The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 137: Ch : The Genesis Crystals- Part 2

The sound of clashing blades and breaking crystals had been echoing through the dungeon for hours.

What had started as an intense, high-energy mission had slowly devolved into mind-numbing repetition.

Zara let out a long, exaggerated groan as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"I swear, if I have to pry one more crystal off a mutant turtle-goat, I’m going to lose my mind."

Orion, who was leaning against a rock, looking completely drained, gave her a weak thumbs-up.

"Same."

Selene, on the other hand, had already settled onto a flat stone, watching them with mild amusement.

"You guys have no stamina."

She teased.

Zara shot her a glare. "Easy for you to say! You’ve been sitting there doing nothing for the past hour...not that I blame you."

Selene just smirked and shrugged.

"I’m doing my part. I cannot help it that I am a support."

The only one still hard at work was Ethan.

Unlike the others, he didn’t seem the least bit tired—if anything, he looked as sharp as ever, easily dispatching the remaining monsters and collecting the Genesis Crystals with practiced precision.

It was as if he could do this for days without breaking a sweat.

Selene finally called out to him.

"Ethan, you can stop now. Our storage is full."

Ethan, who had been in the middle of slamming a monster into the ground, casually snapped its spine before standing up straight and shaking the dust off his hands.

"Alright."

He disposed of the last batch of creatures effortlessly, his movements as fluid as ever.

With the farming done, the team finally allowed themselves to relax.

Selene rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few packed meals, handing them out to everyone.

As she took a bite of her sandwich, Zara looked at her with mild suspicion.

"Are you sure it’s okay for us to just be sitting here and eating?"

She asked.

Selene raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn’t it be?"

"Well, you were pretty worried about this dungeon earlier. If it’s really that dangerous, should we even be relaxing right now?"

Zara hesitated.

Selene swallowed her bite before answering.

"I am still worried about this dungeon, but being hungry is not a solution I would advice. It will only serve to make us weaker if we don’t eat now. Besides, the real danger only really starts after nightfall."

She pointed toward the sky, where the light filtering through the cavern entrance was already dimmed to an orange hue.

"We have until then to deal with this place. And right now, we’ve got about two hours."

Zara nearly choked on her food.

"Two hours?! That’s nothing!"

Selene, however, remained confident. She turned to Ethan.

"Can you finish this dungeon within two hours if I boost you?"

Ethan didn’t even hesitate.

"Not a problem."

Zara gaped at him, then turned back to Selene.

"You’re putting all your faith in him? What if Ethan gets distracted by another monster? No wait. It’s Ethan! He will find a way to end both the monster and the boss somehow."

Selene smirked.

"I trust my team. I’m sure you will find a way to keep him in line somehow, Zara."

Still skeptical, Zara folded her arms.

"Fine, but I’m still exhausted."

Selene didn’t let that stop her. With a flick of her hand, she activated her Amplifier ability, linking herself to Ethan and Zara.

Ethan barely reacted to the power boost, but Zara felt an instant surge of energy flow through her veins.

"Oh. Okay, that’s... that’s actually kind of nice. I feel like I can do this now."

Zara admitted.

"Good. Now go."

Zara sighed but stood up anyway.

"Alright, alright. I’m going, I’m going."

She reluctantly followed Ethan, who had already disappeared into the dungeon’s depths.

With them gone, Orion turned to Selene.

"So... what’s our plan?"

Selene stretched her arms lazily.

"We survive. That’s it. Gotta make sure our team finishes without any casualties."

Orion gave her a wary look.

"You’re way too calm about this."

Selene just smiled.

"I’ve already accounted for everything. We just have to wait for our teammates to handle the problem."

______

Meanwhile, in another part of the dungeon...

Madam Verta and her team were huddled together in a clearing, discussing their next move.

One of her party members, a nervous-looking young man, turned to her.

"Madam Verta, could you do a reading? Maybe the system can tell us where we should go next."

Madam Verta sighed, pushing back her silver hair.

"Fine. But be quiet while I focus."

She placed her hands on her crystal ball, channeling her power.

For a few seconds, silence filled the air as the glowing orb flickered to life.

But before she could even begin her reading—

Rustle.

The sound of shifting leaves made everyone freeze.

"W-What was that?"

One of her team members whispered.

Another step.

Then another.

Before anyone could react—

A massive, snarling beast lunged from the bushes.

"AARGH!"

Screams erupted as the creature’s glowing red eyes locked onto them.

"Scatter!"

Someone yelled.

Madam Verta’s concentration shattered, and she stumbled backward, her crystal ball slipping from her grasp.

Her team, panicked and unprepared, scrambled in different directions.

Madam Verta barely had time to react before the creature charged straight at her.

The battlefield was nothing short of a massacre.

Madam Verta darted between shadows, her sharp instincts and foresight allowing her to evade every strike, claw, and snapping jaw that lunged at her.

Unlike her unfortunate companions, she had seen their deaths the moment she activated her ability.

She knew exactly where to step, when to duck, and when to sidestep an attack mere moments before it landed.

The others?

Not so lucky.

Screams of agony filled the air as her teammates were ripped apart one by one. She didn’t even bother looking back—what was the point?

They had been fodder from the start, a disposable shield to buy her time.

"Tch. these people died so quickly. They should have at least given me time to run."