System Warning:

> [Poison Status: 37% – Continuous damage being taken]

[Slow Effect Active – AGI -2]

[Combat Capability Analyzing... 87%]

Sefa whispered to himself:

> "I came to clear this floor… not to die here."

The body of the Poison Queen lay collapsed on the ground. A thin mist still surrounded the area, silently seeping into Sefa's lungs. He stumbled a few steps back, clutching his chest with his left hand.

> "I need… to breathe… But this poison—"

Before he could finish the sentence, he dropped to his knees. His vision blurred. A sharp ringing pierced his ears. Then, the system notification echoed:

> [Warning: Toxin level at critical threshold. 61%]

But giving up was never an option. His eyes shifted to the explosive trap he had buried earlier beneath the ground. He remembered: this was the final defense point. If he triggered it at the right time... he might take out three of them at once.

But first, he had to survive.

He leaned against a broken wall. With a bloody hand, he reached into his pocket and found the smallest vial. A translucent purple liquid... Antitoxin. His final hope.

> "Save me…" he whispered and drank the liquid.

Suddenly, a burning sensation spread through him. His veins felt as if they were on fire. But then, the icy relief that followed… reminded him he was alive. His fingers began to move again. He clenched his fist. Stood up.

The bosses were on the move again.

Cerberon was thrashing its head as if it had lost one of its skulls, driven mad with rage. Volkran's body had grown even larger, the ground cracking beneath his weight. Tharn was still motionless, but the ice shards protruding from his torso were growing rapidly.

As for the Armored Shadowknight… he had vanished.

> "Where is that silent bastard…"

Suddenly, he felt a sting behind him. The Shadowknight had snuck up on him. But this time, Sefa was ready.

He spun around quickly. Deflected the incoming strike with his sword. Sparks flew. Then, he kicked his opponent to create distance. The ground cracked beneath their feet.

> "You move like a shadow… but now I'm a hunter too."

Sefa retreated to a pre-planned location. He had buried explosives there. Cerberon, Volkran, and Shadowknight were all chasing after him.

> "Come on then…"

Just as they crossed a certain invisible line…

Sefa snapped the binding string on his wrist. The ground trembled. Suddenly, the magical traps he'd buried detonated. A blinding flash. A deafening roar—

BOOOOOM!

Smoke. Blood. Shattered armor pieces.

Sefa dropped to one knee. Through the dust, a silhouette emerged. It was Volkran. His body was cracked, but he was still alive. The other two… silent.

> "You and me, one-on-one," Sefa said. "Then Tharn."

Volkran roared. His burning chest surged toward Sefa. Sefa grabbed the Shadowknight's fallen sword—his own was broken. He gripped it with both hands.

> "This will be your final flame."

A clash. Fire and steel collided. Ignoring the flames, Sefa lunged forward. He aimed straight for the heart. Drove the blade into Volkran's fiery core.

And then…

ANOTHER EXPLOSION.

But this one came from within Volkran. Flames engulfed him—then erased him.

Sefa staggered back. Half of his clothes were burned. His arm was severely scorched. But his gaze remained firm.

> "Two left…"

Tharn still hadn't moved. But Sefa knew… he would be the most dangerous of them all.

System Notification:

> [60% of bosses eliminated.] [Level: 7 → 9] [Stat Points +10] [New Skill Unlocked: "Tactical Memory"]

Sefa's left arm was still burned. His whole body ached, but his mind was focused on a single point: the two remaining bosses. Tharn... and another danger still unseen. His eyes shifted toward the center of the arena. The Quest Statue, still standing tall, was glowing faintly with visible cracks.

> [Quest Statue Status: 67% | Stability: Approaching Critical Threshold]

Sefa clenched his teeth.

> "If the statue takes too much damage, I might fail the mission..."

There was no time to waste. He began walking toward Tharn, who stood next to the statue, still radiating cold. Tharn's body was motionless, but ice crystals continued growing out of him. It was some kind of timed defense mechanism. The longer he waited, the worse it would get.

> [Warning: External temperature is rapidly dropping. VIT stat may be affected.]

Sefa ducked behind a broken wall and tried to steady his breathing. But there was no time. He pulled out a small vial of heat resistance extract and downed it in one gulp.

> "This time, I need to finish you quickly."

He glanced at the crack in the statue once more.

> [Quest Statue Status: 62% | Stability: Alert Level]

A blue glow rising from Tharn's chest began to take shape. A massive ice spear formed and shot up toward the sky. Then, a system message echoed through the air:

> [Tharn – Lord of Ice: Special Skill "Doomspear" Activated.]

> "No!"

Sefa leapt forward at full speed, placing himself between the statue and the incoming spear. Volkran's scorched sword still in hand, he ignored the pain and threw himself upward toward the descending weapon.

BOOOOM!

An explosion of ice. The arena was covered in frost. Sefa was thrown to the ground. Deep cuts on his hands, cracks on his back—but… the statue still stood.

> [Quest Statue Status: 38% | Stability: Partial Protection Achieved]

> "It's still alive…"

With sheer determination, Sefa stood back up. Tharn still hadn't moved, but the crack on his body had grown wider. The price of the spear had been heavy.

> "Now… it's my turn."

Sefa's left arm was still covered in burns. Every part of his body throbbed with pain, but his mind was locked onto one thing: the remaining boss, Tharn… and the final threat that would follow.

His eyes shifted to the center of the arena.

There, still standing tall, was the Mission Statue—now cracked and pulsing with red warning lights.

> [Mission Statue Status: 67% | Stability: Critical Threshold Approaching]

Sefa clenched his teeth.

> "If the mission fails… everything ends."

There was no time left to waste. Dragging his left leg, he began limping toward Tharn. Just a few meters from the statue, surrounded by frost crystals, Tharn stood motionless. His body was still, but the blue crystals jutting from his chest grew larger with each passing second.

> [Warning: External temperature dropping. VIT level may be affected.]

Sefa quickly ducked behind a collapsed stone wall. He took a deep breath and pulled out a vial with trembling hands—his last potion for heat resistance. He drank it in a single gulp.

> "This won't last long…"

He glanced again at the statue's condition:

> [Mission Statue Status: 62% | Stability: Alarm Level]

At that exact moment, the blue light emerging from Tharn's chest suddenly shot into the sky. A giant spear of ice began to form. Then the system's voice echoed:

> [Tharn – Lord of Ice: Special Skill "Doomspear" activated.]

> "No!"

Without hesitation, Sefa leapt in front of the statue. In his hand was still the burned sword left from Volkran. Before the spear could descend, he summoned all his strength and jumped. He raised the sword high… and struck the center of the spear.

BOOOM!!!

A massive explosion.

Ice shards flew across the arena. The ground was coated in frost. Sefa was thrown backwards. Deep cuts opened on his hands. His back ached, and his left arm was numb. But his gaze was steady.

He looked at the statue:

> [Mission Statue Status: 38% | Stability: Partial Protection Achieved]

> "Still alive…"

He rose to his knees with heavy steps. At that moment, new cracks began to spread across Tharn's chest. The energy of the attack had shaken him as well. His movements were slower. The ice crystals had stopped growing—his defenses were exposed.

Sefa noticed it.

> "Now's the time…"

Despite the pain, he suddenly accelerated. Gripping the sword tightly in his right hand, he reached Tharn's back. And with a single strike… he plunged the blade right into the center of the crystal at his neck.

KRAAK!

The blue glow began to fade. Tharn's body trembled for a moment. He dropped to his knees. Light leaked from the cracks in his chest. One final vibration… then he collapsed completely.

> [Tharn – Lord of Ice: DESTROYED.]

Sefa's knees hit the ground. He was gasping for air. But the statue…

His eyes turned to it once more.

> [Mission Statue Status: 1% | Stability: BELOW Critical Threshold | Time Running Out]

He smiled.

But this wasn't a victory—only the beginning.

End of Chapter Note:

Sefa stands, barely breathing, surrounded by the frost and silence of victory. The statue still stands — but just barely. With only 1% integrity remaining, the line between success and failure was razor-thin.

This was not a final battle. It was a warning.

And beyond the cold… the real test is about to begin.