“Your desperation to break through my defenses so that you can rip me apart has touched my heart, big guy,” Val mockingly reassured the frenzied Hell dog. “So I will fulfill your wish.”
The Hell dog didn’t comprehend his words, but that didn’t stop its frenzied assault on the crimson shield.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
It pounded the shield relentlessly with its body, hoping to break through and sink its teeth into Val. Little did it know that Val was about to comply with its desperate wish.
With a thought, Val undid the crimson shield, the very platform that it was standing on. Caught off guard, the Hell dog dropped straight down, landing on the sharp end of Val’s waiting sword.
Puchi!
The blade pierced through its chest, cleaving its heart, and emerged out the other side.
Still, the stubborn creature refused to die quietly. With its final breath, it tried to take Val down with it, its jaws snapping forward. However, an invisible force stopped it just short of its target, much to its indignant surprise. Then, life left its eyes, and its body thudded against the ground, as Val yanked his sword from its corpse.
[You have killed a Level 3 dungeon monster. You have gained 300 EXP.]
Using his Heavenly Eye ability, Val could see through the Hell dog’s exterior, locating the exact positions of the cores within its body. Unlike the Minotaur, the two-headed Hell dog had three cores. Knowing their precise locations proved beneficial as Val plunged his hand into the beast’s body, grabbing and yanking the cores out of its flesh.
The hot, fresh blood of the Hell dog scalded his hands, but Val remained undeterred, popping the cores into his mouth and swallowing them whole.
[Your strength has increased to 30 points! You’ll no longer be able to increase your STR using level 2 dungeon monster strength cores!]
[Your agility has increased to 27 points!]
[Your Reflexes have increased to 24 points!]
Val was satisfied with the increase in his stats. Looks like killing a level 3 dungeon monster was really the best way to go if he wanted to rapidly increase his stats. However, level 2 dungeons rarely had such monsters.
Next, Val employed his Blood Sacrifice skill, sacrificing the blood-soaked carcass of the Hell dog to himself and gaining the power to create 2 level 2 undead creatures or one level 3. He chose the second option, wondering if it would be loyal to him like its level 2 counterparts or if it would turn on him like a snitch.
It resulted in the formation of a Level 3 undead, a massive, hellish monstrosity of charred flesh and bone.
[Undead servant’s stats:
Strength: 33 𝑜𝑣𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t
Stamina: 35
Agility: 28
Skills: Flame Breath (Level 2), Shadow Claw (Level 2), Dash]
As soon as the undead beast was created, it turned on its creator, charging at Val with murderous intent.
Val, however, was prepared for this. Not to mention, all his stat-boosting skills were active, meaning his agility stat was two times more than the fool attacking him. He easily dodged its Shadow Claw and flashed up to it.
“Bastard who turned on its creator… You deserve to die!”
His fist ignited with Hellish Fire as he delivered a powerful punch to the creature’s face. The punch sent the beast sprawling backward and set it aflame, the Hellish Fire consuming it until it was nothing but ashes.
“Looks like Level 3 undead servants would attack me as soon as they are created. For the time being, only creating Level 2 or weaker undead creatures is safe for me.”
Val didn’t let this dampen his mood. Instead, his eyes lit up as if he was looking forward to the day when he would level 3 undead at his beck and call.
“Challenges are what makes life interesting. And overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. I’ll figure out a way to control these unruly undead.”
Navigating through the labyrinthine tunnel, Val finally arrived at the heart of the labyrinth.
It was like a vast chamber which only had one entrance. At its core was an altar, and atop it rested an orb adorned with star-like markings. Its shine dimly illuminated the chamber. Val recognized it as the Labyrinth Heart.
It wasn’t going to be easy to get it as guarding the altar was a bipedal beast as tall as Val himself. It stood on two feet, possessing a humanoid physique, but with an array of antennae protruding from its head.
This unusual creature was a sentient dungeon monster, known as an Anthrolisk.
“I commend you for reaching this far,” the Anthrolisk said, its voice buzzing in Val’s ears. “But your journey ends here. This chamber will be your burial ground.”
Val was slightly taken aback to hear a dungeon monster speaking so articulately. Monsters like this were called sentient monsters, which were rare and far more troublesome than ordinary beasts. Even level 20 to 30 beasts paled in comparison to these intelligent monstrosities.
Val had not expected to encounter such a creature so soon in his journey toward the pinnacle of power, so he was a bit taken aback. However, he quickly calmed down, assuming a stoic expression. In his mind, the Anthrolisk would meet the same fate as those who had previously dared to cross his path.
Looking at it, he cast Detect.
The Anthrolisk’s character screen materialized before Val, revealing its statistics.
Anthrolisk
Danger Level: 3.3
Strength: 33
Agility: 35
Stamina: 32
Reflexes: 36
Intelligence: 30
Skills:
1) Stealth
2) Exoskeleton Defense
3) Antennae Sensing
‘So it’s just a weakling,’ Val thought after seeing its stats.
Turning his gaze back to it, he taunted, “For a weakling, you sure do talk big.”
The Anthrolisk’s antennae twitched in irritation upon hearing his words. Then it angrily retorted, “How dare you belittle me, human! You will pay for your insolence!”
As quick as a flash, the Anthrolisk blurred out of existence. It had activated its Stealth skill. After becoming invisible, it closed in on Val with an uncanny speed.