Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 24 - : Completing the boss

Isaac planted his feet firmly on the dusty ground, his gaze trained on the black stone colossus as it advanced inexorably towards him. The boss's every step made the ground vibrate, sounding like the death knell of a doomed destiny. His obsidian stone skin glowed ominously under the flickering torches of the dungeon, dimly reflecting the impending chaos.

Around him, his companions panted, exhausted by their fierce battle with the previous golems. Erik's arm was bloodied, Jonah was still staggering, half stunned by the previous blow he'd taken, and Malia was struggling to catch her breath, her chest heaving frantically with exhaustion.

But Isaac had never been so focused.

The recent transformation of his body had left an invisible mark, a burning thirst that he felt right down to his gut. His strengthened muscles vibrated beneath his skin, clamoring for battle, demanding to test their new limits. But there was something else too-a darker, more vicious sensation. An impulse from deep inside him, urging him to advance into danger rather than retreat.

He tightened his grip on the katana. His fingers embraced the worn guard perfectly, as if the weapon were now a natural extension of his body. His gaze, hard and sharp, never left the boss's glowing eye sockets.

A dull roar sounded, and without warning, the boss suddenly charged.

Despite its titanic mass, the monster sped across the room like a runaway train at full speed. Isaac felt his heart miss a beat under the initial shock, but he forced himself to remain motionless, his legs planted firmly in the ground.

The boss's fist, as big as a block of granite, split the air in his direction with inhuman force. Isaac immediately activated [Black Stone Body] at full power. His skin darkened instantly, covered in a dense, protective layer that seemed to absorb all surrounding light.

BAM!

The blow hit him full force. Isaac took the full impact, his whole body reverberating under the monstrous shock. His legs buckled slightly, his feet sliding backwards several centimetres. A trickle of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he felt intense pain shoot through his body, but miraculously, he was still standing.

Erik's eyes widened in astonishment.

- Damn it... he really stopped him...!

Isaac grunted as he regained his position. His vision blurred briefly, but he shook his head to recover quickly. The monster, surprised to see a mere human resisting his most powerful blow, slowly opened its monstrous maw to roar its frustration.

Isaac reacted immediately.

- MALIA, NOW!

Malia, ready for this signal, channeled all her remaining power into a sphere of burning flames that appeared in her open palms. Her arms trembled violently under the effort, and the heat around her was so intense that it partially burned the sleeves of her dress, revealing a little more of her sweat-covered white skin.

- GO TO HELL!" she screamed, hurling the fireball straight into the monster's gaping maw.

The incendiary ball disappeared into the golem's stone throat. An interminable second passed.

Then came the explosion.

BOOOM!

An internal blast shook the entire room, sending a shower of rock fragments raining down like deadly shrapnel. Isaac had to raise his arms in front of his face to protect himself, feeling every impact despite his reinforced skin.

When the dust finally cleared, the boss wobbled, disoriented, his massive torso now cracked and smoking from within. A reddish glow, akin to incandescent magma, oozed from his gaping wounds.

But he was still standing.

Isaac felt his heart clench. It wasn't enough. The monster staggered, but remained implacably solid.

- Isaac..." Jonah gasped, his face pale with fright. I think we're going to die...

- Don't talk shit Jonah! Isaac replied.

Isaac tightened his grip on his katana, every muscle in his body vibrating with new energy.

Facing him, the boss golem of black stone roared with anger, its eyes blazing blood-red, radiating primal rage. The ground shook violently as the monster slammed his two massive fists into the floor, triggering a veritable earthquake.

- ATTENTION!" shouted Erik, struggling to stay on his feet.

Isaac leapt to the side, rolling painfully to avoid the cracks that opened beneath his feet, revealing sharp rock spikes that shot out of the ground like giant daggers, narrowly missing Malia, who ducked and screamed in terror.

- Stay mobile," shouted Isaac as he dodged a huge ball of rock that the boss had just summoned from the ceiling and hurled violently towards them.

The projectiles crashed with deafening crashes, forcing the group to scatter in all directions, unable to approach their adversary. Every time they tried to advance, another devastating attack brutally pushed them back.

Jonah attempted a breakthrough by running straight towards the golem, deftly dodging the spikes emerging from the ground, but he was violently thrown against a wall by the boss's massive arm, which moved with supernatural speed for a creature of his size.

- He's too fast, it's impossible to get close to him! shouted Jonah, spitting blood.

Isaac felt a cold sweat run down his back. This monster was not like the others. It seemed able to anticipate every move they made, its fast, merciless attacks sweeping away everything in their path.

Malia threw a desperate fireball at the monster's head, but it immediately conjured up a wall of rock in front of it, which absorbed the attack with ease.

- Damn, he's got everything under control here!" she exclaimed, exhausted and panicking.

- We've got to break his concentration," growled Erik, his chipped shield held out in front of him as a last defense against a shower of rock fragments.

Isaac knew their time was running out. Each passing second exhausted them a little more, reducing their already slim chances of victory. He concentrated all his energy on his body, reactivating [Black Stone Body], and rushed towards the boss.

Balls of rock shot towards him at full speed, but Isaac jumped and dodged with precision. A projectile grazed his shoulder, tearing his tunic, but he paid it no mind. He had to keep moving.

"Improved stats aren't just for show," he said to himself as he ran.

The golem suddenly raised a fist, ready to crush him. Isaac anticipated the blow at the last second and rolled to avoid the impact, which pulverized the rock around him.

But the monster was faster than he had anticipated, his other arm sweeping across the space in front of him in a circular motion, hurling Isaac violently against a stone column.

Isaac coughed violently, blood pouring from his mouth, but he refused to give up. He struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth.

- ISAAC!" Erik shouted. Be careful, he's anticipating your moves!

The boss, now only a few meters away, raised his huge arm to strike again.

Isaac didn't move.

He waited for the precise moment, his heart pounding, every fibre of his body ready to explode under the tension.

The golem's arm came down on him like a falling mountain.

Isaac pivoted at the last moment, dodging the blow by mere centimetres. The massive arm crashed down beside him, fracturing the ground into a deep crevasse.

Taking advantage of the opening second, he jumped.

His legs propelled his body upwards, taking him along the monster's rocky arm. His sword managed to get a grip on one of the monster's irregular rocks.

The golem tried to shake him off violently, but Isaac held on with ferocious rage.

Reaching the top of the shoulder, Isaac stared intently into the monster's blazing eyes.

The golem opened its mouth once more, roaring its anger as it tried to grab him with its other massive arm.

This was the moment.

Isaac drew his katana with deadly precision.

With a precise, brutal gesture, he plunged his blade into one of the golem's eyes, piercing deep into the glowing orbit. This time, his katana didn't bounce. The blade plunged deep, tearing through the unfamiliar material behind the eye.

The boss howled in pain, a cavernous, sinister wail that shook the walls.

He wobbled violently, losing his balance slightly.

Without hesitation, Isaac withdrew the blade and, taking advantage of the monster's wide-open maw, plunged his arm into it.

He felt his fingers grasp a hard, throbbing mass. The core.

The golem struggled, desperately trying to crush him, but Isaac had already gone too far to retreat.

He squeezed with all his might.

Then, in one swift movement, he tore the fiery stone core from the monster's entrails.

An inhuman howl, a cry that belonged to no world, echoed through the room as the boss convulsed one last time. His immense body collapsed backwards, crumpling heavily in an apocalyptic crash that shook the dungeon walls.

Isaac landed awkwardly on the floor, his legs buckling under his weight. His arm, still holding the monster's smoking core, was covered in burns and abrasions, but he felt nothing. Only the euphoria of victory resonated within him.

He stared at the boss's remains, a savage smile on his lips, his eyes burning with a new determination.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

[Ding!]

[You have defeated the Boss: Black Stone Golem!]

[Possible absorption]

[Choose your reward:]

[Physical statistics]

[Physical skill]

[Magic skill]

Isaac, panting, stood motionless for a few seconds in front of the notification floating before him. The fight had been grueling, every fiber of his body screaming out in pain, but the adrenalin of battle had awakened in him an insatiable hunger for power.

- What's this? There's a magic skill available? he said, restraining himself from jumping for joy.

Without hesitation, he held out a trembling hand to the translucent screen floating in front of him:

"Magic skill."

The screen flickered briefly, then immediately displayed a new window:

[Absorption in progress...]

A burning wave immediately spread through his muscles, invading every cell of his body with a strange sensation, warm yet icy. His breath caught for a moment under the intense pain, then gradually, a new energy, unknown yet strangely familiar, emerged inside him.

[Ding!]

[You have acquired a new physical skill: "Earthquake" (Active - Level 1)]

[Description: Violently strike the ground to create a limited seismic shockwave in a 5-meter radius around you, which can unbalance nearby opponents and slightly crack the surrounding ground. Low direct damage, mainly used to destabilize or stun enemies].

[Cost: 10 Mana points per use]

Isaac stared at the notification, surprised. So far, no skill he'd acquired had required Mana. But as he wondered, a new system panel appeared in front of him, immediately answering his silent query:

[New stat unlocked: Mana]

[You currently have 10 points of Mana]

Isaac inhaled deeply, his gaze riveted on his hands, still trembling with fatigue. He could feel this new energy flow pulsing faintly inside him, like a small flickering flame. Ten points of Mana. It wasn't much, very little indeed, but it was a start.

He looked at the cracked ground around him, covered with rock fragments and the debris of the defeated boss. An irresistible urge to test this new power immediately rose within him, but he repressed the impulse.

"Later, when I really need it," he said to himself, taking a deep breath.

- Isaac?" Malia murmured, approaching slowly and looking worried. Is everything all right?

He nodded without taking his eyes off the debris of the monster.

- Yes, everything's fine. I just... learned something new.

Erik moved closer, putting a hand on his shoulder.

- Well done, kid. I don't know how you put up with it, but without you, we'd all be dead.

Isaac looked up at him, a slight, tired smile stretching his lips.

- We were hot, very hot.

Jonah, still half-collapsed against a wall, let out a tired chuckle.

- To say the least... I thought that boss was going to tear us to pieces.

She added nothing, merely nodded slowly.

- Let's go," Isaac finally said, sheathing his katana. This dungeon is finished. Let's get what we can and go home.

- Payday HAHAHA? laughed Jonah enthusiastically.