Chapter 8: The Boss’s Core
Kael steadied his breathing.
Through the fractured armor on the Broodmother’s chest, he caught a faint crimson glow pulsing deep inside its body.
The Monster Core.
Every boss had one. Destroy it, and the body would collapse.
The giant spider let out another furious screech before charging across the cavern. Its massive legs smashed through broken pillars, dragging thick webs behind it as it rushed toward Kael.
He didn’t move.
His grip tightened around the Hybrid Kinetic Cannon-Spear while he waited for the perfect moment.
Closer...
The distance disappeared in an instant.
Twenty meters.
Ten.
Five.
Just before the Broodmother reached him, Kael stepped aside with a sharp pivot.
The monster thundered past.
Kael twisted his body, channeling every remaining drop of mana into the spear.
"Shockwave Thrust!"
BOOOOM!
The spear pierced the opening in the creature’s cracked armor.
A violent kinetic blast erupted directly inside its chest.
For a brief heartbeat, everything went silent.
Then—
CRACK!
The crimson Monster Core shattered.
A violent surge of mana exploded outward, hurling Kael several meters across the cavern floor.
The Broodmother released one final, agonizing scream.
Its enormous legs trembled.
One after another, they buckled beneath its weight.
The colossal body crashed onto the stone floor with enough force to shake the entire cavern.
Silence followed.
A series of blue System windows appeared before Kael.
[Boss Defeated!]
[Target: Venomfang Broodmother]
[Experience Gained: 2,500]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 7]
[20 Stat Points Awarded.]
[Unique Material Detected.]
[Boss Core Available for Extraction.]
Kael slowly pushed himself to his feet.
His breathing was heavy, and only a trace of mana remained.
Still, his attention immediately shifted to the enormous corpse.
"Materials first."
He activated Dismantle.
A gray wave of mana spread across the Broodmother’s body.
Unlike ordinary monsters, dismantling a boss required far more time. The Portable Scrap Processor vibrated loudly as it broke down the creature layer by layer.
Several tense seconds later—
Ding!
[Extraction Complete.]
Materials Obtained:
Venomfang Queen Core ×1 (Rare)
Reinforced Chitin Plates ×24
Venom Crystal ×6
Giant Monster Tendons ×12
Kael picked up the glowing crimson core.
Even without the System, this single treasure was worth more than everything he had earned since his Awakening.
Behind him, Marcus slowly struggled to his feet.
He stared at the dead Broodmother, then at Kael.
His lips parted, but no words came out.
The F-Rank student he had mocked...
The Scrap Artisan everyone had laughed at...
Had just saved his entire party.
Kael calmly placed the Boss Core into his storage pouch.
"We should leave," he said. "The cavern is starting to collapse."
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the dungeon answered.
RUMBLE!
The ceiling split apart.
Massive chunks of stone crashed onto the cavern floor.
Far above, the academy’s emergency barrier had already detected the abnormal surge of mana.
Rescue teams were rushing toward the dungeon.
To Be Continued...
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