Chapter 42: The Path Left Untaken
"Join me in hell, mortals!"
With a final shriek, the Boss’s body blurred, then collapsed. The shimmering light that clung to its form burst outward in a violent explosion the instant it struck the ground, incinerating the massive grizzly bear still clawing at it with blind fury.
Ryan had already retreated far from the blast zone, Faded Leaf Kitten curled on his shoulder, unaffected by the carnage.
"That was the second Boss?" Evelyn strolled up behind him, laughing. "It’s nothing compared to the first."
"The first one’s just a gatekeeper," Ryan replied, already heading toward the Boss’s body. "It’s there to test if you’re even qualified to step into the dungeon."
He knelt and began to loot. From the remains, he pulled a short staff, its shaft wrapped in tiny, pulsing red orbs. Clearly an item for Mages or Priests. Without a second glance, he tossed it straight into Mia’s bag.
Then he found what he was really after: a single, dark-red blossom—the Blood Blossom.
That was his class advancement quest item.
"It’s already past 5:40," Mia said, examining the staff with a thoughtful frown. "Should we break for dinner? We can turn in our class quests, then come back and tackle the rest of the dungeon afterward."
She had a point. They’d been careful—painfully so—with every enemy, and while no one had died, it had taken a toll on their time. If it had been Ryan from his previous life, these first two Bosses would’ve been cleared in under forty minutes. Today, it had taken nearly two hours.
All class advancement items were found in the first half of the dungeon. Ryan’s item, as a Protection Paladin, was notoriously the last one to drop. That made him the final member of the team to complete his quest.