Devi heaved a sigh, a mix of relief and trepidation, as she lined up the last makeshift grenade alongside its comrades. The small gems sat there like a row of potential headaches, each one a ticking uncertainty. She had honed the skill of cramming more mana into those tiny explosives, pushing the boundaries until they were on the verge of blowing up. One wrong move and the whole lot could go kaboom, a prospect that didn't exactly calm her nerves.

After the spectacular failure of the spider fang daggers, she wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of another explosive misadventure. The scabs on her cheeks and forehead, stubborn reminders of her earlier blunder, still smarted when she moved her face the wrong way—a physical testament to her trial and error. Not to mention her total lack of knowledge about magic.

"Having one thing blow up on me was more than enough. I am not eager to have anything else go wrong," she muttered to herself, her tone a mix of caution and self-admonishment. “Though knowing my luck, one of them is going to blow up at exactly the wrong time.”

With a deep breath, Devi bundled up the makeshift grenades and tucked them in her pocket. She tried to push any thoughts about premature detonations away from her mind but was unsuccessful. The situation hadn’t happened yet, but she was totting around DIY bombs in her pocket. Devi wasn’t dumb enough to assume they were safe. Just a tad safer than running into another giant spider without any munitions.

Fortunately, it still took a bit of extra mana inserted into the bombs to set them off, but even then, if the gems themselves cracked, all the excess mana held within still exploded out.

Pushing herself up from her makeshift workspace, the darkness of the cavern wrapped around her like a familiar cloak. Gripping the broken blade in her hand, she steeled herself for what lay ahead. Which was probably fighting a hoard of big feathery monsters in the dark if last time was any indication.

And then whatever the journal meant by a cursed monster. Not something she was looking forward to, but she didn’t have any doubt that the monster mentioned was the boss of the dungeon. Anyone who had read any amount of fantasy media would feel the same way. And while she hadn’t ingested quite as much as others, she felt confident that killing those monsters was the end of the dungeon.

And then I can finally get out of this place.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the large double-stone doors sitting imposingly on the side of the cavern wall. The large intricate metal disk that would open them rested in her hands, letting her face off against the monsters on the other side. But it remained in her hands. The things on the other side kept it there.

This will be easy, just go in, dispatch all of the monsters crawling around, and then finish off the big curse monster. What is not easy about that?

She slumped against the wall in defeat. Who was she kidding, it was a monumental task. She had barely fought off three of the monsters before and was forced to run away at the end. Who knew what lay beyond that?

The exit behind her beckoned. She could almost feel the cool breeze whispering promises of escape. The sense of familiarity and safety tugged at her, urging her to turn away from the ominous doors. Devi traced the edges of the intricate metal disk with her fingertips, her mind waging a silent war between the comfort of retreat and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

With a growl of frustration, Devi slammed the key into the door. I am going through to the end. I made it this far.

The key sunk into the door, completing the mess of symbols that covered its surface. After a moment, the door silently swung open.

A chilling gust of air swept through the corridor as the heavy doors groaned open. Devi squared her shoulders, gripping the broken sword with newfound determination. The darkness beyond the doors seemed almost tangible, thick with an unsettling energy that sent shivers down her spine.

Devi cautiously stepped across the threshold, going from the rough cavern floor to the uneven stone tiles of the hallway that stretched out in front of her.

It was gloomier past the doors than the tunnels, and even her newfound ability to see in almost pitch black was rebuffed by the oppressive darkness. She slipped one of the glowing stones she had from her bag and tied it on. With the dim light it gave off, she could make out much more of her surroundings. Far more than she had been able to last time.

She was able to make out scraps of cloth hanging limply on the walls, remnants of some long-forgotten tapestry that had lost the war of time. Other parts of the wall held faded etchings, reminiscent of the symbols she had used on her array disks and broken sword. None of the symbols were ones she recognized, though they were so faded and worn away that it was hard to tell.

Devi had to force herself away from the wall, if she didn’t, Devi knew she would have stayed there for hours, trying to puzzle out the complete symbols and then rushed back to her crevice to experiment with them. But that wasn’t why she was here, unfortunately.

I will come back for you, she thought forlornly as she continued her walk down the dark corridor.

Her pace slowed to a creep as she neared the palace where the feathery monsters had attacked, expecting another ambush out of the dark. She strained her eyes to prince further into the darkness, nervously clenching her blade in one hand. Devi had all but given up on her crossbow for now. She only got one shot off before it was just a useless piece of wood in her hand. Until she got better at reloading it under stress, Devi was forced to only use her broken blade and the bundle of improvised mana explosives in her pocket.

She was soon able to make out scorch marks on the walls in places, and dark feathers embedded in others. Remnants of the frantic fight where she had barely escaped with her life intact. The memory of the feathery projectiles flying through the air sent shivers down her spine.

With a firm shake of her head, she tried to shrug off the thoughts, which only worked partially, but let her continue to creep onwards cautiously—hopefully being able to get the jump on the monsters that made this hall their home.

Over her hushed breathing, Devi could faintly make out the clack of claws on stone, making its way through the gloom towards her. Her heartbeat quicked, but still far lower than any human’s had a right to be, as her eyes strained in the dim light of her glowing array stone.

She was just able to make out the dark shadowy form of a monster stalking directly towards her, its pitch-black feathers blending into the darkness around it. Eyes glinting from the dim light, revealing its malevolent intent. She didn’t have that much time to plan since her previous encounter with these monsters had been in a group.

Her fingers brushed against the new batch of makeshift grenades in her pocket, and she carefully extracted one, ensuring not to jostle the others too much.

Infusing the grenade with a controlled surge of mana, she aimed at the advancing creature. Her hand trembled slightly as she threw the explosive, her breath held in anticipation. The grenade sailed through the air, striking the monster on its side, and clattered to the stone ground.

The feathered monstrosity only took a moment to let out a startled growl before the gem exploded in a blinding flash of light and heat, the force of the blast echoing through the corridor.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A shriek sounded out from the injured monster, its feathers singed and its form staggering backward. Devi didn’t wait to see the full extent of the damage. She lunged forward, her jagged blade sinking into the scorched flank of the monster. It let out a guttural roar, lashing out with its claws. Devi barely managed to dodge, the creature's talons grazing her arm.

She stumbled but quickly regained her footing, adrenaline coursing through her veins. But Devi couldn't afford to lose focus. She needed to take down this monster before the others arrived. With a determined snarl, she pulsed mana into her blade before slashing forward, leaving a trail of cinders.

The monster recoiled, its pained screech filling the cavernous hallway as Devi's flame-covered blade cut through its flesh. It thrashed wildly, trying to regain its balance, a few of the claws catching her clothes, but Devi pressed her advantage regardless.

Devi dodged another swipe from the creature's claws, her movements fueled by the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She twisted her body, using the momentum to drive her blade into the monster's neck. The sharp edge bit deep, and with a final, pitiful cry, the creature collapsed in a heap of feathers and blood.

Breathing heavily, Devi immediately dug two of the array stones from her pack and set them near the monster, before backing away. She kept a wary eye on the monster’s corpse, and it wasn’t long before a dark smoke rose up from it.

The smoke billowed out, shying away from the light, swirling around in an angry cyclone. Devi pulled another one of the stones out, raising it in front of her like a shield, hoping it would rebuff whatever the odd smoke was like it had done before.

Whatever the smoke was, it really did not like the array disks, lending weight to her theory that it was some sort of curse, like the journal had mentioned. The miasma spent a bit of time probing the stone’s light before slowly receding down the tunnel, leaving Devi to breathe a sigh of relief.

I was lucky to have found that skeleton it seems, Devi thought to herself as she cautiously went and collected her array stones. I wonder how other people are supposed to fight that smoke, or even if they can.

With a shrug, she continued on. It wasn’t her problem, but she made a mental note to inform Matt and Mars about them. Maybe even lending her set as she suspected that the two of them wouldn’t be able to fabricate their own.

The hallway began to narrow as Devi continued down its gloomy length. Her footsteps echoed louder than she would have wanted, despite her efforts to be as quiet as possible. Soon, the walls grew so close that Devi could easily touch both without even needing to extend her arms much. She slowed her pace, each step carefully measured to avoid any potential traps or hidden dangers.

Out of the gloom appeared an ornate open archway. Or at least it would have been ornate if it wasn’t in the process of crumbling. Heavy-looking stone bricks lay crumbled around the base, while large savage claw marks marred the sides. Claw marks that appeared to be much bigger than anything the feathered monsters could have done by themselves.

Devi debated whether or not it was time to activate her [Attribute enhancement], but decided against it. She was still waiting to get a better idea of what this cursed monster looked like before spending mana.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the archway, her eyes scanning for any movement. The room beyond was vast, the ceiling lost in shadow, the air thick with an oppressive, almost tangible sense of dread. Large pillars circled the room, the majority crumbled from the onslaught of time. A few feathery forms moved the darkness, keeping to the shadows. At the far end of the chamber, a massive, shadowy figure loomed, its form partially obscured by a haze of smoke that seemed to fill the entirety of the room.

Before Devi had any more time to survey the room, the massive beast let out a gurgling shriek, raising up on its hind legs, making Devi realize just how small she was in comparison. She had seen a stuffed grizzly bear, and at the time, thought it must have been the biggest predator she would ever see.

The monster in front of her put that bear to shame. She could tell it was easily triple her height, even if it was a good 30 meters away. The hazy smoke still obscured much of its details, but she could make out that it was the same general shape as the feathered monsters she had fought before.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the smaller monsters slunk from the shadows surrounding her. She didn’t know whether they had materialized out of thin air, or her senses just weren’t sharp enough to spot them in the gloom, but either way, their presence complicated things.

With a determined snarl, Devi activated her [Attribute Enhancment], feeling the surge of mana flow through her. As it did, she felt her body lighten, her movements became sharper, and her reactions quicker as her Agility jumped 7 whole points in one go.

Not wanting her foes to gain the initiative, Devi reached into her pocket and flung one of her makeshift grenades at the closest clump of three feathered monsters, charging it with a brief pulse of mana.

The explosion of force and sound echoed throughout the cavernous room, the multicolored light forcing the darkness back for a brief moment before it reclaimed its place. Two of the feathered monsters lay sprawled on the ground, moving weakley after the explosion the other was limping slightly, having been further away and managed to avoid the brunt of the explosion.

Devi raced up to it, easily dodging its claw swipe, before jamming her blade into its neck. With a gurgle, it sunk to the ground, presumably dead. But Devi didn’t have much time to check, as another group of monsters rushed at her.

Ducking the first two swipes, Devi dodged around the small duo, trying to find an opening. She debated using another one of her grenades, but the looming threat of the massive monster made her hesitate to expend all her consumables before fighting it. Instead, she pulsed her mana through the glyphs on her blade, causing flames to wrap around it.

The two monsters shied away from the flames, eyeing it warily, as it was probably more light than it had ever seen in its life.

Surging forward, Devi caught the left monster off guard, scoring a savage cut across its chest. She had to quickly duck under the retaliatory swipe, before diving to avoid the fangs of the second one.

She could feel the snap of teeth that had threatened to tear a chunk of her arm, the beat’s hot breath on her skin.

She barely managed to roll out of the way, her enhanced agility saving her from what would have been a debilitating injury. Devi scrambled to her feet, her pulse pounding in her ears. Her blade flickered with residual flames, casting eerie shadows on the walls as she took a moment to assess the situation. The wounded creature was staggering, dark ichor dripping from its chest, while the second monster circled her, its eyes glowing with predatory intent.

Devi could hear the distant rumble of the larger beast, a constant reminder of the looming threat. She knew she had to dispatch these smaller foes quickly before the real fight began.

It felt odd, but these monsters seemed far slower than her, something she was not accustomed to. In fact, the others also had the same feel to them. The only reasonable explanation was that she was a higher level, but that didn’t make sense, as this was supposed to be the boss's room. Regardless, Devi was not one to let an opportunity such as this pass her by, no matter the circumstances.

Devi scrambled to her feet, her pulse pounding in her ears. Her blade flickered with residual flames, casting eerie shadows on the walls as she took a moment to assess the situation. The wounded creature was staggering, dark ichor dripping from its chest, while the second monster circled her, its eyes glowing with predatory intent.

Devi could hear the distant rumble of the larger beast, a constant reminder of the looming threat. She knew she had to dispatch these smaller foes quickly before the real fight began.

With a deep breath, Devi charged at the injured monster, her movements a blur. The creature tried to swipe at her with its claws, but she deftly sidestepped the attack and plunged her blade into its chest. The monster let out a strangled cry before collapsing, its body going limp.

The remaining creature didn’t give her a moment to catch her breath. It lunged at her, jaws snapping. Devi spun out of its reach, feeling the rush of air as its teeth clamped down where she had been standing. She swung her blade in a wide arc, the flames trailing behind in a bright streak. The edge caught the monster across the face, searing through feathers and flesh. It howled in pain, recoiling from the intense heat.

Devi didn't hesitate. She followed up with a series of rapid strikes, each one more precise than the last, until the creature crumpled to the ground, its lifeless body twitching slightly before growing still.

Breathing heavily, Devi looked up to see the massive beast in the distance. It had been watching the skirmish, its eyes glowing with malevolence. The smoke surrounding it seemed to pulse with a life of its own, as if reacting to the death of its minions.

In fact, it seemed to pulse out through the room, rushing to each of the unmoving monsters. For a moment, the haze did nothing but swirl over each corpse. Until suddenly, the smoke seemed to be sucked into each of them.

In unison, the corpses stood up, eyes glowing a dark purple, and turned to face her.

This might be slightly harder than I originally thought.