Silas stood before the hollow steel gate of the chamber. The scent of rust and rotting moisture in the air gave signs of danger.
He exhaled slowly and glanced at the glowing screen in front of his two eyes—stat screen was floating in air.
[Stat Points Available: 36]
[Allocating…]
[Strength: E → D-]
[Agility: E → D+]
[Intellect: C- → D-]
The moment he confirmed the changes, a sharp tingle suddenly surged inside of his body. His body started to feel lighter, sharper.
His vision cleared just a bit more, and the dull ache in his muscles from the fight with the Direfang faded away.
"Time to finish this shit-ass dungeon already." He muttered under his breath, cracking his knuckles.
The dungeon door creaked open, its sound echoing in the dungeon. A gust of wind filled with dirt rose, foul-smelling air greeted him.
He slowly stepped inside of the boss-chamber.
The chamber was enormously big, its ceiling lost in darkness. The floor was slick with stagnant water, shallow pools reflecting green amoeba which was clinging to stone pillars.
Coiled at the center of the room was the boss.
The Hollowmaw Serpent.
A scaled leviathan at least twenty meters long, its body glistening with dark oil-like sheen.
There were some cracks in its body which were releasing some venomous vapors that stung the eyes.
Rough bones ran down its back, and its fanged mouth was gaped unnaturally wide—hollow and ringed with piranhian teeth that churned like the drills.
The moment Silas stepped closer, the system chimed.
[Boss Detected: Hollowmaw Serpent — E-Rank Threat]
[Scanning for Weaknesses…]
[Weak spots: underside of jaw, glowing glands near the throat.]
[Avoid venom spray.]
[Weak to rapid movement.]
[Recommended Strategy: Stay mobile. Use terrain. Target glands when exposed.]
"Rapid movement, huh?" A quick smirk formed on Silas' face. "Then I guess this came at the perfect time."
He opened his inventory and pulled out the D-rank skill book which he obtained after defeating the Direfang.
[You have learned a new skill: Step Shift (D-Rank)]
[Step Shift: Basic footwork technique that temporarily enhances mobility. Increases dodge efficiency and directional control. Duration: 8 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.]
'It's not one of the best stuff out there, but in fight like this? It would be perfect.'
The Hollowmaw stirred again—this time slowly rising. Its head loomed above Silas like a towering figure, eyes slit and glowing a bit, hungry orange.
It hissed, then it struck.
Silas dodged, narrowly avoiding the serpent's crushing lunge as its maw shattered the stone floor on which Silas was standing.
He activated STEP SHIFT, and his body blurred instantly. His feet felt like they were dancing—each motion became quicker as time passed, more responsive.
He slid under its tail swipe, twisted his body a bit and dashed toward one of the moss-lit pillars to take cover.
The serpent turned—too slow to follow behind.
"I see…" Silas said, gritting his teeth a bit. "You're big… but still dumb."
With a quick feint, he darted out from behind the pillar, using the serpent's turning delay to aim a PIERCING THRUST directly at its glowing gland.
The blade sank in even deeper, and the serpent recoiled a bit, letting out a loud screech that shook the entire chamber.
Green venom sprayed out of its wound, hissing against the stone.
"System, how's my mana right now?" Silas asked.
[Mana: 56/80]
[Cooldown: Step Shift – 12 seconds remaining]
"Hmm… it's good enough for now, I have a plan in my mind." He dashed forward as he said that.
The Hollowmaw lashed toward Silas again, and this time Silas couldn't avoid its strike at all, it sent him crashing into a wall, which was hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs.
Pain started to explode through his ribs.
He groaned, staggered back to his feet, blood started dripping out from his mouth through his lips.
"Ugh… still standing, will win this. No matter what happens."
The serpent came for another charge.
[Cooldown: Step Shift – Ready]
He smirked.
The serpent lunged—and Silas exploded into motion, using STEP SHIFT mid-sprint.
He reached towards the coming body of serpent, flipped over the wet stone and landed just before it exploded.
"Now!"
He smirked.
He thrust again. Piercing Thrust landed dead center.
The serpent fell, twisting violently in its death moment. It slammed into the wall, the impact of it made the debris fall down.
Then it fell on the ground, its hollow maw twitched few times, then never.
Silence fell into the chamber.
Then—
[Dungeon Boss Defeated: Hollowmaw Serpent]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 20]
[Stat Points Gained: +45]
[Bonus Reward: Dungeon Clear Chest Available]
Silas dropped to the floor, on his knees panting for air.
Sweat ran down his temple, his arms started to tremble, and his vision blurred out from the exhaustion—but he was still alive.
"Holy shit…" he took a deep breath. "I'm still alive, and I fucking did it."
The chamber, which once was filled with loud noises of battle was now all silent.
He stared at the serpent's corpse, steam started rising from its wounds, and chuckled softly. "Not so scary now, are you"
A glowing chest shimmered into existence near the center of the room, golden light was coming out of it.
But Silas didn't rush towards it, not yet.
He sat there for a while, staring up at the dark ceiling, chest rising up and down because of loud heartbeat.