Chapter 61: True Boss
[Name: Asher Aetheldawn.]
[Rank: SSS-Rank.]
[Class: [Unknown].]
[Physique [2]: Sword Body - Celestial-Tier. Shadow-Body - Heaven-Tier.]
[Agility: 122,000 (+20,000).]
[Energy: 123,000 (+20,000).]
[Defense: 140,000 (+40,000).]
[Health Point: 123,000 (+20,000).]
[Physical Attack: 141,000 (+40,000).]
[Magical Attack: 141,000 (+40,000).]
[Skills: [Killing Intent] - Celestial-Tier. [Sword Of Proficiency] - Celestial-Tier. [Soul Defense] - Divine-Tier. [Judgement Strike] - Divine-Tier. [Sword Sovereign] - Divine-Tier. [Shadow Force] - Heaven-Tier. [Flash] - Heaven-Tier. [Soul Linked] - Heaven-Tier. [Shadow Merge] - Divine-Tier. [Shadow Gaze] - Divine-Tier.]
[Resistance: +50% Resistance To Elemental.]
"In just thirty minutes, I have reached the peak... Is this what it means having a system?" He thought. The numbers on the glowing interface were almost incomprehensible.
Asher would never have believed he could reach this rank in the past, mainly due to his poor talent, and situation, but now, he was amongst the peak powerhouses. The days of suffering in the shadows of the Starfire family felt like a distant nightmare. He had effectively been reborn, shedding his mortal limitations to claim the true weight of the Aetheldawn name.
If before he could kill SSS-RANK, while being a B-Rank, who in the world could face him? He possessed the stats of a demigod, layered with absolute immunities and Divine-Tier skills, he was invincible.
Asher thought.
"Hey! I heard something in that cave!!"
"Really??! It must be that guy, let’s check it out!!"
"Don’t forget we’re in a dungeon, it could be a monster too."
Asher paused, listening to the sound outside the cave: ’Alright... Time to hunt.’
The voices of the mercenaries broke through the whistling wind. They thought they had cornered prey, completely unaware that the hierarchy of the food chain had just violently inverted.
Darkness rose from his feet, and in seconds, he entered stealth, watching as his armor increased his stats by 50%.
Asher stood at the side, as the five men rushed inside the cave, moving their gazes around but still couldn’t see him. The Divine-Tier stealth operated on a conceptual level, completely erasing his presence from their senses.
’Three A-Rank, and two S-Rank.’ He thought, analyzing their auras with analytical detachment.
"I thought you said you heard something?" A muscular man asked, staring deeper into the cave, his grip tightening on his weapon.
"Did he escape through this tunnel?" He added, pointing at the cave depths where the shadows grew unnaturally thick.
"Maybe!! Let’s check it out!!"
Asher stared at the five, who rushed past him, entering deeper into the cave. Their footsteps echoed loudly against the stone, a death march they had willingly volunteered for.
’These guys.’ He opened his palm, as the devil Tower key appeared:
"I already accomplished my goal, now, I will get rid of each one of you by using others’ blades." Why risk dirtying his hands when he held the power to alter the very fabric of the dungeon itself?
WHOOSH!
A red keyhole appeared before him, emanating an unknown energy. It floated in mid-air, a tear in the dimensional space pulsing with ancient, forbidden magic. Asher exhaled, placed the key, and Activated it.
BOOOOM!!!
The whole realm trembled violently, stunning everyone present. The ice beneath his boots cracked, and the cavern walls groaned under an immense, sudden atmospheric pressure. From the entrance, a red glow descended, covering the whole white snowy landscape in red. Asher walked towards the exit, staring at the bloodred sun above them. The frozen wasteland had transformed into a vision of hell.
[Warning Players - A Third party has mutated the dungeon.]
[Dungeon Has been upgraded to SS-RANK.]
[All exits have been sealed.]
[More Bosses have appeared.]
[Kill the new true Boss to return the dungeon to its normal rank.]
[Note: All Players suffered a 20% reduction in their stats, and Abilities’ damage, defense and range.]
Asher raised an eyebrow, he felt nothing:
{Master created the Devil ground, all debuffs have no effect on Master.}
{Master Gained 30% in all stats, and Abilities.}
’Oh, I actually got stronger... Nice.’ Asher smirked, acknowledging the brutal efficiency of the System’s mechanics. He was the architect of this slaughterhouse.
{Devil Ground Timer: 2 days, 59 hours, 59 minutes, 21 seconds.}
’Count down, I can’t stay here for two days, Dungeon time is synced with real world time... I can’t leave those three for three whole days, which is why I told Tang I’ll return in the evening... Seems I will have to kill the Boss.’
His newly awakened power hadn’t erased his humanity; the promise he made to his wives—the need to return to his family—remained his absolute priority.
"AHHHH!!!"
"How come there is such a powerful Boss here?!!!"
"Run!!!"
Asher walk out of the cave, and stood some distance away, watching as the five men ran out from the entrance. Their previous arrogance was entirely gone, replaced by blind, primal terror.
GRAAAAAA!!!!
A roar sounded from inside, and a gigantic white bear standing 5 meters tall, with red ice spikes all over its body, emerged, its gaze fixed on the five. The A-Rank monster he had casually slaughtered earlier was a mere cub compared to this SS-Rank behemoth.
GRAAAA!!!
It smashed its claws into the ground, and the next moment, red ice spikes burst out from the ground, instantly surrounding them, including Asher, sealing all their exits. The massive glacial pillars functioned like a cage match arena, locking the prey in with the predator. He raised an eyebrow, and turned to the monster to analyze its profile.
[Name: Ice spikes Bear.]
[Class: Normal Boss.]
[Rank: SS-Rank.]
[Agility: 90,000.]
[Energy: 100,000.]
[Defense: 150,000.]
[Health Point: 200,000.]
[Physical Attack: 100,000.]
[Magical Attack: 50,000.]
[Skill: Summon Ice spikes, sealing the targets: Ice spikes siphon energy from those sealed.]
".....?"
He turned to the ice spikes, a slight frown on his face, waiting to feel the drain on his colossal energy reserves:
{As long as Master is in the Devil ground, Normal Boss’s abilities won’t affect you.}
’This system is getting better by the day.’ He stared at the group of men, waiting, perfectly content to watch the LitRPG mechanics tear his enemies apart.
"We can’t escape!! We have to kill it!!" The SS-RANK stepped forward, as a long sword, shield, and armor appeared on him, his survival instincts overriding his fear:
"Coordinate your attack-- huh?"
He was stunned, watching as his energy instantly depleted into half. The red hue of the spikes pulsed hungrily, drinking the spirit energy straight from his core.
"Why did I lose my energy?" He asked in shock, his powerful aura flickering and dimming.
"Shit!! We can’t use skills or equipment that consume high amounts of Energy... And this Boss is also Siphoning it." The SS-RANK Mage said, pointing his staff at the Boss, his hands trembling as he realized their magic was being choked out.
"Are you saying we can’t do anything other than wait for death?!" An Assassin yelled at the two SS-RANK, the reality of the mutation breaking his spirit.
"We can defeat this Boss, but it can passively siphon our energy... We will be drained before even scratching its defense!" The Knight yelled at them, attempting to rally a doomed party.
GRAAAA!!!
The Bear roared, and lunged forward, moving with speed that defied its massive bulk.
"Here it comes!! Knight Shield!!"
A huge shield appeared before the SS-RANK Awakened’s shield, planning on stopping the Boss Attack. It was a desperate, energy-drained defense.
GRAAAA!
The Boss stopped before him, raised both hands, and smashed down on the shield with the full, unfettered might of 100,000 Physical Attack.
BOOM!!
The whole shield shattered, and with one clash, the SS-RANK Knight was reduced to paste.
"...?!!!"
Asher watched the gruesome display from the shadows, his expression completely blank as the true horrors of the Devil Ground were unleashed.