Victory?

[Critical Hit!]

The voice that tracked their progress roared from the sky as the arrow managed to go through the ribs of the monster and plunge right through the glowing orb stuff inside it.

In simple terms, the arrow struck the glowing core.

[Boss Monster soul shattered]

[Backbone: Destroyed]

[Left Rib Cage: Destroyed]

[Right Rib Cage: Fractured]

[Pelvic Bone: Crushed]

[Spinal Links: Disconnected]

[Left Arm: Dislodged]

[Right Arm: Snapped]

[Skull: Split in Half]

[Eye Sockets: Imploded]

[Jawbone: Dislocated]

[Leg Structure: Collapsed]

[Chest Core: Exploded]

[Soul Core: Severed]

[Former skills destroyed!]

[New upgraded skills, destroyed.]

[Skill points destroyed > 1,883]

Another voice, like someone who was screaming from a great amount of pain—echoed through the place:

[Boss Monster Terminated]

Drahon stared, blinking repeatedly. He was dazed by reality.

Finally!

He did it!

The other players screamed in joy, and the Boss monster, now slowly opening its mouth, dropped Justin, who fell with a THUD!

[Move back players!] the voice from the sky said.

[Run as far away from the Boss monster as you can!]

The players ran like all hell had been let loose, adhering to the instructions of the voice. The moment the voice had said it was the moment they ran, with insane amounts of speed.

And just when they were far away from the Boss monster…

A loud, cracking noise echoed across the field. A split-second pause. Then—

BOOOOM!

The monster's massive ribcage exploded outward with the similitude of shattering pillars. Bone fragments the size of spears blasted in every direction. One slammed into a tree with such force that it embedded halfway into it, almost felling the tree.

Its spine snapped next, the vertebrae cracking one after another in a rapid, sickening chain— crrk, crrk, crrk —until the beast's upper half began to collapse.

Its clawed arms swung wildly for a second, as if refusing to accept death. Then they twisted backward at impossible angles, bones fracturing and snapping like brittle sticks under pressure. One arm even flew off entirely, spinning through the air before crashing into the ground with a deafening thud.

The glowing eyes flickered violently, then burst with sparks of ghostly light, like overloaded bulbs. Cracks ran through the monster's skull, and with a deep echoing groan, its entire head split in half —jaw dislocating, crown splitting down the middle and collapsing into the dust.

Its legs were the last to give. They bent inward unnaturally before crumbling from the knees, forcing the towering skeleton to drop like a crumbling temple, the impact leaving a small crater in the ground.

All that remained was a steaming, cracked chest cavity, glowing dimly just once...

...and then fading to black.

The players all exchanged high fives, and Drahon dropped on his knees, looking to the skies, his face etched in relief.

He never expected the last shot to meet the monster, talk less of the glowing core in its chest.

It was… luck.

Good luck!

The truth was he had never touched an arrow to begin with. Back at the orphanage, he didn't even get to watch movies so often, so he hadn't quite seen it in action.

They watched movies once every semester though, and it was mostly 90s films with really bad acting, and they were mostly horror.

He only enjoyed two movies though, and one was a James Bond (a contemporary one), and a medieval fantasy with dragons.

So he hadn't actually seen one in action, as any of the movies didn't showcase them, even the one with the dragon.

But some seconds ago, he became Robin Hood. Although he missed the first, he got the second right, and it struck!

A wild take!

A move that, if it didn't work, would end their lives.

Drahon pulled it off!

The players were still too relieved (recovering from the earlier shock) to thank Drahon or even cheer him up for saving their lives.

Some stared at the sky, like Drahon, seeing just the misty clouds there, while others gazed at what remained of the Boss monster.

But then, they all were still worried. Before they faced the Boss monster, the stats showed that the monsters in the Frost Region were still over seventy, including a potential Boss monster.

Right now, none of the players wanted any of this again. The Frost monsters could be stronger, for all they knew, and perhaps their Boss monster would have ×2 the powers and skills of the overpowered Boss monster they had just faced.

If it was so, then they were seriously doomed.

They could do this no more.

They just hoped the other players had defeated all of the Frost monsters and the Boss monster that would follow.

Seconds passed, and yet, the voice said nothing.

The players waited…

Runes appeared in front of them now, showing their stats, which only they could see.

Drahon stared at his blankly. Although he expected a big upgrade or an added skill, that wasn't his main concern at the moment.

He just hoped they were done with this level.

This weird, vague, and mysterious level.

[System Upgrade!]

Drahon was a bit surprised with the runes.

[You've just Upgraded to level 2]

• Level: 2 [New]

• Class: Draconic Swordsman

• Race: Human

• HP: 135 / 150 [- 15]

• Dragon Bond Slots: 2/5 [Upgradable]

• Summons: None

• Weapons Equipped: Golden iron sword (Tier: SSS)

---

[Core Stats]

• Strength: 46 [+14]

• Agility: 41 [+11]

• Endurance: 33 [+12]

• Intelligence: 42 [+8]

• Willpower: 43 [+13]

• Charisma: 30 [+10]

• Luck: 21 [+12]

---

[Dragon Codex]

Status: Active

Progress: 2 / ???

Bonded Dragons:

• SSS-Rank: Fire Dragon

• SSS-Rank: Barbarian Dragon

---

[Skills & Abilities]

• [Draconic Blade] – Active – Tier: D [New]

• [Dragon Bond] – Passive – Tier: D

• [Summon: Lesser Flame Wyrmling] – Locked – Tier: ? [Will soon be active!]

• [Flame Surge] – Passive – Tier: B [New]

• [Bond Vision] – Passive – Tier: D

• [Heat Resistance] – Passive – Tier: A (Granted by Dragon Bond)

---

[Inventory]

• Golden iron sword (Tier: SSS)

• Torn Cloak (Tier: F)

• System Starter Token ×1 [This is pretty useless at this point]

He had just gotten a system upgrade, and he wondered if it applied to levels in the game.

Suddenly, they all heard the voice and saw massive words in bold italics.

[FINALLY, PLAYERS, YOU HAVE SURVIVED LEVEL ONE!]