The Mini Boss

[All dungeon monsters have been defeated]

[The dungeon will restart in a few minutes]

Two messages hovered before Noah as he watched the ice slowly melt, releasing the bodies of his monsters — all sprawled on the ground.

The moment that woman entered with that indifferent look and passed through everything as if taking a morning stroll... Noah thought it was the end.

But, to his surprise:

[Congratulations, Host! You survived an attack and your core remains intact. Your defenses were a success!]

— Uhmm... a success, huh? — Noah murmured, frowning.The defenses didn't even have time to scream for help.

Soon after, another message appeared:

[Reward: 50 Soul Essences]

Then Noah realized: whenever someone invaded his dungeon, and his core remained untouched, he would earn 50 Soul Essences as a reward.

— So even if I get beaten up... I still get a consolation prize? Huh... I like that.

While Noah was still admiring his reward in the System, in a noisy room at the adventurers' guild, a group of four people was discussing excitedly.

— Did you hear what those three said yesterday? Seems like they found a new dungeon in that forest near the village. — said a tall, slender guy with sharp hawk-like eyes. — I think we should get there before the guild butts in and starts taking a cut of the rewards.

— Ugh, these guilds always sticking their noses where they don't belong. — grumbled a girl with long black hair and intense blue eyes. She had that typical look of someone who always has something to complain about. — Who do they think they are?

— Calm down, Elisa. — replied another girl, simple-looking and wearing round glasses. — They do it because of potential dungeon breaches. The guild usually takes control to make sure the monsters don't go around causing chaos.

Elisa huffed and turned her face, visibly annoyed by her friend's explanation.

— Melissa's right. — added the guy, trying to ease the tension. — The guild also protects the village. Of course, they profit a lot from it — they always charge a part of what adventurers earn inside as a "permission fee," you know...

The group fell into brief silence, and they all glanced at each other. Greed, curiosity... and maybe a little adrenaline, were clearly in the air.

Back in the dungeon, Noah observed the dark hall where his core rested. The floating rock, wrapped in ethereal strands of energy, pulsed weakly, as if struggling to breathe.

"This can't go on like this…"

The last invader passed through the defenses with absurd ease. His monsters, despite all their will — and killer instinct — were nothing more than momentary obstacles. If more people like her showed up, it would only be a matter of time before someone destroyed the core.

"I need something new. Something that blocks progress. That requires effort."

Noah stood mentally before the creation menu. He didn't want just more simple monsters, he wanted something more… elaborate.

A Mini-Boss.

Not just any.

A creature representing cruelty, resilience, and intimidation. A guardian worthy of a true dungeon.

— It will be a zombie… — he muttered to himself. — But not just any zombie.

He began shaping the idea with details.

— The body needs to be large, imposing. Over two meters tall. Muscular, but grotesque. Like it was sewn together from pieces of different corpses. Disproportionate arms, fingers too long… joints barely connected, with strands of flesh showing and dark stitches.

He closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing better.

— The skin… pale, with purple and green necrosis spots. Flesh exposed in some areas, slowly pulsing. And the eyes? Red. Bright. Like embers. No… like the eyes of a hungry animal.

Noah opened a system menu and started spending the Soul Essences.

— And it will use a weapon… no elegant swords. A blade too big, like a butcher's cleaver. Something that looks heavy just by looking at it. And rust — lots of rust.

The system responded.

[50 Soul Essences consumed.][Creation process started.]

The dungeon trembled lightly.

In the center of the room where the boss would eventually stand, a stone platform rose. Pieces of dark matter began swirling around it, slowly forming the silhouette of what Noah had imagined.

He watched silently, like an artist seeing his work take shape.

— I'll call him… Butcher Zombie.

A simple name. But direct. Exactly the impact he wanted to make.

And when the monster opened its eyes for the first time, letting out a guttural growl that echoed throughout the dungeon, Noah was sure:

— Now we're talking… Welcome.

The creation ritual ended. In the center of the dungeon, the Butcher Zombie stood still, like a grotesque statue carved from corpses. Its red eyes burned like embers in the dark, and the giant cleaver in its hands dripped a dark liquid, as if it had already been used — even without ever entering combat.

Noah, floating as the core, looked at the creature with pure delight. A barely contained chuckle escaped.

"Hehehehe…!"

He mentally rubbed his hands together, like a cartoon villain who just came up with the most wickedly perfect plan in the universe.

— Let's see now who's going to leave my dungeon alive! — he said with an insane gleam in his eyes, even though he existed only as a spirit trapped in the core.

It was a glorious moment. A milestone. The dungeon finally had a boss worthy of its title — and Noah was convinced that this time, the invaders wouldn't leave smiling.

— Come on, adventurers! The house is open… and the butcher is hungry.

The squirrel, which had been hiding behind a pile of bones until then, watched everything from the best seat in the house. Its small, attentive eyes gleamed with expectation… until the monster appeared.

When the Butcher Zombie rose, almost two and a half meters tall, with rotten muscles sewn together by metallic threads and a cleaver that looked like it was made to decapitate entire horses, the squirrel froze.

It took a step forward, looked up, and its eyes widened so much they almost popped out of its head. Its mouth opened so wide it looked like it was about to swallow its own tail.

Unable to say a word, it just slowly turned its neck toward Noah — with the same shocked expression — and pointed with a trembling paw at the monster, as if yelling with its eyes:

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

Noah just let out a mischievous chuckle.

"Hehehe… misunderstood art, my dear Nutsensei."

The squirrel put both paws on its head, as if it had just witnessed the apocalypse. Then it rolled on the ground with a slight drama, completely defeated by the absurdity of the situation.

Outside the dungeon, the forest was quieter than usual. The branches swayed gently with the wind, and the low mist gave everything a mysterious air. Four figures approached along a narrow trail, each step echoing against the damp earth.

"This is it. The dungeon entrance is just beyond those twisted trees," said Daren, the group leader. Tall, athletic, with sharp eyes, he kept his hand close to the sword's hilt, as if expecting an attack at any moment.

"Are you sure? It looks more like a wolf den than a treasure-filled dungeon," muttered Elisa, rolling her eyes. Her tone was as sharp as ever, and her long black hair swayed as she pushed a branch aside.

"You two always argue, but if the info is right, this dungeon hasn't been officially registered by the guild yet. That means: gold, essences, and equipment… tax-free," said Logan, the group's archer. He had a wide, carefree smile, but his eyes never stopped scanning the woods.

Melissa, the simple-looking mage with crooked glasses, tried to keep the group calm. "But it also means we don't know the dungeon's level. It could be something none of us can face."

"Where's your faith, Melissa? We have Daren!" laughed Logan.

Daren snorted. "I just want us to get in, do reconnaissance, and get out alive. No heroics."

A few meters ahead, between two moss-covered stones, a blackened stone arch marked the dungeon entrance. Faded runes still pulsed faintly along the door's outline, as if trying to wake from a long sleep.

"This… is the dungeon?" Elisa asked, now more serious. A chill ran down her spine. The place seemed to breathe.

Daren approached and touched the structure with his palm. It was cold as ice. And then…CLANK!The metallic sound of chains loosening echoed, and the dungeon entrance slowly opened with a deep creak.

"Well… there's no turning back now," Logan said, swallowing hard.

Inside, a living darkness seemed to invite them.

High up on a corner of the wall, a ninja squirrel with a black scarf and watchful eyes watched them with crossed arms, like a samurai master before battle.

"That squirrel… is wearing a ninja headband?" Elisa asked.

"Focus, Elisa… focus!" Daren replied, his voice a bit shaky.