Unexpected Red Flash

The sunlight that came from outside that door seemed normal. But Jacob saw something different.

"Red? Why is it red?" he couldn't help but mutter. Ahead of his eyes lay an ocean of red as dark as blood.

"What red?" Sumei turned back. "There's no red here."

"Huh?" Jacob tilted his head. His eyes widened in horror as understanding settled in. A flash of something reflected by the sunlight approached Sumei from outside the door. Jacob instantly reached her and pushed her aside.

Putch!

He flew back with a spear that had just pierced his chest bone. His reflexes saved him, as the spearhead missed his spine by an inch as it came out of his back. Luckily, none of his arteries were injured, nor were his lungs pierced.

Jacob coughed out blood as the blood-red sea approached him. He understood what it was.

'Hostile intent.'

He stood up with great difficulty. The spear's weight opened the wound further, causing him great pain.

"Dammit!" he groaned as he tried to pull the spear out. It was not like an arrow shaft he could carry in his body. The stone spear was painted red as Jacob kept pulling it outside.

He thought, 'I can see! Stop flashing the red light!'

His eyes regained his normal vision. He and his teammates, who had just gathered around him, saw the approaching creature. Sumei looked confused, but Bob's and Jacob's eyes were grave.

A lean and ripped humanoid gargoyle over 4 meters tall walked inside. It raised its hand towards its spear. With no warning, the spear Jacob was trying to slowly pull out jerked and rushed into the gargoyle's hand. He fell back again.

"Argh!" he groaned as he clenched his teeth—more blood splattered before him.

"Jacob!" Sumei screamed in panic as she knelt beside him while Bob silently stood before him. His feet shivered, and his small eyes concealed his great terror. But his actions were brave.

Jacob's heart warmed, but he paid more attention to his condition. He was not trying to be narcissistic, but he knew only he had a shot at this monster.

[Boss of Four Deaths (Hidden) Lv. 10]

Both the guardian and boss of four deaths had the same level. But Jacob was sure their strength was worlds apart. The pressure it gave off made the guardian of four deaths seem like a school bully while it was a seasoned terrorist.

Sumei quickly used the first aid items they had brought. She wiped off his wound and attached a normal quick-acting big band-aid. She was frozen the last time he was wounded, but she did the right thing this time, even under great stress.

'Growth, huh?'

He even had time to think about irrelevant things. But it was not because he was confident. This time, Jacob did not know how to win. But he knew how to maximize his chances. He looked at the bronze sword that had accompanied him for so long.

…

[Bronze Sword Lv. 1]

Type: Weapon

Durability: 2/100

Effect: +1 Str, Poison Lv. 1 damage

Description: A common sword that enhances strength with slight poison damage. It is suitable for a newly awakened hunter.

…

'Take a rest, partner.'

Bob and Sumei were terrified as the Boss of Four Deaths gazed at them. It simply stood still, but their foreheads were already covered in sweat. They felt what it was like to be a newbie at level one face facing a level ten hidden boss.

Jacob handed his trusty bronze sword to Sumei and said, "I don't know how this will end."

Over time, he had become a mental support for others. Hearing him say this made their hearts sink. It was not because he was as smart as Sumei or as brave as Bob. It was because he always tried to be the best he could be and had the strength to back it up.

"But I will try my best."

Despite his grievous injury, his steps were firm. He also felt fear, but he knew he could not back down. He didn't have a choice. His teammates didn't have a choice. The monster was too powerful for them.

Bob and Sumei began feeling useless, and guilt consumed them.

Jacob waved his hand at Bob, who was carrying the rapier. It took a moment, but Bob understood the gesture and passed it over. Jacob looked at the weapon taller than him and tried to wave it.

'Barely passable.'

He wasn't referring to the weapon's quality but the weapon's weight. He wanted the best weapon for the fight. Then Jacob waved his hand at Sumei. She understood and handed him the two potions despite not knowing what was in them. At this point, she knew they had to stake it all!

'I feel sorry for using up our first loot ever. But I'll make it up to them.'

He drank the rage potion. It tasted sweet, like orange, but as it went down his throat, a burning volcano seemed to erupt from within. His muscles became harder, and the contours of their shape became clearer.

He then drank the other potion to make himself hard and durable enough to take a beating. It didn't taste very pleasant, and soon enough, a flicker of obsidian seemed to cover his skin.

The Boss of Four Deaths was tired of waiting. It began walking towards him.

"Human." Its voice was hoarse as if someone had sandpaper stuck in their throat. "Your kind is doomed for extinction!" But the horrible voice was not the reason for the team's shock. "Just accept your destiny!"

[Emergency Quest: Defeat the Boss of Four Deaths

Reward: Classes Unlocked, New Skill Chance]

It lunged towards him. Jacob suppressed his shock at the realization that a low-level monster could talk. Even the notification was thrown to the back of his mind.

He activated his Dash Skill, readied his giant rapier, and swung it at his opponent. He did not know how to use a rapier but didn't have a durable weapon for this battle.

Clang!

The gargoyle easily swiped his rapier away and approached closer. Jacob stepped to the side and once again attacked with the rapier. But it was swiped away once again.

'This is not going to work!'

He looked at Bob behind him.

"Your sword!"

He quickly dodged the gargoyle's thrust. Bob threw the sword at Jacob, and Jacob threw his rapier at the boss to keep him occupied. The boss dodged the rapier and watched it fall to the ground.

"Human." Its voice was laced with thick anger. "How dare you disrespect a champion's weapon this way?"

The spear came for Jacob once again. The gargoyle's attacks were all aimed at his vital points, but Jacob was back to using a familiar sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He dodged where he could and parried where he could not. But he was not happy.

'Where is its weakness? How do I take it down? Does it even have a weakness?'

Jacob knew he only had a few minutes before the potion's effects wore down. Despite having higher stats than the boss, he had difficulty holding his own. It was then he realized.

'It's not just about stats. It's also a technique that matters.'

But there was no time to think about techniques. Each second that passed seemed to torture him. Even the boss reduced the intensity of its attacks as though it knew Jacob's power-up would soon disappear.

Bob and Sumei were unable to see the condition of the battle. But as they got glances at Jacob's worried face, they knew he was in trouble. Their self-esteem was greatly hurt as they were just a dead weight to him. But they didn't give up.

"Monster's bad and scary," Bob muttered. He had gotten slightly used to the pressure and was thinking hard about how to help his new friend.

Sumei nodded, then shook her head. "We'll try to help him in our way. Let's check that throne room you told me about."

Bob nodded. The duo slowly walked towards the entrance. Bob wanted to pick up the rapier that had dropped near him for self-defense and quickly took it. The duo nearly reached the door.

The gargoyle suddenly stepped back. It tried finding the rapier and saw the two humans about to leave. Jacob could swear he saw its stony eyeballs turn dark for a moment. It suddenly threw its spear at Sumei, who was in the lead.

"Dodge!" Jack shouted as he lunged toward the boss.

The old Sumei would have remained frozen. But after facing death in the face so many times, she remained somewhat calm. She tried to bend back, but the pressure seemed too much. The approaching spear didn't give her time to move. As she closed her eyes with a tear forming in them, she heard a collision.

Clang!

But… it didn't sound like her body was pierced. She opened her eyes in confusion, but the scene sent horror rushing through her spine. Ahead of her stood Bob with his rapier. The weapon wasn't thick enough to parry the spear. But it was enough to deflect the spearhead slightly.

"Run!" Jacob's shout woke them up.

Bob ignored the spear that had pierced his shoulder and ran outside with Sumei. They went right where the small door leading to the throne room remained.

Of course, the boss didn't want to see that. But Jacob stood before the door and guarded it with every fiber of his being.

Roar!

The Boss of Four Deaths seemed to get angrier. Like the Guardian of Four Deaths, its body shone with a black light. Its body seemed to double in strength and agility. The boss used its hands which were coated in black and kept piercing toward Jacob like a spear.

"Argh!"

Jacob's concentration lapsed for a second as he looked at the remaining time of the potion's effect on his system status. It allowed the boss to hit his kidney and made him spit another mouthful of blood. He looked at his slowly bleeding chest and punctured kidney.

Jacob's face was grim as he stared at the approaching monster.

***

"Argh!"

Bob grunted as he took out the spear that had pierced him. But he held it tight in fear that the gargoyle would summon the spear, making the fight more difficult for Jacob.

Sumei and Bob looked around the throne room. They wanted to find something to work against the boss. Sumei felt her idea was correct when the boss stopped them from leaving. Ultimately, she just saw the broken stones and the four broken statues standing on either side of the throne. Nothing else was there.

They finally arrived in front of the throne made for giant creatures. It was built with stone, and the few obsidian gems embedded in it displayed its majesty. Sumei counted one on the front and four on its arms. There were other smaller gems, but they seemed to be made of different materials.

"These shine and they don't. Should we try it out?" Sumei asked Bob as she remembered how they had defeated the Guardian of Four Sides.

She felt there was a high probability the hidden boss had a similar mechanism. Otherwise, how else were they supposed to defeat a creature that knew no fear or exhaustion and would not bleed?

Bob nodded.