The instant the [Flower Behemoth] collapsed and its massive body finally stopped moving, the clearing changed.

The thick vines that had sealed the exit of the [Flower Labyrinth] began to dry out at a visible speed.

Their once-lively green color faded into a dull brown as they cracked, shriveled, and peeled away from the stone walls.

One after another, they loosened their grip and retracted, pulling back as if the labyrinth itself had lost the will to resist.

Within seconds, the path beyond the clearing opened completely.

At the same time, a glowing timer appeared above the behemoth's corpse, floating quietly in the air.

[23 hours 59 minutes and 38 seconds until revive.]

Karl wasn't surprised in the slightest.

As expected, this meant that any player who arrived now would be able to leave the [Flower Labyrinth] without restriction and step into the next region beyond it.

The boss had fallen, the seal had lifted, and the labyrinth had effectively been cleared, at least for the next twenty-four hours.

To most players, this would be an incredible opportunity.

A rare chance to move forward without having to face a powerful zone boss. A free passage. A shortcut that many would dream of stumbling upon.

Even Karl himself had taken this chance in his past life.

Back then, he hadn't hesitated. The moment the path opened, he had moved on immediately, eager to progress and leave the dangerous zone behind.

But now—

'Nah,' Karl thought calmly as he glanced at the open path. 'I need to go back.'

His gaze shifted away from the exit and back toward the heart of the [Blooming Lands].

'I'm not done here.'

There were still things he needed. Things he hadn't obtained yet. And more importantly, things he couldn't afford to miss this time.

Without wasting another second, Karl raised his hand.

Hand of Oblivion!

A massive spectral hand materialized in midair, formed from dense black energy.

It descended with purpose, plunging straight into the [Flower Behemoth]'s corpse.

The hand clawed deep into the remains, tearing through vines, bark-like flesh, and hardened plant matter as it searched for rewards hidden within.

Ding! Ding!

Two sharp notification sounds rang out in succession.

Karl's eyes widened just a little. Two notifications.

That meant the guaranteed extra drop from [Hand of Oblivion] had activated.

And the additional twenty-five percent chance had triggered as well.

[You have gained 32 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 429 Lives!]

Karl let out a slow breath.

Those numbers were no joke. Especially the Evolution Points. They were one of the rarest and most valuable resources in the game, and gaining thirty-two at once was nothing short of insane.

But that still wasn't everything.

Another item began to materialize near the corpse, slowly taking shape as the spectral hand faded away.

'Incredible,' Karl thought, his lips curling slightly. 'Hand of Oblivion really is one of the strongest skills available.'

There was a reason it had been granted to him directly by the [God of Oblivion].

It didn't just increase drop rates, it bent the rules. It forced value out of enemies that most players would never even realize existed.

Every time he used it, Karl was reminded just how unfair the skill truly was.

And it also made him wonder.

If this was the kind of reward he could get now, then what kind of things awaited him as he continued completing his advancement tasks?

Without hesitation, Karl stepped closer to the fallen boss, his attention fully focused on the rewards in front of him. He was eager to see exactly what the [Flower Behemoth] had dropped.

Two items had already appeared from the boss's death.

Then a third one had been added thanks to [Hand of Oblivion].

Three items in total.

Karl didn't waste a single second. He opened the item panels immediately.

---

[Behemoth Sword (Legendary): Warrior-type +6,000 Strength, +2,000 Agility. Requirement: Level 50.]

[Flower Dance (Active): Pierce the ground with your sword to summon dozens of vines that hit a target.]

---

"Damn, my past life self would have loved that," Karl sighed, "Well, that's fine."

---

[Flower Behemoth Protection Armor: Assassin/Summoner/Warrior-type armor. +5,000 Constitution, +3,000 Agility, +2,500 Strength. Requirement: Level 50.]

[Thorns (Passive): When hit physically, there's a chance a vine spike in your armor will erupte, impaling the attacker.]

---

"Nice."

The word slipped out naturally.

Both items were undeniably powerful. Any normal player would lose their mind over drops like these. Massive stat boosts, flexible class compatibility, and strong skills tied directly to the equipment itself.

They were easily among the best items a reviving zone boss could offer.

Of course, even with that, they still didn't compare to the [Unique Items] Karl had obtained from the [Unique Bosses] of the [Danger Zone].

And there was a very clear reason for that.

The [Flower Behemoth] could revive. Unique bosses could not.

Once a unique boss died, it was gone forever. That meant the items they dropped would only ever exist in a single copy.

Take the [Danger Orc Bat] and the [Wyvern Claw Dagger], for example. Those weapons didn't just provide +10,000 Strength, they also came with absurdly powerful active skills that completely changed how they could be used in combat.

They were on a completely different level.

Still, as Karl looked at the two items in front of him, his expression slowly narrowed.

'These are the two initial drops,' he thought. 'Which means the third one is from [Hand of Oblivion].'

His gaze shifted slightly. But something was missing.

Where was the [Key of the Maze]? Why hadn't it dropped?

Karl frowned slightly as his eyes scanned the area around the corpse. There was no key on the ground. No hidden glow. No system notification indicating it had been obtained.

Maybe the key had a low drop rate. Or maybe it wasn't even part of the boss's standard drops at all.

If that was the case, then where was it?

Karl scratched his chin, thinking carefully. But after a moment, he shook his head.

He'd think about it later. For now, there was still one item left to inspect. The third and final drop.

[Behemoth Backpack (Elite): +100 Storage Slots. Requirement: Level 50.]

"DAMN!"

Karl didn't even try to hide his excitement.

With this backpack equipped, his storage capacity would jump dramatically. From fifty slots to one hundred and forty in total. Almost triple what he had before.

That amount of space was absurd.

With storage like that, he could stockpile materials, hoard equipment, and even run an actual shop if he wanted to. The thought lingered in his mind for a brief moment, and Karl actually smiled.

But then he shook his head.

That wasn't his goal.

Still, even with such an incredible reward, there was one undeniable truth staring him in the face.

There was still no [Key of the Maze].

Which meant—

'It probably wasn't the [Flower Behemoth] after all,' Karl thought.

He let out a short laugh.

'These keys were never meant for the average player. I should've known it wouldn't be that simple.'

The [Key of the Witch] had dropped from the [Blooming Witch] inside the [Danger Zone], a place that almost no one ever entered.

And even if someone did stumble into it, only players who were extremely powerful, or massively over-leveled, would stand a chance of surviving, let alone clearing it.

In fact, Karl hadn't even received the usual completion reward chests for finishing the zone.

The reason was obvious.

The system likely considered the [Key of the Witch] itself to be the reward.

As for the [Key of the Guardian], it had been embedded deep within the [Floral Guardian] that protected the base of the [Death] flower.

Most players wouldn't even attempt to fight it.

And even if they somehow managed to kill it, they would still need to extract the key from its body, a detail many wouldn't even notice.

But as Karl thought about that, something clicked.

His eyes widened slightly.

'Wait a minute…'

He scratched his chin slowly, then turned his gaze back to the [Flower Behemoth]'s corpse.

'What if… it's hidden too?'

He stared at the remains in silence for a full minute, his mind working through the possibility.

Then he nodded once.

'Well, I've got nothing to lose.'

Karl raised his staff and aimed it directly at the body of the fallen zone boss.

Blazing Meteor!

Fwish! BOOM!

A massive explosion engulfed the corpse as flames erupted outward. The already-damaged body burned violently, vines curling and snapping as parts of it melted away.

Karl didn't stop.

Every five seconds, he cast the spell again. The cooldown was short, and he used it relentlessly.

Fireballs crashed down one after another, reducing the behemoth's remains further each time.

Burning, melting, crumbling, until the massive body was slowly erased.

Minutes passed. Eventually, almost nothing remained. Only dark ash scattered across the ground.

As Karl stepped closer and inspected what was left, something caught his eye.

A faint glint beneath the ashes.

"I knew it," he grinned as he bent down and picked it up. "It was inside its body."

[Key of the Maze: Can be used to unlock one of the seals of the "Death" flower.]

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