Chapter 32 A Thousand Now?
August's eyes widened as he saw the monstrous form lumbering toward him. Its massive, rocky body scraped against the tunnel walls, causing a metallic shriek to reverberate across the surroundings.
Its rocky skin glowed with fiery cracks, and its hulking form seemed to radiate malice and power.
August knew he didn't stand a chance in a direct fight. This was a level 34 creature while he was still level 20.
[Warning: Boss Creature - Dark Golem]
August's instincts screamed at him to run, but before he could act, the golem's massive arm swung forward, nearly catching him as he threw himself to the side.
Dust and debris exploded into the air as the golem's fist smashed into the wall, leaving a crater in its wake.
Knowing he couldn't escape the fight since he was literally trapped between a rock and a hard place, August unsheathed his dagger and activated Lightning Bolt, sending a crackling arc of electricity toward the golem's exposed core.
[Lightning Bolt Activated. MP -250]
[ -900 HP ]
The golem barely flinched as the lightning struck. Its HP bar barely budged and the attack clearly did less damage compared to normal. August gritted his teeth—this was going to be a brutal fight.
He activated Shadow Dance to weave in and out of the shadows. His form turned into shadowy afterimages to confuse the golem as he struck with Slash and Hidden Strike.
He tried to aim at the vulnerable cracks in its rocky surface.
[Critical Hit! -950 HP]
The golem roared, slamming its massive arm down. August barely dodged, but the force of the impact sent a shockwave through the ground, nearly knocking him off balance.
[ -500 HP from Shockwave]
August attacked again, mixing different attacks and doing his best to evade the strikes of the Dark Golem but no matter how best he evaded, certain strikes still a large AOE.
[ -300 HP ]
[ -450 HP ]
[ -350 HP ]
The Golem smashed its massive fist downward once more, causing a dark ripple to sweep across the surroundings.
August was sent flying once more but he twisted in mid-air when he was close to colliding with the rough walls and then kicked his feet off the walls to propel himself forward.
With his blades unsheathed, he slashed the neck of the massive Dark Golem.
[ -1200 HP ]
He then landed on its shoulder and proceeded to deliver continuous attacks until the creature grabbed him and rammed him into the ground.
August felt like he was hit by the whole force of a moving train as blood spluttered out of his mouth.
[ Critical Hit! -3000HP ]
His vision blurred momentarily but he managed to spot the Dark Golem's foot descending from above with intensity.
At the last moment, he rolled over to the side while the leg crashed onto the ground with a resounding boom.
August proceeded to activate Dash and moved twice to keep a substantial distance between himself and the Golem.
[ Dash Activated ]
He quickly downed a health potion to recover, feeling the familiar warmth as his HP ticked back up.
But the fight dragged on, and with each minute, August found himself running low on both health and mana potions.
Despite his relentless attacks, the golem's HP still showed over 8,000, while August's resources were nearly depleted.
"I can't keep this up… not like this," he thought while breathing heavily. He took one last look at the golem before making a decision. "I have to get out of here."
Turning on his heel, August sprinted through the tunnel, hoping to outrun the monstrous golem.
Behind him, he could hear its heavy footsteps pounding against the stone floor as it gave chase. Each thud sent tremors through the tunnel.
In his frantic dash, he found himself attracting the attention of several dark phantoms hovering nearby.
Their eerie, hollow eyes turned toward him, and they drifted closer with their ghostly claws reaching out to snatch at him. With no choice but to fight while fleeing, August took quick slashes at the creatures whenever they got too close, dispatching them with his dagger.
[ Enemy Defeated: Dark Phantom +2500 EXP]
[15/100]
"What does that mean… 100?" August wondered but his thoughts were interrupted as another phantom lunged at him.
He quickly parried and countered, slicing through it before moving on. The more he fought, the higher the count rose.
[18/100]
[24/100]
The phantoms came in waves, and as he defeated them, the count continued to climb.
August's body moved on instinct. Every step was a combination of attack and evasion as he balanced fighting the phantoms with escaping the relentless Dark Golem.
His HP dwindled with each hit he took, but he kept pushing forward, using every ounce of skill he had to survive.
Eventually, as he defeated his hundredth phantom, a system notification flashed before him.
[Side Quest Completed: Defeat One Hundred Dark Phantoms]
[Reward: Health Potion x5, Mana Potion x5, Enhanced Dagger, Gold +100]
Without hesitation, August grabbed the potions from his inventory and downed them, feeling the relief of his health and mana refilling as he prepared himself for the golem once more.
With renewed energy, he turned back to face the hulking creature, determined to end the fight once and for all.
With his health and mana replenished August lunged at the golem, striking with Dual Wielding as he slashed across the golem's cracked surface, focusing his attacks on the weak points he had identified.
[Dual Wielding Activated. -850 HP]
The golem retaliated, swinging its massive arm. August activated Arcane Shield, absorbing the impact, though the shield shattered under the force.
[Arcane Shield Activated. MP -300]
He jumped back, creating distance before casting Fireball, launching the blazing sphere toward the golem's core. The explosion rocked the creature, and its HP dropped further.
[Fireball Activated. MP -200]
[ -1200 HP ]
After a grueling series of attacks, dodges, and potions, August finally struck the Dark Golem's core with a powerful Slash.
The golem's HP dropped to zero, and with a final roar, it crumbled into pieces as its body disintegrated into dust.
[Boss Defeated: Dark Golem +60,000 EXP]
Breathing heavily, August took in the victory as another series of notifications flashed.
[Loot Obtained: Golem Core Shard, Gold x200, Health Potion x2, Mana Potion x2]
Exhausted yet triumphant, he knew it was time to leave Tavirah. But as he made his way out, more phantoms began drifting toward him, drawn by the recent battle.
As he defeated the first few phantoms, August noticed the system notification tracking his kills had reset.
[1/1000]
"A thousand now?"
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