.

Tall—very tall.

‘Why are there so many tall people here?’

She wasn’t even short.

She lifted her glass with a small complaint in her mind—

The man turned around.

Her heart dropped.

Her breath stopped.

‘No.’

A clean, fox-like face.

A face she knew far too well.

Her hand trembled, but she didn’t even notice.

‘It can’t be.’

Back then, he had been a vagrant wandering the outskirts with her.

There was no way that man could be here, looking that refined.

Garam squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again.

The vision didn’t change.

He was here.