The Final Raid

When Bob was back in his Green Zone, he opened his stats and upgraded his level to 12.

[Level 11 -> Level 12]

[Strength increased by 1 Agility increased by 1 Vitality increased by 1]

[You have gained 1 bonus point]

Bob wanted to be 100% certain that he could defeat the Boss, so he allocated the bonus point to Strength.

[Strength increased by 1]

Bob then started his usual training routine, but this time he was a bit more nervous. After all, the sixth raid was coming, and there was a high probability it would include a Boss. If it didn't, Bob would be deeply disappointed and forced to find another candidate. Adding to his irritation was the fact that he couldn't draw blood from the raids since his core was already at 100%, making it feel like a huge waste.

After finishing his training, Bob earned his usual 540 XP.

He headed to the tunnel entrance, but to his surprise, far fewer people were present than usual.

-- --

Night Sun had suffered heavy losses in the fifth raid—over 200 people had died. This threw the survivors into a panic, and many refused to fight in the raids anymore, fearing for their lives.

There were signs of rebellion, and it even seemed like Night Sun might fall apart. Condor then organized a public event, which most of the survivors attended. There, he showcased his rhetorical skills, managing to convince nearly everyone. Condor had wanted Bob to attend the event, but given the chaos, he didn't have time to invite him.

In the end, most of the dissenters calmed down, and 200 survivors decided they would fight in the raid.

-- --

Bob joined his usual group of six. He noticed that one of the commanders was different; the previous one had died during the last raid, something Bob hadn't been informed about.

Condor, with a tired face, greeted Bob and told him all the latest updates. Bob wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he would earn fewer coins weekly due to fewer participants. On the other hand, if Night Sun ever decided to turn against him, there would be fewer opponents, and dealing with the situation overall would be easier.

Bob couldn't tell if Condor or even Night Sun as a whole would survive this raid. He pushed these thoughts aside, wanting to keep his mind sharp for the Boss.

The group of six barely spoke to each other, and the atmosphere remained tense. Bob drew his sword from his inventory and waited.

[Raid of the Sixth Day begins]

The familiar, thunderous stomping of monsters echoed from the tunnel, signalling the beginning of the sixth raid. Bob tightened his grip on his sword, his sharp eyes scanning the darkened passage. The tension among the six was palpable, but there was no time for hesitation.

The first wave poured out of the tunnel: dozens of wolf-like creatures with glowing red eyes and sharp fangs. They were faster and more coordinated than anything Bob had faced before, but he stayed calm.

Charging forward, Bob moved with deadly precision, cutting through the pack like a hot knife through butter. His enhanced Strength and Agility allowed him to dispatch each monster with a single, fluid strike.

The second wave arrived immediately after—a mix of flying creatures and heavily armoured beasts. The Night Sun soldiers around him struggled, their inexperience showing as they hesitated or fumbled their attacks. Bob, however, remained a whirlwind of destruction, systematically targeting weak points and dispatching enemies.

Just as the last of the second wave fell, the ground began to shake violently. A deep, guttural roar echoed from the tunnel, sending a wave of fear through everyone present.

From the darkness emerged a monstrous, hulking figure. The boss was almost three times taller than a human, and its body was a grotesque mixture of stone and blackened flesh; little did its humanoid body shape resemble a human; it had one normal arm, and the other arm was in the form of a blade. His glowing yellow eyes fixed on Bob and he let out another deafening roar that made some of the soldiers drop their weapons and run.

[Boss: Tunnel Overlord]

[48 watchers have high expectations from Boss]

Rod and commanders barked orders, trying to rally the troops, but most of them were paralyzed with fear. Only Bob and a handful of others stood their ground. Bob assessed the creature's movements and noticed its thick, stone-like hide.

The Boss lunged forward, swinging a blade arm with terrifying speed. Bob dodged by a hair's breadth, the wind from the swing nearly knocking him off balance. He deflected with a powerful blow that was aimed at the creature's knee; when Bob's sword hit his knee, it left a gash, but it wasn't very big.

The Boss wasted no time and struck Bob in the sides with his blade arm, causing Bob to cough up some blood.

[-90 HP]

Condor, standing behind Bob, conjured four blue flaming spears from his hand. The spears were automatically guided toward the Boss's head. The Boss growled irritably and momentarily turned its attention to Condor.

Bob seized the opportunity and plunged his sword deep into the Boss's chest. It seemed to hurt the Boss significantly. From the Boss's chest, a one-meter-long arm emerged, launching Bob into the wall of the tunnel.

[-120 HP]

Bob lay against the cracked tunnel wall, covered in blood, with only 30 HP remaining. Quickly getting back on his feet, his entire body trembled and emitted unnatural sounds.

Meanwhile, the Night Sun soldiers had regained their composure. The mages and archers began firing skills and arrows. The Boss glanced at them, and stone-like spikes, which pulsed strangely, appeared around its body. It launched them into the group of soldiers, resulting in screams and explosions.

The Boss then approached Bob, but by the time it got close, Bob had already prepared a charge attack, throwing the Boss to the other side of the tunnel. A moment of silence followed before the soldiers and survivors erupted in cheers.

But what they failed to notice—and what Bob realized—was the absence of a system message confirming the quest's completion. This meant the Boss was still alive.

Bob still had an ace up his sleeve: the Black Cloak. With great effort, he stood up and headed toward the Boss's location.

Despite his injuries, Bob felt neither pain nor discomfort. He felt only endless excitement and an unyielding drive to fight, thanks to the Earrings of Wrath.

As Bob got within a few steps of the Boss, it began to move. Without hesitation, Bob activated his Shadow Cloak.

The Boss crawled out of the hole in the wall, struggling to stand.

Bob reached it unnoticed and drove his sword deep into its back. No one even realized what had happened.

[55 watchers are jubilant and state that after an eternity they have come together to watch a thrilling fight]

[40 watches donated coins]

[+9000 coins]

[Congratulations, you survived the Raid of the Sixth Day]

[Congratulations, you have completed the quest]

[+1000 coins]

[Congratulations! you killed the Boss: Tunnel Overlord]

[+9 bonus points]

[+10,000 XP]

[+50,000 coins]

Bob began to shake uncontrollably and laughed out loud. He wanted to remain undercover, but he couldn't contain himself. Most of the soldiers turned to look at him.

'Hey Bob, we don't have time to celebrate.' Remo quickly intervened.

Remo then explained to Bob how to perform the ritual, and Bob got to work.