The tight passage gave way to a vast chamber, a shadowy abyss echoing with the breath of something ancient and waiting.
The air hung heavy with damp earth and rust, unnaturally still, as if the chamber itself were holding its breath.
In the center of the cavern, lit by the soft glow of moss above, stood a rough throne made of sharp stone and melted metal.
On that throne sat a beast so fierce, it made the Kobolds outside seem like nothing more than misbehaving children.
It was a Hobgoblin Warlord, a hulking beast easily over eight feet tall.
Its skin was the color of dried blood, and thick muscles bulged beneath torn leather armor like stones ready to burst free.
In its huge hands, it gripped a club that looked like a sharpened telephone pole, crude and deadly.
This was the target, a Level 5 Chieftain-class monster Silas Blackwood had ordered taken down.
"Okay, Jay," Jason Henry said in a low voice, his eyes locked on the slumbering giant.
"New plan. Forget the old plan. The only plan now is don't get squashed."
Jay Antonio, peeking from behind a large stalagmite, swallowed hard.
His face was pale.
"Dude, that thing's bigger than my landlord, and my landlord is a very large man.
Are you sure about this? Its club has a bigger club than it does."
Jason just gave him a sideways glance.
"Just stick to the strategy. Weaken it with your curses, keep your distance, and for the love of all that is holy, don't pull aggro. I'll be handling the up-close-and-personal stuff."
With that, Jason took a deep breath and drew the Void-Drinker's Edge.
The magic weapon gave off a soft hum, its power pulsing through the quiet cavern like a heartbeat.
He activated the [Might Of A Thousand] title, and a faint, golden aura wrapped around him and Jay, boosting their attributes.
Jason was the first to move.
WHOOSH!
He shot forward like a black blur, barely touching the rough ground as he closed in fast.
The wind shrieked past his ears.
The Warlord's eyes flew open, burning with a vicious red glow.
It let out a guttural roar that shook the very dust from the ceiling.
"INTRUDERS!" it bellowed, its voice like grinding stones.
It swung its huge club off its shoulder and slammed it down in a crushing arc.
BOOM!
The ground where Jason stood a split second earlier shattered, cracks spidering through the stone as rock shards flew in all directions.
The shockwave hit like a punch, knocking Jay back a step, his eyes wide with fear.
"He's way too fast for his size!" Jay shouted, snapping out of his shock and jumping into motion.
He raised his staff, dark, heavy energy swirling and gathering at its tip.
"Curse of Weakness! Curse of Sloth!"
Two blasts of purple energy burst out and smashed into the Warlord.
It let out a grunt as a shimmering debuff icon blinked into view above its head.
Its attacks were still dangerous, but now a bit slower, and its thick hide no longer as tough.
Jason, now circling the beast, saw his opening.
He channeled his energy.
"[Thundering Flash]!"
Three streaks of crackling lightning burst from his sword, tearing through the air with blinding speed.
They struck the Warlord across its chest and shoulder.
[-45],
[-52],
[-61!]
The hits landed clean, but against the Warlord's massive 2,100 HP, the damage barely made a dent.
Worse, a green number popped up above its head.
[+42 HP].
It was regenerating.
"This is gonna take a while," Jason muttered, dodging another bone-crushing swing with practiced ease.
He slipped under a wild backhand and drove his sword straight forward.
CLANG!
His sword clashed against the Warlord's studded bracer, throwing sparks but barely leaving a mark.
The force of the impact sent a tremor up his arm.
This thing was a walking fortress.
The fight settled into a deadly rhythm.
Jason moved like a phantom, weaving through the Warlord's brutal yet predictable strikes in a blur of speed.
He dashed in, landed a [Chop] or a quick jab, then slipped out before the club could smash him flat.
Each time the ground would tremble and explode from the Warlord's missed attacks.
From a safe distance, Jay kept his curses going, his shadowy arrows doing little damage but keeping the debuffs locked in.
"Its health is going down, Jason! Slowly! Very, very slowly!" Jay shouted, a little too gleefully.
"At this rate, we'll have him beat by next Tuesday!"
"Just keep it up!" Jason grunted, parrying a surprisingly fast jab from the club's handle with his sword.
The impact forced him back several steps, his feet skidding on the stone.
The sheer brute force was unbelievable.
After nearly five minutes of this deadly dance, the Warlord's health had fallen to 30%.
Suddenly, it stopped.
It roared with such force that the air rippled, a shockwave rolling out from its throat.
"GRAAAAAAAH! ENOUGH!"
A crimson aura erupted from its body, violent and thick.
Its muscles swelled, ripping its armour further.
Its eyes glowed with pure, unadulterated rage.
It had entered its berserk state.
System: Hobgoblin Warlord has entered [Warlord's Fury].
Attack Power +50%,
Attack Speed +30%,
Defense -20%.
"Oh, that's not good," Jay squeaked.
"That's the opposite of good!"
The Warlord was no longer slow.
It was a whirlwind of destruction.
It charged, the ground shaking with every thunderous step.
Jason, who had been relying on his superior speed, suddenly found himself on the back foot.
The club became a blur, slamming down again and again with earth-shaking force, giving Jason no chance to strike back.
BOOM!!
CRACK!!
WHOOSH!!!
He was forced to use [Gravity Liberation] just to maintain enough distance to not get obliterated.
He dodged, he weaved, he parried, but he couldn't find an opening.
The Warlord was a relentless storm of pure power.
In its rage, it swung its club wildly, smashing one of the thick stone pillars supporting the cavern roof.
CRACK!
The pillar groaned and began to crumble.
An idea, desperate and brilliant, sparked in Jason's mind.
"Jay! Root it! Now!"
Jay, seeing the look in Jason's eyes, didn't hesitate.
"[Grasping Undergrowth]!"
Twisted, thorny vines erupted from the stone floor, wrapping around the Warlord's ankles.
The monster roared in fury, held in place for a precious three seconds.
It was all Jason needed.
He didn't attack.
Instead, he ran straight towards another support pillar and stood right in front of it, taunting the Warlord.
"Hey, ugly! You hit like my grandma!"
The Warlord, freed from the roots, roared and charged, its full berserk fury aimed at Jason.
It raised its club high, ready to pulverize both Jason and the pillar behind him.
At the last possible second, Jason activated [Phantom Kill].
His doppelganger appeared as he himself became a shadow, darting to the side.
The Warlord's club, carrying unstoppable momentum, came down.
KABOOOOOM!
The entire cavern shook.
The stone pillar exploded into a thousand pieces.
A massive chunk of the ceiling, dislodged by the impact, came crashing down directly onto the Warlord's head.
The beast was momentarily stunned, its body slumping as it was driven to its knees, a dazed look in its eyes.
"NOW!" Jason roared, his body reappearing.
The Void-Drinker's Edge began to glow with an ominous black light as he activated its skill, [Abyssal Bind].
Chains of shadow erupted from the ground, locking the stunned Warlord in place and drastically lowering its defense.
Jason held his sword high, all his power focused into one final, cataclysmic strike.
"[Thundering Flash]!"
The three bolts of lightning were no longer just bolts.
They were blinding lances of pure energy, amplified by the [Might Of A Thousand] title and the Warlord's weakened state.
They converged on the creature's head and neck.
A deafening CRACK-BOOM echoed through the cavern, and a shockwave of energy blasted outwards, kicking up a storm of dust and pebbles.
The Hobgoblin Warlord shuddered, the light in its eyes fading.
It slumped forward, its massive body crashing to the ground with a final, earth-shaking thud.
Silence.
Then, a cheer from Jay. "WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY DID IT! I need to sit down."
Jason was breathing heavily, his heart pounding.
That was too close.
As the dust settled, a glorious shower of light erupted from the Warlord's corpse.
The loot.
And because it was a First Kill, the rewards were plentiful.
Among the coppers and a piece of Bronze-ranked gear, two items stood out.
One was a sleek, blood-red one-handed sword, shimmering with a faint light.
[The Sanguine Edge] (Secret-Silver Rank)
One-handed Sword
Level 3
Attack Power +27
Strength +6,
Agility +8
Passive Skill: [Hemorrhage] - Attacks have a 10% chance to cause a bleeding effect, dealing 20 damage per second for 5 seconds.
Jason's eyes lit up.
The Agility bonus was perfect for his build, and the bleed effect was icing on the cake.
The second item was an old, leather-bound book.
It was thick and heavy, and its cover was branded with a strange, fiery rune that seemed to writhe and flicker like a living flame.
[The Tome of Embers] (Unknown Rank)
Quest Item
Description: A book written in a lost, runic language.
It feels warm to the touch and smells faintly of soot and brimstone.
Perhaps a master craftsman could decipher its secrets.
Jason pocketed the book and the sword, a grin spreading across his face.
This was exactly what he needed.
"Alright, pack it up," Jason said, his composure returned.
"Our work here is done. It's time to go see our favourite blacksmith."