After Garron of the Corroded Crown guild scrambled out of the mine, only the sound of heavy breathing remained at the bottom of the shaft.
Kiriya stood with his bronze sword in hand. Two bodies still lay on the ground—the marks left behind when players are killed.
In the corner of his vision, a faintly glowing crimson message pulsed: Sin Points 200, flashing like a stark warning.
Lina had already purged the poison from her body with an antidote. She held a glow-lamp toward the Mine Lord, her icy-blue eyes glinting with wariness.
"It's focused on the noise from the fight just now."
Kiriya looked up. At some point, the stone giant had stood to its full height, its massive body nearly scraping the ceiling.
Its head turned slowly, the crimson light in its stone eye sockets sweeping over Kiriya and Lina.
The muscles of its massive arms—rock-forged simulacra of flesh—swelled as it gripped its Warhammer, clearly shifting into battle stance.
[Mine Lord]
[Level: 20]
[HP: 15000/15000]
[Skills: Hammer Sweep (AoE attack with knockback), Ore Armor (temporarily boosts DEF by 50%), Earth Pulse (full-map AoE, 3-second charge time)]
"It's skill rotation is 'Hammer Sweep → Basic Attack → Ore Armor (triggers at 70% HP) → Earth Pulse (triggers at 30%).'" Kiriya recalled the strategy guide, his fingertips tapping lightly against his sword hilt.
"Lina, start with Ice Wall to draw its aggro. I'll use my clones to test its attack range."
Lina nodded, pressing her right hand to the ground. Pale blue mana seeped from her fingertips into the coal dust.
"Ice Wall Barrier!"
An ice wall erupted from the ground beneath the Mine Lord, cutting it off in a straight line.
Razor-like icicles bristled from the wall's surface, blocking the boss's path while reflecting the glow-lamp's light, illuminating every crack along its stone hide.
"ROAR!"
Enraged, the Mine Lord let out a deafening howl. It swung its colossal hammer, the strike howling through the air before slamming into the wall.
CRASH!
The wall shattered instantly, shards of ice spraying through the air as the hammer's momentum carried its swing toward Lina.
She had been ready, raising her shield and leaping backward just in time. A faint-blue frost barrier rippled under the impact, absorbing the brunt of the blow.
–210!
Lina's HP bar dropped slightly, but her expression remained calm.
"Five-meter range. Half a meter wider than the guide says."
"Got it."
Kiriya's voice came from behind the boss. In the instant the wall shattered, he had used Blink step to reposition to the Mine Lord's flank.
Two phantom doubles materialized to his left and right, forming a triangle around the monster.
"Phantom Slash!"
Three crescent-shaped arcs of silver sword energy slashed out in unison, carving precisely into the boss's lower back—its documented weak spot.
–380! (Main Body)
–190! (Clone A)
–190! (Clone B)
The bright-red damage numbers exploded in the gloom as the boss's HP dropped by 2%.
It roared in pain, spinning around, its hammer sweeping across the entire triangular zone, forcing Kiriya and his clones to teleport backward to avoid the strike.
"Now!"
Lina seized the moment. Her ice-blue blade shimmered with frost.
"Frost Thrust!"
Her sword pierced the Mine Lord's knee joint like a serpent's fangs. Frost exploded outward along the cracks in its stony hide, halting its movements for half a second.
"Perfect!"
Kiriya and his clones launched another flurry of strikes—this time targeting its hammer arm.
Bronze blades rained down like a storm. Each individual strike was weak, but together they steadily chipped away at its HP bar.
"ROAR!"
When its HP dropped to 70%, the boss abruptly halted. Ochre lines lit up across its surface as [Ore Armor] activated, spiking its defense by 50%. Kiriya's next Phantom Thrust barely scratched it, dealing only –120—half his usual damage.
"Its defense just went up!" Lina warned, immediately summoning another Ice Wall to slow the monster.
"I'll shatter its guard with Ice Spikes. You go for the joints!"
She drew a line with her sword, and five ice spikes erupted from the ground, pinning its limbs for a moment.
Though the Mine Lord broke free quickly, shards of ice clung to its joints, briefly lowering their defense.
"There!"
Kiriya teleported right beside its hammer arm joint, driving his bronze sword into the gap. This time, instead of pulling back, he poured mana into the blade, unleashing Phantom Thrust in a close-range burst.
–450!
The defense-ignoring strike caused a deep crack to spread through the stone arm. The Mine Lord tried to fling Kiriya away, but his clones struck at its left leg, forcing it to divide its attention.
The fight became a drawn-out tug-of-war. Lina cycled Ice Walls and Ice Spikes to keep the monster slowed, giving Kiriya chances to strike.
Kiriya darted in and out with Blink steps, his clones striking from every angle, his attacks relentless and precise.
Coal dust swirled from the force of their battle, glowing eerily under the light, forming a storm-like vortex in the mine.
When the Mine Lord's HP reached 30%, it let out a roar unlike the ones before. The red glow in its eyes flared blindingly bright. It slowly raised its hammer overhead as ochre energy gathered at the head—this was the prelude to Earth Pulse.
"Get behind the pillars!" Lina's voice was sharp with alarm. She recognized the skill—it was a full-map AoE that could one-shot even a full-health player.
Kiriya immediately recalled his clones and sprinted toward the nearest pillar alongside Lina. The moment they dove behind cover, the boss brought its hammer down.
BOOM!
Waves of ochre energy exploded outward from the center, shattering stone and blasting coal dust into the air.
Kiriya and Lina pressed against the pillars as the shockwave made the ground quake, loose stones raining down and striking their shoulders.
The tremor lasted three seconds. When the dust cleared, the mine floor was a fractured wasteland, riddled with cracks.
The Mine Lord's HP bar had dropped to 20%, but its attacks became faster—nearly thirty percent faster.
"It's enraged!" Lina panted, her frost shield spiderwebbed with cracks, evidence that she'd taken residual damage.
"We have to finish this now!"
Kiriya nodded, inhaling sharply as he poured every last drop of mana into his sword. His eyes sharpened, locking onto the rhombus-shaped ore embedded in the boss's chest—its energy core, the only spot unprotected by its armor.
"Lina—give me three seconds!"
"Count on me!" Without hesitation, Lina leapt from behind the pillar, charging the enraged boss head-on.
This time, she didn't summon an Ice Wall—she slammed her shield against the stone pillar with a resounding clang, sending a clear provocation.
Her entire body flared with mana, locking the monster's aggro.
"Right here, big guy!"
It worked. The Mine Lord abandoned Kiriya entirely, swinging its hammer with mountain-shattering force at the reckless challenger.
And in that split second, Kiriya moved.
"Blink step!"
He vanished, leaving behind a faint-blue afterimage, reappearing directly in front of the Mine Lord's chest. The bronze sword cut the air with a sharp hiss, plunging toward the glowing core.
"Twelvefold Strike!"
One strike. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six—
The first five blows precisely chipped away the rock encasing the core. On the sixth strike, Kiriya's passive skill Phantom Blade triggered—every subsequent hit landed simultaneously, unleashing another Phantom Blade proc as the sword blazed with blinding white light.
CRITICAL! –680!
CRITICAL! –690!
The energy core shattered completely. The Mine Lord let out a bone-shaking howl as its massive frame began to collapse.
Its stone hide crumbled away, glowing motes of light spilling from within. Lina used the opportunity to retreat, watching as the boss's HP bar plummeted to zero.
BOOOOM!
The monster's body crashed to the floor, sending up a storm of coal dust. It's Warhammer rolled across the ground before stopping at Kiriya's feet.
Then, with a deep rumble, the Mine Lord's body dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind two pieces of blue-glowing loot and a pile of coins.
[System Message: Congratulations to players Kiriya and Lina for defeating Lv.20 Boss "Mine Lord."]
[EXP Gained: 5000 (party share)]
[Loot: Ore plate Armor ×1]
[Loot: Lord's Great Axe ×1]
[Silver ×5]
Golden light shone from both of them as Kiriya leveled up to 16 and Lina reached the midpoint of level 15.
Lina leaned on her sword, breathing hard, but her ice-blue eyes shone with exhilaration."We did it!"
Kiriya bent down to pick up the Ore plate Armor and Lord's Great Axe, then handed the armor to her.
"This one's perfect for you."
"What about you?" she asked, running her hand across the cool, solid plate before glancing at the heavy axe.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of switching to axe warrior."
"I still prefer swords." Kiriya smiled, tossing the axe into his pack.
"Let's get out of here. Corroded Crown might still be waiting outside."
Lina nodded. After equipping the Ore plate Armor, her defense stat spiked noticeably. The two exchanged a knowing smile, packed up their spoils, and headed toward the exit.
Outside, the sunlight was almost blinding. Kiriya turned to look at Lina, her silver-white hair glinting under the sun.
"So, where to next?" Lina asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"How about farming Lv.16 Shadow Spiders?" Kiriya's gaze turned toward the forest in the distance.
Lina smiled, her ice-blue eyes shining with resolve.
"Alright. Let's go—together."