Chapter 4 — Mutated Boss
The Cursed Chieftain roared again. The sound shook the stone pillars surrounding the arena, echoing violently through the chamber. Its red eyes burned with murderous rage, black veins pulsed beneath its skin like living parasites. Aken could feel the cursed energy radiating from it, heavy and oppressive. Jae-Min wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and tightened his grip on his sword.
"Alright," he muttered. "This thing's definitely not F-Rank."
"You already said that" Aken spoke.
The monster swung its massive cleaver again, the weapon cut through the air with terrifying speed. Aken stepped back instinctively, the blade slammed into the stone floor.
CRASH.
Chunks of rock exploded into the field, Jae-Min darted forward immediately. His sword flashed like lightning.
CLANG.
The strike landed on the monster's shoulder, this time the blade dug slightly deeper, black blood spilled onto the floor. The chieftain snarled, its massive arm swung sideways. Jae-Min barely managed to block. The impact sent him sliding several meters across the stone.
"…Damn it!"
Aken moved again. He rushed forward, fists clenched. The cursed energy within his body surged again. Curse Regeneration continued working quietly, his breathing stabilized. Fatigue faded faster than it should have, the monster turned toward him.
For some reason…
Its attention remained fixed on Aken. The chieftain charged, each step cracked the ground beneath its feet. Aken didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward.
Jae-Min shouted from behind him.
"Aken! Don't be stupid!"
But Aken had already moved.
AGL: 13
His body shifted to the side just as the cleaver swung downward, the blade missed his head by inches. He slipped beneath the monster's arm, then drove his fist upward into its ribs.
THUD.
The impact forced the creature back. A pulse of dark energy rippled from Aken's arm. Jae-Min's eyes widened.
"…What the hell?"
Aken stepped back, his HP ticked upward slightly again. Curse Regeneration was slow, but still enough to work. The monster roared again, Its cleaver spun in a brutal arc. Aken ducked, the blade shaved a chunk from a nearby pillar. Jae-Min seized the opening, he dashed forward and thrust his sword into the monster's side. The chieftain bellowed in pain but instead of collapsing—
Its body began to pulse, the black veins glowed brighter. Aken's system window appeared instantly.
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[Warning]
Boss Mutation Advancing.
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Jae-Min cursed.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The chieftain's muscles expanded, its frame grew larger, more violent. The cleaver in its hand suddenly cracked with dark energy.
Aken's instincts screamed.
"Jae-Min move!"
The monster slammed its weapon into the ground, a shockwave exploded outward. Stone shattered across the arena, Jae-Min was thrown backward. He rolled across the ground before slamming into another pillar.
"Agh!"
Aken skidded across the floor but managed to stay standing, his chest rose and fell slowly. Curse Regeneration kicked in again, his stamina recovered but Jae-Min wasn't as lucky. Blood dripped from the swordsman's forehead.
"Aken…" he groaned.
"…this thing's evolving."
Aken knew.
"I have an idea"
The chieftain slowly stood upright again, now it looked even more monstrous. Its bones cracked, spikes burst through its shoulders, the cleaver grew darker. Almost alive. The monster stared directly at Aken, another system message appeared.
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[Curse Resonance Intensifying]
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Aken's heart pounded. Why was the curse reacting to this creature? He thought to himself. But there was no time for further planning, the chieftain suddenly rushed forward. Faster than before, Aken barely dodged the first strike. The cleaver grazed his shoulder, blood splashed across the arena, Pain sprinted through his body but before panic could settle—
The wound began closing, Slowly but visibly. Aken blinked, Curse Regeneration was healing him.
Jae-Min saw it too.
"…You're healing?"
Aken nodded once.
"Looks like it."
Jae-Min let out a shaky laugh.
"Well… that's pretty convenient."
The chieftain roared again and charged, Aken dashed forward. His stamina surged back faster than he expected, he dodged, stepped inside the monster's reach and punched. This time the impact cracked it's bone. The creature roared in pain, Jae-Min saw the opening and rushed forward with everything he had left.
His sword glowed faintly, a skill activation.
"Steel Fang!"
The blade pierced deep into the monster's chest, the chieftain screamed. Aken stepped forward, the cursed energy inside him surged violently. Something inside the Level 1 Curse responded, he tightened his fist, then drove it forward with everything he had.
The punch landed directly in the monster's throat.
CRACK.
The sound echoed across the chamber, the chieftain froze, its body trembled. Then the massive creature collapsed.
BOOM.
Silence filled the arena, Aken stood still for a moment. Then the system windows appeared, several at once.
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[Boss Defeated]
[Cursed Goblin Chieftain Eliminated]
[Calculating Rewards]
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Jae-Min dropped to the ground and laughed breathlessly.
"Holy… shit."
He looked up at Aken.
"Remind me never to fight you."
But Aken wasn't listening, another system window appeared. Different from the others, dark and heavy.
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[Hidden Quest Completed]
Survive the Mutated Boss.
Reward Calculating…
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Aken's heart pounded, the window flickered. Then the final message appeared.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Unique Trait Update Detected]
Level 1 Curse — Evolution Progress Increased.
New Reward Granted.
+5 Stat Points
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Aken blinked slowly. Stat points, the only things he had always wanted and despite being Level 1.
Jae-Min frowned.
"You okay man, you look surprised?"
Aken slowly let out a sigh.
"…Yeah, just glad we made it."
But inside his mind, the system spoke again. Quiet, cold and full of promise.
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[Curse Growth Successful]
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END OF CHAPTER 4