Chapter 3 - A Boss???

Elson barely had time to breathe before his surroundings changed again. The familiar glow of the system's teleportation enveloped him, and when the light faded, he found himself standing in a vast, dimly lit chamber. Unlike the first floor, this one exuded a thick, oppressive aura.

Elson's eyes widened.

"Wait… Hidden?! Already?! A boss fight on the first floor?!"

A guttural growl echoed through the chamber. Emerging from the darkness was a massive figure—standing nearly three meters tall, covered in jagged black armor, with glowing crimson eyes filled with malice. It gripped a giant cleaver that looked sharp enough to split him in half with a single swing.

[Berserker Goblin Lord]

[Level: ???]

[HP: ???]

Elson tried to use [Appraisal], but instead of detailed information, all he got was a message.

Ding!*

Cold sweat ran down his back.

"Shit… I'm nowhere near strong enough to fight this thing!"

The Goblin Lord let out a deafening roar and lunged at him with terrifying speed. Elson barely dodged as the massive cleaver slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent him flying backward.

His HP plummeted.

[HP: 45/200]

"One hit almost killed me?!"

Elson scrambled to his feet, but before he could react, the boss was already charging again.

"Damn it… at this rate, I'm dead!"

But just as the cleaver was about to strike him again—

CLANG!*

A figure suddenly appeared, blocking the attack with a large, silver shield.

"What—?!"

Elson looked up to see a man clad in silver armor, his face partially covered by a battle-worn helmet. His stance was firm, his presence radiating a sense of security.

"Hey, kid! You're not alone in this!" the warrior shouted, pushing back against the boss's attack with all his strength.

The Goblin Lord growled and retreated a few steps, eyeing this new opponent cautiously.

Elson, still stunned, managed to ask, "Who… are you?"

The man grinned. "Name's Reyan. Just another unfortunate soul trapped in this damned tower, but we can talk later. For now, let's take this bastard down."

Reyan took a battle stance, his shield glowing with some sort of energy.

Then all of a sudden, a golden light formed around both of them.

"This should give you some protection. Now, hit it with everything you've got!" Reyan commanded.

Elson gritted his teeth and nodded.

"If I hold back, I'll die anyway… so let's do this!" - He activated [Shadow Pierce], sending dark blades flying toward the boss. They struck its thick armor, barely making a dent.

"Damn, its defense is insane!"

Reyan dashed forward, using [Shield Bash] to stagger the boss. "Focus on attacking while I hold its aggro!" he yelled.

Elson didn't hesitate. He opened [Skill Make] and searched for something powerful.

[New Skill Purchased: Phantom Strike (A)]

● 3,500 Skill Make Points

● A high-speed dash attack that strikes multiple times.

● MP Cost: 70

Ding*

[Purchased Complete!]

[Current pAvailable Skill Make Points: 5,000Smp]

"Let's see if this works!" - Elson dashed forward with lightning speed, his blade glowing with dark energy.

"Phantom Strike!"

A blur of motion—his sword cut through the Goblin Lord's defenses, leaving multiple deep wounds.

The boss roared in rage and retaliated, swinging its cleaver wildly. Reyan blocked most of the attacks but was slowly being pushed back.

"Kid! One more big hit! I'll give you an opening!"

Reyan activated his strongest skill—

Golden energy surged around him, and he charged straight at the Goblin Lord. The impact was so powerful that the boss staggered and fell to one knee.

"Now's my chance!" Elson gathered all his strength, using his last bit of MP.

"Shadow Pierce: Final Blow!" - Elson.

The dark blades shot straight into the Goblin Lord's exposed neck—piercing through its weak point.

The boss let out a guttural death cry before collapsing with a massive THUD.

+500 EXP Gained

Level Up! [Level 7]

Ding!*

[Congratulations on leveling-up by 2 levels! You received 10sp.]

[Congratulations in defeating the Floor Boss! Player received 600 Skill Make Points.]

Elson gasped for breath, feeling the rush of victory—until he turned to Reyan.

The warrior was on the ground, blood pooling around him. His armor was shattered, his body trembling from exhaustion.

Elson ran to his side. "Hey! Stay with me!"

Reyan smiled weakly. "Looks like… my time's up."

"No! You can still—" Before Elson could do anything, a system message appeared.

Reyan's body began disintegrating into golden light.

With his final breath, he looked at Elson.

"Live… get stronger… beat this tower for all of us…"

And then, he was gone.

Elson clenched his fists.

"This isn't just a game anymore."

Tears threatened to escape his eyes, but he forced them back.

Elson clenched his fists as Reyan's golden light faded into nothing. The victory felt hollow—he had won, but at what cost?

The system message popped up again.

+1000 EXP Gained

+100 Skill Make Points Awarded

[New Item Obtained: Reyan's Broken Shield]

Elson checked his current stats.

[Current Status]*

[Name: Elson Lake] [Level: 7]

[HP: 200/200] [MP: 400/400]

[Stat Points: 30]

[Skill Make Points: 5,700]

"I still 5,700 skill make points… I need something that will keep me alive."

Elson opened [Skill Make] and searched for a skill that could help him recover from injuries.

[New Skill Purchased: Light Mend (B)]

● 2,000 Skill Make Points

● A minor healing skill that restores small wounds and light injuries.

● Can be used on self or allies.

● MP Cost: 50

● Cooldown: 1 min.

Ding!*

[Skill Purchased Successfully! Current Available Skill Make Points: 3,700]

A faint glow surrounded his hands as he activated it.

"Light Mend." A gentle warmth spread across his body, closing the shallow cuts on his arms. The pain dulled, and he felt slightly more refreshed.

"This will be useful."

He then gripped Reyan's broken shield tightly.

"I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. I'll clear this tower… no matter what."

The system message returned.

With renewed determination, Elson braced himself for what lay ahead.