Chapter 103 – The Breath Before the Storm
Our footsteps echoed through the seemingly endless corridor. After clearing floor 31 of its giant skeleton army, we moved down once again. The path to floor 32 opened without resistance only damp wind greeted us, carrying the scent of metal and rotting earth.
I walked forward without hesitation, my three werewolf zombies following close behind. They looked a bit calmer, though their bloodlust never truly faded. I knew they could keep fighting without tiring. But me? I still had limits. And those limits were slowly creeping in.
Floor 32
We encountered thin undead, resembling mummies but armed like assassins. Fast, agile, and attacking in disruptive waves. But claws and poison remained the answer. After killing around thirty of them, the rest scattered. I didn’t chase. No need to.
Floor 33
The corridor was filled with knee-high water. Each step felt heavy. Amphibious undead emerged from the surface, their bodies slimy and their teeth stretching down to their chests. But the moisture made them sluggish, and I exploited that with precise attacks. Chains and claws worked in harmony, slashing them until the water turned dark red. My werewolves seemed to enjoy the scent of blood, and one of them even drank the bloody water whether from thirst or wild instinct, I couldn’t tell.
Floor 34
Dark. Not ordinary darkness. Even the glow from my werewolves’ eyes barely pierced the black mist that filled the floor. The fog felt alive moving, whispering, touching skin like cold fingers from another realm. I used [Void Step] to teleport randomly and avoid ambushes from monsters hiding within.
This time, the attackers were soundless undead. They didn’t groan, didn’t roar. They just appeared and tried to stab or rip us apart with blades or claws. No aura... only emptiness.
After dozens of minutes in this directionless fight, I decided to burn the mist with black fire magic. The flames spread, igniting the air and revealing what hid inside: hundreds of corpses suspended in the air by black threads like puppets. The fire consumed them all. The stench was awful. But finally, we could see the exit.
Floor 35
A surprise awaited small zombie dragons. Technically, they were drakes, according to my appraisal. Twice the size of a human, their bodies decayed and foul-smelling. But their fire breath still worked. One of my werewolves the receptionist was hit directly, her body half-melted. But she kept fighting, ripping the dragon apart with a ferocity that shook the hallway.
I had to seal two of the drakes with netherwood. My troops tore the rest apart. I collected their blood and bones for research, maybe. I also subdued one relatively intact drake to be my mount.
Floor 36
Filled with bone golems. Their forms unnatural multiple skeletons fused together. Slow, but heavy and tough. I almost lost my left claw to a direct hit from one of them. But with the help of chains and corrosive poison, we brought them all down.
Floor 37
The corridor opened into an underground forest. Yes, a forest. Black trees with purple leaves stretched across the floor. Beneath their roots, undead elves lay in wait, armed with bows and magic. Their attacks were coordinated. One arrow nearly pierced my eye, but I deflected it with a chain.
This fight required strategy. I used my werewolves as distractions, flanking and striking down the mages from behind. One by one, the undead elves fell, and the forest became a slaughterfield. But I ordered my drake to capture one elf still in good condition. It turned out to be a rather beautiful female elf with silver hair, though clearly undead.
Floor 38
Stone corridors lined with ancient statues. But of course, not just statues. Some rose up as guardian stone golems. Slow but powerful. I had to dodge continuously and exploit openings during their wide attacks.
At one point, I was nearly crushed between two golems, but one of my werewolves the receptionist again slammed into me and pushed me out of harm’s way. She was crushed instead, her body shattered by a massive stone fist. She died without a sound. Just a heap of torn flesh and bone. Her body had already been damaged by the drake’s breath earlier. Still, I was thankful she saved me.
There was no time to mourn. I retaliated with fury. The golems were destroyed in a wave of venom and rage. I left that floor down one ally. Only two werewolves remained: the guild master lycan and his wife. I stayed quiet. But with two new additions the elf and the drake it wasn’t too much of a loss.
Floor 39
A long corridor ending in a metal gate. But the floor was far from silent. It whispered. Voices from unseen entities began to haunt my mind.
"What’s the point of surviving?" "You’ll die alone." "Let them all go..."
I clenched my teeth. These voices weren’t from outside. They were from within. I recognized this type of magic. Audio illusions. Mental assault. Fortunately, my mind was far stronger than before. After everything I’d been through... voices like these didn’t work on me anymore. Not with Stacia and Alicia inside me.
I cast Nether Flame in a wide burst, scorching the corridor with searing energy. The whispers faded. My companions’ footsteps sounded normal again. Another victory. But this floor... tested my soul more than my body.
Floor 40
Finally.
The final staircase led down into a vast hall. Its walls were lined with ancient reliefs, depicting battles between gods and faceless shadow beings. A heavy pressure radiated from the massive metal gate at the center. It made my skin crawl.
Boss room.
I stood at its threshold.
Two werewolves flanked me, silent, as if they too sensed that whatever lay beyond wasn’t ordinary. My drake trembled like a frightened puppy, and the elf was also visibly shaking.
But I didn’t enter. Not yet. I needed to calm myself.
I didn’t even want to touch the door right now.
My breath was heavy. Cold sweat ran down my neck. My wounds hadn’t fully healed, and my energy... was only half of what it had been.
"...Let’s rest first," I muttered softly.
I sat against my drake, its scaly body surprisingly warm and soft. I laid my black rapier beside me. One werewolf sat, the other stood guard with the elf.
I closed my eyes briefly. My heartbeat slowed.
"Is the final boss really on floor 40, or is there more? Damn... I should’ve asked that lich... Just how deep are you hiding your secrets, dungeon?"
I didn’t know. But I would find out tomorrow. I fell asleep, leaning against my drake.
And after who-knows-how-long since there’s no sunlight down here I awoke to find them still keeping watch.
I called the female werewolf, the guild master’s wife, who carried a pouch of crystals. Various colors inside, but no red only blue, purple, and pink. I tried the pink crystal dropped by Dullahan, and as expected, my level jumped significantly. I wondered if I could evolve again soon I was only level 36 now. Leveling up had become seriously harder.
I gave one purple crystal to the drake, the elf, and the lycan. Not only did their strength increase, but their bodies regenerated completely no more torn flesh.
I didn’t consume too many myself. While eating them gave me EXP and levels, it also made my powers unstable.
When I checked my system, there were only 4 hours left until my evolution was ready. I sighed. Hopefully the system would give me storage space this time...
I stood.
Time to enter the boss room.