Power surged through him—not his own, but Night's, flowing backward through their bond. The shadow warrior's strength, its rage, bleeding into Max.
An aura erupted from Max's body—visible, tangible pressure that oppressively filled the chamber. It slammed into ArchMage_Kira like a hammer.
The mage flinched, actually stumbling backward. His eyes went wide with shock and—unmistakably—fear. His entire body trembled, shaking uncontrollably.
"What the—" Kira's voice cracked.
For a moment, the entire party froze. Even the boss seemed to hesitate.
"MAX!"
Velara's voice cut through the haze.
Max blinked, and the connection snapped. His eyes returned to normal. The oppressive aura dissipated. Night, still invisible to everyone else, slowly turned back to face the boss, though its posture radiated barely controlled aggression.
"Sorry," Max gasped, genuinely shaken. "I don't know what—"
"Heal him, Zen!" Velara commanded, already moving back into position. "Everyone, focus! Finish the boss!"
Zen's holy magic washed over Max, restoring his health.
[HEAL: +200 HP]
[MaxThorne: 200/300 HP]
The party snapped back into action, though Max noticed everyone was giving him slightly more space now. Especially Kira, who looked pale even through his avatar's rendering.
The Crimson Flame Zealot fell thirty seconds later.
[CRIMSON FLAME ZEALOT DEFEATED]
[Party EXP Gained: 1,500]
[Boss Loot Available]
Nobody moved to loot immediately.
"What the hell was that?" GiantTitan asked, his massive avatar turning to face Max. "That... pressure. I felt it even from over here."
"Some kind of skill?" SilentEdge suggested, though she sounded uncertain.
Max's mind raced. He needed an explanation, something plausible. "It's... part of my contract. When I take heavy damage, my bonded spirit's protective instincts activate. I get a temporary buff, but it also releases an intimidation aura."
It wasn't entirely a lie. Night had responded to his injury with protective fury.
"That was more than intimidation," Kira said, his voice shaky. "I felt like something was about to rip my throat out."
"Well maybe don't hit your party members with friendly fire," Velara snapped. "Twice."
"It was an accident!"
"Twice," Velara repeated coldly.
"Enough," Zen said, his heavy voice leaving no room for argument. "We cleared the mini-boss. Let's loot and move on. Kira, watch your targeting. Max, that aura thing—give us a heads up next time it's going to trigger."
"Will do," Max said, still trying to process what had happened.
His eyes had changed. Night's power had bled into him. Their bond was deeper than he had realized.
They looted the boss:
[Flame-Touched Gauntlets] – Defense +22, Fire Resistance +15%
[Zealot's Ring] – Strength +6, Critical Damage +8%
[500 Gold]
GiantTitan took the ring. Nobody else needed the gauntlets, so they went to Max—a nice defense upgrade.
As they prepared to continue deeper into the dungeon, Max felt Night settle back into his shadow, still radiating protective aggression.
"Alright," Zen said, checking the party status. "Second floor. Trash packs are going to be level 14-15, and the main boss is level 16. Stay sharp."
They advanced into the dungeon's second level. The corridors grew narrower, the heat more intense. More Crimson Cultists appeared, now accompanied by Flame Hounds—dog-like creatures made of living fire.
[Crimson Cultist – Level 14] x4
[Flame Hound – Level 15] x3
The battles continued, and Max's DPS remained consistently high now that he was using Night actively. The shadow warrior tore through enemies with ruthlessly, its Blade carving through flesh and flame alike.
Max noticed Kira keeping his distance now, his AoE spells carefully positioned away from Max's location. The mage's earlier cockiness had evaporated, replaced by respect—or maybe just fear.
Velara fell back to fight beside Max during one engagement. "You okay?" she asked, her daggers glowing as she killed a cultist.
"Yeah. That was... intense."
"No kidding. I've never seen anything like that aura." She paused. "Your class is definitely unique, isn't it? Like, actually unique. Not just rare."
Max hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."
"Thought so." Velara grinned. "Good. Phoenix needs players who break the meta."
They pushed deeper, clearing pack after pack. Max's coordination with Night became more instinctive with each fight. They moved as one, anticipated each other's actions and created openings for each other.
The DPS meter consistently showed Max in the top three, sometimes even outdamaging GiantTitan.
[Party DPS Meter – Overall]
ArchMage_Kira – 3,156DPS
MaxThorne – 2,834 DPS
GiantTitan – 2,723 DPS
SilentEdge – 2,401 DPS
Velara – 2,287 DPS
HolyKnight_Zen – 967 DPS (plus healing)
Finally, they reached the boss chamber.
The room was massive, with a raised platform in the center. Standing on that platform was a towering figure—a Crimson High Priest, dressed in eye catching robes, wielding a staff topped with a flaming skull.
[CRIMSON HIGH PRIEST MALKOR – Level 16 Elite Boss]
HP: 25,000/25,000
"This is the DPS check," Zen warned. "At 50% health, he summons adds. At 25%, he enrages. We have exactly three minutes during the enrage to kill him, or it's a wipe. Everyone needs to push maximum DPS."
"Understood," the party nodded.
Zen glanced at Max. "You've proven yourself so far. Don't hold back on this one."
"I won't," Max promised.
Zen nodded and charged forward, his shield raised.
The final boss fight began.