The volcanic cavern was a furnace of molten rock and choking heat.
Every step Alex took brought him closer to the towering monstrosity before him: the Magma-Rend Behemoth.
The creature’s lava-drenched body crackled with power, its obsidian hide gleaming under the oppressive glow of the molten pools around them.
A low growl rumbled from the Behemoth, followed by an ear-splitting roar.
Ding!
[Magma-Rend Behemoth – Level 750]
[HP: 100,000,000]
[Skills: No-Escape Roar, Magma Beams, Lava Quake, Inferno Breath, Obsidian Shield, Pyroclastic Eruption, Molten Charge, Flame Shackles, Blazing Regeneration…]
Alex’s lips curled into a grim line.
He gripped his [Staff of Hatred], its crimson glow a stark contrast to the molten light.
His [Demonized Whisper of Shadows] dagger was useless without [Bleeding Strike], forcing him to rely solely on his spells and the power of the staff.
“No escape,” he muttered as the [No-Escape Roar] effect worked until one of them, either Alex or the behemoth, died.
The Behemoth wasted no time, unleashing [Magma Beams] from its chest.
Twin streams of molten energy cut through the air, forcing Alex to leap behind a boulder for cover.
The beams incinerated everything in their path, leaving molten craters where they struck.
Alex sprang from cover, hurling [Fire Meteor] in retaliation.
The flaming projectile slammed into the Behemoth’s chest.
But just like with [Rain of Fire], it didn’t receive any sort of damage.
He believed the explosion might have done some, but it seemed like it was completely and fully immune to this sort of spells.
The Behemoth roared in fury, slamming its massive claws into the ground.
[Lava Quake] erupted, sending waves of molten lava surging across the battlefield.
Alex jumped to higher ground, narrowly avoiding the searing flood.
The heat scorched his legs, and sweat poured down his face, but he pressed on.
He countered with [Crimson Cataclysm], summoning blood-red spikes that erupted from the ground, aiming for the Behemoth’s legs.
The spikes shattered against the creature’s molten hide, barely scratching its skin.
“This thing’s tougher than I thought,” Alex greeted his teeth, dodging another swipe of the Behemoth’s massive claw.
If he had his own [Bleeding Claws], the fight would have ended relatively easily as it would have taken only two to three strikes to win.
But if he tried to use it again, he might have to cut off his arm again.
The Behemoth’s next move was [Inferno Breath], a torrent of flame that swept across the cavern.
Alex summoned [Impenetrable Fortress], a protective barrier that absorbed the brunt of the attack.
Even so, the heat was suffocating, and cracks formed in the barrier under the relentless assault.
When the flames subsided, Alex sent another [Demonic Spear], which hit the monster and yet again dealt a massive amount of damage.
-11,309,820!
He also used [Fury of Thunder] to stun it, then aimed at its head with [Arc of Divinity].
Ding!
The divine attack sliced through the behemoth’s head, phasing through it and dealing damage.
[Weakness hit, dealing 500% of damage.]
-39,464,730!
The monster was already at half health, and so with a deafening roar, it activated [Obsidian Shield], encasing itself in a layer of hardened magma.
Alex’s attacks were deflected harmlessly from this point, and the Behemoth charged forward with [Molten Charge], transforming into a blazing projectile.
Alex sidestepped the charge just in time, but the shockwave knocked him off his feet.
He scrambled back up, gritting his teeth.
Blazing Regeneration!
[Effect: Absorbs heat from the environment to restore 30% of its maximum HP over 10 seconds. During this time, its attacks gain 20% increased damage.]
+30,000,000!
And the monster even healed itself in the process.
Your journey continues with empire
“This isn’t working,” Alex muttered, glancing at his inventory.
His eyes landed on the [Demonized Staff of the Silver Mage], his previous staff he had since the very beginning.
An idea formed in his mind: if he could fuse it with his current staff, the power boost might turn the tide.
Dodging another barrage of [Magma Beams], Alex pulled the second staff from his inventory.
Holding both weapons in his hands, he whispered, “Synthesis.”
[Demonized Staff of the Silver Mage (Divine): +10000 Spirit, -50% Cooldown Reduction.]
[Staff of Hatred (Divine): +100,000 Spirit, reduces cooldown for all spells by 30%.]
The air around him shimmered with energy as the two weapons floated out of his grasp, their forms glowing brightly.
Ding!
[Demonized Staff of the Silver Mage (Divine) + Staff of Hatred (Divine) = ???]
The two weapons began to merge, their energy intertwining in a brilliant display of crimson and silver light.
The cavern trembled as the fusion completed.
Ding!
[You have acquired the “Demonized Staff of Hatred” (Divine+)]
[+150,000 Spirit, -50% Cooldown Reduction.]
Alex felt a surge of power as he gripped the new staff.
It gained a ton of spirit and also acquired the perk of his silver mage staff: this was a massive win.
The molten heat of the cavern seemed less oppressive, and his spells pulsed with renewed strength.
“Let’s see how you like this,” he said, turning his gaze back to the Behemoth.
The Behemoth unleashed [Pyroclastic Eruption], launching molten rocks in every direction.
Alex spun his staff, deflecting the projectiles with bursts of magic.
He cast [Heaven’s Chains] for the first time, summoning a hundred ethereal chains that wrapped around the Behemoth’s limbs.
The creature roared in frustration, struggling against the bindings.
And no matter what it tried to do, even using the own lava coming out of its body, the chains wouldn’t budge.
That was the power of these chains, who couldn’t be broken easily.
A smaller opponent would easily be able to get away from them, but when it was something this big, it became a piece of cake!
“Blood Blades!”
He threw dozens of them at the beast using the blood that had come out from his arm, dealing a massive amount of damage.
Eventually, the [Magma-Rend Behemoth] was able to free itself, and without wasting time, it rushed at Alex.
Sensing that it’s life was in danger, it gained a boost of agility and used [Molten Charge], this time fast enough for Alex to be unable to avoid it.
But he didn’t need to do that at all.
Alex simply smiled, pointing his staff.
“Demonic Spear,” he whispered, summoning the spear in under a second, and throwing it at the monster.
It struck its head directly, piercing it and leaving a massive hole.
Ding!
[Weakness destroyed, instant death!]
-100,000,000!
Ding!
[You have slain Magma-Rend Behemoth and gained 200,000,000 experience points!]
Alex staggered, his body trembling not from exhaustion but excitement: he was able to defeat a level 750 monster by himself!
The cavern was silent now, save for the bubbling of lava.
Ding!
[You have leveled up to level 375: +5 to all attributes, +4 free use stat points!]
He leveled up thanks to the experience.
[The No-Escape Roar effect has worn out.]
And so he was now able to leave whenever he wanted.
But of course, not before extracting something from that monster as the prompt appeared.
He was given three options again.
[Magma Core (Legendary)]
[A core brimming with molten energy, capable of powering advanced magical equipment or forging powerful weapons.]
[Magma Regeneration Orb (One-Time Use)]
[Instantly heals all injuries when shattered]
[Behemoth Teeth (Mythical Material)]
[Rare and durable crafting material ideal for creating weapons or armor.]
Without hesitation, Alex chose the [Magma Regeneration Orb], the glowing item materializing in his hand.
“Perfect,” he said, tucking it into his inventory.
With the Behemoth defeated, and its essence claimed, Alex stood tall, opening up his [World Map] and teleporting to [Star City].
The [Golden Star Festival] had already started, after all.