Right before impact and most likely a killing blow, the boss slightly shifted itself. Instead of hitting it in the head, the strike came down on its left side. The attack removed the Kobold’s shoulder along with its attached arm, and took a chunk out of its hip and thigh. While not a killing blow, it had been devastating.
Coughing blood out of its lizard-like mouth, the boss let out a hiss and an angry cry. It slammed its staff into the ground before Alex could perform a follow-up strike.
When the staff slammed into the cavern floor, it sent a shockwave through the earth, radiating out from the mage. It flung Alex halfway across the room. He lay there dazed and still battered from the earlier spell. He tried to think clearly and stand up. As he did, an earth spike pierced him in the side, forcing a scream to escape his lips.
His mind was on fire, awash with the pain from his body. He couldn’t think or move; the agony was almost overwhelming him. He made a fist and clenched it tight. Focusing all his willpower and his mind on the hand, nails digging into his palms, knuckles white with strain. It grounded him, bringing him out of the pain and numbing everything else. He traded one pain for another. It was a lesser pain, but through sheer willpower he brought it to the forefront of his mind. It pushed away anything that wasn’t the feeling of his fingers, nails, knuckles, and the warm blood pooling there. He got his breath under control, slowing it down and breathing deeply.
FOCUS! He screamed internally. I need to get up! Come on, Alex, get up!
“GET THE HELL UP!” he raged aloud.
“Nno moree of yourrr insssolencce! I will ennjjoy sllowwly kkiling you fforr whatt youu did to mee! The Grreatt Ssserpentt will watccch me kill youu in itsss namme!” The boss screamed out before more blood poured out of its wounds.
“Blah blah blah, just shut up and fight already.” Alex coughed up blood, spitting it to the ground. He had regained his feet and stood. But he lost his grip on his blade when the blast threw him. He had no weapon.
Time for Plan F… Fuck it.
He could feel the boss channeling more mana, and in response, he channeled his own. He focused his mana on two places.
The first idea was for defense; it was right in front of his feet. He was going to make a defensive wall to buy himself time.
And idea number two was one his friend had given him. One conversation they had while gaming had been about stupid ways to kill bosses in games. Alex was going to put it to the test.
Let's hope Zhiva is kind of dumb. Cause this plan definitely is.
The Kobold had begun channeling a massive amount of mana, again. The mana converged into four areas around them, four corners, with the mage in the middle. From those corners, stone pillars began to rise out of the cavern floor.
These pillars ended at five feet tall and one foot thick. They held a massive amount of earth mana, and dense stone filled them. When one of the pillars started to lift from the ground, Alex knew exactly what was going to happen.
Immediately, he pumped mana into the defense at his feet, slowing down on the attack he was preparing. The mana leeched into the stone around him, grabbed it, and forced it to rise into a thick half dome in front of him. He hoped the circular shape would help absorb the impact.
A loud thunderclap echoed through the cavern when the first pillar hit the wall. It had been like a massive spear coming right at him. The entire area shook violently, including his meager defense. Luckily for Alex, though, the wall had held.
Barely.
Quickly after that impact, Alex could feel his wall wouldn’t be able to absorb all four of those pillars. They were too powerful. So, he poured more mana into his wall, repairing it, hoping to use it one more time. He then shifted his focus back to pumping all his mana into his gamble.
His mana was already getting low, but he had no choice. He was all in on this plan.
Zhiva was readying pillar two. It had started to rise from the ground. The boss let out a hissing with a blood-curdling laugh that sent a chill up Alex’s spine.
“Wwee bothh knowww youu cannottt sssurvivee myy assssault. I felttt yyourr wwall almossst ccrumbble fromm a sssingle pillarr. You ccannott defenddd againsssst allll ffour.” Zhiva said, letting out another laugh as the blood pooled under the bosses feet, wounds bleeding profusely.
The damn lizard has to be close to falling, too. Whether from blood loss or mana drain. This can’t be sustainable. Alex reasoned.
I need to end this. Their attacks are too powerful, and clearly, they have more mana and power than I do.
Alex took out another three spikes from his pocket, launching them at the boss. Hoping the attacks would interrupt their spell. This time, he clearly saw two of them penetrate their scales. One pierced through the scales on its stomach, and the other through the open wound on its thigh. The third spike missed the boss completely.
The attack caused the mage to roar in pain, but it didn’t let go of its spell. In response to the spikes, Zhiva sent the second pillar at Alex. Behind his wall, Alex felt the impact through his bones. It had shattered his wall, sending debris crashing over him. The wall and pillar had broken, covering him in stone, burying him.
Quickly using his Willpower, Alex clamped down on where he was condensing the mana for his attack; he refused to let it break, even while buried in rubble. He couldn’t afford to let it go until it was ready. It would be his last chance at killing the boss. Mana continued funneling into it.
It took him time to escape from the debris, but he couldn’t afford to waste mana on extraditing himself quicker. Slowly, he climbed out from under the pieces of stone and got back on his feet.
He was in rough shape.
Blood dripped from several wounds on his body. His side, leg, and head bled while his arm was in a weird position. He favored one leg over the other.
Standing was about the only thing he could do.
I can’t move my arm. I think my shoulder's dislocated. Alex thought to himself, grunting in pain.
I’m still bleeding out from that stone spike earlier, too. Who knows what other injuries I have? I can barely move, and I hurt all over. I’m also feeling pretty dizzy.
“Well, come on, lizard, I thought you were going to kill me. You’ve only got two pillars left to throw.” Alex said, trying to get a rise out of the boss.
“You know, you're a lot weaker than I thought you were. The Great Serpent should be ashamed to have you running around, using its name. Then again.. Maybe it's not the Great Serpent. Maybe it's actually a Tiny Serpent? Or the Underperforming Serpent? Or wait, I know. What about the Bitchass Ser–” Alex was rudely interrupted when an earth spike soared past his head.
“Hey! Be careful, you could have killed someone with that!” Alex said in mock astonishment.
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“I ttirree of yourrr gamessss andd yourrr disssresspect for the Grrreat Ssserpent humannn. Noww youu will diee!” The boss snarled out in a rage.
We’re coming down to the wire here. My mana is about to bottom out, and my body is beat to hell. That boss isn’t looking much better either, though.
Alex used his earth-control skills to search for the marbles he had left by the cage. He quickly located them, picked up about 15, and hurled them at the boss.
The marbles lacked the power he previously used with them, since there were so many, and he wanted to conserve mana. But they had the desired effect.
The little marbles bounced off the boss's scales, eliciting painful grunts and noises from it. One of the marbles had even struck it in the eye, blood now running down its face. Clearly angered even more by the attack, he felt more mana come pouring out of the boss.
How the hell does it have so much mana? Is it because they’re a “unique” dungeon boss?
Both remaining pillars lifted off the ground at the same time.
“Ah shit, this is going to suck,” Alex mumbled to himself.
The two pillars soared at him with great force and speed. He tried to follow their movement with his [Eyes of the Cosmos] and predict where to dodge. His mana was too low, and he couldn’t afford to use his [Celestial Control] to change their angle, if he even could.
Alex was only partially successful. He jumped left, dodging the first pillar, and quickly got up to roll again to dodge the other. But he was too injured and slow. When he pushed off the ground to avoid the second one, it clipped his leg.
The pillar's slight impact was enough to break the bone.
The pillar's momentum launched Alex into the air when it struck his leg, sending him spinning. Through sheer willpower, he had enough awareness to keep holding onto his mana, not letting his attack fail.
When he smacked the ground, he rolled and tumbled, sliding across the stone floor of the cavern. Massive amounts of pain wracked his body. It took everything he had not to lose consciousness. He violently shook his head to clear his mind and focus, then looked at the boss.
It was still standing in the same spot it had always been. But now it was breathing heavily from the heavy blood loss and mana usage.
It's time. The boss hasn’t moved.
“Hey, asshole. Don’t look up.” Alex said with a smile, blood covering his face, he clenched his jaw through the pain.
That smile was worth it. That mage can go to hell.
“Wwhat?” Zhiva said, looking up.
The boss's eyes went so wide, he thought they would burst out of their sockets. Above the boss's head, near the top of the cavern ceiling, was a massive earth spike. Alex had been pouring his mana into it for a while, trying to make it as large as possible. The spike was at least 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. It had taken almost all of his mana to do it and keep it going.
When Zhiva looked up, Alex immediately pulled down on the spike. He didn’t have enough mana to move it much, but he didn’t need to. Gravity was his best friend right now.
He just gave it a little nudge so that the point would make contact directly with the boss's head.
The earth mage raised its one arm and tried to use its own Earth Magic to save itself, but it was futile. They were both exhausted. The earth spike was too heavy and, technically, still under Alex's control. The boss couldn’t do anything with it.
The spike cut through the kobold's skull like a hot knife through butter, before piercing all the way through and stabbing deep into the ground.
You have slain Zhiva the Earth Shaper (Level 7)
Experience and SP gain are multiplied for killing a unique named dungeon boss.
Congratulations, you’ve reached level 6!
+6 free stats points gained
Congratulations, you’ve reached level 7!
+6 free stats points gained
Congratulations, you have killed your first dungeon boss!
Dungeon chest loot increased.
Congratulations you have killed your first named dungeon boss!
Dungeon chest loot increased.
Congratulations, you have killed your first dungeon boss solo!
Dungeon chest loot increased.
Congratulations, you have cleared your first dungeon!
Dungeon chest loot increased.
Congratulations, you were the first to clear a dungeon in your tutorial!
SP gained, and one piece of dungeon loot was drastically enhanced.
Congratulations, you were the first to clear a dungeon in the tutorials of your region!
SP gained, and one piece of dungeon loot was drastically enhanced.
Congratulations, you have cleared your first dungeon solo!
Dungeon chest loot increased.
Congratulations, you were the first to clear a dungeon in your tutorial solo!
SP gained and calculating rewards….
Congratulations, you were the first to clear a dungeon in tutorials of your region solo!
SP gained and calculating rewards….
Universal System intervention requested to help calculate rewards…
Waiting..
Waiting..
Waiting..
Congratulations, Progenitor, you have achieved the impossible. As your reward was incalculable, a special admission has been made for you. All achievement rewards earned, except the dungeon chest loot, have been consolidated into one item, only usable by you. Use it well, Progenitor. Stay on your Path.
A loud roaring noise echoed out. It reminded him of driving down the highway with the windows down. In front of him, a cut started to appear in the air above where he was lying, as if the world was being torn open. New mana surged into the cavern he was in.
The mana felt the same as what he experienced when floating in space. It was the comforting kind he loved to meet again. That new mana also surged around him, seeping into his body. He watched as the blood leaking from his side slowed.
This new mana… is boosting my regeneration?
From this tear, a sword’s grip came through. It floated a foot above him, not moving, as if waiting for Alex to grab it.
So he did.
He wrapped his fingers around the handle, instantly feeling the connection to it. It felt like a long lost friend was returning to him, or his arm reattached.
It felt right.
He slowly pulled it out of the opening. A sword, very similar to Alex’s basic one, appeared. The grip was black inside, wrapped in gold. The sword's pommel was white, shaped like a ball. The sheath was black, engraved with white stars, and adorned with gold.
Pulling it halfway out of the sheath, he saw that the blade was black metal speckled with white. It wasn’t very noticeable unless the light caught the metal.
Sword of Alex Everett (?)(?)
This sword was given to the Progenitor, Alex Everett, by the Universal System. It is soul-bound and will grow as he does. This sword has extremely high mana conductivity.
+2 to all stats.
Sword of Alex Everett? That sounds… lame. It does say the sword will grow with me, so maybe the name will change at some point. Alex chuckled aloud.
Let's hope, cause god that's a terrible name. And there is definitely a color theme running through everything related to my new race.
A large golden chest had appeared in front of the throne, too. At the same time the chest appeared, a stone wall rose, blocking the entrance to the boss room.
Oh, nice, that should keep the other kobolds out and give me time to heal.
With his broken leg and blood leaving his body, Alex continued to sit on the ground, attempting to staunch the blood flow. He didn’t have any bandages or extra clothes, so he took off his pants to rip them into rags.
Now I’m literally in my underwear and boots.
