Chapter 24: The Boss Kobold

Chapter 24: The Boss Kobold

"Fire Brid."

~VWUM!~

"Flame Wall."

~FWUUSH!~

"FIame Arrows."

~WHOOSH!!~

Rey advanced as he utilized the only three Fire Spells he could properly use.

The other Spells related to Fire Magic either drained too much Mana or would not be very optimal to use in an underground structure.

'And this isn't really so bad.' Rey told himself as he traversed the cavernous space.

As he trampled atop the burned bodies of his victims, Rey felt something curious tugging at his heart.

'Why am I not really moved? Isn't it odd?'

From what he had read or learned about situations like this, most first-timers ended up being very scared or nervous when confronted with monsters.

That was why Dungeon exploration was usually done in teams. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Experienced individuals would often lead the team in order to prevent an absolute breakdown or chaos among their ranks.

'Yet here I am, completely alone, yet I'm not losing my shit...'

Rey didn't even have a passive Skill that told him he had to be calm or anything, and it wasn't like he hadn't been jumpscared a few times since he began this adventure.

But, for the majority of the time spent here, he genuinely didn't feel nervous or scared.

'Is it because I read up so much about them that seeing the real thing didn't bother me anymore?'

That couldn't be the case, considering how many scholars often froze up when confronted with the real-life manifestations of the things they studied.

Rey explored various explanations, but after everything he settled on one.

"I don't know." He sighed.

All he knew was that he was enjoying himself, and it felt good to do so.

After Rey walked further for a while longer, he finally encountered an area with a lot more Mana Crystals than the previous areas.

The stones gleaned so brightly that it made Rey's Brid obsolete.

"There's lots of energy here. I guess that means I'm close to the Boss." He grinned.

Every Dungeon floor operated practically the same way.

For every one that existed, there had to be a Boss occupying it.

The first to fifth Floor had been conquered, and the Bosses were gone. However, considering everything else hadn't been fully explored, it was only natural to think the Boss here was still alive.

'The Boss is the strongest in a Floor. So far, I've been encountering nothing but Kobolds—some stronger than others.'

The closer one got to the Boss Room, the more powerful the monsters that one would encounter tended to be.

It was pretty much the law of the Dungeon.

"Let's keep advancing..."

"[A-Absolute Defense]!" Rey yelled out.

In that instant, a very powerful beam of transparent light covered his immediate surroundings.

As a result...

~WHOOOOSSSHHH!!!~

... He was able to properly protect himself from the first strike of the Boss.

'What in the world was that?!' Rey thought to himself as he glared at the Kobold Boss.

The horrid creature was already raising its hand for another volley of attacks.

'I should use a surefire Skill to quickly end thi...ss...?!'

As Rey stretched out his hand to launch a powerful Skill, he suddenly realized something.

His energy was gone!

'I-I'm out of Mana?!' His thoughts echoed in apprehension.

But how?!

The answer reflected around him, shimmering as it was about to vanish due to his current lack of energy.

'Damn! It's the [Absolute Defense]!'

Thus far, Rey had only been using 'Flame Wall' as his defensive maneuver, so he had no idea how draining the [Absolute Defense] Skill could be.

'Crap!'

As the transparent field of defense slowly vanished, and the Kobold Boss descended his sharpened claws, Rey's thoughts entered a state of disarray.

'A-ahh...!'

It was at this point that he realized the answer to the earlier question; the reason why he was so calm despite being in a Dungeon for the first time.

'I... I was certain of my victory.'

Why?

'I was strong.'

He killed all those monsters with relative ease and confirmed just how powerful he was.

Afterward, he took it all in stride. To him, it felt like nothing more than kicking evil dogs who were mere chiwawas.

They didn't pose a real threat to him.

... Until now.

'A-am I going to die?!' Rey asked himself.

His thoughts were in shambles for a moment, and he felt like so many things were happening within his at once.

'Is this... the end?!'

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!