Cunning bastard

Confronting Vorath, the cursed alpha, in direct proximity, Klauss sensed an overwhelming surge of liberation coursing through him.

The pretenses he had maintained were now shed, allowing him to unleash his genuine prowess without restraint. A profound satisfaction welled within him as he embraced the opportunity to reveal the full extent of his abilities, at least a portion of it.

A sense of genuine happiness illuminated Klauss's expression as he decided to toy with the transformed beast in their upcoming battle. The confusion etched across Vorath's features betrayed its lack of awareness regarding the unfolding events.

Oblivious to the subtle manipulation that had taken place, the beast, now charged with a ravaging fury, propelled itself toward Klauss, unaware of the impending challenge it was about to face.

Klauss effortlessly sidestepped the charging beast, letting it barrel past him and crash into the cavern wall. Vorath spun with a snarl, its curse-empowered muscles rippling beneath matted fur.

Those deadly red eyes remained fixed on Klauss as it circled, seeking an opening.

With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, Klauss tapped the flat of his blade against the werewolf's shoulder. "Come now," he taunted. "Surely the dreaded Vorath can do better than that?"

Incensed, Vorath sprang again, swiping with brutal strikes that could shear stone. But to Klauss, the beast seemed to be moving in slow motion.

He weaved between blows with almost bored nonchalance, pausing occasionally to deliver mocking counterattacks - the edge of his sword scoring lines across Vorath's arms and back.

The cuts were superficial, yet they clearly enraged the cursed werewolf further. Dark red mana roiled around Vorath as he prepared another shockwave assault. Sensing the building energy, Klauss merely grinned and took a ready stance, prepared to redirect it with a powerful sword thrust.

Just before Vorath attacked, Klauss called out, "Oh, did I forget to mention? I'm not even using twenty percent of my true power now."

That taunt pushed the beast over the brink.

Howling, Vorath unleashed a pulsing wave of malevolent mana. But Klauss had already sidestepped, allowing the energy to crash harmlessly into the cavern behind him. With contemptuous ease, he landed three more strikes across the werewolf's torso, carving shallow lacerations through its dense pelt.

"What's wrong?" Klauss mocked as Vorath staggered. "Getting tired already? I expected more from a so-called rank C boss. You are nothing special."

Chest heaving, Vorath glared at the swordsman with those maddened red eyes. No cunning intellect lurked there now - only feral bloodlust and rage. The cursed werewolf panted heavily, a string of drool dripping from one cruel fang as it prepared to hurl itself at Klauss again.

Klauss decided it was time to stop playing with his food. As Vorath charged, he abruptly switched stances, his blade taking on a crimson glow.

"Klauss Dancing Sword Art," he intoned. "Fourth form: Scarlet Tempest Edge!"

He exploded into motion, his sword becoming a scarlet blur as he unleashed the full fury of this new move he had been working on. Klauss darted around Vorath, striking from all angles faster than the eye could follow.

Every slash and thrust left behind a red streak of mana infused with the lethal grace of Klauss's flawless swordsmanship.

The technique lived up to its name as a tempest of singing steel. One hundred precisely aimed blows landed in the span of a few seconds - each strike targeting a vital spot on Vorath's body.

Tendons were severed, muscles shredded, bones cracked and fractured under the relentless assault. Dark blood sprayed in arcs around the cavern from the deep gashes torn into the werewolf's thick hide.

Yet Klauss's control remained perfect throughout the process. The damage was calculated and purposeful despite its brutality. As the blurring cascade ended with a powerful upward slash, Vorath's insides had been minced into an unrecognizable mess.

Only the outer portion of its hide held the creature's staggering body intact enough to collapse sideways to the rocky floor with a resounding crash.

Breathing only slightly harder, Klauss concluded the flawless execution of his new move designed to utterly overwhelm opponents in seconds, although it requires a lot of stamina rather than mana.

The Scarlet Tempest Edge combined his supreme agility with surgical sword strikes to deliver death through a hundred cuts in a storm of upbeat fury. The dreaded Vorath had become the first prey to witness and experience the full onslaught of the scarlet tempest edge.

Vorath, scourge of Wolf Island fell at the hands of an arrogant human who hadn't even bothered to draw his full strength. Klauss flicked globs of blood from his blade and smirked down at his eviscerated foe.

The accursed werewolf alpha had boasted great power, but in the face of the flawless Dancing Sword Art, it too had fallen short in the end. 

Now came the tedious part - cleaning up and maintaining his carefully crafted lies. But the battle had been exhilarating while it lasted. Klauss moved from one team member to the next, shaking them to wake up.

Groggily, they pushed themselves upright, confusion evident on their faces as blurred memories struggled to resurface. Emma rubbed her head with a wince. "Ugh...what hit us?"

Danielson peered toward where Vorath had stood, now occupied only by a gruesome black mass. He recoiled with a shudder of disgust. The heap of fur and rent flesh was scarcely recognizable anymore.

Danielson could make out shattered bones, glistening entrails, even what looked like an intact eyeball surveying them balefully from atop the pile.

"Good god," Danielson choked. "Is that...Vorath?"

Klauss stepped forward, schooling his features into a mask of puzzled concern. "I think so, although I can't recall exactly what transpired. The last clear memory I have is of Vorath beginning his transformation, and that wave of red aura which exuded from him knocking us all senseless."

He gestured at the revolting remains. "My guess is the beast tried entering its empowered state already badly injured. Between our attacks and the curse siphoning its strength, Vorath's body couldn't handle the strain. It self-destructed from within, I think."

Klauss shook his head regretfully. "I was the first to regain consciousness. By then, Vorath was already laying on the ground, dead I presumed, the poor damned creature. Seems the curse turned against him in the end."

Baro approached the shredded carcass, leaning close to examine it. His lip curled in disgust. "Ugh, revolting. But I suppose that explains why we're still breathing. No way could we have defeated Vorath at full power."

That statement amused Klauss as he thought to himself, "Weaklings".

Baro suddenly glanced back at Klauss with an air of suspicion. "Sure you didn't sneak in some extra hits while we were out? Maybe found its weakness?"

Klauss waved dismissively. "I struck no killing blows. Just speculation on my part about what finished Vorath off."

He strode over to the corpse, keeping his true satisfaction carefully restrained. With an expert and sleek kick, Klauss pried loose one of the creature's sword-like fangs.

"Here," he said, offering the fang to Baro. "A trophy for you, to commemorate our first boss kill together."

After a moment of hesitation, Baro accepted the proffered fang. Emma and Gin crowded close, awe and relief etched on their faces as they gazed upon the remains of the dreaded Vorath. Danielson hung back, looking decidedly queasy.

Eventually Baro nodded. "If you say that's what happened, then I believe you. We all owe you our lives for sure. As thanks you can keep the boss rewards."

Murmurs of agreement passed through the group. Inwardly Klauss smiled. The lies had been accepted smoothly once again. Now it was time to reap the rewards and loot such a feat deserved. Klauss beckoned the group forward. 

Eagerly the team descended on Vorath's remains to claim trophies from the impressive victory over an infamous foe. And through it all, Klauss maintained his guise, the sole witness to how the battle truly ended. None would ever uncover his secret.

The group salvaged the remnants of the boss, yielding surprisingly fruitful results— a robust, thick black pelt in impeccable condition, two razor-sharp fangs, and claws that spoke of the creature's formidable prowess. 

Among the loot were also a yellow mana stone, several potions, and a pool of blood. The spoils surpassed Baro's expectations, leading him to decide to confer all the rewards to Klauss.

Envy painted Baro's expression as he made the generous gesture, but Klauss, with a smirk, casually stated, "Haha, I'll just take the pelt, the fangs and the claws, plus a bit of the cash money from the mana stone. Cool?"

The group, taken aback by Klauss's unexpected generosity, readily accepted the terms. Baro, offering a smile that seemed too forced to conceal his hidden intentions, was overlooked by Klauss, who proceeded to stow his items into his dimensional bag. 

As they commenced their exit from the cave and the gate instance, Klauss led the way, walking ahead of the group.

Baro exchanged a sly wink with his fellow Stormbringers members, signaling the fruition of their original plan concocted before entering the gate—an attempt to exact revenge on Klauss for outshining them.

Despite reservations from some members, they begrudgingly fell in line with Baro's scheme.

Klauss found himself swiftly encircled by the group, and he could keenly sense the palpable tension and unease in their expressions.

Surveying their faces, he remarked, "So, this was your plan all along. I respect that. You can't let someone who attacked you off the hook, haha."

The atmosphere thickened, surrounded by the dense foliage of the jungle. 

Baro, the orchestrator of the scheme, directed Danielson to retrieve Klauss's dimensional bag. As Danielson approached, visibly shivering and panicking, Klauss, with an icy expression, issued a warning, "Danielson, take one more step, and I'll knock you out just like I did earlier."

Danielson froze, caught off guard by Klauss's resolve.

As the group pondered their next move, Klauss calmly walked past Danielson, heading toward the exit of the gate. The group remained puzzled by Klauss's recent revelations, exchanging glances in silent communication.

Abruptly halting with his back turned to the stunned group, Klauss delivered a nonchalant command, "Come on, let's get out of this place. Oh, and you'd be wise to listen."

Exiting the gate, the team found themselves greeted by a representative from The Hunter's Association and the vice-leader of the Stormbringers guild. As they stepped into the clearing, Klauss, nonchalant as ever, offered a casual wave and swiftly disappeared from the scene.

The remaining four members were left to account for the events of the expedition to the vice-leader. As they detailed the encounter, astonishment and shock etched across her face.

The boss, it seemed, had never been recorded succumbing to self-destruction when entering its second phase. The boss had always entered its second phase before it could be killed.

Klauss had masterfully orchestrated a charade that left the group utterly bamboozled. 

The vice-leader, a blend of surprise and admiration evident in her expression, openly commended Klauss for his demeanor, behavior, and the audacity with which he executed his plan.

Her appreciation for him had only grown. The revelation left the team, once harboring thoughts of revenge, now wrestling with newfound curiosity for the cunning hunter who had woven an unexpected twist into their expedition.

They found themselves pondering the enigma that was Klauss, a young hunter at D rank, and marveled at how he had seamlessly executed a plan from beginning to end.

The question lingered in their minds: who exactly was Klauss?

Meanwhile, Klauss strolled toward his parked car a few blocks away, a satisfied smile gracing his face. As he entered the car, Aisha, engrossed in her phone, casually inquired, "How did it go? You behaved, right?"

With a mischievous smirk, he replied, "It was fun! Now, let's head to Hashibe Mountains. I've got something to check up on."

Aisha found herself a bit surprised at the sudden change in destination but opted to keep her thoughts to herself. She started the car and began the journey towards their next stop, Hashibe Mountains, while the mysteries surrounding Klauss and his unconventional antics lingered in the air.