[BONUS]

Erica was stunned, speechless, when Ren changed gears right in front of her eyes. The white robe they lent to him unwrapped itself from his body, exposing an armor made of stone with strange markings that glowed blue like the ocean. It seemed ancient, and at first glance, it was obviously an artifact.

As he moved, his armor seemed to shift from one place to another as if it had a life of its own. Although his armor looked like it was made of stones put together, the whole thing moved as if they were made from a single whole material. It had no seams or joints, and the only way to tell where one met another was the blue orbs that looked like a big pearl that glowed blue like the heart of the ocean.

Underneath the armor was something like a black suit, and it also had lines of glowing blue that stretched like veins underneath. It looked mesmerizing. Erica felt like she was looking at the conduit of an electricity. It was a complete set of armor, inclusive of matching boots and gauntlets.

What shocked Erica the most was the fact that Ren held two scepters in his hands. On the one hand, he held the staff he was already equipped with when they got here, and on the other hand, he held a red glowing staff that looked like dried magma with hot lava streaming like veins on its shaft.

Dual Wield?! Erica was shocked, and she stared at Ren in awe.

The giant pearls on the joint of his stony armor were shining under the moonlight, and the light that reflected off them made his silver eyes sparkle. He stood over six feet tall, and his muscles were far more defined than before. The stone armor fit tight across his chest and abdomen, making him look lean, and not bulky.

Erica swallowed hard as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"What are you?" Erica whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at Ren. The more she looked at him the more he didn't seem like a player anymore. It was like he changed into a mini god. One that they were lucky to have by their side.

Ren looked down at her with eyes that she couldn't see through. He lowered himself until he was at the same height as her and then placed his hand on her shoulder. Erica could feel the warmth from his hand, and it felt more like he was radiating heat into the air around them.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked, a little panicked at the sudden change of his personality.

"You should focus on avoiding those lightning strikes." His voice echoed in her mind, and before she could ask what Ren meant by that, he pushed her forward enough to send her flying a few meters back, just in time for a series of bolts to come crashing down like a hammer toward their original location.

"Ren!" Erica yelled when the bolts hit him straight on. She wasn't even angry that he was tossing her here and there.

When the smoke and blinding light ceased, Ren could be seen standing like he was just there taking in the view. He didn't suffer any damage, much less the Stun status.

Ren stepped forward. "My strategy is simple," he said, his voice deep and melodic. He took a step closer to the Thunder King before stopping at least twenty meters away from it. "Stay out of my way, and don't interfere."

Erica blanked out. What did he mean by saying that? But instead of asking aloud, she just stared at Ren's back as he walked away from her. She wasn't sure what to say or do next, so she stayed where she was, watching him go until he faded from her sight.

What an infuriating man. Erica thought.

With two weapons in hand, Ren could now cast five spells using [Multiattack LV.5] from [Monarch Sovereignty] and another five from [Infernal Scepter]. A total of ten spells he used would end the Thunder King's life in one go.

Of course, he didn't forget to have the [Grinding Stone]

at the ready every time his scepters were about to lose their durability.

All the EXP he acquired from the Kraken's rewards was mostly put on his MP since it was mostly the limiting factor whenever he stumbled upon using powerful spells. He usually didn't have enough MP to cast them.

But now, it was different.

After the Kraken, casting five [Inferno] and another five of [Razor Leaf] that he copied from Sebastian were a piece of cake.

If it were up to him, he would have finished the fight with the Thunder King a long time ago. But with five more elemental dungeons after this, Ren decided to display a little of his power for White Unicorns to see, so in the future, they would leave him alone to do his thing.

It would also put all White Unicorns' doubt and discontent to rest, as well as increase the value of their mercenary guild in their eyes.

Casting [Multiattack] from the two scepters, a tornado of lava erupted from the [Infernal Staff] one after another while the wind howled through the area, carrying with it a mass of broad, stiff leaves. Thousands of metal-like leaves dive into the Thunder King, and it could only helplessly roar as its hit points turned to zero.

The lightning bolts from above ceased when the Thunder King uttered its final cry. Everyone who survived didn't know what had happened, and the few who were at an angle where they could see the fight couldn't believe their eyes at what just transpired.

They thought they were dreaming, but the following notification on their screen told them otherwise.

<CONGRATULATIONS on getting the first blood from defeating the Boss, THUNDER KING!

REWARDS:

❶ 500,000 EXP (Sharable)

❷ 1 000,000 Gil (Sharable)

❸ Crystal Chest x1

❹ Platinum Chest x1

❺ Gold Chest x2 >

<Do you want to announce your achievement to the world?>

<YES>

<NO>

The silence that soon followed was deafening.