Chapter 21:Blood Mother: Battling with blood puppet

'Blood Mother', it was the name of the last monster that acted as the Boss of this Dungeon. 

I looked at the door made up of gold, without any mark left on it by the passage of time. There was no bloodied maw ready to kill me, nor there was a strong smell of blood that hinted at the presence of the boss of this dungeon.

" Had it already been killed?"

I had questions in my mind but, it didn't seem so as I hadn't gotten any notification regarding the clearance of the Dungeon even after staying in the dungeon for three hours while meditating and recovering myself.

Creak….

I opened the door, and looked inside, trying to find the boss monster that might be somewhere inside the chamber behind this door. 

Greenery, I saw greenery in this chamber. It felt like this chamber wasn't supposed to be here in the first place, but due to the play of fate, it was forced to remain inside the chamber, never to see the world beyond the door, it was trapped by.

Even my mind was feeling refreshed, it didn't look like I was inside the dungeon filled with bloodied monsters that were out there to hunt.

The more I felt my mind being refreshed the more nervous I became, "Why did I enter this freaking dungeon all by myself?". I had nearly started cussing my ancestors if there were any.

I was feeling fear, that fear stemmed from the unknown because this wasn't the situation I had in my mind when opening the door.

Blood, the pool of blood that would send chills down the spines of even those who had been in the field as adventurers for a long time, that was the scenery I had on my mind as I opened the door to this chamber. But the contrast between reality and what I had on my mind gave me a greater fright. No one in the right mind would think about lush green vegetation sitting serenely in the cathedral filled with blood and bloodthirsty monsters.

 Instead of the expected horror of blood-soaked walls and malevolent creatures, what greeted me was a surreal scene of lush greenery. Vines cascaded from the ceiling, weaving intricate patterns around ancient stone pillars adorned with vibrant blooms. The air was filled with the scent of earth and life, a stark contrast to the scent of blood and death that permeated this cathedral.

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Monster: Blood Mother

Tier: 1(Elite)

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"Should I enter the chamber or not?" I questioned myself, still lacking confidence in my ability to leave this place alive if something went wrong. My mind screamed at me, urging me not to enter the chamber at any cost. It was frustrating, as I had no other choice but to defeat the boss if I wanted to leave the dungeon. However, my mind, filled with fear and panic, made it difficult to ignore the hesitation.

But, I just couldn't sit here for eternity. I had to take a step forward and battle the monster that was waiting for me inside the chamber that was in stark contrast to the exterior.

Woosh...

As I entered the chamber, my nostrils were filled with the floral scent of lavender, a soothing aroma that seemed to penetrate my very being, filling my pores with tranquility. The atmosphere hummed with awe and reverence as I beheld the wonder of magic unfolding before me.

There, amidst the surreal scene of lush greenery inside the chamber, I saw a beautiful fairy quietly nestled in the crystalline tree that stood rooted right in the middle of the chamber, in stark contrast to the monsters lurking below.

The fairy possessed a body tinted in shades of green, its form protected by a translucent membrane that shimmered softly in the lush greenery surrounding it. A single scarlet red pearl adorned its forehead, adding a wild and mystical vibe that accentuated its ethereal beauty.

As the fairy breathed, it would gently exhale a swirling red mist in the air, a manifestation of its essence that danced momentarily before being absorbed by the crystalline tree it was nestled upon. It was a mesmerizing sight that nearly enslaved my soul.

Pak...Pak…

I regained my consciousness after slapping myself as hard as I could. The thundering sound of my slap reverberated in the chamber, waking the fairy in the crystalline tree up.

I gawked as I looked toward the crystal tree that started creaking and twisting as if its deep slumber had been disturbed by some puny mortal. The scenery around me rapidly turned red, reminiscent of scarlet blood that had been refined for millennia, as if reminding me of the authority of the entity that was slumbering here.

Crack...

The tree finally cracked, bursting out with a river of blood that was the deepest shade of red I had ever seen. The greenery had already changed into scarlet red, with the fairy floating while looking toward me with bright eyes that interchanged between the shade of light green and scarlet red.

Its expression changed from serene to that of ferocity, as if it couldn't control itself. It looked like it was getting corrupted by something that it couldn't control or get rid of. Finally, its expression fixated on that of extreme ferocity.

"Human... Why have you come to my castle?" Its voice changed from enchanting to hoarse, as if there were two entities trying to gain control over this body. The body that was filled with vitality had turned into withered, devoid of any vitality or blood.

"Human... Why have you come to my castle?" it repeated, its voice now totally hoarse, as if somebody was grating iron right beside my ear.

"Human... So you want war!! You shall get one."

I didn't have any idea what it was talking about right now.

And what war?

"Weren't we already at war after I entered this dungeon and killed all the monsters that you were ruling over?" I mean, everyone who entered the dungeon was here with the intention to kill the monsters or get killed by them while battling. There wasn't a need to let me know about the war we were going to be battling in any way.

"Rise, my minions. Kill the intruder in the name of this lord."

It swirled its now withered hands in the air, chanting some indecipherable words that seemed to be doing wonders, as I could feel the ground below me shaking and getting covered in cracks as if something was going to rise from beneath.

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Roar...

The abomination of a monster burst forth from the floor inlaid with concrete with a thunderous crash, its massive form soaring through the air before crashing down in front of me.

What stood before me was a creature of nightmares, its grotesque features sending shivers down my spine. Its most striking aspect was its bloodied maw, unnaturally wide and devoid of any facial features, positioned grotesquely on its stomach. The monster in front of me was a grotesque amalgamation, as if someone had taken the remnants of fairies I had encountered before and pieced them together into this monstrous puppet. The wings, once delicate and ethereal, were now tattered and torn, adding to the creature's horrifying visage.

Its eyes were lifeless but the bloodlust it emanated had been multiplied by several folds if we compare the bloodlust emanated by the fairies I had encountered and killed prior to coming here.

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Monster: Blood Puppet

Tier: 1(Uncommon)

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"Kill the intruder." 

As soon as the withered fairy above me ordered the abomination to attack, it lunged towards me with frightening speed. Its unnaturally wide mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth gleaming with malice and hunger.

Instinct took over as I dodged its first lunge, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. The air around us crackled with energy, the tension so thick it was almost suffocating. I knew I had to stay focused, anticipate its next move, and react swiftly.

This was the moment when my rune, the 'Rune of Insight' came to my aid, providing me with invaluable insights on how to battle the abomination in front of me. It revealed to me the creature's weaknesses that I could exploit, granting me a strategic advantage in the fight.

"I gained insights into the movement of mana within its body, allowing me to observe the body parts heavily fortified by mana, as well as those with the least mana fluctuations."

The abomination roared and charged at me again. This time, I met its attack with a swift sidestep, bringing my sword down in a powerful arc aimed at its exposed flank.

The blade connected with a sickening squelch, slicing through flesh made up of clotted blood. Dark blood spurted from its body, but the abomination seemed unfazed, its monstrous form still attacking me with the same ferocity as earlier.

I danced around its attacks, using the insight provided to me by the 'Rune of Insight' to my advantage. Each strike I made was calculated and exploited the weakness I had known about the monster in front of me, but I was missing several times reminding me of my immaturity with using the Longsword. The abomination was relentless, it was attacking me like a soulless puppet that didn't tire or fear death, but so was I. I was exploiting its weakness and refusing to let fear or exhaustion cloud my judgment.

As we fought, I started getting the upper hand over the abomination in front of me, my attacks were getting decisive, hitting its weakness every time I swung my sword. I was slowly chipping it away from its protective armor made from solidified blood. I battled with the abomination for about an hour but wasn't able to do anything to it. It would regenerate its armor as soon as I was able to destroy it.

Although battling with it had helped me refine my combat arts, I wasn't able to smile as I was already panting, doing my best to control my heavy and somewhat chaotic breathing. I was already at the edge, with my body ready to give up any time.

This battle was the most taxing battle I had ever fought, as I was pushing my body and mind to their limits to devise countermeasures against the monster's relentless attacks. While also aiming my strikes at areas with fewer mana fluctuations to reduce the impact of its assaults, I was finding it challenging to keep myself steady and stop the continuous attacks of the monster, even if just for a short while.

Feeling frustrated, I turned my gaze towards the Blood Mother, still hovering in the sky. It was watching the battle between me and its blood puppet with an amused expression on its weathered face.

"Ah, there it is."

My expression finally relaxed as I noticed something intriguing while observing the 'Blood Mother.' It seemed to be my key to winning this battle against the blood puppet and perhaps even defeating the Blood Mother in the process.