Ryusei stood in silence, offering a silent prayer to Vazrothvra—until the system announcement interrupted.
—————
[Third floor cleared]
[Generating rewards...]
[Mana Orbs × 56]
[Recovery Potion × 3]
[Healing Potion × 2]
[Mana Potion × 4]
[Reward Chest × 1]
[Splitting Items...]
[Teleporting to next floor in 5 minutes]
—————
As the last message echoed, a silver chest materialized before Ryusei.
He clicked his tongue.
"How annoying."
The system had just rewarded him for killing his friend. And as much as he loathed it, he had no choice but to accept it—for survival's sake.
One thing stood out to him: potions. The dungeon had never granted potions as rewards before. And now, he had received several.
That could only mean one thing.
The dungeon was preparing them for something dangerous.
And that something... was the dungeon master.
Vazrothvra had already been a behemoth—an overwhelming force of speed and power. What kind of monster would this "floor master" be?
Maybe Haku knew the answer. But first, Ryusei needed to deal with the chest sitting before him.
He crouched down and opened it. A golden light burst from within, forcing him to shut his eyes. After a few seconds, the light dimmed, revealing gold coins, glittering gems, and a single rolled-up note.
"Gold? How ironic…" he muttered.
After all, in his previous life, it was his hunger for money that led to his death—chasing a bounty for capturing a rare snake. Though, that wasn't the full story.
He picked up the note and began to read.
—————
"If you're reading this note, then your party has defeated Vazrothvra. Though he was an ancient monster, he was also among the noblest we ever sealed. But your journey is far from over. The floor master is something far more terrifying. We couldn't seal it completely... and because of that, we died... never... beware the shadows... they... that's all I can say."
—————
Parts of the message had faded, making it hard to read. Ryusei scratched his head.
It was clearly a warning for anyone who dared challenge the floor master. He had a faint idea of who wrote it… but the phrase "beware the shadows" left him puzzled.
"Let's keep this note for now—"
Before he could finish, a cold shiver crept down his spine. A distorted system chime rang in his ears, and what followed made him smile nervously.
"Is this some joke?"
—————
[Lithaer, The Pentagon, sends you a message as the floor master...]
[I am waiting for you... Ryusei.]
—————
That told him everything he needed to know.
The floor master had been watching him—studying his fighting style, his skills, and perhaps... his every choice.
But since they made contact now that means they probably lost that ability, because he defeated Vazrothvra?
"I'll need a new plan. But for now… clothes. Didn't I have some in my inventory ring?"
He stood up and scanned the battlefield—cratered and scarred with thousands of broken weapons. The ring should still be near his tail.
Then he froze.
His tail... had been severed.
His expression twisted. He'd gotten used to the snaky appendages attached to his new body, but the sight of his detached tail... he didn't even want to look at it. Still, he had no choice. Everything was in that ring.
He gazed into the clear water to search for it—only to catch his reflection.
"So... this is me?"
His appearance was striking. Beautiful, even. Serpents were majestic creatures after all. But where was the ring?
Then a thought hit him.
"Don't tell me…"
He sighed.
Of course. If it wasn't floating, it had to be in the water—along with his tail.
Without hesitation, he dove in.
The water behaved strangely. If he believed he could walk on it, he could. If not, he sank. A peculiarity of this dungeon.
But his senses had sharpened. His skills had grown. It didn't take long to find the shimmering ring still clinging to his severed tail.
He swam back to the surface, retrieved his clothes from the ring, and got dressed. He then stored the chest of gold and gems inside.
Finally, he retrieved the orb that had fallen from Vazrothvra. He stared at it for a moment. It pulsed with mana. Just like the orb from the Rat King, he would have to absorb it.
But as he crushed it, letting the shards slip through his fingers like sand, he made a choice.
He wouldn't absorb it.
Vazrothvra had been his friend. To consume the very thing that made him who he was... felt wrong.
Unbeknownst to Ryusei, a small wisp of that mana drifted into his body anyway, settling just above his heart.
He felt a faint warmth in his chest. Perhaps it was grief, he thought.
He picked up a sword nearby.
After a few test swings, he adjusted his stance and spoke softly.
"Vazrothvra style... Spear."
He lunged forward, thrusting the blade like a spear. The force split the water ahead with a roaring splash.
Then—
"Vazrothvra style... Greatsword."
He raised the blade high and brought it down with crushing force. Once again, the water parted.
Crack.
The blade fractured. He let go of the hilt and watched it fall.
He wanted to try the other techniques… but he'd have to wait.
[Teleporting to next floor in 1 minute]
The techniques he used just now weren't random. They were what he had seen from Vazrothvra—the creature who could wield any weapon with mastery. Ryusei had created his own style from those techniques, naming it:
Vazrothvra Style.
Spear.
Greatsword.
Sword.
Saber.
Rapier.
And finally, his own unique addition: Arrow.
These were only the basics.
There were three special techniques—deadly, refined moves that took everything he learned from Vazrothvra and condensed it into a single blade. These were part of what he called:
Vazrothvra Special Style.
He hadn't mastered them yet. But one day, he would.
This was how he would preserve Vazrothvra's name—so it would never fade into time, so it would never truly reach an "End."
He glanced one last time at the battlefield, a soft smile curling at his lips. He remembered their first meeting—the moment the behemoth on the throne questioned him.
His eyes sharpened, filled with resolve.
One friend still needed him: Haku.
So he whispered one last time before the light took him:
"Rest in peace... Vazrothvra."
And with that, Ryusei vanished—teleported to the next floor—leaving behind a graveyard of swords and an empty throne that once watched over still waters and blue skies.