The air was thick, and the smell of sulfur and dust hung in the air like a warning from the very depths of hell. The group advanced into the central area of the second floor—where the ground was cracked and heat radiated from the walls, scorching the very atmosphere.
Ting!
[Enemy Detected]
[Unknown – Ancient Fire Core Boss – Level 15]
[Skills: ???]
On the peak of a glowing, volcano-like rock mound, a colossal creature rose. Its flesh was not flesh—but hundreds of layers of crystallized volcanic rock. At the center of its chest, a glowing red core pulsed like a living heart.
The Fire Core Golem roared, shooting out a shockwave of heat—pushing all three of them back a few steps.
Nam took his stance, shield in hand, feet planted on the ground. He shouted:
"I'll block it! Nghĩa, find a way to attack! Hoa, get into a support position!"
Nam didn't hesitate, thrusting his shield hard into the stone ground. [Stone Pillar Shield]—Defense was greatly boosted, creating a protective dome in front.
The Golem charged forward, each step making the entire cave tremble, then it slammed into Nam.
Nam immediately used his second skill, defending against the Golem's charge. [Defensive Pillar]—protecting Nghĩa and Hoa behind him from damage.
Nam's passive skill activated. [Heavy Block]—reducing the aftershock of the Golem's charge. The horrible aftershock shook the entire space, but he was not pushed back.
"BOOM!!!" The sound was like two large boulders slamming into each other. The Unknown was repelled slightly due to the reflected aftershock from the collision.
Hoa was pushed back a few steps by the shockwave and sustained minor injuries. She immediately activated [Healing Wave]. A wave of light spread out, helping the group regain the HP they lost from the impact.
Nghĩa separated from the group, gliding to the left. He activated his skills in sequence: [Stealth] → [Detect Weakness]. From his perspective, the weak points at the joints and the Core were clearly visible. Without hesitation, he activated [Shadow Step], teleporting behind the Golem. He aimed directly at the shoulder joint connecting the Golem's arm. [Vitality Strike]—The two 'Drifting Shadow' daggers struck precisely into the Golem's shoulder joint.
The Golem's arm fell off, but in a moment, more rocks emerged and automatically reassembled its arm. The Golem turned and swiped at Nghĩa. Seeing this, he jumped back just 5cm from the Golem's arm, then continued to use [Shadow Step], teleporting to the front of the Golem. He put all his strength into it, intending to pierce the core, but…
"CLANG!" He couldn't penetrate it. The Core only cracked a little before immediately healing. He had no choice but to use [Stealth] combined with [Shadow Step] to vanish right in front of the Golem, teleporting to a safe distance to avoid the next attacks.
Nghĩa yelled:
"It's no good. Its defense is too high. And the Core can heal itself. We have to put everything into one strike aimed at the Core to break it!"
Having its Core attacked, the Golem roared in fury, slamming its two hands down. A blazing shockwave was created. Nghĩa was thrown by the shockwave, crashing straight into the wall and falling. Blood from his head flowed down to his eyelids, blurring his vision. He tried to take a healing potion from his pocket to recover, while Nam witnessed the intense wave of fire rushing toward him. His face full of despair, he yelled:
"OH, F**K!"
He then lunged forward, shielding Hoa. He braced himself with all his might to receive the roaring wave of fire. Although Nam tried desperately to shield them, after only a few seconds, they were both thrown backward and severely injured by the shockwave. The scorching heat burned their skin, even with the remaining effect of the Heat Resistance potion. The aftershock had sent them tumbling. The pain tore through their bodies, a burning torment ravaging them. Their vision blurred, smoke stung their eyes, and the smell of burnt earth filled their nostrils. The immense power of the Golem's attack had left them bruised and battered, lying among the smoking rubble. But then, a stubborn fire ignited within them.
With a hoarse groan, Nam tried to force himself up, even though his body screamed in protest. He stumbled, his legs trembling, but his eyes were fixed on the colossal Golem. Beside him, Hoa, despite her serious injuries, also struggled. With a painful gasp, she pushed with her hands, then slowly and agonizingly, stood straight. Blood trickled from a wound on her temple, but her eyes blazed with an unshakeable determination. She used her Healing Wave skill; an emerald green mist radiated out, and their wounds slowly began to heal, the pain gradually fading.
All three stood up together, battered and bruised, but unbroken, ready to face the giant enemy once more.
By this time, Nghĩa had mostly recovered from the impact thanks to the healing potion. He used [Shadow Step] to get behind the Golem's right leg. He clenched his fist, and with all his strength, he punched the back of the Golem's knee joint, causing it to lose its balance and kneel. He then leaped back and activated [Stealth], vanishing like a phantom.
At that moment, the Golem was down on one knee. It let out a roar that shook the entire space. Its whole body turned a brilliant red as if on fire. Then the light slowly concentrated on its right arm. It looked as if it was giving up its defense and shifting all its energy to offense. A layer of stone slowly cracked along the Golem's right arm, from its elbow to its hand. From within, a lava blade erupted—more than 20 meters long, blazing and illuminating the entire cave.
The Golem raised its arm, preparing to cleave down towards Nam and Hoa. Seeing this, Nghĩa screamed:
"NOOOOO!!!"
Then he immediately activated a chain of attacks. His form melted into nothingness with [Stealth], then abruptly reappeared right at the base of the Unknown's leg thanks to [Shadow Step]. At the same time, he activated [Vitality Strike], creating a phantom image that stabbed straight toward the Golem.
Nghĩa's two daggers tore through the air, plunging directly into the Golem's Core. A dry "Pop!" sound rang out; the special effect of the stab did not activate because its Core had never been damaged before. But it was enough to interrupt its attack. Even so, he managed to lodge a dagger in it, preventing the Core from automatically healing.
Nam shouted loudly:
"Nghĩa, move back!"—He threw his backup Stone Slab Shield hard toward Nghĩa's dagger lodged in the Golem's Core. Nghĩa quickly leaped back, clearing the path for the shield. The shield collided hard with the dagger's hilt, creating a sound like a hammer hitting a nail…
"CLANG!!!"
"CRACK!"
A sound of shattering echoed through the space, followed by bright red liquid seeping from the crack like blood. The Golem's Core was truly damaged!
The moment it was hit by Nam's shield, the colossal Golem let out a piercing shriek, and its massive body staggered. It raised its lava sword high into the sky, intending to deliver a destructive blow toward Nam and Hoa.
"Brother! Use everything you have and attack its Core directly. Trust me!" Hoa yelled, her voice echoing amidst the monster's roars.
Nghĩa didn't hesitate for a second. His eyes glowed purple. [Accelerated Reflexes] was activated, every thought, every movement seemingly sped up exponentially. In an instant, he used [Shadow Step], his blurry form teleporting instantly, appearing like a phantom right at the Golem's feet. [Shadow Annihilation] Nghĩa roared, his shout tearing through the air. At the same time, Hoa seized the golden opportunity. The [Psychic Bind] skill was cast, an invisible energy binding the monster, making it freeze, watching helplessly as Nghĩa charged toward its Core.
That was the moment; not a millisecond was wasted. Nghĩa charged like lightning, tearing through the air, creating a blurry streak that went straight from the Golem's feet to its Core. His dagger plunged straight into the exposed Core on its chest, driving deep inside.
"THWACK!!!"
The purple energy from Nghĩa's eyes gradually faded and returned to normal. The Golem's entire body froze for a beat, then collapsed like a landslide, leaving a pile of rubble and a scorched patch of lava.
The air became quieter after the Golem collapsed. Suddenly, Nam shouted loudly:
"We're alive!!! HaHaHa!"
"Holy s**t. I almost saw my grandparents."
Hoa jumped up happily and hugged Nam.
"We won!!!"
Nghĩa used [Shadow Step] to get next to Nam, and the two of them bumped fists in celebration. He then went over to his sister, patting her head and smiling.
Below the ashes and cooled lava, on the cracked ground of the second floor, three figures sat, gasping for breath. The corpse of the colossal Unknown Boss lay beside them, its entire body having turned into shattered stone slabs.
Nam was fumbling with the shape of his broken shield, the group's main tank secretly regretting the loss of the first shield he had owned as a player.
Nam picked up the shield, now broken in two, his eyes welling up:
"My first shield...uhu"
"It's good that you're alive…" Hoa consoled Nam.
Nghĩa lay flat on the ground, gasping for breath, when a familiar sound from the System rang out.
Ting!
[Level Up Notification]
[Nghĩa > Level 14]
[Nam > Level 12]
[Ái Hoa > Level 10]
Ting!
[Player Ái Hoa unlocked new skill]
[New skill unlocked: Mental Shield – Creates a hemispherical protective zone with an 8m radius, absorbing % of damage for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. Cost: 120 mana]
Immediately, a faint purple light covered Ái Hoa—a system effect when an S-rank player reaches Level 10. Her body was filled with vitality, and her stats increased noticeably.
She almost couldn't believe her ears. She suddenly laughed through her heavy breaths, then jumped up and down:
"I… I reached Level 10! And I unlocked a new skill!"
She turned to her two teammates, her eyes sparkling:
"Did you two see that? Don't you dare call me a liability from now on!"
Ái Hoa was still excited about unlocking her new skill. She jumped up and down again, then turned back to her two brothers:
"I have a mental shield! Do you get it? A mental one~ heh heh heh."
Nam smirked, despite his battered body:
"That's awesome. First time I've seen a Healer talk like a punk kid."
"Well, I was born in 2009," Hoa immediately retorted.
Nghĩa said nothing, he just let out a quiet chuckle.
Ting!
[Quest Completed]
[Ancient Fire Core Golem Boss has been eliminated – Activating special item drop]
'Lava-Heart Shield' Armor B+
* +60 Defense, +15 Elemental Resistance
* Skill: "Lava Wall" – Increases ability to withstand wide-area damage for 5s (CD: 60s)
'Crystal Echo' Boots B+
* +15 Agility, +20 Spirit, +5% mana recovery every 10 seconds.
* Passive: When standing still for 3s, the effect of the next healing skill is increased by an additional 15%.
* High-Grade Healing Potion x3
* Medium-Grade Mana Potion x2
* Wisdom Crystal – Special item, can upgrade a Spirit-type skill to a higher tier.
* Equipment Upgrade Stone x2
* Hidden Dungeon Clue x1 – "Far away in the sky, yet right before your eyes. There is a dim light in the ruins."
Hoa's eyes widened completely, staring at the 'Crystal Echo' Boots.
Nam seemed completely captivated by the 'Lava-Heart Shield' Armor.
The group looked at each other, then shared the loot without any arguments. Nam hugged his new armor, muttering:
"This leather armor I'm wearing feels itchy all over, I must be allergic... I need to change it right away... Ughhh."
Ái Hoa caressed her new boots, smiling radiantly:
"'Crystal Echo'... worthy of the feet of an S-rank like me. Heh heh heh."
Nghĩa took the special crystal, saying nothing. But his eyes swept over the boss's core, which was slowly crumbling, silently calculating.
Nghĩa quietly sat down, thought about the clue for the next floor, and sighed:
"I'm so exhausted!"
"Ready to keep going, everyone?"
The other two said in unison:
"NOOOO WAY!!!"