Phase Two

Sidius sprinted as fast as he could without consuming his mana, preserving it for what lay ahead.

In the chaotic chase, the fiery ape wreaked havoc, crushing and uprooting trees in its pursuit, flinging them towards the agile man.

However, Sidius skillfully evaded each tree hurtling his way.

Pliero and Lumia followed Sidius's lead, launching arrows and unleashing magic spells at the fiery ape. But despite their valiant efforts, the beast appeared unfazed, its sole focus set on catching Sidius.

After minutes of dodging, Sidius found himself cornered at the edge of a dense forest, with a perilous high cliff looming ahead.

Realizing escape was futile, he came to a halt. A surge of determination welled up within him as he prepared for a head-on confrontation, tightly gripping his dagger.

"If that's the case, let's battle it out you ugly monkey," he resolved inwardly, bracing himself for the coming clash. "It's either to hunt or be hunted."

The fiery ape made a smug face and lunged at him, attempting to strike with its hand like a hammer.

Sidius expertly executed the 'Tam step' to evade, swiftly moving forward to launch his own counterattack.

Holding his dagger, he aimed for the ape's neck, but the creature's other hand intercepted the blow, inflicting injury upon its hand instead.

"Tch," Sidius grimaced in frustration, swiftly leaping off the ape's shoulder. He knew that without landing a critical hit, his chances of survival were slim.

As he landed on the ground, Sidius noticed Pliero and Lumia who was focused on watching his battle.

"Attack him while he's occupied on beating the shit out of me!" he commanded, urging them into action.

Both of them instantly grasped the plan, engaging the fiery ape from different angles. Their combined assault showcased their remarkable skills, making for a breathtaking display of teamwork.

As the intense battle persisted, Sidius evaded, blocked, and countered flawlessly, while Pliero and Lumia unleashed a continuous barrage of skills, inflicting damage on the fiery ape.

Time passed and Sidius found himself on the brink of exhaustion, both physically and in terms of mana. In contrast, the boss' health remained substantially unaffected, not even reaching the halfway point.

'If only the One Heart Tree had already borne its fruit, I'd stand a chance... Should I wait for it to bloom?' Sidius pondered, frustration evident in his thoughts. 'No, my death will come first If I waited for that.'

'Do I really need to use Outburst?'

'Is there really no other way?'

His mind raced with potential solutions as he continued to evade and attack the colossal fiery ape.

Eventually, they managed to deplete its health, reducing it to half.

"ROOAARR!"

Upon losing half of its health, the fiery ape tapped into its hidden reservoir of power, amplifying its movements and attacks.

It sprang high into the air, attempting to crush Sidius with an overwhelming force.

Seeing this, Sidius complained while gritting his teeth as he confronted the beast.

"Do all bosses have a phase two?!" he hissed, shaking his head as he deftly executed the 'Tam step' to dodge the impending crushing blow. "Persistent beast!"

'Should I use Outburst? But I haven't done proper research about that skill. I might really lose my mind the second time.'

Suddenly, he remembered something.

'How can I forget about that,' he muttered, a wide smile forming in his face.

Having settled on a plan, Sidius reached into his expansion bag and retrieved the only potions available. He dashed towards the cliff's edge, knowing full well that the fiery ape was relentlessly pursuing him.

'Good, I still have its attention,' Sidius smiled.

As he approached the edge of the high cliff, he summoned all his strength and leaped upward with unparalleled vigor. The daring move would either lead to his victory or his demise.

Lumia's eyes widened in shock, taken aback by Sidius' bravery as he leaped from the high cliff. On the other hand, Pliero grinned, knowing that Sidius was planning something.

With the fiery ape relentlessly pursuing him, Sidius boldly turned to face it and threw the sticky potions he had retrieved from his expansion bag.

He had originally packed these potions as a precaution against ambushes during camping, but he never imagined he'd put them to use in such an unexpected manner.

Upon impact, the sticky potions burst on the fiery ape's body, catching it off guard. The beast struggled to maintain its footing and it slid perilously close to the cliff's edge.

Realizing that it had fallen by Sidius' trick, the fiery ape let out a thunderous roar that could shatter a normal person's eardrums. Then, it helplessly tumbled over the cliff with its face-first towards the ground below.

Up in the air, Sidius felt the weight returning to his body as gravity pulled him downward.

Clutching his dagger and covering it with his remaining mana, he descended rapidly with the weapon poised in front of him.

- WHOOOOOSH!

The planet's gravitational pull combined with his downward momentum, impaled the fiery ape upon touching the ground. The force of the impact, amplified by the precision of Sidius' attack, proved fatal. The demonic beast commander was finally dead.

Meanwhile, using the fiery ape as a shield, Sidius lessend the damage to his own body by several folds, but he still felt the strain of the battle.

After the intense struggle, Sidius lay on his back. He gazed upward when a holographic visual announcement materialized before him.

[Dungeon Notice: You have killed the Guardian— Fiery Ape.]

[Dungeon Notice: You have cleared the Dungeon— Fiery Mist.]

'This dungeon really feels like it's not an F rank dungeon. It was worth clearing it.'

"So I cleared the infamous Fiery Mist, huh?" he muttered under his breath, too exhausted to even jump in joy.

Looking up above while lying at the body of the fiery ape, Sidius saw Pliero and Lumia looking down on him with relieved expressions.

"Come down here!" Sidius yelled at them before positioning himself into a sitting position for rest.