Dungeon Boss (Part 2)

Coughing violently, Dante knelt, propping himself up with his sword, and blood staining the ground beneath him.

After wiping his mouth, Dante carefully assessed his condition.

Health: 35/100

His body was drenched in blood, with pain surging through him, and each breath a laborious task. Activating another Invigorate skill on himself, his weary body momentarily felt lighter, but the blood continued to flow. Despite applying the skill directly on himself, its effectiveness waned with each accumulating injury.

The support skill "Invigorate" merely energized the individual, offering no healing factor.

Dante's gaze turned cold as he spotted the approaching two-headed ogre.

The ogre, though initially imposing, now moved towards Dante with slow, labored steps. Its body has countless wounds, with arrows embedded in various places and visible sword cuts that continued to seep blood, staining its once-pale skin a deep red hue.

With his energy dwindling to less than 50, Dante faced a critical moment, forced to conclude the battle swiftly, as his body couldn't withstand further damage.

Observing the ogre's movements, Dante swiftly activated his skill, Concentration.

As they closed the distance to mere meters, the ogre hoisted its club, launching a powerful swing. seizing an opening, Dante lunged forward, slicing his sword across the same area with already sword wound. The blade traced the gash, digging it deeper, and provoking a thunderous roar from the ogre.

"ROAR!"

Writhing in pain, the two-headed ogre moved its hands erratically. Dante, unable to evade in time, took a blow from its club.

Bang!

Coughing violently, Dante expelled a mouthful of blood. Even with Concentration active, he struggled to keep up with his thought process, considering the accumulating injuries in his body.

Dante flew up, executing a graceful twist to stabilize himself mid-air.

A resounding thud echoed through the chamber as the two-headed ogre dropped to one knee. Just before the club could strike Dante, he managed to inflict a deep wound on one of its joints.

Upon landing, Dante struggled to maintain his balance, nearly stumbling.

Health: 9/100

The ogre attempted to rise, only to collapse once more, emitting a low growl that reverberated in the chamber. Its bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Dante, its thirst for blood undiminished. Yet, this did not deter Dante from pressing forward.

They stood just a foot apart, the ogre's labored breathing resonating heavily. Even on its knees, it towered over Dante, forcing him to gaze upwards into its unrelenting gaze.

"Grr!" A low growl reverberated.

Without a moment's pause, Dante raised his sword, clasping it firmly with both hands, and thrust it forward.

Shunk!

The blade slid through the chest of the two-headed ogre with minimal resistance.

With a decisive tug, a torrent of blood spilled forth. Instead of evading, Dante allowed it to drench his entire body, as staggered back until he succumbed to unconsciousness.

This marked his first victory over a dungeon boss.

***

"It's been nearly 40 minutes since that fellow walked in," the woman behind the counter murmured to herself, checking her watch. Her gaze flicked towards the portal, catching the mix of hope and curiosity in the Holders' eyes.

They wondered if a promising newcomer had arrived or merely a misguided one.

"Any slots left?" inquired a Holder, waiting in line before her.

Glancing at her computer screen, she offered an apologetic smile, informing the Holder that all the slots had been taken. Disheartened, the Holder departed.

"I'm hungryyy... I should grab some lunch."

***

Inside the chamber, blood adorned both the walls and the floor.

Random punctures and scattered stone fragments testified to the violence that had transpired. The metallic smell of blood lingered in the air as a figure lay motionless, eyes shut. His breathing, though faint, remained steady, but his clothing bore tattered wounds in every corner.

Dante's closed eyes twitched, gradually reopening.

Gazing at the ceiling above him, and the lingering scent of blood, Dante couldn't help but muster a faint smile.

"I passed out, but I managed to kill it.," Dante marveled, reflecting on how unthinkable such an achievement would have been just days earlier.

He sat upright and inspected the remnants before him.

Among them, a monster core, as large as an adult human head, radiated an eerie green glow. Beside the core rested a small white marble, and as Dante examined it up close, a gulp escaped him, sensing the potent mana contained within.

The monster's corpse can't be seen, as the body for dungeon bosses always disintegrated upon being killed.

The white marble was no larger than a fingernail, yet Dante was certain that what lay before him was genuine. He'd only glimpsed this marble from a distance after conquering the dungeon boss alongside the squads he'd joined.

"The Skill Enhancement Marble," Dante murmured the name, drawing near to touch it, paying little heed to the bloodstains nearby.

This marble held the power to elevate a Holder's skill, it is one of the ways to get stronger as a Holder. The Skill Enhancement Marble stood as one of the driving forces behind the popularity of repeatable dungeons among Holders. While defeating a dungeon boss is an accomplishment, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Holder will acquire the marble. It ultimately comes down to a matter of luck.

"If I were to use this..." Dante's voice trailed off, a sudden realization washing over him. He couldn't harness mana due to the limitations imposed by the system.

Dante couldn't help but wear a bitter smile, and this train of thought led him to reflect on recent events.

"It's only been a day since I acquired the system, well, almost two if I factor in the time spent in this dungeon." Dante lamented as he gazed at the monster core and the pristine white marble.

Deciding to stow away the monster core and the white marble in his inventory, he resolved to think about how he will handle the latter at a later time.

After verifying that there were no additional rewards to be found, Dante summoned his Status Screen, eager to see if there were any notable changes.

STATUS SCREEN:

Player: Dante (Human)

Health: 100/100

Energy: 130/130

Level: 16 (256/18,700)

Stat Points: 3

Skills:

Concentration(+50%)

Invigorate(+50%)

Attributes:

Strength: 8

Defense: 2

Vitality: 1

Endurance: 3

Agility: 3

Intelligence: 1

Observing the number of levels he had gained, Dante felt a sense of satisfaction.

"I must've acquired at least 20,000 Exp... I wonder how much I'd receive for a D class dungeon boss or higher." Dante mused. However, considering the ordeal he had just endured with this boss, he understood that he needed to become even stronger to face a mightier adversary.

"But, System, why assign a quest to kill a founding goblin? Having the dungeon boss as a quest would be much more worthwhile," Dante queried the system, unable to comprehend its logic.

"The quest involving the founding goblin serves to familiarize you with the process. Issuing a quest with a low likelihood of you perishing holds little meaning," came the system's response.

Dante found himself torn between laughter and tears upon hearing the second sentence.

Following this, he allocated one stat point to his Strength and the remaining two to his Vitality. This boosted his Health to 130, a precautionary measure to withstand a powerful blow from a creature stronger than the two-headed ogre.

Despite the apparent simplicity of his stats, he found it intriguing that he could still dispatch an F class dungeon boss. He set aside these musings for the moment, rising to retrieve a set of clothes from his inventory. This was a scenario he had foreseen.

Taking off his mask, he scrutinized it, his dark eyes mirrored in its surface.

"If it weren't for this, that last attack would have been the end of me."

After donning the clothes, Dante made his way to a portal standing nearby. He couldn't ascertain how long he'd slept, but the fact that the portal remained indicated he still had ample time.