Thirty minutes earlier…

  "All right, last spider’s down," Gabriel exhaled, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and swinging his sword down. He turned to the girls standing behind him. "You all good?"

  "Everyone’s fine," Emma replied, approaching the man and immediately beginning to inspect him carefully from head to toe. Her eyes turned suspiciously serious.

  "Oh, Emma..." Gabriel chuckled. "It’s just a C-rank dungeon. How many times do I have to say it — no creature here can even scratch me."

  The woman narrowed her eyes and, without looking away from him, coldly added:

  "Sure. But that D-rank goblin two weeks ago, who managed to hit you, might want to argue with you on that."

  "Oh, come on!" Gabriel groaned. "I’ve already explained! I was distracted by another one, didn’t see the strike! He was crafty, for a D-rank goblin!"

  Emma was about to respond when Alpha cut in:

  "Excuse me, but if everyone really is fine, we should hurry. Remember how much time we have left until the festival? Every minute counts now."

  Emma, still not done with her moral speech, grudgingly agreed:

  "Fine… But this conversation isn’t over," she shot at Gabriel and moved ahead.

  Gabriel leaned closer to Alpha and whispered:

  "Thanks, you saved me."

  Alpha smiled.

  "That wasn’t a rescue. I fully support Emma. But... it really is time to move."

  She followed after the lady, and Gabriel looked back at the other maids.

  "Well, maybe at least you’ll take my side?"

  Beta sighed.

  "Alpha and Emma are right. You should stay alert not only in B-rank dungeons. Then your lady will be less angry with you."

  The other maids silently nodded and followed her.

  Gabriel stayed a few steps behind, muttering under his breath:

  "These women... always don’t get it..."

  But despite everything, he moved on.

  A few more minutes passed, and they reached the massive, grim doors of the boss’s chamber. Gabriel stopped and glanced back at his companions.

  "Anyone need a break?"

  Silence.

  "Good. The faster we’re done — the faster we get out of here," he said and pushed open the doors.

  They entered the cavern.

  A vast hall, its floor blanketed in webs, with dozens of tunnels along the walls leading into darkness. The only light came from a few blue crystals embedded in the walls, casting a dim glow.

  Gabriel frowned, peering into the darkness.

  "Where is he...? Damn it, don’t tell me we’ll have to dig through those burrows," he growled.

  Alpha, who had moved ahead a bit, suddenly stopped and called out:

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  "No need. Come here!"

  They all gathered around her — and froze.

  Lying on the ground in a pathetic heap was the body of a giant spider — the boss. He was wrapped in his own webbing. Not a single leg remained. Shards protruded from his body, wounds covered his entire frame, several eyes had been gouged out.

  But he was still alive. Barely. His head moved slightly as he bled.

  Emma covered her mouth in horror.

  "That’s… definitely the boss… But who could’ve done this?"

  And then laughter echoed through the cavern.

  Rough, cold, almost human — but at the same time… otherworldly.

  From one of the tunnels — behind them — he emerged.

  Tall, seemingly human in shape, but his body was fully encased in gleaming black plates. Spikes jutted from his shoulders and spine, and his fingers ended in sharp, curved claws. His teeth gleamed like blades in a sinister grin, and his glowing red eyes pierced the darkness. Two massive horns arched from his head.

  Gabriel immediately stepped forward, shielding the girls.

  "Did you do this to the spider?"

  The monster laughed again, tilting his head slightly.

  "Maybe. Or maybe… he wrapped himself up like that. Spiders can be so stupid."

  "Very funny," Gabriel rasped, waiting for the right moment to strike. "Who are you? What do you want?"

  The monster grinned even wider. His eyes glinted.

  "Who am I?" he mused briefly, tapping his chin with a claw. "Still figuring that out."

  Then... he extended his hand forward. The claws gleamed like blades, and his smile turned feral.

  "But what I want — is to hurt you all real good."

  Gabriel sprang into action, closing the distance between himself and the monster in an instant. His sword ignited with a flaming aura and slashed downward at breakneck speed. But the enemy didn’t even flinch — he simply raised a hand and stopped the blade mid-air.

  A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Gabriel’s face, while the monster only smiled wider. The next moment, the creature’s free hand swung in a vicious arc, striking Gabriel in the side with immense force. His body was flung like a rag doll, crashing against the stone wall with a heavy thud.

  "Gabriel!" Emma screamed and rushed to him.

  The monster was already lifting his hand, preparing to strike her too — but a storm of spells flew toward him: fire bolts, ice blades, wind scythes. The creature raised a magical barrier, shielding himself, as Emma dropped to her knees beside Gabriel and began healing him. The damage was severe — the mark of the blow stretched from his ribs to his shoulder.

  "Thanks, love," Gabriel rasped, forcing himself to his feet. "Hell of a hit, huh? What do you think?" He tried to smile.

  "I think we should get out of here," Emma said, trying to teleport them... but nothing happened. She tried again — still nothing. "He blocked teleportation magic!" Panic crept into her voice.

  "Then we take him down here and now," Gabriel growled, fire flashing in his eyes.

  Still holding the barrier, the monster turned his head toward them.

  "How about joining the fun?" he asked. A red magic circle flared in his palm, and blazing fireballs hurtled toward the couple.

  Gabriel reacted instantly: he grabbed his wife, pulled her aside, and simultaneously summoned his own magic circle, launching a counterattack of fire spheres. The spells collided mid-air — a blast, a cloud of dust, and silence.

  "Impressive," the monster rasped from within the haze. "But... too weak."

  With a grin, he dropped the barrier and lunged at the maids. They didn’t even have time to react — several sharp, slicing blows later, they collapsed, blood spilling from deep wounds.

  "No...!" Gabriel could only watch as the creature blurred past. He was already behind them, readying the next attack.

  But Gabriel appeared right in front of him. His fists blazed with fire as he aimed a strike at the monster’s torso — the creature didn’t even guard. He took the hit… and didn’t budge.

  "That all?"

  "Just warming up!" Gabriel roared and unleashed a furious barrage of fiery punches.

  Meanwhile, Emma was already healing the wounded maids. The first was Gamma. As soon as the healing was complete, she whispered:

  "Run. Now."

  "I’m staying to help," Gamma croaked.

  "No," Alpha said with a broken voice. "If you want to help — bring someone strong. We’ll buy you time."

  Tears filled Gamma’s eyes as she nodded, rose to her feet.

  "I’ll come back. Hold on!" she shouted, then ran.

  The monster saw it. He raised a hand — a magic circle ignited.

  "Don’t get distracted!" Gabriel shouted, slamming a fiery fist into the monster’s jaw with all his might. It was a powerful strike — a wound appeared on the creature’s face.

  But… his eyes flared with a blazing red light.

  His magical aura exploded with renewed strength, filling the cavern. It thickened, darkened — and became terrifying. It pressed down on everyone like a suffocating fog. Gabriel clenched his teeth — his legs barely held him. One thought flashed through his mind:

  "This is the darkest aura I’ve ever seen. An S-rank… far beyond what I can handle. Is this... where I die?"

  He raised his hand for another strike — but the monster was faster, driving a blow into his chest. Blood burst from Gabriel’s mouth as he was hurled several meters away.

  Emma stood frozen, unable even to scream. Her body wouldn’t respond. A few other maids, like her, stood paralyzed by fear. The rest lay wounded on the ground.

  The monster calmly approached Alpha. She was the closest. He raised his hand — her heart pounded, tears welled in her eyes… but the blow never came.

  He… stopped.

  His hand slowly lowered, and that wicked smile returned to his face.

  "No... not yet. It’s too early for you to die. The star of the show… hasn’t arrived."