I sat there for a while, just staring at the book after placing it back on the shelf. I didn’t move, didn’t stand up. My legs felt like they were glued to the floor, and my mind was racing.

"No way... My Bloodzerker? The final boss?"

I couldn’t believe it. How the hell was I supposed to process that? My character—the one I had built to be the strongest—was now the thing standing between me and the end of the dungeon? The thought of facing him made my chest tighten.

"This is impossible... there’s no way my slimes can stand a chance."

Blood Rage alone was enough to make him a nightmare. With the whole Blood Rage of Asura transformation? Twelve times the damage increase, spectral arms that appeared when health dropped below 20%... it was insane to even think of facing something that overpowered.

"And that’s just one skill."

I shook my head, running a hand through my hair, trying to wrap my brain around it.

"His items... god, his items."

Majestic-ranked gear, every piece of it. I spent countless months grinding for the materials , specifically crafting each one to complement the Bloodzerker’s skill set.

The thought of those being used against me was horrifying.

"There’s no way my slimes can even scratch him, let alone survive a hit from his weapon. One swing, and I’m done."

The weapon... that damn weapon. I remembered how proud I was when I got it. Now, it felt like a death sentence.

https://i.imgur.com/ft8vfbc.png [https://i.imgur.com/ft8vfbc.png]

I leaned my head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, the enormity of the situation pressing down on me.

I felt my hands tighten into fists. How do you even fight against that?

But it wasn’t just the sword. No, the sword was only part of it. His entire set—armor, rings, amulet, boots—it all complemented the build.

"I made him unbeatable. I didn’t leave any weaknesses because I didn’t need to... I was the one playing him. But now, I’m up against that? I’m supposed to fight him? How?"

Everything about my Bloodzerker was built to win. No matter what... and now I had to figure out how to defeat him.

I couldn’t stop the fear creeping up my spine as I pictured my Bloodzerker in action.

All those times I’d fought bosses and enemies.

"What am I even supposed to do? I barely see any usefulness over my slimes, and I’m supposed to take on a character that could wipe out the 99th floor boss without breaking a sweat?"

This was a monster of my own creation, and I had no idea how to beat it.

My slimes were weak. Pathetically weak, really. There was no way they could stand a chance against the full power of my Bloodzerker. Be it with his Rage Blood of Asura skill pushing his stats into the stratosphere or not.

I pressed my palms to my face, rubbing my temples as if it would somehow clear away the mounting dread. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

But no clear solution came to mind. The thought of going up against my Bloodzerker, with all his insane gear and abilities, was overwhelming.

There was no easy way out. I couldn’t just rely on dumb luck and reckless risk like I had when I played behind a screen. This was real life, and I had to be strategic.

I couldn’t help but feel like I was stuck in a corner, scrambling for any idea that could work. I mean, sure, I could min-max as much as possible, optimize every tiny detail of my build. But that would take forever. There had to be another way... there had to be.

"Wait!"

And then, a thought hit me: the Steelheart request on the board. T

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he offer they had made for unlocking Valerian’s pouch—one item from the Steelheart vault as a reward. That pouch.

My pouch. The one that had belonged to my Bloodzerker.

Suddenly, it wasn’t the vault that caught my interest anymore—it was what was inside the pouch itself.

I knew exactly what was in there. Something incredibly valuable. Something that could completely change the outcome of my fate.

I leaned back, letting the thought sink in. If I could unlock that pouch... the possibilities... but wait, even if I managed to unlock it, I couldn’t just steal the items inside.

The Steelhearts would never let that slide. They’d probably have my head if I tried. But... I could negotiate.

If they wanted the pouch unlocked so badly, then I could make them guarantee me something from it—not from their vault, but one item from the pouch itself.

Yes. That was it.

My heartbeat quickened with excitement. This could work. I could do this.

Right now, my goals were simple but crucial: stack up herbs to sell at higher prices, use those credits to prepare for the next dungeon delve, and, eventually, complete the Steelheart request.

But I couldn’t jump into the Steelheart request right away. The risks were too high. What if I unlocked the pouch now and the Steelhearts decided to track me down and take my reward back? No, I had to be strategic about this.

I thought about it. The request was just sitting there, and no one could complete it other than me.

I had the upper hand. So, when would be the best time to take the risk?

A few hours before the dungeon opened, that’s when.

If I accepted the request too early, I’d be a walking target.

But if I did it right before everyone’s attention shifted to the dungeon, I’d have a better chance of slipping away.

By then, even if something went wrong, I’d have time to plan my next move without the pressure of immediate retaliation.

Yes. That’s the plan.

For now, I’d focus on the herbs and my slimes.

The idea was to see if this scavenging strategy was viable.

If my slimes could gather enough resources from the forest, it’d give me a steady income without having to risk my neck out there myself.

Only then, when I had a clearer view of things, would I make my move on the Steelheart request.

“Alright, let’s head back home.” I muttered to myself, feeling the weight of the evening settle in.

Night was about to fall, and I needed to see the outcome of my last command to the slimes.

Would they bring back what I needed? Or was this strategy a long shot?

----------------------------------------

Night fell, and as the shadows deepened around my rundown shack, faint shapes began to take form in front of me.

One by one, the slimes I'd sent out the night before started to appear, their gelatinous bodies moving silently.

I stood there, waiting, watching them return.

As the slimes gathered in front of me, I noticed that they had brought back quite a few berries and herbs—no other items, though.

No weapons, no trinkets, nothing that might’ve been accidentally left behind by an adventurer or even from a dead adventurer’s belongings.

“Nothing else, huh?” I muttered, a little disappointed.

The slimes jiggled slightly, as if responding to my voice. They had done exactly what I asked them to do, after all.

Berries and herbs—that was it. But it wasn’t a loss.

“Well, it’s good enough.” I said while crouching down to examine the haul. “At least this will be enough to keep us fed for tonight.”

I sorted through the pile of berries, picking up a handful and inspecting them. They looked fresh enough, and there were plenty for both Lila and me. That was a relief—one less thing to worry about for the night.

“Looks like we’re eating well tonight, Lila,” I said out loud.

I turned my attention to the herbs next, carefully separating them into different piles.

Some of them I recognized immediately, others... not so much. But one thing caught my eye—a bundle of Scarleaf Herb, the valuable medicinal plant sought after by the adventurer's hall.

“Ah, here we go. This’ll sell for a decent price once i stack enough of them.” I muttered, pulling the Scarleaf Herb into a bundle of its own.

I continued sorting through the rest of the herbs, setting aside the ones I wasn’t familiar with. These I’d sell to an herbalist or maybe even a vendor. They could figure out their use; I just needed the credits.

“Not bad, not bad at all.” I said, nodding to myself.

I looked down at the slimes, who had settled next to me.

“Well done, you guys,” I said with a small smile. “You did good.”

But I didn’t waste time.

It was night again, and that meant another opportunity for scavenging.

This time, though, things were different. I wasn’t sticking to the same number of slimes.

No, I had a strategy. Each night, I would increase the number of slimes, and with them, the amount of scavenged items they would bring back.

Every night, until the day before the dungeon reopened, I’d summon more slimes, growing their numbers and expanding my haul.

The more slimes I had out there scavenging, the more credits and food I could gather. It was simple, but effective.

With that thought in mind, I didn’t hesitate.

I gathered my mana and summoned an additional six slimes.

A dozen of them now stood before me, their gelatinous forms waiting for my command.

“Alright, you know the drill.” I said, looking at each of them. “Same task as last night—scavenge whatever you can. Food, herbs, anything of value. We need more. Bring back as much as possible.”

The slimes jiggled slightly, acknowledging the order, and then began to spread out, slipping through the cracks of the shack, climbing the walls, and vanishing into the night.

Tomorrow, I would summon more. I’d replenish my mana, increase their numbers again, and send them out once more.

Every night, the scavenging operation would grow larger, bringing in more resources, more food, more credits.

Everything was being set up systematically. It wasn’t flashy, but it was a strategy I could rely on.

“Step by step.” I muttered to myself, watching the last of the slimes disappear into the darkness. “We’ll get there.”

With that, I headed to my bed, ready to rest.