Ch 8: Securing the Core - Part 1

By the time they reached the boss room, Selene's arm was throbbing. It felt as if fire was running through her arm and it felt impossible to move it.

It wasn't just a dull ache anymore. Every step sent a fresh wave of pain crawling up her shoulder, sharp and persistent.

She regretted staying quiet. 

She should have said something before it got this bad.

But now, it was too late.

The others were already entering the boss room, their focus entirely on the battle ahead.

No one had time for a weakling like her.

The only consolidation she had was the fact that this raid would be over soon and she would get a doctor to look at her arm.

Selene lingered near the entrance, breathing heavily. She pressed a hand against her arm, wincing at the heat radiating from beneath her sleeve.

That's when she felt a presence near her.

Ethan Park.

He had fallen behind too, and now he was watching her with that sharp, unreadable gaze of his. 

Selene forced herself to stand straighter.

"You're lagging behind. Are you compromised? Do you want me to help you out?" 

His voice was quiet, yet firm, almost worried if you read too much into it. But it was this wistful thinking that made Selene smack herself in the head and snap herself out.

Selene managed a weak smile, not wanting to show how much she was struggling with this man.

"I'm fine. I think I hit my arm on my way here, but it would be fine."

Ethan frowned, his eyes flickering to her arm.

"You don't look fine."

Selene hated that he noticed right away. 

She quickly turned away.

"It's nothing. You don't need to worry about me."

Ethan didn't respond right away and he didn't look convinced.

Before he could say anything else, cheering erupted from inside the boss room.

Selene and Ethan both tensed.

That was… too fast.

B-class dungeons weren't difficult for S-class hunters, but even the strongest parties needed time to defeat the final boss.

Selene's stomach tightened with unease.

Something felt wrong.

She pushed past Ethan and stepped into the room.

The moment she saw what lay inside, her breath caught in her throat.

The party stood in a circle, their faces filled with excitement and triumph.

And at the center of that circle—

A red core.

Glowing. Pulsating.

It was small, no larger than a lemon, yet its eerie crimson light made it seem far more menacing.

Selene froze.

Something wasn't right. Her instincts told her that something was going to happen and she needed to prevent it from harming anyone.

The monster's body was gone.

And yet, the core remained.

She had seen plenty of monster cores before, but never one that looked like this.

This wasn't normal.

Selene felt her skin crawl as she took a hesitant step forward.

"What... happened to the boss?" 

She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nora turned toward her with a smug look, her red eyes gleaming under the dungeon's dim light.

"We killed it, obviously."

Selene swallowed.

"That fast?"

Noah, standing next to his sister, let out a scoff. 

"Don't underestimate us. It was just a B-class. S-classes like us could take it out in seconds. Not everyone is as useless as you are."

Selene looked back at the core. Even Noah' cutting remarks did not make her feel anything. Her whole attention was on the core in front of her.

Then why was it still there?

The body should have disintegrated completely, leaving behind a core that would be dull and lifeless once the energy was drained.

But this one... it was still glowing.

Stronger than ever.

Ethan stepped up beside her, his voice unusually quiet. 

"This is…why is it here? Ah, finally! After so long, I found it."

Selene glanced at him, surprised. It seemed as if Ethan knew what this was, but she doubted he would tell her what this core could do.

But before she could say anything, Noah's voice rang through the room.

"Since Selene is just standing there doing nothing, why doesn't she do the honors?"

Selene blinked, confused. 

"What?"

Nora smirked.

"You heard him. You should be the one to collect the core. Unless... are you too scared? I am giving you a chance to prove yourself to us and to our father. Are you not going to take it?"

Selene clenched her jaw.

She knew what they were doing.

Humiliating her.

Again.

But she couldn't refuse. Not because she wanted to prove herself, but because she felt like she needed to take this stone and keep it safe. That would be the only way she would be to calm herself down.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, reaching out toward the core.

And the moment her fingers touched it—

The dungeon trembled.

Before Selene could grab it, Ethan decided to interfere and speak up.

"How about I take this core and keep it safe? As you said, Selene does not look up to this task. Someone like me would be more suitable to keep it safe-"

Ethan reached out as well, but Noah caught his arm before it could go any further. 

"Don't even try it! We gave this chance to Selene because she's the most expandable one in case anything happens. Do not try and force your way into this."

Nora spoke as her twin kept a tight grip on Ethan's arm. It was clear that the pair was not going to back down easily.

For a minute, Selene wondered if a fight would break out because of this. She hoped not since she did not want to be in danger.

Thankfully, it did not happen and the pair calmed down before any real fight could break out. Selene used this time to close her fist around the core.

It vibrated in her hand and she could feel it even through her monster-hide gloves she had on. 

Something in her was responding to the core, but Selene had no idea what it was.

"Alright, since we have the core now, we should get out of here. Personally, I want to head home and take a shower."

Nora quickly distracted everyone as she walked out first.