章 22: Chapter 22: F-Class Boss Monster
Fire Toad's Dungeon, 19th floor.
"Bang! Crash!"
As the last creature went down on the 19th floor, Ethan received another notification about his level up.
His current level was 8. He managed to increase two levels after clearing all the floors behind. With his vast mana reserves, it was nothing difficult at all.
The 19th floor was burned and scorched everywhere, a clear proof of how intense the battle must have been.
He managed to collect a lot of old and new skill books using Skill Absorption and monster drops. But, he had no time to go into details now, because it was finally time to clear the final 20th floor, the boss floor.
With anticipation and excitement, Ethan opened the door to the boss floor.
At first glance, he was greeted with a giant fire toad nearly 8-10 meters in height. He had to raise his head to see its full form. He was tiny compared to it.
[ Appraisal ]
[ Fire Toad (elite) ]
[ Power Level: 15 ]
It was seven levels higher than him, and on top of that, it was an elite monster as well. It must be the boss of this dungeon for sure. Its giant fiery form was living proof of that.
As soon as Ethan touched the floor, the fire toad sensed him immediately somehow. There goes his sneak attack plan. Now, he had no choice but to fight it head-on.
Looking at its tough skin, he began to doubt his sword's capability. "A D-Rank sword should be able to pierce it, right? Still, I should have upgraded it for a situation like this. Now, no crying over spilled milk."
The giant toad lunged at him, causing loud rumbles with each long jump. Its jumping left the spot in a scorching mess of rubble.
Ethan took out his sword and activated [Muscle Enhancement] to raise his physical capability by twofold.
Just as the giant toad was on top of him, he used [Inferno Leap] to dodge to the side, causing a loud rumble of smoke at the spot.
Balancing himself, Ethan was about to launch a decisive strike at the giant toad. However, its giant limb came down upon him swiftly. He didn't have time to react. Its agility and power were on a different level.
"Bang!"
He was thrown to the side like a ragdoll, using its giant mass of his paws.
"Cough! Cough!" Spewing out fresh blood non-stop, Ethan found it hard to stand up for a moment.
Fortunately, his new skill [Muscle Enhancement] saved him from immediate organ ruptures.
He didn't expected it to be so powerful even at the solo level.
His [Blaze Guard] was helping him withstand the intense heat the giant toad was emitting.
So, he had a moment to think of a proper plan.
Only then he noticed a large triangular-shaped stone on the ceiling. Its sharp tip was pointing directly at the ground. If he could somehow use it to his advantage, he might stand a chance to defeat the boss.
Ethan immediately sprang into action, using [Azula Sword Strike] to tick it off a little.
As if right on cue, The giant followed him with a menacing look on its face. It was clearly angry at his provocation.
Realizing the first stage of his plan was a success, Ethan started moving towards the direction where the sharp stone was placed on top.
Using [Inferno Leap], he jumped from the ground, and the giant toad followed him from behind. Observing this, he grinned. Now, only the last stage was left. He gripped his titanium sword tightly and used [Azula Sword Strike] along with [Muscle Enhancement] to break the rock hanging from the ceiling.
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
The sharp-tipped rock crashed, falling directly on the ground straight at the top of the giant toad. As for Ethan, he had already sidestepped according to his plan earlier. A perfect plan.
He grinned slightly, awaiting the giant toad's demise.
"Croak!"
Followed by a miserable scream, the massive sharp rock fell on top of the giant toad.
It pierced its body from the front.
A wave of fiery ashes spread everywhere, turning the visibility on low.
It should have died by now... However, after waiting for a while as the dust settled, Ethan still didn't receive any notification regarding the confirmation of his kill.
クリエイターの想い 
Elias_Nightwalker
Elias_Nightwalker Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!
章 23: Chapter 23: Special Skill: Monster Breeding
After the vision cleared, Ethan cautiously approached the creature to see if it was still alive. If it was, he would have to deliver the finishing blow to end its suffering.
Of course, these creatures never stay dead for long. They have a way of respawning almost daily, driven by some mystical dungeon powers.
As he drew nearer, he could hear the faint, labored croaks of the fire toad.
"CROAK!"
Suddenly, sensing his presence, the bloodied and battered fire toad emerged from the rubble with a chilling roar. Its eyes glowed with a mix of pain and defiance, and its body trembled as it struggled to rise.
Despite its severe injuries, a violent red aura enveloped it, flickering like flames around its wounded form. The air around it seemed to shimmer with heat, distorting the space and casting eerie shadows on the ground.
The creature's once vibrant scales were now dull and cracked, leaking a dark, thick fluid that sizzled as it hit the scorched earth.
It was clear the fire toad was on the brink of death, but the aura suggested it was channeling its remaining life force into one last act of defiance. Each breath it took was ragged and shallow, accompanied by weak embers escaping from its mouth.
He understood that it was clinging to life with every ounce of strength it had left, preparing for a final, desperate stand.
The giant toad began releasing an abundant amount of fiery breath from its mouth, turning the whole area into a blazing inferno. Flames surged and crackled, engulfing everything in their path.
However, Ethan remained unharmed, shielded by his E-Rank skill: "Blaze Guard." The flames licked harmlessly around him, leaving him unscathed in the midst of the firestorm.
Frustrated by its failed attempt, the toad revealed its fiery tongue, aiming to crush him into a bloody mess. He swiftly dodged using [Inferno Leap], the heat of the toad's attack barely grazing him as he moved.
Undeterred, the giant toad lunged at him with its massive paws, intent on turning him into a meat paste. Each strike was powerful enough to shatter bones, but he evaded them by repeatedly casting [Inferno Leap], his agility keeping him just out of reach. He could see the fury in its eyes as it became more desperate.
Gradually, the giant toad's movements grew sluggish, and its attacks became erratic. It was exhausting itself, and he knew it was time to strike.
Seizing the perfect opportunity, he activated [Muscle Enhancement], feeling a surge of strength course through his body. Then, he prepared his titanium runic sword and activated [Azula Sword Strike].
With a final burst of speed, he used [Inferno Leap] to close the distance and finish the kill, plunging his sword into the toad with a powerful, precise strike.
"Slice!"
"Bang!"
Finally, the giant toad fell to the ground with its head cleanly severed. Green blood gushed out, spreading everywhere and filling the air with a pungent, metallic smell. The sight was both gory and triumphant.
Ding!"
[ Congratulations! You have leveled up. ]
[ Congratulations! You have leveled up. ]
Whoa! Two levels in a row!
Ethan had finally reached level 10 as a hunter. The journey had been fraught with challenges, but the outcome was worth it. He felt a surge of pride and relief wash over him.
He approached the toad's corpse, and after a moment, it triggered a monster drop. Shimmering lights and items materialized around the body. He eagerly examined his loot.
[ Skills:
[ Predator's Instinct (E) - Passive. Allows the user to sense danger up to a certain limit ]
[ Enraged Boost (E) - Active. Temporarily increases magical power output by 50%.]
[ Items:]
[ Fire Toad's (Elite) Tooth: Rare material for crafting weapons and artifacts.]
[ Fiery Boots: Made from Elite Fire Toad's skin and bones. They grant the user agility +8 and high jumping ability. ]
"Nice!" he smiled, satisfied with his rewards. A smile spread across his face as he imagined the new possibilities these rewards would bring.
Two good skills and two rare items—both are going to help him a lot. Still, he regretted not being able to cast skill absorption on the boss monster.
Then, he looked around the floor, hoping to find something useful. According to his knowledge, there should be a dungeon core around here. With renewed fervor, he started searching for it.
However, after scouring every corner, he couldn't find it anywhere.
"Where is that thing?" he muttered in frustration.
"Click!" Just as he was about to lose all hope, a hidden chamber opened in one corner of the wall with a soft mechanical sound.
Peering inside the chamber, he found the dungeon core he had been searching for. It was a large, rounded ball, encased in a shimmering magical barrier. The core pulsated with a faint, otherworldly light, its surface etched with intricate, glowing runic patterns.
The barrier looked formidable, but he knew it wouldn't be a problem. With his Appraisal skill, he could decipher its weaknesses, even if only slightly.
Concentrating, he used his skill to analyze the barrier. Gradually, he unraveled its enchantments, and the protective field dissipated.
The dungeon core was now exposed, radiating its powerful energy in its glorious, shiny form. It was the heart of this dungeon, and holding it in his hands felt like a significant victory.
"Can I really take it for myself?" he asked himself, sounding unsure.
He touched the dungeon core and tried to move it, but it didn't budge an inch. It was magnetically glued to the stone altar somehow.
Gradually, he increased his strength using all his boost skills, but he still remained unsuccessful.
"Huff!" He sweated, finding the task incredibly challenging. Not even a level 20 individual might find this task possible.
What should he do? He didn't want to leave it just like that. It would leave a bad taste in his mouth. He was expecting a good reward from it, after all.
He pondered hard on the matter. Time was running out before he was cast out of the dungeon.
Just as he was deep in thought, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. Rather than removing it, why not use [Skill Absorption] on it? Although he didn't know if it would work, it was worth a try.
"Skill Absorption!"
"Ding!"
[ Congratulations! You have acquired a special skill: Monster Breeding.]
[ Monster Breeding: You are now capable of breeding monsters in a dimensional space. You can summon them whenever you wish. Current Level: 1 ]
[ Current summonable monsters: Fire Toads and Flame Serpents. Unit: 5x.]
[ Note: Summoning units will consume your mana directly.]
He stared at the system panel in shock. He had gained an overpowered skill just like that. It would be extremely helpful for solo dungeon clearing next time.
"Rumble!"
Just as he was celebrating, the whole dungeon started shaking crazily as if it was about to collapse. He noticed a crack forming on the dungeon core's surface as if it was about to shattered. Had he caused this somehow?
There was no time to ponder. He hurriedly sprinted toward the exit, using all the speed he could muster. Fortunately, he had put on the Fiery Boots. They helped him leap side to side, narrowly avoiding falling rocks and collapsing walls.
Unfortunately, In his haste, he dropped the Fire Toad's teeth on the way without even realising it. It was already about to spill out because of it big size. So it was somewhat expectable.
Well, no matter. His life was more important than a teeth, I guess.
After a tense escape, he was lucky enough to make it out of the dungeon alive.
クリエイターの想い
Elias_Nightwalker
Elias_Nightwalker
Going to release 5 chaps today, so enjoy guys. And please give this poor man some of your precious gifts.
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