Chapter 446: Boss Fight [I] "How did you...?" one of the Mages started, eyes wide as he stepped closer, but Azel only sighed and rubbed his hair with a relaxed smile, completely unbothered by the mountain of crystal cores at his feet. "I ran into a whole lot of monsters. I apologize if the monsters you faced weren’t enough to go around for everyone." Azel said, casually, as though he hadn’t just solo-cleared half the dungeon. Mira breathed a long, relieved sigh, one that she didn’t even try to hide. "No, it’s fine. I’m glad you’re alright." Mira said, her shoulders unclenching before she turned her gaze to the cores and then to the dark opening in the wall he had stepped from. "Where did you come from? A Hidden passage or something?" "Yes. I actually encountered the Hidden Boss. It wasn’t really that much of a problem, in fact it was quite weak." Azel answered. "So about the cores...?" "You can place them back in your Storage ring, we’ll handle everything after we kill the boss." Mira said, waving a hand. Azel obeyed with a small nod, slipping the cores back into his ring before adjusting his cloak like he was preparing for a stroll rather than a raid. Mira faced the group. Her expression sharpened into that of a proper commander. "It has been an easy raid so far... mostly thanks to the help of Azel. But facing a Rank 3 is not easy, and if you feel like you can’t battle then you will stand down. The Boss usually has minions, so focus on dealing with the minions and leave the Boss itself to the heavy hitters." Everyone nodded... some confidently while others were swallowing nervously. Mira stepped to the large double wooden doors and pushed them with her shoulder. They groaned, then slid open, revealing the cavern beyond. The group stepped inside. The instant the last foot crossed the threshold, the double doors slammed shut with a deep, echoing boom. The Gun Commander ran a hand through his beard, completely unfazed. "We won’t be able to get out until we finish the Boss." he said as he cocked his rifle. Suddenly, the pitch-black cavern lit up... crystals that were embedded in the ground, walls, and ceiling flickered to life like stars igniting one by one. The room bloomed into brilliant blue light, revealing a cavern of breathtaking beauty. Crystals littered the ground in countless small piles like scattered gemstones. At the far end, atop a rocky altar, was a massive mound of crystals... almost altar-like in its arrangement. "Where is the Boss and the minions?" one of the Aura practitioners asked with a confused expression. To him, the chamber looked more like a treasury than a battlefield. "Or are they hiding underground like the others?" A pulse of magic answered him. The room vibrated and light surged as all the scattered crystal piles trembled, then jerked to life. The smaller piles twisted and rose, forming humanoid silhouettes made entirely of shining blue crystal. They growled, but the sound was different... it was less like a growl and more like the grating of stone dragged across stone. As for the enormous crystal pile at the back... it swelled, then reshaped itself, forming a gigantic crystal monster with long, oversized arms and thick legs. Its entire body shimmered like a living jewel. In an instant, the beautiful cavern transformed into a battlefield. "There are ten minions... I expect you guys to handle them!" Mira shouted as she dashed forward with her sword drawn. The Gun Commander veered right, his aura flaring around his boots. Azel, on the other hand, simply walked forward for two steps then disappeared in a blur, heading straight for the largest monster. Mynes let out a long sigh. "Yeah right, leave me behind." she muttered, though she was already preparing enchantments around her fingers. The minions charged. The soldiers raised their guns... each firearm glowing faintly as aura was infused into the mechanisms, strengthening the bullets’ penetration power. A volley rang out. The bullets hammered into one of the crystal creatures, blasting holes cleanly through. But the holes regenerated seconds later. At least it made the creature stagger. Mynes appeared behind it in a flash, her hand slamming onto its back. The air rippled as five enchantment circles spun around her wrist, amplifying strength, speed, impact, and internal vibration all at once. That was how she had closed the distance so quickly. A glowing rune burned itself into the monster’s back. A heartbeat later... boom. The entire creature exploded into a shower of glittering shards. "These crystals sure would cost a lot." Mynes muttered, half in awe, and half in financial despair. She had already burned most of her monthly allowance on getting decorations for her small apartment, the crystals they had gotten from that spot would pay her rent but for more money? Why not? She bent down to pick up a particularly large shard... only for a massive foot to crash into the ground where she had been kneeling a moment earlier, pulverizing dozens of crystals. Her eye twitched. "You wasted so much money... did you know that those crystals would cost something like 50 silver?" she asked, her voice flat as she looked up at the monster towering over her. She reared back her fist, and five more enchantments spun into existence around her arm. "Fuck you." Her punch obliterated the monster’s entire body in one blow. Crystal rained around her like blue snow. She glanced at the others... everyone was so busy fighting their own battles that nobody noticed her solo slaughter. "I guess I could just... tear off the crystals and find the mana cores as well." she murmured, already scanning for lootable debris. Nothing in the rules said she couldn’t pocket a few things. ... ’Azel... so that’s this bastard’s name.’ one of the Aura practitioners thought, biting back irritation and admiration at the same time. He poured aura into his wrist, bracing as a crystal minion swung its jagged arm at him. The blow crashed into his forearm, splintering the monster’s limb slightly and sending a numbing shock up his arm. He retaliated with a heavy kick charged with aura, sending the monster stumbling backward. It didn’t break but it was thrown off balance and then he ducked. Soldiers immediately took the chance and unleashed a volley of bullets that peppered its torso. Through one of the cracked openings, the practitioner caught sight of a faint glow. The core. He tightened his fist. ’Converging the aura... force inward... break the center.’ He inhaled. "Converging Aura Arts... First Style, Sonic Punch." He punched. The moment his fist connected, the aura compacted and detonated inward instead of outward. The monster’s chest imploded, the crystal collapsing like a broken glass ornament. The core shot out the back and clattered across the cavern floor. The crystal creature collapsed lifelessly. He allowed himself a triumphant breath... until something heavy fell nearby. He looked ahead. Azel had cut off the entire arm of the giant Boss monster. He had not just damaged it but he had completely severed the limb in a single silent movement. The massive crystal arm crashed to the ground like a pillar of stone, shaking dust loose from the ceiling. The practitioner’s eye twitched. ’Damn you.’