This exclusive dungeon, known as the Umbral Grotto, spanned barely twenty yards in radius. A rift in the vaulted ceiling let through pale silver moonlight, barely chasing away a fraction of the darkness.
The surrounding rock walls were sealed by ancient draconic runes, glowing with faint obsidian-gold light that formed an invisible barrier, cutting off any chance of the BOSS escaping.
This was a cage specially crafted by Drakenspire Temple for trial-takers; either complete the trial or fall.
It was Eira's second time stepping into this place. Well aware of the BOSS's terror, she said in a deep voice, "Everyone, take cover against the rock walls and stay alert. The BOSS Umbral Life Sorin excels at stealth ambushes. A hit to the back triggers Umbral Execution—million-point defense-ignoring damage that can one-shot any player of the same tier. Even a frontal hit deals four-digit piercing damage that only a tank can barely withstand with full defensive effort."
Lenore immediately raised her hand to cast Blessing of Fortitude on Seraphina, the team's lowest-HP member. A faint golden aura surrounded the archer, boosting her defense by 30%.
Mireya activated her knight-exclusive skill Valiant Aegis. Her armor shimmered with faint holy light, diverting 25% of incoming damage from her teammates to herself.
"Hehe… Little spawn of the Dragon God, back with more ants to die?"
"This time, I'll tear your souls apart and make your wails echo through the Abyss!"
"Die!"
Cold whispers coiled around their ears like venomous snakes, and thick, cloying malice surged in the darkness.
Squelch!
Beside the rock wall where Seraphina stood, a twisted shadow suddenly materialized.
It was a humanoid monster nearly two meters tall, clad in tattered black armor.
Its arms had transformed into scythe-like limbs glinting with toxic luster, none other than the Legendary Boss Umbral Life Sorin! No sooner had it appeared than it swung its claws, stabbing precisely into Seraphina's chest.
-4273!
Seraphina grunted softly and collapsed, her health bar instantly depleted. A damage number of -712 popped up above Mireya's head at the same time, her already less-than-full health bar suddenly dropping by a third.
"Still couldn't block it…" Seraphina sighed helplessly before dissolving into a streak of white light.
"Lenore, you're the team's only priest. You're most likely its next target. Shield yourself immediately!" Eira remained calm, issuing orders quickly. "Kalis, use area magic to force it out of stealth. Taking enough damage will break its invisibility!"
After landing the kill, Umbral Lifethread Sorin vanished instantly, leaving only a faint stench of rot in the air. In the split second it had appeared, Eira had caught a glimpse of its status panel:
[Umbral Lifethread Sorin]
Level: 58 (Legendary Boss)
HP: 980,000/980,000
Skills: Umbral Ambush, Venomous Blade Laceration, Umbral Execution, Umbral Shield
(Target level too high—remaining attributes unreadable)
"You guys hold the line. Leave the rest to me." Kalis finally stopped slacking. The fact that he hadn't been targeted first meant the abyssal monster was immune to the aggro lock from Augustus's Curse, a welcome convenience.
"Meteor Shower!"
Kalis raised his staff, channeling celestial power to draw energy from the starry vault. After a 1.8-second cast time, dense silver-gray nebulae surged through the rift in the grotto's ceiling.
Countless meteors wreathed in stellar energy then poured down like a torrential rain, their 50x50-meter area of effect covering the entire dungeon with no blind spots.
"Whoa, what kind of skill is this? That's such a huge range!" Eira had originally hoped Kalis would just spam a few skills randomly in the open to flush out the BOSS.
She was completely caught off guard by his over-the-top display.
"Damn it! What kind of cursed magic is this?!"
A roar erupted from the darkness as Umbral Lifethread Sorin was forced to materialize beside a rock seven meters away. The shadowy energy surrounding it was constantly eroded by the Meteor Shower, breaking its stealth completely.
-378,521
-356,917
-342,893
Three consecutive six-digit damage numbers popped up above the BOSS's head. In just three seconds, its HP plummeted by nearly three-quarters.
"I'll kill you!"
Enraged, Umbral Life Sorin activated Umbral Shield, a pitch-black membrane covering its body that blocked two Meteor Shower hits.
At the same time, it unleashed Umbral Ambush, teleporting directly in front of Kalis. Its scythe-like limbs sliced through the air, stabbing fiercely at his chest.
This was its ultimate move, Venomous Blade Laceration, which doubled in damage on a critical hit!
"Kalis, watch out!" Eira and Lenore shouted simultaneously. The former stepped forward to block while the latter's healing prayer was already halfway through its cast.
Squelch!
The claw pierced Kalis's chest precisely. A scarlet critical hit effect flickered beside the damage number: -147,320!
A critical hit from an assassin-type Legendary BOSS packed the power of ten normal attacks, damage terrifying enough to one-shot any Level 39 player.
Eira and the others' pupils contracted sharply, their hearts almost stopping. They thought this challenge would end in failure once again.
But in the next second, everyone froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief.
Kalis still stood where he was, a faint smile even playing at the corners of his mouth. The shield value of his Crystal Barricade had only decreased by 7%, and his health bar hadn't flickered at all—as if the 140,000 damage had been nothing more than a scratch.
"How is this possible?!" Umbral Lifethread Sorin let out a horrified roar, its shadowy energy fluctuating violently.
"Did someone actually think they're the real BOSS of this dungeon?" Kalis tilted his head slightly, brilliant thunderlight gathering at the tip of his staff. "In reality, the moment I stepped here, I'm the true BOSS."
[Lightning Bolt]:
Universal Mage Skill. Channels thunder elemental energy to deal 280% of spell attack power as damage to a target. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 20.
This was Kalis's most powerful single-target skill.
A bolt of azure thunder as thick as an arm roared forth, striking Umbral Lifethread Sorin's core precisely.
-5,386,417!
A terrifying seven-digit damage number flooded the screen. Umbral Lifethread Sorin's Umbral Shield shattered instantly, and its entire body burned to ashes under the combined assault of thunder and stellar light—not a single trace of its remains left behind.
Even with its 29% magic damage reduction, it was as fragile as paper in the face of the ten-thousand-fold amplification from Kalis's god-tier talent.
"Ding～ You have defeated the Legendary Boss Umbral Lifethread Sorin. You receive 118,700 experience points from the party share."
"Ding～ You gain 4,200 reputation points!"
"Ding～ Congratulations! You have reached Level 40!"
System notifications chimed one after another. The dark energy in the grotto gradually dissipated, and the draconic runes glowed with a soft light.
"That… That's it?" Mireya stood frozen, her hands still in the posture of swinging her sword. Her gaze toward Kalis was filled with awe. The million-point damage and the shield that had tanked the BOSS's critical hit completely shattered her understanding of "damage dealer" and "tank."
Lenore let out a sigh of relief, her voice filled with disbelief: "Kalis, what kind of monster are you… No, wait—you're the real BOSS, aren't you?"
A look of relief spread across Eira's face, her tense nerves finally relaxing: "Thank you, Kalis. Without you, this challenge would have failed again."
"Resurrect Seraphina first. Time to loot the rewards." Kalis pointed to the ground, where several glowing items lay scattered. One of them was wrapped in a blazing crimson aura—clearly something extraordinary.
Lenore immediately took out a Resurrection Scroll. After chanting the incantation, a golden beam of light descended, and Seraphina's figure rematerialized. Though she'd lost some experience, her face was filled with excitement at witnessing the Legendary BOSS being one-shot.
"Kalis killed the BOSS. He should be the one to loot the rewards!" Eira suggested, and the others quickly agreed.
Her quest was already completed, the BOSS's rewards were just a bonus. She would have accepted getting nothing at all.
Kalis nodded: "Then I won't hesitate."
He stepped forward and picked up the loot.
The first item, glowing with red light, was a Divine-tier item!