"Wait! The monster is dead, why didn't I get the reward? Did you do something!"
Just moments ago, the young man had laughed at Zach, thinking he was just a weak F-level fire mage. But now, after waiting for a long time, he still hadn't seen the reward notification pop up. He turned to everyone, his voice filled with suspicion.
The group had only formed a temporary team to attack the Tower of Trials, so they didn't fully trust each other or rely on one another.
"What do you mean by that? I didn't get a reward either!" The woman snapped back, clearly annoyed by the accusation.
"Okay!" The middle-aged man, who was the captain, intervened. "He killed the monster. He and us aren't in a team relationship. Naturally, the reward belongs to him alone."
"What?" The young man's face flushed with frustration. "Then why did I waste so many skills, potions, and bullets before?"
Glaring at Zach, the young man turned back, his gaze falling on the pistol in his hand. With a grim determination, he raised it, aiming directly at Zach's head.
He thought, This guy is so powerful, he must have a lot of good things in his backpack. If I can still acquire his skills, then I'll truly be set for life.
"Wait! What do you want to do!" The middle-aged man noticed the young man's movement, his face flushing with alarm as he hurried to stop him.
It wasn't because he had any special feelings for Zach, but because he feared that this impulsive action might bring disaster to the entire team. A monster who could kill the boss in a single blow—where did the young man get the courage to shoot him in the back like this?
"Shut up!" The young man snapped, his voice shaky as he steadied the gun with both hands to reduce the tremors from his fear, determined to take his shot.
He knew how important it was to kill Zach with one shot. The moment was perfect—Zach hadn't reacted yet.
A cold smile spread across his face. This is it!
Boom!
The gunshot rang out, the flames of the bullet surging as it shot forward at high speed.
However, contrary to expectations, Zach's head didn't explode.
The young man's smile froze. His face went pale as he saw that an invisible wall appeared behind Zach, stopping the bullet in its tracks. The projectile now floated in mid-air, suspended, neither advancing nor retreating.
"This, how is this possible!" The young man stammered, his voice trembling, his expression one of disbelief, like he was staring at a ghost.
[Calling...]
[Successful summoning! Congratulations to the host for getting the headless hunter!]
From the boss's body crawled a pitch-black figure, surrounded by white flames, standing tall and ready for action.
"..." The young man's face drained of color, his fear now palpable. It was as though he were staring at a nightmare made flesh.
"Ah! What's going on?! Isn't it already dead? Why... why is it alive again?!" He was in a state of panic, unable to move as he kicked at the ground and quickly backed away—until his back slammed against the wall.
"Kill him." Zach's voice was soft but clear in the tense silence.
The young man, already trembling with fear, couldn't comprehend what was happening. Is Zach commanding the monster?
Impossible…
But as if to confirm Zach's command, the boss, who was supposed to be dead, appeared in front of him in a flash.
Its claws, glowing with a cloudy white light like lampposts, were raised high. Then, with terrifying speed, they came crashing down toward him.
In an instant, the young man felt a sharp pain across his entire body.
Before he could even process the situation, he had lost all strength, his body collapsing. He lowered his head, utterly defeated.
[Successful kill! Congratulations to the host for obtaining an E-level skill replacement, automatically upgraded to an SSS-level Apparatus!]
The original skill allowed the user to place a non-aggressive puppet doll that could be swapped with at any time, absorbing damage meant for the user.
Now, upgraded to SSS-level, there was no limit to the number of dolls—or even zombie monsters or humans—that could be used as substitutes. This skill worked like teleportation but, if used properly, could be a powerful anti-killing ability.
Zach dismissed the virtual panel and looked around. The rest of the group had already left the Tower of Trials.
The young man, however, could have done the same, but his misjudgment, fueled by fear and the belief that the boss was reborn, sealed his fate.
He didn't leave when he had the chance, and now, his life had been wasted in vain.
"Isn't it really not working?" Zach thought for a moment, hoping he might be able to exploit a bug and continue challenging the Tower of Trials.
But the system prompted him: [Today has reached the highest number of challenges!]
With no other option, Zach chose to quit and return to reality.
He raised his eyes and teleported to the highest point within view. His magic pupil turned black and white, allowing him to observe the surroundings more clearly.
"Found it!" Zach spotted the location he had been searching for—it was quite close to where he had parked his RV.
Combining teleportation with an air jump, he moved at the speed of sound and quickly reached the top of the square.
Landing gracefully, he met Miria.
"Great! Master, you are all right!" Miria's voice was filled with relief.
Zach smiled as he stroked her head. "Don't worry. It's just that something unexpected happened. I won't die."
Miria nodded, not minding his gesture. "Yeah." Of course, if it were anyone else, she would have smashed their head in a heartbeat, without hesitation.
"Get in the car." Zach withdrew his hand.
"Um."
...
Back in the RV, after a long, exhausting day, Zach's body carried a strong odor of blood and dust, much stronger than any sweat.
He discarded his clothes, burning them to ashes that vanished into the air, and entered the bathroom to wash up.
As he rubbed his hair, Zach began replaying the events of the day in his mind, feeling something wasn't quite right.
What had happened with the dragon? When the monster faced a human, it chose to flee...
And why had the Tower of Trials' guarding boss changed? Wasn't it supposed to be fixed?
A series of questions plagued his mind.
He rinsed off the foam, feeling much more refreshed.
After drying off, he donned a fresh set of clothes and walked out of the bathroom. He opened the fridge, grabbed a cold drink, and cracked open the pull tab. With one gulp, he downed it, feeling a wave of relief.
The mental exhaustion from the day seemed to vanish in an instant.
"By the way, during my absence, no one has come to trouble you?" Zach asked Miria.
"No, it's been quiet around here." Miria shook her head.
"That's it." Zach replied casually, not probing further.
Checking the time, there were still two hours left until the next day.
He switched to the World Trading Center, opened the chat channel, and searched for the word "Qin Lu" in the historical chat records.
Upon finding her name, he entered the chat page with a new idea in mind, one that would require her cooperation to verify.