The boss gate creaked open with a sound like a scream held too long. Rin stepped inside, Dragon Pan gripped tightly in both hands, fire still dancing around its ornate edges. The air was thick, humid, like breathing through boiling soup.
At the center of the chamber coiled a grotesque centipede—at least 30 meters long, with armored plates as thick as boulders and glowing green venom leaking from its mandibles.
B-Rank Dungeon Boss: Venom Spined Centipede.
Its multiple eyes blinked in sync, locking onto Rin.
He didn't wait.
With ten minutes of Peak Body Condition still burning inside him, Rin lunged forward, his body moving faster than his brain could follow. He dashed beneath the monster's first strike—a bladed leg cleaving the air where his head had been—and swung the Dragon Pan.
CLANG!
It landed against the centipede's shell. The monster reeled—but only a little. Rin's eyes widened.
That didn't even crack it?
The beast retaliated with a whip-like strike of its tail, smashing Rin against the dungeon wall. He coughed, blood staining his lip. His ribs screamed.
Still, he stood.
"C'mon," he muttered. "I didn't eat twelve friends just to die like this!"
The centipede charged, its screech splitting the air. Rin ran straight at it, twisting past its mandibles and leaping onto its back. With a roar, he brought the Dragon Pan down—again, and again—until the flames began eating through the creature's armor.
The centipede shrieked, flailing wildly.
Suddenly, the barrier behind Rin shattered—the war orcs had arrived.
"Seriously?! Now?!"
Rin spun, but his Peak Body Condition timer ticked lower: 3 minutes left.
He made a split-second decision. "Devourer!"
Dark green-black energy erupted from his skin, monstrous mouths growing from his back and chest. They howled silently, stretching outward and devouring everything: blood, bones, orc limbs, even magical remnants. The centipede screeched as its mana began to pull away from it—its strength draining.
Rin's body bulked slightly. The hunger inside him screamed. But he held on.
He leapt, striking the pan into the centipede's exposed eye. Fire erupted, the pan's dragons snarling as they poured heat straight into its brain.
BOOM!
The centipede convulsed—and collapsed, its body twitching once before going still.
The orcs fell shortly after, overwhelmed by Rin's reborn fury and power. With a final Devourer pulse, the chamber fell silent.
Rin stood alone, chest heaving, body bloodied but alive.
LEVEL UP!
You have reached Level 23.
Reward: Passive Skill – Fire Resistance (Lesser), Bonus Stat: +5 Strength
And…
You have received the quest: Clear the Dungeon Boss to receive Mythic Skill – Roasting.
Rin looked down at his hands, whispering to himself,'the new skill I wonder what it does'
A slow clap echoed behind him.
He turned.
A man stood there, untouched by the carnage. Dressed in black, his hands were in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
"You're not supposed to be here," the man said, voice casual. "E-rank kids don't kill bosses. They die."
Rin tensed, raising the Dragon Pan again. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. Cold. Calculated.
"Tell me, Rin…"
He took one step closer.
"Are you a system user?"
Rin's blood ran cold.
[To Be Continued]
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