The Top Omega Hunter Wants a Quiet Life [BL]-Chapter 182: Ch : Toward the End- Part 2

The damp air pressed against Rina’s skin as the two of them descended deeper into the dungeon.

The faint blue glow of the crystals lining the walls cast long shadows on the moss-covered floor.

Rudy moved ahead, his steps silent, his hand brushing against the wall as if feeling the mana currents within it.

They had been walking for hours, yet neither spoke. The silence between them was not empty — it was focused.

Each of them knew what they were here for.

"Third chamber up ahead," Rudy murmured, his voice low, roughened by disuse.

Rina adjusted her gloves, the faint shimmer of enchantments running along the threads. "And the readings?"

"Unstable. Too unstable. But that’s exactly why we came," Rudy replied.

Her lips curved slightly. "Good."

The chamber opened before them — vast, circular, and lined with jagged fragments of old runes. The air was heavy, humming faintly with power that shouldn’t have been there anymore.

Rina stepped forward, her boots splashing lightly in a shallow pool that reflected the distorted ceiling above.

"This mana... It’s old. Pre-system, maybe. The high priest in making here must be as old as our lord," she whispered, kneeling to touch the water. The surface rippled, glowing faintly under her fingers.

Rudy crouched beside her, eyes narrowing. "If that’s true, then someone has been keeping it alive all this time."

She nodded. "Exactly. And that means we can use it."

He watched her closely. "You’re certain this will help your—"

"Our," she interrupted, glancing at him. "Our goal."

Rudy grunted, accepting the correction. "Right. Then we’ll need to anchor it before extraction. You remember what happened last time."

Her smile deepened. "Last time, the containment sigils failed. This time, I improved them."

Rudy said nothing, but his eyes flicked toward the scar along his arm — a faint reminder of what "last time" meant.

He moved to the far wall, tracing the rune structure etched into the stone. "These are broken... but not dead."

Rina stood and extended her hand. A faint circle of light formed beneath her feet, spreading outward like ripples in water. "Then let’s wake them."

The air vibrated.

One by one, the runes began to glow, responding to her mana. The symbols pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, each thrum echoing through the floor.

Rudy took his position opposite her, laying down small crystals that resonated with a deep, earthy tone.

"Mana flow is uneven. Stabilizing through secondary channel," he warned.

"Do it. We only need it steady for three minutes," Rina said, her voice calm but sharp.

The chamber brightened as their combined energy spread across the ancient carvings.

The water in the center began to swirl, forming a vortex of liquid light.

And then — the runes screamed.

A sudden burst of corrupted mana erupted from the floor, slamming into Rudy and throwing him back. The crystals he’d placed shattered instantly.

Rina staggered but didn’t fall. Her circle flickered, straining against the backlash.

"Rudy!" she shouted.

"I’m fine! It’s not a seal — it’s a guardian!" he growled, pushing himself up.

A low growl filled the chamber as the water rose, taking shape — a serpent of translucent mana, eyes burning with ancient hatred.

Rina’s eyes narrowed. "So this is what was protecting the source."

The creature lunged.

She raised her hand, forming a barrier just in time. The impact cracked the air with thunder, splintering light across the room.

Rudy rolled to his feet, drawing a curved dagger that glowed faintly red. "Keep it busy."

"I know. You don’t have to tell me," Rina muttered, her tone cold, focused.

He moved like a shadow, darting beneath the serpent’s sweeping tail to strike at the glowing core beneath its chest.

The dagger met resistance — then sank halfway before the beast roared and dissolved into mist.

The runes dimmed.

Only the faint hum of power remained.

Rina exhaled slowly, the tension draining from her shoulders. "That should do."

Rudy sheathed his blade. "And the core?"

She turned toward the swirling residue of light and reached out, absorbing it into her palm. "Ours now."

The dungeon fell silent again — but this silence was different.

Heavier. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Like something had noticed them.

And it wasn’t done watching.

"Hey, do you also feel like this core was a trap? I feel like someone is looking at us," Rina complained as she looked around.

Before Rudy could reply, she felt her body being forced to the ground. Rudy was no different as he tried to break free.

But the creature that had awakened walked toward them with confidence.

Its unseeing eyes looked at them before it opened its mouth.

"What are you? You both... feel like me... and somehow different?" the creature asked, and Rina gritted her teeth before she flashed it a smile.

"You feel like that because you are born of our master as well. Come with us, and we shall show you what your true purpose is."

Rina extended her hand toward the creature in front of them. The creature tilted its head to the side, regarding the pair in front of it with suspicion.

But it could feel the same source of power that it had sought all this while coming from the pair in front of it.

So, like a moth to a flame, it took that hand and left its own prison.

And with this, the final piece of the puzzle had been completed. Their master’s return was going to happen, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

"What a pity. The humans sure were fun. But for the sake of our own survival and our master’s sanity, we do need old times to come back," Rina muttered.

But Rudy was not as sure as she was.

"But would it truly be fine? I mean... our master has changed, right? I don’t think he’s the same person who used to be able to command everything rationally," Rudy muttered, and Rina agreed with him.

"You are right. Our master has changed. But what other choice do we have? We have already made our beds, so we might as well lie in it, right?" she asked as they headed out.

In about one week, humanity will face its last calamity, and then... the world will change forever.