"Strange," Aurelian muttered, inhaling sharply. The air seemed to grow hotter the further he advanced. The stones lining the ground looked scorched, he took note of everything as he raised his guard.
The aura pressing against him grew stronger. Too bad for it, he had his primordial Will of Lust, which made him invulnerable. To him, it acted only as a beacon, leaving him largely unaffected.
"Huh?" Aurelian halted, his eyes narrowing as he spotted an opening in the distance. Faint echoes of clashing steel and human voices carried through the air.
Was there already a group challenging the dungeon boss? His brows furrowed as he picked up his pace, closing the distance until the battlefield finally unfolded before him.
The wastelands opened into a small island surrounded by bubbling lava.
"Guess that’s where the rocks went," he muttered, his earlier questions partly answered before he shifted his attention to the group ahead.
They numbered eight, just as a conventional dungeon team should. Each wore different gear suited to their roles.
At the front, a lanky but broad-shouldered youth led the charge, a massive shield strapped to his arm, forming a barrier to protect the members behind him.
At his sides, two warriors in basic armor crouched low, swords drawn, ready to spring forward at any opening.
At the center, three girls in mage robes stood with their hands glowing, their frames buzzing with elemental energy.
Behind them stood the healer and the archer, one young man radiating wisps of light as he prepared healing spells, the other nocking an arrow on his bowstring.
Not far from them, their opponents came into view: twelve wild boars, each over three meters tall. Unlike the red-furred kind, these ones were sheathed in shimmering silver pelts, their tusks gleaming with silver-like brilliance.
Smoke-like energy streamed from their maws as they prepared to charge again.
At the center of it all, the dungeon boss stood tall and unfazed, its golden eyes fixed on the challengers like a predator toying with prey.
It measured four meters in height. Not the largest beast Aurelian had ever faced, but dangerous, its smaller frame hinted that its power had been compressed, making it far more explosive.
Its golden fur shimmered brilliantly, its tusks blazing with molten heat. The very air around it boiled, which explained the volcanic terrain.
"A fire-elemental boar?" Aurelian mused. His thoughts halted abruptly when the beast suddenly tilted its head.
Its golden eyes locked onto him, pinning him in place for a fleeting moment before dismissing him entirely, as if he weren’t worth the trouble.
"A sentient beast?" His eyes widened. The fact that it hadn’t mindlessly charged him changed everything. He would have liked to consult his advanced appraisal, but it had grown increasingly useless, unable to reveal much beyond basic details.
Guess it’s due for another upgrade. He shook his head, turning his focus back to the group.
He wasn’t exactly hiding—just watching from a distance. It didn’t bother him that the beast had noticed him. If the group cleared the boss, another would respawn once they exited. If they failed, then maybe he’d step in. Either way, it wasn’t worth fighting over kills.
He exhaled slowly as the mechanics of the dungeon played through his mind.
***
"They’ve grown stronger since last time," Carl, the shieldbearer at the front, growled, his grip tightening on his weapon.
"No... dungeon beasts are supposed to have fixed strength. But lately, they’ve been spiking. Not just here....other dungeons too." A gruff youth beside him muttered bitterly, glancing down at his chipped sword.
"The guild leader won’t want to hear that," Auron, the healer, sighed. His black eyes glimmered with determination despite his words.
"Their bellies," Arthur, the archer, suddenly spoke up, his gaze never leaving the silver boars. "That’s the only place not covered in that cursed fur. I’m betting it’s their weak spot."
"Good," Carl whispered, narrowing his eyes at the tusked monsters as they resumed their charge.
The boars’ silver fur flared with a blue hue, mana forming protective barriers around their bodies.
"Warriors, attack from the sides! Distract them long enough for the mages to land their blows!" Carl roared.
At once, the two armored youths shot forward at his command.
"Arthur, blind them as much as you can!" Carl added, signaling to the archer.
"Auron, be ready when we’re screwed!" he called to the healer in the back.
Then he surged forward, ramming his shield into the beasts that had slipped past the front line, bashing them repeatedly to keep them at bay.
"Amazing," Aurelian whispered, not at their raw strength, but their coordination.
The way they moved fluidly between each other’s strikes, adapting instantly to the battlefield, creating plans mid-fight, it was impressive. Almost like he was watching a perfectly choreographed dance.
The beasts that had once seemed a menace fell one by one.
The warriors immobilized them by slashing through their limbs, Carl roughing them up with his shield here and there, and Arthur, with impeccable aim, landing several eye shots, effectively blinding some of them.
With the mages locking in, hurling fireballs that exploded and burned their unders open, and ice spells cast here and there making the ground slippery, the odds quickly shifted as the battlefield became a living hell for the silver-tusked boars.
"Die!" Carl roared, slamming his massive shield into the skull of a blinded silver-tusked boar, brought low by Arthur’s arrows. He bashed again and again until hairline cracks spread across its head, then, with a sickening crunch, the skull burst into a gory mess. The beast collapsed lifeless at his feet, marking the fall of the last silver-tusked boar.
"Something doesn’t feel right." Arthur inhaled, unease gnawing at him as he voiced his concern.
"The battle... don’t you think it was all too easy? And isn’t it strange the dungeon boss hasn’t stepped in yet, only watching while we annihilated its minions?" He muttered, trying to connect the dots, his eyes fixed on the distant golden figure, as if it had been enjoying a show.
"Relax... we’re just that good," one of the warriors chuckled, cracking a grin as he wiped blood from his sword.
"Yeah, who gives a fuck what these stupid beasts do? Either way, we’re still going to slay it."
"Everybody! Regain your senses. Need I remind you, the battle is never over until we exit the dungeon?" Carl growled, his brows creasing as he watched the golden-tusked boar stand up slowly, with what he could swear was a bored expression, as it turned to look at them.
The rest of the members regained their composure, preparing to launch another coordinated attack, but froze in their tracks. Shock slammed into them as the beast opened its maw. Instead of a guttural growl, a voice echoed out:
"HUMAN... DISTURB... SLEEP... DIE!"
"It’s a... beast... with... a triggered... bloodline!" Carl whispered, his voice drying in his throat.
"A... semi-sentient beast... it has to be elite rank... at least. Run!" Arthur murmured, his eyes shrinking in dread at the realization.
"Huh? Where’d it go?" Carl muttered.
The golden-tusked boar blinked out of sight, leaving only a mirage behind. Before the words could fully leave his lips, a roaring inferno flared beside him, the boar flickering into existence in front of him. Its tusks rammed into his shield, piercing through it as if it were paper, before sending him flying. His figure slammed into the dungeon walls shaping the wasteland, cracking sounds echoing as his bones broke, before he slid to the ground, unconscious.
"How...?" Greg, one of the warriors, sputtered. Their strongest member had been swatted away like a ragdoll, severely injured in a single move.
What about the rest of them?
The answer came almost instantly. The boar turned to the warriors at the flank, its tusks glowing with a resplendent golden light. Uncontrollable heat surged out of it, spilling into abominably hot temperatures that burned the two warriors alive, leaving behind not even ashes.
"This isn’t looking good." Arthur whispered, gripping his bow, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. Escape was a pipe dream now. Fighting was useless. The girls in front of him had already frozen in fear, the healer no better.
Bringing his bow to his lips, he nocked one last arrow, not in any hope of miraculously surviving, but as a final gesture. His last moment would be one of resistance, to die as a warrior.
As he pulled the string, the golden boar suddenly shifted its attention to him.
Remaining still as he let go, the arrow screamed through the air, but as it entered a ten-meter radius of the beast, its speed dropped considerably. The arrow’s form unraveled, disintegrating before it could even reach its target.
"Futile."
Arthur nodded, resignation settling in. His imminent death played at the back of his mind as his eyes snapped shut. Seconds ticked by...as his brows furrowed.
Why was it taking long?
A boisterous laugh snapped his eyes open.
"Hahahaha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Aurelian stood before him, smirking, bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter as he stared at the golden beast.
"Forgive my interruption, but a talking beast? Now that’s new." He muttered, his figure streaking forward.The rest of the survivors staring at him, wide-eyed.