Dyren was pushed back by a slash from the Headless King. His hands trembled. The Headless King didn't move fast, but the terrifying thing was that he could teleport—suddenly appearing from unexpected directions. And his slashes were incredibly powerful.
"So this is how strong the final boss of an S-rank dungeon is." Dyren stretched a little. "Alright then, let's go again."
[Name: Dyren Valenhardt]
[Level: 69]
[Race: Human (Cursed)]
[Status: Permanent Curse (HP decreases 0.10% per second)]
[HP: 1,998 / 2,600]
[MP: 5,180 / 7,400]
[Strength: 96]
[Intelligence: 380]
[Vitality: 210]
[Dexterity: 160]
[Luck: 10]
His stats were already very high. Though that didn't guarantee victory, at least he had the means to fight the Headless King. He had 12 skills he had obtained previously, and he intended to use them to their fullest.
"Come on, bastard!" Dyren taunted.
A second later, the Headless King appeared in front of Dyren. A giant sword slash came straight at his head. The dense energy pressure nearly made Dyren's legs buckle and lose balance. But he managed to endure it.
He blocked the slash, but his feet sank into the ground. The Headless King didn't stop—he followed up with a horizontal slash aimed at Dyren's ribs. That one slash could cut him in half.
[Necroguard Legion: Activated]
Immediately, five skeletons with shields appeared and blocked the Headless King's slash. Although the skeletons were ultimately destroyed, their job was done—Dyren had escaped.
He backed off. Raising his hand, he used more skills.
[Curse of Slowness Activated]
[Shadow Eruption Activated]
An invisible circle appeared on the battlefield where Dyren and the Headless King stood. The monster's movements slowed by 10%.
And that wasn't all. A magic circle appeared beneath the Headless King. A shadow explosion struck his legs, almost making him fall.
Dyren appeared behind the Headless King. "Got you!"
He slashed with all his might, the blade charged with a large amount of mana. The Headless King couldn't turn around in time—he was too slow.
BOOM!
Dyren's eyes widened. His powerful slash only grazed the monster. A single punch struck Dyren's body. He was sent flying into the wall.
[HP: 1,188 / 2,600]
His hands trembled. Dyren stood back up, already knowing this would be difficult. He glanced toward Cerberus, who was still fighting the other monsters. The Headless King wasn't the only threat.
There were many other monsters as well. Dyren couldn't imagine what would have happened if Cerberus wasn't there. He might've died several minutes ago.
"Now I understand why this dungeon is so hard to conquer. The monsters inside are like this," Dyren muttered, brushing dirt off his body.
He used the same skill again. Five shield-bearing skeletons appeared—not to help in battle, but only to be killed.
[HP: 1,438 / 2,600]
Every time a skeleton or undead was killed, he recovered 50 HP and 10 MP—depending on the skeleton's level.
This skill was very useful for Dyren. Though it cost MP, it restored his HP. It helped him avoid an early death. As long as he had MP, he was nearly unkillable.
"Alright, let's go again, bastard!" Dyren shouted.
He gripped his sword and charged again. The battle continued. Dyren didn't know when he could win, but he would give it his all. He wouldn't give up—because giving up meant death. The Headless King wouldn't let him leave that room alive.
***
Two hours passed. Dyren had lost a lot of HP and MP—this was not good news. The Headless King, however, still seemed completely fine.
"Weak."
Dyren clicked his tongue. "You're cheating, bastard!" he yelled at the Headless King. "You're too strong to be beaten."
He had tried many things, but nothing worked. His body was now covered in wounds.
[HP: 370 / 2,600]
[MP: 298 / 7,400]
He was nearly done. He could still summon shield skeletons 14 more times—but the risk was running out of MP. That wasn't a wise choice.
The Headless King walked toward Dyren, sword raised high—as if preparing to strike, even though they were still far apart.
"Damn. He's going to teleport again," Dyren groaned.
He tried to back away, but suddenly his left leg was in excruciating pain. It was too late to react. In that moment, the Headless King appeared before him and swung his massive sword.
"Is this the end for me?" Dyren shook his head.
His eyes were full of determination. He raised his sword and blocked the strike.
BOOM!
The impact of the strike blasted Dyren downward. Both his arms broke under the pressure of the blow. But Dyren was still alive—for now.
"Die."
The Headless King raised his sword again for another heavy slash. Dyren couldn't do anything. Half his body was buried in the ground, both arms broken.
Dyren closed his eyes. He looked resigned. He had no strength left to fight—not even enough to lift a finger.
A single second felt like an eternity.
But the next sound wasn't the slice of flesh—it was—
Ghwooof!!
That sound—so familiar. Dyren opened his eyes and…
"C-Cerberus?" Dyren gasped.
CRAACKK!!
Cerberus was wounded. One of his heads was severed by the sheer pressure of the Headless King's strike. Thick black blood gushed out. But he still stood, his legs digging into the ground to resist the fatal force.
With a desperate growl, Cerberus grabbed Dyren with his jaws and hurled him away.
Ghwooof
Dyren smashed into the wall, tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll. His vision blurred, but he could still see—Cerberus, now on the brink of death. He got up—but too late.
Cerberus's body was destroyed.
Dyren shut his eyes. "Damn it. I'm too weak."
He slammed his forehead into the ground over and over. Meanwhile, the Headless King kept approaching. Dyren had no chance of survival now—unless a miracle happened.
[HP: 96 / 2,600]
[MP: 288 / 7,400]
"Wait. That might work."
Dyren opened his status screen. He had system points to buy something from the shop. There had to be something useful in there.
Dyren frantically searched item after item. All while the Headless King kept getting closer. He didn't have much time.
"Damn it. Come on, you idiot!" Dyren shouted at himself.
He wouldn't let Cerberus's sacrifice go to waste. He had to make the most of everything.
Then Dyren's eyes locked onto a skill. He grinned wide.
"This is a gamble. If I fail, I'll die anyway."
He selected the skill. At that very moment, the Headless King slashed at him again.
"This is perfect."
[Sanctus Ruina Activated]