After evading another attack Liam checked his skills, noticing their cooldowns ticking towards zero. His foot dug into the floor, supporting him in executing a swift turn, his crossed swords engulfed by a white sheen.
Liam's attacks flowed smoothly at a level which would leave others dizzy. He perfectly combined his skills, ignoring the boss's next attack in order to trigger his holy mark.
Both fighters had less than a third of their HP bars left, causing an invisible tension to form. Benareg huffed like a monster in the dark. Black fog mixed with violet wafts came out of its nose.
The void energy coursing through the demon suddenly intensified. Patches of its fur turned violet. Its body straightened, causing it to look down on Liam like an arrogant predator. Sharp, violet spikes broke out of its elbows, splashing blood which vanished into the black fog.
Liam watched the boss's transformation, but he remained active. A potion appeared in his hand, and he downed it quickly.
[+400!]
"You have doomed me human! I will make you suffer a horrifying fate!"
Suddenly Benareg's body flashed. Liam couldn't rely on his eyes anymore, trusting only his instincts honed through years of combat. He turned his body to the right.
A claw flashed past his shoulder, the surrounding void energy pricking his skin.
[Stance -22]
Liam wasn't granted a break as another claw came from the other side, forming a pincer attack. Caught between a rock and a hard place he urgently drove the mana in his body.
Instantly all his cells were animated.
[Stance -26]
The two claws sliced the air apart, meeting each other. Benareg stared at the sparks remaining in the sky, letting out an angry roar.
Liam abruptly appeared some distance away. He ignored the drop of sweat running down his neck. His thoughts moved quickly, trying to find an opportunity.
Suddenly Liam's eyes lit up as he exchanged his swords for a fishing rod. Even Benareg showed a perplexed look as it turned around.
A fishing line sneaked through the dark fog, aiming to entangle its target. It moved mysteriously, looping around the demon multiple times.
"This is your end, human!"
Benareg spoke ominously, its voice sounding hoarse. It intended to make a step towards Liam, but suddenly found itself unable to move.
A thin line incredibly wrapped around its body, blocking its movement. Benareg's muscles bulged but the line didn't snap.
Liam sighed in relief at the result. He stood with Gabe's fishing rod in hand, watching the struggling demon. With a thought his [Holy Wave] activated, spreading a wave of holy magic which momentarily cleared the black fog.
"Ahh! Human!"
Benareg shouted helplessly, but Liam felt awkward as well as he couldn't attack. The fight fell into a lull for a couple of seconds.
Liam observed the cooldown of his skills, counting the seconds. His greyed-out skills slowly regained their color, moving at a snail's pace.
Suddenly Liam felt something. The tension left his fishing line, allowing Benareg to regain its movements. Its eyes instantly shot wide open, filled with a violet gleam as it vanished from the spot.
The back of Liam's head tingled. He didn't dare to delay, instantly throwing his body forward.
[Stance -22]
Noticing his dwindling stance Liam was under great pressure. The next exchange would cost his last bit of stance, after which he wouldn't be able to dodge anymore.
Realizing his predicament Liam decided to trade attack for attack. His body moved nimbly, springing to his feet as the demon vanished again.
Perceiving the next attack Liam didn't dodge but threw out all his skills instantly.
Benareg let out a cry of anguish. It was barely clinging to life, saved by its increased resistances gained from its berserk state.
But Liam wasn't much better off. The claws boosted by void energy dealt more than one thousand points of damage. Without drinking a health potion, he would be visiting the graveyard by now.
"I refuse!"
Benareg's voice was filled with unwillingness. Massive amounts of mana circled through its body like an engine heating up. The black fog churned, rising slowly and mixing with violet void energy.
Gradually the demon's body disappeared as Liam's sight was obscured, only leaving him aware of his immediate vicinity.
The veteran forcefully calmed his mind, paying attention to the fog. Suddenly he noticed a tiny movement to his right.
Liam didn't doubt his senses, immediately jumping backwards. A split second later a violet boar-like creature dashed out of the fog, its tusks dangerous like a battering ram. It rushed past Liam and disappeared into the fog on the other side.
A momentary silence ensued but it was quickly broken by further movement.
Liam pushed his senses to the utmost, knowing that getting hit would prove devastating. He scanned the fog for movement, dodging before the next boars arrived.
Those creatures appeared in quick succession like a stampede, but their movements were deadly silent. Liam ignored the eeriness of the situation, which aimed to put pressure on the player's mind. He fully focused on the fog, reacting to the smallest changes.
When the veteran felt his legs shake from fatigue the fog finally returned to normal.
A weakened Benareg was revealed. Liam didn't give it the chance to prepare any more surprises. He surged forward, swinging his swords crazily.
But it only needed two hits before the demon finally let out a despairing roar.
"I curse you, human! All of you! Why did you have to force me… why… force… me… crow…"
Liam watched as the demon collapsed to the ground, expiring its last breath. He himself inhaled laboriously. He sat on a rock nearby, relaxing for a few seconds.
In the meantime, the black fog subsided. Sunlight broke through, warming this part of the forest, life gradually returning. Only the violet energy playing around the demon's body still gave off a stifling feeling.
[Congratulations on defeating the sub-boss monster 'Benareg'!]
[Received 730EXP]
[EXP: 3.150/9.300]
[
[Step one: Bring the strange creature you found to Therim Riverbell!]
[Step two: Question the villagers for clues!]
[Step three: Confront someone matching the clues you found!]
[Step four: Bring Odo the hunter to Therim Riverbell for protection!
OR
Step four: Defeat Benareg.]
[Step Five: Return to Therim to discuss your findings.]
[Accomplished achievement: Who is the sub-boss?]
[Received title: Horror of sub-boss monsters]
[Effect: Ignore 10% of the malus caused by levels when fighting a higher leveled sub-boss.]
[Single handedly killing a higher-leveled sub-boss sends ripples through the world. All sub-bosses tremble in fear when hearing your name.]
Liam was surprised for a moment by the many notifications. A smile formed on his face from gaining another achievement.
For now, I might be the only one with this achievement under my belt.
The good mood allowed Liam to forget his exhaustion. He stood up again, rummaging through the remains of the hut.
A few seconds he pulled out an inconspicuous pouch. Turning it over, silver coins fell on his hand with a crisp sound.
Ten infernal coins. A good harvest.
Satisfied, Liam put the pouch away and approached the boss. Sending out a brief prayer and rubbing his hands he touched the furry body.
A progress bar appeared and ended quickly, sending the loot into his inventory.
Is today my lucky day?
Liam almost couldn't believe it as he looked at the pair of fine black boots in his hand.
[Flowing light
Category: Rare
Level requirement: 21
Movement Speed: 12
Physical Defense: 6
Magical Defense: 9
Effect: After dealing holy damage you have a 20% chance of entering an invincible status when making a step. The effect lasts for 3 seconds. The invincible status lasts for 1 seconds.
A pair of boots created personally by Enmegala. It is woven from the dark linen of the Mahrabk plant found only on the Deavin continent.]
Liam directly put on his new boots. They fit perfectly as if Enmegala created them specifically for his feet. He inwardly thanked the instructor who taught him his class.
A smile remained on Liam's lips as he left the forest behind. Back on the main street he donned his shadow cloak again, returning to Bobrity. The lively city emitted an entirely different feel compared to the poor villages.
Liam strolled through the street, enjoying the atmosphere until he reached Therim's tower.
Soon, he was back in the mage's office where Therim was still browsing through a thick tome.
"Adventurer. You returned. Did you learn something?"
"Yes, sir."
Facing the kingdom's guardian, Liam explained what he had seen and heard. He didn't go into detail, knowing that the NPC would fill the holes as if he watched everything personally.
"A demon was hidden in one of our villages? Damn it. Who knows how many people it has harmed."
"At least it proved useful before its death."
"Yes, let's see if we can derive something from its words.
The demon was corrupted, meaning it came into contact with the void. Since it appeared panicked it must've escaped from the forest, hinting at a confrontation with the seven people who brought the void dweller's leg."