That was the name of this abnormally large skeleton, it was the strongest monster i've seen since coming to this dungeon. The only monsters i've seen were up to level 12 and were mostly Skeleton Soldiers, Wizards or Archers. They were pathetically easy to deal with since they have the same attack pattern, repeated countless times.
However, this Hulking Bone looked extremely strong, it had bones twice as thick as the bones of the other skeletons, standing at around 2.5 meters tall. It was exuding an aura of death, one that was exceptionally thick compared to the other skeletons, its eyes had a blue fire, twice as large as the blue fires in the other skeletons, as if to match its size. What made this Hulking Bone different other than its size were the two fang-like teeth jutting out from its lower jaw, making it look somewhat like an Orc. Maybe this was an orc's skeleton...
I don't even know whether I can touch this monster, its arms were longer than my reach, so fighting it with my sword was a death wish, the only way I could deal damage to it was by using Darkness Blast, which I could now use 5 times. But doing the math, I still couldn't kill it, that was taking to account it had a higher defense, probably a higher magic resistance too. It would take a miracle to win this fight.
The Hulking Bone already saw me the moment I saw him, it immediately started moving towards me, shambling like the other skeletons, but it was faster due to its large strides, moving 2 meters every step it took. In its hands was an axe, made out of bones. It looked normal when he was wielding it, but it was definitely over 1m in length, one hit from that axe and I would be decapitated. This made me all the more unwilling to go into close combat with this monster.
When it was close enough for me to not miss my spell, I shot out Darkness blast at the Hulking Bone's head. It missed its mark and hit it in its shoulder, making it stagger back a few steps before recovering. The ball had hit its shoulder and dissipated immediately after impact, leaving a small crack in its shoulder.
Only 30 damage, it might be a lot if I was against normal skeletons, but to this monster, 30 health was nothing more than a scratch. I had to find another way to deal with this monster if not I would die. I've technically died once, and I will never want to experience that again, I cherish my life hunting in this dungeon.
Suddenly, there was a glint in the Hulking Bone's eyes, it lowered its axe and jutted his head forward, going into a position like it was about to charge... It indeed was going to charge at me. It pushed its hind legs forward and dashed towards me at a high speed, there was about 5 seconds before it would hit me. I had barely any time to think, shooting out a Darkness Blast at its face and running to the side to avoid its charge.
Fortunately, the mist from the Darkness Blast hindered its sights for awhile before it dissipated, preventing him from seeing me just before I dodged. When the mist dissipated, it realised that I had already dodged, and tried to swerve its body towards my direction, but it was too late. It knocked into one of the large pillars in the room. A resounding crash was heard, the impact sent dust flying into the air, rocks were sent flying. I quickly made some distance between the Hulking Bone and myself, giving me time to react if something unexpected happens. Hopefully that killed the Hulking Bone.
However, that was just my wishful thinking, when the dust settled, I could clearly see the Hulking Bone standing there. Although some cracks could be seen in its skull, it wasn't nearly enough to kill it. Instead, the rocks from the pillar were crushed, and crumbling, but the thick pillar still stood strong.
That impact alone did 50 damage, if it kept charging, I could kill this Hulking Bone easily. Since skeletons generally had little to no intelligence, it might keep mindlessly charging towards me, giving me a chance to kill it. Seeing its low health, another method I thought of would be more dangerous, that was to continue blasting it with my Darkness Blast until it died, it would deal a minimum of 120 damage, leaving it with 15 health. I could finish off the last 15 health with my weapon, but that was to say I could land my spells.
The Hulking Bone continued to shuffle towards me, I continued making distance with it, while slowly creeping near another pillar, baiting it to charge towards me so it could kill itself. Maybe I wouldn't get XP from this, but it was better than dying. After baiting it around for almost 5 minutes, it never did show a sign of starting another charge. It was probably because it had a cooldown or maybe it costed mana or stamina, I wouldn't know.
Eventually, I had to resort to Plan B, which was to shave away at the Hulking Bone's health with my Darkness Blast until it was as low as I could get it. I remained a distance of 10 meters away from the Hulking Bone in case it charges me, forming a ball of darkness in my palm. I fired it towards the Hulking Bone's head. Like before, it only made the Hulking Bone stagger back, but quickly recovered and continued its slow chase.
I had 60 mana left, which would bring down the Hulking Bone to 15 health. Normally, that amount of health would allow me to easily destroy the Hulking Bone, there were side-effects of having low mana, which could cause mental strain and exhaustion, making me weaker. That was one of the reasons why I tried to bait a charge from the Hulking Bone for 5 minutes. Truly, this dungeon was not as easy as I thought it would be.
Firing another Darkness Blast at the Hulking Bone, the spell hit the Hulking Bone again in the head, dealing only 30 damage. It was down to 75 health. Suddenly, I sensed immense danger and the hulk let out a deafening roar, it stamped its foot down, knocking up dust into the air and charged towards my direction. It charged again, but this time it was almost twice as fast as before, there was no way I could dodge it. Having no way to escape, I had almost no time to think and unhestitantly shot a Darkness Blast, subconsciously channeling extra mana into the spell, creating a ball of darkness as big as a football. It shot towards the head of the Hulking Bone in the middle of its charge, its speed was twice as fast as before. In the blink of an eye, it hit the Hulking Bone straight in its skull, shattering it under the sheer impact coupled with the force from the charge.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
For showing proficiency in Darkness Blast, you have learned Mana Manipulation (Basic)
Before I could check my status after I read the messages, my body was overwhelmed by a wave of fatigue and I fell unconscious with a thud on the floor.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
My eyes slowly open, my body no longer feel fatigued like before, in contrast, my body feels like it's brimming with energy. I scan my surroundings, only to see that I was still in the same position as before, there were no other monsters other than the corpse of the Hulking Bone I had fought. There were still other skeletons wandering the room, but they were a considerable distance from me so I was still safe after being unconscious. I check the timer to see that I had been unconscious for only 1 hour. It was probably due to mana depletion that I had fainted, but leveling up should've replenished all my mana.
No... It was from the shock of almost dying, technically i'm already dead, but it felt more real this time. Since coming to this new world, i've thought of everything so far as nothing more than a game. That's why i've been reckless and fighting skeletons with no fear, i've barely been damaged because of their slow and predictable movements, but this time was a really close shave from death.
Sighing, I put that matter into the back of my mind and examined the body of the Hulking Bone, there was nothing special about it except for the abnormally thick bones. I doubt I could use any of the bones as a weapon because of its size, but the fangs from its maw might have a use. Suddenly, a small gem the size of my thumb caught my eye. It was a shade of iridescent azure blue, there was a faint trace of mana emitting from the gem.
I put it into my inventory, thinking it would be useful at some point. There was also a small stone chest near the head of the monster, it wasn't too big, but big enough to fit in my palm. It looked exactly like how I imagined a chest would look like, but made out of stone. There was a keyhole, but I can feel that this chest could be opened at any time if I just will it to open.
Reading the message that appeared above the chest, I opened the chest with a thought. The chest disappeared in a shining light, and a pair of leather boots appeared in my hands where the stone chest was. I examine the leather boots, they appear to be made from a leather not found on Earth, it had a hue of green and was very tough. They were a little too big for me though, as though it was made for a giant. It could also be that i'm small, which I was when in High School. I was the shortest boy in class, not that i'm proud of that, maybe to some it had a certain je ne sais quoi.
Not forgetting the fangs of the monster I had fought, luckily they didn't break when the Darkness Blast hit, the blast only hit the frontal bone of the skull, avoiding its jaw. The fangs were hard to harvest since the bones were so hard. I managed to forage it by breaking it using the force of my whole body. I then checked my status, to find 35 extra attribute points, I added 10 to Constitution and Intelligence, they were essential to my survival. Intelligence would help me to cast more Darkness Blast, which was my strongest weapon right now. Constitution would increase my Stamina and Health, which was useful. I distributed the last 15 points to both Strength and Dexterity, balancing them. Strength was helpful in general for more damage, and dexterity helps me with reacting faster, I would have died if it wasn't for dexterity while fighting the Hulking Bone.
Name: Kellan Flint Level: 25 Race: Human Health: 102/102 Mana 157/157 Stamina: 215/215 Class: None Titles: Discoverer Attribute Points: 0 Strength: 55 Dexterity: 55(+8) Intelligence: 35 Constitution: 63 Willpower: 30 Luck: 20(x2) Perseverance: 10
Then there was the Skill Points:
Skills Available | Skill Points: 1
Blink: Teleport to an area within 3m of the user, must be within view 1 Skill Point Lesser Heal: Heals 20HP of user or an ally, costs 10MP per use 1 Skill Point Haste: Increases Dexterity by 20 for 10 seconds 1 Skill Point Hercules: Increases Strength by 20 for 10 seconds 1 Skill Point
I naturally took Lesser Heal, there were many reasons for the choice, and the obvious reason that it was the most useful among the others. in this dungeon, there were many dangers and a healing spell would be indispensable. So far, I haven't seen any potions so this healing spell would save my life.
Skill Learned: Lesser Heal Heals 20HP of user or an ally, Costs 10MP per use
I haven't really noticed this before, but I could now sense faint traces of mana in the air, it could be due to my new skill, Mana Manipulation. I'm intrigued by what it could do, I am able to channel more or less mana into my spells, or I could sense mana in monsters. The undead have weak amounts of mana in them, so they were weak. I would soon find out what more I can do with this spell, but it'll take some time.
Right now, I have to find the burial place of this 'Galahand' since it's his tomb. He would probably be strong, so I will need to become stronger before I fight him. Maybe destroying the body itself will let me out of this dungeon, maybe there's a whole new civilization outside this shitty tomb. Right now, i'll continue slaying these skeletons and find new enemies. It's a boring life, but it's necessary.