Phase Two

Sidius traveled with control and after a moment, he spotted his comrades, bravely standing their ground against the colossal fiery ape.

With a swift movement, he grabbed a massive rock and hurled it directly at the creature, hitting the red crystal embedded in its forehead with impressive accuracy.

"Hey, big guy! I killed all of your little monkeys!" Sidius taunted, his voice echoing as he cupped his hands around his mouth. A wide grin spread across his face as he provoked the fiery ape.

The beast seemed to understand his words, fueling its rage before charging at him relentlessly.

Sidius sprinted as fast as he could without consuming his mana, preserving it for what lay ahead.

In the chaotic chase, the fiery ape wreaked havoc, crushing and uprooting trees in its pursuit, flinging them towards the agile man.

However, Sidius skillfully evaded each tree hurtling his way.

Pliero and Lumia followed Sidius' lead, launching arrows and unleashing magic spells at the fiery ape.

Despite their valiant efforts, the beast appeared unfazed, its sole focus set on catching Sidius.

After minutes of dodging, Sidius found himself cornered at the edge of a dense forest, with a perilous high cliff looming ahead.

"Shit!"

Realizing the escape was futile, he came to a halt. A surge of determination welled up within him as he prepared for a head-on confrontation, tightly gripping his dagger.

"If that's the case, let's battle it out you ugly monkey!" he resolved inwardly, bracing himself for the coming clash.

"It's either to hunt or be hunted!"

The fiery ape made a smug face and lunged at him, attempting to strike with its hand like a hammer.

Sidius expertly executed the 'Tam step' to evade, swiftly moving forward to launch his own counterattack, running on the arm of the big enemy.

Holding his dagger, he aimed for the ape's neck, but the creature's other hand intercepted the blow, inflicting injury upon its hand instead.

"Tch."

Sidius grimaced in frustration, swiftly leaping off the ape's shoulder. He knew that without landing a critical hit, his chances of survival were slim.

As he landed on the ground, Sidius noticed Pliero and Lumia who was focused on watching his battle.

"Attack him while he's occupied with beating the shit out of me!" he commanded, urging them into action.

Both of them instantly grasped the plan, engaging the fiery ape from different angles. Their combined assault showcased their remarkable skills, making for a breathtaking display of teamwork.

As the intense battle persisted, Sidius evaded, blocked, and countered flawlessly, while Pliero and Lumia unleashed a continuous barrage of skills, inflicting damage on the fiery ape.

Time passed and Sidius found himself on the brink of exhaustion, both physically and in terms of mana. In contrast, the boss' health remained substantially unaffected, not even reaching the halfway point.

'If only the One Heart Tree had already borne its fruit, I'd stand a chance... Should I wait for it to bloom?' Sidius pondered, frustration evident in his thoughts. 'No, my death will come first If I wait for that!'

'Then... do I really need to use Outburst?'

'Is there really no other way?'

His mind raced with potential solutions as he continued to evade and attack the colossal fiery ape.

Eventually, they managed to deplete its health, reducing it to half.

"ROOAARR!"

Upon losing half of its health, the fiery ape tapped into its hidden reservoir of power, amplifying its movements and attacks.

It sprang high into the air, attempting to crush Sidius with an overwhelming force.

Seeing this, Sidius complained while gritting his teeth as he confronted the beast.

"Do all bosses have phase two?!" he hissed, shaking his head as he deftly executed the 'Tam step' to dodge the impending crushing blow.

"Persistent beast!"

'Should I use Outburst? But I haven't done proper research about that skill, I might really lose my mind the second time!'

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"That's right! How can I forget about that!" he muttered, a wide smile forming in his face.

Having settled on a plan, Sidius reached into his expansion bag and retrieved the only potions available.

He dashed straight towards the cliff's edge, knowing full well that the fiery ape was relentlessly pursuing him.

Sidius smiled, 'Good, I still have its attention.'

As he approached the edge of the high cliff, he summoned all his strength and leaped upward with unparalleled vigor.

The daring move would either lead to his victory or his demise.

Lumia's eyes widened in shock, taken aback by Sidius' bravery as he leaped from the high cliff.

On the other hand, Pliero grinned, knowing that Sidius was planning something.

With the fiery ape relentlessly pursuing him, Sidius skillfully twisted his body to face it and threw the sticky potions he had retrieved from his expansion bag.

He had originally packed these potions as a precaution against ambushes during camping. He never imagined he'd put them to use in such an unexpected manner.

Upon impact, the sticky potions burst on the fiery ape's body, catching it off guard.

The beast struggled to maintain its footing and it slid perilously close to the cliff's edge.

Realizing that it had fallen by Sidius' trick, the fiery ape let out a thunderous roar that could shatter a normal person's eardrums. Then, it helplessly tumbled over the cliff with its face-first towards the ground below.

Up in the air, Sidius felt the weight returning to his body.

- WHOOOOOSH!

Clutching his dagger and covering it with his remaining mana, he descended rapidly with the weapon poised in front of him.

- SPLAT!

The planet's gravitational pull combined with his downward momentum, impaled the fiery ape upon touching the ground. The force of the impact, amplified by the precision of Sidius' attack, proved fatal.

The demonic beast commander was finally dead.

Using the fiery ape as a shield, Sidius reduced the damage to his body by several folds, but he still felt the strain of the battle.

After the intense struggle, Sidius lay on his back. He gazed upward when suddenly, a holographic visual announcement materialized before him.

[Dungeon Notice: You have killed the Guardian— Fiery Ape.]

[Dungeon Notice: You have cleared the Dungeon— Fiery Mist.]

'This dungeon really feels like it's not an F rank dungeon. It was worth clearing it!'

"So I cleared the infamous Fiery Mist, huh?" he muttered under his breath, too exhausted to even jump in joy.

Looking up above while lying at the body of the fiery ape, Sidius saw Pliero and Lumia looking down on him with relieved expressions.

"Come down here!" Sidius yelled at them.