Chapter 37: Chapter 37 : Quest Completion

The red and golden auras of Arthur and Jordan clashed violently.

Crimson mist roared outward from Arthur like blood made vapor, thick and oppressive, grinding against the blazing golden radiance surrounding Jordan.

The collision wasn’t silent.

It screeched.

Mana tore against mana, producing a high-pitched hum that vibrated through bone and ice alike.

The basement walls began cracking little by little.

Thin fractures crawled outward like spiderwebs across frozen stone.

Ice chunks loosened from the ceiling.

Crack.

Crack.

Chunks plummeted downward and shattered on impact.

At first, they seemed equal.

Crimson and gold locked in a grinding deadlock.

The air between them warped violently, dust and frost swirling in a circular vortex around the two men.

Then—

Arthur’s boots began sliding backward.

At first just an inch.

Then another.

His heels dug deep grooves into the ice as he forced his body forward, muscles trembling from the pressure.

His teeth clenched hard enough to hurt.

His shoulders shook.

Golden light intensified.

BOOM!

Jordan’s aura surged outward in a violent burst.

Arthur was blasted backward.

CRASHHH!

He slammed into the far wall.

Stone dented inward around him, cracks racing out in jagged patterns. Dust exploded outward and rained down over his shoulders.

Pain flooded his ribs and spine like burning wire.

But he pushed himself off the wall immediately.

Debris fell from his hoodie.

His eyes locked onto Jordan again.

No hesitation.

Arthur moved.

He vanished in a blur.

The ice beneath his feet shattered from acceleration as he shot forward, blade flashing directly toward Jordan’s neck.

No wasted motion.

No hesitation.

But just as he entered lethal range—

The dungeon boss intercepted.

The gigantic wolf moved with shocking speed for its size.

Its massive claw swept across horizontally.

CLANGGG!

Arthur’s blade collided with hardened claw in a violent spray of sparks.

The impact rattled up his arms and into his shoulders.

The force skidded him backward across the ice.

He spun once to bleed off momentum and planted his stance wide, blade angled defensively.

The wolf’s breath steamed hot and heavy in the freezing chamber.

Inside his mind—

[Host, we only have 11 more minutes until Berserk goes on cooldown.]

’I know, damn it,’ Arthur thought. ’But there’s no opening. He’s hiding behind that thing.’

Arthur looked toward Jordan.

“Ah man, you almost knocked the lights out of me.”

Jordan laughed loudly.

“What, you thought just because you killed some useless lackeys, you’re on par with me? Someone like you will never be able to hold a candle to me…”

He paused slightly.

“And just so we’re clear—those three are already dead, right?”

Arthur rolled his neck slowly.

Crack.

“Well, on our way, we came across a hyena in desperate need of food. Since those three had taken pity on it—and were planning to feed me to that very hyena—I decided to feed their bodies to it instead.

You know, to honor their last wish of keeping the hyena well-fed. I hope they died peacefully in its stomach, knowing the hyena was well fed as they sacrificed their lives to ensure it didn’t go hungry.”

A vein pulsed on Jordan’s forehead.

“You really like to spew a lot of bullshit, right?”

Arthur showed mock rage.

“How can you call their sacrifice of feeding the hyena bullshit? Do you really have no compassion for them? You should honor their death!”

This time—

Jordan didn’t react.

He simply looked toward the dungeon boss.

“Leave him in a half-dead state… I will break her in front of his eyes.”

He glanced toward Isabella.

Her head lifted slightly.

There was hope in her expression.

Fragile.

Unstable.

A translucent window flickered before Jordan.

Quest: Path of the Dark Overlord

Completion Progress: 80%

But then—

The gauge flickered.

70%.

65%.

Jordan’s jaw tightened.

He raised his hand.

The golden aura pulsed sharply.

All the remaining monsters surged forward at once.

The gigantic wolf charged first, heavy footsteps cracking the ice beneath it.

The horde followed behind it like a living tide.

Arthur inhaled deeply.

’Give me something, system. At least some weakness of it.’

A window appeared before him.

C–RANK DUNGEON BOSS

════════════════════════════

Name: Gorefang Ravager

Type: Mutated Alpha Direwolf

Traits:

◆ Bipedal Combat

◆ Blood Frenzy

◆ Tough Hide

◆ Dominance Howl

◆ Rend Claws

Weakness:

Extended combat exhausts it, and injuries to its legs or

eyes greatly reduce its combat efficiency.

════════════════════════════

Arthur’s eyes skimmed directly to the weakness.

’Legs or eyes.’

He exhaled slowly.

Berserk sharpened everything.

Every muscle fiber felt alive.

The wolf lunged.

Arthur didn’t retreat.

He sidestepped at the last second, the claw smashing into the floor where he had stood.

BOOM.

Ice shattered outward in jagged fragments.

Arthur slid along the wolf’s side, blade flashing once—

SHING—

A shallow cut across the right thigh.

Not deep.

But enough.

The wolf roared.

It pivoted violently, swiping downward with both claws.

Arthur ducked under the first, twisted around the second, and dashed straight through a cluster of lesser monsters.

Quick Draw.

One.

Two.

Three goblins split apart in rapid succession.

He didn’t stop moving.

He stayed within the wolf’s peripheral vision deliberately.

Provoking it.

Making it chase.

The wolf charged again, overextending slightly.

Arthur waited—

At the last moment he dropped low and slashed toward the injured leg.

CLANG—

The hide resisted.

But a thin red line deepened.

The wolf stumbled half a step.

Arthur retreated immediately.

Jordan’s eyes narrowed.

Arthur wasn’t fighting recklessly.

He was dragging it out.

Wearing it down.

“He’s stalling,” Jordan muttered.

Arthur darted again through smaller monsters, cutting two hyenas cleanly in half.

Blood sprayed across the ice.

The wolf roared and activated Dominance Howl.

The sound exploded through the chamber like a shockwave.

Arthur’s ears rang violently.

But Berserk dulled the fear effect.

He pushed forward anyway.

Jordan’s gaze sharpened.

He raised his hand calmly.

“Do you think only you possess high-ranking skills?”

His golden aura condensed tighter around his body.

“Activate Probability Sense.”

A window materialized before him the next moment.

Golden lines began branching across his vision—

Paths.

Predictions.

Trajectories.

Arthur’s possible attack routes illuminated faintly in shimmering outlines.

Jordan smiled slightly.

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