The arena Ray entered was gigantic. Figured.
So much about this dungeon had been huge, so far. There had been that enormous Stone Elemental, the huge chamber it had resided in, the high heights he had been forced to climb. And now, in the final room of the dungeon, he was once again in awe of the enormity.
The gigantic circular room could have held a football stadium along with the parking lots to boot. Sheer walls rose so high on either side, their tops would have been dark, if the ceiling hadn’t been missing. The sky with the twisted clouds peeked down through the opening. The scale of everything here definitely made Ray feel small for a moment.
Far ahead of him, he spotted the monster he was no doubt supposed to face. The fact that it was big even from this distance of at least a couple hundred feet meant it had to be massive up close.
Taking a deep breath, Ray stepped forward. He got ten feet in when the notification appeared.
[Primordial Gauge—Dungeon Obstacle]
Magma Lift
The only way out through the dungeon’s final frontier is onwards and upwards. But such a sheer height cannot be climbed or scaled. Instead, it is the dungeon itself that will allow you to rise, so long as you can survive alongside the ruler it holds in its heart.
As soon as the strange notification faded, waterfalls of lava crashed down into the chamber from all sides.
Ray stared. There were openings in the rocky wall far, far up. He had missed them before, despite their size. Now, streams of burning, glowing lava rushed through the holes and crashed down into the chamber.
They were lifting the whole chamber up. Well, the floor. It appeared that Ray was standing on a giant island, and the falling magma was raising it higher.
Alright, so that was what the Dungeon Obstacle meant. Neat.
He tensed as he moved a little closer to the centre of the chamber. At the same time as the lava had begun falling, the monster in the middle of the chamber had begun stirring. Ray decided to stare after he got close enough to use Primordial Gauge and check it out properly.
[Primordial Gauge]
Viledrake [Monster] [Tier 13] [Level 38]
Monstrous remnants of one of the past’s most viciously carnivorous creatures. Few remain out in the wilderness. They make nests in the most extreme of locations, harnessing the power to channel pure brutality. It is said that only when pushed to the limits will a Viledrake reveal its true form…
Skills:
Imbued Scales [Tier 10]: Wreathe yourself in scales that can channel your chosen variant of Mana, enhancing itself with the Mana’s tangible properties.
Magma Swiftness [Tier 11]: Enhance your motion with the heat of Molten Mana. At Tier 11, this skill boosts speed by 22%.
Molten Aura [Tier 12]: Suppress all other variants of Mana within your presence.
Vile Breath [Tier 10]: Emit a breath of pure Mana that can last for up to 5 minutes and 50 seconds at a stretch.
Molten Rampage [Tier 11]: Pour out reserved Molen Mana to heighten all damage dealt, entering into a state of enraged, vaporizing aggression. At Tier 11, this skill boosts all damage by 22%.
Molten Burst [Tier 9]: Condense Molten Mana to any point on your body before unleashing it in a devastating detonation. At Tier 9, this skills erupts in an area 18 meters.
Magma Storm [Tier 10]: Unleash a storm of devastating blood of the earth. At Tier 10, this skill creates 10 magma clouds that can be configured to either rain lava or detonate in an explosion that covers an area of 20 meters in radius.
Lava Shower [Tier 9]: Dig into the ground and send an avalanche of burning meteors upon your foes. At Tier 9, this skill sends 9 meteors of Molten Mana up to 27 meters away.
Vile Form [Tier 12]: Unveil your true form upon the loss of your health.
Molten Mana, was it? That sounded powerful. Fit the theme of lava and magma, certainly.
Ray stared at the huge monster. A part of him was reading through the list of abilities his spell informed him about, while the rest just took in the huge monstrosity he was witnessing.
It was entirely serpentine. Ray could see no legs. Considering the Vilewyrms had strong, powerful limbs with which they moved pretty quickly for oversized lizards, it was surprising to see the Viledrake lacking legs. Unless… even its limbs were part of this secret, final form thing.
Aside from the missing legs, the monster was very much a scaled-up version of the Vilewyrms. Dark, scaly skin. A huge draconic head. Ridged horns and spikes covered a large portion of the monster, with the largest spikes shooting off its shoulders, just behind its head. Strange fissures ran across the length and breadth of the monster too. What were they about?
Ray was answered when the Viledrake woke up for real. Its eyes were entirely black, like holes of darkness. Not so the rest of its body. Not any longer.
Not when lava rose though it, lighting the Viledrake up from within.
Magma ran along the fissures and through many of its spikes and horns. Smoke singed out of several of the crack on its body, little gouts of fire bursting here and there like steam from a giant clockwork machine.
Fucking…
Ray was still about fifty feet from the monster, and he was already being backed by the heat. Sweat beaded his brow and gathered at other, less comfortable places.
What had the Dungeon Obstacle said? That he had to survive this beast until the arena-sized lava elevator reached the top? Well, he’d be hard pressed just to survive this incredible heat.
There was a certain momentousness to the situation. Despite the fact that Ray was facing the strongest monster he had seen on the Second Floor yet, he wasn’t scared so much as awed. The Viledrake had a larger than life feeling to it. An aged wisdom to its stature, a gravitas in its bearing. Ray almost expected the monster to talk to him.
Then it roared, its mouth growing molten hot, and charged.
Ray focused on the fight. The monster was fast. Though, that was expected, considering it was Tier 13 and level 38.
He used Soullife Cloak to reserve a portion of his Recovery and True Mana while also boosting his speed. Just as the huge monster closed in—it was so much larger up close—he called on his Soaring Wings and got away from its gaping jaws in just the nick of time.
The heat baked Ray alive, the wake of the monster’s charge nearly knocking him out of control of his flight.
He managed to retain control and turn, twisting to see that the Viledrake’s charging impact had broken the island. Its body quickly rushed through the hole submerged into the magma underneath, a surge of it rising up and covering the area.
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A little bit of reprieve. Ray shook himself, imagining some mental slapping. He could take this monster. Maybe not easily, but he could. He just had to stop feeling awed.
Ray quickly cast of Mottling Spiritguard and brought a round of sparking chaos orbs revolving around him. They wouldn’t be super effective at protecting him against something like the Viledrake, but they were comforting to have alongside.
Just as Ray called up a flying draconic maw, the monster reemerged from beneath the island. This time, it crushed through a different section. One that was nearly right under Ray. It opened its jaws wide and sought to swallow him whole in its burning mouth again.
Ray dodged away quickly, the heat spurring him on. Shit, he couldn’t even get close to that thing.
Even worse, all of the Mottling Spiritguard spheres he threw as he evaded left next to no damage on the Viledrake. Its body glowed hotter than ever. The heat waving off the monster suppressed Ray’s spells, even more oppressively than that gangster’s blue aura had done a while ago.
The Viledrake crashed under the rising island again, but not before using a different skill. Lava Shower. Its tail whipped up an avalanche of magma and broken bits of the island, all flying in at Ray.
He called on the Spiritguard orbs again, and just for insurance, crafted an Impervious Shell in front of him. That formed a surefire defensive combination that protected him from the monster’s ranged attack.
But not from the monster itself.
He felt like it was moving too fast. Magma Swiftness was working overtime to boost its speed.
Just as the storm of lava and burning meteors crashed in and around Ray, the Viledrake emerged once more and tried to eat him again. Damnit, he was already busy defending against one of its monstrous attacks. Why did it have to be so overaggressive? He couldn’t even dodge back since everything was apocalyptically raining lava around him.
While Ray’s one-and-done spells took care of the first attack from the monster, he cast a couple of quick Soulstrike arms to stop the monster’s direct charge with the arms themselves.
They weren’t able to halt the Viledrake for long. The strength behind the arms was enough to hold back the monster’s serpentine charge for just a bit, but then the head and body glowed. Lava and magma burned bright and hot, turning the monster into the molten matter.
Needless to say, Ray’s True Mana arms began disintegrating. The monster’s charge resumed with the same fury.
Thankfully, he had been able to use Spectral Step to teleport himself to the tattered shreds of chaos. Sure, it took him too close to the charging monster’s side, it singed his skin and immediately began burning his Shaper Raiment. But it was still a whole lot better than getting eaten.
Ray was already throwing himself back, flying fast so that the pressure of the dragging air snuffed out the flames on his clothes.
He had been on the defensive for far too long. Ray summoned his Greater Windbane Maw construct to come in and fire off its fury. It did so, the laser of chaotic fire crashing into the last bit of the monster’s side before it disappeared under the broken island again.
To prepare for the monster’s next attack, he crushed a True Mana shard. The construct’s hit wasn’t a ton of damage. Of that, he was pretty sure.
Ray’s thoughts moved fast. How was he going to deal with the extreme heat this monster presented? Most attacks wouldn’t even reach the Viledrake without disintegrating in its molten aura. He as pretty sure it wasn’t just the heat alone. Molten Aura powered by its Molten Mana was suppressing everything.
The Viledrake emerged, this time, pretty far from Ray. Its body glowed with burning, molten heat.
He frowned, reminding himself that the blast from the construct had worked to some degree. Fast and powerful. That was what Ray would need against a creature like this.
It rushed at him once more, this time entirely aboveground. Maybe it had grown tired of skulking under the surface. Whatever the case, Ray definitely appreciated a more head-on challenge.
But it wasn’t just the monster itself shooting at him. Roils of magma poured off the monster’s body and took to the air around it. They burned and smoked, forming clouds where fiery sparks shot through their innards like lightning. Ah. So that was a proper Magma Storm.
Ray focused. What had he come here to do besides just fight a monster, gain some Essence, and hopefully earn another level by clearing the dungeon?
That was right. He had wanted to test out the full extent of the Fleshcrafter Tower Node.
The Node blinked to life just beside him, as though he had actually called into being. Damn. Was that thing about to be as annoying as the Marauder’s Tower Node?
His considerations were cut short when the air grew too warm. The monster was approaching at a speed that still took Ray aback, considering its sheer size. And then it was upon him, its assault now aided by the fact that there was magma raining and exploding all around them.
Ray cast Mottling Spiritguard a couple of times, making sure he kept moving as he did so. The Tower Node had disappeared as soon as the Viledrake had gotten close. It was still within reach, though. Ray could feel it in the back of his mind.
He just couldn’t attack with it just yet. The Tower Node’s power needed a clearer window to work its fleshy magic.
A window Ray was pretty sure he knew how he could carve out.
As he dodged the monster’s huge jaws and the blobs of magma trying to slam into and detonate on him, he noticed the wound near the monster’s tail. The wound left by his draconic maw not long ago. That was what he had to focus on.
Not that it was easy. Everything was so chaotic. The heat was getting terrible, his flesh and skin literally cooking while he was still alive. All the explosions were letting off far too much smoke, not only reducing Ray’s vision but also suffocating him hard. He wouldn’t be able to withstand an assault like this for long.
Even without getting eaten by that gigantic monstrosity.
At one point, the monster once more emerged from underneath, crushing aside the island in its haste to eat Ray. He dodged backwards again. He was getting better at it.
Moreover, Ray aided his motion using Primal Spiritcraft. Two draconic maws grafted to his arm belched out a compressed laser blast that basically acted like jetpacks to send him flying far faster than his wings could manage on their own.
The distance was necessary. His True Mana was running out, but the Viledrake’s Magma Storm appeared unending. Ray had been pelted enough by a rain of vaporizing lava.
But more than safety, he wanted to turn the tables. He wanted to go on the offensive.
The Viledrake charged his position once again. Its storm followed, of course. But first, it had a different idea in mind. It opened its jaws wide and blasted out its own lasering breath. Of course, a Viledrake’s breath attack was a huge, horizontal geyser of magma.
Ray was forced to dodge. He continued flying to the side. This thing was like fucking Godzilla, just shooting out a laser and destroying everything just to strike its target.
It was even moving faster than him. Ray was in literal danger of being hit by the lava laser beam hot on his tail. He could have tried using the draconic maws to boost his speed again, but his True Mana was almost out and he needed room to replenish.
So instead, he halted his flight. Then flipped over just in time.
The Viledrake’s lava beam passed just a hair under Ray. But pass it did. Even if it felt like his eyeballs were boiling inside of their orbits and blood was about to steam out from all his pores. He survived. That was what mattered.
Because, now he could charge straight at that fucking beast.
Ray moved fast. As fast as he could. Faster, even. The draconic maws on his arms were gone, replaced by hands that could crush another True Mana shard to bring him to full capacity. Instead, the maws went to his back, acting like actual jetpacks as they fired their laser breaths.
The Viledrake shot at him at the same time. Clearly, it was all in on attacking directly. Perfect.
Ray turned around, dismissing the draconic maw constructs on his back. Instead, he called up two True Mana arms using Soulstrike, then used Mana Imbuing and Primal Spiritcraft to call up the larger spectral Greater Windbane Maws on them.
Then he fired their compressed lasers.
The Viledrake countered with its own breath. Its lava beam emerged even as it continued to charge.
Ray cursed. He had hoped to at least be able to hit the monster for a little while. As it was, the two chaos lasers and the lava laser met with a detonation that made the whole chamber shake. The blast was so bad that Ray was knocked straight out of his flight.
He coughed as he got to his feet. That explosion had thrown smoke and debris everywhere, bits of burning lava raining all over even without Magam Storm coming into play.
Ray’s visibility had gone to shit, but that was alright. Primordial Guage informed him that his opponent had sunk into the lava underneath again. Bastard of an overgrown snake just refused to stand still and die.
He was ready for it this time, though. The ground shook, almost imperceptibly, before the island broke under Ray’s feet and the monster emerged.
He was already moving. Ray had headed outwards, his wings carrying him away from the point of impact. The Viledrake was rounding on him to take him out from above, its body spewing molten magma everywhere, but Ray had already acted.
A quick cast of Lifeblood Soulform had his Imitator turning into the gigantic Stone Elemental arm it had copied back in the tall chamber. An arm that punched the current monster he was dealing with right in the face. The blow was delightfully hard. Ray was sure he saw the Viledrake’s eyes widen in stupefied surprise as it crashed down on its left.
No time to waste. The Imitator’s next order was to wrap around the monster and keep it held in place. Then Ray could—
No. No, he couldn’t. The Imitator was already vaporizing away at the immense heat as the Viledrake’s entire body glowed with lava filling it up.
Ray grimaced, then acted. His True Mana arms with their draconic heads were still active, and he set them to fire their laser breaths once more. He crushed another True Mana shard since he was using up so much Mana with his spells. This was becoming annoying.
The Viledrake rose despite the huge black-red arm trying to keep it trapped down. But though the Imitator failed its job, it still contained the monster at one location just long enough for Ray’s follow-up to make contact. The laser breaths hammered in, tearing huge gashes that bled lava all along the monster’s side, leaving massive, blistering wounds.
That was something interesting Ray had noticed. Despite the fact that it looked like it was made of rock to hold all that lava, the Viledrake was actually fleshy.
How else would the chaotic flames have corrupted its blood, bones, and body?
Another lava beam erupted from its mouth. It struck the chaos lasers and exploded again, but Ray was ready this time. He had begun moving as soon as the monster had fired its lava breath while dismissing the True Mana Soulstrike arms.
If his assumptions were right, then it was time for the final phase of his plan to take down the Viledrake.
Ray flew fast. The detonation at the contact of the lasering attacks hadn’t been as massive as last time. He was able to emerge from the smoky, suffocating cloud enveloping the battlefield within seconds. Just in time to see that the Viledrake hadn’t moved from its position.
Because it was changing.
Vile Form was activating.