The room, vast and empty, offering no refuge; it was just me, my dwindling health potions, and the relentless heat of my Self-Immolation, which seemed almost futile against the guardian’s icy aura.

The guardian's empty eye sockets fixed on me, assessing my every move.

Unlike the mindless skeletons I had encountered thus far, this foe was different.

It did not rush towards me in blind aggression.

Instead, it watched and learned, adjusting its movement with a clear, calculated intent.

This guardian wasn't just another undead skeleton—it seemed to possess its own intelligence, acting with deliberate action rather than instinct.

Dodging endlessly was not sustainable.

I urgently needed a new plan. The time for reaction had passed; now, I needed to act before time ran out.

The answer unfortunetly did not lay in the mechanics of my abilities and the environment.

If I couldn't use the heat to weaken it, maybe I could use it to outmaneuver it.

As the guardian raised its sword again, I sprinted directly towards it, a risky move that caught it off guard.

Just as it began to bring its sword down, I slid under its swing, passing between its bony legs.

The cold of its aura biting at my skin even through the flames that enveloped me.

Turning quickly, I faced the guardian's back.

Here was my chance.

If I could not melt its weapon or bones, I would target its source of power—the glowing core at its chest.

I surged forward, my body wreathed in flames, and drove my fist towards the glow.

The impact was jarring.

My flames met the cold in a violent sizzle, steam erupting around my arm.

Pain shot up my limb as the cold fought to quench my fire, but I pushed through, driven by desperation.

The guardian staggered, its form disrupted by the direct assault on its core.

It was working; I was affecting it!

But the guardian was swift to react. It lifted its greatsword and swung it down aimed directly at me.

I jumped back just in time, narrowly escaping the blade's edge.

The rush of cold air from the sword's passage sent a shiver through me, chilling the sweat on my forehead.

I couldn't let up.

Each seconds drained, more of my energy would be consumed.

The constant use of Self-Immolation taking its toll.

I eyed the health potions in my bag.

In one swift motion, I rushed and grabbed a potion and downed it.

The effect was quick, replenishing a significant portion of my health and giving me a much-needed edge to continue the fight.

As the guardian advanced again, I feigned to the left before darting right, drawing it into a clumsy turn.

Its movements, though powerful, were predictable. I had to use that to my advantage.

With the guardian momentarily off-balance, I charged, aiming to hit the same spot on its glowing core.

My strike was not just driven by desperation but also by the awareness that this was the only viable source of damage i could inflict to it.

As I drew nearer, the heat conflicting harshly with the frigid aura of the guardian.

Just as I prepared to land another fiery punch, the guardian's sword swung in a wide, arcing motion—faster this time, more deliberate.

It was as though he was determined to prevent me from repeating my previous action.

I ducked under the blade, feeling the icy breeze it left in its wake.

Rolling forward, I came up behind the guardian.

However, he adapted from the passing battle.

It turned swiftly, its movements becoming smoother, more coordinated as if each strike I tried landing only served to enhance its battle prowess.

I stepped back, panting, the heat of my flames flickering wildly as I assessed the situation.

My previous attacks had dealt quite the damage, but the sinister glow within its chest still pulsed ominously—seemingly unharmed, but surly was.

Glancing quickly to the sides, I noted the pattern of my attacks and the guardian's responses.

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It was mirroring my movements now, predicting my dodges.

I needed to be unpredictable.

With a deep breath, I feigned a charge, pulling up just short to lure the guardian into a premature swing.

As it committed to its attack, I darted to the side, using its extended reach and momentary lack of balance to my advantage.

This time, instead of striking, I grabbed its arm—the one wielding the greatsword—and used all my weight to pull it downward.

The unexpected maneuver caught the guardian off guard, and for a moment, it staggered, its structure compromised.

"Got you now!"

Channeling all the heat of my flames into my body, as much i could do, aiming to melt through the bone at its arm joint.

Warning! You are forcefully intensifying your immolation! Damage over time will increase to 3% of your maximum health per second (from 2%). It is recommended to retract your flames immediately

The guardian's icy aura clashed fiercely with my fire, steam erupting around our point of contact.

it was a battle of fire against cold, each trying to dominate the other.

As the guardian struggled to free its sword arm, I maintained my grip, the heat intensifying.

I could feel the bone beginning to give way under the relentless force of my flames.

"Come on!!! Ahhhh!!!"

Clang!

Then, with a forceful tug, I detached the arm, the greatsword clanging to the floor.

The guardian reeled back, the light in its chest flickering wildly, a sign of its faltering strength.

HP: 15/230

"Time to end this!" I declared, stepping back to survey the guardian's weakened form.

It was less imposing without its weapon, but I knew better than to underestimate it.

I circled around it, wary of any last desperate attacks.

As it turned to face me, its movements now sluggish, I prepared for the deciding strike.

HP: 14/230

I ran forward, my flames roaring to life, and with a powerful leap, I aimed a kick right at the glowing core.

As I connected with the guardian’s core, the skeletal colossus staggered but did not fall.

The glow in its chest flickered under the assault, but the creature swiftly regained its composure, its dark aura pulsing more fiercely.

I had disrupted it, but it had yet yielding the battle.

HP: 13/230

Gritting my teeth, I acknowledged the precarious edge of my situation.

My health was critically low, and each moment I sustained my Self-Immolation, I edged closer to my own demise.

I could pause the fight to grab another health potion, but my instincts screamed against it.

Every second mattered, and hesitation could tip the scales from precarious to perilous.

The guardian, though faltering, still posed a grave threat. It wouldn't be surprising if it could reattach its limbs.

I had to end this now, decisively, before the situation could deteriorate further.

As the guardian regained its footing, it moved to retrieve its greatsword, dragging the heavy blade across the stone floor with its remaining arm.

The sound of metal scraping stone filled the air.

The guardian's resilience was formidable, but the fight had revealed its dependency on that pulsing core.

It was the heart of its power, and the key to defeating it.

HP: 12/230

The battle was at a critical juncture. If I could not find a way to end it, I might not survive to see the staircase.

With a deep breath, I steeled myself for another assault.

Rushing forward, I feinted to the left and then rolled right, narrowly dodging the guardian's downward slash.

The greatsword hit the ground with a thunderous impact, sending shards of stone flying.

"Time to use everything I've got!"

Ignoring the increasing warnings from my body about the intense heat, I intensified my Self-Immolation, pushing it to new extremes.

Warning! Critical self-immolation level! Health drain increased to 4% per second!

HP: 9/230

The guardian turned to face me again, slower now, its movements hampered by the loss of an arm and the damage to its core.

It tried to compensate by swinging its sword in broad, sweeping arcs, attempting to keep me at bay.

I ducked under another swing and closed the distance.

Using the guardian's slower reaction times to my advantage, I maneuvered behind it and jumped, targeting the weakened core once more.

This time, I aimed not just to strike it but to shatter it.

My fists, cloaked in flames, pounded against the pulsing core.

Each hit was a gamble, my health ticking down perilously with the ongoing immolation.

HP: 6/230

You have gone past your body's limit! You have gained 1 Vitality Stat!

Clang! Clang! Impact after impact, the core began to crack, its glow dimming with each strike.

"DIE!!!!!" I roared, driven by a surge of adrenaline. My vision blurred at the edges, the room spinning slightly as my vitality waned.

With one final, desperate effort, I delivered a crushing blow to the guardian's core.

There was a sound like breaking glass as the core finally shattered, sending fragments of glowing energy scattering across the floor.

The guardian's towering form began to crumble, its skeletal structure unable to sustain itself without the power of the core.

It fell backward, collapsing into a heap of bones, the greatsword clattering beside it.

HP: 3/240

The room fell silent but for the crackling of my own flames.

I deactivated my Self-Immolation, the sudden absence of heat leaving me shivering.

The cold of the room seemed to seep into my bones now that the fiery shield was gone.

I staggered towards my bag reaching out to the health potion, my last reserve of strength.

Unscrewing the cap, I downed it in one long gulp, the restorative liquid coursing through my veins.

HP: 53/240

I took a moment to catch my breath, looking around the now silent chamber.

Congratulations! You have defeated the first's floor guardian! You have earned 100P

You may now proceed to the second floor.