"I did that," Rean said.
Rean wasn't referring to the fight or battle damage itself. No, he was referencing the massive destruction caused by the monster's talent evolution.
The skill Man Not Main allowed the monster to swap out its physical form for an invisible tangible form, making its physical form untouchable. However, both forms couldn't be intangible at the same time, hence it wasn't completely broken.
It was, however, still going to be tricky to counter its spells.
'If I am getting this at all, then that means there's an attack window. I should be the only one who knows this, which means I am best suited to ending this thing,' Rean thought.
'This is the perfect stage. Michael just made it out here. He doesn't know this whole thing is my fault. If I can take command of this situation right now, then I'd be able to exert my dominance,' Rean continued.
A memory spawned unprovoked.
Rean was in shock.
He couldn't make his move.
It seemed as though everything had aligned, but now he wasn't making his move.
"What the hell are you doing? Be useful, Rean!" Shom shouted, pressing down the boss with his feet.
'I can't use the ability. Man Not Main isn't aggro-related. It's completely against my class type. If I used it, I'd be ratting myself out. The council made it very clear that I'd lose my vessel system if I ratted myself out,' he thought.
'This is bad. I'm literally in the best position to end things but I can't do anything,' Rean thought.
'No... I can. The answer is in the now,' he said.
'If I time my movements properly then I have exactly what I need to slay the boss. I'd only lose the praise and I wouldn't be showing Michael up, but for now I guess that would have to do,' he said.
Rean had a plan.
It was very simple.
He would time his movements with whoever landed a hit on the boss and hope he'd somehow land the killing blow.
Rean would have to be discreet.
He needed it to look like someone else made the hit.
With the help of Man Not Main, his plan would be possible.
Using that spell, it would look like Rean remained terrified and unable to move. However, in reality, the Rean they'd be looking at would be a placeholder, while the actual one would be busy synchronizing his attacks, hoping to finish it all.
'This will work,' Rean affirmed to himself.
"Come."
He summoned his mana skin.
"Man Not Main," he chanted, placing the skin on his chest.
"Woah... I did it," Rean said, looking at his own body. "It's unbelievable. So that's me, huh?"
They didn't seem to hear him.
Rean covered his mouth, thinking he had just blown his cover.
"Wait... they didn't hear me," he said.
He looked at his body.
'This system just keeps hitting me with surprises. This skill — it's the perfect next entry. I can use it to force evolve talents while my team thinks I'm just being a bum. I'll be leveling up in the shadows. When I show results, it'll look sudden, like I was some kind of genius all along,' Rean said.
'That method of thinking is way too far along. Right now I need to focus on the present. I'll use this as an assassin-type skill. I want to be swift and efficient,' he added.
Michael took a power-up stance.
His legs apart.
He began shouting.
He was charging up no ordinary mana pulse.
This one was going to be big.
"Here I come," Rean said.
As soon as Michael released the charge, Rean followed along.
His goal was to render as much damage as possible during the window the debris smoke formed and dissipated.
The boss was sent through multiple rooms.
It was no longer within the boss chamber.
Rean, after catching up, stood before the boss.
He readied his extension to land the final strike.
His blade made contact, but something wrong happened.
His blade went through it.
No struggle.
Almost as if there was no physical component there.
"Damn it! Why did I forget the boss could do the same?" Rean exclaimed.
Bam!
Michael got sent flying down the stairs that led up to the boss chamber.
Bam!
The boss had made contact with Shom.
"I don't know what your ability is exactly, but I could tell you were coming a mile away," Shom said after catching the punch.
He prepared for his counter, raising his feet, before his balance suddenly got broken and the boss got him.
Shom got pushed back a couple of steps.
'What the hell? Where did that force come from? There's something else out there. Something different from the boss,' he thought.
It was Rean.
He had kicked Shom, breaking his balance.
"Sorry, Captain, but I can't have you taking the points. I am more than deserving of this one," Rean said.
"I am tired of going easy. This might be anticlimactic or whatever."
"Space talent," Shom chanted.
Followed by a massive pause.
He looked around as if he were scanning the area.
"Hey Rean, get down the stairs. All I'll give you is five," Shom said.
'What? I don't know why I never thought about it. Shom is an A-rank. There's no way he'd struggle this much against a B-rank dungeon boss,' Rean thought.
'He hasn't used his talent this whole time. He kept up with just mana pulse, enhancements, and slashes.'
'Something is coming.'
"Deactivate," Rean said.
"No. 7, Space Sweep," Shom said.
The entire chamber went bright.
Rean didn't know if he would make it as his intangible self was drawn back to his body.
In an instant, the boss chamber ceased to exist.
Rean was on the floor.
He didn't know how he got there.
All he could tell was that Shom had something to do with it.
"I thought I told you to scram," Shom asked rhetorically.
Rean still wanted to reply.
He could tell the question was rhetorical, but he didn't want Shom to think he couldn't make a run for it.
"Well I—"
Rean got cut off as the entire dungeon began to rumble.
"Well that's our cue. Get your things and let's roll out," Shom ordered.
They ran for the dungeon gate.
Michael carried Lin.
She was rather sluggish.
Shom, with a cold expression, asked Lin, "Why?"
"Why let him carry you? You know this proves you're not fit for this team," he said.
'Now you want to give a lecture now?' Rean thought. 'This dungeon could close in on us and you want to have the talk.'
"If he carries you and you make it out alive, it'd make no difference. You might as well just rot in here. There's no position for trash like you on my team," Shom said.
He continued onward.
But as the rest heard his remarks, they all stopped.
'I wasn't the only one who stopped. Michael... no, everyone did as well.'
"That's no way to talk to a person!" Charles shouted.
Shom had long left them behind.
"What are you going to do, Lin?" Porter asked.
"I..." she stammered.
She climbed down from Michael.
"I want to earn my place as well," she said, crying.
Her conviction was obviously shallow.
She probably just responded out of embarrassment.
Rean thought.
She made the team of her own accord.
Now she wasn't going to remain and be indebted to some teammate.
"Stupid Captain," Michael commented before he continued running toward the gate.
Others followed suit.
"We are disposable. That was Shom's message. I get it," Rean said.
Everyone heard him.
But no one commented.
How does one even respond when faced with painstakingly hurtful truth?