"Ha! I knew it wasn't going to be that simple!"
Although the sudden rain of arrows came without warning, Lucas had long been used to such ambushes. With lightning-fast reflexes, he instantly activated Shadow Stealth.
In the blink of an eye, his entire figure was swallowed by darkness, fading completely from sight.
The storm of arrows tore through the air, but none could lock onto him. Each arrow lost its mark, falling harmlessly to the ground.
"The evolved invisibility is really useful," Lucas murmured with a smirk.
He had already learned that Shadow Stealth didn't simply make him invisible—it made him impossible to detect or target. It was a perfect ability to avoid any locking or tracking attacks, turning deadly ambushes into harmless fireworks.
Of course, this skill had a price. When Shadow Stealth was active, his God-Killing Blade couldn't passively enhance his next strike, reducing his damage output. But Lucas had long since found a clever workaround. By using his Delusion-Breaking Eye to mark the enemy's weak points, he could still inflict massive critical hits, even compensating for the lost bonus.
Targeting weak points was tricky—it demanded focus, speed, and precision—but compared to the result, it was absolutely worth it.
As Lucas advanced deeper into the forest path leading to the Elf King's Court, his sharp eyes finally caught sight of his attackers. They were cursed elf archers—gaunt, twisted beings whose elegance had been devoured by dark corruption.
They wore ornate armor, their bows carved with glowing elven patterns, yet their once-fair faces had become monstrous, like rotting sculptures brought to life. Their beauty and pride had been stolen by the curse that bound them.
Lucas sighed. "Even in death, still loyal to your post. How pitiful."
He dashed forward, blades flashing. The shadows swallowed his movement as he struck silently from all directions. Each cursed elf fell swiftly under his assault, their bodies dissolving into black mist as if released from torment.
When the last one dropped, Lucas pulled his dagger from its chest and wiped it clean with a sigh. "I wonder if the Elf King himself has fallen to the curse too."
Leaving behind the twisted corpses, Lucas pressed on toward the heart of the court. The palace had to be where the final boss of this secret realm awaited.
And if experience had taught him anything—it would not be an easy fight.
---
The ancient corridors were dim, lined with broken pillars and shattered crystal lanterns. As he moved quietly, a sudden roar echoed through the hall.
Before he could react, a shadow lunged from the darkness—a cursed Elf Ranger, dual blades flashing like lightning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Lucas barely had time to raise his weapon. The ranger's movements were incredibly fast—its swordsmanship refined, its strikes unpredictable. Despite the curse deforming its body, it fought with the skill of a master duelist.
Within seconds, Lucas was hit three or four times, each strike biting into his armor and draining his health bar. "Damn, that's fast!" he hissed.
He leapt backward, rolling to safety, his mind racing. This was the fastest opponent he'd faced in this dungeon. It moved like a storm, blades weaving in a blur.
Fortunately, Lucas's strong armor and 50% damage reduction allowed him to stay standing. His HP dropped by only a quarter.
"Alright, my turn!" he growled. "Night Blade Assault!"
Shadow energy erupted around him as he lunged, his dagger cutting forward in a sharp arc aimed straight for the ranger's chest—hoping to drain its life and heal himself.
But—Clang!
The ranger crossed its twin swords in defense, blocking the strike entirely. Not a drop of health was stolen.
"What the—? It can parry life-steal attacks?" Lucas's eyes widened. This was no ordinary monster—it had high intelligence and combat instinct.
Realizing brute force wouldn't win here, he instantly faded back into the shadows, vanishing again.
The cursed ranger froze, scanning its surroundings, confused. Its senses twitched, but it couldn't detect him. That split second of hesitation was all Lucas needed.
"Bite of the Hidden Serpent!"
Two dark flashes cut through the air, striking the monster's temple with deadly precision. The ranger staggered, eyes rolling back, before collapsing into a daze. It was stunned.
Perfect.
"It's not a boss-level monster, so it can still be controlled," Lucas whispered, grinning. "You won't wake up from this one."
He darted in and unleashed a devastating combo—all aimed at the weak points he had marked earlier.
Netherworld Assassination!
Kiss of Death!
Silent Killing!
Serpent's Fangs!
Limb-Breaking Blade!
The air filled with the sound of tearing flesh and ringing steel. Each strike connected with surgical accuracy, the cursed ranger's health bar plummeting like a waterfall.
By the time the final blade pierced its chest, the once-mighty ranger was already collapsing. Its body twitched once, then fell limp, dissolving into ash.
Lucas exhaled. "Finally, that one's done."
He had barely lost any blood, and what little he did lose had already been recovered through his passive regeneration. He didn't even bother using a potion.
Kneeling beside the corpse, he examined it closely. The ranger's form was different from the archers—it was bulkier, stronger, veins bulging beneath its skin like thick roots. The curse had mutated its body, enhancing its speed and power.
"No wonder its swordsmanship was so damn fast," Lucas muttered. "All I could see was flashing steel."
Judging from its endurance, it had to be an Elite-level mini-boss. An ordinary monster could never withstand that much punishment, not even after his full five-skill burst combo—each attack enhanced by both God-Killing Blade and Delusion-Breaking Eye, totaling over 2000% damage with guaranteed criticals.
If this thing wasn't a boss, it was frighteningly close.
"Alright," Lucas said with a smirk. "If the little one's this tough, I can't wait to meet the Elf King himself."
---
He pushed open the massive doors leading to the main throne hall of the Elf King's Court.
The grand chamber was silent, its beauty long decayed. Vines hung from the shattered stained glass, moonlight pouring through in ghostly beams. The golden throne stood at the far end—empty.
Lucas frowned. "Not here?"
He quickly cleared the hall of remaining cursed monsters, then began searching every corner for signs of the boss.
Along the way, he encountered another Elite-level elf ranger. This time, he didn't forget to use a Detection Scroll before killing it.
The results shocked him.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand HP?! For a level sixty elite?! No wonder they're so damn tanky!" he exclaimed.
He shook his head in disbelief. Even for his high-level stats, that was absurd. These monsters were built like war machines.
After dispatching it, Lucas continued exploring until he reached the palace's rear garden.
The sight there made him stop in his tracks.
It was once a beautiful elven sanctuary—but now it was a field of horror. The flowers had all withered, their petals replaced by blood-red vines that writhed across the ground. The plants bore fruit shaped like eyes, constantly spinning and watching in every direction.
Just looking at them made Lucas's skin crawl.
At the center of the garden stood a massive, pale tree, its bark dry and cracking. Its trunk split into five jagged branches reaching toward the sky, shaped like a giant hand frozen mid-grasp.
But in the center of that hand—resting in its palm—was a glowing sphere of green light.
"Huh?" Lucas whispered, stepping closer. "Wait… what's that?"
As he approached, his Delusion-Breaking Eye flickered faintly, revealing faint traces of energy within the glowing mass. Inside it, a slender, elegant figure was curled up, seemingly asleep.
An elf.
Her form was almost ethereal—silver hair cascading like threads of moonlight, a faint crown of vines on her head. Her expression was peaceful, as if lost in an endless dream.
Lucas's heartbeat quickened. "Could that be… the Elf Queen?"
He took another cautious step forward, studying her closely. The entire area seemed to hum with restrained power. The vines coiled tighter around the pale tree, and the air grew heavy with an ominous tension.
Just as he leaned closer to confirm what he was seeing—
Her eyes snapped open.
A wave of green light burst outward, shaking the ground. The vines came alive, writhing like serpents. Lucas barely had time to leap backward as dozens of blood-red tendrils lashed toward him.
The Elf Queen had awakened.
---
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