The instant Rio's curved saber shattered under the force of the Blood Release Werewolf's assault, she abandoned any thought of trying to save it.
The broken blade exploded into fragments that scattered across the stone floor, and before the ruined hilt had even struck the ground, Rio released it completely.
Her left arm screamed with pain from the damage she had already taken during the battle. Blood trickled down her sleeve, staining her hand and dripping onto the floor beneath her. Every movement felt heavier than before.
None of that mattered.
The only thing that mattered was survival.
The Blood Release Werewolf was already moving.
Its crimson body pulsed violently as it lunged forward with monstrous speed. The creature showed no sign of exhaustion despite the punishment it had endured. If anything, it looked even more dangerous now than it had at the beginning of the fight.
Rio reacted instantly.
Twisting her body, she reached over her shoulder and grabbed the flintlock musket strapped to her back. Her fingers wrapped around the weapon's grip and she yanked it free.
The werewolf's claw descended.
Rather than firing, Rio swung the musket upward and used it as a shield.
CLANG!
The reinforced barrel collided with the claw just before it reached her.
The impact rattled through her entire body.
The wooden stock creaked dangerously.
Metal groaned under the pressure.
Rio's boots scraped against the stone floor as she was pushed backward.
"Tch..."
The force behind the attack was overwhelming.
The boss didn't stagger.
It didn't recoil.
It simply kept pressing forward.
Its claws scraped along the musket's barrel, sparks bursting from the grinding metal as force met force.
Rio immediately changed tactics.
Instead of trying to stop the attack directly, she pivoted her body and used the musket's length to redirect the claw away from her centerline.
The strike barely missed.
A second attack came immediately afterward.
Then a third.
The werewolf was relentless.
Rio twisted and shifted with every attack, using the musket like a staff rather than a firearm. Each movement redirected the claws by the smallest possible margin.
She wasn't winning.
She was surviving.
Barely.
Her breathing became sharper.
More uneven.
Her injured arm trembled.
Then the werewolf suddenly paused.
Its chest expanded.
Rio's eyes widened.
"No..."
The creature inhaled deeply.
Far too deeply.
A familiar sense of dread shot through her.
The skill was coming.
[BOSS SKILL: BLOOD HOWL]
The attack detonated at point-blank range.
There was no room to evade.
No time to counter.
No opportunity to interrupt.
The compressed shockwave exploded outward directly into Rio's body.
The force hit her like a collapsing building.
Her feet left the ground.
The world spun.
A moment later she slammed into the dungeon wall with a deafening crash.
Stone shattered behind her.
Cracks spread across the surface where she struck.
Rio fell to the floor and rolled across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
For a brief moment everything blurred.
Then a system window flickered into existence.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Rio
Level: 2
HP: 714 / 4200 (17%)
MP: 152 / 3800 (4%)
Status: Bleeding (Ongoing HP Loss)
Her vision wavered.
Each breath hurt.
Her body felt heavy.
But she forced herself to stay conscious.
Across the chamber, the Blood Release Werewolf slowly turned toward her.
Its red eyes locked onto their prey.
The creature crouched low.
Blood crawled across its body as energy gathered around it.
It was preparing a finishing attack.
Rio tried to stand.
Her muscles refused to cooperate.
"Damn it..."
Then something blurred across her vision.
A voice roared through the chamber.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Ryota.
He charged from the side without hesitation.
Without fear.
Without holding anything back.
His entire body slammed into the werewolf.
[Scalular Impact — Maximum Output]
The collision exploded with force.
The boss was launched backward.
Its body smashed into the far wall so hard that cracks spread across the stone surface.
Ryota didn't stop there.
He continued pushing.
Driving the creature deeper into the wall.
Grinding stone and flesh together until the momentum finally died.
Only then did he stagger backward.
His breathing was rough.
A status window appeared beside him.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Ryota
Level: 2
HP: 452 / 4520 (10%)
MP: 271 / 4520 (6%)
Ryota exhaled heavily.
"Hah..."
A tired grin appeared on his face.
"Still alive..."
Behind him, the werewolf moved again.
Despite everything they had done, it remained standing.
Its body twisted unnaturally as it tore itself free from the cracked wall.
Then it inhaled.
Again.
This time deeper than ever before.
The air around the creature warped violently.
Rio's eyes widened.
She immediately understood what was happening.
"Ryota!"
Her voice echoed across the chamber.
Urgent.
Sharp.
"DODGE!"
Ryota turned toward her.
Too late to understand fully.
But not too late to react.
The werewolf's chest expanded.
Its entire body compressed inward as tremendous energy gathered inside.
[BOSS SKILL: TRUE BLOOD HOWL — POINT BLANK]
Rio forced herself to move.
Pain exploded through her body.
She ignored it.
Blood dripped from her injuries.
She ignored that too.
Every muscle protested.
She ignored everything.
And ran.
Straight toward the boss.
Straight toward Ryota.
"Rio?!"
She didn't answer.
She reached the werewolf just as the attack reached critical mass.
Her musket was already raised.
Not aimed at its chest.
Not aimed at its head.
Aimed directly at its open mouth.
At the exact point where the compressed energy was gathering.
She stepped forward.
Then rammed the musket's barrel into its jaws.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I've had enough of your howling."
She pulled the trigger.
"Fire."
[SKILL: Flintlock Shot]
The gun discharged.
Normally the sound echoed through the chamber.
This time it didn't.
The explosion happened inside the boss itself.
The werewolf jerked violently.
The compressed energy destabilized instantly.
Rio activated her unique skill.
[Chronos Eye]
Time twisted around the creature.
Its movements slowed.
The unstable energy gathering inside its body became sluggish.
Its attack stalled at the most critical moment.
Rio's eyes sharpened.
"Move."
She kicked.
Her foot slammed into the creature's chest with every ounce of strength she had left.
The impact landed perfectly.
But the boss barely moved.
"What?!"
Even weakened.
Even slowed.
Even destabilized.
It endured.
Then another force struck.
"MOVE!"
Ryota's fist shot upward from below.
[Scalular Impact — Amplify]
The punch connected.
This time the force detonated.
The werewolf launched into the air like a cannonball.
Its body crashed into the ceiling.
Stone shattered.
Massive chunks broke free.
The creature began falling back toward the ground.
Along with the collapsing ceiling.
Rio raised her musket again.
Her hands trembled.
The weapon itself was barely holding together.
"One more..."
She aimed upward.
Not at the boss.
At the unstable section of ceiling above it.
She fired.
[SKILL: Flintlock Shot — Final Round]
The bullet struck.
The weakened stone structure collapsed completely.
The musket finally gave out.
A deep crack raced along the barrel.
Then the weapon shattered in her hands.
Rio didn't care.
Her eyes never left the battlefield.
She activated Chronos Eye one final time.
This time she chose acceleration.
The falling debris sped up.
The collapse became unstoppable.
The werewolf looked upward.
Far too late.
Thousands of kilograms of stone crashed down upon it.
The impact shook the entire dungeon.
The ground cracked.
Dust exploded outward.
Then everything became silent.
The oppressive pressure vanished.
The red glow faded away.
The Blood Release Werewolf stopped moving.
And this time—
It stayed dead.
The dust settled slowly across the ruined chamber.
Broken stone littered the battlefield.
The faint green light of the dungeon gradually returned, illuminating the destruction left behind.
The battle was finally over.
Rio remained standing for a few seconds longer.
Her body swayed.
Her breathing was uneven.
The adrenaline keeping her upright finally began to fade.
Then her legs gave out.
She sank to the floor.
Her broken musket slipped from her fingers and landed nearby with a weak clatter.
"...It's over."
The words barely escaped her lips.
Across the chamber, Ryota was still standing.
Barely.
His shoulders rose and fell heavily.
Each breath seemed like work.
"...Yeah."
He took a step.
Then another.
Both unsteady.
"...We actually..."
Before he could finish, his knees buckled.
"Ryota."
Rio immediately pushed herself upright despite her exhaustion.
She caught him before he hit the ground.
His weight settled against her.
Heavier than she expected.
Instinctively, she adjusted her position and supported him with one arm while allowing him to lean against her shoulder.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The only sound in the chamber was their breathing.
Rio glanced down at him.
His eyes were half-open.
Fatigue covered every expression on his face.
"...You did well."
Her voice was softer than usual.
Gentler.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
A real one.
Not sarcastic.
Not teasing.
Just genuine.
Ryota blinked slowly.
It took a moment for her words to register.
Then a weak laugh escaped him.
"...Guess..."
He smiled faintly.
"...I didn't mess up."
His head shifted slightly before settling more comfortably against her shoulder.
"...Just a little tired..."
The rest of the sentence never came.
Rio adjusted her grip to keep him from slipping.
"...Yeah."
Her voice was quiet.
"You can rest."
His breathing gradually slowed.
The tension left his body.
Within moments, he was asleep.
Rio remained where she was.
Supporting him without complaint.
The green light of the dungeon reflected softly in her eyes as she stared into the distance.
For the first time since entering the Silver Wolf Dungeon, she allowed herself to relax.
Just a little.
The battle was over.
The boss was dead.
And for a brief moment, surrounded by ruins and silence, she simply sat there with Ryota sleeping against her shoulder.
Neither of them knew what rewards awaited them.
Neither of them knew how much the world would change because of what they had accomplished.
For now, none of that mattered.
For now, they had survived.