People began rushing through the beginning areas after the message of the mini-boss being defeated appeared.
After all, this dungeon was supposed to be used to level up (mostly) safely while also gaining experience, so if someone completed it quickly, they would have less time to do so.
The deeper they went, the higher amount of experience they could get, and the least the people that would be there to annoy them.
Lana was one of those that prioritized completing the dungeon over leveling up since she already had the gear to do so, although she was alone.
Soon enough she reached the level 15 area "Advanced District", and from now on only the strongest were there.
Kent and Bill had also decided they wouldn't go further inside the dungeon past that point as it was too dangerous, and they also believed that "Stalk" was the same.
After all… who was dumb enough to go for the boss in the first day, right…? RIGHT?
"-928! -827!" killing enemies, Lana kept going.
Her interest wasn't to level up as she was now level 20, more than enough to start going into actual dungeons, not beginner ones.
And although 'Archer' was considered one of the weaker classes, her powers and equipment were still good enough to compete with all the others (except for Domination, obviously).
Her goal wasn't to level up, but to defeat the dungeon and boss.
"Complete that dungeon and be the strongest one inside there," her father, an extremely strong classifier, told her.
So her goal, just like Stark, was to complete the dungeon as fast as possible and retrieve all the rewards/fame.
Of course, she wasn't dumb, so she would obviously wait for some high potential people to help her out with the boss, going alone was suicide.
But for now… she needed to get to the bonfire before the boss.
***
(3 hours later)
"I see it!" Lana smiled, she had successfully entered the "City Outskirts", which was the last area of the [City Ruins] rift, and managed her way through all the monsters.
All she could see around her was the empty streets, no one was there, meaning that she was probably the first to reach this place.
No… she was CONFIDENT that she was the only one.
And right in front of her was the bonfire before the final boss of the dungeon, she would set herself there and wait for around 4 more people to create a party and defeat that boss together.
"This dungeon is more dangerous than I thought… but there's definitely no one there, all the others are too weak to fight the monsters here as of now…" she kept advancing.
And the moment Lana reached the giant bonfire…
"Huh?" she spotted a pair of legs right behind the fire, and as she peeked her head to check what (or who) it was… she spotted a sleeping Stark, "WHAT?"
She was astonished, not only had someone already reached this area… but Stark nonetheless? How did he do it? Did he avoid every monster and through some godly luck reach this place?
No… this wouldn't be possible…
Her mind immediately wandered to the time Stark defeated Daniel and caused massive amount of damage to him.
"Could it be…?" she approached him slowly, making sure not to wake him up, and got closer to his sleeping face.
Stark seemed to be resting peacefully, his face calm and serene. It was as if this whole dungeon didn't matter to him.
Realizing this wouldn't lead to anything, Lana just sat on the ground beside the bonfire, waiting for other people to come.
***
In the realm of dreams, Stark found himself standing in a vast, empty space.
The air was cool and soothing, a stark contrast to the harsh world he had been navigating just moments ago.
As he looked around, he noticed a figure in the distance, its features blurred and indistinct. Something about it drew him closer, an inexplicable pull that beckoned him forward.
With each step he took, the figure seemed to shimmer and shift, changing form until it finally solidified into a mirror image of himself.
Stark stared in disbelief at the doppelgänger before him, feeling a strange mix of curiosity and unease.
The other Stark smiled, a perfect replica of his own grin, and spoke in a voice that sounded like an echo of his own thoughts, "Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?" the real one answered, confused.
"The First Domination Trial, you have read about it several times in your status window, right?"
"Yeah…" he hadn't ignored it all this time, it was just he didn't have any info so he didn't think it was worth it… for now.
"It is coming soon, and you will suffer, but in the end…" the fake Stark didn't have the time to finish its sentence that it vanished.
And suddenly, the dream world started to shake, a proof that Stark was beginning to wake up.
***
(30 minutes later)
'Hm~?' Stark opened his eyes, rubbing them as he got up, then remembered about where he was, "Holy shit, did I seriously sleep in here? Luckily nobody saw-"
He turned his head, and noticed Lana looking at him.
"I'm surprised you could even sleep here with the boss lurking around the corner," were the first words she said as she was busy inspecting her bows and arrows.
"Gotta be full of energy before fighting the boss, shouldn't I be," Stark replied while yawning, not even questioning why she was here, and got up from the ground, his clothes were a bit dirty but it didn't bother him.
"Fighting the boss? But you're alone!"
"Hum… yeah? That's kinda the point, y'know," Stark wasn't the type to hide his achievements, so he didn't care about telling anyone that asked him about the fact he had killed the mini-boss by himself, although most wouldn't believe him…
He stretched for a bit while talking to Lana, the shock across her face growing more and more after each of his replies.
"How did you even get here?"
"Killing the monsters…? Isn't that obvious?" these question were almost becoming silly, and so after a few minutes of back and forth, Stark decided that it was time.
His HP were full, he had all his skills, and his necklace was equipped, nothing could stop him now (except an insta-kill attack from the boss).
And so just like that, he left the safe space and headed toward the silver fog.
"Where are you going???!!!" Lana got up too, surprised.
"Going to kill the boss," Stark grinned and traversed the wall of fog, not even bothering to hear her reply.
Lana stood there, unable to understand whatever the fuck was happening.
The only thing she knew was that… she couldn't let Stark defeat the boss by himself if he had some sort of trick up his sleeve- NO, she meant she couldn't let Stark die alone.
And so she followed after him.
Stark, unbothered, kept advancing through the fog, he had already done this once before for the mini-boss, so the atmosphere and cries of souls that begged him to turn back didn't bother him anymore.
Lana on the other hand had never experienced such a thing, and so she couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable, if not scared.
Reaching her arm forward in the hopes of finally leaving the fog, she was able to grab something: Stark's shirt.
"…?" the boy stopped and looked behind him to see a Lana with a weird expression, paranoia stretched across her face as her pupils darted in all directions, "Can you please let me go? Why did you even follow me?"
Hearing his voice, Lana felt more appeased, but of course she didn't show it and instead let go of his shirt, "Don't get ahead of yourself, I just don't want you to steal all the rewards!"
'Tsundere ass attitude,' Stark rolled his eyes before continuing to walk through the fog, Lana following closely as she didn't want to be alone.
And after a few seconds… they reached the boss area.
[You have entered the BOSS area, there is no going back from here]
***
As they emerged from the thick, swirling fog and their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they were finally able to take in the sight of the boss area.
Surrounding them was a massive circle of abandoned buildings, eerie and desolate with no visible exit or means of escape. And at the center of it all, rising above the ruins, stood a grand mansion with shadowy windows and an imposing aura.
Behind them was obviously the silver wall of fog, but once you traversed it, there is no way to go back.
[One of the fifteen members of the 'Godless Demons' group is present here, kill it]
[Participants: Stark Heartsouls, Lana Moonless]
"Where's your weapon," Lana grabbed her bow and magic arrows, ready to fight.
"I don't have one," Stark replied while smiling.
"WHAT? B-BUT?"
"Don't worry about me and focus on yourself, I won't protect you after all," he replied and began walking toward the mansion.
"…" She knew he was right as she honestly had no reason to worry about him, but of course, there was also the fact they were BOTH participants in this, so she wanted him to at least be useful.
Lana followed closely behind Stark as they approached the grand mansion in the center of the boss area.
But as they reached the halfway point…
~SLAM~
With a loud creak, the massive doors of the mansion swung open, revealing a menacing figure that stood behind them.
The boss stepped out, its powerful presence emanating an overwhelming aura of authority and malice.
[Malakar, City Mayor (BOSS)]
This text appeared in front of both the classifiers when he appeared, and so the two of them took a few seconds to observe him.
Malakar, the City Mayor, stood tall and imposing in front of them. His elaborate smoking gleamed ominously in the dim light, adding to his intimidating appearance.
His eyes burned with a malevolent glow and his wicked grin sent shivers down their spines. He wore pure white gloves on both hands and shiny black shoes, giving off an air of wealth and power.
To further add to his sinister image, Malakar's face was half-hidden by a 'Black Sun' mask while a strange melon hat adorned his head.
Without a word, he raised a hand and summoned dark energy that crackled around his fingers menacingly.
Lana began to aim her bow at the mayor, and seeing that Stark was doing nothing actively scared her more than the boss itself.
On the other hand, Stark took a few seconds to use [Perception] and check the boss.
[Name: Malakar, City Mayor (BOSS)]
[Level: 15]
[HP: 45000]
[Strength: 471]
[Stamina: 289]
[Speed: 154]
[Defense: 829]
[Skills: Dark Pulse, The Cane, Abysall Shield, Godless Demon, The Mayor's Control, Hat Trick…]
The Mayor was slowly walking toward them, his stats were pretty good, although more on the defensive side than in the rest, and its speed was extremely low.
Stark smirked at the boss's stats, analyzing them carefully in his mind. His demeanor was calm and collected, a stark (get it?) contrast to Lana's nerves that seemed to be getting the best of her.
Without a word, he suddenly sprinted towards Malakar.
"Dark Pulse!" Malakar crouched, both his hands touching the ground, and veins of darkness immediately began spreading toward Stark and Lana.
When he was close enough to one of the veins, it would come out of the ground to try and pierce him, but of course, Stark had 'Focus' and was able to narrowly dodge them by rolling to the side each time.
'What the fuck is he doing, why is he rolling like this?' Lana pondered, and shot one of her arrows toward the Mayor.
"-628!" it hit him in the chest, but he was so focused on Stark that he wasn't bothered by such an attack.
Lana was shocked that Stark was going to engage with the boss head-on, something most people would consider suicide, strategy was key in the rifts, yet here he was doing random shit.
After 'Dark Pulse' ended, Malakar rose up to his full height (which was approximately four meters) and unleashed another attack.
"The Cane!" he bellowed, as a shadowy cane materialized in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the cane elongated and lashed out towards Stark like a viper.
Stark reacted quickly, drawing upon his agility and reflexes. He dodged the sweeping strike by a hair's breadth, but then…
The cane turned around, controlled by the Mayor and able to defy the laws of physics.
Not expecting that, Stark only had a few microseconds to adjust, and so the best course of action was to put lots of aura around the area where it was aimed.
"-721!" he was hit, and although he protected himself, he still received a lot of damage, making him stumble to the ground.
[HP: 479/1200 (+100 from 'Soulbearer's Embrace')]
He immediately got up though, and with unwavering determination continued running toward the Mayor.
Lana shot another arrow at the boss, this time infusing it with the 'Dragon Breath' skill.
"-1219!" she was able to deal very good damage to the boss, enough this time to actually make him acknowledge her presence, but too focused on Stark to attack her.
"He is actually distracting him very well," Lana gently smiled, she was surprised that Stark was able to dodge all these attacks all the while closing the distance between him and the boss, that didn't explain how he would deal damage though since he had no weapon.
And so just like this, the fight against the boss of this rift began.
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