Chapter 07: Clash Of Bosses
"Good morning sir!" First thing in the morning as Eldian walked out of the door a middle-aged man greeted him with his head bowed.
"Please, there is no need for such formality, I am younger than you." Eldian had to remind the man of their age difference.
"Yes sir! I shall keep that in mind." But the driver only saw the difference in their ranks.
"What's your name brother?" Eldian asked as they walked to the car, well aware that it would take time to get this elder informal.
"It's Jennifer, sir." The man answered, politely following.
"Mr Jennifer, how long did you play the game?" Eldian inquired.
"Year-and-a-half, sir. I was one of the late players." Jennifer answered frankly.
"Such a long time. You must have been a veteran." Eldian nodded, praising Jennifer.
"No, no. I was just a C-rank player." Jennifer shook his head in moderation, but it felt nice to be acknowledged by the highest-ranked player.
As they entered the car, Eldian noticed a large suitcase in the back seat. It had a note stuck to it that read "Cost deducted from your previous hunt. See you in the capital ;)"
"Miss Silvia was sorry she couldn't accompany you so she wrote a note." Jennifer adjusted his seatbelt.
With a smile, Eldian pocketed the note and opened the suitcase.
«Excellent Sword»
«Excellent Armour»
«Healing Potion»
These were all familiar items to Eldian. The Excellent Armour, gained by finishing the following sub-quest of Excellent Sword, and 10 neatly stacked Healing Potions.
«Healing Potion»
«Rank: D»
«Requirement: Vitality 100-»
«Type: Potion»
«Effect: Locks Vitality at 100 for 20 minutes.»
The same old description—only effective for those whose vitality is below 100 and locks the stat at 100 for 20 minutes, enough to recover from deep wounds and regenerate tissues.
"Where should I take you?" Jennifer inquired, starting the engine.
"Let's go to the nearest E-rank dungeon." There was something he had to try. If it didn't work, things would get problematic but if it did... Things were about to get interesting.
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.
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—————[Status]—————
Name: Mr Adventurer
Level: 04 (EXP: 00/550)
Job: Raider
Title: Raider One
—————[Stats]———–——
Strength: 16
Agility: 15
Vitality: 15
Mana: 18/18
Soul: 00
———–––—[Skills]—————–
«Unranked: Dungeon Creation»
«Unranked: Dungeon Break»
«F Rank: Heavy Swing»
«F Rank: Quick Steps»
«F- Rank: Strong Grip»
—————————————––
On reaching level 3 he had invested all the free stats in vitality, had it not been for this, that day the sword might have completely cut his leg.
«Excellent Armour equipped!»
[Vitality: 15 +5 ]
Reaching level 4 had a special place in Eldian's memories, he had preserved from killing any goblin after leaving just the right amount of EXP. All of this to exhaust the shaman's mana by leveling up at the right moment; it worked, but the skill he gained was underwhelming.
———–––—[Skill]—————–
Name: Strong Grip
Rank: F-
Consumption: None
Cooldown: None
Effect: Increases your grip on a weapon, decreasing the chances of it slipping.
—————————————––
When did he get such a skill? And why? Eldian resented his past self for hoarding so many skills. Then again, it will be rewarding at higher levels.
«Excellent Sword equipped!»
[Strength: 16 +5 ]
"Have a good hunt, sir." Jennifer wished him luck as Eldian finished equipping the gears.
Eldian nodded his head and stepped inside the dungeon.
.
.
.
Entering the dungeon he noticed the sharp grasses growing on the cave floor. There was no monster to greet him at the entrance this time; not all monsters were as intelligent as the goblins at least not the iron-fang wolves.
Eldian appreciated this privacy, he had some important business. As Eldian closed his eyes, he felt himself connected to a large channel of tunnels, his dungeon. He focused on the entrance, calling it...
"Crack" The space cracked in response and split into a narrow opening of the void.
Eldian had expected this much, he wasn't surprised. 'Come out,' He found the previous night that if he was close enough to the goblin, he could mentally command it. The true test was whether the goblin headed his command or not.
"Step" Under Eldian's watchful gaze, the goblin shaman stepped out of the dungeon.
"Grrr" And just in time the hosts finally arrived to welcome the guests.
"Finish them." Eldian being a nice guest instructed the goblin to greet them back.
The goblin raised the bone staff to heed its master's command. Immediately, a ball of flame burst into life, launching itself in the open jaws of a wolf.
"Bang!" A small explosion rang out in the cafe as the wolf's head burst into smithereens, splattering burnt pieces of the brain everywhere and leaving the air smelling charred.
Eldian was surprised by the skill's casting. The goblin shaman didn't have to chant any spell, as it had previously. The spell worked more like a mage's skill. Was it due to the same reason as it being able to level up?
Eldian opened its status.
[Level: 10 (EXP: 10/5,000)]
Just as he had guessed, the monster under him was turning into a player.
As the goblin prepared to launch another fireball, Eldian dashed to the nearest wolf. His sword dodged its strong iron fangs and aimed for its weak abdomen.
"Slit" The sword struck its target precisely, slashing through its flesh the sword emerged on the other side as blood mixed with torn insides left the cut, along with the monster's life.
Eldian wanted to end this quickly. They had a boss to tame.
"Clang!" The wolf caught the blade in its jaws, shaking it violently to disarm Eldian. Gritting his teeth Eldian pushed the sword with all his strength.
«F Rank skill: Heavy Swing activated!»
As the sword and jaws fought a battle of supremacy, the sword gained an edge. Inching deeper into the wolf's jaw, the sword broke the teeth in its path, its razor-sharp edge cleaving through bone and flesh with chilling precision.
"Crack!" With a gruesome inevitability, the blade sliced through the creature's skull, splitting its head in half with a sickening crunch, leaving behind a lifeless body with its upper jaw and brain gone.
"Grrr!" Seeing an opening, a wolf jumped behind Eldian, its jaw wide open dripped with saliva, as its bloodshot eyes fixed on its prey. It was unaware that it had left its abdomen defenceless to the predator.
Taking a quick turn Eldian dodged the sharp fangs, as his sword met the thin flesh and penetrated through it, slicing the guts inside.
"Thud" A scene similar to his first killed wolf replayed as Eldian killed the last wolf.
'Hopefully, this is the last wolf monster I have to kill today.' Eldian panted heavily glancing at the 2-metre tall wolf in the middle of the boss room.
Its fur was matted and slick with blood from multiple cuts, amidst the torn patches of fur, charred remnants revealed where the searing heat of fireballs had scorched its flesh, leaving behind a grim reminder of the ferocity of the battle it had endured.
In the aftermath of the battle, it remained standing amongst the fallen body of its companion. Its eyes were clouded and its breaths came out in rough pants. It started at the human and then at the goblin behind him.
The goblin had been standing with its staff raised for minutes and the wolf could sense an impending doom with each passing breath.
Its worry came true as a huge vortex of flames gathered above the outstretched staff. The flames it hated so much grew in ferocity, bringing with them unimaginable heat.
It had no choice, it had to use its final move, it would be left completely exhausted afterwards but to live it had to use the move.
"Awooo!" The wolf filled its lungs to the brim, unleashing a howl that echoed through the cave. In response, the wind stirred, heeding the call of its ally. The grasses danced fervently as powerful gusts filled the air.
Amidst the swirling currents, a vibrant green energy materialized, carrying with it the destructive onslaught of razor-sharp wind blades, poised to unleash havoc upon the human and the goblin.
The cave trembled violently as both boss monsters charged their ultimate blows against each other.
"Boom!" A massive explosion accompanied their meeting as both the skills clashed.
Eldian witnessed a shocking event.