Chapter 134: Hidden Boss!

The air was chillingly cold, the kind of night air that sends shivers down your spine and makes you feel like death is just around the corner.

Two people, each representing one side of the same coin, locked eyes in a tense standoff.

One wore a sinister smile, while the other displayed a mix of fear, bewilderment, and something more—something like anger.

Kaisen completely understood the anger.

If he had been the one humiliated with spit and cum, he too would want to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

The funny thing was, Kaisen had honestly expected this guy to be a mini-boss.

Like in those novels and games where one of your friends betrays you, you fight and defeat him but don't kill him, and then later, he reappears as a mini-boss because the main boss sees potential in him.

Yeah, that kind of cliché. He really thought that was the case, but this was just... anticlimactic.

"S-save me... please... I'm begging you. These guys—"

Kaisen interrupted with a dismissive wave.

"Don't care. I never wanted to see you again. If I'd known it would play out like this, I would've killed you back there. But, well, this works too. Now, you can watch your old 'friends' get rescued while you stay stuck here, turning into one of these mindless creatures."

Alwyn, hearing Kaisen's words, instantly realized he had really messed up.

"L-Lloyd, is that you? Friend, help me here. You can't let me die like this. Come on, man. We... we are friends, right?"

Seeing that Kaisen wasn't budging and was still the same unyielding guy as before, Alwyn turned towards Lloyd, who was sitting on the ground, deliberately looking away like he didn't even want to acknowledge Alwyn's existence.

It was understandable.

This guy had taken Elfie as his slave, robbed her of her freedom, and forced her to do things she shouldn't have had to do. Lloyd hated Alwyn from the bottom of his heart for that.

"...Shut up... Just shut the fuck up!"

Lloyd's voice was a low growl, his eyes still fixed on the ground like they were glued there.

Seeing this, Alwyn's hope shriveled like a plant in a drought. Desperation clawed at him.

The longer he stayed in this forsaken place, the more certain he was that he'd end up a mindless creature.

"Y-you can even have Elfie. I'm telling you. She's all yo—"

Slap~

Before Alwyn could finish his sentence, Lloyd's hand shot out like a lightning bolt, slapping him so hard the whole cross flew and landed several meters away.

"If you mention Elfie one more fucking time, I will gut you like a pig, you fucking pig. Do you understand me?! DO YOU?!"

Kaisen couldn't help but whistle, impressed.

'Looks like Lloyd found his spine again. Good for him.'

But he had no intention of wasting any more time here. He had bigger fish to fry.

So he started tearing off the gooey top layer of the crosses, hoping to identify which ones held his friends.

He worked methodically, like a chef peeling vegetables, but with a lot more goo.

As for the others? Well, he planned to save them after defeating the boss.

That's how these things were supposed to go, right? Defeat the main bad guy, and his empire crumbles.

At least, that's how it worked in the games.

Taking a deep breath, Maximus pointed toward the red sphere at the center of the desert.

No words were exchanged; the gesture spoke volumes. Kaisen understood immediately.

Still glaring at Maximus, he stood up and dashed off toward the dull, glowing sphere, ready to do whatever it took.

'The sphere won't be unattended. There could be guards or Nightshades guarding it.'

Kaisen thought, his eyes scanning the barren landscape. Even though there was nothing in plain sight, he was sure there must be booby traps scattered around.

The sphere was crucial in producing the Night Shades, and he knew someone or something would either fly from the sky or crawl from the ground to protect it.

But he was ready to face them all.

With determination fueling his steps, he dashed forward, leaving his friends behind and sprinted towards the sphere.

Step~ Step~

Sand shifted underneath his feet as Kaisen ran through the spiraling crosses.

Step~ Step~

The view was amazing. The game design was impeccable and artful.

Truly breathtaking. Kaisen admired the scenery as he ran towards the dull glowing sphere.

Step~ Step~

Each step brought him closer, the sand crunching beneath his feet and the eerie beauty of the desert filling his senses.

As he approached, the tension grew, but so did his resolve.

The game had never felt more real, and for a moment, he was lost in its haunting allure.

He was near the sphere when a sudden chill ran down his spine.

Instinctively, Kaisen dove to the side as a massive black hand shot up from the ground where he had been running.

'Here it comes.'

Just as he predicted, something was there to protect the sphere. What he didn't expect was its colossal size.

The hand itself was at least two meters wide. Then, another hand burst from the ground, sending sand flying in all directions.

Kaisen scrambled to his feet, eyes wide as he took in the emerging monstrosity.

"Of course it wouldn't be easy."

Kaisen watched in horror and awe as the massive creature continued to rise from the sand.

The ground shook beneath him, sending tremors through his feet as the enormous black form stood to its full height.

Towering over him, it was like a living shadow, its body made of an inky blackness that seemed to absorb the light around it.

Then, two crimson eyes pierced through the darkness, glowing with an otherworldly intensity.

The eyes locked onto Kaisen, and he felt a cold sweat break out across his skin but there was something else on his face too, a sinister smile.

And with that, another system message popped up:

[Hidden boss encounter]

[Night Shade King]