Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Hitori inserted his wand in the keyhole. After Kamiya requested Hitori to open the door, he expected Hitori to perform a flashy spell and break the door.

But Hitori instead leaned closer to the door and inserted his wand in the keyhole. He tried moving his wand but nothing happened– his wand touched nothing.

Hitori leaned away from the door and closed his eyes.

"Hitori–" Kamiya raised his hand to stop Reon. She looked at Kamiya, and he stared at Hitori.

"Conjure Woodland Beings: Conjure Chibi the Pixie only." Hitori chanted the spell with full concentration on the darkness.

Both Reon and Kamiya were startled with suddenly a beautiful tiny elf popped out in the air, she flew over Hitori's head and left her beautiful pixie dust behind.

Reon's mouth dropped open at Chibi's beauty. Although she was barely half a foot tall, she had dressed in a beautiful red gown– just like a princess– she had a floral piece on her head that held her long maroon hair together, and her hair reached her bottom.

But the view did not last long when Chibi turned invisible due to her shyness. Hitori sighed and Reon thought it was a pity she could not see those delicate wings anymore.

Maybe Reon's stare was the reason Chibi felt insecure, or danger and turned invisible in the instant.

Hitori gripped his heart as he slowly opened his eyes. He could still see it, he was able to see the big door through Chibi's point of view.

"Good, Chibi, please enter this keyhole." On Hitori's command, the invisible Chibi moved.

Hitori watched through her eyes as she closed the keyhole. She took Hitori inside the hole and gave him a view of the inner mechanism.

It was a complicated one, not that Hitori had ever seen the insides of a lock, but this one… there were numerous slings, and a number of latches and they were deep inside the hole.

"Thanks, Chibi." Hitori unactivated his skill and Chibi disappeared. Hitori had a clear view of the insides so now he had the green signal for executing his plan.

Hitori pulled out a few fire gems and filled the keyhole with the gems. Then Hitori pushed the gems inside using his wand's tip.

Hitori took a deep breath and took a look at his mana, still yellow. "Scald." The fire gems melted away, and the boiling water impacted the metal slings and laches but it was not enough, "Freeze-Dry."

Hitori froze the metal parts. It was boiling hot a moment ago and now cold as ice, well, that created a crack in the parts. For his final move, Hitori took a step back.

"Flamethrower!" His mana bar slid to the orange side as a burst of flame entered the hole and most of it bounced the door.

Reon and Kamiya were the first ones to take a step back– do not play with fire, kids– Hitori was late and hence lost a few health points.

Crack.

Kamiya's eyes lit up when he heard a cracking sound. Reon took a step forward in awe, the lock's mechanism was falling apart.

Hitori moved his wand as he put off the fire his cloak had caught. He looked down at the keyhole and smirked, "take that, Kuzu."

Kuzu crushed a plastic bottle in his hands, "you…" He sprung from the table, "hah…" Kamiya threw the bottle on the floor and banged his table furiously. He stared at the screen with a glint in his yellow eyes.

The big door creaked open. Hitori grabbed the door and pulled it open. It was dark inside the office but that changed when Hitori stepped inside.

Reon was surprised by the scene in front of her. She stepped behind Hitori with an open mouth, "it is not an office…" she glanced around the laboratory, "it is a lab…"

The first thing she was three rows of lab benches that had multiple flasks, stands, and test tubes set in a line. She was amazed– truly.

Hitori creased his forehead, 'strange setting.' he muttered as he took another step inside. Reon followed him. It indeed felt like a strange setting for a monster boss.

There was a blurred glass on the left side so Hitori could not get a view of what is on the left side. And Reon could not move her eyes off the beautiful setting.

Kamiya held his breath, he lifted his foot. As soon as his feet crossed the waiting room and he entered the ninth floor of the dungeon, a notification flashed followed by shattering noises.

Hitori quickly lifts his hand and an ice shield forms around his forearm. He takes a step back along with the other two.

The glass that stood on the left side was shattered into pieces. Even before the piece could fall to the ground, bullets passed through the little pieces.

Hitori caught the glimpse of a pair of dark brown eyes behind the tiny glass pieces. He pulled the shield to cover everyone and retreated to the right side of the lab.

Clang, clank.

Reon stumbled against a few folding chairs behind her and the chairs crashed against each other.

Hitori and Kamiya squatted down to their knees and took cover behind the translucent ice wall. The person who was shooting at them was clearly visible– a tall handsome man.

The boss stopped his firing. Kamiya felt as if someone was crushing his heart when his eyes caught the forearm full of scars when the dungeon boss lowered his gun.

Onogi's clone stood straight, "welcome to my lab…" Kamiya grabbed his chest, "Hahahahahahaha!" that hideous laugh.

Kamiya crumbled to the ground. Reon rose from behind and grabbed Kamiya by his shoulders, "Kamiya, hey, Kamiya, look at me." she pulled him closer to her.

Hitori glanced at them. He knew, he had the idea that Kamiya was not ready for this yet.

"That laugh…" Kamiya choked on his own words. Reon checked his health, it was alright. She understood what was happening.

Just as she had trouble conquering her fears on the Ax stone bridge, Kamiya was facing the same trouble.

"It is okay, calm down." Reon grabbed Kamiya's shoulders, he did not look in her eyes.

Onogi's clone raised his gun once again, Hitori moved the wall and stepped forward along with it.

Onogi started his open fire. Hitori charged at him with his shield. Ice dust fell with every step Hitori too. Onogi jumped from his place and rolled in the lab but did not stop firing.

Hitori blocked every bullet as he pulled his gun at the same time and fired at Onogi.

Onogi pulled the corner of the last bench and turned it upside down. Hitori squatted down and increased the ice wall's size.

Numerous test tubes and flasks shattered, and a few pieces stabbed the ice wall. The metal stands banged against Hitori's wall.

He glanced behind him, "Reon-san!" He shouted, "Kamiya is yours!" She bit her lower lip and nodded.

She got up and pulled a few folded chairs from the pile behind her. She folded open the chairs and placed them in front of her and Kamiya.

In a few seconds, she created a defense wall that protected her and Kamiya from the bullets and other dangerous items in the lab.

She pulled out her gun and leaned against one of the metal chairs, she took cover and aimed her gun at Onogi's clone from the gap.

"You should choose your words carefully, Hitori-san." she closed her right eye, "it means a lot to a girl." she leaned on a folded chair under her stomach and pulled the trigger.

The bullet went past Onogi's face. He shook his head and searched for the shooter. His eyes locked with Reon from the gap created between chairs.

"Oh god." she backed down and turned around, "it- it is still hard to fire at Onogi-san– at Onogi," she gulped.

Onogi pulled the bench in front of him and took cover behind it. Hitori created a thicker wall using the last bits of his mana and hid behind it as he took his cover. He put his gun through a hole created in the side of the wall.

Onogi ignored Reon for now and focused on taking down Hitori because his threat level was still higher than Reon's threat level.