Hunter stared at the skeleton sitting on the king's throne. He couldn't help but feel a sinister aura emanating from it. Maybe it was the rings it had on all of its bony fingers or the slanted crown on its head that made it slightly more menacing.
"The... 'King' does not exist anymore," said the skeleton as it slowly stood up. "Or atleast, he's not the same as he used to be."
The skeleton snapped his fingers. Right behind Hunter, the doors opened once again and a tall, muscular figure emerged behind him. Hunter's eyes raced towards the towering figure as he slightly stepped aside.
It was kinda ridiculous just how much taller the man was. One thing that added to his rather ferocious aura and intimidating presence was the fact that his eyes were completely fixated on the dungeon master ahead of him.
He donned damaged silver armour and a coat with a lion's emblem on the back. His hair was long and blonde and his eyes were green. After looking at the crown on his head, Hunter was now certain of who the man was.
"The king..." he muttered beneath his breath.
The king reached the skeleton dungeon master, dropped to both knees and bowed his head. The dungeon master raised his hand, allowing the king to raise his head and to stand in front of him, facing Hunter Quinn.
"What... happened to him?"
"He enslaved my people..." the dungeon master replied.
"Your people?" Hunter inquired as he raised an eyebrow.
The dungeon master did not reply. Instead, he scrutinized Hunter for a certain period of time and tilted his head in curiosity.
"Those eyes... Tell me, little hunter, what is your name?" the dungeon master inquired.
Hesitating at first, Hunter finally responded with, "Hunter Quinn..."
"Quinn... So, you and I are of the same blood..."
Hunter was even more perplexed.
"This kingdom had imprisoned and enslaved our kind for 20 years straight. The plague I had created for them was not enough to kill them. So, I took matters into my own hands."
"What do you mean by that?" inquired Hunter.
"I infiltrated the royal palace and corrupted the king, forcing him to slaughter each and everyone of his citizens, family members and knights... With his very own hands..."
Hunter suddenly gripped his reaper tighter as he felt a menacing aura surrounding the skeleton. Slowly, he began to back away. As soon as he did, the king glared at Hunter, causing him to flinch and freeze.
[The king alone is worth atleast the strength of a tier 10 hunter]
"And the dungeon master...?" inquired Hunter in a low, whispering voice.
[He's atleast the level of a tier 6 hunter. Atleast, in his current form]
Hunter had some questions for System Rosana after what she had just said. But, before he could even say anything, he was stopped by the dungeon master's words.
"Little Hunter Quinn, since you and I have the same blood, the same family, why don't you help me?" said the dungeon master.
"Help you? With what...?"
"I've been trapped in this dungeon for many a millenia. If you and I become one, I will finally be free from this infinite chasm of pain."
Hunter's eyes dialled back. He gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows as he stared at the dungeon master angrily.
"You're saying you want to use my body?!" he exclaimed.
"I am your family, Hunter. Before my puppet gives you a reason to give me your body, I'd suggest you hand it over willingly..." said the dungeon master.
After he uttered those words, the king immediately drew his sword from his sheath and faced it towards Hunter.
"Forgive... Me..." the king said in a broken and raspy voice.
[I'm not sure if you'd like to be fused with an old fart like him. Unless...]
'Hell no! I'd rather die than have that!' replied Hunter.
[So, what will you do?]
Hunter spun his reaper and activated his [Black Flames], surrounding himself in a black and murky aura. He smiled at the dungeon master and pointed the blade towards him.
"Sorry but, I've already got an annoying ringing noise in my head. If another one enters the picture, I think I might just cry," said Hunter.
"You say that so confidently. Are you no longer afraid? Because if you aren't-"
"Oh no, I'm very afraid," interrupted Hunter as he smiled gently. "In fact, I'm terrified... But, that doesn't mean I'll give in to my fear. Besides, I've seen way scarier things than you."
The dungeon master chuckled and sat back down on his throne. After he quieted down, there was a moment of silence between him and Hunter. Neither one of them made a sound as they looked at each other.
SNAP!
The dungeon master snapped his fingers. This prompted the king to immediately leap for Hunter, leaving a huge dent on the floor. He swung his sword high as he closed the distance between himself and Hunter.
Using [Fast Break], Hunter managed to swerve towards the right and evade the king's attack. He slid on the ground and jumped towards the king, his reaper hanging high as he closed in on him.
The king quickly saw him and used his sword to block the reaper's blade. Then, he pushed Hunter back, making him perform a backflip and land on his feet. Hunter spun his reaper and activated his [Black Flames].
With that, he swung at the king, creating a straight path of fire that dashed for the king. The king blocked the attack with his sword and jumped towards the side to evade it. If he stayed any longer, he surely would've been slain.
He charged forward once again. This time, doubling his speed. Hunter used [Fast Break] once more and managed to avoid the direct sword attacks from the king. Once the king was close enough, they began clashing.
CLANG!
SWISH SWOOSH!
CLANG!
Hunter and the king exchanged attacks, neither one of them giving the other an opportunity to attack.
'This is getting me nowhere! I need to cut off his momentum!'
That's when Hunter noticed the king's wrist. It was shaking as they brawled. Was it injured? It may be possible, but as a monster, the king would've healed himself by now.
That's when Hunter deduced that the king was slowly losing his energy.
'With a big body like his and armour like that, he must be getting weighed down. Tons of hunters of lower ranks must've come to fight him and the dungeon master, but because this is a tier 16 dungeon and these are tier 10 and above monsters, they didn't win.'
[Which means...]
'Which means that in all these years that this dungeon has been active, the king has become sloppy. Once you're at the top, you slowly start to become lazy.'
Hunter pushed the king back and gripped his reaper even tighter.
[Prey Gaze has been activated]
Hunter looked at the king and read his heat signature. He was right. His wrist wasn't an injury but a scar. It must've been acting up because he hasn't fought anyone with significant strength before.
'I should be able to cut his wrist and get him to drop his sword. Once that happens, I'll cut his head off!'
Hunter used [Fast Break]. In the first second, he closed the distance between himself and the king. In the next, he quickly cut the king's hand clean off. In the last second, he grabbed the king's neck and cut it off.
The king's head rolled off the ground as his blood spilled on the floor. His body fell and spilled some blood on Hunter's face. He turned to the dungeon master and furrowed his brows.
'That was a tough battle. But, atleast I've gotten rid of the king. I should be able to kill the dungeon master without any problems now,' said Hunter.
The dungeon master slowly clapped his hands, surprising Hunter.
"Good job, genius. I hate to disappoint you, but..."
Suddenly, Hunter felt a sinister aura from behind him. His instincts kicked in. He quickly backed away and held his reaper properly. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at what manifested before him.
The king, the monster he had just decapitated, was starting move once again. A blue aura surrounded him as he slowly picked himself up and stared into the ceiling.
The hand Hunter cut off slowly regenerated and the head he severed from his body slowly grew back. Once he was fully healed, the king grabbed his sword and took a stance, staring at Hunter afterwards.
"Forgive... Me..." the king said in his broken voice once again.
Hunter was perplexed. He looked at the dungeon master angrily while the dungeon master laughed hysterically, raising his hands in the air, casting a red flame in his hands.
"Now, what will you do, little Hunter?!" the dungeon master exclaimed as he released another dry and hysterical laugh. "How can you kill someone who's already dead?!"