The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 42: Ch : The First Dungeons- Part 3

The trio continued deeper into the dungeon, their breaths growing heavier with each step.

The air was thick, damp, and carried the lingering stench of monster blood.

Selene’s knife dripped with dark ichor, her arms trembling from the relentless fighting.

The constant waves of ant-like creatures had pushed them to their limits, their stamina nearly drained.

Despite their exhaustion, they pressed forward.

The deeper they went, the stronger the monsters became. Their carapaces were thicker, their movements quicker, and their attacks deadlier.

Selene’s dodges were getting slower, Ethan’s swings weren’t as sharp, and even Zara, who prided herself on efficiency, was panting.

Then, a notification rang in their minds.

[System Alert: Additional teams have entered the dungeon.]

Selene’s stomach twisted. She had expected this, but it was still frustrating.

This was something that happened in her past life as well. And a lot of people lost their lives because of this first-dungeon.

Moreover, dungeons were connected all over the world. So even foreign people were in here at the moment.

People weren’t coming in because they were confident—they were coming in out of desperation.

The city was in chaos, resources were scarce, and the only way to survive was to grow stronger. They had no choice.

Selene exhaled sharply.

That means hiding my abilities is pointless now.

They weren’t just racing against the monsters anymore. They were racing against other people.

If they didn’t get to the boss first, someone else would.

And with the way this dungeon worked, only the first clear team would get the best rewards.

She turned to Ethan.

"How fast can you take down the boss?"

Ethan wiped his blade on his sleeve, his golden eyes gleaming despite his exhaustion.

"At my current level? And with how drained I am? Twenty minutes."

He tilted his head, considering.

Selene’s eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

Boss fights in dungeons usually lasted hours.

Even with a strong team, most people barely scraped through after exhausting all their resources.

Yet, here Ethan was, casually saying he could do it in twenty minutes?

Zara let out a low whistle.

"Damn. And I thought I was confident."

Selene stared at Ethan, wondering just how powerful he really was.

He had always been strong, but she had assumed it was due to experience and raw talent.

If he could solo a boss in under half an hour, then his potential was far beyond what she had initially thought.

Still, this was good news.

"I can lower the time."

Selene said.

Ethan raised a brow.

"Oh?"

"But in return, you don’t get to ask me anything about how I’ll do it. No questions. No prying."

She added firmly.

Zara’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s suspicious."

Ethan, however, barely hesitated.

"Deal."

Selene felt a pang of bitterness.

He agreed too easily.

It made her wonder if he had expected this from the start—if he had always known she was hiding something but never pushed her for answers.

She swallowed the thought down and focused on what needed to be done.

For the first time since her regression, Selene opened her system interface and accessed her unique ability.

She went to the section under her title.

[You may assign one individual under your leadership. The assigned will receive a temporary boost in all stats, strength, and mana.]

With a deep breath, Selene assigned her first person.

[Ethan Park has been assigned.]

The effect was instantaneous.

A rush of energy surged through Ethan’s body.

His muscles tensed, his mana swelled, and his already sharp presence became even more overwhelming.

A low hum of power crackled around him as he clenched and unclenched his fists, testing out his newfound strength.

He turned to Selene, eyes wide.

"What the hell—"

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he was about to ask.

Selene crossed her arms.

"You promised."

Ethan clicked his tongue but didn’t argue. He exhaled, shaking his head.

"Fine, fine. But damn, Selene. You’ve been holding out on me."

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

Not without explaining everything.

Ethan seemed to sense that, so he didn’t push. Instead, he rolled his shoulders and grinned.

"Well, I won’t waste this. I’m taking the boss down."

Before Selene could protest, Ethan strode forward and picked her up.

"What the—Ethan!"

She snapped.

Ethan ignored them both, walking straight up to Zara and shoving Selene into her arms.

"Take her somewhere safe,"

He ordered.

Zara blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"I’ll handle the boss solo."

Ethan continued as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Selene glared at him.

"Are you insane?"

"I just got a power boost, and you’re too drained to be fighting properly. Zara’s our best bet to protect you. So stay put."

Ethan said.

Zara frowned.

"I don’t like this plan."

Ethan grinned.

"I don’t care."

Selene felt her frustration boil over.

"Ethan—"

"Selene. You’re exhausted. You’ll slow us down. Let me do this."

Ethan’s voice softened slightly, but his eyes remained firm.

Selene opened her mouth to argue but stopped.

Because she knew.

She knew that if she forced herself to fight in her current condition, she would just become a burden.

She clenched her fists. She hated it. She hated feeling useless. But she wasn’t reckless enough to let her pride get them all killed.

"...Fine. But if you die, I’m bringing you back just to kill you again."

She muttered, looking away.

Ethan chuckled.

"Noted."

Zara sighed.

"Alright, hero boy. Go get yourself killed."

Ethan shot her a wink before turning toward the boss chamber.

The dungeon trembled as the massive stone doors creaked open, revealing the true monster lurking within.

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the cavern, followed by the rhythmic thud of massive feet stepping forward.

Glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.

Then, with a deafening roar, the boss monster emerged.

It was huge—a towering, armored monstrosity with jagged mandibles and thick exoskeleton plates covering its body.

But Ethan simply grinned.

"Alright, big guy. Let’s see what you’ve got."

He muttered, spinning his sword in his grip.

Without hesitation, he charged at the boss.