"Immortal, what's the plan?" Celine quietly asked as our group came together to face the duo.

[Health: 42,351,500 | Strength: 42,214,600]

[Speed: 42,212,500 | Magic: 42,212,200]

[Risk: 42,000,000]

I considered our options as I used the Shackles of Restraint to preview the update to my stats if I matched the humanoid serpents. Yeah, my stats would double, resulting in me completely outclassing the duo aside from Health. Even then, I was still slightly stronger than both the serpents combined as I was currently, so adjusting to them would be overkill, not to mention the possible reduction of rewards if I went through with it. As I was now, I’d receive the maximum amount of Stat Points. In the end, I decided to keep my stats, wanting to keep the fun going for as long as possible.

"Alright guys," I finally addressed the other four as my clone watched the serpent twins carefully. "Here's the plan. Assuming that their abilities are somewhat still the same as in their snake forms, we also have to assume that changing into something humanoid means they've got a boost or something from it. We'll go back to the original plan, but now we have to be cautious."

"I'll switch with you, Luquier," Gretchen quietly said, her enthusiasm no longer apparent. Getting Petrified must have rattled her. "My hammer is a pretty powerful weapon, but it's more suited to my Title Skills rather than combat. I'll help you and Castor out in the mid-range while keeping Celine and Eliwood safe."

"That's fine by me," I nodded, looking at the others. "Castor, I'll take the frontline lead, you follow my movements. Celine, switch your focus back to support. We don't know what they can do now, so we'll need to be prepared for the worst possible situation. Eliwood, double up on your long-ranged Piercing attacks."

The group nodded in unison, understanding the gravity of the situation. The air in the room grew heavy as Sevira and Lumiro stared us down, their human forms now pulsing with power. I stepped forward, the Silver Serpent in hand, feeling the weight of the weapon's significance as the twins focused on me. The rain continued to pour, keeping our Speed doubled. From the way the serpents didn't do anything about it, I figured their Shed Skin passive was self-oriented. It also meant they didn't have any counters to our buffs.

"I gotta say, I'm just as curious myself," I said, casually strolling up to the snake deities. "I didn't get this sword by killing your kin or whatever. I just got it and didn't know the details behind it."

Sevira's eyes narrowed at me, the silver in them swirling like a cosmic storm. "Your ignorance does not excuse your trespass," she hissed. "But perhaps there is more to you than mere curiosity."

My clone nodded at me, leaping back to join Gretchen. Castor followed me carefully, though he had a perplexed expression, as if unsure why I was conversing with the bosses. Honestly, I was just interested in the lore behind the Silver Serpent. I remembered being offered two other pretty good weapons the first time my achievement triggered. Would I have been as strong and gotten this far with those?

I swung the Silver Serpent around leisurely, glancing at the twin serpent bosses. "So? What's your deal with this sword? I get that it was made from the soul of your kin or whatever, but is that so bad?"

Lumiro's eyes flared with anger, his fists clenching and unclenching. "It is an abomination, a weapon that defies the very essence of our kind! My dear sister's children, twisted into a tool for your destruction!"

[Honestly, I kinda get it. How would you feel if someone turned your sister into a weapon?] Sephera's message blinked before me.

"I mean, when you put it that way, it does sound pretty fucked up," I murmured, my grip tightening around the Silver Serpent. "But hey, I'm not the one who made it."

I was feeling very excited, given the fact that this seemed like a special interaction. Not many games that I had played in the past had such intricate lore intertwined like this. I'd acquire a weapon or item that related to the boss but there would be no further Easter eggs. But here, in the real world? It made me wonder just how deep the original world was, and how many clever interactions were available.

Sevira's gaze grew colder. "Your insolence will not be tolerated, abomination wielder," she spat, the silver light around her swirling into a storm of sharpened scales. The room grew colder, and I felt the pressure of her power bearing down on me. Guess that was it as far as lore went.

"Guys, I'll be summoning some friends too," I called back to the others, seeing Gretchen begin to conjure what seemed like... sentient cupcakes. Castor had a smirk on his face, likely expecting some fireworks.

For the most part, I wasn't too worried about defeating the two bosses in roughly two and a half hours, more so than the immediate threat of the transformed Celestial Twin Snakes. Sevira and Lumiro had gone from terrifying serpents to something more akin to powerhouse raid bosses in a flashy JRPG. So I decided to call up one of my own raid boss.

Blue haze emitted from my ring, coalescing into the familiar figure of Levius as I sacrificed 100,000 points. The 30th floor boss specter nodded at me when he formed this time.

"What, no 'hello'? You're not eager to have a conversation this time?" I asked him.

Levius blinked, both surprised and confused. "Oh, I didn't realize, Immortal. No, I am very much eager to have a conversation. In fact, I would–"

"J-just kidding," I felt bad for interrupting Levius, pointing to the serpent twins behind him. "Could you help us out with them? I promise we can have a proper conversation after."

Levius seemed offended, but as he turned his gaze to the twins, he suddenly expressed a fierce smile. "Ah, I see what you mean," he said, his voice filled with glee. "A chance to spar with the Celestial Serpent gods themselves! How splendid!"

"L-Levius?!" Lumiro stumbled back, his fiery aura flickering. "What... what are you doing here?"

For a moment, I was confused as to how they recognized each other, but then I remembered that Levius was some sort of herald sea serpent god. I guess snakes were a tight-knit family no matter where they came from.

Levius, forgetting everything but the twins now, grinned wickedly, his handsome face lighting up with excitement. "It seems fate has brought us together once more," he announced dramatically. "Let us dance, gods of the moon and sun!"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Before I or the others could react, Levius unleashed his own Flooded Kingdom along with three other clones, immediately engaging in a fight against the twin serpents. I checked their stats and was relieved to see them cut in half due to Levius's ability, which would make this fight a lot easier. That is, unless the twins-

[System alert: Celestial Twin Snakes' Shed Skin passive activated. Stats have been restored.]

"Figures," I grumbled to myself, watching as the twin serpents' stats returned to their daunting levels. The rest of my party seized the opportunity to fulfill their roles, with Castor on standby for my lead.

I waited until the pastry familiars joined up with Levius, who took the strange reinforcements in stride before I entered the fray as well. With the sudden appearance of more enemies, Sevira seemed to have trouble providing cover for Lumiro, leaving him more prone to frontal attacks from Castor and I.

"Now's our chance!" I called out, rushing towards the Sunsnake with Castor at my side.

Our combined speed was a blur, the Rainfall still pulsing through our veins and the power of the Silver Serpent making every swing count. Despite the restored stats, the snakes were on the defensive, unable to keep up with our coordinated onslaught. Levius's clones were a whirlwind of chaos, distracting them and keeping their aggression split. I considered bringing out Skalyt too, but maybe that would've been too much for the twin snakes. Besides, Levius seemed like he was having fun for the first time since I faced him.

Every time Sevira tried to support Lumiro with a spell or debuff, a random cupcake or ice cream cone would sacrifice itself to intercept the skill. It was both hilarious and strangely effective. Meanwhile, my clone and I were a well-oiled machine, our movements so synchronized that it was like watching a dance of steel and shadow. We struck at the Sunsnake's weak points, my Petrifying blade biting into his flesh with every hit.

I wasn't sure if Lumiro had a secondary passive or not, but if he did, the Petrification was working overtime to stifle it. The luminescent golden aura around him that had initially radiated scorching heat was now a dull copper, his scales chipping away with every blow from the Silver Serpent.

[I... feel bad for the twins...]

In the midst of battle, I had to agree with Sephera. Against Lumiro, I, along with my clone, Castor, and two of Levius's clones, rotated our attacks, literally giving the Sunsnake no room or time to even react as my Silver Serpent seamlessly weaved its Piercing damage within our coordination. Sevira was busy trying to fend off a relentless wave of sugary familiars, long-ranged attacks from Eliwood, and dodging the other two Levius clones. While I knew it was just a demonstration of teamwork, I could also see it as a form of bullying towards the bosses.

But hey, that was how the world worked now. If we didn't kill them, they'd be the ones killing us.

I took a moment to observe the chaos we had brought upon the room. Castor and I managed to push Lumiro to the brink, while Sevira was surrounded by a whirlwind of familiars and clones. I had to admit, seeing the serpent goddess of the moon getting pummeled by cupcakes was pretty entertaining.

[Time Remaining: 00:01:13]

Not bad. With a little over an hour left, we were pretty much close to victory. I focused back on Lumiro, doubling my efforts as I calculated two more swings of my Silver Serpent to finish him off.

The Sunsnake’s body was now almost entirely covered in Petrification, his fiery eyes dimming as the last of his life drained away. I took a deep breath, and with a swift motion, sliced the Silver Serpent through his neck.

"NO!" Sevira's furious cry pierced the air as Lumiro's eyes went wide, locking with mine. His body shuddered, scales falling away like leaves in a storm, and with a final, gasping breath, he crumpled to the ground, the last of his golden aura fading away.

The room grew eerily silent, save for the pitter-patter of rain from my Rainfall skill. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Despite being video game bosses, it seemed like the twins were more than just mindless monsters. They had feelings, a bond, and perhaps even a story. But I couldn’t let myself get lost in thought, not when I had bigger things to worry about.

"Sorry about this," I murmured, gripping the Silver Serpent tightly as I tensed my body. The others had done a good job of getting Sevira's Health lower than my Linked damage. Activating my Grim Mantle, I flew towards the Moonsnake, swinging my blade and slashing her in half straight down the middle.

Her eyes grew wide in shock, then pain as the blade passed through her scales and bisected her body. She didn't scream, she didn't writhe in agony. Instead, she just stared at me with those cold, lifeless eyes as she fell to the ground, the silver glow from her eyes fading away.

The dungeon rumbled as the victory messages blinked before us. I couldn't help but feel bad for the serpent twins. In their perspectives, we were the ones who had invaded for no good reason other than to slaughter their kind.

[You have gained 0.002 [x21,106] experience points.]

[Level up!]

[Hidden quest complete!]

[You have obtained a new Weapon.]

[You have earned a new Achievement.]

[You have obtained 'Twin Celestial Snakes' core (1x)]

My sympathy immediately vanished when the plethora of rewards flooded my vision. Hey, I might feel bad, but I wasn't going to say no to experience points and loot.

"Thank... god..." Gretchen breathed a sigh of relief as her pastry familiars disappeared in sugary dust. Eliwood and Castor also relaxed as the exit portal cracked open. It was amusing to see them so relieved, considering that we were never in any real danger. Levius gave me a gleeful nod before he dissolved into water droplets. I gave my clone a fist-bump as he, too, disappeared.

"Very impressive," Seth grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You guys displayed incredible teamwork and strategy."

"Yeah, especially for your first time as a party," Gigi added, her smile giving me a boost of dopamine. "I'm sure you'll get even stronger together."

The Soultaker began to pester me with system notifications from my Inventory as we all walked out of the dungeon. I ignored it, wanting to check out the rewards I had received from the dungeon resonance.

As I glanced over the system windows with glee, Seth came up to me as the others had a moment of respite in the simulation room.

"So? How'd you like the shackles?" he asked with a grin.

"It's perfect," I grinned back. "Even though the experience points were low, it was better than not receiving anything at all. And it even grants me extra Stat Points based on my current Risk."

Seth laughed, shaking his head. "You and your Risk strategy. I guess it works out for you, considering not everyone would be so willing to take on increased pain sensitivity."

"It's all about the long game," I said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the extra stats are worth it."

"Fair point. Well, if that's the case, then you can have the shackles. My gift," Seth said, nodding towards the metal cuff on my wrist. "Just remember, if you're going to push your limits, don't go too crazy."

"Fine by me. Thanks, Seth."

****

[Updating…]

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 3024]

[Title: Infinite Immortal (S)]

[Health: 21.1+ | Strength: 21.1+]

[Speed: 21.1+ | Magic: 21.1+]

[Risk: 72,000,000 | Stat Points: 356,513,446] +84,000,020

[Experience: 13%]

[Items]

[Twin Celestial Snakes core (x1)]

[Shackles of Restraint]

[Golden Serpent]

[Damage: 200]

[Traits: Venomous | Molten | Guardian]

[Description: A katana-like blade made from a Sunsnake’s soul, this weapon is capable of melting through nearly all objects, inflicting poisonous wounds and slow-burning flames with every successful strike. Also allows user to conjure a protective flame barrier based on amount of damage inflicted by this sword.]

[Achievement: Together We Stand.]

[Acquired by defeating the Twin Celestial Snakes & completing hidden quest.]

[Description: Allows user to combine and split stats with 1 other target. Can only be used once per day]