From the dark corners came Infernal Apes, their bodies were completely covered in molten fur that glowed like burning embers—only visible areas were their mouth, eyes and limbs. Behind them came two Lava Stalkers, their serpentine forms were weaving through the cracks in the floor with glowing scales.
They then started to surround him, their breaths were thick with heat, their eyes were burning with the hunger—hunger to prey on the weak, and the only one who was weak here was Silas.
A low sigh escaped Silas's mouth, voice came short. "You bitches, I know what you're thinking. 'Let's surround him and catch him off-guard, right, let's see who'll hunt whom."
Silas's grip tightened on his sword's hilt, a tired yet dangerous smile curled up on his lips, which reflected that he was ready to hunt anyone who came in his way. "Alright then," he whispered. "Let's dance."
The first ape lunged at him with a roar, fire scorching the air around its fists, eyes filled with hunger. Silas then ducked under the blow, heat licking past his cheek.
His movements were smoother than before now—his body finally catching up to the strength which he'd poured into it.
He slammed his palm straight into the gut of the ape with [Force Palm], sending it flying straight into the pool of lava.
The other one lunged at him from behind. Silas spun instantly, hooked his foot behind its knee and jumped forward, driving a blow right into its jaw before flipping backwards and landing lightly on the heated stone.
The Lava Stalkers attacked him next, spitting streams of fire straight at him. Silas rolled aside, feeling the flames graze his shoulder. He darted forward, slashing through one, its molten blood hissing against the stone.
The system then echoed inside his mind once again as he killed the last stalker, which collapsed in a burst of fire.
[DING!]
[+2,600 EXP]
[Skill Fragment Acquired]
Silas let out a small sigh as a smile curled up on his lips. "Yeah? I won, bitches."
[Targets eliminated.]
[Life-Stealing System activation possible.]
Sweat rolled down his neck, his breath came rough but steady. He wiped his mouth and pushed deeper into the cavern.
A wicked smile curled up on Silas's lips. "Let's see if you were worth killing, lil bros."
Silas extended his hand towards the body of the deceased monsters as he muttered under his breath. "Life-Steal."
A faint red mist started to pop out of the bodies of deceased hounds, the threads leapt upwards, and with just a blink of an eye, they shot out near the hand of Silas and entered it.
Silas's arm veins popped out, fingers started to tremble a bit, sweat welled up on his temple, and the sudden surge of pain shot inside his muscles.
After a while, it all settled.
[Life absorbed: 7 Days]
[Stats Increased:]
[Strength: +3.5 Strength]
[Agility: +3.5 Agility]
[Endurance: +6 Endurance]
Silas looked at the stats increase, but then his gaze fell onto the endurance stat; his eyes widened a bit. "It gave me that much boost in my endurance? What the hell? Isn't that a little too much?"
[No, host. You just hunted fire apes; they have high endurance.]
Silas took his hand under his chin as he scratched it a bit, humming slightly. "Hmm... that's understandable then."
The tunnel opened once again—this time into a massive arena which was carved directly above a lake of lava. Flames were brushing the walls, and the heat rose up in waves that were so thick.
The ones who were waiting inside of it were beasts that were even bigger and meaner than the ones Silas faced before. Emberfang Hyenas, their wails were dripping with molten saliva. Three Magma Swine, their breaths puffing out smoke in thick columns.
And towering above everything was a monstrous Pyroshell Juggernaut, its shell glowing like a moving volcano, lava cannons pulsing with immense heat.
Silas exhaled slowly and let out a deep sigh, adjusting his grip on the hilt of his sword. His voice came low. "Now this thing... looks a bit challenging." He stared straight at the monsters in front.
The hyenas attacked first, snapping and darting around him. Silas weaved in and out of their strikes, cutting them down one by one. Fire burst against his boots; molten saliva hit the ground and sizzled.
The Magma Swine followed just behind them with explosive charges, their stomps even making the floor shake. Silas dodged under a fireball and stabbed upward, letting the sword carve a deep line across a swine's snout.
But the Juggernaut was the real threat to him; it charged forward, cannons glowing bright with magma.
Silas barely dodged the blast—one stream of molten fire grazed his shoulder, ripping a scream from him. His jacket burned away, and the smell of scorched skin filled the air.
[HP -67.]
He staggered back a bit, but stayed standing. "Alright, big guy. Calm down a bit, yeah?" he let out a loud groan, looking at the Juggernaut. "You had your turn, now it's time for me to show you something interesting."
Silas ran straight forward toward it, vaulting off a broken chunk of stone, landing straight on the shell of the Juggernaut. The heat nearly melted the bottom of his shoes; lava cannons twisted toward him in just a second.
He didn't hesitate, nor did he stop. He took his sword straight into the base of a cannon and poured his mana into it. It led the cannon to blast with a loud bang; the roar of the molten lava was clear.
The Juggernaut screamed as it collapsed onto its legs. Silas leapt off its back, skidding across the floor as the beast fell in front of him.
Silence filled the chamber—just his ragged breathing and the crackling of lava.
[DING!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Current Level: 40]
[Stat Points +12.]
He wiped the trail of blood from his lip as he let out a low yet shaky laugh. "Still alive.. haha."
[Life-Stealing System Activation Possible.]
[Would you like to use the Life-Steal?]
Silas let out a slow, shaky laugh as he extended his hand towards the fallen bodies of the deceased monsters, and he whispered under his breath. "Life-Steal."
A faint red mist started to pop out of the bodies of the deceased hounds, the threads leapt upwards, and with just a blink of an eye, they shot out near the hand of Silas and entered it.
Silas's arm veins popped out, fingers started to tremble a bit, sweat welled up on his temple, and the sudden surge of pain shot inside his muscles. This time, it was even more than the ones he faced earlier; the pain was making his body feel like it was tearing up. He groaned as he fell on his knees, grabbing his left arm with his hand, teeth gritting. "Ugh..."
After a few minutes of torture, it all settled down.
[Life absorbed: 15 Days]
[Stats Increased:]
[Strength: +5 Strength]
[Agility: +6 Agility]
[Endurance: +8 Endurance]
Silas's body was completely drenched in sweat, voice came low. "Fuck... I almost died while absorbing them."
Ahead, a massive gate rose from the floor—molten runes crawling across its surface, glowing like smouldering embers. Heat pulsed from it like a heartbeat, steady and strong.
It was the room of the mini-bosses. Silas limped forward slowly, steps slow yet calm and composed. He stopped right before the door as he placed his hand against the burning metal of the door, a small smirk curled up on his lips.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see what kind of a bitch's waiting for me in here."