Unfortunately, there were no more monsters for a while, the only obstacles being traps that were laughably easy to maneuver around now that I had some weight to my stats. I nimbly leapt over spikes, dodged poisonous darts, and even barreled through continuous streams of fire. While it did take a small chunk out of my health, the pain I felt was cut in half due to my achievement and I was recovering 305 health points back every hour regardless.
"For level 2... am I not a little too overpowered right now?" I muttered to myself as I carefully avoided another trap. The corridor leading to the next chamber was much wider than the one I had just escaped from, lined with ancient tapestries and paintings that depicted long-forgotten rituals and sacrifices. The air felt colder here, as if the rot had yet to fully claim this section of the place.
As I approached the entrance to the next chamber, I hesitated for a moment. Having played so many games, I had a gut feeling that I was approaching a boss very soon. That kind of sucked, since I had seen the exit in my previous runs before, so why was it that I was facing a boss now? "Just do it," I whispered to myself, steeling my resolve. "You can handle it."
The next chamber was much larger, with a massive statue of some long-forgotten goddess looming in the center. A dais was built around the statue, and atop it lay a massive tome, its leather cover tattered and worn from age. The air felt thick with power, as if the very atmosphere was alive with magic.
I stood in place, surveying my surroundings. Before I realized it, the entrance behind me slammed shut, and it didn't seem like it was going to open any time soon. Oh, well.
Nothing seemed to happen as I stood still, so that was a good sign. I cautiously took a step forward. Nothing again. I gathered that the activating mechanism in the chamber was the massive tome on the dais. As long as I didn't disturb it, I wouldn't be triggering anything unwelcome for the moment.
"All right," I sat down, trying to come up with a plan. The exit on the other side presumably would open once I got through whatever would happen when I messed with the tome. It also seemed like the best option was to approach the tome. The only problem was, I had no idea what the hell I was up against.
My stats were indeed ridiculous, but playing several hours of 'Last Stand' taught me that numbers weren't everything. There was strategy, there was luck, and there was timing. I would have to use all of those things to my advantage if I wanted to survive whatever was about to happen. The good thing was, my stats allowed me to do just that.
I tutted, standing up and gripping my Silver Serpent. 300 lives ago, I could barely take on a weak skeleton, but now I felt like I could take on an army of Rotting Cannibals.
I approached the massive tome, the pages of its leather cover crackling in the still air. As I neared the dais, I felt a strange energy wash over me, as if the very air was charged with magic. My heart raced in anticipation, my senses heightened to their utmost. I reached out, my fingers brushing against the tome's ancient binding.
[System alert: A Boss has descended.]
A crackling white energy burst out from the tome, rising upwards like a column of light. The chamber was bathed in the ethereal glow, and for a moment, everything seemed to stand still. Then, with a blinding flash, the light vanished, leaving behind a tall, regal figure clad in flowing robes of midnight blue. The figure was humanoid in shape, but possessed an ethereal quality that made it seem almost otherworldly. Its features were chiseled to perfection, with golden hair flowing down to its shoulders and piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold centuries of wisdom. The creature's hands were empty, but its presence was felt more strongly than any weapon could have been.
[Name: Lesser Angel | Level: 5]
[Health: 1200 | Strength: 200]
[Speed: 200 | Magic: 500]
Whoa, wait a minute. It was only level 5 with those stats? Even if I had leveled up normally, my stats would have been nowhere near the Lesser Angel's.
"Well, well, well," the angel drawled, its voice musical and melodious. "Look what we have here. A mere mortal who dares to disturb the slumber of the gods. How quaint." It stepped forward, its robes swirling gracefully around its form. "I am Zapziel, Lesser Angel of the Order of the Celestial Host. And it is my duty to see you out of this world."
"You... can talk?" I replied dumbly.
"Oh, yes," the Lesser Angel chuckled, its voice like the tinkling of bells. "I can talk, and I can do much more than that. You see, while I may be but a humble servant of the gods, I am imbued with their power. Power that you, as a mere mortal, can only dream of." It stepped closer, and for a moment, I could feel its ethereal presence press against my own. "Now, I could end this quickly, and painlessly, if that is your wish. Or, I could toy with you for a while. Amuse myself with your feeble attempts to survive. Which shall it be?"
Instead of responding, I dashed forward, swinging my Silver Serpent. I had the edge in Strength and Speed, but I was more worried about Zapziel's Magic stat, wondering what kind of spells it had.
The Lesser Angel's ethereal form shimmered as it effortlessly parried my attack. "Ah, so impatient," it chuckled. "Very well. If you insist." Its hands flashed through a series of intricate gestures, and a blast of icy wind slammed into me. I felt my strength wane, my muscles growing numb from the cold.
[Health: 650]
[System alert: Chilling status inflicted. Your movements are slowed.]
[Speed: 195]
Oh, fuck. I was now slightly slower than Zapziel. Not good. I'd need to find a way to exploit that or somehow get rid of the status effect.
I circled around the angel, trying to stay out of its reach, but it seemed to anticipate every move I made. It danced gracefully, its ethereal form flowing effortlessly around the chamber. The air crackled with energy as it readied another spell.
I braced myself, expecting another blast of cold. Instead, a shower of sparks rained down upon me. Reacting quickly, I leapt back to dodge the rain, watching the sparks fall onto the floor and begin to corrode the ground.
Zapziel began to charge up another attack, but I quickly dashed forward, swinging my Silver Serpent. This time, I managed to connect with the angel's ethereal form, scoring a solid hit.
An unnatural screech emitted from the angel, causing me to grasp at my ear in pain.
[Name: Lesser Angel | Level: 5]
[Health: 1050 | Strength: 200]
[Speed: 200 | Magic: 500]
[Status: Poisoned | Petrification]
[Notice: This target will continuously lose 1 health point every second.]
While that was a good start, it still had a massive amount of Health points that I couldn't afford to wait for it to tick down. At least I learned that Zapziel was immobile whenever it was charging an attack.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The angel's sparkling eyes narrowed as it glared at me. It seemed to realize that it couldn't just stand there and wait for me to wear it down. Its hands once again flashed through intricate gestures, and a wave of energy surged outwards, enveloping the chamber in a dazzling display of light.
I tried to cover my eyes, but it was too late as I became blinded by the light. A second later, I felt a fiery blast knock me backwards.
[Health: 400]
[System alert: Chilling status removed.]
I grunted in surprise, realizing that Zapziel had no concept of synergy. It had just slowed me, then removed it with fire magic. That told me all I needed to know.
Fighting through the excruciating pain, I managed to dodge another blast of fire from Zapziel, finding an opening to close the distance. As much as I wanted to save it, I didn't really have a choice in the situation, activating one usage of Decay.
Immediately, my body emitted a dark blue smoke, reaching the body of the angel. The smoke was toxic and corrosive, quickly eating away at the angel's ethereal form. I took this opportunity to strike, slashing at the angel with all my might. The Silver Serpent connected, slicing through one of its wings with ease.
[Name: Lesser Angel | Level: 5]
[Health: 500 | Strength: 200]
[Speed: 180 | Magic: 500]
[Status: Poisoned | Petrification]
I didn't have time to marvel at the damage I dealt as Zapziel screeched again, shoving an open palm into my chest, hard. I skidded away on the ground, tumbling to a stop.
[Health: 275]
[You are now Stunned. You cannot move or take any actions for the next 10 seconds.]
"What? Seriously?" I got that I took more damage than expected, but a Stunned debuff was just unfair.
Zapziel crowed in triumph, charging up another attack even as my Decay quickly whittled its health down.
I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pain as the Stunned debuff ran its course. The last thing I needed was to be immobilized while the angel was still capable of attacking. There was no way I was going to die here. Not after I finally got the opportunity to reap the benefits of my Risk stat. Even if I had another lucky selection of weapons, there was no guarantee that I'd be able to level up like I did before.
As the final second ticked by, I forced myself to focus. At the same moment the debuff wore off, Zapziel fired off another flaming sphere towards me. With all the strength I could muster, I leapt out of the way just as the fireball exploded in the area I was just lying moments ago.
I quickly regained my footing, eyeing the angel warily as it took another step back, clearly trying to keep me at a distance. It seemed to have given up on trying to finish me off with another attack, instead focusing on maintaining its own safety. I smirked inwardly. That was fine with me. I could play this game.
[Name: Lesser Angel | Level: 5]
[Health: 250]
[Status: Poisoned | Petrification]
My Decay Skill had whittling its health lower than mine, which was perfect. The only problem was, I had lost my Silver Serpent when the angel knocked me away. I caught sight of the blade just behind Zapziel.
I began to circle around the angel, staying just out of its reach while it continued to eye me warily. It was trying to keep me at bay, obviously hoping that I'd charge in and give it an opening to attack. But I had other plans. As soon as it charged up another attack, I'd make an attempt to grab the Silver Serpent.
I glanced down at my stats, noting that my Health was still higher than the angel's by 25 points. That meant I could afford to bait it into attacking, knowing that I could most likely survive whatever it threw at me. Probably. I also had one last usage of Decay left.
As Zapziel charged another attack, I dashed forward, aiming for the Silver Serpent. The angel noticed my movement, its eyes narrowing as it prepared to defend itself. But it was too late. I snatched the sword from the ground, rolling away just as the angel released its attack.
Shards of stone rained down upon me, and I wasn't lucky enough to avoid most of them. I gritted my teeth as pain blossomed throughout my body. Even with half of the pain sensitivity negated, I was still under a 750% penalty. I was surprised my mind hadn't broken at this point.
[Health: 150]
[System alert: You are low on health.]
"That's very helpful," I mumbled sarcastically, barely dodging a bolt of lightning. I knew the fight was far from over, but I couldn't help but feel like I'd just been dealt another unfair hand.
Backed into a corner, I had to wait for another opening so that I could get close to Zapziel and hopefully use my Decay near it. The angel kept its distance, clearly wary of my newfound proximity to its weakness. I knew that if I didn't act soon, it would only be a matter of time before it regained enough confidence to try and finish me off.
In a desperate attempt to bait its guard, I dashed towards the angel, raising my Silver Serpent. Zapziel cried out defiantly, its hands flashing through a series of intricate gestures once more. But before it could launch whatever attack it planned, I haphazardly threw the Silver Serpent like an axe, watching it spin towards the angel.
Had I not invested points into Strength, I probably wouldn't have been able to do what happened next. As the Silver Serpent cleaved through the air, the Lesser Angel let out a pained shriek. It turned its head to the side, trying to avoid the spinning blade, but it was too late. The blade sank deep into its wing, severing it cleanly. Blood sprayed everywhere, painting the ground red as the angel stumbled back, clutching at both of its stumps.
[Name: Lesser Angel | Level: 5]
[Health: 70]
[Status: Poisoned | Petrification]
"Almost... there!" I panted, rushing towards the weakened angel. It tried to fly away, but its wings were useless now. The Silver Serpent was far away from me, but that was fine. I didn't need it anymore. I could finish this with my bare hands. All I needed was one clean hit.
As I closed in, the Lesser Angel let out a desperate plea: "Spare me, human. I beg you! I am but a servant of the greater good. If you release me, I will serve you loyally, and aid you in your quest!"
"Sorry," I murmured, my voice wavering as I raised my hand, preparing to deliver the killing blow. The Lesser Angel's eyes widened in fear, its wings still uselessly flapping in the air. "I can't. I have to finish this."
Before I could strike, Zapziel suddenly grinned, firing off a point blank burst of energy. The attack was so close, I couldn't dodge it. The pain was immediate and excruciating, as if someone had just stabbed me in the gut with a red-hot sword. I let out a choked gasp as I fell to my knees.
[Health: 50]
[System alert: You are low on health. You have been afflicted with poison. You will continuously lose 1 health point every second.]
Fuck! Not like this! I cried out in agony as the poison coursed through my veins. I tried to stand, to finish what I'd started, but my legs were like jelly. I felt like I was dying, like the world was spinning out of control. The Lesser Angel hovered over me, its expression a mixture of sadness and triumph.
"You are strong, human," it croaked. "Perhaps even strong enough to resist the poison. But it is useless now. I will finish you off."
I tried to speak, to beg for mercy, but no words would come. I felt myself growing weaker, the poison coursing through my veins. The world around me began to spin, to fade into darkness. My last thought was of defeat.
No way. There was no way I was going to die again. Not when I was so close.
With a defiant cry, I managed to push through the pain and use the last charge of Decay, blasting the angel back several feet. It let out a shriek of surprise and pain as the spell enveloped it. Its wings twitched spasmodically, and its body began to dissolve into rotting flesh.
[System alert: You have defeated a floor Boss.]
[You have gained 500 [x3.1] experience points.]
[You have gained 1550 experience points.]
[Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!]
[Decay skill removed.]
[You obtained Lesser Angel's Divinity passive.]
[You obtained Lesser Angel's Holy Element skill.]
[Congratulations! You have earned the achievement: 'Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.']
****
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: ?]
[Title: N/A]
[Health: 700 | Strength: 305]
[Speed: 205 | Magic: 310]
[Risk: 1500 | Stat Points: ?]
[Experience: ?]
[Skills]
[Divinity (Passive)]
[Holy Element ?/?]
[Achievements]
[Even Death Can't Stop Me!]
[Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.]
[Items]
[Silver Serpent]