My grin widened as I realized the creature was having difficulty trying to locate me. Though it was a risky move, it was one I was willing to make. The bats charged at us, drool dripping from their mouths.
Rolling out of harm's way, I watched as the Grendel ripped the bats apart, but for each one it killed, it received three slashes from the rest. The creature had to have found me because I was at the mercy of its grip.
Nonetheless, my faith in surviving this ordeal had not wavered. It was time to put this power to the test. As I grabbed the monster's wrist and easily released myself, I blocked its other arm with my free hand.
The creature tries to crush me, but my legs do not buckle under the strain. "My turn," I whispered as I kicked the Grendel through the cavern walls. My heart swelled with pleasure as I watched its agony, unaware that my power had caused such a commotion.
Everyone in the human world was running left and right. As they detected a massive surge of energy, the coordinators yelled orders to their allies. This energy reading came from a single source: [boss level].
It was the first time a dungeon had released two bosses at the same time. Perhaps the best way to put it was that the two bosses had nothing in common. Normally, two of them meant one held the other's weakness or a key to their defeat, but this was the first time they had detected a boss appearing out of nowhere.
Back in the dungeon, the creature lunged for my neck, I, Karma, assumed a battle stance within the dungeon. As my fists made contact with its flesh, my bloodlust grew. The cracking of the bones gave me an odd sense of satisfaction.
I realized it was my power that was causing this abrupt change in attitude. During my training, I discovered the significance of my previous skill. It allowed me to imprint a part of my conscious to any creature I touch. This is something I told my mother about. She freaked out at first, but warned me not to be careless with such power. Then came the limits of the skill.
First and foremost, I am unable to imprint my virus on inanimate objects. Second, if the subject has complex sentience, such as humans, imprinting becomes more difficult. It also provides them with resistance to my power if I fail. But what makes my ability dangerous is that it allows me to gain whatever strength my infected has at the cost of picking up certain traits from whoever or whatever I infect.
If I infect an ant, for example, I gain the ability to lift objects fifty times my body weight. The disadvantage is that if my infected die, so do my buffs. Worse, it doesn't stack up, so even if I infect the entire ant world. I'm only lifting three times my body weight, but we discovered that as long as there is a carrier of my 'virus,' the traits I've acquired will remain.
So I went on a wild bug hunt to gain an advantage by infecting any insect I could find. Then I went to the zoo and began infecting the animals. Mom was upset, but she let it go when I told her I had changed little for the animals. Infecting any aquatic or avian creature, however, does not grant me the ability to breathe underwater or fly. It provided me with an intuitive understanding of navigation. Such as when and where to migrate.
My fist collides with the creature, piercing its defenses. All of its rash moves are countered and parried. To be honest, it was tempting to combine my [Enhancement] with my [virus], but I had learned my lesson the previous time. I had no idea a human could bleed that much blood.
The creature roars again and charges in. I moved to the side and stuck my leg out, feeling a little mischievous. It was hilarious to see my tormentor trip and fall over. How did it manage to miss me? Simply put, an amphibian ate one of my infected, and I now have the ability to slow my heart rate.
However, doing so puts a tremendous strain on my heart, so prolonged use is risky, but I have reduced the risk by only using in bursts. The creature was now completely blind to my presence, with the bats' heartbeats providing cover.
I started taking my time cutting up the monster; it was a shame that my mother's sword was gradually chipping after each blow, but sacrifices had to be made. I kept hacking at its body, occasionally killing any bats that tried to eat me, until one of its arms was severed. I then went after its legs.
The beast continued to swing its remaining arm at its invisible foe. The bats were a nuisance at best, but their presence had caused the enemy to lose its senses. It roared in agony after losing two of its limbs, knowing that its life was in the hands of its prey, but it continued to fight. Even as something sharp pierced its neck.
My mind couldn't comprehend what my eyes were witnessing. Despite its missing head, the body was still fighting the bats. Was I mistaken? Is it possible that the corpse is being controlled by a virus? Oh, it's gone now.
I made my escape before my skill was turned off. I gritted my teeth as pain finally set in, resisting the urge to scream. My body had been pushed to its breaking point, and I was paying the price.
[Karma, your vitals...]
"Yeah, hit a snag..." I groaned, a rune on my shirt glowing. This rune was gradually healing my injuries, but the pain and exhaustion would not go away. "Anyway, could you tell me why you sound like you saw a horror movie?"
[There's another boss in your location. You need to get out of there, now!]
Are you serious? What the hell is the matter with this reality? I just finished killing one, and now I'm supposed to deal with another? No, screw it, I'm going home. I got up and walked to the first floor, but the dungeon shook. Really?
"Spring, please tell me this isn't an earthquake." I said.
[No, Walker just defeated the boss of the dungeon.]
So the shaking is reality correcting itself, and the survivors will be forcibly ejected by the dungeon. Wait, did she just say Walker killed the boss? So, Grendel, what level were you? I felt something pulling at me, and I soon found myself back at the portal with my fellow seekers.
Some appeared horrified, while others were missing body parts or dying. The medics rushed to the scene. I was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Three hours later, Mom arrived and hugged me. Praising the elf god and whatever deities exist in this world.
We spent some time talking about my first experience. Mom was shocked to learn that I had fought an alpha on my first mission. My mother couldn't stop teasing me when we learned that Maya would be assisting me.
When we heard a knock on the door, we both turned to see Maya standing there with a fruit basket and Spring carrying some balloons. "Hey..." Spring called out.
"Oh my goodness, my baby is growing up to be man. Uhu, I can't believe it, your dating two girls at the same time. Oh where did I go wrong?"
Please tell me she's not doing that silly anime mom moment and she's still going. Welp, time to play the bad boy mode. "So how are you two?" I asked while ignoring my mother's attempts of getting a reaction.
"We should be asking that." Maya said. "You look like shit."
I laughed; she was right, given the number of IVs and bandages strapped to my body. "Well, fighting a Boss-level isn't easy either," Maya chuckled at my response. Spring stated, "Um, Karma, the Grendel you fought wasn't a boss."
"Oh... right I forgot about that." I still couldn't believe that thing was a mini-boss. My butt got handed on silver platter by that thing. Hell, I developed a slight phobia of clowns because of that thing and I loved clowns.
What type of monster does a boss-level represent? Is it a dragon? Actually, I'm not interested in knowing. All of this thinking is making my head spin. We changed the subject and each of us recounted our experiences. Maya attempted to return and rescue me, but the dungeon had already changed and she was unable to lead the rescue party. Spring told us about the boss who appeared unexpectedly. She thought it was strange that it didn't attack me even more so because it had the ability to interfere with a coordinator's power.
I remained silent, already aware that she had detected my use of my demon king skill, but relieved that she saw it as a monster's skill rather than mine. I had to be cautious now because the higher-ups would be watching for any further encounters.
We said our goodbyes, and the three left, with Dia giving me one last hug before she left. Except for me, none of them noticed the dark whisp that was rising, but I wasn't concerned. The dark whisp transforms into a demonic shadow of my image.
{Skill: Shadow}
It appears that I was able to absorb the Grendel's skill, but my question was how I was able to gain this skill when I hadn't infected that monster. Did my Demon King skill have any unintended consequences? Is there anything else that only appears when I enter the dungeon? There are too many questions.
I panicked when I heard the door open and saw a nurse enter the room, but she didn't react to my shadow. When she checked my IV, I gave her a slight nod. Curiosity got the best of me, and I directed the shadow to approach the nurse and gently blow her hair.
"What the?" She turns and finds nothing.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked.
"No, everything is fine."
Time for the next test. The shadow leans over her shoulder and whispered something and she shivered as it held her shoulders. "How are you not freezing in here?" She said before checking the AC.
Her perplexed expression was hilarious, and watching her try to reason that the AC might need to be repaired made it even funnier. When she left, I immediately began testing this new skill to its time limit before falling asleep.
I was released from the hospital after three days, having learned everything I needed to know about the new skill. I could conjure up to three clones, but the more there are, the weaker they become. Another advantage is that I can exchange my senses with theirs, resulting in a type of radar based on movement. Nothing could harm it because all physical objects phased right through. Such a powerful skill if only it lasted a little longer than three minutes and didn't drain my stamina, but it makes up for it with raw strength, speed, and a fifty-meter range.
I avoided telling my mother about this ability because I was unsure how she would react to my new ability. We met up with Spring and Maya in a mall and went to the weapon shop to replenish our supplies.
Maya was busy selecting the best gun to purchase, while I was selecting whatever explosives I couldn't make. Spring was on the other side of the isle, inspecting the support gears. When we heard a whistle, we turned to see one of the guards chasing a purse snatcher.
It's time to put everything to the test. I sent my shadow after the thief and watched through its eyes as it pursued its prey. He screams as he grabs a gun and fires it point blank. It's good to know that only the target can see it.
The chase didn't last long because the thief ran into a light post and knocked himself out, but the damage was done because everyone saw how the thief reacted as if he was being chased by a demon, which I didn't mind because only the thief saw it.