Chapter 14 - Slaying a Titan
[Ding!]
Adaptive Combat Instincts (Lv.1) Activated.
[Ding!]
Shadow Step (Lv.1) Activated.
[Ding!]
Sword Mastery (Lv.1) Activated.
Lucian's movements blurred, his blade flashing like black lightning.
This time, he wasn't just reacting.
He was fighting.
The Abyssal Tyrant lunged, but Lucian was already gone.
He twisted around its claws, his blade slicing across its joints.
The Abyssal Fang Blade bit deep, carving through flesh and armor.
A roar of pain.
Lucian pushed forward.
He darted behind the Tyrant, his sword tracing a path along its ribs.
Dark ichor splattered across the cavern floor.
The beast staggered, its massive form tilting.
For the first time—
The Abyssal Tyrant was forced onto the defensive.
Lucian gritted his teeth.
"I can win this."
And then—
The Tyrant's tail lashed out.
Too fast.
Lucian barely twisted his body, but the impact still clipped him.
A shockwave blasted through the cavern.
Lucian soared backward, smashing into the jagged stone wall.
Pain.
His ribs cracked.
His vision blurred.
He gasped for breath—
But his lungs refused to work.
The Abyssal Tyrant rose to full height.
Its wounds dripped with black ichor, but it didn't care.
It refused to fall.
Its obsidian armor gleamed, still unbroken in places.
Its red eyes burned, filled with pure, unrelenting fury.
Lucian's body screamed in protest.
But he forced himself to stand.
Because if he stayed down—he would die.
He clenched his trembling fingers around his sword.
His mana flickered inside him, running dangerously low.
This had to end now.
Lucian's breath came in ragged bursts, his muscles trembling, barely holding together.
Every nerve in his body screamed at him to stop.
To collapse. To let the pain consume him.
But he couldn't. He wouldn't. Because if he did—
He was dead.
"One last attack..."
The Abyssal Tyrant charged.
A blur of obsidian death, its claws raised for the kill.
Lucian vanished.
[Ding!]
Shadow Step (Lv.1) Activated.
Time slowed.
Lucian twisted mid-air, slipping past the incoming strike.
The cavern shook as the attack shattered the ground where he had stood.
But he was already moving.
His grip tightened.
His breath steadied.
His entire body screamed in agony—
But he kept pushing forward.
[Ding!] Limit Break (Lv.1) Activated.
Pain ripped through him.
A searing, all-consuming fire tore through every fiber of his body, twisting his muscles like overstrained wires.
His vision pulsed with red, his head pounding as if his skull was fracturing under the pressure.
His veins bulged, energy crackling beneath his skin.
[WARNING: Overuse detected. Severe muscle strain accumulating.]
[Further use may cause lasting damage.]
Lucian ignored it.
Because he didn't have a choice.
The Abyssal Tyrant lunged.
Lucian moved before his mind could register it.
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Then—
He saw it.
A tiny gap in the Tyrant's skull armor.
Right at the base of its crown.
Lucian struck.
His Abyssal Fang Blade plunged deep, sinking through bone and flesh.
The blade hummed—Abyssal energy igniting, piercing into the monster's core.
Lucian twisted the blade, forcing every last ounce of mana into the strike.
"DIE!"
A pulse of raw, crushing power erupted from the sword—
The Abyssal Tyrant's massive form stiffened. Its obsidian armor cracked, fissures spreading across its body like shattered glass.
It let out a final, strangled roar—one of defiance rather than fear. Its claws twitched, its tail slammed against the cavern wall in one last desperate act before its strength gave out.
Then—its legs buckled. It crashed down like a collapsing monument, sending a wave of dust and debris surging outward.
And then—
[Ding!] Level Up Lv.10
[Ding!] Limit Brake Level up Lv.2
[Ding!] Shadow Step Level up Lv.2
The massive beast collapsed.
Its enormous body crashed to the ground like a fallen titan.
A shockwave ripped through the cavern, dust and debris billowing into the air.
Silence.
Lucian staggered back.
His arms were limp.
His legs barely held him upright.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
His vision swayed.
But—
He won.
His fingers loosened.
His sword slipped from his grasp.
It clattered against the stone.
Lucian let out a shaky breath.
His legs trembled violently before they buckled beneath him, sending him to the cold, blood-stained stone.
His arms hung uselessly at his sides, his fingers still locked in a death grip around his sword hilt, too numb to release it.
Then—his body finally gave out.
His entire being throbbed with exhaustion.
But deep inside—
A flicker of satisfaction burned.
He had done it.
He had defeated a monster over 300 levels above him.
Lucian lay on the cold, unforgiving cavern floor, his chest rising and falling heavily.
His entire body throbbed, the aches and wounds from the battle now fully settling in.
Every movement felt like fire.
But the moment he tried to push himself up—
His arms gave out.
"Nope… Not happening."
He let his head fall back, staring up at the jagged stone ceiling.
The once-roaring cavern was now eerily silent, save for the occasional drip of water echoing through the abyss.
The scent of blood, burnt stone, and raw exhaustion clung to the air, thick and suffocating.
Tiny embers flickered among the debris, remnants of abyssal energy still crackling within the shattered rock.
The battlefield bore its scars—yet only one fighter remained standing.
"Barely standing, yet victorious. Not bad."
Lucian let out a tired exhale.
"Screw you, old man."
Ignis chuckled, his deep, rumbling amusement vibrating through the cavern.
The dragon's massive golden eyes gleamed, watching him with a mix of approval and curiosity.
Lucian finally took a moment to process everything.
The battle was over.
He had actually won.
But—
Something felt off.
His clothes should have been ruined.
His body had been battered against stone, torn into by claws, and drenched in blood.
Yet—
His Lurker's Voidweave Attire was… fine.
He lifted an arm weakly, glancing down at his sleeve.
The dark, sleek material looked as if it had never even been touched.
[Ding!]
Effect Activated – [Self-Repairing].
Minor damage restored. Fabric integrity at 100%.
Lucian blinked.
"Huh."
A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
"Well… at least I won't have to buy new clothes."
Ignis snorted.
"Is that really what you're focusing on right now?"
Lucian sighed.
"Let me have this, dragon. I'm lying in a pool of my own exhaustion. This is all I've got."
The dragon huffed in amusement.
"Rest, then."
"You'll need it."
Lucian closed his eyes.
For now—
He would let himself breathe.
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