Aria kept her steps light as she walked back into the large room. This time she watched the ceiling above her, to make sure nothing else lie in hiding.
On the opposite side of the room was yet another hallway leading into darkness. "This was a bad idea, what was I thinking!" She cursed herself. "Well I literally walked into this, so I guess it is my own fault," Aria kept going as she questioned her life choices. She held out her hand as she was ready to summon her star piercer at any moment.
Soon Aria came up to an entryway to another larger room. From where she stood, she couldn't see a thing inside.
What if I was able to send my light sphere into the room ahead of me, that way I can drive the monsters out of hiding beforehand? She felt like it was her best plan at the moment, so she summoned another light sphere. With a good windup, she threw it like a fastball into the chamber.
She heard the familiar sound of grinding stone, and from the ceiling another gargoyle dropped down. However this gargoyle was unlike the first three. This one dwarfed the ones she faced earlier. Its hulking body filled the space, making the room feel small. The pressure it gave off was certainly that of a boss monster.
Once again the fear struck Aria. She thought she had learned and was prepared to finish things, but in the face of a boss, she felt woefully unprepared. The only thing she could think of was to use the star piercer. She activated it and it formed within her hand. She deactivated the light sphere in her other hand to summon another star piercer. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will.
Aria stood within the entryway, with a star piercer in each hand. The massive gargoyle had not yet noticed her so this was her chance. She aimed for the stomach area of the beast before sending the first piercer forward. The beast moved at the last minute avoiding a fatal demise, its right arm was severed by the bolt as it fell to the ground. The beast roared, shaking the entire room.
The gargoyle detected the light coming from the entrance of the room where Aria stood. It sprang towards her viciously. Changing her remaining star piercer to her dominant hand, she backed up into the hallway. The gargoyle slammed against the doorway, unable to fit through it. The gargoyle could only fit its arm through the doorway, reaching to grab the intruder that was just beyond its grasp.
Aria's knees trembled, if it wasn't for the gargoyle being too big, she would have been caught and perhaps even killed just now. Steadying her hand, she aimed for the gargoyle. This time she wouldn't miss.
In a split second the gargoyle had a massive hole through its body. Just like the previous gargoyles, it crumbled apart when defeated.
Aria could finally breath once again. With the boss finished, the only thing left to do was find the portal crystal and destroy it. Then this nightmare would be over.
"I feel like I kinda cheated somehow," Aria's new skill was definitely one that packed a punch and felt like a cheat in itself. "I don't think I'll reveal this skill unless absolutely necessary."
After a short breather, Aria got up and started looking around the room. Sometimes portals had loot or equipment inside. Only very specific ones had that, but there was no harm in checking. With her illuminating sphere, she spotted an uneven stone in the wall. It was pushed out by a few more inches than the other stones. She investigated the odd stone and was able to pull it out entirely. Behind the stone was a cloth with something inside of it. She unfolded the cloth, and found two daggers inside. They were made of a dark metal with what looked like sapphires embedded in the hilt of each dagger. The blades had a swirling pattern engraved in the metal. Aria couldn't believe her luck. Whether she could use them or not, she thought they were beautiful.
Continuing on, Aria found a smaller room with a pedestal in the center. On top lay a large clear crystal, with jagged edges all around. She picked up the crystal and threw it to the ground, it shattered to pieces. The next second, Aria was teleported outside the portal. Behind her, the portal vanished from its spot.
Its best I don't linger around. Aria grabbed her backpack from behind the bush and threw her new daggers inside. Keeping her hood up, she quickly walked away heading back to the school campus.
As Aria left the scene, two people in black business suits walked over to where the portal once stood.
"Looks like it was a mistake, scanner must have glitched," the middle aged man said. The lady who arrived with him, looked at the ground where the grass was disturbed. "Or someone completed it before we arrived," she said with amusement written on her face.
.....
Back at the campus, Aria was in her dorm room laying on the bed. She felt exhausted from her unexpected excursion today. In the excitement of it all she forgot to look at the announcements her system gave her.
[ Boss monster Giant Gargoyle has been defeated, 200 Exp awarded. ]
[ Level up: 1 -> 2 ]
[ 1 free stat point has been obtained, 1 additional strength stat point has been obtained, and 1 additional Vitality/Durability stat point has been obtained. ]
[Exp: 140/400 ]
[ Emergency Quest Cleared - Clear the E-rank blue portal. Instant level up obtained. ]
[ Level up: 2 -> 3 ]
[ 1 free stat point has been obtained, 1 additional strength stat point has been obtained, and 1 additional Vitality/Durability stat point has been obtained. ]
Aria brought up her new stats after she just leveled up twice.
[ Stats ]
Strength: 17
Speed/Agility: 10
Endurance: 8
Vitality/Durability: 17
Resonance: 11
( 2 free stat points available )