Chapter 14: The Abyssal Labyrinth
The stench of decay hung thick in the air, an oppressive weight pressing against Haru's lungs as he ventured deeper into the dungeon.
The walls, carved from dark obsidian, pulsed faintly as if the dungeon itself were alive. Ancient carvings of creatures long forgotten lined the walls, their hollow eyes staring into the abyss.
Haru wiped the sweat from his brow. His fingers tightened around the dagger strapped to his waist.
Even though he had leveled up considerably since his pathetic days of begging for scraps, he knew that this dungeon was beyond anything he had encountered before.
His system window flickered before his eyes:
---
### **Player: Haru**
**Level:** 22
**HP:** 480/480
**Strength:** 34
**Agility:** 55
**Endurance:** 42
**Mana:** 110
**Charisma:** 60
**Status Effects:** None
**Skills:**
- [Dagger Proficiency Lv.5]
- [Stealth Lv.8]
- [Familiar Teleportation Lv.1]
- [Booster Lv.2]
**Special Trait:**
- **Lady Killer Lv.2** – If you defeat an enemy of the opposite gender, you may forcibly bond them as a Familiar.
---
**"This place feels wrong,"** Rhaelynn murmured, her keen centaur eyes scanning the shadows. Her bow was drawn, arrow nocked, her muscles tense beneath her armor.
Beside her, Aryan cracked her knuckles, a sharp grin curling her lips. The vampire assassin had little patience for caution.
"Then let's stop feeling and start killing,"she said, licking her lips. Her scarlet eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, her predatory instincts fully awakened.
Haru exhaled slowly. He had sent Shira into his pocket dimension to evolve, meaning he only had Aryan and Rhaelynn for now. That made this all the more dangerous.
His eyes drifted to the dungeon ahead—a sprawling labyrinth filled with massive skeletal remains of creatures long dead. The air vibrated with a low, guttural growl, reverberating through the ancient halls.
**"Stick to the plan,"** Haru said. **"Aryan, you take the right flank. Rhaelynn, cover us from the back. I'll take the front."**
Aryan rolled her eyes. **"You act like I'm gonna follow orders. I'll kill things my way."**
Haru ignored her. She was aggressive, but she still obeyed when the situation called for it. Rhaelynn, on the other hand, gave him a small nod, her long golden braid shifting over her shoulder.
Then, the monsters emerged.
The first to lurch forward were towering humanoid creatures draped in rotting, ceremonial armor. Their eyes flickered with cold blue flames, their skeletal hands gripping rusted halberds.
**[Ancient Warden – Level 40]**
Haru barely had time to react before one of them lunged, its weapon slicing through the air. He dodged to the side, the tip of the halberd missing his chest by inches.
**"Damn!"** Haru muttered, barely regaining his footing.
Aryan was already in motion, her vampire speed a blur. She vaulted over one of the wardens, driving her daggers deep into the creature's neck.
The warden let out an unholy shriek as Aryan twisted the blades and kicked off its chest, flipping backward.
Haru took advantage of the distraction, darting forward with [Booster Lv.2] enhancing his speed. His dagger flashed, slicing through the weakened warden's throat. The creature crumbled into dust.
Rhaelynn fired an arrow straight into the eye socket of another warden, pinning it against the wall. She loosed another shot, this time striking its exposed ribcage, shattering it instantly.
The fight was fast, brutal, and unrelenting.
More wardens surged forward, their armor rattling, their eerie moans filling the chamber.
Aryan grinned. **"Now this is what I live for."**
She darted forward again, twisting her body midair, her daggers slicing through bone like paper. Haru moved in sync, ducking low to stab at the exposed joints.
Rhaelynn continued her precision shots from the distance, eliminating any that tried to flank them.
After what felt like an eternity, the last warden fell. Haru's breath was ragged, his muscles burning.
Then, the ground trembled.
A deafening roar split the air.
From the depths of the dungeon, something far worse approached.
A monstrous figure emerged from the shadows—a towering titan of grotesque proportions. Its body was an amalgamation of ancient warriors fused into a single monstrous form.
Multiple arms jutted from its torso, each wielding a different weapon—swords, axes, spears. Its face was a fusion of skulls, its hollow eyes brimming with ethereal flames.
**[Abyssal Titan – Level 54]**
**"That thing is way out of our league,"** Rhaelynn whispered, her knuckles white around her bowstring.
Aryan, however, grinned. **"Out of *your* league, maybe."**
Haru gritted his teeth. Even with all his training, this thing was beyond him. But he wasn't alone. He had his familiars. He had his skill.
He reached deep into his pocket dimension.
**"Shira, it's time."**
A pulse of energy erupted in the room as the Blue Oni materialized.
Shira's evolution had completed.
The moment she appeared, the air shifted. Her once primal presence had become refined, her aura exuding dominance.
Her muscular frame had become leaner yet more defined, her once-rough features now carrying an almost regal air. The Buster sword in her hands crackled with dark energy.
The Abyssal Titan turned its many heads toward her.
Then it lunged.
Shira reacted instantly. She raised her massive sword, **catching the full force of the Titan's attack with one hand.**
The impact cracked the ground beneath her feet.
For the first time, the Titan faltered.
Haru smirked. **"Looks like we're back in the fight."**
With Shira tanking the Titan's devastating attacks, Haru, Aryan, and Rhaelynn launched a coordinated assault.
Rhaelynn's arrows targeted the Titan's joints, slowing its movements. Aryan, using her speed, carved through the Titan's exposed areas with ruthless precision.
Haru used his agility to dart between its flailing limbs, slashing at vulnerable spots. His dagger glowed as he activated **Booster Lv.2**, amplifying his strikes.
Shira let out a silent war cry, her blade glowing as she delivered a devastating upward slash. The Titan reeled back, chunks of its body disintegrating.
Haru saw the opening.
He sprinted up the Titan's crumbling body, dagger poised for the final strike.
With one powerful thrust, he plunged his blade into its core.
The Titan let out a deafening screech before its entire body **collapsed into dust.**
Haru landed gracefully, breathing heavily. His system screen flickered.
**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**
**Level 22 → Level 26**
But that wasn't all.
Haru barely had time to celebrate his victory over the Abyssal Titan when the dungeon trembled once again. The sound of crackling energy filled the chamber, the air thickening with a sinister charge.
Rhaelynn's ears twitched. **"Something's coming."**
Aryan narrowed her crimson eyes. **"Tch. Whatever it is, it's big."**
Haru turned, watching as the shadows in the far corridor twisted unnaturally. Something massive prowled forward, its monstrous presence sending a chill down his spine.
Then, it emerged.
A hulking beast, its body wreathed in pulsating **black lightning**, its obsidian scales glistening like freshly forged steel. Its head resembled that of a massive wolf with four burning crimson eyes, fangs like jagged swords protruding from its maw. Each step sent electricity arcing across the stone floor, the sheer heat warping the air around it.
**[Abyssal Thunderbeast – Level 65]**
Haru's system sent a rapid warning.
**[Threat Level: EXTREME – Chance of survival: 12%]**
His gut twisted. **12%?!** That was the lowest survival rate he'd ever seen.
The Thunderbeast **roared**, a deep, guttural sound that shook the entire cavern. Bolts of **black lightning** erupted from its body, slamming into the walls, **melting** solid stone upon impact.
**"Move!"** Haru shouted, diving out of the way.
A **blast of dark lightning** exploded where he had been standing just moments before, sending jagged obsidian shards flying through the air. Rhaelynn twisted her centaur body, galloping across the battlefield, barely dodging another deadly bolt.
Aryan, with her unnatural vampire speed, blurred away just as a second explosion nearly vaporized the spot she had been in.
Haru barely had time to recover before the beast lunged at him.
The **Thunderbeast moved unnaturally fast**, considering its size. It was on him in an instant, its fangs descending to rip him apart.
Haru instinctively activated **[Booster Lv.2]**, his body moving just fast enough to dodge the killing blow. **But he wasn't fast enough to dodge everything.**
The beast's **claws grazed his side**, sending a wave of agony through his body. Sparks of **black electricity** danced over his wounds, burning his flesh.
Haru gasped, stumbling back. His health bar dropped dangerously.
**[HP: 260/480]**
**Damn it.** If one hit from this thing did that much damage, then they didn't stand a chance fighting it head-on.
Aryan dashed forward, her daggers gleaming. She slashed at the beast's legs, but **her blades barely scratched its armored hide.**
**"Tch! What the hell is this thing made of?!"** she snarled, dodging a retaliatory swipe.
Rhaelynn fired a perfectly aimed arrow at its glowing red eyes. **The arrow disintegrated the moment it touched the beast's lightning aura.**
Haru's mind raced. **They couldn't beat this thing—not like this.**
Then, he felt it.
A **massive surge of energy** from within his pocket dimension.
A deep, primal **heartbeat** reverberated through his very soul.
Shira.
Her **evolution** was complete.
Haru didn't hesitate. He reached into the pocket dimension and summoned her forth.
A burst of **pure, overwhelming energy** flooded the dungeon as Shira stepped into the battlefield.
And she had changed.
Shira's once towering frame had **grown even larger**, her muscular form now refined with a terrifying sense of power. Her once unrefined battle stance had shifted—she stood tall, regal, radiating **the presence of a warlord.**
Her skin was a **deeper, richer shade of blue,** glowing faintly with mystical runes etched across her body. Her **crimson eyes burned brighter**, exuding an aura of pure, **unshakable dominance.**
She was clad in **a samurai-style war outfit**, her armor black and crimson, the fabric flowing like battle-worn banners. In her hands, she wielded an **enormous cleaver-like katana**, its blade **crackling with raw, untamed energy.**
The air **shifted violently.** The very **ground trembled beneath her feet.**
The Thunderbeast **stopped moving.**
For the first time, **it hesitated.**
A low, predatory growl rumbled from its throat, its four eyes narrowing. The beast recognized **a greater predator.**
Haru felt it too.
**Shira wasn't the same Oni she had been before.**
She was **something more.**
The Thunderbeast reacted **instinctively**, launching a massive bolt of **black lightning** straight at Shira. The air burned. The ground shattered.
And then—**Shira moved.**
Her **blade cut through the lightning itself.**
The attack **dispersed like mist.**
Then, in a flash of raw **explosive force**, **Shira vanished.**
**Haru barely saw what happened next.**
One moment, the Thunderbeast was preparing another attack.
The next—**Shira was behind it.**
A **deep, gaping wound** had suddenly appeared across the Thunderbeast's body, **black blood spraying into the air.**
Shira **had moved faster than sight itself.**
The beast **screeched**, its body convulsing violently.
Shira, unfazed, turned her blade sideways, her eyes locking onto the creature's weak points with **terrifying precision.**
Then, she attacked again.
**The battlefield became a blur of slashes and devastation.**
Shira's blade **tore through the Thunderbeast's armored hide like paper.**
The once terrifying monster that had nearly killed Haru, Aryan, and Rhaelynn **was now being butchered.**
The Thunderbeast **tried to retaliate**, launching a desperate **wave of black lightning** in all directions.
Shira **walked through it.**
**Unscathed.**
Then, she **ended it.**
A single, **final slash.**
The Thunderbeast **froze.**
A heartbeat passed.
Then—**its body split apart.**
Shira's last attack had **cleaved straight through the beast, from skull to tail.**
The monstrous creature **collapsed, its massive form dissolving into dust.**
A moment of **silence.**
Then—
A massive **shockwave erupted from the remains, blasting outward.**
Haru barely shielded his face from the force. When the dust settled, the battlefield was quiet.
And standing in the center of it all was **Shira**, her blade resting on her shoulder, her crimson eyes **glowing with undeniable supremacy.**
Haru's system window **exploded with notifications.**
**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**
**Level 26 → Level 30**
**[Shira has reached Evolutionary Stage 2 – Ascended Oni Warlord!]**
**[Abyssal Thunderbeast Defeated – Legendary Beast Class]**
**[Special Trait Gained: Oni's Wrath – Shira's attacks ignore 40% of enemy defenses.]**