At this point, Alex was confident that nothing in the cave could beat him, at least not these skeleton warriors. They were weak, most likely level 1 monsters. As long as he was careful with where he stepped and avoided traps, he should be okay getting out of here alive.
He ran into a few more skeletal warriors, quickly beating them to a pulp and burning their remains. The cave kept winding and descending. Alex confidently walked down the path, renewing his sword and shield whenever he beat a new skeleton. If he saw one that was shinier than the one he had equipped, he would swap it.
He encountered a variety of skeletal monsters. A few were level 2, but they stood no chance in front of Alex's power. Combining his level 3 body and combat skills, Alex made quick work of them. He tried different combos every fight.
He would do a one-two punch and blow the skeleton up. He would throw a low kick and follow up with a high kick; sometimes, he just used his shield to bash them straight into oblivion. Alex was now an expert in fighting the skeletons. One time, he even threw his sword from a distance, although it completely missed its mark.
"I guess having 0 in throwing makes a difference, hehe," Alex smirked as he ran to the skeleton and roundhouse kicked it.
The ones that gave him the most trouble were the Skeletal Archers and the Dark Mages. Dark Mages were responsible for reincarnating the skeletons. They had an annoying quick-cast spell that was similar to an icicle projectile, except it was made completely of dark magic. Alex could distinguish them due to their dark purple color.
Alex aptly named the spell "Dark Spear," and the first time he encountered one, he made the mistake of trying to block it with his shield. Instead of blocking it, it went right through the shield!
Luckily, it missed Alex's body by just a hair's breadth. He didn't make that mistake again; he would immediately dodge and destroy the skeletal dark mage before it had a chance to cast anything again. Most of the enemies were pretty simple in their skill rotation. It was like they were programmed with only one or two move sets.
The Skeletal Archers were more annoying than strong. They usually hid in random corners, using cover to shoot and then quickly go back into hiding. But once Alex got his hands on them, they easily crumbled under his grip.
Alex tried to use their bow a few times, but it was completely out of his element. The good thing is he realized how little he enjoyed the act of throwing or shooting something like a bow. He decided right then and there that he would completely dismiss this combat skill going forward.
Going further down, Alex started to get worried.
"How long have I been here? Due to the environment, I've completely lost track of time. What if my body wants to eat again? I don't feel hungry, and so far, I've avoided any serious injuries, but if something were to happen, I'm worried that there won't be anything for me to use my cannibalize skill on. It's not like I can eat bones... or can I?" Alex pondered but quickly brushed off that idea.
"Anyway, all I can do is keep pushing forward. I'm sure I should be nearing the end of this zone. I've been descending for hours; the end must be near," Alex was having an internal dialogue as he was burning the bones of another mage.
"So much for their dark arts," he quipped, brushing off the dust from his clothes.
After a few minutes, he finally exited the cave and found himself in a big open area. As Alex surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that in the center of the arena stood a three-meter-tall skeleton warrior statue. Alex gazed up at it, taking in its dominating presence.
The statue, gripping a giant club, was the first time Alex had seen a skeleton with a club.
"I hope this thing doesn't move. It looks like a statue, but I should be careful around it, in case it starts moving."
Atop its skull sat a pirate-like hat, adding an unexpected touch of charm to the otherwise menacing figure. Even with the funny-looking hat, the statue casts a powerful aura.
As soon as Alex walked onto the center platform, arrows started raining down from hidden alcoves. Alex raised his shield to deflect the incoming arrows, the impacts sending vibrations up his arm due to the constant wave of arrows.
Moving swiftly, he darted from side to side while trying to locate the archers.
"Six archers in total. One directly north of me, two to the west, and three to the east," Alex counted.
He found a few fallen rocks that he could use as a platform to climb up, and with quick movements and high jumps, he made his way towards the skeletons, destroying the first one quickly.
Throughout his encounters with the skeletal warriors, Alex discovered a crucial tactic: if he crushed the bones of the defeated skeletons thoroughly, they couldn't be resurrected.
This saved him the effort of burning the bones each time. So instead, he made sure to decisively stomp on their remains, ensuring they were permanently incapacitated.
This precaution became routine, especially since he couldn't be certain whether any dark mages were lurking nearby, waiting to revive them. Now, every time he beat a Skeletal Archer, he would quickly stomp on them while using his shield as cover for any incoming arrows.
With a combination of shield blocks and swift sword strikes, he dispatched them one by one until there was none left.
As soon as the last archer fell, Alex heard a large, mechanical sound. To his shock, he saw the giant skeleton suddenly move.
At first, it dropped its club clumsily, and when it bent down, the hat on its head slipped off. It was a comical scene, watching the Skeleton Giant pick up the Hat, place it back on his head, and then carefully bend down to pick up the club.
The giant skeleton started to look around the area. It seemed that it had not awoken in a long time and let out an angry roar, letting the intruder know that it was not happy to have its sleep disturbed.
Alex, looking in the center of the arena, decided that this was the final boss of the dungeon and, while he knew it was stupid, decided to jump down and face the giant skeleton warrior head-on.
The Giant Skeleton looked down at Alex, and after a few seconds, the Giant Skeleton moved both of its hands on the club, lifted it up, and swung it down with all its might – it was now a showdown, a 1v1 duel with this colossal adversary.
CRASHHHH
Alex quickly moved at super speed, causing the giant club to miss Alex completely. Once the club hit the ground, it caused an earthquake underneath, momentarily disabling Alex and stopping his movements.
With its formidable size and the giant club it wielded, the skeleton moved with surprising agility. As soon as the dust settled and it saw that the intruder was still alive, it roared again, while lifting the club as well as its giant skeleton foot. And with another swing, it tried to swat Alex again, and again.
"What the hell do I do against this thing? It's too big!" Alex tried using his strong punches and kicks on the giant's feet, trying to make it stumble, but that did not work.
"Shoot, due to the destruction of the arena, it's getting harder and harder to dodge!" Alex grimaced as he felt the force of the shockwave due to an attack.
Now the Skeletal Giant was in full control of the battle. At first, it was struggling a bit since it had not moved in a while, but as the fight raged on, so did the fury of the Giant. It became more adept, more agile, as it continued to try and kill Alex. At some point, the Skeletal Giant lost it's pirate hat during the fight, and accidentally smashed it during his rampage.
"I have to try something else; at this rate, I'll really become mincemeat. One hit from that club and I'm a goner!!" Alex shouted, trying to amp himself up.
A crazy idea entered his mind.
"I have one shot at this! Let's get that money, Alex!" Alex's mind was racing; he was about to do something crazy.
As the Giant swung once more and missed Alex.
"It is now or never!"
Seizing his chance, Alex dashed towards the skeleton as it recovered from its swing. He ran straight at the club, using it as a ramp.
The skeleton, caught off guard, couldn't react in time as Alex sprinted up the length of the club. Reaching the top, Alex launched himself into the air, high above the skeleton's head!
Time seemed to slow as Alex was airborne. He positioned himself, focusing all his energy and strength into his legs. With a powerful, calculated motion, he executed a heel kick straight down onto the skeleton's skull.
BOOOOM
The impact was tremendous. Alex's kick tore through the skull, shattering it, and continued downward, splitting the skeleton's frame all the way to the bottom. Bone fragments exploded in all directions as the once-mighty warrior crumbled under the force of Alex's attack.
Landing gracefully on the ground, Alex watched as the remains of the skeleton clattered to the arena floor, settling into a heap of bones.
He had done it; he had defeated the giant skeleton warrior with a move as daring as it was desperate. Breathing heavily, Alex stood victorious in the quiet arena, the echo of his triumphant move resonating off the ancient walls.
–System Message–
Penalty Quest Level 1
Status = Complete
Reward Granted
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