Jessie hadn’t even processed his insult. Her focus was fixed on the terrifying scene before them.
Were they witnessing the true extent of a D-rank dungeon? Dungeons varied even within the sa rank—so D-rank barely E-rank difficulty, others approaching the terror of a C-rank. The beasts within ranged from level 11 to level 20.
The giant scorpion towered before them, its obsidian carapace glistening with a venomous sheen under the dim dungeon light. Its three tails twisted like serpents—dripping thick, luminous green liquid that hissed every ti it touched the sand.
The air itself seed to vibrate as the creature’s mandibles clicked, emitting a low, guttural screech. The smaller scorpions behind it trembled—not from fear, but obedience.
Ash craved an Inspect skill at this point, He had been offered one before but had chosen sothing more alluring. Now he regretted that decision, wishing to know the scorpion’s exact level and stats.
The Alpha slamd its tails down—BOOM!—each strike releasing a wave of venom mist that rolled outward like a storm. Jessie activated her new class ability, her upgraded flas forming a shimring do around them. The poison hissed against it, the temperature spiking as the flas evaporated the toxins.
Ash crouched behind the barrier, sliding another D-rank core into his gun. "Can you hold it"
"Barely," she gritted out. "This isn’t normal poison it’s mana-reactive. My flas are losing their power!"
Ash’s mind clicked. He couldn’t wait any longer—smaller scorpions were advancing under the cover of the Alpha’s attack.
He purchased three smoke grenades and hurled them forward—
[Compact Smoke Grenades (3,200 Coins) – Creates dense cover for 15 seconds. Obscures even enhanced vision skills.]
A condensed cloud of smoke rose, shrouding the area in opaque Whiteness. He threw another toward the Alpha’s feet, then pulled Jessie back, tossing a third smoke grenade to the right flank as he circled around.
The boss scorpion roared, launching wild strikes in every direction. The swarm of smaller scorpions continued their march amidst the obscure smoke.
Ash and Jessie exchanged glances—they needed an AoE-type attack. Killing them one by one would take too long.
"Jessie, just after ," Ash ordered.
He pulled three grenades from his inventory and hurled them one after another into the crawling horde. Every grenade costed him 10,000 Coins so it hurt his frugal self. It was also true that every kill gave him So coins with Exp. So he hoped at the end of this fight he would be able to retrieve all the coins back.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three deafening explosions shook the cavern. Scorpion flesh burst apart in a grotesque shower of blood, venom, and sand. Most of the swarm was obliterated, though a few crawled forward on mangled limbs.
"Jessie!"
Before he could say more, a torrent of searing lava descended from above—her flas turned into molten hellfire that incinerated everything in its way.
The Alpha shrieked, enraged because it’s army was gone—scattered ashes and twitching carcasses the remaining ones were going to die soon.
Its tails slamd into the ground, releasing Toxic Pulse—a visible shockwave of green energy that detonated outward. Jessie’s fire barrier shattered instantly.
She was flung back, crashing into the sand. The armor reduced the physical impact, but the poison seeped through her wounds, making her shriek in agony.
Ash, standing several ters away, scread, "Jessie!"
"I’m fine!" she shouted, though her trembling body said otherwise. Flas coiled around her arm, condensing into a blazing sphere. "Let’s roast this bastard!"
She hurled the fire orb with all her remaining strength. It exploded into a spiraling inferno hotter than before, engulfing the Alpha’s front. The sand beneath lted into molten glass.
Ash used that opening sprinting forward, sliding under the beast’s reach. Poison mist swirled around his hands, dense and alive.
[King’s Domain – 30 MP/second]
Ash activated the skill, freezing the beast montarily. Then, he charged his bullet with extra mana—twenty full points into a single shot.
[Heartpiercer – 80 MP/Shot]
The bullet shimred—coated in liquefied venom, black and thick as oil.
He couldn’t afford to maintain all his skills at once. With only a hundred MP, even half a second mattered. But half a second was all he needed.
Bang!
The recoil cracked the air, his arm snapping back from the sheer force. The impact would’ve shattered his bones if not for the combined boost of his armor and titles—Phantom Aura, Twin Fangs, Rank Slayer—each amplifying his stats. His arm throbbed in pain but held firm.
The bullet struck—piercing the scorpion’s belly. The venom detonated inside, eating through chitin and flesh alike. Its inner organs liquefied, bursting from within as the shot ripped through.
Ash threw another smoke grenade, retreating swiftly. He wouldn’t risk dying to a desperate counterattack.
Inside the cloud, his silhouette moved like a phantom. The Alpha lashed out blindly, smashing craters into the sand.
"Jessie—light it up!" he shouted.
Understanding flickered in her eyes. She raised both hands, clutching two D-rank cores.
The smoke ignited—BOOM!—a blazing inferno devoured the battlefield. The scorpion’s flesh sizzled, its eyes boiling into steam.
Ash’s victory was short-lived. Jessie collapsed, her body trembling violently and poison coursing through her veins.
Ash erged from the smoke the gun aid at the scorpion’s chest. His finger tightened on the trigger.
Before he could fire, the Alpha slamd both claws down staring ahead with its hollow eyes, literally.
its veins pulsing violently as its entire body began to glow.
Jessie barely managed to whisper, "It’s going to explode—!"
Ash’s stomach ached. If he had used King’s Domain again, he could’ve frozen it—stopped the detonation. But there was no MP.
Without hesitation, he dashed backward ignoring the half concious Jessie on the ground. Every movent was deliberate, sharp—flowing with unnatural precision.
Ash felt it—the rhythm of the world syncing with him. The understanding of the Flow Rune made his movents fluid, each step perfect. His agility stats hadn’t increased, but their quality had evolved.
Then—
BOOM!
The Alpha detonated. Blood, organs, and molten venom exploded outward in all directions, spreading like a toxic nuke.
Ash barely escaped the blast radius, skidding to a halt.
Jessie wasn’t so lucky, she went unconscious just before the blast because of poison effects.
The silence followed, Flakes of poison mist falling like snow in the dunes of sand.
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