The Dungeon Destroyer: A LitRPG Level-Up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 2)

by Konrad Ryan

  Hadn’t Gerald said only bosses could absorb souls to become stronger? This was a miniboss. It shouldn’t have powers like that, but even if it did, there was a larger question looming in his mind. Gerald had said the bosses could only absorb human essence. Had he been wrong?

  Tad felt his body involuntarily shiver with another terrible thought.

  The scar and missing eye looked almost exactly like that of Gary Ludgate.

  Even worse, if the miniboss could absorb the almost-human essence of its fallen twin, then it was about to become much stronger.

  Tad had to do something. Frantic thoughts raced through his mind. What could he do?

  He had leveled up, with 15 stat points left to allocate. How could he maximize his strength? There were 14 seconds left on brilliant burst, but somehow 15 more dexterity didn’t seem like it would be enough to fight this incredibly swift foe. No, it was time. Time to use ‘speed of the conqueror,’ but would his strength hold up? To avoid a weakness debuff, his strength only needed to be a third of his dexterity. He was fine. He’d hold on to the points just in case something unexpected popped up and rely on ‘speed of the conqueror.’

  The last golden strand disappeared into the werewolf that suddenly stood in front of him. The body of its twin fell back to the forest floor. The powered up werewolf stood, back arched, in full glory.

  And then it howled.

  The force of the wind forced Tad back a step, and the hairs on his arm rose. The werewolf had more than just leveled up three times. It was a monster. The blue aura of strength that had swirled around the creature deepened and intensified like a raging storm. The pustulant wounds that had covered its body had fully healed, new fur had grown in their place. Ice vortex shattered from its feet, apparently immune to that spell now. Its body swelled to where it now dwarfed Tad’s form. It stood at least three feet taller and put Tad’s calculated muscles to shame. Before the transformation it had been relatively weak, its attacks only hurting between 60 and 170. Tad had the feeling that that was no longer the case.

  It was now or never. The werewolf was too fast for Tad to keep up with. If it started a barrage of attacks before he got Speed of the Conqueror off then he probably would die before he could cast the skill.

  The problem was it was only ten seconds long, about the same length that ‘brilliant burst’ had left. Somehow Tad didn’t think the upgraded werewolf miniboss had the same ten second limitation. And he could only cast the skill once.

  Tad had the next ten seconds to end the fight.

  He gripped Metzlegoph’s greatsword in his two gorilla hands. He glanced at the ring that began to glow in a soft green light on his finger. Tad’s voice sounded like ice in his own ears as he activated it.

  “Speed of the conqueror.”

  Chapter 27

  *Ten.*

  Tad dashed toward the imposing form of the werewolf. Surprise at Tad’s speed gleamed in its glowing eyes, but Tad swung his enormous sword, spinning and slashing twice. Two giant acid-filled gashes opened up across its furry torso.

  *-387 health, -371 health*

  A roar of pain filled the air, but Tad had already brought the blade around for another flurry of blows. The werewolf flexed its hind legs powerfully and leapt backwards, just out of the range of the jagged sword slash. No, it hadn’t missed. The tip of the sword just barely scratched across its neck with a new trickle of blood dripping, but didn’t cause enough damage for a notification.

  Before Tad could even react, the werewolf bent down, flexing powerful hind legs and burst forward under Tad’s sword. Two werewolf claws pierced through his leather armor and deep into Tad’s abdomen, *-283 health,* the werewolf twisted powerfully and kicked, Tad spun away like a broken windmill, blood burst from his front at the maneuver.

  Tad slammed into a tree, alarm washed away his confusion, seeing the larger damage numbers. He couldn’t take many more of those attacks. Black flecks already swam across his vision. Despite the green cowl of wind, and even brilliant burst, the werewolf was on par as far as speed went. In fact, that attack had been even faster. Chills ran down Tad’s arms, but he turned to where his perception tendril chased the wolf. The werewolf blurred, but before Tad could even move a single muscle, even with his dexterity tripled, another clawed hand sunk deep into Tad’s abdomen.

  The wolf-claws tightened as they yanked to pull something from his gut. *-255 health.* Deep pain shot through him, amplified by the fear rippling through Tad. It was trying to disembowel him! Instinctively, Tad’s powerful abdominal muscles clenched down around the filthy claw of the werewolf. He heard various pings and warning sounds from an overlay of text that flowed in front of his eyes. But there was no time to read any of it.

  *Nine.*

  A too-pleasant sounding female voice echoed through his head. Only one second had passed? Tad felt the werewolf once again try to pull his fists from Tad’s abdomen, but Tad’s muscles were too strong. As disgusting as it was, this was a chance! Tad brought his two-handed sword over his head, but the motion caused blood to gush from his mouth, agony spread through his guts. He fought through the pain. Wide-eyed, the werewolf watched the blade, helpless, with his arm stuck, he was a sitting duck.

  For the first time, Tad saw something akin to fear cross the disgusting visage of the creature in front of him. Good. Tad brought the massive two-handed needle sword down on top of the werewolf’s head. At least he had meant to. The werewolf jerked to the side but the blade cut deep, snapping through shoulder bones and sinew alike. The werewolf howled in pain. Red damage numbers floated above the giant werewolf’s life bar, which was still two-thirds full.

  *-451 health.*

  Tad felt the claw inside his gut release, fist no longer clenched, Tad couldn’t hold the werewolf anymore and it slipped its hand out of Tad’s abdomen, another fountain of blood spurted from the retraction site, but Tad could finally take a full breath, the too-full feeling inside his gut was gone.

  *Eight.*

  Tad turned his body sideways, and he brought the greatsword up next to his ear, ready to swing like a baseball bat. The werewolf, however, disappeared into the forest foliage, its sharp and impossibly quick movements were gone. Instead, it sluggishly retreated. Tad pursued the wolf, casting heal to bring his life to full. He didn’t have the time to let it play its game.

  Even though he couldn’t see it, his perception chased it ahead. It wasn’t far. Tad pushed his dexterity, his senses sharpening past his previous limits. Tad activated stealth, the werewolf was just past the next tree. Tad found the werewolf hanging sideways, halfway up a tree, powerful claws grasped the trunk like twigs in a hawk’s powerful talons. Its muscles bulged as it readied to launch itself toward where Tad had been moments ago.

  But with stealth enabled, it didn’t even see him.

  Tad swung his sword, hoping to make it before the werewolf leapt from its perch. He sliced through the air, each of the thousand needles on the greatsword howled at the speed, but before the blade found furry flesh, the werewolf launched itself directly into Tad’s weapon. Tad’s arms shook from the sheer concussive force, a huge gash exploded on the side of the werewolf, its own leap amplified the force of Tad’s attack.

  *-603 health*

  *Seven.*

  The black mist of stealth dissipated from Tad’s skin, the motion of the swing too fast to maintain it. The werewolf’s eyes found his in the dark of the forest, its teeth snarled in a mixed grimace of pain and fury. But instead of attacking him, the wolf once again tried to retreat, its movements again sluggish, the health bar above its head at 50%.

  Tad gasped at the sudden realization. There was a second reason the werewolves had attacked the way they had, each taking a turn. They could only move that fast in quick bursts, after which they needed a break. It must be their way of getting around the weakness debuff. Their fastest attacks had a cooldown! Even just now the werewolf had retreated to prepare for its next attack. The werewolf wasn’t actually faster than Tad, not in this
state. The only time it was faster was when it was attacking, using its impressive quads to fling itself from a tree or the ground, like an arrow from a bow.

  The werewolves had been near invincible when there were two of them, so fast that Tad couldn’t even see them. Their coordinated distractions covered for their weaknesses. But no more. Even after it had absorbed its fallen twin and powered up considerably it still had this massive, glaring flaw. One that Tad lacked for seven more seconds.

  *Six.*

  Okay, six seconds. Tad flew after the werewolf, suddenly emboldened by his discovery. He burst through the trees, but he only got there in time to see the muscle-bound werewolf rocket off into the night sky, away from the current battlefield. It was retreating, running, stalling. Did it know about Tad’s time limit somehow?

  That, or the fear of death had taken root.

  Dread gripped Tad’s throat as he pursued madly in the dark of night, he wove through trees at a previously impossible pace. Red moonbeams seemed to bend around him in his mad pursuit. The thick forest parted to reveal a small hilltopped clearing. The werewolf stood on the top, bathing in the light of the red moon.

  *Five.*

  Both claws outstretched toward the sky above, the werewolf didn’t even see Tad coming. He thrust his huge greatsword three feet through its chest, then slashed with all his might, breaking ribs and slicing flesh, ultimately flinging the wolf from its perch.

  *-402 health.*

  Something was different, however. At first Tad thought it was a trick of the light, but no, the werewolf glowed in the moonlight, even more than it should. Tad chased to where he flung the werewolf off his blade, but the werewolf still maintained its posture, even with blood pouring from its new chest wound. Its body had grown again, half as big as it had been before. Was it still absorbing its twin? No…

  It was worse than that.

  Tad’s eyes went wide as he took in the entire scene. The wolf was moon bathing. Absorbing the rays from the moons, turning them into power, might. He had to end this now!

  *Four.*

  The previously sluggish movements of the werewolf were gone. It blocked the side of Tad’s giant blade with the back of a massive paw. Had it gotten faster too? Tad pressed his attack. The two traded furious blows in the crimson moonlight.

  Tad pressed even harder. Tad was faster, but the werewolf was stronger, every blow Tad blocked sent him sprawling. He had to dodge or lose precious time, but his dodging was already by the thinnest of margins, and the werewolf’s attacks were beginning to land. Tad struck and knocked the werewolf back a step, and a fresh wound exploded blood down the length of its entire chest. Tad glanced at the health bar above the werewolf’s head. Just over a third remained. Claws and fangs flew at him at an increasing pace, but the look in the eyes of the werewolf changed. The previously limp arm of the werewolf, crippled from Tad’s shoulder shattering attack, had healed, and it flew at him again and again in the rotation of attacks. Only glancing blows landed, Tad was too fast to take a direct hit, but damage notifications appeared faster and faster.

  The werewolf’s eyes were no longer filled with desperation, but instead they gleamed with eagerness. Cruelty. The look sent shivers down Tad’s back. If he were to lose, only pain would meet him. An eternity of pain as the wolf ate him alive.

  *Three.*

  He was running out of time, but what else could he do? Visions of the werewolf tearing his body apart filled Tad’s mind.

  The werewolf spun around, slapping Tad in the eyes with its long stiff tail. The hairs of the tail felt like bristles of steel wool as they scraped across his eyes. In Tad’s momentary blindness the werewolf crouched, coiling its powerful quads. It sprang toward Tad, claws pointed together in a fist punched completely through Tad’s freshly healed stomach and out his back, just missing his spine. *-615 health.* Tad vomited blood. He had never taken a hit so strong, but he couldn’t focus on that now. He twisted and pulled a play from the werewolf’s playbook. He kicked off its chest and shot himself away from its reach, just as another attack would have landed. A spray of blood misted into a cloud from his retreat, almost invisible in the crimson moonlight.

  Tad knelt to the ground in pain, darkness crept at the edge of his vision. A glance at his health showed only 29 health remaining. His head felt light from the blood loss. Doom was near he could feel it. No, it was here.

  The werewolf reared up in the moonlight and drove its fangs toward Tad’s neck. The killing blow. Was this it? The force of the bite would surely snap his neck in an instant. It would be painless, and quick. Was this how his life was going to end? Alone and in pain, as this werewolf feasted on him? Was this all he was made of?

  No.

  No!

  It couldn’t end like this. Tad had more to give. Higher to climb. He owed it to that bastard Zero, for the chaos he had caused by bringing Titan to Earth.

  Tad banished his greatsword to the void and grabbed the biting jaws of the werewolf with both gorilla hands. Razor sharp fangs sliced through thick gorilla fingers, slicing them down to the bone, maybe further. *-22 health.* But his bones found the grip against the teeth of the werewolf that his flesh lacked. Tad grinned at the wolf, even through the pain. This would be the last time this stupid wolf bit him.

  Tad yanked the upper teeth and the lower jaw in different directions with all the strength he could muster. The jaws themselves were stronger than Tad, but they weren’t designed for a force like that, not sideways.

  *Two.*

  Power flooded his muscles as Tad strained. The bottom jaw finally gave, and snapped, once broken the rest of the flesh tore like tissue paper. Tad glared at the eyes of the wounded werewolf who retreated, clutching at its missing jaw, its tongue now hung, slack and limp. Tad grinned, something the werewolf would never do again, and threw the jaw casually to the floor of the moon-lit clearing. The wolf’s health bar had dropped under twenty percent with that last attack. Tad’s was all but empty.

  But it didn’t matter. Tad’s grin turned into a smile. “Heal.” Tad’s wounds shored up, black blood splashed out of his abdominal wounds, his almost severed fingers twisted back to their proper positions, tender pink flesh filled his horrific wounds. No spells would help here. Ice vortex had been dispelled and none of his other spells were fast enough, maybe thunderstorm, but the damage wouldn’t help enough. Tad held nothing back with the healing.

  He reached out a hand to the side, and summoned the mosquito greatsword, it appeared in his forming fist. He had to end this now while his strength and speed matched his enemy’s.

  Metzlegoph’s greatsword sliced through the ribcage of the reeling wolf. Tad caught it off balance, bones snapped and crunched in the wake of the blade and the wolf’s health bar dropped another five percent. Tad brought the blade across the already destroyed face of the werewolf. Blood splashed, its eye destroyed, wound matching that of his fallen twin. Tad brought his entire might around for one last blow. One final strike. Once again the female voice rang out in his head.

  *One.*

  It was over. He had done it before his speed ran out. Tad brought down his greatsword in a howl of fury, this time he would not miss its skull.

  His blow stopped an inch from the werewolf’s head.

  A barely visible bubble of white mist extended across the werewolf’s skin. It threw its head back with an ear-piercing howl that shattered the silence of the night. The werewolf fell backward on its haunches, nose stretched toward the moon. It was a gruesome picture, its tongue hung where its jaw should have been, top fangs gleamed white but red gushed out wounds below, matting its chest in a crimson wet film. Something about this howl was different, he felt it in his bones. In his soul.

  Tad swung his sword again and again, desperation filling his whole being. He had to end this now! But the misty barrier blocked each attack, and his sword clanged off the air directly in front of the werewolf.

  *Warning! Miniboss has cast the skill: Despair of the Damned.*

  It w
as here. Its percentage health attack. Tad read on, and his eyes went wide at the description of the skill.

  How was this even fair?

  Tad turned and dashed towards the forest, away from the wolf, away from the moonlight.

  The female voice spoke the final nail in his coffin.

  It announced his doom. Or maybe his fate.

  *Zero.*

  Chapter 28

  Tad sped through the forest and reread the notification.

  *Despair of the Damned: You form a lunar barrier that prevents all incoming damage for two minutes while you recover up to half your health. You cannot move in this state. Can only be activated when on death’s door.*

  Two minutes. Tad had two minutes left to live. Suddenly five days felt like an eternity. He had two minutes to find a plan that would keep him alive.

  “Stats!”

  *Tad Harrington

  Rank: Warrior

  Class: Fighter/Void Minotaur

  Level: 53

  Health: 789/1000

  Mana: 3/300

  Str: 180

  Dex: 120

  Con: 90

  Mag: 100

  Cou: 80

  Cha: 20

  Debuffs: Silverfang Virus Incubation (30 Days Remaining)

  Points to allocate:15*

  789 health, and practically no mana. He had been tricked. The werewolf had waited until the last minute. No, it had to wait until the last minute.

  Tad pressed on his mana.

  *Mana: 3/300. Will completely recharge in 60 Minutes.*

  “Titanspawn!” Tad cursed as he ran. He could almost feel the yellow lupine eyes burning a hole in his back as he ran. Could feel the hunger for vengeance. His speed was sluggish, both brilliant burst and speed of the conqueror had ended, just seconds apart.

  Breath ragged, he charged back, following the signs of destruction from their furious battle. The werewolf had trouble locating him in stealth before, but Tad didn’t think that would work for very long. The werewolf had shown the ability to pierce its protective shroud somehow. Maybe it used its perception the same way Tad had. He wasn’t sure if perception could sense someone was stealthed, but he couldn’t rely on that now.