Chapter 441: Abyss Difficulty Shadow Den [2]
While heading to the end of the Shadow Den, Leon encountered [Shadow Brutes], massive hulking creatures with fists the size of boulders, their bodies covered in jagged spikes that seemed to absorb the light around them.
A single [Eclipse Annihilation] reduced them to dust, their forms crumbling before they could even get close.
He faced [Dark Wisps], ethereal beings that floated through the air like ghosts, their touch siphoning away life force with every contact.
But the [Ultimate Darkness Barrier] made it impossible for them to get near him.
Hour after hour passed, Leon carving through every monster that dared approach him.
His new skills proved their worth time and again as he pushed deeper into the heart of the Shadow Den, his Combat Power steadily rising as he consumed the essences that dropped, his strength growing with each kill.
He managed to surpass 11,500,000 Combat Power after killing hundreds of monsters as a result.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of fighting, Leon emerged into a massive chamber, its walls lined with towering pillars of shadow that seemed to stretch endlessly toward the ceiling.
And there, in the center of the chamber, coiled like a serpent waiting to strike, was the boss of the Shadow Den.
A creature so massive that its body seemed to fill the entire room, its scales gleaming with an oily blackness that seemed to drink in the light itself.
Its eyes were fixed on Leon with an intelligence that spoke of centuries of existence.
---
[Shadowscale Serpent (Boss)]
[Level: 100]
[Talent: King of Darkness (S-Level), Mega Poison Resistance (S-Level)]
[Combat Power: 11,000,000]
[Details: A fearsome serpent that has lurked in the shadows for centuries, its scales are said to be impenetrable, and its venom can kill even the strongest of warriors in seconds, it is the undisputed ruler of the Shadow Den.]
---
Leon took a deep breath, a wide grin spreading across his face as he tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes locked onto the massive creature before him.
"Alright," he said, his voice filled with anticipation, "Let’s end this."
Hiss!
The Shadowscale Serpent hissed loudly as it stared at Leon, its massive form coiling and uncoiling with barely contained aggression.
This was the very first intruder who had managed to reach it in a long time, and it was eager to test its strength against this newcomer.
It was actually incredibly bored, having spent countless centuries in the oppressive darkness of the Shadow Den with nothing but its own thoughts for company, but the darkness was the only thing bringing it peace, so it didn’t mind staying there in its solitude.
But now that a new prey had arrived, something fresh and interesting, it would do anything it could to devour it and savor the thrill of the hunt once more.
The first thing it did was release poisonous venom all over the chamber, a thick, noxious mist that spread through the air like a creeping fog, knowing that anyone who breathe it for too long would be knocked out and rendered helpless.
But Leon still had his B-Rank [Strong Poison Resistance] to protect him from such attacks.
Of course, the serpent’s venom was much stronger than Leon’s resistance, meaning it wouldn’t last for long before it overwhelmed him.
But at least he wasn’t instantly killed by the initial burst, buying him precious time to act.
Realizing that its venom attack didn’t work as intended, the serpent decided to go for a direct physical assault instead.
It lunged forward with surprising speed for its massive size, only to bump into the shimmering barrier that surrounded Leon, not even making it crack.
In fact, it was the serpent itself that was injured, as some of the damage was countered back toward it, its own force rebounding against it with equal intensity.
Leon and the Shadowscale Serpent were equal in terms of Combat Power, and even if they excluded skills from the equation, there was one simple reason why this fight would be so one-sided: Essence of Darkness.
The serpent’s darkness sub-talent was S-Level, impressive by any standard, while Leon’s was SSS-Level, a difference so vast that they weren’t even comparable.
The gap in mastery over the shadows were making the serpent’s attacks feel almost childish in comparison.
The boss tried everything it could over the next minute: releasing more venom in a desperate attempt to overwhelm Leon’s resistance, attacking over and over with its massive body, letting out a jet of pure darkness from its mouth that could have consumed lesser beings whole.
And yet nothing worked, the [Ultimate Darkness Barrier] holding firm against every assault.
"Alright, my turn now," Leon smiled as his blade with aura, the weapon glowing with an intensity that seemed to push back the very shadows around them.
And the moment it saw that light, the Shadowscale Serpent immediately knew it was dead, its ancient instincts screaming at it to flee, but there was nowhere to go.
Eclipse Annihilation!
Due to the full evolution of the skill, the range was actually quite wide now, allowing Leon to use it even from this distance without needing to close the gap.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
And of course, within the first second of using it, the slashes instantly cut through the serpent, each strike carving through its impenetrable scales like they were made of paper, killing it in one-shot before it could even register what had happened.
Ding!
[You have killed "Shadowscale Serpent (Boss)" and gained...]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
"Nice," Leon said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
He opened his storage space and examined the loot, his eyes scanning each item with practiced efficiency, taking note of everything that had dropped.
[Shadowscale Serpent Essence: Consuming will increase Agility by 10,000 and Constitution by 7,000.]
[Shadowfang Dagger (Epic): +25,000 Attack Power, +20,000 Agility. A dagger coated in the venom of the Shadowscale Serpent.]
[Shadowscale Amulet (Legendary): +30,000 Spirit, +25,000 Constitution. An amulet crafted from the heart of the Shadowscale Serpent.]
[x30 Skill Stones]
[x25 Enhancement Stones]
[Sub-Talent Scroll: King of Darkness (S-Level), Mega Poison Resistance (S-Level)]
"Holy hell, that’s actually... really good," Leon murmured, genuinely impressed by the haul.
These items were actually very good, especially the amulet, as Leon immediately equipped it around his neck by removing the [Elemental Necklace (Mythical)] and storing it away for later use.
’I’ll give it to Emilia,’ he thought, knowing she would benefit greatly from the spirit boost.
Nobody in his team uses daggers so the [Shadowfang Dagger] was useless for now, but who knows, as it was still powerful and could be sold or traded for something more useful.
Leon then consumed the monster essence and stored the skill stones and enhancement stones for later use, adding them to his growing collection.
Nom!
[+10,000 Agility, +7,000 Constitution.]
And finally, he poured his mana into the Mega Poison Resistance sub-talent scroll to learn it, the energy integrating with his body.
Ding!
[Your "Strong Poison Resistance (B-Level)" has evolved to "Mega Poison Resistance (S-Level")]
[Mega Poison Resistance (S-Level): Able to resist up to high-level poisons, your body will naturally reject them before they can cause serious harm.]
At least he earned such a sub-talent from this excursion in addition to all the combat power, which was good and would serve him well in future battles.
The fact he could defeat such a boss so easily was very good news to Leon, a sign of his growing strength and the effectiveness of his new skills.
In fact, even a 15,000,000 Combat Power boss like the Vessel of War would die in one-shot if Leon used one of his skills against it, a testament to how far he had come.
And yet, despite all this progress, a nagging feeling persisted in the back of his mind.
’Not enough,’ Leon thought, his expression darkening, ’The Requiem Guild is too strong and the Level 6 Monster Tide is coming, I need more, much more.’
A portal appeared right beside the corpse of the Shadowscale Serpent, its surface shimmering with a soft white light, and Leon took it without hesitation.
After all, he still had to go through the Shadow Den dungeon in Nightmare difficulty to gain the most amount of items and combat power possible before the Monster Tide arrived.