Chapter 15: The Leader's Demise
Kaelen didn't give himself time to rest. Another message was echoing in his mind.
[First Wave creature detected. Type: Leader. Level: 10.]
Kaelen realized that the challenge was far from over. Everything that had happened was just a prelude to the real fight.
The "Leader" wasn't just a bigger version of the previous creatures. When it emerged from the shadows, Kaelen felt a massive pressure weighing on his chest. The creature was much larger, and its bony armor was denser and thicker, even glowing with a faint shimmer of red energy. Its huge hands ended in long, sharp claws, and its red eyes shone with sharp intelligence and absolute ferocity.
The Leader possessed something unique: in its right hand, it held a large, pulsating violet crystal, as if it were the source of its power.
[First Wave creature detected. Type: Leader. Level: 10.][Skill: Energy Shield]
"Energy Shield..." Kaelen muttered to himself. This was the first time he had seen a monster with a special skill. This meant that ordinary crystals wouldn't be enough to take it down. He had to find another way.
The Leader lunged at Kaelen with a powerful and swift blow; it wasn't slow like the other creatures. Kaelen barely dodged it, but he felt the immense pressure of the air wave. A single blow from this creature was enough to end his life.
Kaelen wasn't fighting to win, but to survive. He ran around the cave, dodging powerful blows, searching for any opportunity, any weakness, anything he could exploit. The Leader pursued him relentlessly, and every blow it landed caused the entire cave to shake.
In a moment of desperation, as the Leader was about to deliver a final, fatal blow, Kaelen noticed something. The violet crystal in the Leader's hand would glow with even greater power before each attack, as if it were boosting its strength. This was its weak point!
Kaelen didn't think; he acted on instinct. As the Leader prepared its final strike, Kaelen moved with lightning speed, not towards the creature's body, but towards the hand that held the crystal.
It was a desperate move, but it was the only possible one. Kaelen grabbed the Leader's huge claw with his left hand while using his right hand to directly stab the violet crystal.
The crystal exploded with immense energy, engulfing Kaelen and the Leader in a brilliant purple light. The Leader let out a thunderous roar that shook the entire dungeon. Kaelen fell to the ground, his muscles completely relaxed, as the Leader's massive body collapsed and disintegrated into essential crystals.
[First Wave creature (Type: Leader) eliminated.]
[Quest completed: Clear the Dungeon.]
The Shelter: Another Perspective
At the same time, in the shelter, Emily was sitting at a wooden table, trying to focus on an old book about plants. But her mind was elsewhere. She felt a growing unease, a vague sense of danger increasing with every passing minute since Kaelen left.
"Where did he go?" she muttered to herself, looking at the door behind which Kaelen had disappeared.
Hours had passed since he left. Her heart clenched with every passing minute. She didn't know much about Kaelen, but she felt a sense of security in his presence, and she was beginning to realize he had become her only link to stability in this chaotic world.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Some books fell off the shelves, and panic filled the place. She heard the guards talking loudly. "The purple light above the subway station...!" one of them said, a worried expression on his face. "Do you think it's because of what's happening there?" the other replied.
Emily couldn't take it anymore. Kaelen was out there, and that purple light was a sign that something dangerous had happened. She felt a slight tingling in her healing arm, as if her new ability was urging her to move. She couldn't just sit and wait anymore. She got up and rushed towards one of the guards.
"I need to go to the supply room!" she said in a firm voice, pushing past her fear. "I have to prepare the healing supplies now! If anyone comes back injured, we'll need everything ready! These are orders!"
The guard looked at her face, which was a mix of fear and determination. He remembered that the Commander himself had issued orders to grant her priority access to supplies in emergencies.
The guard hesitated for a moment, then took a step back but didn't let her go completely. "Fine, but don't stray from the corridor. We don't know what's coming after this."
Emily didn't ask for permission again. She turned away from him and hurried towards the supply room. She opened the door with a special card and began to search with sharp eyes for anything that could help her. She had to do something, anything; she couldn't just sit and wait.