Eyes of Heavenly Decree

The Heavenly Mandate Boss shattered like glass and crumbled away. More precisely, in the world Amon perceived, the boss was crumbling. The fragments of the boss poured down like glass shards, only to float back up, reassemble, and shatter again in an endless loop. It wasn't a phenomenon he was seeing for the first time. He'd noticed it in every monster that entered his vision since stepping into this dungeon.

The first time he'd witnessed it, Amon hadn't panicked. Instead, just as one doesn't learn how to be born or breathe separately, he simply accepted this phenomenon as a natural part of himself. When he first encountered a monster and the effect began, he started testing it. By the time he reached the boss room, he'd drawn his conclusions about it. And to verify those conclusions, he'd charged in alone against the boss.

Amon closed his eyes and opened them again. Escaping the dreamlike world, he gazed at the boss in reality—it was still perfectly intact. Amon entered the boss room. The moment he did, the boss assumed a combat stance. As the boss swung its arm, pillars of light rained down from the sky without warning. A branding pattern. The same technique the fake saint had used. Though the dialogue was different.

Somehow, the chairman was shouting the lines the doctor ought to have. Amon knew exactly what to do. But it was a little different this time. Back then, he'd had to roll on the ground to dodge, but now a simple sidestep was more than enough. Clearly not expecting the first attack to be dodged so easily, the boss showed obvious signs of fluster.

Amon immediately closed in with his wings.

Flames and earthquake-like smoke billowed from where Amon's sword passed, and the boss writhed in agony. Then Amon blinked. His vision shifted again, revealing the boss from the otherworldly plane. The crumbling boss. But it was slightly different from before.

'As expected.' After taking Amon's attack, the collapse was accelerating. This time, Amon targeted the part of the boss's body with the most cracks. When he returned to reality, wounds began to spread gradually from the struck shoulder. Confirming this, Amon was certain of what his eyes were seeing.

'Heavenly Decree.' His eyes could read predestined fates. Not like Kashi's foresight of the future, but he could tell when an opponent would die. The reason the monsters here shattered and reassembled was that they were beings neither alive nor dead. They were endlessly close to death, yet trapped in this dungeon, unable to escape. That's why their existences, as glimpsed by him, repeated collapse and repair.

At first glance, it seemed useless in combat, but its applications were endless. For example, the shoulder Amon had attacked. The wound there was now visibly corroding the boss's flesh in reality. And in the otherworldly plane, the boss's disintegration was speeding up incomparably faster than before. The boss was dying far quicker than its allotted lifespan. In other words, Amon could intentionally shorten its Heavenly Decree.

'Verification complete.' Now it was time to fulfill Kashi's request. Even though he could kill the boss, Amon deliberately held back, probing its patterns. Outside the boss room, Sonia was recording them. After some time, Amon judged that the boss had shown everything it had. He pulled a slightly long dagger from the pocket dimension in his inner coat pocket. He threw it, piercing the boss's thigh.

The boss thrashed and tried to flee from Amon, but with its wings severed and a blade in its thigh, escape was impossible. Amon closed in right up to the boss. And as he swung his sword— the chairman flashed a grotesque smile.

"?"

Amon instinctively sensed something was up, but he swung anyway. Just before his sword connected, a voice emanated from the doctor's head attached to the back of the chairman's skull.

With those words, Amon's sword vanished. Without any prelude. And a heavy weight settled in Amon's pocket. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Glancing down, he saw a thick wad of bills stuffed there.

'Well, damn.' This was a new pattern. As Amon marveled, the boss seized the moment and swung its staff. It wasn't much of a weapon, but with the boss's strength, it could crush most humans' skulls.

The problem with "most" was that Amon wasn't one of them.

Crack!

Amon's left arm blocked the staff, while his right elbow slammed into the boss's solar plexus. The boss had overlooked one fact: close-quarters swordplay inevitably devolved into unarmed combat. Wrestling, karate, boxing, and so on. It was an essential skill swordsmen trained in for when blades got tangled. Not at the level of specialists, but still proficient enough. The notion that swordsmen were weak barehanded was a prejudice.

Crack! Amon struck the boss's side and retreated. Clutching its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flank, the boss unleashed the fake saint's technique, but of course, it didn't land. Amon effortlessly evaded with Sky Step, soaring over the boss's head to its back. He kicked the side again. And again. Several times. The body began to crumble around the flank. In Amon's eyes, the boss's lifespan was draining rapidly.

He snapped the staff over his knee, pummeled the gut to disorient it, and swept the legs to force it to kneel.

Thud!

Even kneeling, the massive bulk kept the boss's gaze at shoulder height to Amon. Amon looked down at the lowered boss.

The boss muttered nonsense like it was delirious. Compared to the fake saint, it lacked any real menace. Amon drew a dagger from his coat pocket and slit the boss's throat.

Thump.

The enormous body sprawled across the floor. As the boss dissolved into particles absorbed by the dungeon, Amon turned to Sonia.

"Did you get it all?"

"Every bit. Aside from that last one where your weapon suddenly vanished, it was all just downgraded fake saint stuff."

"Felt the same to me."

"So where'd the missing weapon go?"

Amon showed her his pocket. The wad of bills was visible.

"It paid full price."

"You think Kashi put in a special order to buy it for you?"

"Maybe..."

Amon sighed. The boss itself was manageable. But that equipment-stealing pattern stung. He could buy replacements with the money, but limited-edition gear couldn't be replaced that way. Sonia added a note about the boss.

"Never bring expensive equipment."

Amon chimed in from the side.

"At least someone who knows how to throw a punch..."

Then, a strange noise came from the boss's direction.

Clink.

Both turned to look. The boss was gone. In its place sat a familiar orb.

"An essence?"

Amon snatched it up immediately. Yellow. Another legendary one. Sonia's eyes sparkled.

"I'll appraise it!"

Now that she'd learned the skill, she could do it too. While she appraised, Amon pondered the essence.

'Another legendary? That's weird.' The fake saint was a boss worthy of legendaries, but this one objectively wasn't. Yet here it was. Sure, it could be luck, but Amon had gotten two legendaries in a row lately. Too suspicious to chalk up to chance. As he mulled it over, Sonia finished and approached.

"Appraisal done."

"What is it?"

"Stitching. Lets you sew things seamlessly with thread."

"Not bad."

Sonia nodded too. It seemed useless at first glance, but "stitching" was too broad. Sure, sewing came to mind, but for whip or harpoon users, it was devastating. Once connected by a line, the weapon could be manipulated freely like needlework. Essences always worked this way—raw conceptual power. Amon's bizarre Sky Step applications were an extension of that. So the concept itself wasn't a dud. Just useless for him and Sonia.

"Sell it at auction or to the company later."

Sonia nodded and pocketed the essence.

"Heading out now?"

Amon shook his head at her question, after a moment's thought.

"Let's stay another two weeks."

"Why?"

"Two legendaries already. Might be a pattern. You okay with that?"

Sonia nodded vigorously. No reason to object. School was out, and with Amon by her side, location didn't matter. If anything, it meant two weeks of hometown dates just the two of them. Sonia probed playfully.

"So what till three days from now?"

"Dunno. Wanna date?"

"Where to?"

"Amusement park tomorrow, for starters."

Sonia nodded happily.

Two weeks later, Amon and Sonia returned. They headed straight to Kashi's office.

"You look beat."

Amon's impression ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upon entering and seeing Kashi in a suit, slumped meltingly over her desk. Kashi spoke in a dying voice from atop the desk.

"Not tired..."

"In that state?"

"Not tired... just gonna die..."

"You do look half-dead."

Amon set a bottle of liquor from home on Kashi's desk. Colorado-brewed beer. handmade from real barley, no GMOs. Made by old goat beastman Johnson after retiring from the brokerage.

"Brought it for you."

"Thanks."

Kashi stashed the beer in the fridge and perked up.

"So, results?"

"Sonia'll explain."

Amon stepped back, and Sonia approached. She handed over the report compiled over two weeks. Kashi skimmed it indifferently. Then, nearing the end, her eyes widened.

"This... for real?"

"Only ten samples, so not 100% sure, but seems legit."

"Still valuable enough."

Kashi pointed to a page in the report. About the boss's special pattern.

This alone made the boss seem skippable, no reason for Kashi's surprise. The real value came next.

Kashi immediately called External Affairs.

"Yes, Director Kashi Iliya. Urgent, so I'll send materials later—prep dungeon acquisition procedures? Yes. Thanks."

Dungeons were generally public. Too troublesome to dispose or manage, they became symbiotic spaces for mercs if left alone. In other words, if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you had the means to manage or scrap it, ownership was feasible. Though in this world, finding something money couldn't buy was harder.

Finishing the call, Kashi nodded satisfied.

"You did great. Beyond the reward, I'll hook you up extra later."

"Speaking of which..."

"Hm?"

Amon awkwardly backed away from Kashi. Then suddenly bowed his head.

"Sorry! We got all the new gear you bought us eaten up!"

The gear in the report was all bought by Kashi. With her personal funds. Totaling mid-sized corp value, Amon had no excuse even with ten mouths.

He knew it wasn't a burden for her. But there was such a thing as the giver's sentiment. You had to apologize or it'd leave hard feelings.

"Sorry!"

Sonia apologized beside him too. Nothing wrong on her part, but it felt right. Both bowed to Kashi. Silence fell briefly in the office, then Kashi spoke.

"It's fine."

"Really?"

"Gear's consumable anyway. Use as much as you want. Not hard to get more."

Plus, this was basic spousal support... Kashi swallowed the words. Not the time yet. Instead, she praised their work.

"Rest till acquisition's done. Bonus then—more than you imagine."

With that, she stamped the commission complete. The three chatted idly before parting. After Amon and Sonia returned to their beloved home, Kashi picked up the phone again.

"Monitor the names I'm sending for the next three months. Especially red ones—no going home."

"External Intel Chief, please. ...Keep reporters off the scent for at least two weeks."

"Yeah, Torso. Bens there? Good. Sorry, but pull some shifts with me awhile? Can't trust anyone else."

Kashi made calls everywhere. Her nights were longer than most.