[Gargoyle Puppets (Dungeon Boss, LVL 15)]
Alex stared at the gargoyle, the one that started moving. It was massive, around five meters tall, with a muscular body, two wings on its back, and it carried a spear that resembled a trident.
The boss had the same level as the previous one and the other monsters in the dungeon, which made sense given that it was a level 15 dungeon.
'What is the strategy for this boss? Will all the other gargoyles start moving?'
Although there were many gargoyles inside the room, only one had moved. Alex hesitated to fight it, fearing that the others might also spring to life and attack him from behind.
However, Alex had no time to think. The gargoyle advanced toward him, and with each step, the room trembled, causing specks of dust to fall from the ceiling.
Alex observed that the gargoyle possessed brute force but was slow. Perhaps that was his only advantage in fighting it.
The gargoyle aimed its trident directly at Alex, who swiftly dodged diagonally, avoiding the attack while also closing the distance to the gargoyle.
Using his Umbra Blade in the form of a great axe, Alex struck the gargoyle with his Shadow Strike.
[5 Damage Dealt]
After the attack, Alex jumped away from the boss. When he saw the notification above the gargoyle's head, his mouth fell open, and he had the urge to punch the wall.
'5 damage? Is this some kind of joke?'
The realization that his powerful, hidden class should deal much higher damage with a skill left Alex perplexed. There was no way it would only inflict 5 damage.
Faced with this unexpected outcome, Alex's mind raced, searching for ways to deal with the boss. Just like the previous one, there had to be a mechanic behind it, and Alex was determined to uncover it.
Considering the boss's high amount of Health Points (HP), it would be impossible for Alex to withstand that much damage.
The gargoyle moved once again, thrusting its trident toward Alex. Anticipating the attack, Alex sidestepped it effortlessly.
With incredible dexterity, Alex twisted his body to avoid the trident. During the movement, he noticed a brief sparkle that vanished near the corner of the room.
'An invisible enemy?' Alex pondered.
The sparkle was almost imperceptible. Alex felt that his vampire senses might be the key to seeing it, but he wasn't certain.
Armed with a clue, Alex did his best to follow the sparkle while evading not only the gargoyle's attacks but also those of the other gargoyles that had awakened. As time passed, more gargoyles joined the fray, wielding different types of weapons in an attempt to end his life.
It didn't take a genius to realize that the longer Alex stayed there, the more challenging the fight would become, eventually reaching a point where it was nearly impossible to succeed. The room wasn't small, but the sheer number of gargoyles inside was overwhelming. Eventually, Alex would run out of space to dodge and escape from their relentless attacks.
Four gargoyles chased Alex until he finally managed to get close to the invisible enemy and attack it!
"Shadow Strike!"
Alex's massive axe struck where the sparkle had appeared for a split second, and a damage notification displayed, significantly better than the five damage from before.
[400 Damage Dealt]
The enemy's invisibility wore off after the attack. Alex saw a tiny green creature wearing a robe, its face revealed.
"A freaking goblin?" Alex exclaimed.
It was a diminutive goblin proficient in magic, a rarity among goblins. Alex knew goblins had a penchant for acquiring new items, and a tomb filled with artifacts was a dream location for them.
Alex prepared for another attack when the goblin moved its tiny staff, once again becoming invisible. Not only that, but the goblin performed a small blink, vanishing from its previous location!
Now, the goblin was in a random part of the room again, and the number of gargoyles chasing Alex increased to five. The situation was dire.
But, despite the hardships, the situation was not lost. Alex used his Doppelganger, not to inflict more damage but to lure the gargoyles away from his main body!
That skill proved to be effective against the boss. All five gargoyles followed his Doppelganger, leaving Alex free to search for the goblin and eliminate it!
After a few seconds, the sparkle appeared again, and Alex had nothing in his way stopping him from killing the goblin.
"Shadow Strike!"
[Critical Hit]
[880 Damage Dealt]
The damage was absurd, and although Alex could not see the exact number of the boss's HP, he could see the percentage, and it was already at 30%.
'This boss does not have that much HP! Not that difficult, actually. Well, others without a clone skill will get into trouble here.'
Alex knew his heightened vampire senses and his Doppelganger skill were the reasons the battle against the boss proved to be easy.
The Doppelganger ran out, but it was a skill with more than one charge, so Alex just used it again, lured the gargoyles away, and fought one versus one against the goblin, who soon died by his hands.
[First Kill Bonus]
[+50 Gold Coins]
[+1 Level]
[Gargoyle Trident(Rare)]
[Durability:200/200]
[Damage:210−210]
[Weapon Level: 15]
The rewards for the first kill were almost the same as the ones Alex got after killing the skeleton mage king, yet that did not mean the rewards were bad! A free level was massive, and Alex's level kept growing, increasing the distance between him and all the other players.
'I cannot use the weapon, but I might be able to sell it, or even use it to upgrade my Umbra Blade…'
That was something Alex would have to think about later, after leaving the dungeon. For now, he wanted to celebrate!
Alex jumped in excitement after killing the boss and getting yet another checkpoint. He left the room and went the left path, arriving at another door.
A boss was behind the door, and Alex was getting closer to completing the dungeon!