~BZZTZZ!~
As Rey entered, trying to reach the other side, he felt some kind of interference in the spatial rupture.
'What's going on?'
It felt like, while the entrance was easy to pass through, the exit gave him issues.
He couldn't come out.
'Is this an ability being used?'
The distortions of space made everything around Rey to be extremely warped, so he decided to take a step back and return to the 33rd Floor.
Once he did, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, though his surprise was palpable.
'Status Window: List of Doppel Skills.'
As soon as Rey said this, huz System Window popped in front of him, and he was able to see what the problem was.
"S-Tier Skill… Absolute Spatial Magic?"
It didn't take too long for him to figure the rest out.
'The enemy is someone who can use Spatial Energy?!'
It all made sense now! All the pieces began to come to Rey as he thought about the circumstances behind the entire Royal Dungeon incident.
'Brutus' appearance in the 99th Floor, the fact that the escape portal isn't working as it should…'
As Rey thought of this, he reconsidered the possibility that a Monster could have actually slaughtered the Hobgoblins and taken their treasure.
'It's possible to teleport throughout the Dungeon with such a Skill. But…'
His brows narrowed as he logically examined the situation.
'Why would an S-Tier Monster be here? Could it be an evolved being? A mutant?'
As Rey thought of this, he felt a surge of slight fear envelop him.
'The most powerful monsters I've faced are C-Tier. They're easy to deal with, but I can't be sure about S-Tier ones.'
In all honesty, Rey wasn't confident in his victory at all.
'Thankfully, I got this Skill before I ventured in. At least, I'm not running in completely blind.'
He was relieved by that, at the very least.
'I also have a bunch of S-Tier Skills of my own now. I think I should be fine…'
Rey closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sighed.
This was the moment of truth; and he was about to face a being that was most likely going to be the most powerful foe he had ever fought.
How did he feel about it?
"Hehe… hehehehe… heee…"
Slowly, his lips curled up and he made a maniacal grin underneath his mask.
Chuckles graduated into cackles of laughter, and it echoed throughout the space surrounding him.
"This is exciting!"
He could feel his heart racing and his blood boiling, and while it was impossible to tell if it was due to excitement or fear, Rey dismissed the latter.
What he felt now was nothing short of excitement.
'I've never had to go all-out on a Monster before! But now…!' He found himself grinning the widest he had ever done.
Both of his arms spread out, and he raised his head to the ceiling while laughing.
'… Now, I'm going to do just that!'
Plus, if he defeated such a powerful monster, he could gain tons of EXP and Level Up!
He could also improve his alter-ego's image.
This was the best-case scenario, was it not?
"It is!"
More laughter echoed throughout the room until he found out that he was being a weirdo.
'I should probably stop now…'
And so, with his stifled laughter, Rey chose to step into the wormhole before him.
The Half-Elf in her bubble was right behind him as he did so, and Rey wondered if he should take her with him or not.
'It's going to be too dangerous. But, if I don't stay close to her, my Magic will stop working.'
He had purchased defensive Magic Items, but he wasn't quite sure that they would be enough to help in this instance.
In the end, Rey made the decision.
'I'll leave her behind.'
He dropped her on the ground and placed a necklace around her neck.
The moment he did so, a barrier—shaped like a semi-sphere—
surrounded her.
It glowed with yellowish-white energy, and when Rey knocked on it, it was pretty tough.
'I've defeated all the Monsters on this Floor, so I don't think she'll be in any real danger.'
Taking her down with him would only cause problems for both of them.
'Just keep sleeping till I return. Hopefully, this doesn't take too long…'
As Rey had this thought, he made a heavy sigh and left her alone.
In front of him was the portal, and within seconds, he was venturing into it again.
~VWUUSH!~
As the multicolored distortion of space swallowed him up, he could feel the resistance at the other end again.
However, he pulled out the S-Tier Ability he just learned.
'[Absolute Spatial Magic].'
And that was enough…
~FSHUUU~
… To grant him entry into the world beyond.
*********
The atmosphere was very tense.
Lights generated from the Mana Crystals all around illuminated the incredibly large expanse, creating an air of beauty.
However, this beauty was tainted by the dried blood and mashed corpses that remained splattered on the ground surface.
Traces of severe destruction could also be seen all around him.
A small distance from the observer were eight individuals—the ones he sought. One was unconscious, while the other seven were struggling under an invisible pressure.
It looked like it would crush them at any moment.
An ugly cackle of laughter filled the room, but it wasn't his
No… it belonged to an entity that was above.
The entity stopped laughing all of a sudden and glared at him with its purple eyes.
'T-that is…?!'
This was a humanoid being with long bluish black hair that flowed down his shoulders to his back.
He had horns—three of them—and wings that flapped high in the air. He also had a powerful-looking tail, with traces of scales in important areas of his body.
All in all, this wasn't the monster he was looking for.
But… he also wasn't a man.
It prompted the masked one—whether he could be called Rey, or Ralyks—to open his lips and speak.
"Hey…"
His voice was audacious, but he didn't really care at that point.
He just wanted to know one thing.
"… Are you the enemy?"
*
*
*
Thanks for reading, fellas!
Are you ready for the confrontation? How difficult do you think this will be for Rey?
