"Now! All in—don’t hold back!"
Leon’s command slices through the chamber’s chaos. The mantis boss still surges forward, racing across the stone floor in a final, desperate assault. Its damaged leg buckles, but the creature compensates with sheer fury, its forearms slicing deadly arcs through the air.
The assassin leaps onto the mantis’s back, driving her remaining knife repeatedly into the exposed flesh where the carapace has cracked. Dark ichor sprays with each strike, splattering the chamber walls in a grotesque pattern.
The Grave Mage focuses all his energy into a massive freeze attack. Spectral ice erupts around the creature’s striking forearm, locking it mid-swing just inches from Leon’s throat.
The mantis lets out a deafening shriek—an unearthly sound that makes Leon’s bones vibrate and his vision blur. The ancient stone cracks under the acoustic onslaught.
Leon stands his ground as the creature’s massive head swings toward him. Its compound eyes blaze with alien hatred, and its mandibles spread wide, revealing the soft interior of its mouth.
Leon fires point-blank into that gaping maw.
Blue energy rips through its head and thorax. The manna round obliterates internal organs and shatters the creature’s nervous system. The mantis convulses once, its camouflage failing completely as death claims it.
The boss crashes to the chamber floor, its twitching legs gouging deep furrows into the stone before going still. Silence descends like a heavy shroud.
Leon slumps against the nearest wall, breathing heavily. His ribs ache from dodging strikes, and smudges mar his arms where debris has found gaps in his gear. But he is alive.
His undead companions regroup around the corpse. The assassin’s severed arm is already regenerating, fueled by necromancy energy. The Grave Mage flickers but remains stable despite the massive mana expenditure.
With trembling hands, Leon opens his system interface.
───────[The Zombie System]──────────
[DUNGEON CLEAR]
Enemies Defeated: 47
Boss Slain: Shadow Mantis
Completion Ti: 08:23
Deaths: 0
Mission Rating: S
Leon stares at the S rating, a sense of disbelief washing over him. He has never achieved perfect performance before. With a mix of excitent and trepidation, he taps the Rewards section.
───────[REWARDS]──────────
650 XP
75 Stat Points
New Skill: Dark Mana
Market Access Unlocked
Zombie Slot (Rare Sacrifice Required)
The experience points floods through him like warm honey, and in re seconds, his level surges from 7 to 11. Power courses through his body as the system re-calibrates his capabilities.
Leon eagerly checked each reward individually. The first to appear was the Dark Manna skill.
───────[DARK MANA]──────────
Type: Active Skill
Cost: Variable
Effect: Channel corrupted manna for enhanced damage Bonus: 50% damage against living targets
What intrigues him the most is the Market Access.
───────[SYSTEM MARKET]──────────
Status: UNLOCKED
Currency: Boss Tokens, \s Categories:
Equipnt, Skills, Zombie Upgrades
Note: Items bound to user, cannot be resold
Finally, the zombie slot expansion appears, promising new possibilities in his undead army.
───────[ZOMBIE SLOT]──────────
Current Capacity: 2/3
Unlock Requirent: Sacrifice Rare Enemy
Benefit: Additional permanent undead servant
Restriction: Only accepts Elite-class or higher sacrifices
Leon closes the interface and surveys the loot scattered around the mantis corpse. Several items shimrs with magical energy. Among them, the Mantis Core pulses with concentrated manna, drawing his attention.
───────[MANTIS CORE]──────────
Quality: Rare
Uses: Crafting, Zombie Enhancent
Manna Density: High
Special Property: Shadow Affinity
A fragnt of shadow carapace catches the light in an unusual way, glinting with an otherworldly sheen.
───────[SHADOW CARAPACE]──────────
Quality: Rare
Defense Rating: 15
Special: Partial Invisibility (3 seconds, 60-second cool-down)
Compatibility: Chest Armor Slot
One of the creature’s severed forearms has crystallized into an enchanted weapon, radiating a powerful and mysterious aura.
───────[PREDATOR’S BLADE]──────────
Quality: Epic
Damage: High
Special: Armor Piercing, Life Drain (5% per hit) Requirent: 25 Strength, 20 Agility
Leon hefts the blade, feeling its perfect balance despite its alien origin. He knows the weapon would serve him well in future encounters.
A small organ near the mantis’s head catches his attention as he scans the area. Its peculiar shape and vibrant color hinted at potential uses.
─────[CAMOUFLAGE GLAND]──────────
Quality: Rare
Use: Crafting Component
Effect: Grants stealth abilities when properly integrated
Compatibility: Zombie Enhancent, Personal Equipnt
Five crystalline tokens complete the loot collection, each one shimring with a unique hue.
───────[BOSS TOKENS]──────────
Quantity: 5
Use: System Market Currency
Exchange Rate: Variable by item Cannot be duplicated or transferred
Leon gathers everything into his inventory. The system’s storage function makes looting efficient, yet he feels the weight of his accumulated power.
His undead minions stand ready, awaiting further orders. The assassin tests her regenerated arm, while the Grave Mage conserves his remaining manna.
As Leon secures the last token, he senses movent above. Shadows flicker in the upper reaches of the chamber, where architecture ets darkness. It’s the sa watchers he noticed during his descent.
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