Randy found the experience of being hauled up a near-vertical wall and then dangled upside down deeply unpleasant, especially considering his rather miserable condition. Mana-deprived, exhausted to the bone, and sporting damp clothes, if not for his lack of money, he might have begged Ghostwire to carry him all the way to the surface.

  Unfortunately, he was neither a scion of a guild nor a son of a CEO. By working hard, he managed to secure an above-average job that he would start soon after university. However, right now, as a struggling student, he did not have enough money to afford a Savior, especially not the extra fee of being princess-carried to the surface.

  "Up you go," Ghostwire said before swinging him upwards.

  Randy barely managed to hold back from vomiting as he was swung into the receiving arms of Gerald. He was stunned, as he had been expecting to eat a face full of rock, and all Randy could think about in that moment was how cold Gerald's hands were to the touch. It was like that of a corpse.

  "You alright?" Gerald asked, looking at him through the slit in the dented helmet he wore.

  "I'll live, if barely," Randy said, grunting in pain as Gerald set him down on the hole's edge beside Valoria, who gave him a weak smile. He nodded to her and then focused back on Gerald. He looked so human from the outside, but every so often, he reminded Randy of what he truly was—a monster in human skin.

  As if sensing his gaze, Gerald looked at him and whispered, "Randy, what do you know about scout classes, specifically a Phantom Scout?"

  "Huh?" Randy furrowed his brow at the unexpected question. Organizing his thoughts, he whispered back, "Scouts typically possess a lot of movement and trap detection skills. They are invaluable to the survival of hunting parties, especially on the deeper floors of the dungeon."

  "And a Phantom Scout?"

  Randy shook his head. "No idea. I have little knowledge of rare variants of classes. Is that what Ghostwire is? A Phantom Scout?"

  Gerald nodded.

  "That would make sense based on the abilities he has shown so far," Randy mused. "Ghostwire also said he had no plans of interfering with your fight and just wanted to watch, which is typical of a scout. They aren't the best fighters."

  "Are they not like assassins?"

  "God no," Randy snorted, which hurt his head, pounding from a headache. "While assassins do possess movement abilities like scouts, they are typically doubled up as an attack skill. Take Vesper's Shadow Sever skill, for example. He can enter the shadows for a short time to flank an enemy, but he then has to strike."

  "So Ghostwire is weak?"

  Randy tilted his head. "Weak in a direct fight perhaps, but no class is inherently weaker than another. They just have different specialties," he then mumbled under his breath, "something you seem to ignore, though."

  "I see. Next question then, what is it like to drown?"

  Randy got whiplash from the change in topic. "...Drown? Why are you asking about that?"

  "Just answer his questions, Randy," Valoria slurred. The poor girl was barely able to keep her head up and seemed close to passing out from exhaustion. If he had to guess, it was currently around five in the morning, and they had done nothing but fight for their lives for hours. Out of all of them, Valoria was the lowest leveled and had even given him her mana potion. The fact that she was still awake was a testament to her willpower.

  "Fine. You want to know what drowning is like? I'm not entirely sure myself, as I've never experienced it, but I would assume it's terrifying to have your lungs fill with water and be unable to breathe."

  "Would you be able to fight while drowning?" Gerald asked. "Like use skills?"

  Randy shook his head. "Apart from desperate struggling, I doubt I could do much else. Besides, most weapons become useless underwater due to the drag. Same with punching or any martial art, really. It's why the dungeon floors that contain water areas are so dangerous."

  "Perfect," Gerald said, and Randy swore the monster was grinning behind his helmet. Before Randy could ask what Gerald was possibly planning, he heard Ghostwire approaching, and soon Vesper was being hauled into the tunnel by Gerald.

  "Alright, that's the last of them," Ghostwire said as he pulled himself into the tunnel. While there was a chirp to his tone, like someone happy about an upcoming payday, the Savior was obviously exhausted. His movements were sluggish, especially for a high-ranking Hunter. "We should get moving as soon as we can. The heat down here is brutal, and it will only get worse above ground. We also have the death dunes to cross—"

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  "Hey, Ghostwire," Gerald said, interrupting the man.

  "What?" Ghostwire asked, glancing up from the rope he was untying from the metal peg.

  "Can you hold my trophy for a moment?" Gerald said, dumping the massive Orc head into Ghostwire's lap before receiving an answer. The Savior grunted from the weight and almost fell over backward.

  Before Ghostwire could get his bearings, Gerald stood over him while wielding the Underworld Orc's massive battleaxe.

  Ghostwire looked up and, upon seeing the battleaxe, he shouted, "What the—"

  Randy's eyes went wide as Gerald spun the battleaxe with immense force and planted the flat side into Ghostwire's face. There was a deafening clang as the battleaxe made contact with Ghostwire's metallic mask, followed by a soul-wrenching cry of pain as Ghostwire was swept off his feet by the force and tumbled backward through the hole while still clutching the Orc head.

  Gerald peered over the edge as the screaming Ghostwire plummeted like a rock and crashed into the water below with a giant splash. Randy got a front-row seat to the whole exchange, yet was too shocked to process what he had seen.

  "How long does it take for someone to drown?" Gerald asked casually.

  "It's too variable, but a minute should suffice," Randy replied automatically, not really processing what he was saying or hearing. All he could do was keep his eyes locked on the dark water below. Ripples echoed across the lake, and he could see bubbles rising from where Ghostwire fell.

  Gerald hummed to himself, "I don't really know what a minute is, but I suppose once those bubbles stop, he is dead?"

  "Or you could wait for the system notification to confirm it," Randy said, his voice somewhat shaking. "I mean, you did just smack him in the face with a battleaxe. I'm sure the system will credit you with the kill."

  Gerald laughed. "I sure hope so. That human was level 46, so he should be worth some experience."

  "Level 46..." Randy muttered in disbelief. A level he could only dream of achieving. It was the kind of level only reached by people who made the dungeon their whole lives and regularly went on dangerous expeditions to push their limits. Not only that, but Ghostwire was a registered Savior, meaning his strength and ability to act alone were recognized by the government or a prominent guild.

  "Oh," Gerald paused and looked at something floating before him that only he could see. "Ghostwire died."

  The nonchalance that Gerald displayed in murdering a high-level Savior in cold blood sent a chill down Randy's spine. It had been swift and brutal, without a hint of hesitation. The moment Gerald had identified a possible way of killing, he had executed it flawlessly.

  "How did you think to kill him like that?" Vesper asked.

  Gerald glanced at Vesper and removed his dented helmet, revealing his nondescript face with two soulless eyes that were entirely black like an animal's. He pointed at his nose. "You humans use this thing to breathe, right?"

  Vesper nodded. "The nose is the main way we breathe, but we can also do so through our mouths."

  Gerald blinked, which looked quite unsettling due to his eyes. "Oh, I didn't know that. Well, anyway, I planned to crush his nose by smacking it with the battleaxe, then throw him into the lake to see if he would drown."

  "What was giving him the Orc head for?" Vesper asked.

  "Just to keep his hands busy, so it would be harder to block my attack. Humans are easily flustered creatures, I've found. So saying or doing something to throw them off makes landing a sneak attack far easier."

  Vesper simply whistled and was clearly impressed. "What a masterclass, Gerald. You would honestly make a great assassin." Vesper then turned to Randy. "Isn't this great, Randy? Our problem has been dealt with. No more Savior means no crippling debt awaiting us."

  Randy nodded, but it wasn't like they were out of the woods yet. They were still all in terrible condition and deep in a cave on the 3rd floor. Not to mention, sharing the space with a monster that had just murdered a level 46 like it was nothing.

  The only saving grace was that Gerald didn't seem to mind their presence, but there was no telling if that would change.

  Gerald dropped the battleaxe he had been holding with a dull thunk that grabbed all of their attention. "I'm going to enjoy a quick feast, and then I will be back. Hopefully, with Ghostwire's identity, it will be easier for me to join you three on the surface."

  "Ghostwire's identity?" Randy parroted, confused by those words.

  "Don't worry. You will see," Gerald said and jumped off the ledge, plunging into the watery depths below.

  Randy exchanged a glance with his two friends.

  "Should we wait for him?" he asked, checking if their answers had changed.

  "You're kidding, right?" Vesper said. "Of course, we wait for him. Monster or not, imagine him in our guild? He solo-killed a floor boss and only seems to be getting stronger. Gerald is the type of generational talent that entire guilds are formed around, you know?"

  Valoria nodded in agreement. "He is our savior. The least we can do is help him to the surface in return."

  "Good, those were my thoughts as well," Randy said, nodding. Though he shared those sentiments, he couldn't ignore the knot of tension in his heart. Was bringing such a monster to the surface really a good idea? While the benefits were undeniable if all went well, the image of the day the government uncovered Gerald's true identity sat at the forefront of his mind.

  If it became known that he helped bring such a danger to the surface, forget losing his job—he might even go to prison.

  Movement below caught his attention. Gerald was emerging from the lake, dragging Ghostwire's corpse by the neck and cradling the Orc's head in his other arm. Dumping them both on the shoreline, the human-looking Gerald showed his monster side. After ripping the surprisingly still intact metallic mask from Ghostwire's face alongside a layer of flesh, Gerald crouched over the corpse.

  Randy winced and felt a little sick to his stomach as dozens of black tendrils snaked out of Gerald's mouth, and he began to devour Ghostwire.

  to read ahead!