It took Alphox and Alex less than five minutes to reach the end of the second floor.
Under normal circumstances, Alex alone might have needed 30 minutes to an hour, even with his incredible speed and combat skills.
The obstacles and monsters on the floor would have slowed him down considerably.
However, with the help of the Primordial Dragon, traversing the area was infinitely faster.
“Come on,” Alphox groaned, landing gracefully in front of the [Sunset Plains Exit Pillar].
“Alright,” Alex sighed, leaping off Alphox’s back.
Without wasting any time, he activated the teleportation circle as Alphox disappeared into his [Shadow Pet Space].
A brilliant glow engulfed Alex as the pillar activated, launching him upward.
[You have reached the third floor: Night Plains.]
The plains seemed to stretch endlessly across multiple levels, with subtle changes in the monsters but little variance in the overall environment.
Alex barely had time to register the notification before Alphox emerged again, his massive form dwarfing Alex.
“No time to waste,” the dragon grumbled, crouching low to allow Alex to climb on.
The process repeated seamlessly two more times, with Alex and Alphox traversing each floor in record time.
Ding!
[You are the first to reach the fourth floor: Spear Monkeys Jungle.]
Finally, they reached their destination.
Ding!
[You are the first to reach the fifth floor: Canyon of Death.]
[Recommended Level: 500–600.]
The environment shifted dramatically.
The Canyon of Death was an imposing, arid expanse carved into the earth, stretching endlessly in every direction.
Jagged cliffs towered above a yawning chasm that cut through the center of the canyon, its depths shrouded in an eerie, impenetrable darkness.
The air was thick with tension, and faint echoes of distant roars hinted at the dangers lurking below.
“So, where are the dragons?” Alphox asked, his sharp eyes scanning the area.
He saw nothing but scattered monsters and the ominous abyss cutting through the canyon.
“They’re probably somewhere deeper in,” Alex replied, his voice steady.
“Better find them quickly, human,” Alphox warned, his tone sharp. “Or else you’ll find yourself in the Primordial Dragon Realm!”
“Still threatening me with that, huh?” Alex thought to himself. “Even though I’m stronger than you now?”
At first glance, it seemed logical. Alex was level 342 but could easily handle monsters at level 500 and beyond.
Alphox, at level 500 himself, shouldn’t be much of a threat… right?
“What did you say?” Alphox’s voice dropped, and his expression darkened.
Wisps of black flames flickered ominously around his mouth.
Even though Alphox was starting to appreciate Alex, disrespect was something a Primordial Dragon could kill their comrades for.
Before Alex could respond, Alphox raised a massive claw and brought it down in a powerful strike.
Strike!
Alex anticipated the move, raising his dagger to block.
But a dagger, no matter how skillfully wielded, was no match for the raw power of a Primordial Dragon.
Slash!
-388,282!
The sheer force of the blow would have been enough to kill Alex outright.
Ding!
[You have died! The Blessing of the Fox Spirit has tanked the attack in your place, thus saving you.]
Alex staggered back, unharmed but shaken.
If not for the blessing, he would have been dead.
“Primordial Dragons are much stronger than their levels indicate, human,” Alphox laughed, his voice echoing with a mix of mockery and pride. “Call me when there are weaker dragons to fight.”
With that, he vanished back into his pet space, leaving Alex standing alone in the canyon.
For a moment, Alex was stunned. “Was that just a show of power?” he wondered. “Or is Alphox trying to remind me not to underestimate him?”
It didn’t matter. Alex clenched his fists, silently vowing to teach the dragon a lesson someday.
Shaking off the encounter, Alex pressed forward into the canyon.
The path was eerily quiet, with no monsters in sight.
The silence stretched on, broken only by the sound of his footsteps against the rocky ground.
But then…
BOOM!
A massive figure erupted from beyond a towering rock wall, its roar shaking the canyon.
A monster lunged at Alex, claws outstretched.
Alex’s instincts kicked in, and he dodged effortlessly, landing a few meters away, he used those precious seconds to observe the monster’s window..
[Crimson Fang Behemoth – Legendary Boss Monster, Level 570]
[Rank: Mid-Tier 6]
[HP: 80,000,000]
[Skills: Bite, Crimson Strike, Force…]
The creature, a monstrous, scaled beast with glowing red eyes, towered over him, its 80,000,000 HP displayed ominously in Alex’s interface.
“Alright,” Alex muttered, summoning his undead army with a wave of his hand.
[+80 Skeletons, +13 Grand Skeletons, +4 Bony Knights, +3 Spectral Wraiths]
The ground trembled as skeletal warriors and shadowy figures rose around Alex.
“Aura of Death.”
The aura emanating from him bolstered their strength and defense.
The battle began.
The monster charged, slamming into Alex’s undead army.
Bones shattered, and shadows dissipated, but Alex remained focused.
He darted forward, his dagger gleaming in the dim light.
Bleeding Strike!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
-203,781! -203,781! -203,781!
The monster roared in pain as Alex’s blade found its mark.
It tried to use [Bite] to try and swallow the man, but he instinctively backed away, the behemoth instead biting into some of Alex’s undead.
The Crimson Fang Behemoth roared in rage, shaking the canyon as it lunged again, its claws tearing through the air.
After missing two of its attacks, the Behemoth immediately tried to charge toward Alex.
But he was ready.
“Demonic Spear!”
It was the first time he was using it against an actual monster, since doing so before would be a waste of mana.
Demonic Spear was summoned in a flash of dark energy. The spear crackled with malevolent power, its jagged edges gleaming ominously.
With a powerful leap, Alex soared through the air, hurling the spear at the beast.
Pierce!
-15,199,470!
The weapon embedded itself deep in the creature’s shoulder, causing the Crimson Fang Behemoth to howl in pain as it exploded.
Demonic Spear was truly an incredible skill, but in exchange for that power, Alex had sacrifice almost the entirety of his mana.
[+10,000 Mana! +10,000 Mana!]
Of course, he still had the [Eternal Wraith Relic] to gain 10,000 mana every second, but even then, it would still take him 25 seconds to regenerate everything.
During that time, Alex made sure to keep moving as to not get hit, instead going for dagger strikes with [Bleeding Strike] and [Shadow Strike].
Eventually, though, his mana was recovered, and so he could continue.
Fury of Thunder!
Three bolts of lightning tore from the sky, slamming into the monster in quick succession.
-189,894! -189,894! -189,894!
The Behemoth roared as electricity coursed through its body, paralyzing it momentarily.
[Crimson Fang Behemoth has been stunned.]
Taking advantage of the opening, Alex commanded his undead army forward.
“Attack!” he shouted, his voice ringing with authority, activating [Aura of Death] again.
The skeletons swarmed the beast, hacking at its thick scales with rusted swords, axes, and all the weapons Alex gave to the Grand Skeletons.
Meanwhile, the Bony Knights and Spectral Wraiths targeted its legs, aiming to cripple its movement.
Before it could recover, he launched another skill.
Crimson Cataclysm!
Alex slammed his spear into the ground, summoning a barrage of blood-red spikes that erupted around the Behemoth.
-30,000! -30,000! -30,000!
16 spikes emerged this time.
The spikes pierced the beast’s torso, causing it to thrash violently.
One massive claw lashed out, scattering the skeletons like twigs.
Several undead shattered under the force, but Alex remained unshaken.
The monster roared and unleashed Crimson Strike, a devastating wave of energy that tore through the canyon.
“Hold the line!” Alex bellowed, his aura flaring brighter, “I wanna use another skill!”
His undead positioned themselves in front of the Behemoth, who was so enraged that he powered himself, tearing through all of the army.
“Alright, here goes nothing,” Alex smiled, knowing the boss monster had almost no HP remaining.
The Behemoth, enraged and defiant, lunged toward him, its claws glowing with the energy of Crimson Strike, its final, desperate move.
With a surge of power, Alex used Arc of Divinity, the first time he used this skill too.
The wave energy launched toward the monster without wasting a second, slicing cleanly through the air.
Slash!
The massive beast froze mid-attack, its glowing eyes wide with shock as the divine wave cleaved through its thick neck.
The motionless pause lasted only a second before the Behemoth’s head toppled from its body, crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking thud.
[You have decapitated the “Crimson Fang Behemoth”]
-99,999,999!
It was an instant death.
And so…
Ding!
[You have slain “Crimson Fang Behemoth” and gained 230,000,000 experience points!]
Ding!
[You have leveled up to level 343.]
[+5 Points to Each Attribute, +4 Free Points to Assign.]
But that wasn’t what interested Alex the most.
Instead… it was the points he got from killing that thing.
[+5000 Points.]
“Wow.”