The air in the cistern, heavy with the chemical stench of the defeated Sludge-Fiend, was suddenly disturbed. A low, powerful thrumming, like a massive, distant engine, vibrated through the floor. It was coming from the tunnel ahead.
"Master, my senses are warning me," Marcus said, his voice tight. "The energy signature ahead is... cohesive. It's not a mindless beast. It's intelligent."
Vicky rose to his feet, his new power settling into his bones. "First, we adapt."
VICKY THORNE: STAT ALLOCATION (Lvl 8)
New Stat Points: 3
1 Point -> Strength (STR) (Total: 14)
1 Point -> Speed (SPD) (Total: 12)
1 Point -> Endurance (END) (Total: 12)
XP: 0 / 4,000 (To Lvl 9)
He felt the immediate boost. His muscles felt denser, his perception of time slowing even further.
MARCUS & ELIAS: STAT ALLOCATION (Lvl 6)
New Stat Points: 3
(Allocated to their primary stats: Marcus to SPD, Elias to STR/END)
XP: 0 / 1,200 (To Lvl 7)
The Alpha Squad, now all Tier 2 Vampires at Level 5, felt their new passive skill,
Pack Tactics (Lvl 1), thrumming between them—a low-level telepathic link that buzzed with shared aggression.
"The boss is Level 7"- Vicky stated, his voice flat and cold, cutting through the fear. "We are nine Lvl 5s and 6s, and one Lvl 8. We have the advantage in numbers and firepower. This is a test of execution, not power. Do not fail it."
He led them into the final tunnel. It was different from the sewers. The crude brickwork gave way to smooth, unnaturally carved stone, slick with black ichor. The thrumming grew louder, and Vicky realized it was the sound of tens of thousands of... skittering legs.
The tunnel opened into a truly colossal cavern, a massive natural dome. The floor was a writhing carpet of black, insect-like creatures, each the size of a cat — The Sewer Crawlers (Lvl 1). At the very center of the dome, suspended from the ceiling by thick, ropy strands of webbing, was the source of the nightmare.
It was a Matriarch-Stalker (Lvl 7).
It was an abominable fusion of arachnid and humanoid. It had the eight-legged, armored body of a giant spider, but from its center rose the torso and head of a grotesque, grey-skinned woman with multiple, glowing-red eyes. She was easily thirty feet tall, her massive abdomen pulsating rhythmically as she birthed new Crawlers, which dropped to the floor and joined the swarm.
SYSTEM WARNING
DUNGEON BOSS DETECTED
Name : Matriarch-Stalker (Lvl 7)
HP: 10,000 / 10,000
"Ten thousand hit points..." Marcus whispered, his analytical mind calculating the sheer damage output needed.
"It doesn't matter," Vicky said. "The swarm is the problem. They'll drain our stamina. Elias!"
"Master!"
"You and Alpha Squad have one job: crowd control. You will form a defensive perimeter around Marcus and me. You will not let a single one of those Lvl 1 Crawlers touch us. Use your - Pack Tactics. Use your - Brutal Charge. Kill the swarm. That is your only priority."
"And us, Master?" Marcus asked, his eyes already scanning for shadows.
"The Matriarch can use her large army of summons. But I see her weakness." Vicky pointed with his Blood Claws (Lvl 2). "She's immobile. Suspended. She is a sitting target. We are assassins. Marcus, you will be my decoy. Use your - Shadow Step to draw her venom attacks. Keep her head turning. I will be the spear. I will target her joints, and then her abdomen."
"GO!"
The Boss Fight: Phase 1,
"FOR THE PACT!" Elias roared, a challenge to the abomination. He and the seven members of Alpha Squad formed a circle, back-to-back, a solid ring of Lvl 5 Vampiric muscle.
"Brutal Charge (Lvl 1)"- Elias didn't even aim for the boss; he slammed into the thickest part of the swarm, his body a bowling ball of pure STR, sending dozens of Crawlers flying, crushed and broken.
'Pack Tactics'
"Hold the line!" Alpha-One yelled, and the squad became a whirlwind of claws, tearing into the sea of Lvl 1 monsters. The XP notifications for them began to chime like a slot machine, a constant stream of +1 XP, +1 XP, +1 XP.
The Matriarch shrieked at the attack on her children. Her humanoid torso swiveled, her many eyes landing on the attackers. A gout of sizzling, neon-green acid—her - " Venom Spray "—shot from her mouth.
"Elias! Shield!" Vicky commanded.
Elias grabbed a car-sized chunk of fallen stalagmite and heaved it into the air, intercepting the spray. The rock hissed and melted, but the line held.
"Marcus! Now!"
Marcus vanished. He used - "Shadow Step (Lvl 1)", reappearing in the shadow of a pillar 50 meters to the boss's left. He ran up the wall, his claws raking across one of the thick, web-like support strands.
The Matriarch screamed in pain and fury, her torso snapping toward Marcus. She fired another- "Venom Spray". Marcus simply teleported again, to a shadow on her opposite side, 100 meters away in an instant.
"She's distracted, Master! Her carapace is weakest at the leg joints!" Marcus yelled.
Vicky was already moving. While all eight red eyes were locked on Marcus, Vicky sprinted straight down the middle. He channeled his energy, compressing it, forging another Blood Arrow from his Lvl 2 Claws. With all his STR (14), he hurled it.
It struck the joint where one of her giant, armored legs met her body. It punched deep.
SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEK!
The Matriarch convulsed, a wave of pure agony. She ignored Marcus. She ignored the swarm. All eight eyes snapped to Vicky.
"Uh oh," Vicky muttered.
She opened her humanoid mouth and unleashed a sonic - "Pheromone Rage". It wasn't an attack; it was a command. The thousands of Lvl 1 Crawlers stopped attacking Elias's team. They froze, and then, as one, their carapaces split open. From their bodies emerged new, more powerful creatures: "Venom-Spitters (Lvl 3) "
.
"Master! The swarm is evolving!" Elias yelled, as his squad was suddenly blasted with low-level venom, their Tier 2 healing working overtime. "We're pinned!"
The Boss Fight: Phase 2
"This is the real fight," Vicky analyzed, his mind racing. "Marcus! Forget the decoy! The swarm is the priority again! Get in there, support Alpha Squad! Thin the new wave!"
"On it!" Marcus teleported directly into the middle of Elias's defensive circle. "Elias, with me! We create a blender!"
Marcus and Elias, two Lvl 6 Vampires, became the eye of the storm. Marcus was a phantom, his - "Shadow Step" letting him kill three Spitters a second. Elias was a juggernaut, his "Brutal Charge" a constant, stunning shockwave. The Alpha Squad, inspired by their Lieutenants, held the perimeter, their - "Pack Tactics" bonus soaring.
But the Matriarch wasn't done. She turned her attention back to Vicky, the one who had truly wounded her. She lifted two of her massive, scythe-like front legs and slammed them down.
Vicky activated Blood Shield (Lvl 1). The impact was titanic. It was like being hit by two buses. His shield shattered instantly, and the force threw him back, his HP dropping by 30%.
VICKY THORNE: HP
HP: 91 / 130
Before he could recover, she struck again. He dodged, but the second leg clipped him, sending him tumbling. He was fast, but she was faster.
"Master!" Elias roared, seeing Vicky in trouble. He tried to break from the swarm, but the Spitters were too numerous.
The Matriarch loomed over Vicky, all eight legs rising for a killing blow, an impalement that would end him.
I'm not strong enough to block. I'm not fast enough to dodge. Vicky's mind went into overdrive. So I'll be somewhere else.
He looked at the Lvl 7 monster. He had Lvl 1 Blood Arrow. He had Lvl 2 Blood Claws. He had Lvl 1 Blood Shield. None were enough.
System! Can I combine them?
He didn't wait for an answer. He forced his will into his power. He activated Blood Shield, not on himself, but on his fist. He activated Blood Claws, not as blades, but as a propellant on his back. And he focused all his will into a single Blood Arrow point on his armored fist.
The Matriarch struck.
Vicky detonated the Blood Claw energy on his back. The explosive force, combined with his SPD (12), launched him upward, inside the monster's striking radius, too close for her legs to aim. He flew straight at her grotesque humanoid face.
"CRIMSON METEOR" - he roared, naming his new, desperate skill.
His shield-armored, arrow-tipped fist, propelled by a claw-blast, slammed into the Matriarch's face with all the force of his STR (14).
CRACK!
The sound was deafening. He shattered her humanoid skull, a spray of black ichor and broken fangs.
The Matriarch went utterly berserk. She forgot Vicky, forgot the swarm. In blind, mindless agony, her body convulsed, her legs striking everywhere, destroying the chamber, her own children, and the walls.
"EVERYONE! TO THE CENTER!" Vicky yelled, landing near his team. "ELIAS! SHIELD WALL! NOW!"
Elias and the Alpha Squad, battered and bleeding, formed a tight circle, their backs against each other, as the cavern collapsed around them. The Matriarch, in her death throes, buried herself under tons of rock.
Silence.
Then, the glorious, beautiful sound of system notifications.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
DUNGEON BOSS DEFEATED:
MASSIVE XP GAIN
Vicky Thorne has reached Level 9! Stat Points: +3
Marcus Keller has reached Level 7! Stat Points: +3
Elias Vance has reached Level 7! Stat Points: +3
Alpha Squad (x7) has reached Level 6! Stat Points: +3
Vicky stood up, his body aching but his power surging. He had done it.
VICKY THORNE: TIER STATUS
Tier: 2 - Vampire
Level: 9 (0 / 5,000 XP)
The Spoils of War
The mountain of rock that had buried the boss began to glow. The stones dissolved, leaving behind only a small, pulsating chest of dark energy. The dungeon was cleared.
Vicky opened it. Inside lay the rewards.
Item:
Health Potion (Rank 1) x 2
Description: Instantly restores 30% of max HP. One-time use.
Item:
Skill Book: Titan's Strength (Lvl 1)
Description: (Passive) Permanently increases base STR by +5.
Requirement: STR 15+, Lvl 5+
Item:
One-Time Level Up Card (Low Rank)
Description: Instantly grants one (1) full level. Can only be used by a being below Level 12.
A portal, identical to the one they had entered, shimmered into existence nearby.
"It's over," Vicky announced. His team was battered, covered in ichor, but alive. And they were strong. The 12-hour grind-fest had taken exactly one hour of real-world time.
They stepped back into The Vault, the portal closing behind them.
Vicky looked at the loot. The potions went into his inventory. The Level Up Card... he would save that for a critical moment.
He looked at the Skill Book. Then he looked at Elias, who was standing at attention, his new Lvl 7 power barely contained.
"Elias," Vicky said.
"Yes, Master."
"Your performance was exemplary. Your role is the shield. A shield must be unbreakable." He tossed the book to him. "Your current STR is 16. You meet the requirement. Use it."
Elias looked at the book, his hands trembling. "Master... this is..."
"It is a reward," Vicky said. "Use it. And prepare your squad. The Silent Dragon School is next."
Elias crushed the book in his hand. A wave of red energy washed over him, and he let out a low groan as his muscles visibly expanded.
ELIAS VANCE: STATUS
Skill Learned:
Base STR: 16 -> 21
Vicky nodded, satisfied. "Good. Everyone, heal. We have a war to plan."
( - Thanks for readings )