While Rosaline and Zenis struggle for their lives and the people, another soul remains submerged in the tranquility of his own room. A young man with short black hair lies naked in a bathtub. He reclines so deep that the water nearly covers his entire face, leaving only his nose and a portion of his features breaking the surface.
Beneath his eyelids, eyes of a deep blue—almost black—remain closed. Inside the mind and subconscious of Regen Humour, memories pierce through, scene after scene, like a silent film where he is the sole, quiet spectator.
The sound of water against his ears keeps Regen calm, until the shrill ring of a mobile phone echoes from outside the bathroom.
Ring! Ring! The sound persists until it switches to voicemail. It is a call from Drake, his commander and one of the 'Golden Chairs.'
["I have a job for you… I'm sending the coordinates. Go take down the dungeon boss there. There are only two hunters currently handling it… This is an order from the Federation…"]
Drake's voice finishes the message and cuts off.
Regen remains motionless in the tub before a voice, emanating from an object placed nearby, asks: ["Are you going?"]
"…Is the 'future' still the same?" Regen doesn't answer the question directly. He keeps his eyes shut, his voice flat, yet carrying a weight of resolve.
["It remains the same, Regen. The future we saw, where you become the 'Savior of this world,' has not changed,"] Caliburn replies.
Silence follows. Regen says nothing more as he rises from the tub, grabs Caliburn, and walks out of the bathroom.
His dripping, naked form summons a holographic screen to review the mission details. Upon seeing the names of the hunters involved, the young man furrows his brow.
["It seems your fate and that annoying woman's are quite intertwined,"] the Star of Chaos remarks, seeing the profile of one of the two hunters engaged with the boss. One image shows a woman in a black mask: 'The Hermit.' ["…If you aren't soulmates, then you are certainly bound by a karmic debt."]
"Nonsense," Regen replies coldly, walking to a corner of the room. "Did you see that in a vision?"
["Whether you believe it or not, I do!"] Caliburn protests. ["Even if I can't see the exact image of you and that woman right now… I believe everything revolving around you is tied to your destiny!"]
Caliburn's words trigger a memory for the young hunter—a mission three years ago to hunt a De-von. At that time, their group set out to eliminate a De-von named 'The Hunger of Fear.' It fed on the fear and chaos of living beings, much like Caliburn itself.
The Hunter Federation had sent Regen to eliminate it alongside eleven other B-rank hunters. Ostensibly, it was an A-rank subjugation mission, but in reality, it was a test to see if he and Caliburn could overcome an opponent that utilized the same source of power.
During the battle, the others fell one by one, driven mad by the 'Hunger of Fear.' When their terror reached its peak, they became mindless husks—empty vessels of insanity attacking anything in sight.
Yet, 'The Hermit' was the only one who remained fully conscious, an unbelievable feat.
Regen dwells on that unanswered mystery of the past as he pulls on trousers and a long black coat. He leaves the coat open, revealing a chest defined by hardened muscle.
["So, you're going to help. But… is that wise? She knows our secret now, doesn't she?"] Caliburn asks evenly.
"I just don't want problems with the Federation right now," the hunter says impassively, grabbing the weapon and heading for the door.
…
…
After being trapped, Rosaline leaps onto an ovule, piercing it with her staff infused with black smoke. The ovule's wall shatters instantly, and as the embryo falls, Zenis handles it from below.
Once the first section is cleared, Rosaline uses her scouting skill. She discovers the dungeon is like a labyrinth, but the pollen tubes—resembling veins embedded in the walls—lead directly to the ovules, making navigation easier.
The walls of the Womb of Flowers are so tough that Zenis's Spirit Sword cannot breach them. Rosaline suspects it would require the power of Aeternum, but she hesitates. If she uses it, Zenis might get suspicious or boast about it to the media. She decides to save it for a true life-or-death moment.
Zenis plunges his Spirit Sword into the last embryo of the zone. "Done. How many zones are left?"
"Not many," Rosaline replies, pulling out two earpiece communication devices.
"These aren't Federation-issues, so they aren't tracked by GPS," she says, handing one over. "In case we get separated."
"You still have a problem with GPS, I see. Isn't it a bit late for this?" Zenis takes it, clears some slime from his ear, and fits the device. "Commander Drake gave me one too, but I figured you wouldn't wear it if I offered."
Rosaline's brow twitches. "If it's necessary, I'll wear it."
Zenis shrugs. "As long as I have mine, they know where we are. I won't force you."
"…I separate work from personal feelings," Rosaline says, putting her own earpiece in.
"Is that so? I've been thinking about what you said the whole way," Zenis teases, looking at his former partner with unreadable eyes. "I'm just afraid of making you angry again."
Rosaline shakes her head at his ill-timed antics before touching the floor with her staff. "[Skill: Scan]"
An ultrasonic-like wave ripples out from the staff. She begins to analyze the space.
'We've been walking for a while. It's not complex, but it's strange that we've only encountered embryos. If the dungeon is about to burst, we should sense the boss. Or has it not manifested yet?'
'If the boss hasn't manifested, we can't close the dungeon. Or were we wrong… is this just a Labyrinth Type?'
She pushes her power further. 'No, based on experience, this is definitely a Burst Type. Even with the labyrinthine layout, it's not that deep… We should feel something. What is this dungeon thinking?'
"Hermit," Zenis's deep voice snaps her back to reality.
"I can't sense the boss at all, Zenis," she says. "This dungeon is unlike anything I've seen in twenty years. Boss appearances are usually more straightforward. Here… there's nothing. Not even a fragment. Maybe it hasn't been born yet."
Zenis turns serious and immediately calls Drake. "Something is wrong. There's no boss here."
["No boss?"] Drake clarifies, pausing to think. ["Perhaps it isn't time for it to be birthed yet."]
"Yes, that's what Hermit thinks," Zenis emphasizes.
["Listen carefully. Based on the data, I've found a comparison. A Burst-type dungeon from sixty years ago: The Sunset."]
The name rings a bell from their days at the Hunter Academy. The Sunset was a Burst-type that overlapped with a real forest, making it hard to categorize. Inside, time was frozen at dusk.
The trees were unnaturally black. Once the boss manifested, the dungeon expanded twenty kilometers from the center. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sudden growth of vines and trees. Nearly five hundred people died in the expansion.
"If it's like that, and we're in the middle of the city…" Zenis mutters.
["That's why I can't let you withdraw,"] Drake says, his voice strained. ["Without someone inside to contain it, the situation will spiral. It's chaos out here… people are rioting to get into the dome. I'm using hunters to help authorities hold the line."]
Zenis frowns deeper.
"Understood. We'll report periodically," Rosaline interrupts, taking the phone from Zenis's ear and hanging up.
"…I thought you were only here to observe?" Zenis asks.
"Are you going to run?" Rosaline counters, crossing her arms.
"You know I don't run," Zenis replies, mimicking her stance.
They stare at each other for a moment before both let out a faint laugh.
They move on, Rosaline leading the way with her scan while consulting Evan for data, and Zenis guarding their rear.
["I suggest following the largest pollen tube,"] Evan advises. ["It likely leads directly to the Boss Room. The boss should be the one accumulating the most pollen."]
They eventually reach a massive wall where the tubes disappear. "Behind this wall?" Rosaline touches the surface. Unlike the rest of the Womb, this tissue is thin.
She carefully pokes a small hole with her staff and peers through.
"!"
She sees something like a frozen droplet hanging from the ceiling, acting as a vessel.
Inside lies a De-von with the appearance of a human woman, curled up. Her head is a closed white flower, but from the neck to the chest and back, the skin is smooth and soft, like that of a goddess. The rest of her body, however, is a weave of brown and green roots, forming a long skirt.
Suddenly, Rosaline's blue status window flickers into existence.
[You have discovered a Plant-type De-von Boss: Flowinee, Lord of ███ █ ████][Status: Awakening (Time Remaining: 05:32 minutes)]
"…Zenis," Rosaline turns to her former partner. "We… we found the boss."