Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

"Shhhhh…"

Placing my finger in my mouth, halting my steps, I put my hand to the side and indicated to Kevin to stop moving.

"We're here…"

Currently, we were at the end of a tunnel, right before the entrance of where the first boss of the dungeon was located.

Leaning against the edge of the tunnel, stealthily peeking behind the edge of the wall, I soon noticed a furry creature resting at the center of the room.

Flashing its terrifying eyes and flickering its tongue was a monster known as the hodag. A monster that came from American folklore.

The hodag was a fearsome critter-type creature that resembled a large bull-horned carnivore with a row of thick curved spines that protruded down its back. A thick green fur coated the monster's body as its two large fangs dripped saliva on the ground.

According to legends, the hodag was said to be born from the ashes of cremated oxen, as the incarnation of the accumulation of abuse the animals had suffered at the hands of their masters.

At least that's what was written on the monster encyclopedia.

As I studied the monster from the area I was in, I also made sure to take note of anything important in the surroundings. Like if there were other monsters present, the rank of the monster, and what type of terrain the monster was resting on.

Glancing at the beast from the corner of the wall, by the size of its body, it seemed to be around rank at best.

Adrian should be able to handle it, albeit with a little bit of difficulty.

We are really close to the boss room of the hidden doungen, We just have to kill these monster of course.

Still, There are two fallen human inside the doungen but they are not near us.

So it best for us to quickly defeat these monster in front of us.

Adrian asked from behind me.

"What's the plan?"

Touching my chin as I contemplated for a couple of seconds, I glanced at Adrian who was behind me. Moving back, I nudged him with my head and told him to look

"Take a look"

Nodding his head, peeking from the corner of the wall, Adrian's brows furrowed

"Is that a hodag?"

Nodding my head, I crossed my arms and softly said

"Yeah, it's a hodag. According to folklore, it's a pretty formidable creature. But in terms of rank, it's not too high. I'd say it's around a [D-] rank."

Adrian nodded, his expression serious as he assessed the situation.

"So, what's the plan?"

Glancing at the hodag once more, I formulated our strategy.

"We'll need to approach carefully and quietly. The hodag has sharp senses, so we don't want to alert it to our presence too soon. Once we're close enough, I'll distract it while you go in for the attack. Aim for its weak spots, like the eyes or the throat."

Adrian nodded in understanding, his grip tightening on his sword.

"Got it. I'll follow your lead."

With a silent nod, I signaled for Adrian to prepare himself. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the upcoming confrontation.

"Alright, let's do this."

Moving slowly and deliberately, we crept closer to the hodag, keeping to the shadows and avoiding making any unnecessary noise. As we approached, the beast stirred, its ears twitching as it sensed our presence.

With a swift motion, I darted out from behind cover, drawing the hodag's attention away from Adrian. As the creature turned to face me, its eyes narrowing in suspicion, Adrian seized the opportunity to strike.

With a powerful thrust of his sword, Adrian aimed for the hodag's vulnerable spot, driving the blade deep into its flesh. The creature roared in pain, thrashing wildly as it tried to shake off its attacker.

But Adrian was relentless, pressing his advantage and delivering blow after blow with precision and skill. With each strike, the hodag weakened, its movements growing sluggish as green blood spurted everywhere and a loud enraged roar shook the dungeon.

"Kueeeeeek—!"

-Swoooosh!

"Wheeee—Off you go!"

Creating a circle with my sword, a translucent ring appeared before me. With a flick of my fingers, I whistled at Adrian who nodded his head and jumped upwards.

"Thanks!"

Doing a backflip in the air, a couple of meters above the hodeg, Adrian skillfully dodged other hodag beast's tail that was trashing the ground below in a berserk state.

Without hesitation, twisting his body in the air, Adrian's foot perfectly landed on my ring, and he propelled himself forward with a burst of speed, closing the distance between him and the hodag in an instant.

"Haaaaa!"

With a fierce battle cry, Adrian launched himself at the hodag, his sword slashing through the air with deadly precision. The blade found its mark, slicing through the creature's thick hide and striking true.

The hodag let out a deafening roar of pain and anger, but Adrian remained undeterred, pressing his attack with relentless determination. With each strike, he chipped away at the monster's strength, his movements fluid and graceful despite the chaos of battle.

Meanwhile, I remained on the sidelines, providing support and assistance whenever needed. Using my abilities to create openings and distractions, I helped Adrian maintain the upper hand in the fight, ensuring that he had every opportunity to emerge victorious.

Together, we fought as a seamless team, our movements coordinated and precise as we worked in tandem to bring down the fearsome hodag. Despite the creature's formidable strength and ferocity, we refused to back down, pushing ourselves to the limit in pursuit of victory.

Finally, after a fierce and grueling battle, the hodag let out one last desperate cry before collapsing to the ground, defeated. Adrian stood triumphant over the fallen beast, his chest heaving with exertion but his expression one of satisfaction and pride.

"Phew… That was close."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Adrian turned to me with a grateful smile.

"Thanks for the assist. I couldn't have done it without you."

I returned his smile, feeling a sense of camaraderie and accomplishment.

"Anytime. We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Adrian nodded in agreement, his gaze lingering on the fallen hodag.

"Yeah, we do. But we still have a long way to go. Let's keep moving forward."

With renewed determination, we continued our journey deeper into the dungeon, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Together, there was nothing we couldn't overcome.