Free Web NovelCHAPTER 5 — THE DUNGEON GUARDIAN
The Guardian stepped into the chamber.
Stone cracked beneath its weight.
It stood nearly four meters tall, wrapped in rusted black armor fused directly into its flesh. Thick vines crawled through the gaps between metal plates, pulsing as though they carried blood instead of sap.
Its face was hidden behind a broken helm.
Only two crimson lights burned where eyes should have been.
The System appeared.
────────────────────────
Dungeon Guardian
Level: ???
Threat Level: Lethal
Recommendation:
Escape.
────────────────────────
"Helpful," Vespera muttered.
The Guardian's head turned toward her.
It ignored Lirael completely.
Its attention had settled on the newly awakened Abyssal Hatchling.
"You..."
Its voice echoed like grinding stone.
"...should not exist."
Then it charged.
The floor exploded beneath its first step.
Vespera threw herself aside as a colossal axe shattered the ground where she'd been.
Stone erupted into the air.
The shockwave slammed her against a pillar.
Pain raced through her body.
Too strong.
She couldn't win head-on.
She needed time.
The Guardian attacked again.
Vespera slid beneath the sweeping blade, her tail coiling around one of the chamber's pillars.
She launched herself upward.
Her fangs struck the creature's exposed neck.
Venom flowed.
The Guardian didn't even flinch.
Instead, a black mist seeped from the wound, consuming the poison before it could spread.
"Poison immunity..."
She landed several meters away.
The Guardian spoke again.
"Primitive."
Its fist crashed downward.
Vespera barely escaped as another pillar collapsed behind her.
Dust swallowed the chamber.
"Lirael!"
"To your left!"
The elf's voice cut through the chaos.
"There's a crack in its armor beneath the right shoulder!"
Vespera trusted her instantly.
The next swing came.
She didn't dodge backward.
She rushed forward.
Sliding beneath the Guardian's massive arm, she struck precisely where Lirael had directed.
Her claws pierced the damaged armor.
Dark blood spilled onto the floor.
The Guardian roared.
For the first time...
It felt pain.
The System chimed.
────────────────────────
Passive Skill Activated:
Predator's Instinct
Weak Point Identified.
Critical Damage Increased.
────────────────────────
"Again!" Lirael shouted.
The Guardian spun with terrifying speed.
Its armored elbow caught Vespera midair. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
She slammed into the silver cage.
Stars exploded across her vision.
Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
The Guardian slowly approached.
Each step echoed through the chamber.
"Insufficient."
"I agree," Vespera whispered, forcing herself upright.
"But I'm learning."
She smiled.
The Guardian hesitated.
For only an instant.
That instant was enough.
Vespera darted behind the monster.
Instead of attacking...
She wrapped her tail around the glowing chains imprisoning Lirael.
The chains reacted violently.
Runes flashed.
Pain surged through every muscle.
The System flooded her vision with warnings.
────────────────────────
Warning!
Ancient Binding Magic Resisting.
Essence Consumption Rising.
Continue?
YES / NO
────────────────────────
She didn't hesitate.
Yes.
The chains drank her Essence greedily.
Twenty...
Thirty...
Forty points vanished.
One glowing link cracked.
A sharp metallic snap echoed through the chamber.
Lirael stared.
"You..."
Another chain shattered.
The Guardian roared in fury.
It abandoned Vespera completely.
Its axe rose high above its head—
Aimed directly at Lirael.
"No!"
Vespera lunged.
She threw herself between them.
The impact sent both women tumbling across the chamber.
The axe buried itself deep into the stone instead.
Silence followed.
Dust slowly settled.
Lirael looked down.
Vespera's body shielded her from the blow.
"...Why?" she whispered.
Vespera laughed weakly.
"I don't know."
Maybe it was because Priya refused to abandon someone.
Maybe it was because Vespera refused to let the dungeon decide who lived.
Or maybe...
She simply couldn't watch another innocent die.
A faint smile appeared on Lirael's face.
"You're a very strange monster."
"So everyone keeps telling me."
For a heartbeat, the battle disappeared.
Only silence remained.
Then the Guardian tore its axe free from the floor.
The chamber shook.
The System appeared once more.
────────────────────────
Hidden Objective Updated.
Free the Prisoner.
Reward:
???
Failure:
Death.
────────────────────────
Vespera slowly rose.
Her golden eyes met the Guardian's crimson gaze.
"I was planning to survive this dungeon."
She lowered herself into a fighting stance.
"But now..."
A thin smile crossed her lips.
"I'm leaving with the elf."
The Guardian answered with a roar that shook the ancient temple.
The battle had only begun.
End of Chapter 5
