⸢Boss: The Carrion Queen (Level 52)⸥
⸢Main Skill: Sonic Boom⸥
She was a monolithic worm, thirty feet high, with a ring of eyes glowing purple and a maw filled with rows of spinning teeth.
She shrieked, slamming her body against the ground, causing a localized earthquake. From the corners of the cavern, Earth Larvae (Lvl 24) and Silt Crawlers (Lvl 22) poured out like lice.
Percival signaled his legion after them with a raise of his sword.
His Skeleton Soldiers peeled off immediately. They formed a defensive perimeter, using their Water Swords to slice and stab, giving their master an open path to the giant worm beast.
The Queen thrashed, then let out a loud sonic boom from her endless maw.
Percival immediately activated ⸢Radiant Guard⸥ and the soundwaves crashed against the silver barrier, dissolving into harmless vibration.
The Queen stopped her yelling, cocking her head backwards as her tail lashed uncomfortably.
Percival arched a brow. "You're very chatty."
He spun his sword into a reverse grip, angling it to his side as he sprinted up the spiraling path along the cavern wall.
The Carrion Queen lunged at him, her maw snapping where he had stood a microsecond before. Percival leaped right in time, spinning mid-air with his sword pointed downward.
"I wanted to end this quickly…" he landed, driving his blade into the neck region of the worm beast.
Skreeeeeee! The Queen shrieked in pain, twisting her body like an earthworm dropped in salt.
"...But tearing through your carapace is an oddly satisfying feeling."
Skrreeeeeeee!!!
The monster shot upwards. Percival held on to the hilt of his greatsword, his feet dangling in the air.
The Queen unleashed her sonic boom directly into the ceiling of the cavern. Percival looked up to see rocks falling, threatening to crush him.
With a grunt, he pushed his weight to his side and swung onto the body of the Queen. His feet found hold on the edges of her carapace, then he pulled out his sword with might.
He kicked off her body and immediately activated ⸢Grave Step⸥.
Then, suddenly, the giant rocks falling from the ceiling, threatening to pulverize his Skeleton Soldiers into bones, started to shatter one by one while still mid-air.
Crack. Crack. Boom.
Before the last boulder reached the ground, another slash of a sword exploded it into harmless pebbles.
Then, Percival appeared on the floor, standing face to face with the giant coiling beast.
Her halo of eerie purple eyes blinked repeatedly at Percival. It appeared the creature had realized a stifling truth: this challenger wasn't an ordinary one.
Percival had shattered all the rocks in a matter of seconds, using ⸢Grave Step⸥ and ⸢Slash⸥. Even though the falling boulders offered no real threat to him, he had to protect his Skeletons below.
That singular act caused some adrenaline to pump through Percival's veins.
Executing such an immensely difficult move reminded him just how powerful he truly was, and how instrumental his high Attributes were.
He tightened his grip on his sword, glaring at the bleeding Carrion Queen, who looked at him with unease.
"THE GREAT MOTHER DEMANDS SUSTENANCE!" it shrieked.
"WE WERE MEANT TO BE PERFECT! OUR SACRIFICES WILL NOT BE FOR NOTHING! WORM WORLD WILL BE PARADISE!!!"
It twisted like a viper and snapped its head at him. Percival side-stepped, spun around and slashed his blade.
⸢Bladeweave⸥ shot out with ⸢Soulfire⸥, creating a azure blast that sent the giant creature flinging and crashing through several pillars.
He sped towards the beast and it snapped its head at him again. With each one, Percival countered with his sword, blocking the sea of razor sharp teeth.
The Carrion Queen wailed in frustration and snapped its tail at him. Percival somersaulted backwards and landed catly on his feet.
He lifted his head, his ocean of dark hair falling over his dust filled face. Just then, he saw the tail of the Queen sink into the ground.
Percival froze, slowly rising to his feet. The beast was burrowing through the earth.
He stayed still, his eyes wandering around the rocky ground, searching for any sign of movement as he anticipated the worm beast's attack.
'Feels like Whac-A-Mole,' he thought. But just then, he felt a slight shudder beneath his boot. His high Perception stat meant that things like that couldn't go unnoticed.
The Carrion Queen was coming out.
Percival leaped a second earlier. Then, the earth where he had stood, erupted upwards as the Queen shot out from below, maw opened wide to capture him.
Percival floated in the air for a moment, the jaws of the beast dangerously close to the sole of his leather boots.
He angled his greatsword at the open maw of the Carrion Queen, then, creating a mental bridge again, he activated ⸢Sword Projection⸥, fusing it with ⸢Soulfire⸥.
The blazing spectral blade extended out of his sword edge and—sksssshhh—sunk through the Queen's open maw and out the back of her skull.
The Queen wailed for a final time, collapsing on the earth as Percival landed effortlessly beside the corpse.
With the Gate World Boss dead, the rest of the beasts withered to low health and crumbled as well. Percival's Skeletons drew back, resting their weapons.
Ding!
⸢You have defeated the Gate World Boss, the Carrion Queen!⸥
⸢Congratulations, you have leveled up!⸥
⸢Lvl 18 → Lvl 19⸥
⸢+160 Mana⸥
⸢+120 Attack⸥
⸢+70 Defense⸥
⸢+50 Health⸥
⸢All Attributes increased by +25⸥
⸢Rewards: +3 Skill Points⸥
⸢+350 EXP⸥
⸢+2 Summon Space⸥
⸢+500 Mana Coins⸥
One level left.
Percival felt even more invigorated. He exited the Gate World, waited for the cooldown, and re-entered.
As expected, the second run was even faster. He knew the threat positions. He knew the layout.
He blitzed through the Gate World in the record time of 12 minutes, and when the Carrion Queen fell for the second time, the golden light enveloped him again.
He checked his status.
⸢Experience: 75,020/75,000⸥
⸢Experience: 75,020/80,000⸥
⸢Congratulations, you have leveled up!⸥
⸢Lvl 19 → Lvl 20⸥
Yes!
Percival felt the old him skip for joy. This new one however, gazed at the interface with a softer indifference.
"Level 20 at last," he muttered. "I haven't spent any of my Skill Points so I'm more than certain that I have enough."
⸢Skill Points: 12⸥
Indeed, more than enough. He quickly summoned his Necromancer Skill Tree.
The available Skills for purchase appeared before him:
⸢Summon Soul Soldier: Awaken a Soul Soldier⸥
⸢Cost: 4 Skill Points⸥ ⸢B-Grade⸥
⸢Soul Bind: Borrow the power of a corpse for 14 seconds. Can not awaken corpse after using this Skill⸥
⸢Cost: 3 Skill Points⸥ ⸢B-Grade⸥
⸢Entropy Wave: Send a rippling aura of necrotic energy forward, corroding armor and weakening flesh⸥
⸢Cost: 2 Skill Points⸥ ⸢C-Grade⸥
Percival unlocked all three Skills.
⸢9 Skill Points have been used in purchasing 3 Skills⸥
⸢You have unlocked Summon Soul Soldier, a Skill paramount to your growth as a Necromancer⸥