Nagumo listened intently as Sylas explained his power, his thoughts racing as he wondered whether it was something he could learn himself.
He continued listening to Sylas's explanation, only for that faint hope to shatter the moment Sylas finished his speaking. 'That's too bad,' he thought quietly.
"And that's everything," Sylas finished at last.
Yue remained silent, her crimson eyes calmly observing him. She couldn't help but wonder if what Sylas had shared was truly everything—or if there was more he was deliberately keeping to himself. Still, they had only just met. Pressing him for such personal details would have been too much, so she chose not to ask.
Once everyone had voiced their questions, the group moved on to dinner—if it could even be called that. None of them knew what time it was outside the labyrinth anymore.
Sylas and Nagumo began eating without hesitation. With every bite of monster meat, their strength increased dramatically. The first time they consumed a new type of monster, the boost was immense.
Each bite afterward still strengthened them, though the effect gradually diminished. There was a limit to how much a single type of monster could enhance their stats.
On top of that, consuming new monsters granted them additional skills, further expanding their arsenal.
Yue, the vampire princess, simply watched as they ate their food. Unlike Sylas and Nagumo, she didn't need food to sustain herself. Nutrition came far more efficiently to her through blood.
She waited until both of them were halfway through their meals before standing up.
After a moment of consideration, she turned to Nagumo.
While Sylas was the first to arrive, Nagumo was the one who actually helped her.
As she turned and sat next to him, she asked if she could have some of his blood. Nagumo didn't refuse her. He allowed her to drink some of his blood while continuing to eat as if nothing unusual was happening.
When she finished, Yue lightly licked her lips. "Your blood is delicious," she said in a slight seductive tone before sitting down at her original seat.
***
Eight Hours Later…
Sylas woke up in the same spot where he had been training, after leaving Nagumo and Yue. He made his way back to the campsite where Nagumo and Yue were still resting.
He knocked on the rock entrance and waited a few seconds before hopping over it. His eyes immediately caught the sight of Nagumo and Yue sleeping close to each other.
"Be ready to move out," Sylas said as he grabbed a piece of monster meat he had cooked the day before.
Nagumo jolted awake, hastily gathering his belongings as a faint blush spread across his cheeks. Yue barely stirred, still half-asleep as she remained beside him.
Once everyone was prepared, Sylas summoned Mud, and the three of them set out.
This routine continued for about a month.
They traveled deeper into the dungeon, getting stronger, killing and consuming new monsters, gaining new skills along the way. Each night, when exhaustion set in, they would set up camp inside a stone enclosure, lighting a fire at its center to keep warm.
Sylas had already decided that once he cleared this labyrinth, he would focus on creating a second ability—one that would sacrifice multiple abilities in exchange for strengthening those that formed the core of his combat style.
Throughout the month, he hadn't encountered any monsters suitable for creating useful Nen beasts. After obtaining his second Nen beast, he'd become far more selective. He was convinced that his next Nen beast would come from the boss at the end of the labyrinth.
Sylas only watched the first four episodes of the anime, so after this fight, he would be completely in the dark.
…
Sylas, Nagumo, and Yue were now traversing a floor filled with countless branching paths, everything around them bathed in white.
Several hours passed before they finally found what they were searching for.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sylas asked, glancing at Nagumo.
"Boss fight, right?" Nagumo replied.
Sylas nodded. They dismounted from Mud and approached the massive, beautifully crafted purple door in front of them.
"Be ready for anything," Sylas warned.
Although he used Nen combat techniques, he could only draw out forty to sixty percent of their full potential. As a specialist, emission techniques like the aura ball were only about sixty percent effective. The same applied to enhancer techniques—his physical attacks could only reach around forty percent efficiency.
His Nen attacks were powerful, but not because the techniques themselves were overwhelming. It was his physical body that made them dangerous.
Nagumo and Yue noticed the seriousness in Sylas's expression and adjusted their mindsets accordingly. In all their time within the dungeon, they had never seen him look this serious.
"Understood," Nagumo and Yue said in unison as they stepped closer.
They pushed the door open.
Inside, a stairway descended straight down the center of the room.
"Let's go," Sylas said, leading the way.
…
As they reached the bottom of the stairway, they entered a vast chamber lined with towering purple crystals on both sides. Directly ahead stood another massive purple door, identical to the one they had just entered through.
The moment they stepped into the corridor, a giant magic circle flared to life, glowing with blinding intensity.
When the light faded, something massive loomed over them.
A six-headed serpent—each head a different color—stared down at the trio.
It was a monster of legend. A Hydra.
"Get ready. It's coming," Sylas called out to the group as one of the Hydra's massive heads lashed out, tearing through the air.
Sylas's eyes locked onto a different head as he retreated back—the one gathering mana, its jaws glowing as it charged a spell aimed directly at him.
"Ren."
Aura surged from his body, flaring to life as he braced for impact.
On the right side of the battlefield, Nagumo drew the attention of the remaining heads, firing his revolver again and again. Each bullet pierced deep into their thick scales, drawing furious screeches from the beast.
Yue supported him from behind, covering him flawlessly whenever he needed to reload.
'Quickstep.'
Sylas vanished in a blur, shifting to the left side of the field. He channeled every ounce of his summoned aura into his right hand as he rushed the head that had just fired at him.
'Ko.'
He entered striking range.
Boom
The instant his fist connected with its flesh, the head exploded in a violent spray of blood and scales.
Only five heads remained.
"Five more to go!" Sylas called out to Nagumo and Yue across the battlefield.
He prepared to press the attack—
Then stopped.
The head he had destroyed was regenerating.
Behind the cluster of writhing necks, the white snake coiled at the rear emitted a faint glow. Wounds across the Hydra's body began to close. Torn flesh stitched itself together.
Within one minute, the destroyed head was fully restored.
'We need more numbers,' Sylas thought grimly, if this continued, they would lose.
He focused.
Seconds later, two beams of red light burst from his body. From within them emerged Kuma and Mud.
"Both of you," Sylas ordered, his gaze sharp, "distract one head each."
Without hesitation, the two Nen beasts charged. Sylas allocated twenty-five percent of his aura to each of them, leaving himself with only half his total reserves.
He glanced toward Hajime and Yue, each holding off a head on their own.
"Nagumo!" Sylas shouted. "I'm taking out the white one in the back. Cover me!"
"On it."
Nagumo slung aside his revolver and pulled another weapon from his bag.
Schlagen.
Compared to his revolver, this gun possessed overwhelming firepower—but it could only fire a single shot at a time.
He aimed at the white head.
Boom
The sniper roared. The heavy round tore through the air straight toward the white snake—
At the last instant, the Hydra's yellow head swung in front of it. The bullet collided with its head.
Bang
Taking advantage of the distraction, Sylas began charging his attack. Before, he could only sustain his aura ball for forty seconds. But now, he could hold it for a full minute. The longer he charged it, the greater its power became.
Thirty seconds in—a scream tore across the battlefield.
Sylas's head snapped toward Yue and Nagumo.
The blue head had acted. Yue stood frozen, her body rigid, her eyes clouded over. Hypnosis.
"Damn it!"
Abandoning his position, Nagumo switched back to his revolver. He fired at two advancing heads while grabbing Yue, retreating toward the shattered purple crystals in the rear.
Moments later, he vanished from the battlefield.
The two heads they had been holding off slowly turned toward Sylas. "…Nagumo, I'm gonna make you pay for this."
Sylas immediately recalled Kuma and redirected Mud to assist him. He didn't know how long they would be away for. That left him with two choices. Stall. Or defeat the Hydra alone.
"Mud," Sylas commanded calmly, "protect me with your barrier." He unsummoned Kuma, transferring the remaining aura to Mud.
"I said I would only do this after clearing the labyrinth… but I don't have a choice now."
To be Continued…