The air in the dungeon filled with a heavy, suffocating pressure as the Dungeon Master finally revealed himself, floating ominously in front of them.

As Alen, Serene, and Zane stood their ground, feeling the tremendous weight pressing down on them. Nobody fell to their knees. They actively fought to negate the crushing pressure by constantly circulating mana throughout their bodies to strengthen their muscles.

"I DIDN’T THINK YOU INSIGNIFICANT INSECTS WOULD LAST THIS LONG... YET HERE YOU STAND..."

"BUT SINCE YOU’VE UNCOVERED MY PRESENCE, THERE’S NO NEED FOR POINTLESS GAMES ANYMORE..."

"YOU LITTLE RUNTS. YOU ARE GOING TO DIE SOON... I WILL GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE AND—"

Before the entity could finish his sentence, thick, dark tendrils suddenly burst from the ground beneath him. They swiftly bound the Dungeon Master’s entire body, climbing rapidly up his legs, wrapping around his chest and shoulders, and tightly choking his neck.

"WHAT IS THIS?!... GET THIS OFF ME IMMEDIATELY!"

the Dungeon Master roared, sounding extremely irritated by the sudden bind.

Zane smirked as he channeled another spell through the shadows.

[Paradox Spiral Art: Dark Type - Parasitic Flow!]

Suddenly, the dense purple mana inside the monster’s body started to flow outward, violently absorbing into Zane’s body. The monster screamed as his raw strength was continuously drained.

"YOU SON OF A B*TCH! STOP NOW, OR I WILL MAKE YOUR DEATH THE MOST MISERABLE ONE IMAGINABLE!"

Zane’s smirk widened.

"Yep! You can do that after you manage to survive this. Don’t worry, I will suck out every last bit of your power."

As Zane absorbed the boss’s power, the purple energy flowed straight into his veins. But suddenly, he felt weird. His body started to react chaotically. Violet lightning and raw mana began to surge from his skin uncontrollably, completely acting against his will.

*BOOOOM!*

The mana exploded outward, violently launching Zane’s body through the air until he slammed into the distant cavern wall.

But that wasn’t the end. As the spell continued to forcefully siphon the purple mana into his core, the energy became even more chaotic. It began leaking from his body and going completely out of control.

*BOOOOM!* *BOOOOM!* *BOOOOM!*

Zane’s body was launched continuously from one side of the cavern to the other as the chaotic mana exploded around him like landmines. The chaotic mana was completely unsuitable for his body to absorb such an unknown, highly volatile energy.

"W-What the f*ck...?! Why is the mana rejecting my body?!" Zane coughed, spitting up blood.

"The spell I used should easily absorb another person’s mana and safely convert it to suit my body!"

*SHATTER!*

Zane was launched again, slamming brutally into a nearby stone wall and shattering the rocks into falling debris. He collapsed to the ground, blood flowing freely from his wounds as the chaotic mana still resided in his core, wreaking absolute havoc.

"Zane!" Serene screamed.

She started to run toward him, looking at his tattered body with terrified, moist eyes. But before she could reach him, Alen grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Serene looked back at him, desperate and in a massive hurry to reach her friend.

"Don’t go over there... His body is actively blasting highly unstable mana. You might get caught in the explosions and hurt yourself," Alen warned her.

"But he might die at this rate!" Serene screamed.

Alen looked over at the boss monster. The entity hadn’t died yet, though he was several times weaker than he had been a minute ago. Still, the suffocating pressure he was radiating was tremendous enough to warn them that he was far from finished.

Alen turned his azure eyes back toward Zane, who was suffering violently on the floor. The chaotic purple mana bursting from his body was undeniably familiar. It was the exact same energy as the exploding purple crystals Alen had seen in the tunnels earlier.

He let go of Serene’s arm and started walking toward the blonde boy.

As Alen neared, the mana inside Zane’s body became even more violent, shooting erratic arcs of purple lightning directly at him.

Alen barely dodged the incoming strikes, but the sheer chaotic energy flying past managed to graze and scratch his chin. He didn’t flinch. He just continued to walk forward.

As he closed the distance, he channeled every ounce of his own mana to strengthen his physical body, bracing himself against the unpredictable blasts.

Zane looked up at him with hazy, bloodshot eyes, his body shaking uncontrollably. If he wanted to, he could have severed the spell right now. But he knew that if he stopped absorbing the mana, they wouldn’t be able to handle the Dungeon Master’s full power. It was the only method they had to weaken him. If Zane could just stall the entity for a few more minutes, it would give Alen and Serene a fighting chance. But at this rate, however, Zane wouldn’t be able to keep it up.

Alen knelt down directly in front of Zane’s trembling body.

"What are you doing? You should stay away from me before you—"

"You know, you have been so annoying from the very beginning, ever since we first met," Alen interrupted smoothly.

"I was thinking of taking care of you from the start, but it seems right now is the perfect opportunity."

Alen looked down at him with a sweet, innocent smile.

Seeing that smile, Zane felt a terrifying chill run down his spine. He knew exactly what that look meant. Whenever Alen gave that specific sweet smile, there was something incredibly fishy going on in his head. When he smiled like that, his ’Scumbag-mode’ was turned fully on.

Zane cursed under his breath.

"Damn you, treacherous bastard! What the f*ck are you scheming now?!"

Alen replied calmly,

"Just wait a second, buddy. You will find out in a moment."

Alen smoothly pulled something out of his pocket—and brutally stabbed it directly into Zane’s chest.

"AHH!"

Zane violently clutched his chest as immense, agonizing pain flooded his entire body.

"Damn you!..."