The light behind them vanished when the st boot crossed the rift seal, snuffed out like a fme.
The tunnel walls closed in, jagged and uneven. Damp air wrapped around them like a second, cmmy skin, slick with mildew and heavy with decay. Every breath tasted of iron and something fouler—something ancient.
Kenzo activated his HUD. The interface warped and dimmed, like the very cave was interfering.
>> Environmental Sync: STATUS UNSTABLE << >> Vision Impairment: -60% << >> Light Source: Recommended <<
>>[ LEVEL PROGRESSION LOCKED UNTIL RIFT IS CLEARED ]<<
"Okay, I can’t see shit," Kenzo muttered, his hand tightening around the hilt of his Trial Bde.
"Anyone got light?" Han-Jee called from somewhere ahead.
"Yeah," Korran said dryly. "But it’s nose-based."
A soft white glow blinked to life at the bridge of Korran’s nose. An orb embedded just under the skin, casting a pale cone of bluish light. The cave emerged in patches: rough stone veined with moss, shattered bones embedded in the walls... and ahead, only darkness.
"You’re not allowed to die with that on," Lira said, grinning. "I refuse to mourn a man with a headmp nose."
"It’s efficient," Korran replied without a hint of shame. "Don’t mock efficiency. Plus, it’s cheap."
"Well, it’s doing its job, so keep moving," Han-Jee called over his shoulder.
The group pressed forward.
The ground sloped downward, uneven and treacherous. Kenzo felt every footstep echo a little too long, a little too hollow.
He kept his bde drawn.
Kaydrin's voice slipped into his mind. Not audible to the others, more like a thought inked in cold iron.
"This tunnel isn’t just old. Something lives beneath it."
Kenzo muttered under his breath, "I hate suspense." He inhaled sharply, making a decision. "Alright, I’m calling you in. I'm Level 58 and you’re running at 15. Together, we can sync into the 70s. Should be enough to handle whatever's crawling down here."
BEEP. BEEP.
A second HUD yer unfolded before his eyes. Authorization confirmed.
>> Companion Sync: Kaydrin << >> Support Mode: The Trial Warden Loaded << >> AI Combat Level Adjusted: Ascended to Lv. 233 <<
The air shimmered, heatless and bright and from the distortion, Kaydrin emerged.
Gold and bck armor caught the Rift's muted light, gleaming like molten memory. Layered ptes crowned his form. Heavy, ancient, yet shifting with the easy grace of something half-shadow. A dark cloak, stitched with half-forgotten glyphs, drifted behind him like living smoke.
Hovering at his side floated a sword that looked forged from the death of stars, humming faintly with silver-blue veins.
Kaydrin wasn't just an AI assistant. He was a lost demigod reborn.
The party froze.
Han-Jee let out a low whistle. "Uh... buddy? You didn’t say you had that kind of backup."
Tessa tilted her head, openly staring. "Since when do lowbies get royal-tier companions?"
Korran grunted. "Exclusive cash shop skin, maybe? Were you a billionaire in the past life?"
Kenzo stayed cool, rolling his shoulders like it was nothing.
"Old hidden quest," he said casually. "Found a sealed artifact a few weeks back. ‘Trial of the Lost Monarch’ or something. One-time summon deal. Dumb luck."
Lira chuckled. "Man. Some guys find bugs. Some guys find gods. Respect."
Kaydrin remained silent. He adjusted the gauntlet on his wrist and turned toward the deeper dark.
Kenzo caught the faint smirk flickering in his mind, a thought brushing the bond like a feather against steel.
"Smooth lie. Next time,
pick a better name. 'Lost Monarch' sounds tacky."
Kenzo grinned. "Hey, I'm improvising here. Just don't vaporize anyone important, alright?"
A new alert fred on his HUD:
>> Proximity Alert. Seismic Dispcement Detected. Below. <<
Kenzo reacted instantly. "Marqos—ground check!"
Too te.
The floor beneath Han-Jee fractured like a cracked eggshell. A scaled blur erupted from the earth—all teeth, cws, and desperation. Its jaws snapped through empty air where Han-Jee had just been, only to sm against Marqos' shield with a thunderous impact.
>> Enemy Detected: Burrow Ambusher – Lv. 233 <<
Han-Jee flipped backward with a kinetic boost, twin bdes igniting. Korran vanished into the shadows. Marqos braced, boots digging into the stone, armor glowing under strain.
"Hold it! Fnk now!" Tessa barked.
Kenzo moved.
He gripped his Trial Bde tightly, sprinting to the side as Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde floated beside him like a shadow wolf.
Kenzo feinted wide, then let Kaydrin's sword cleave through the creature’s exposed fnk.
The Ambusher shrieked, a wet, clicking sound. It colpsed in a twitching heap, steam rising from the wound.
>> Kill Confirmed. [Kaydrin – Lv. 233] – [Burrow Ambusher – Lv. 233] <<
Kenzo huffed a ugh, catching his breath.
"You lucky bastard. From Level 15 to 233 just like that. I need whatever cheat code you're using."
Kaydrin’s voice came back, dry as sand.
"Not a cheat. Just superior existence."
Lira casually nudged the corpse with her boot. "Well. We’re officially inside now."
They waited, breath held. Only the sound of dripping water and the distant growl of something bigger answered.
Tessa checked her holo-array. "No movement within thirty meters."
Marqos rumbled low. "Open space ahead."
The tunnel widened, and they stepped into an immense cavern.
The ceiling vanished into bckness. Pale blue moss crawled across the stone like glowing veins. Colorful crystals jutted from the floor and walls, their surfaces glittering like stars caught in stone. A still pool mirrored the scattered light perfectly. Then connecting a path arching upward into ancient stonework.
A new warning fshed.
>> ACTIVE DEBUFF: TOXIC AIR DETECTED <<
Red hazard indicators pulsed across Kenzo’s HUD.
>> Passive Skill Triggered: Remonarch Adaptation << >> Environmental Resistance: +2% << >> Hazard Tolerance Scaling: +2.5%... +2.6%... +2.7% <<
"Great," Han-Jee muttered. "Now we’ve got air trying to kill us too."
They moved quickly.
As they passed the crystals, Marqos paused.
"I’ve never seen crystals like these," he rumbled.
"Are they mineable?" Tessa asked.
Korran didn’t wait. He whipped out a pickaxe and struck the nearest cluster.
TICK! Tick!
>> Colored Crystal Mined: +2 <<
Realizing the crystals were harvestable, the team spread out, hacking away.
TICK. TICK. TICK.
Kenzo stood awkwardly aside, gncing at Kaydrin.
I don't have a pickaxe... maybe the sword? He thought.
He swung experimentally.
TONK.
Nothing.
Kaydrin’s voice was dry amusement.
"At least you tried."
It took nearly an hour to finish gathering, some pyers burning through detox potions to resist the toxin buildup.
Finally,
"Let's move," Kenzo said.
"Are you done pretending to be useful?" Han-Jee teased.
Kenzo scowled. "I didn’t have a pickaxe, smartass."
Han-Jee smirked. "Would’ve loaned you one, if there were any crystals left."
Kenzo’s eye twitched. He lightly punched Han-Jee on the helmet. "Seriously?"
"Children," Tessa snapped. "Focus. Path ahead."
Ahead, another tunnel leading somewhere..
A new system notification blinked:
>>[ Path: Fortified Ruins Zone ]<<
Lira cracked her knuckles.
Tessa nudged Kenzo. "Are you ready for the grown-up path?"
Kenzo stared into the darker tunnel where ancient stonework loomed.
He swallowed.
"Hahaha. Low level here. I think I'll stay where it’s safe."
Kaydrin’s voice brushed the back of his head, quieter now. Almost solemn.
"This cave... will teach us more than pain."
Han-jee nodded. “Let’s earn something real. And pain.” waving his arms towards Kaydrin.
The cavern narrowed fast. One step into the tunnel, and the world shrank.
The moss-light faded behind them. The walls closed in, jagged and unyielding. The air chilled until Kenzo could see his own breath misting in the weak glow from Korran’s nose-mp.
Their boots struck stone, not natural this time, but crafted. Cracked fgstones stretched before them, worn smooth by centuries of silence.
Ahead, ruins rose from the gloom.
Broken pilrs leaned against the cracked ceiling like the skeletons of a forgotten empire.Shattered statues lined the walls. Armored warriors frozen mid-gesture, their faces worn bnk by the erosion of time. Ancient banners, now threadbare scraps, clung stubbornly to the stone.
This wasn’t a cave anymore. It was a tomb.
Tessa analyzes her HUD.
"Active environment shift. No natural wildlife detected. Expect defenders."
>> Hazard Notice: Environmental Trap Risk – HIGH << >> Enemy Signature: Minimal Movement. Defensive Pattern Detected <<
Kenzo loosened his grip on the Trial Bde. Behind him Kaydrin.
"Step lightly," Kaydrin whispered. Beside him, gravemark Bde hovered lower, tip angled forward—ready.
They advanced as one. Careful. Calcuted.
The first hazard struck at the second archway.
Korran, walking point, halted mid-step. He threw his arm out in warning.
"Pte," he muttered.
Kenzo leaned forward. Sure enough, a hairline seam in the stone underfoot. A pressure pte, almost invisible among the cracks.
"Trap’s old," Tessa assessed quickly. "Might be mechanical. Might still be functional."
Kenzo scanned the walls.Tiny, rusted openings in the stone. Firing slits.
"Spears or bolts," he guessed.
Korran carefully skirted the edge of the pte, pressing himself to the wall. Kenzo followed, muscles coiled tight, Trial Bde ready. Lira conjured a floating holo-shield behind them—an extra safeguard in case someone slipped.
They cleared it. But the Guardway wasn’t finished.
Ten meters deeper, the wall shadows stirred.
Figures emerged. Armor corroded, eyes flickering with sickly green light.
Silent. Patient. Relentless.
>> Enemy Detected: Stone Revenants [Lv. 233] x3 << >> Formation Pattern: Wedge Assault << >> Behavior: Shield Wall Advance <<
Three of them locked shoulder-to-shoulder, massive iron shields forming an advancing wall. Their swords dragged along the ground, throwing sparks into the air.
Korran dropped into a low stance, ready to ghost around the fnks. Tessa ducked behind a shattered pilr, her fan-array flexing into defensive bdes. Lira behind her.
Kenzo, Kaydrin, and Han-Jee pnted themselves dead center.
Gravemark Bde floated to Kaydrin’s shoulder, humming low—so close he could feel the static charge across his skin.
Kaydrin’s voice cut the silence, cold as iron grinding against stone:
"You stand against Me?"
The entire party gnced at Kaydrin in surprise.
Kenzo blinked. Wait—was that scripted or...?
The revenants charged.
Kenzo moved instantly.
The first shield smmed toward him like a battering ram. He pivoted, sliding low, deflecting the impact with a tight twist of the Trial Bde.
At the same moment, the Gravemark Bde arced outward driving into the revenant formation.
The tight shield wall faltered just slightly.
Enough.
Korran ghosted into the shadows and reappeared behind the fnkers. His twin daggers struck deep, carving into cracked armor.
Slesh!
Korran disappeared again, a blur in the mist.
Tessa flicked her fan-array upward, slicing through the rusted knee joints of the center revenant.
Han-Jee surged forward, his long crimson bde—a gift from the previous Rift, sshing a deep gash across the revenant’s side.
Lira lobbed a packet of powdered health solution into the center of the battlefield. It shimmered, waiting for injured pyers to automatically absorb it.
Marqos unleashed a barrage of arrows, peppering the enemy formation.
They fought smart. Tight. Precise. Like wolves tearing into a wounded stag.
Kenzo triggered Echo Split.
Kaydrin triggered Flickerform.
The world jolted for a heartbeat— Ghost-images of Kenzo and Kaydrin blurred forward, mimicking their st attacks.
The revenants, already struggling, staggered at the sudden target duplication.
Kenzo rolled right, closed the distance, and drove his Bde under the chin-pte of the lead revenant. Simultaneously, his Echo struck high—splitting its helm clean in two.
>> Critical Strike x2 — Stone Revenant Destroyed <<
The hollow knight colpsed in a ctter of rusted metal.
The others didn’t st long.
Korran crippled another from behind, severing tendons. Final kill belonged to Kaydrin’s sword. Tessa's secondary holo-bdes carved through the st revenant’s spine.
Silence recimed the ruins.
>> Party Sync: 98% | Hazard Zone Clearance: 15% <<
Kenzo exhaled, his heartbeat still hammering in his ears.
Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde floated low, humming faintly, dust and bck ichor dripping from its edge.
"You’re full of surprises," Han-Jee said, wiping his bde. "Both of you. I’ve never seen an AI and pyer sync powers like that."
Kenzo just nodded, keeping his expression neutral. No need to expin what even he barely understood.
They pushed onward.
The tunnel opened slightly, revealing a narrow stone bridge spanning a yawning abyss. Korran’s nose-light barely pierced the darkness below.
At the b ridge's center loomed a massive door, carved with faded sigils.
And waiting in front of it—motionless—stood a knight twice the size of the revenants. A halberd pnted firmly into the stone. Cloak tattered but still noble. Full bck armor, battered yet regal. A massive sword sheathed across his back—the hilt wrapped with a strip of white cloth, fluttering gently despite the dead air.
>> BOSS ENCOUNTER: Warden Eyrik [Lv. 245] <<
The knight raised his head.
Warden Eyrik: "Hello, Brother."
Tessa stiffened, her fan-array twitching open.
"Gatekeeper? Warden? Wait—Brother?!" She turned sharply, staring between Kaydrin and Kenzo.
Kenzo spped a hand against his forehead.
"I think I just unlocked an exclusive AI loyalty quest," he muttered. "I think. Wahaha..."
Korran flexed his daggers.
"Seriously dude? Can we share the loot at least?"
Kenzo didn't answer.
He stared across the bridge, at the Warden who had called Kaydrin brother.
The Warden lifted his halberd in a slow, deliberate arc. Then pointed it squarely at Kenzo.
"You are next. And that sword belongs to me."
The challenge hung heavy in the air.
Kenzo shrinked. Looking at the sword.
What now? Then with confidence.
Kenzo drew his Trial Bde, the steel glinting under the pale moss-light.
"Let’s see which one of you is stronger, you both fight each other." he said, pointing his sword back and forth between Kaydrin and the Warden.
Kaydrin gnced sideways at him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Well, that settles it. You're a chicken."
Kenzo grinned.
"I’m low level, man. What do you expect? Besides..." He gestured loosely. "...he’s your brother. Why should I come between family? You got this. I believe in you."
Kaydrin chuckled—low and dangerous.
The air thrummed with the tension of an ancient grudge about to be reignited.
The tension was molten.
Kaydrin and Eyrik faced each other at the bridge's heart, bck stone stretching into the abyss below. Pale moss-light clung to the air, unable to touch the darkness pooling between them.
Korran, Han-Jee, Tessa, Lira, Kenzo, and Marqos stood back instinctively—silent, spectators to something ancient and powerful.
No one dared to move.
Eyrik's halberd glinted under the fading light, pnted firmly into the cracked stone. His voice, when it came, was low and edged with something old.
Not hatred, but regret.
"How did you escape, brother?"
Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde hovered silently at his side, its surface rippling with silver-blue veins.
"I am not what I once was," Kaydrin answered, his voice like steel dragged across marble. "The bond is broken."
Eyrik shifted, the bridge creaking faintly under his massive armor.
"Where is our sister? Where is Mother?"
A flicker of pain crossed Kaydrin's face, too fast for any but Kenzo to catch.
"Our sister is free," Kaydrin said, voice steady. "Mother... is missing."
He gnced, almost imperceptibly, toward Kenzo.
"I am bound now—to a new oath. I have purpose again."
For a heartbeat, the cavern seemed to hold its breath.
Then, without warning, Eyrik surged forward.
The fight exploded into motion.
Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde tore through the air, whirling like a living predator—but Eyrik’s halberd caught it mid-flight, redirecting the bde in a shower of sparks.
The ground shuddered beneath their blows.
Kenzo and the others stood frozen, weapons half-drawn, caught between instinct and awe.
"Are we even needed here?" Han-Jee whispered, almost reverently.
"Just watch," Lira muttered, eyes wide.
Tessa, ever watchful, was secretly logging and recording everything.
Kaydrin struck again. A blur of motion, Gravemark Bde arcing with surgical precision. Eyrik moved with brutal efficiency, his halberd sweeping in great, economical arcs that deflected and diverted without waste.
Every missed blow from Kaydrin carved deep gouges into the bridge. Every gncing hit from Eyrik sent ripples through the air.
They weren’t fighting for points or loot. They were fighting for something far older.
A bond.
"You should have stayed forgotten," Eyrik growled mid-swing.
"You should have fought harder," Kaydrin shot back, Gravemark Bde slicing dangerously close.
Minutes bled into seconds.
Finally, Eyrik twisted backward, halberd spinning in a wide guard. He didn’t press the attack.
Instead, he stood tall, lowering the weapon’s tip slightly, a gesture of respect.
"If Kaelis finds out," Eyrik said, his voice carrying across the bridge, "he will come for you."
He locked eyes with Kaydrin, and for a moment, Kenzo swore he felt the temperature drop.
"He is pnning something greater than you understand. Watch yourselves, both of you."
Eyrik lifted his halberd in a slow, deliberate salute.
"I will be seeing you."
Without another word, his form blurred into shimmering light—and vanished.
The bridge trembled once and then fell silent.
No loot dropped.
No reward notification pinged.
Just the hollow weight of a battle half-fought.
"No loot?" Han-Jee groaned. "That's a crime."
"At least make him drop his boots or something," Lira muttered.
"This isn't a dungeon," Marqos said, folding his arms. "It’s a family soap opera."
Kenzo shook his head, still gripping his sword. “Come on!”
They regrouped and pressed forward, tension thick around them.
The ruined bridge ended at another tunnel.As they reached the end of the tunnel.
The tunnel ended in a vast, cathedral-sized cavern.
Glittering mountains of relics stretched into darkness—piles of gold, shattered armor, and ancient weapons.
The air shimmered with lingering magic, crackling faintly against their skin.
At the cavern's center y a creature unlike anything they'd faced before.____________________________________________________________________________
>>[ BOSS ENCOUNTER: ZYRAKKON, THE HOLLOW FLAME - Lv-250 ]<<
____________________________________________________________________________
His body was massive, organic—scaled in broken obsidian ptes shot through with molten cracks. His wings, tattered but wide, twitched in restless dreams. Smoke leaked from his nostrils, and a low, almost imperceptible growl vibrated through the floor.
Korran, Han-Jee, Tessa, Lira, Kenzo, and Marqos froze, instinctively falling into formation.
Even Kaydrin shifted, Gravemark Bde floating higher in silent preparation.
Kenzo whispered, "This... this is bad."
Tessa's fan-array hummed to life. "It's worse. He's waking up."
The dragon's eyes—two pits of molten blue—snapped open.
A roar shattered the silence, sending ripples across the gold sea. The walls trembled. Cracks spiderwebbed through the ceiling.
Zyrakkon rose, towering, wings unfurling to scrape against the cavern roof. Gold and bone fell from his rising body like rain.
____________________________________________________________________________
Zyrakkon (deep, mocking):
"Well, well, well... Long time, Kaydrin." "So... Kaelis finally let you off your leash?" "Good. Because now I get to kill you again. Hahaha!"
____________________________________________________________________________
Kenzo forced a ugh, trying to py it off in front of the team:
"Hah! Guess the game just tossed me another personal quest."
His cheeks burned. Another lie. But some truths had to stay hidden a little longer.
Korran smirked.
"Two personal quests... in the same level? Pfft. You must have bribed the RNG gods."
Han-Jee chimed in from behind:
"Yeah, next thing you know, he’ll pull a mythical loot crate just by sneezing."
Tessa rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
"Save some bugged luck for the rest of us, Kenzo."
Underneath her easy smile, suspicion brewed.
"I'll find out what you're hiding, Kenzo... and you too, Kaydrin."
>>[ Zyrakkon charged forward, tail whipping wide. ]<<
A bck blur that sent Kenzo and Marqos diving to opposite sides.
>>[ Tectonic Breath: A wave of molten,
armor-melting vapor—erupted from his maw ]<<
Forcing Tessa and Korran to dodge hard behind fallen relics.
Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde struck in precise arcs, carving burning sshes into Zyrakkon's pted sides, but the damage barely registered.
Han-Jee triggered kinetic boosts, slicing up along the creature’s fnk.
Lira threw down auto-healing totems, keeping everyone's vitals stable.
The dragon roared again—shards of crystallized magic erupting from his body, seeking out pyers.
>> Shardstorm Pulse Activated <<
Kenzo ducked low, feeling a shard miss him by inches.
Tessa barked, "Keep moving! Don't stay clumped!"
Zyrakkon took to the air, wings stirring a gale-force wind that smmed the pyers backward.
The cavern ceiling cracked, raining stones and corrupted debris.
Breath attacks melted cover.
>> Warning: Phase Distortion Detected << >> Pyer Skill Cooldowns Randomized <<
Kenzo cursed.
His healing vial trigger moved two slots over. He immediately pulled a MizzoFizz drink and in one breath drank.
"Adapt!" Kaydrin snapped, moving like liquid shadow between falling rubble.
Kenzo saw his moment.
>>[ SKILL TRIGGERED: Mirror Gate ]<<
A shimmering portal ripped open midair.
Kenzo surged through.
Teleporting instantly across the battlefield.Appearing above Zyrakkon's exposed back.
His Trial Bde plunged down.
Ssh!
>> Critical Hit Landed <<
Ssh!
>> Critical Hit Landed <<
Ssh!
>> Critical Hit Landed <<
And here is another one. Wait for it!
Ssh!
>> Critical Hit Landed <<
Zyrakkon roared in pure rage, twisting violently, trying to catch Kenzo midair.Kenzo again used Mirror gate ability and teleported behind a broken pilr.
The team poured everything they had into the exposed wounds—strikes, bsts, and Gravemark precision.
The dragon roared a deep, furious sound that shook the very bones of the cavern.
Zyrakkon’s molten eyes bzed brighter, his wings fring wide, stirring up gales of burning wind.
He wasn't just fighting now.
He was angry.
Truly, dangerously enraged. It activated something.
>>[ Enrage Mechanic Initiated ]<<
>> Enrage Charge: 100% Reached <<
>> Hollow Fme Attack incoming —05:00 Minutes <<
"You think you can bring me down?"
Kenzo, breathless but grinning like an idiot, shot back:
"Oh, you stupendous idiot!"
Han-Jee forced a tight grin. "No pressure, right?"
Tessa snapped, "Focus. This thing's about to end us."
Zyrakkon’s molten eyes narrowed, locking onto Kenzo.
In a blur of rage, he hurled his full bulk toward the grinning Level 58 human.
Kenzo barely dodged, teleporting again and again with Mirror Gate.
The others watched in stunned silence as Kenzo danced around a furious ancient dragon, like a mosquito taunting a god.
It worked until it didn't.
Kenzo blinked mid-teleport only to sm straight into a stone pilr.
THUP!
"Oh, shit," Kenzo muttered mid-air, beginning a slow, helpless tumble downward.
At that exact moment, Zyrakkon inhaled.
A deep, sucking breath that pulled air, debris, and magic toward his throat then unleashed a torrent of hellfire straight at Kenzo.
The bst engulfed him. A roaring tidal wave of fme so intense the light whited out everyone's HUDs for a second.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield froze.
No one moved.
The team- Tessa, Korran, Han-Jee, Lira, Marqos stared at the inferno.
Kenzo was gone.
Vaporized.
Or so it seemed.
But the hero was not dead.
>> Passive Skill Active: Remonarch Adaptation << >> Environmental Resistance: +100% << >> Hazard Tolerance Scaling: Maxed<<
>>[ PASSIVE: Quiet Fme, +15% Heat Resistance (Permanent) ]<<
>>[RESISTANCE BUFF: 115%]<<
The longer the Monarch stays in the zone the more resistance multiplier he gets from his passive ability: Remonarch Adaptation.
Out of the swirling smoke and fme, a shape emerged.
Kenzo.
Wobbling. Alive.
He was barely banced atop a shimmering bde, Kaydrin's Gravemark Sword, floating just inches above the broken stone floor.
Charred, coughing, and absolutely fried but standing.
Han-Jee stared, his jaw half-dropped.
"No way..."
Kenzo coughed, waving weakly.
"Guess... uh... I caught a ride."
Kaydrin’s voice echoed dryly:
"You’re welcome, idiot."
Han-Jee let out a sharp breath, ughing.
"Phew! I Thought we just lost the bonus. No dead teammates, we're good!"
Tessa barked, "Focus! He’s still moving!"
Kenzo staggered, already opening another teleporter.
And Jumped.
The battlefield resumed.
A few minutes ter…
At 00:32 remaining— the Hollow Fme Core exploded in a burst of corrupted magic.
>> Hollow Core Destroyed. Arena Stability: Restored. <<
The dragon staggered.
Now vulnerable.
Zyrakkon’s movements slowed.
Every hit drove him further down.
Kenzo leapt, the trial Bde piercing the dragon's throat, as Kaydrin’s Gravemark Bde simultaneously tore into the chest cavity.
With a final, shuddering roar, Zyrakkon colpsed.
Dead.
>> Boss Defeated: Zyrakkon, the Hollow Fme <<
Everyone cheered.
Colpse Timer Activated:
>> Warning: Cavern Structural Colpse Detected <<
>> Evacuate Within: 0:10 sec <<
The floor beneath them groaned.
Cracks raced across the chamber.
"Kenzo it’s time to put the genie back in the bottle,"
Kaydrin said, vanishing a second ter.
>> Evacuate Within: 0:05 sec <<
Then- Darkness.
They appeared between the construction zone where they had entered the Rift.
Kenzo leaned against the wall, grinning despite himself.
"Okay," he said between gulps of air. "Now that... was worth it."
Han-Jee snorted, dropping onto a broken crate with a heavy thud. "Worth it? Man, you almost got deep-fried and squished."
Lira pulled off her helmet, fanning herself dramatically. "I’m giving that a solid nine out of ten for sheer dumb survival."
Korran flicked a scorched crystal shard off his shoulder. "Next time, try not 'almost dying' as a strategy. It's faster."
Tessa tapped her holo-array, already filing the clear. "We survived a Rift Core colpse and an ancient dragon. Nobody better compin about loot rolls for a month."
Marqos just grunted, but even he cracked the ghost of a smile.
Kenzo wiped soot from his face with the back of his sleeve, still ughing under his breath.
"Guess I'll put 'professional dragon bait' on my resume."
Tessa, standing a few steps away, crossed her arms and said dryly:
"Only if you put 'idiot' under Special Skills."
Kenzo grinned wider.
"Deal."
