Kai sprinted through the dimly lit corridors of the dungeon, the sound of giant killer ants skittering behind him. Despite the imminent danger, his expression remained calm and focused. He navigated the twists and turns with practiced ease, his mind sharp and alert.
As he ran, the system screen suddenly popped up in front of him, its text glowing brightly and furiously.
{What were you thinking, Adventurer? Why did you enter the room when you knew it was dangerous?}
Kai glanced at the screen, his pace never faltering. “I was just curious,” he replied calmly, his voice steady despite the chaos around him.
The system seemed to bristle with frustration before displaying a new message.
{Curiosity can get you killed!}
Kai smirked slightly, dodging a fallen stone pillar. “Curiosity is what keeps me alive,” he said, his tone unwavering. “Besides, I had a feeling there was something important in there.”
The system screen flickered, as if processing his words.
{Your instincts are commendable, but be cautious. The ants are relentless.}
Kai nodded, his eyes scanning the path ahead for any potential escape routes. “Noted. Now, if you have any useful advice, I’d appreciate it.”
The system screen displayed a new message.
{There is a narrow passage to your left. It leads to a . . . safer area.}
"Why was there a pause?" Kai’s mind wondered, but his eyes darted to the left, spotting the narrow passage just in time. He made a sharp turn, squeezing through the tight space. The sound of the ants grew fainter as he moved deeper into the passage, the walls closing in around him.
Finally, he emerged into a small chamber, the air cooler and the sounds of the ants distant. He took a moment to catch his breath, his mind racing with thoughts of going back as soon as possible.
“Thanks for the tip,” he muttered to the system screen, which had now disappeared.
When Kai enters the room, it is engulfed in an oppressive darkness. The air is thick and still, carrying a faint, musty scent. He pauses, letting his eyes adjust to the gloom before lifting his finger. A small, ethereal light flickers into existence at its tip, casting a soft glow that pushes back the shadows.
As the light moves ahead, it reveals the room’s ancient stone walls, covered in creeping vines and faded runes. Kai’s eyes dart around, searching for an exit or another route, but the room seems to be a dead end.
“Hmm,” he mutters, his voice barely a whisper in the silence. “I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere.”
Just as he turns to leave, a movement catches his eye. A shadowy figure emerges from the darkness, moving slowly towards him. Kai squints, trying to make out the details. As the figure steps into the light, it reveals itself to be a girl clad in gleaming armor. She has a spear strapped to her back and wears a helmet that partially obscures her face. Her blonde hair, untied, dancing with her each step.
“Someone else is here?” Kai wonders aloud, his curiosity piqued.
Before he can react, the girl suddenly lunges at him, her fist aimed directly at his face.
“What!?” Kai exclaims, instinctively raising his arms to block the blow. The impact is powerful, sending him crashing into the cold, unforgiving stone wall. The force of the hit leaves him momentarily dazed, but he quickly regains his composure, readying himself for whatever comes next.
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Kai stands up, shaking off the impact of the blow. He fixes his gaze on the girl, his curiosity mingling with caution.
“Who are you?” he asks, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
The girl doesn’t respond. Instead, she steps forward, her eyes locked onto Kai with a fierce determination. Without warning, she launches another attack, her fist slicing through the air. But this time, Kai is ready. He sidesteps her punch, feeling the rush of wind as her fist narrowly misses him.
The girl continues her relentless assault, her punches creating gusts of wind that whip around the room. Kai dodges each strike with agility, his movements fluid and precise. He can feel the intensity of her attacks increasing, the air growing thicker with each missed blow.
As he lands a few feet away from her, Kai notices something unusual. Above the girl’s head, a small screen flickers into view, displaying her information:
[Hidden Boss: ???
Level: ???]
His eyes widen in surprise.
“A hidden boss?” he mutters to himself, glancing back at the girl.
Just then, another attack comes his way. Kai dodges it effortlessly, his mind racing. “A boss that looks like a human… that’s really interesting.”
As Kai examines the girl’s status, the system suddenly comes to life, a notification flashing before his eyes.
{Congratulations! You have discovered the hidden boss in the dungeon,} the system announces.
“A hidden boss-” Kai barely has time to process this information before another attack comes his way. He dodges swiftly, the girl relentless in her assault. As he continues to evade her strikes, the system provides more details.
{Beating the hidden boss will be a real challenge,} it explains. {The boss has limited damage capacity. No matter how strong the skill you use, the damage dealt will be restricted.}
“A limited damage dealing skill…” Kai thinks to himself, dodging another punch. As he evades her attacks, a memory surfaces. He recalls that he used the custom skill to make a new skill. “Right, I must use it.”
The girl spins around, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick. Kai blocks it but is knocked back by the force. He stands up, determination in his eyes, and clenches his fist.
“Shadow Walk!” he calls out.
A dark aura envelops him, and as the girl charges forward with her fist ready to strike, Kai sees her movements in slow motion. To him, her once lightning-fast attack now seems average in speed. He dodges with ease, feeling his evasion skills heightened by the aura.
“This skill really boosts my evasion,” he thinks, noticing that a few dark rays pass through the girl. He sees that the boss's hp has taken damage, albeit minimal. A smirk forms on his lips as he locks eyes with her.
“The real battle starts now,” he declares.
The girl sprints towards him, her fist raised to hit him. Kai and the girl face off, the tension between them palpable. The dark aura of his Shadow Walk skill pulses around him, heightening his senses and agility. The girl charges, her fist as if slicing through the air with deadly precision. Kai dodges effortlessly, his movements a blur as he evades her strikes.
The room becomes a whirlwind of motion. The girl’s attacks are relentless, each punch and kick creating gusts of wind that whip around them. Kai counters with swift kicks of his own, his strikes precise and powerful. The dark rays from his active skill continue to chip away at her health, each evasion accompanied by a subtle, damaging pulse.
Their movements grow faster, the air around them swirling into a storm. The sound of their combat echoes through the room, a symphony of rushing wind. Kai’s focus is unwavering, his eyes locked onto the girl as he anticipates her every move.
The storm around them intensifies, the wind howling as their battle reaches a fever pitch. Kai remains unscathed, his skill and agility unmatched. The girl’s health bar, visible above her head, steadily drops until it reaches one third of her hp.
Kai’s evasion and counterattacks take their toll. But suddenly, the girl stops her physical assault and raises her hand, chanting an incantation. The ground beneath them trembles.
Kai’s eyes widen as massive spikes of earth, flowing with magical energy erupt from the floor, shooting towards him with deadly intent. He leaps and twists, narrowly avoiding the spikes as they pierce the air around him. Each dodge is a near miss, as Kai looks around him, jumping in the air.
“Now she’s using magic,” he thinks, his mind racing. “I need to come up with…”
Before he can finish his thought, the spikes suddenly retract back into the ground. “Huh? Wha…?” Kai mutters, confusion clouding his mind.
In that split second of distraction, he sees a fist hurtling towards his face. He instinctively reaches up to block it, but the speed is too great. The punch connects with a force that sends him flying across the room, crashing into the wall a few feet away.
Kai crashes into the wall, the impact jarring his senses. He quickly regains his footing, his eyes locking onto the girl as she takes her stance. The dark aura of his skill: Shadow Walk; that use to pulse around him, now gone. His enhancement of agility and reflexes got back to normal.
Kai cleans off the dust from him, as he whispers to himself, smiling. “Geez... I'm getting rusty. And even shadow walk got cancelled. Can't use it for a while, huh...” Kai looks at a screen floating next to him, showing the timer count from 500 seconds.
“This is bad…”
-To be Continued