The ancient stone doors groaned open as a blast of scorching heat brushed across Silas's face. Ash floated in the air like a gray snow, and the whole chamber was glowing with the color of bright crimson, with a pinch of orange in it.
The floor was cracked obsidian, lava was overflowing from the cracks, and lava was also running through the river channels, which were carved in the ground. Black stone pillars stretched up into darkness, radiating heat like burning chimneys.
Silas slowly put his one foot inside, with a deep sigh, he entered the chamber**,** his boots crunching against the gravel.
"It feels… cozy," he muttered under his breath as he cracked his neck a bit. "Alright, where's the Mini-Boss?"
A loud sound shook the chamber, walls started radiating with shockwaves. Something massive inside the chamber had moved behind a broken pillar.
Heavy footsteps made the ground tremble, then the creature stepped into the open. Silas's gaze finally fell on it.
It was enormous, at least twelve feet tall. Its skin looked like it was made out of burnt rock, covered in thick plates of cracked debris armor. Its tusks glowed bright red as if they were pulled straight out of the forge.
Smoke was coming out of its nostrils with each breath it took, and its crimson eyes looked like two burning coals filled with hatred towards Silas.
Silas's eyes narrowed a bit. "System," he muttered under his breath, voice reaching only his ears. "Give me the details about this guy." Silas's eyes were locked onto the beast.
[DING.]
[Mini Boss: Brakgul, the Ash-Tusker]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 50]
[HP: 1200/1200]
[Abilities: Flame Trample, Molten Roar, Fire-Infused Tusks]
[Warning: Extremely aggressive. Charges and deals area fire damage.]
A deep sigh escaped from Silas's mouth, letting the heat waves wash over him.
"He's big, damn. And it says, he's angry kind of… and on top of that, a perfect seasoning of armor to finish it off. Am I getting cooked?" Silas's eyes widened a bit, voice came with a pinch of excitement buried in it.
He tightened the grip of the hilt of his sword, feeling the adrenaline rush inside each muscle thoroughly.
Then, he moved, and just the after-image of him was visible.
With a burst of speed, Silas activated his move [Phantom Step], disappearing from the monster. Brakgul let out a roar, confusion took over him, and then he slammed his heavy hoof into the ground, sending up a wave of ash mixed with the dirt towards Silas.
Silas reappeared behind Brakgul and slashed upward.
Sparks showered beside him, everywhere—the blade slid across the thick armor of it, barely leaving any mark on it.
"Tch… of course it'll not do anything to it, yeah." He muttered as he went for another strike on Brakgul.
Brakgul spun with surprising speed and swung one glowing tusk towards Silas. Silas ducked beneath it at the very last second, and the impact brushed past his hair. The tusk that Brakgul sent smashed into a pillar behind Silas, slicing it clean in half.
The tusk crumbled into small pieces as it fell on the ground, and a low creak came when it made an impact with the ground.
[Health: 93/100]
Silas winced as his voice came low, firm. "Yeah… if that fucking thing had hit me, I'd be a 2-D by now."
Brakgul roared as it charged towards Silas.
Silas blinked, his mind went blank—then he blurred once again. [Phantom Step]. He sidestepped, then charged immediately, sending a powerful thrust towards Brakgul with [Piercing Thrust], aiming for the gap in Brakgul's armor, near its shoulder.
CHAK!
The sword got sent deep inside its armor. Brakgul let out a loud howl as it stumbled sideways.
[Critical hit! 142 damage dealt.]
A big smirk curled up on Silas's lips, voice came cocky. "Gotcha… big boy."
But Brakgul didn't slow down, its pace increased even more than it was before—it exhaled deeply and unleashed [Molten Roar].
A huge wave of fire erupted across the chamber. Silas jumped towards the side, but flames still caught up to him, burning his jacket and leaving several blisters on his skin.
Silas let out a huge groan as his eyes shut close. "Ugh—"
[Health: 72/100]
[Burn effect: -3 HP/sec for 5 seconds.]
"Fuck… shit!" He groaned under his breath, patting his shoulder where the flame was still lit.
Brakgul lowered its head as it looked at Silas once, before charging towards him once again.
BOOM.