Chapter Seventeen

The ground trembled.Dust rained from the shattered ceiling.From the abyss beyond the cage, a massive figure emerged, An Abyssal Warden, the ancient guardian of this place.

> [Trial Boss: Abyssal Warden – Lv. 35]

Type: Ancient Cursed Golem

Threat Level: Deadly

 Carved from living stone and cursed metals, crimson glyphs blazed across its form. It wielded a titanic blade, dripping with corrosive shadow.

 The golem moved faster than anything its size should. Its sword whistled through the air, cleaving stone like parchment.Adrian barely dodged the warden's strike.He tried to counter, conjuring a basic umbral spear in mid-air.

 The spear struck the Warden's torso, but the impact barely staggered it, and the weapon dissolved after a heartbeat."Only temporary. Only simple weapons."Every strike had to count.

 A second construct: an umbral dagger.

He darted forward, slashing at the Warden's runes, but again the energy was absorbed, diffusing harmlessly.

The voice from the cage grew sharper: "Free me… and we can tear this abomination apart together."

 Adrian cursed under his breath, dodging another blow that sent shards of obsidian flying past his face.He had no choice. He ducked at another strike from the warden and launching at the chains holding the cage, he instinctively coated his dagger in shadow energy, enhancing the overall stats of the weapon. He used the blade to break one of the worn out chains, destroying the formation of the cage.

 Its form blurred, growing larger and more spectral, its cracked horn mending itself with pure shadow.

With unnatural speed, the beast launched at the Abyssal Warden.It tore through the guardian's runes, disrupting the defensive wards that had made it invincible.

 Seizing the moment, Adrian summoned another umbral blade, the last of his mana reserve, and drove it through the exposed core at the center of the Warden's chest.

 The construct barely held together long enough for the blade to pierce deep.The Warden let out a mechanical shriek, crumbling from within. Its giant form shattered into dust, falling with a final, echoing crash.

 Silence reigned once more.