The air in the Kobold Chieftain's throne room was thick with the stench of rot and old bones.
Grok the Skull-Splitter sat upon a crude throne of stone and sharpened femurs, a massive, crudely-forged axe resting against his shoulder.
He was a mountain of muscle and mangy fur, his beady eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence.
The ground was littered with the skeletal remains of creatures, and players who had dared to challenge him.
"Okay, new plan," Jay Antonio whispered from behind a stalagmite, his voice shaking.
"We apologize profusely, offer him a lifetime supply of instant noodles, and hope he lets us go."
Jason ignored him, his focus entirely on the behemoth before them.
The [Abyssal Blade] felt like a block of ice in his hand, but its power was undeniable.
His stats were soaring, his senses sharpened to a razor's edge.
This wasn't going to be a battle of attrition.
It was going to be a dance on the edge of a knife.
"Stay back. Wait for my signal to attack, and aim for his joints. Don't get close," Jason ordered, his voice low and steady.
Without another word, he moved.
BOOM!
The ground cracked under his feet as he exploded forward, transforming into a black-and-silver blur.
The wind shrieked past his ears as he closed the distance in a heartbeat.
He didn't aim for the chest or head; he aimed for the Chieftain's ankle.
Grok reacted with astonishing speed for his size.
He didn't even stand up.
He simply swung his massive axe in a low, horizontal arc.
The weapon cleaved through the air with a terrifying WHOOSH, aimed to cut Jason in half at the waist.
Jason, anticipating this, activated [Parry].
He brought the [Abyssal Blade] down to meet the blow.
CLANG!
A deafening metallic shriek echoed through the cavern.
A visible shockwave of force erupted from the point of impact, blasting dust and pebbles in every direction.
Jason felt a force like a freight train travel up his arm, numbing it to the shoulder.
He was flung back several meters, his feet carving deep grooves in the stone floor.
A damage number appeared above his head: -55.
Even with a successful parry, the sheer force was overwhelming.
Grok let out a guttural laugh, finally rising from his throne.
He was even bigger up close, a towering engine of destruction.
"He barely flinched!" Jay yelped, loosing a [Dark Arrow].
The bolt of shadow energy struck the Chieftain's thick hide and fizzled out, a pathetic damage number of -17 appearing.
The Chieftain completely ignored it.
A faint green aura pulsed around him, and the sliver of health he'd lost from Jason's initial, deflected strike instantly refilled.
The regeneration was sickeningly efficient.
Jason knew he couldn't play defensively.
He had to be aggressive.
He had to be faster.
He dashed in again, this time activating [Wind Blade] mid-stride to alter his trajectory.
He slid under another titanic swing of the axe and brought the [Abyssal Blade] up in a vicious slash against the back of the Chieftain's knee.
Chop!
-89
A respectable hit, but the Chieftain just grunted, his leg buckling for only a second before the green aura pulsed again, healing a chunk of the damage.
He spun around, his axe becoming a whirlwind of death.
Jason was forced to backpedal, his boots skidding on the stone as he dodged and weaved.
This was it, the moment of truth.
He needed a burst of damage that the regeneration couldn't handle.
"Jay, now! Bind him!" Jason yelled.
Jay, snapping out of his fear, unleashed [Curse of Weakness] followed by a shadowy tendril attack.
The spell latched onto the Chieftain, but the boss barely slowed.
It was enough.
Jason's eyes narrowed.
He held the [Abyssal Blade] high.
"[Abyssal Bind]!"
Shadows erupted from the very ground beneath the Chieftain.
Thick, ethereal chains shot up, wrapping around Grok's arms and legs, locking him in place.
A purple skull icon appeared over his head, indicating his defense was lowered.
This was his window.
"[Phantom Barrage]!" Jason roared, channeling his energy into the blade.
His body flickered, dissolving into nine identical phantoms that surrounded the immobilized Chieftain.
A cascade of sonic booms cracked the air as all nine afterimages struck in the same, earth-shattering instant.
-210!
-225!
-215!
(Critical!)
-450!
The damage numbers exploded across the Chieftain's body like fireworks.
In a single moment, nearly a quarter of the boss's health bar vanished.
The sheer force of the assault sent tremors through the cavern, causing stalactites to rain from the ceiling.
But the Chieftain was not dead.
It was enraged.
"GROOOOAR!"
A sound of pure fury ripped through the cavern, so powerful that Jay was thrown back, stumbling to the ground.
The shadow chains shattered into nothingness.
The Chieftain's body began to swell, its muscles bulging and ripping through its leather armor.
Its eyes burned with a terrifying, crimson light.
It had entered its [Enrage] state.
Its size, speed, and attack power had just doubled.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Jay whimpered.
The enraged Grok was a different beast entirely.
It moved with the speed of a cheetah and the force of a wrecking ball.
Jason, even with his high agility, was instantly on the defensive.
He was no longer dancing; he was desperately scrambling to survive.
A single blow would kill him.
The massive axe was a blur.
Jason dodged, ducked, and weaved, the wind from the passing weapon tearing at his clothes.
He was taking chip damage just from the shockwaves.
His health was plummeting.
He saw his chance and activated [Gravity Liberation].
The world seemed to slow as the gravitational pull on his body lessened.
His speed skyrocketed.
He managed to land a few quick slashes, but the Chieftan's defense was now so high they barely did any damage.
Then, he made a mistake.
He zigged when he should have zagged.
The Chieftain's axe came crashing down.
Jason twisted his body, but the flat of the blade still connected with his side.
SMASH!
Pain, white-hot and absolute, exploded through his body.
He was launched like a cannonball, slamming into the cavern wall with a sickening crunch.
His vision swam.
HP: 10/260
One hit.
He had ten health points left.
He was effectively dead.
The Chieftain was already charging, its axe raised for the final, brutal execution.
This is it, Jason thought, a strange calm washing over him.
All that planning… for nothing.
But then, his reincarnated battle instincts took over.
In the corner of his eye, he saw it.
A single, stupid Kobold Miner, having just respawned, was wandering aimlessly near the cavern wall.
It was a one-in-a-million chance.
A desperate, insane gamble.
With the last of his strength, as the Chieftain's charge was about to connect, Jason used [Wind Blade] not to attack, but to move.
He shot sideways, a distance of mere inches, positioning himself so the oblivious Kobold Miner was directly between him and the charging behemoth.
The Chieftain couldn't stop.
SPLAT!
The sound was wet and horrifying.
The massive axe plowed straight through the poor Kobold, turning it into a shower of gore and pixels.
The unexpected impact, however, caused the Chieftain to stumble, its killing blow completely negated.
That half-second of confusion was all Jason needed.
His ultimate skill was off cooldown.
He poured every last ounce of his will, his desperation, his fury into the [Abyssal Blade].
The air itself seemed to split apart as he roared,
"[THUNDERING FLASH]!"
Three arcs of blindingly bright lightning, wider and more ferocious than ever before, erupted from his sword.
They converged on the Chieftain's chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic.
The Chieftain froze, a look of shock on its brutish face.
The lightning tore through its enraged form, burning away its health bar.
It let out one final, strangled roar before its massive body crashed to the ground, shaking the entire throne room and kicking up a cloud of dust that blotted out the light.
Silence descended.
Jason stood panting, his body screaming in agony, but he was alive.
A moment later, a glorious shower of golden light erupted from the Chieftain's corpse.
A system notification chimed.
[System: Congratulations! You are the first player to slay a Chieftain-rank Boss. Reputation in Red Leaf Town +100. All item drops doubled.]
[System: You have gained 2350 EXP (500% level difference bonus).]
[System: You have leveled up to Level 3.]
Jason let out a shaky breath, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He had won.
Among the pile of coins and materials lay three distinct items: a heavy, square shield that seemed to be carved from solid granite, a worn leather-bound book, and a single, shining silver key.
He picked them up.
[Granite Bulwark] (Bronze Shield)
Level Requirement: 5
Defense +21,
Block Rate 23%,
STR +2,
END +4,
HP +30
[Skill Book: Parry]
He had already learned [Parry] from a previous drop, but another copy could be sold for a fortune.
He allocated his new attribute points, pushing his Agility to a clean 20.
Another chime rang out.
System: Agility has reached 20 points.
Hidden Basic Skill [Fast and Nimble] unlocked.
He could feel the change instantly.
A new lightness in his limbs, a heightened awareness.
His body was now truly beginning to sync with his mind.
Jay finally scrambled over, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"Jason… you… you're not human."
Jason just laughed, the sound echoing in the now-silent throne room.
"No, Jay. I'm a gamer. Now let's go show that old dwarf his skull."