Wolf

It takes me several minutes to finish healing all of the wounds covering my body before I can finally get back up to my feet. After I do, I find myself all alone in the arena pit with no one else here outside of several dozen silent monsters within the bleachers and the system guardians, still standing in their usual places.

I then turn to look at the large chest situated where the boss’s corpse once was. The chest is black and red, with the champion of the desert’s skull as the engraving on the front of it, and spikes pointing outwards from each of its corners. It also has some sort of dark mist emanating from the chest that I have never seen on any other chest before.

Something to do with this being a sponsorship floor, maybe?

I shake my head before walking up to the chest and touching it, causing another explosion of fireworks to ring out as the description of a skill appears above the chest.

However, as soon as I begin to read what the skill is, a frown begins to form on my face.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Skill | Last Resort of the Desert Champion | Tier 7

This skill is not attainable outside of the boss chest of the boss: Champion of the Desert.

Last Resort of the Desert Champion allows the user to use up 75% of their remaining stamina to fire two beams of miasmic fire at whatever they are looking at.

Note: This skill uses the miasmic element in it and therefore is blocked by the class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Aaand I get the skill it used to finish itself off… which I can’t use.

Just great.

And considering the fact that the item is Tier 7, the black mist probably meant that it was upgraded due to it being a sponsorship floor.

I shake my head in disappointment before reaching out to grab the orange skill orb that appears in the place of the skill’s description. After that, I begin to feel myself floating upwards towards the boss’s chamber.

Please let there be a bar. I honestly need a good drink after this fight, and everything else that’s happened recently.

Even if the alcohol doesn’t actually affect me…

Aegis – At Safe Zone 52’s Council Chambers

Each of the eleven remaining council members sigh in relief as they finally watch Wolf leaving the arena on the screen display stationed at the center of the room.

“That last attack looked bad,” Jessica mutters with a relieved expression on her face.

“It’s likely that if Wolf hadn’t snapped its neck and changed the attack’s direction before it was launched, then it would have killed him,” Luke says with a grim tone, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Everyone turns to look at him before focusing on the screen again as a loud noise plays out from the throne the instant Wolf’s feet land on the chamber floor.

Meanwhile, a brief look of surprise flashes on Wolfs face before vanishing again as the throne itself begins to fade away into a black mist, revealing a door behind it. He then walks up to the door and opens it, revealing an expensive looking bar behind it.

“Another bar…?” Aidan asks with a frown. “Behind the champion’s throne?”

“What’s even the point of that?” Avery asks with his brows furrowed.

Blake glances at him before focusing on the screen again and saying, “It was probably some sort of personal bar for the boss, seeing as it isn’t very large.”

The bar room itself has nothing but the bar itself, one expensive looking sofa and table, and an exit, with a smaller version of the boss standing behind the bar.

“Those bartenders are really strong…” Sarah mutters with a worried expression, drawing the other councilors’ attention to herself before they each focus on the bartender.

System Bartender | Level 1000

A few of the councilors openly gape at the bartender while others just shrug it off. However, before any of them can say anything, two cloaked figures appear in the room right next to the screen display.

No matter what any of the councilors were thinking about before, every one of them turns serious, with several of them jumping to their feet in surprise.

“Who are-” Manfred starts before cutting off as the figures both pull their cowls down, revealing their faces. “…Amalea?”

The pureblood werewolf nods her head without expressing any emotion before looking around the room at the faces of each of the councilors, focusing slightly longer on Wolf’s family than the others. She then looks at Manfred and says, “You won’t have to worry about the Abyss for a while. They have been dealt with for the time being.”

Luke’s eyes widen slightly before he asks, “And why would you do that?”

Amalea turns to him with a blank look, only to turn towards the screen displaying Wolf as he sits at the bar drinking something without saying anything. A faint look of understanding flashes across Luke’s face before he nods his head and says, “Understood.”

The leader of the council looks between the two before he focuses on Amalea and asks, “How long do you think the Abyss will leave us alone?”

Amalea glances at Manfred and says, “A few months at the minimum, and a few years at the latest.”

She then turns to look at the screen again as she thinks, ‘It really depends on how long it takes for the Ruler to give up on chasing the bird.’

“Thank yo-” Jessica begins, only to pause as Amalea and the other werewolf both disappear without a trace. She then frowns and looks at Luke, who just shrugs his shoulder and focuses on Wolf’s screen again.

The other council members shift their focus to the screen as well. Meanwhile, Wolf downs the rest of his drink and stands up from the bar stool he was sitting on before turning towards the exit.

“It looks like he is going to move on to the next theme,” Katie says with her arms crossed. “I hope it isn’t a difficult one.”

After she finishes speaking, Aidan glances towards her with a strange look on her face.

Lucia notices this and smiles a very faint smile before her expression returns to her usual look as she focuses on the screen again.

“Time to see what the next theme is,” Wolf’s muttered voice echoes through the room from the screen.