NOVEL NEXT Chapter 128: Rewards
They had questions, many of them, but there was no time for answers now. What mattered was putting an end to the Chrysalis Empress once and for all.
Everyone surged forward together. Irina loosed arrow after arrow into the Empress's cracked carapace. Venus's crystalline fists hammered down like meteors, each punch stronger than the last. Felix's blood tendrils lashed, tearing open wounds that refused to close. Rudos struck with his staff, chanting a battle hymn that boosted their strikes.
Ryuzen remained silent as his fist struck last, wrapped in lingering frost and lightning.
The Empress screamed, her massive frame shattering into shards of violet light. With one last screech, her body dissolved into motes that drifted upward, fading into the canopy.
The battlefield fell quiet. Then came the familiar chime.
[ Experience acquired. ]
[ Level Up! ]
Notifications filled their minds. Each of them grew stronger in that instant, their stats surging. Rudos and Felix advanced by one level. Irina and Venus by two.
Ryuzen felt his blood surge, his draconic core thrumming with power as the numbers rose. From the countless ants to the Empress herself, he had carved his way forward.
[ Current Level: 31 ]
He clenched his fist, suppressing the smile that tugged at his lips. Another step had been taken.
Then their eyes were caught by the glitter left behind.
At the center of the battlefield, the Empress's Core pulsed. It was a crystalline sphere the size of a small boulder, glowing with violet light. Beside it lay two books, their covers made of shimmering chitin, runes crawling across their surface.
Skill Books.
Venus stepped closer, her fists still trembling with battle adrenaline. "Two of them… from a Dungeon Boss. That is rare."
The others gathered around, fatigue forgotten.
The Core and the Books gleamed like treasures from another world, waiting for their hands.
The glowing Core pulsed like a captured star, but it was the two books beside it that drew their attention.
Rudos reached out first, his fingers brushing the covers. The runes came alive, flaring violet. With a low hum, both books revealed their names.
[ Skill Book Acquired: Temporal Cocoon (C) ]
[ Skill Book Acquired: Chrysalis Rebirth (C) ]
Irina's eyes widened. "Time abilities… and rebirth?"
Rudos carefully opened the first.
[ Temporal Cocoon (C) ]
Encase yourself or an ally in a cocoon of frozen time for up to five seconds. During this state, no harm can reach the target, but they cannot move or act. Cooldown: 90 seconds.
Venus clenched her fist. "That… could save lives in battle."
Then Felix picked up the second book. His blood writhed in reaction to its aura, as if sensing the life-death cycle within.
[ Chrysalis Rebirth (C) ]
Upon falling to zero health, the user's body encases itself in a crystalline chrysalis. After ten seconds, they revive with 20 percent health and mana. Can only trigger once per day.
The group went silent. Even Venus, usually brash, looked shaken.
"That's… ridiculous," she muttered. "A second chance at life."
Ryuzen stood a little apart, watching them with calm eyes.
They faced a problem.
"How should we divide them, Ryu?" Venus asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, these skills look important for all of us," Rudos added, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Who wouldn't want life-saving cards in their hands?
Ryuzen faced their questions with a calm smile. "We don't need to decide that just yet, do we? We won't stop at a single victory. We'll keep grinding until each of us can earn similar skills. That way, it will be fair, and everyone can attain what they need."
Felix's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Again? You want to go at it all over?"
Rudos shook his head, concern etched across his face. "Captain, we don't even know how you weakened it. One moment we were frozen, the next it was bleeding and broken. That's not something we can just ignore."
The air grew heavy with unease. They couldn't trust his methods. The mystery behind the Empress's sudden fall left them wary.
Deep down, they all felt it—Ryuzen was hiding something.
Venus, silent until now, finally spoke, her voice sharp as an arrow loosed from the bow. "You fought alone in a sealed world of time, didn't you? That much is clear. But how? What are you keeping from us, Ryu?"
Their gazes pressed on him, heavy with doubt. The trust they had built through blood and sweat strained under the weight of their questions.
Ryuzen met their eyes, calm yet unreadable. His smile never faltered.
"There are things about me you don't need to know. Not yet." His tone was even, steady, but it offered no answers. "What matters is that we won. And we'll keep winning. I won't let any of you die."
The words should have been reassuring, but instead they deepened the silence.
Venus clenched her fists, then looked away. Felix clicked his tongue. Rudos lowered his gaze, torn between trust and fear.
Only Irina kept her eyes on him, sharp and unyielding, as if determined to pry the truth from him sooner or later.
Soon, they were teleported outside the dungeon.
Night had fully fallen, the sky a deep indigo, stars glimmering faintly above. From the dungeon gate, green flashes pulsed rhythmically, spilling eerie light over the forest floor. The glow was unmistakable, and those nearby immediately noticed.
A group of Evolvers passing by froze, their eyes widening.
"Do you see that?" one muttered, pointing toward the gate.
"Green… that's the signal," another whispered, voice trembling. "They succeeded in Hell Mode."
The words spread like wildfire. Soon, more people gathered, murmurs rising in pitch and excitement. Hell Mode was the stuff of legend. Few had ever survived it, and no one had dared defeat the Boss. And now, somehow, these young warriors had done it.
From the shadows, veteran Evolvers with experience over level 40 peered cautiously. Their eyes narrowed. Rules barred them from entering Hell Mode themselves. They could only watch from a distance, powerless, their respect and disbelief mixing in equal measure.
"They're… the same Junior Blood Legion, aren't they?" one asked, voice barely above a whisper.