Chapter 639: [Scorpio]

The width of the descending stairs increased as Allen went down, and the decorative objects on the surrounding pillars and statues became more gorgeous at the same time. It was a spiral staircase seemingly made up of granite but had a luster that looks like that of marble, shiny and extremely smooth. It vastly contrasts that of the atmosphere around the sandy place.

Allen with the Mummy Lord walking behind him proceeded to go downwards.

This was the Sand Temple, and deeper down here would be the Guardian Boss who guards the door to the next layer.

Monsters occasionally pop out from around the building but they are not sufficient enough to cause Allen to even frown, much less worry. Although they are strong compared to most players within the Dungeon, however, to Allen, they are still ants that would never be able to shake a Mammoth.

Tap! Tap! Tap! In the empty corridor, Allen’s footsteps echoed loudly as if being amplified by speakers. It wasn’t even louder than the Mummy Lord’s steps—as if the Mummy Lord was afraid of swamping the sound of Allen’s footsteps as he walks in solemn and silent manner. At this moment, Allen suddenly stops and turned around.

The white wall beside him was stained by darkness. Pores grew, and the wall was suddenly decaying fast. Allen stepped back and boom! The walls crumbled, and a deep purple mist was given off from within.

“They are really persistent…” Allen sigh, annoyed.

Two monsters crunched off the walls and got into the passageway from inside the room. The beasts looked like lions shrouded in a deep hazy mist, and they both pounced at Allen at the same time.

“Master, allow me…”

The Mummy Lord spoke from behind as he stepped forward. However, Allen stops him, “No need to waste time on them,” He muttered simply. He then stepped forward and walked towards the monsters in front of him.

“Too boring…” He casually parried away the sharp claws which were coming from above his head with the sword that had materialized in his right hand, and while grazing past the monster he followed up with a slash from the sword in his left.

That single slash was all it took for the monster to vaporize into thin air, disintegrating into small shards of light. It seems like the monsters inside the Temple was different from the ones found outside. The monsters here doesn't live a complete corpse, and would disintegrate after dying.

The body of the other monster began to tremble, and it released a hazy mist like breathe. Allen brows rose up as he felt the breath was not simple. Decay, poison, and corrosion. The monster he had encountered up until now within this temple of sand had many kinds of abilities that use such things, causing him to get annoyed.

Some possess various abilities that can cause harm to anything that entered the temple. One will never know what the specific effects are without experiencing it himself. To normal players, they spell trouble and doom--for Allen's clothes, they spell 'Annoyance'.

The deep purple breathe had engulfed Allen and the Mummy Lord......

However, instead of dodging, Allen turned his body immediately and swung his wrists alone with the momentum. He sliced horizontally at supersonic speed. There was not a single sound of moving air. All that could be seen was a quiet slash of the sword in a blink of an eye. The breath, which had a distorted sound and glows, was cleaved away by his sword in an instant as if it has a tangible substance.

The poisonous breath produced by the monster had totally vanished. And before the monster could recover from that, Allen had already sprung above the monster. He jumped off the horizontal walls of the passageway to step on the ceilings. Using it as leverage, and then dived at the enemy below him.

Slassshhh…!

A clean sound of dismemberment.

As the sound rang out, the remaining monster had already stopped moving. Its body gave a brief tremble, before bursting into tiny pieces with a dry sound. One single sound and action, yet it was cut into several pieces, as blood and flesh covered the ground and wall. Though,it disappeared immediately after turning into countless shards of light.

Allen sigh as he looks at his clothes, as expected, it was corroded. He once again circulated his magic power and his clothes returned to normal, without the slightest bit cut or erosion. Although his body was alright with it but corrosion and decay abilities of these monsters are just too troublesome, his clothes were always the ones who suffer.

The deepest part of the corridor of the Sand Temple was made out of some stone that gave off an almost sticky brown light. The pillars were engraved with impressive but eerie pictures of battles and wars. There were even some strange hieroglyphics in which, Allen was certain it wasn’t ancient Egyptian writing as he too was unable to understand most of it even with his linguistic abilities.

Ancient Language, perhaps...

In any case, the mood here was quite different from the places up until here. You could even say that the overall atmosphere had gotten heavier. There weren’t many empty spaces left on the mental map made using his perception and Sand Empathy, now. The area ahead was without a doubt—

At the end of the hallway, standing was two wolves carved into the pair of brown, metallic doors laded with gold plating.

The carvings on the door were similar to the ones on the walls and pillars he had seen a while ago. An inexplicable aura seeped out of those doors. Allen and the Mummy Lord approach the gigantic door. On closer look, the door is decorated with intricate carvings of sinister figures that seem to be human yet not human.

As soon as he approached the doors of this palace, Allen could feel a suffocating and unfathomably deep aura, one as vast as the sea that was emitted from every inch of the structure. Seeing this, Allen wasn’t the least bit anxious and overwhelmed. He then walked closer, wanting to enter. However, just as Allen was about to open the doors of the palace, he jumped back along with the Mummy Lord from behind.

RoooOOOoooaaaAAAAaaarrr—!!!

A deafening cry spread out from the gate.

As Allen forethought, on this large gate, the originally lifelike carving of the two wolves came to life. It broke free from the gates and clawed at the air. Its body carried an incredibly vast amount of magic power that seemed as if it tore space itself.

The sharp claws passed Allen’s nose by hair’s breadth, stop then turned his waist, rotating his left toe and shot a roundhouse kick. Baaam!! Allen’s leg hit the wolf’s head and sent it crashing into the wall. Then, the other wolf, roughly three to four meters tall, pounced at him, its saliva drop on the ground, issuing a sizzling sound and the ground caved in, seemingly melted.

One bite and any person, even if they are lesser gods would be done for…!

Wooosh. The wolf’s claws pierced through Allen’s shoulders and the large jaws bit on Allen’s head. The wolf’s eyes gleamed in excitement. However, it suddenly noticed something wrong… there was no taste of blood or flesh. When it looks down, the ‘youth’ it was biting suddenly crumbled into sands, startling it. Then, the grains of sands floated around it and covered the monster’s body in an instant.

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Allen reappeared from the side, clutching his right hand in the air with a grin.

“Die,” Allen muttered simply and the sand covering the wolf’s body tightened and Booom! exploded. Blood splashed on the ground.

“Master,”

At this moment, the Mummy Lord returned on Allen’s side. On the other side, the other wolf was skewered by dozens of spikes coming from the ground. The Mummy Lord had finished killing the wolf at the same time as Allen.

Allen felt disappointed. There were no skill books or particularly high-level items, only low-grade Rare items…

Allen turned towards the gate and slowly pushed it open. What greeted was a courtyard, a beautiful ancient garden. However, it was a very lonely garden. Looking at it, one could see its former glory, having a lot of plants and statues, colorfully greeting the visitors. However right now, the once beautiful garden was in ruins.

The plants had all withered, the sculptures were cracked, and sand had filled the fountain.

The ruined garden over 100 meters long was exceptionally lonely.

Allen entered the room and walked over towards a large withered tree. It was big, with a circumference almost reaching thirty to fifty feet, truly dried and withered. From Romeia’s information, the tree is the gate leading down the 14th layer and just as he expected, in front of the large withered tree, sitting in a boulder was the Door Guardian.

It was a humanoid monster—wearing a thick carapace like armor and a large two-handed bastard sword on its back. He was almost three meters tall with a body build akin to that of a wrestler, bulky and muscle like rocks. Compared to Allen, this monster was like a giant—it almost human if seen from the back and can still bypass as someone wearing a thick armor. However, if one looks at him from the front, one could see that the steel helmet-like thing covering his head was really its head,

A Scorpion head…!

Cracked! A cracking was produced when the humanoid monster turned its head and look at the sudden intruder—Allen and the Mummy Lord. Allen saw it, unlike the normal scorpions, the eyes of this monster were compound like ancestral scorpions.

With Allen’s superhuman vision, he could see that all of the lenses of its eyes reflected only him.

“Yo, you’re Arakel Scorpio, aren’t you? You do look like a scorpion,” Allen smiled. “Romeia has sent her regards to you,”

“… …” The monster slowly stood up. Then, suddenly from its body, what Allen thought was rib cage-styled armor suddenly started coming out one after another. Like a flower blooming, it spread out, revealing four pairs of sharp pike like limbs, akin to that of a spider or that of a scorpion. Then, a narrow, segmented tail, appeared behind him, ending with a venomous stinger.

Cryyaaaaahhhh—!! the monster let out a piercing cry by opening its mouth, revealing a pair of chelicerae with sharp venomous fangs. It almost looks like a creature from the Predator movie.

“Thanks for the welcome…” Allen grinned. "I appreciate it,"

【Scorpion King Arakel 2nd Grade Lv8 Door Guardian (Desert King) 】

“But still, just like what Romeia had sad. You’ve fallen pretty deeply and lost sight of yourself…”

CryyaaaAAaaahhhHHHhh—! the Door Guardian, Arakel let out a piercing cry and rushed at Allen. Raising the large sword that seemed to be roughly two meters in length and half a meter width, the Door Guardian burst out in intense killing intent.

Naturally, Allen could easily see through such an action. However, he stood unmovingly. The Mummy Lord wanted to go and protect Allen. However, seeing Allen’s expression he didn’t dare go forward. He looks around and immediately saw dozens of skeletons and decayed creatures, monsters, and human-like mummies started standing up.

Seeing this, he stepped backward and his figure slowly submerges on his shadow.

Allen didn’t care about the Mummy Lord’s movements. He already knows what he was going to do—although it’s not really that necessary but with this, he would be able to focus on facing the Scorpion King.

GyaaaaaahhhHHHHhhhh—!!

The Scorpion King slashed down his large sword with vigor.

The Scorpion King launched his attack like a lion attacking a rabbit. The Scorpion King was the keeper that was supposed to stop any challenger’s progress. Theoretically, Allen, the challenger should be attacking. However, it was the other way around.

The moment the battle started, the Scorpion King immediately launched all his power as it had completely realized Allen’s extraordinary power, even though it was hidden. It was not like all of its Challenger that had come before him up until now—Allen was not a pitiful lamb to be butchered but a predator…

Thus, this is a battle between two predators!

And so, the Scorpion King, at the very start of the battle immediately used all of its power to attack Allen.

The Scorpion King’s attack was quick; it was comparable with the Mummy Lord’s level. As the large sword ripped out, it created a wave in the air. It looked like something that was flying on the water's surface. A deadly aura that felt like the grim reaper’s scythe was heading for Allen’s neck.

Allen stood at where he was while waiting for the Scorpion King to come to him, his eyes looking fearless. He raised his hand, and Rebellion slowly materializes in his hand.

There were shadows in the air moving in slow-motion. However, the tip of the sword managed to meet the Scorpion King’s sword that was coming to him at lightning speed.

Guh—?! The Scorpion King let out a shocked cry as it felt such an intense force that he almost dropped his sword onto the ground, causing his initial attack to miss.

Allen smiled as plunged his sword towards the Scorpion King’s right arm. The monster moved his body aside and dodged Allen’s sword. His stinger suddenly shot out from behind him, shooting at Allen at lightning speed. Allen sidestepped and the stinger stabbed the air, just a few inches away from his cheek. His wrist turned and Rebellion swept at the Scorpion King's side. Seeing this, the Scorpion King hurriedly leaped away from its enemy, trying to create a distance.

Although one can’t see the expression due to its appearance but Allen can feel the Scorpion King’s confusion. The Scorpion King, ever since his birth had already met numerous heroes that tried to bypass him. Some defeated him but never did one give him the feel of what the opponent before him was given.

Allen gives it a feeling as if he could see its every movement and even could identify its every flaw.

Even someone with [ Prediction ] skill is not this fluid and casual, exuding a feeling that everything is under his plans and prediction as if the Scorpion King was a marionette dancing on Allen’s tune.

“… …” The Scorpion King’s four sharp legs behind him started wriggling and then, Woooosh… it extended and shot towards him.

Allen smiled casually and then cuts them all down with his sword. Afterward, he leaned slightly and Booom! His figure flashed and disappeared, reappearing just before the Scorpion King, Rebellion already sweeping at the side. The Scorpion King was shocked for a moment before it had already snapped out from his daze and other sharp limbs shot out, piercing through Allen.

Clang! Cleng! Clang! Clang!

Red and black traces of light clash repeatedly, the two’s movements being so fast that even sound cannot catch up.

However, this is but a diversion for the both of them.

Abruptly, the Scorpion King’s figure seems to flicker, immediately after which he suddenly appears behind his enemy.

The large sword screams towards his back. However, this time it is Allen’s figure that flickers.

The sword swings wide, while Rebellion attempts to pierce the Scorpion King’s chest from behind.

Bashah! Together with the sound of spilling water, the Scorpion King repels that, sending sand-grains like arrowheads flying in the process. Allen deflects them all with his sword, then the Scorpion King retreated and then returns to his original position.

Seeing the two stands in their starting positions, once again, it is almost as if the previous exchange was just an illusion.

But this time, it took four minutes longer than the clash from before.

“…are you done?” Allen asked lightly.

His voice was soft and barely audible from the Scorpion King’s position but it’s as if the wind carries his voice as the Scorpion King let out a deafening cry akin to that of a Banshee, though not as destructive as the Sand Worm King. The sand around him wriggled like living beings and then countless tentacles shot towards Allen.

Allen stomped his foot on the ground and the sand beneath him turned into a sand whirlpool around him. The Scorpion King’s attack crashed against the whirlpool but it was then crumbled and was absorbed by the whirlpool causing it to become even stronger. Because of this, the vision of the surrounding people become limited, even including the Scorpion King.

Cracked! Sounds of bones breaking as the Mummy Lord took advantage of the whirlpool and started massacring the mobs around the Guardian’s Room. He can’t let them interfere with his master’s fight.

Stumped by the whirlpools of sand that had obstructed its vision, the Scorpion King let out a deafening cry and the sands around him were blown away. However, at this very moment, “It’s time to sleep and rest, Arakel…” Allen appeared behind the Scorpion King. And before the Scorpion King could react, the sand around him suddenly wrapped around him, coating him in thick sands.

GrooaaAAaaarrrrrrRRrrr—!!

The Scorpion King struggled out from its restraint but it couldn’t do anything. No matter how much it commanded the sand it would not obey him as if it was cut off from its connection. Suddenly, from where it was standing, countless Scorpions started appearing and walking out. And from Allen’s senses, the Scorpion King was disappearing—this is?!

No, he wasn’t disappearing, he was turning into Scorpions…?!

… …