206: Chapter 206 I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't recognize you just now!

The magnificent and indifferent voice of the Shadow Monarch Dai echoed through the grand hall.

A terrifying pressure, like a mountain or an ocean, would have put any top-tier team on high alert.

However, the phrase 'one of us' completely derailed the atmosphere.

"Hm?"

The shadow energy on the throne suddenly paused, and the two crimson lights revealed extreme astonishment and confusion.

"Mortal, do you fear death?"

The voice of the Shadow Monarch Dai returned to a low tone, carrying a hint of... smugness?

"Or do you think that with such a ridiculous trick, you can delay your fate of turning into dry bones?"

He seemed to greatly enjoy watching these Adventurers tremble in fear before him.

"No, no, you misunderstood."

Chen You waved his hand, his expression as sincere as a friendly neighbor dropping by.

"Fighting and killing is so boring; it ruins the harmony and wastes everyone's time."

"The main thing is, before starting a fight, one must confirm eye contact to see if we are one of us."

One of us?

A giant question mark seemed to appear above the energy form of the Shadow Monarch Dai's head.

He felt his fundamental logic receiving an unprecedented shock.

This Adventurer not only interrupted his opening speech but now wanted to get close to him?

"Arrogant!"

Boom!

An even more terrifying aura erupted from Him, and the runic lights in the entire hall flared brightly.

"It seems you are impatient to embrace the end!"

The Shadow Monarch Dai slowly raised a hand covered in black armor, "Then, as you wish..."

"Hold on, let me show you a treasure."

Chen You didn't wait for a reply and slowly took out an item from his backpack.

From the moment he entered the dungeon, Chen You had been contemplating the connection between this dungeon and his mission.

He originally thought it would be about killing monsters to drop mission items, but after clearing two stages, he hadn't found anything.

It wasn't until he met the BOSS before him that he had some new conjectures.

So, he waited until this BOSS confirmed that things were proceeding as expected before finally taking out that object.

It was a crown formed from solidified shadow and shattered starlight.

The moment the crown appeared, there were no earth-shattering phenomena; it simply floated quietly in Chen You's palm.

However, this "plain" crown caused the arrogance of the Shadow Monarch Dai to freeze.

On the giant pillars supporting the starry sky dome, all the lit runes flickered erratically at that moment.

"That... that is..."

The voice of the Shadow Monarch Dai fluctuated violently, no longer ethereal and majestic.

Instead, it was filled with incredible horror, and even... a trace of trembling.

"You... you are..."

The massive body of the Shadow Monarch Dai shook violently.

The next second, under Chen You's slightly surprised gaze, this final BOSS, who had just possessed overwhelming momentum and called himself the "Embodiment of Death."

Performed an action that he never expected.

He quickly walked down from the throne and then... knelt on one knee.

With a dull thud, the hard obsidian floor trembled.

His full-body black armor, symbolizing supreme authority, collided with the ground, emitting a crisp and loud metallic sound.

He lowered his head, which was composed of pure dark energy, and his two crimson lights stared at the ground, filled with reverence and fear.

The aged and ethereal voice from before now sounded hurried and fast, even carrying a trace of fawning crying.

"Sorry! Your Majesty! I didn't recognize you just now!"

"My voice was too loud earlier, please forgive me, Your Majesty!!"

"Why didn't you take that out sooner! If you had taken it out earlier, I wouldn't have dared to say this or that!"

"Everything I said earlier were lines given by the system, please don't take it to heart, I am absolutely loyal to you!"

Chen You: "..."

He had envisioned many possibilities.

For instance, the BOSS might fall into chaos upon seeing the crown, or directly hand over a mission item.

But he never expected the mood to become this absurd.

This attitude of arrogance followed by servility, this practiced posture of kowtowing, these heartfelt words of shifting blame...

This BOSS had very strong professional skills.

"Get up.", Chen You cleared his throat, making himself appear composed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Shadow Monarch Dai stood up nimbly as if granted a pardon.

But his body remained slightly bowed, no longer daring to look directly at Chen You.

He only dared to steal glances at the crown from the corner of his eye, his gaze filled with fanaticism.

"That... 'Dai', is it the 'Dai' for deputy/acting?"

Chen You asked out his guess.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, precisely so.", the Shadow Monarch Dai replied respectfully.

"Before the previous Shadow Monarch fell, he created your subordinate to be the agent of his authority and the guardian of this place."

"Waiting for the New Monarch..."

Chen You nodded, waiting for the rest of the explanation.

However, after a few seconds, the Shadow Monarch Dai did not speak again.

"..."

What's wrong, little brother?

"Nothing more?" Chen You asked tentatively.

"Ah? Oh!" The Shadow Monarch Dai looked suddenly enlightened.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't know!" He began to complain bitterly, "This damned guidance system, the instruction it gave me was to 'test all challengers who reach the throne'!"

"It didn't tell me that you were bringing the token either! If I had known earlier that you were the New King, I wouldn't have dared to fight you even if you gave me eight times the courage!"

"Besides,", his voice dropped even lower, "I couldn't skip this procedure, otherwise the system would judge me as passively slacking off and deduct my performance review..."

Chen You's mouth twitched.

Did this fellow think he was angry?

Was this the time to talk about this?

Told you to close the door, and you went to feed the chickens!

It must be hard for the Shadow Monarch to have such a subordinate.

Chen You shook his head inwardly, sighing, feeling he needed to be more direct.

"So, what is the situation now? Have I cleared the dungeon?"

"Cleared the dungeon? No, no!" The Shadow Monarch Dai quickly waved his hands, explaining respectfully.

"Your Majesty, for you, the true trial has just begun."

He pointed to the empty throne.

"The end of The Path of the Monarch is not defeating me, but... sitting upon it."

"You possess the crown, thus you have the qualification to sit on the throne."

"But to truly become the Shadow Monarch, you still need to complete the final ritual."

The voice of the Shadow Monarch Dai once again became solemn and serious. He turned sideways and bowed deeply to Chen You.

"Your Majesty, please ascend the throne."

"Your subordinate will open the final test for you—"

"The Path of Coronation!"

Chen You looked at the massive throne, and his heart tightened inexplicably.

Wrong!

Something is wrong!

Being treated as the Monarch just for holding the crown, isn't this setting too casual?

Even if it were true...

Crowned as King?

Could it be...

This means I have to become the new final BOSS of this dungeon?