Chapter 43: Seismic Clutch
The dim BOSS chamber erupted in a blinding flush of deadly light as <Solar Purge> roared, an explosion from the warrior's palm.
-1099!
-1085!
-1079!
-1099!
-1098!
[You slayed a Rank 1 Monster!]
[You slayed a Rank 1 Monster!] x 4
Shadows were annihilated, monsters Darien had yet to see, perished under the blaze.
The stone walls trembled until the spell was exhausted.
-0!
'Huh.'
Amidst the damage points, it seemed a single monster stood untouched. The wide scorching rug of heat and flame failed to inflict even a single point of damage on it.
Darien's gaze sharpened as he waited for the dust to clear.
For only one monster to endure without a scratch—no doubt, that was the boss.
(BOSS)
(Goblin Warlock)
(HP: 999)
(Affinity: Arcane, Fire)
(Rank 1 Stray!)
The dusty haze thinned, revealing the Dungeon Boss standing insolently on a raised stony platform.
The ground leading to the Goblin Warlock was blackened, scarred, and cracked, with every fracture pulsing with both the dungeon's magic and Darien's spell.
'I fear a shaman king is not what I expected!' Darien thought.
He pulled out his weapon as he locked eyes with the BOSS monster.
From what was visible, the Goblin Warlock had a magical shield of its own, which was why it was able to resist damage from <Solar Purge>.
Another discharge would be just as useless.
(BOSS)
(Goblin Warlock)
(STR: 30)
(AGI: 35)
(PER: 90)
(Skills: Hex Bolt (2-Star), Binding Hex (2-Star), Poison Mist (1-Star), Totem Shield (1-Star), Totem Inferno (1-Star), Blood Pact (2-Star), Warpstep (1-Star))
Looking at the BOSS's panel, Darien was able to confirm his suspicion about certain things.
This was one of the strongest kinds of BOSS to encounter in a Novice dungeon. Why? Because of its crafty spells that often left Warriors senile about what their next moves should be.
Standing firmly on the stony platform, the Goblin Warlock was tall for its kind, with red glowing eyes and wrinkled limbs.
An evolved shaman staff was in its possession, pulsing with a strange emerald light, the same emerald it was cloaked in.
Such a boss must be at Elite or even Ascendant level of Rank 1.
"?#$?!&*!"
The Goblin Warlock slammed the butt of its staff against the stone, raising its voice into an incantation.
Strangely, Darien understood what it was chanting.
He hadn't forgotten about his skill, <Omnilingua>.
Hence, understanding exactly what the Goblin Warlock was casting, Darien didn't give it a chance to complete the spell.
He acted promptly, unleashing a volley of <Energy Bolt> toward the BOSS monster.
But the warlock manifested its skill <Warpstep>, using it to evade the attack by quickly teleporting a short distance away.
As it vanished, it left a ghostly clone to take the damage from the bullets.
-0!
'Impressive!'
Darien thought with excitement, gladdened to have a challenge of some sort.
He grinned as the goblin twisted its staff once it reappeared several paces away, finalizing its incantation.
Suddenly, a totem bathed in fire erupted out of nowhere from the stone floor, startling the warrior.
As it soared up into the air, Darien attempted to destroy it with one shot of <Energy Bolt>, but the Boss's spell was quicker to fully manifest.
It belched intense flames that spread in a viscous circle, turning the surroundings into a furnace.
But all that power came to waste. The warrior's shield was too superior to succumb to the flames, leaving him unharmed.
The goblin's most fearsome spell might have rattled lesser aspirants who had faced this kind of dungeon instance, but to Darien, it was little more than a bonfire.
He watched as the flames clashed worthlessly against the shield's barrier. In his sight was the BOSS as well, shocked and confused.
Darien was convinced now that the warlock had nothing in its arsenal that could truly wound him.
In essence, the length of this battle boiled down to him instead.
Once he landed a single decisive hit, the Goblin Warlock would be slain in a moment's breath!
Raising a hand, Darien attempted long range once more, combining two <Energy Bolt> at his fingertips before releasing them at his enemy.
~Chzzkk!
The bright zap sliced through the air in a deathly beeline, but the Goblin Warlock vanished in a flicker of its skill, reappearing in another spot.
The monster immediately retaliated, hurling a barrage of hex incantations meant to stun and bind him in place. Yet Darien's swift reflexes made the attempt hilarious on the Boss's part.
He sidestepped the sorcery with ease, and the warped spells disintegrated behind him.
'Getting closer to go melee might be the solution here, but the monster might have a few more teleportation tricks up its sleeves.'
Darien thought as he saw the goblin flicker again from one spot to another, trying to disorient him.
And each time it teleported, a warpy afterimage was left behind before fading away a second later.
Brief burst of speed. False trail to confuse the enemy. Not necessarily invisibility. It was a great skill.
This was one of the reasons Darien wanted to take on dungeons, because it would expand his cognitive radius for future skill making.
Seeing that the BOSS had begun relying on its teleportation skill, launching more hex at him, Darien knew he had to counter as quickly as possible.
He thought about reading the flow and pattern—if it had one—possibly striking where the warlock would appear, not where it was.
But that would be a very difficult task, because <Warpstep> was unpredictable.
Tracking the goblin's reappearance would demand high-level instincts and then flawless attack timing.
[Skill frame established]
[Name: Seismic Clutch]
[Type: Offense/ Null]
[Level: (5-star)]
[Description: Calls forth massive hands of stone erupting from the earth to seize the target entirely. Pinning damage, crushing damage. Immobilizes fully. Can drag weaker enemies beneath the ground. Effective up to a 50-meter range.]
[P.E Cost: 15 P.E]
[Cooldown: 60 sec]
[Cost: 2000 SP]
It was a good skill designed against evasive enemies like the Goblin Warlock, since no matter how often it blinked around with <Warpstep>, once these stone hands erupted beneath it, the crushing grip would end its escape instantly!
Without hesitation, Darien confirmed the frame, learning the skill.
A pulse ran through him, giving him knowledge of <Seismic Clutch> as if he had always known how to command earth.
~RMMBLLL…..GRRAAKK!
The BOSS chamber rumbled as uneven stone erupted in the shape of a colossal hand, bursting forth from beneath the warlock's feet.
"???!!!!#!!!???!"
The monster panicked at the sudden danger it couldn't escape.
It tried triggering <Warpstep>, but the clutching rocks already had it in the middle of the palm.
-120 HP!
The jagged hand clasped shut with a violent crunch, causing the boss to howl aloud as its crooked staff slipped free and clattered across the stone floor.
Trapped, it could only thrash madly, casting spells within the compression, but the spells fizzled out unfinished, its attempts to no avail.
The crushing grip only tightened with every fierce struggle, dragging bloodshot veins across the monster's eyes, and eventually, it began pulling the monster into the ground gradually.
On the other end of the chamber was the warrior, grinning as he watched the warlock writhe helplessly within the stone's merciless grasp.
Darien hadn't expected <Seismic Clutch> to be this unforgiving.
At 5-star, he could manifest several, not only one, meaning he could take on about seven BOSS Goblin Warlocks at once if that were the case.
This realization left him satisfied.
Revealing his ignited weapon, Darien strode assertively toward the tortured BOSS.
As he did, points from the crushing damage flashed incessantly.
-150!
-110!
-175!