Ch 7 - Boss

The three students tensed as the monster drew closer. Yuyan scurried behind Evan, using him as a shield.

He pried Yuyan’s hand from his sleeve and shot her a glare. "I’m not your knight in shining armor."

"You killed that thing once. I believe in you!" Yuyan said, refusing to budge.

Marcus readied his knife, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.

Evan assessed the wolf as it slowly approached. With every step it took, its features became clearer. Those eyes weren’t focused on them. No. The creature was staring at the small pot lying near Marcus’s feet.

"Marcus! Throw the pot away!" Evan shouted.

Marcus blinked but quickly followed the order. He flung the pot to the side, and the wolf's head followed its trajectory. As the scent of the lure spread through the wind, the creature lunged after it.

It clamped its jaws around the pot and began chewing on it like a dog toy. Its long tongue slipped into the pot's interior, trying to lick up the remains of the lure sticking to it.

"Now!" Evan shouted as he charged forward.

He could only hope the three short blades would be enough. Harlan had explained that they were forged from special materials used by Awakeners, making them far stronger than ordinary weapons. If he was right, they should be able to pierce the monster’s tough hide.

A figure shot past him. Yuyan let out a battle cry and drove her knife into the wolf’s neck. "Aaaaaaaarrrghhh!"

A moment later, Marcus slammed his own knife into its skull. "Die, you bastard! Die!"

Evan’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe these two teenagers were fighting so boldly. Shaking off his astonishment, he joined the assault and slashed at the monster’s torso. Under their combined onslaught, the creature soon collapsed to the ground.

"That was... weirdly easy," Evan said between heavy breaths as he stared at the corpse.

"The lure has a temporary sedative effect when consumed by the wolves," Yuyan said between breaths, wiping the sweat from her temple.

"That thing was too high to even feel pain," Marcus said as he wiped the blood from his hands.

"Why are these things so easy to kill for B-rank monsters?" Evan muttered, nudging the carcass with his foot. The creature had been taken down by three unawakened teenagers. For a B-rank monster, it seemed downright pathetic.

"Did you forget everything we've been learning?" Yuyan asked, rolling her eyes. "Six-Eyed Wolves can barely be considered B-rank when they're alone. They're a nightmare when they're in a pack, though."

Marcus nodded. "Crazily smart when they work together."

"Then can't Awakeners just dump these lures around to make them easy to kill?" Evan asked. The creature hadn't even fought back as they stabbed and slashed it to death.

"Won't work. If you try to drug all of them, they just become rabid after the sedative wears off," Yuyan said. "Ooh! I remember that one time Junhao blasted a hundred of them into pieces with a single move. So cool." She sighed dreamily.

"What she's trying to say is that unless you've got a large area-of-effect skill, it's too dangerous and not worth the effort," Marcus said.

"And most lower-rank Awakeners don't have those skills," Evan added.

"Bingo."

"Really, only weaklings and civilians like us would think of using lures against these dumb wolves," Yuyan said. "An S-rank like Junhao can just pow! And kapow!"

Evan let Yuyan’s fangirl rambling go in one ear and out the other. His attention shifted to the sound of approaching footsteps. Harlan soon emerged from the forest, his bushy brows rising at the sight of the wolf’s corpse sprawled on the ground and the three students’ blood-soaked hands.

"You guys okay?" Harlan asked.

"We’re fine, Mister!" Marcus said. "And look, we finished the lure!"

Marcus then handed the tightly wrapped bag to Harlan, who examined it in his hand and nodded. "Good. I found the wolves' nest. They’re all hiding inside a big cave."

"Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Mister?" Yuyan asked.

Evan looked at Harlan. Their survival depended on the man successfully drawing all the wolves toward the boss. Once the boss was weakened, Harlan would deal the final blow.

"Don’t worry. I’ve actually done this before," Harlan said with a grin, though it soon shifted into a frown. "Though I have to warn you, something has been bothering me about this dungeon."

"Besides it being about to collapse on our heads?" Evan asked.

"Besides that," Harlan said. "So far, this dungeon has been rather welcoming to us."

Evan would very much disagree with that. He had almost died twice since being sucked into this place.

"We’ve only encountered lone wolves, most of them hiding in their nests. Even the pixies have been unusually withdrawn. Something about this feels wrong. Since this is an Irregular Rift, I’m worried the boss may be something we’re not prepared for," Harlan said.

That wasn't an unreasonable concern. If the web novels he'd read had taught him anything, it was that irregular dungeons loved saving the worst for last.

"But it’s not as if we can do anything except challenge the boss," Evan said. "There’s no sign of rescuers anywhere."

"You’re right," Harlan said. "That’s why I want you three to keep your distance and let me handle it. As long as you stay hidden, the boss won’t notice you. And if I get killed, run away and don’t look back."

"Mister..." Yuyan said softly.

Marcus nodded. "Yes, sir."

Evan only nodded. There was no point pretending to be heroic and swearing they wouldn’t abandon Harlan. In this dungeon, they were barely more than walking sacks of meat. If they tried to help, they would only become a burden, forcing Harlan to divide his attention between fighting the boss and protecting them. If Harlan died, though, Evan doubted it would matter. The three of them would probably be dead soon afterward anyway.

With the lure in hand, Harlan headed back toward the Six-Eyed Wolves’ nest while the three students hunkered down in a safe spot within the forest, some distance from the open field that marked the boss arena. They waited for what felt like an eternity, barely moving or daring to speak above a whisper. Even the slightest sound might attract the attention of a passing monster.

"Awooooo! Auuuuuu! Owooooo!"

The three students snapped their heads up at the loud howls echoing in the distance.

On the far side of the open field, Harlan emerged from the forest and sprinted across the clearing. The lure bag in his hand hung half open, its contents lit by a small ember. Smoke streamed behind him, carried by the wind as the pungent scent spread through the air.

A large pack of Six-Eyed Wolves chased after him in a wild pursuit. As Harlan neared the tree at the center of the open field, he hurled the lure high into the air. It struck the middle of the trunk, and the makeshift leaf bag split open on impact, scattering its contents across the bark. Harlan immediately dashed away, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the enemies.

The pack ignored Harlan and lunged at the tree. Some scrambled up the trunk, digging their claws into the bark to reach the spots where the lure had landed. Their long tongues swept over the substance while others snapped at pieces carried away by the wind.

The more they consumed, the more frenzied they became. They scraped and chewed at the trunk in desperation, while more wolves piled onto the plant, sinking their claws and teeth into the wood. Thick chunks of bark were ripped away and devoured.

"It’s working!" Yuyan whispered excitedly.

The pack continued its rampage, tearing into the tree. A few moments later, the boss reacted.

Shhk!

The trunk shook as if something within had finally awakened. The monsters lost their footing and crashed to the ground. Before they could recover, a volley of needles shot down from the canopy, piercing the fallen pack.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The projectiles tore through the pack, punching through fur and flesh alike. Then a figure rose above the sea of leaves.

The boss had arrived. It stood taller than a grown man, its limbs unnaturally thin and elongated. Dark veins pulsed beneath its semi-translucent skin. Four pairs of ragged, translucent wings unfurled from its back. Like the other pixies, its face was almost human, yet unmistakably wrong. Black eyes consumed nearly half its face, while an impossibly wide smile revealed rows of tightly packed, needle-like teeth.

The boss waved a hand. Needles shot from the trunk, impaling several wolves. A few collapsed, but the rest barely reacted. Their favorite prey was right there, and that was all that mattered.

Some leaped over the spikes that had sprouted across the bark and lunged at the flying pixie. It dodged their lunges, but more and more wolves climbed the tree and hurled themselves at it, trying to drag it down.

The boss twisted and darted through the air, narrowly avoiding their attacks, but the wolves were relentless. Eventually, one managed to latch onto its lower body. It swatted the beast away with a long arm, only for another to leap onto its back. The wolf bit into one of its wings, sending the pixie tumbling. The pack seized the opening, swarming over it and sinking their teeth and claws into its flesh.

"Eeeeeee-KEEEEEE!" The pixie unleashed a powerful gust of wind, shaking off the wolves clinging to it.

Sadly, it was already too late. The wolves had torn and gnawed at its wings, leaving them too damaged for it to maintain its height. Unable to stay airborne, the creature descended from the canopy and could do little more than hover a few feet above the ground.

The remaining wolves attacked with even greater ferocity. They lunged at the boss from every direction, snapping their jaws and raking it with their claws whenever they got close.

The pixie retaliated with another barrage of needles. Wolves collapsed in rapid succession, their bodies torn apart and riddled with holes. Yet the survivors did not falter. Even after more than half the pack had been slaughtered, they kept throwing themselves at their prey with reckless abandon.

The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse. Corpses littered the ground, blood stained the grass, and countless needles jutted from the earth like a field of iron thorns.

Deep gashes crisscrossed the boss’s body, and chunks of flesh were missing where the wolves had torn into it. Two of its wings had been ripped away entirely, while the remaining ones hung tattered and riddled with holes.

The boss let out a shrill screech. The sickly glow beneath its skin intensified as it gathered the last of its strength. All around the clearing, the countless needles began to tremble. Then, they rose.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

With a chorus of splintering sounds, the needles swelled into spikes and surged upward from the ground. The remaining wolves had no chance to evade. The spikes burst through their bodies, impaling them where they stood.

"Kekekekekeke!" The pixie's laughter echoed as the last wolves hung skewered upon the spikes, their corpses swaying like grisly decorations.

Harlan dashed forward with explosive speed. His large hand tightened around the hilt of his broadsword, and in one fluid motion, he swung at the boss’s neck.

Whoosh!

The blade sliced cleanly through. The pixie’s head spun through the air, its crazed smile frozen on its face, before landing with a muffled thud. Yet the creature refused to fall, remaining upright and swaying slightly as though it had yet to realize it had been beheaded.

"Is it dead?" Evan muttered. His eyes remained fixed on the floating corpse. After everything they had witnessed inside this cursed Rift, it was hard to believe the boss had fallen so easily.

Could it really be over? Could they finally leave? For a brief moment, another thought surfaced. Would he even receive any rewards when he hadn't been the one to kill the boss? Evan pushed the thought aside. Surviving was already more than he could have hoped for.

Harlan apparently wasn’t convinced the fight was over either. The Awakener lunged forward and drove his sword into its torso. With a powerful upward slash, he nearly split the creature in two.

This time, the creature collapsed. Before it could hit the ground, it dissolved into glittering particles.

"We did it!" Marcus cheered.

"Great job, mister!" Yuyan shouted.

The three students emerged from their hiding place and approached Harlan. Meanwhile, the man scanned the battlefield, searching for any surviving monsters.

"...But where's the portal?" Evan asked. "The boss is dead, right?"

Or would the System automatically teleport them out? Maybe they had to wait until Harlan collected his reward for clearing the Rift.

"We'll need to burn the tree first, I believe," Harlan said. He reached into a pouch attached to his belt and pulled out a red crystal. His expression turned slightly disappointed. "Here I was hoping I could use this to enhance my sword, but I guess it can't be helped."

Evan's gaze fell on the crystal in Harlan's hand.

It was roughly the size of his index finger and shaped like an uneven shard. Deep crimson light swirled within its translucent core, resembling molten lava trapped beneath glass. Faint tongues of orange and gold flickered through the crystal's interior, pulsing like a tiny heartbeat.

"Ignara!" Harlan shouted.

He hurled the crystal toward the tree. For a brief instant, strange symbols flickered across the crimson shard before it exploded.

BOOM!

A torrent of fire erupted outward, engulfing the trunk. Flames raced across its bark like a living thing, climbing the wood and devouring branches and leaves. Waves of heat washed over Evan’s face, forcing him to shield his eyes.

Grrrrrrrkkkk!

The burning trunk shuddered. A deep groan rippled through the wood as cracks spread across its surface. Chunks of bark split apart and fell away while the entire form twisted violently, as though something buried within was fighting to break free.

GRAAAAAAK!

A sharp crack echoed across the field. The trunk split down the middle. What Evan had thought was solid wood peeled apart like flesh around a wound. Two arms tore free, formed from twisted roots and thick bark. The ground trembled as root-like legs ripped themselves from the earth.

The creature rose. Its canopy folded inward, forming a grotesque crown above a wooden head. Two hollow cavities opened in its bark, glowing like furnaces behind a cracked wooden mask.

Evan’s stomach dropped.

A/N:

Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. XD

Evan: We can do this!

Boss: Engaging phase two.

Evan: We can’t do this!

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