"Could you take care of the bodies Sylva?" Axel asked, retrieving the dagger from the fallen goblin's throat.
'Siiil~ Siiil~'
Sylva chirped eagerly, wobbling toward the pile of corpses. Her vibrant streaks seemed to shimmer brighter as if she were excited by the thought of growing stronger with every devoured monster.
"Hmm... what else could I do in the meantime?" Axel muttered, glancing around. With Sylva handling cleanup duty and his supply of darts almost depleted, there wasn't much left to prepare for the final wave.
Then, an idea struck him. "Wait a second... if Sylva can do that, maybe she could..." A sly grin formed on Axel's face.
"Hey Sylva! Once you're done over there, come help me with something, okay?"
'Siiiil~ Siiiil!'
The cheerful slime responded enthusiastically, her glowing streaks growing even more radiant as she continued her feast.
-----
Minutes later, Axel wiped his hands clean, admiring his handiwork.
"Hah, all set! This little surprise should pack quite the punch." Axel said, stepping back just as the system announced the inevitable.
[Final wave starting...]
Before Axel could even brace himself, new alerts popped up one after another.
[Warning! Anomaly detected!]
[Warning! Monsters have mutated into a stronger form!]
[Warning! The difficulty of the final wave has been significantly increased! Proceed with caution!]
"Hah, fucking called it." Axel groaned, gripping his weapons tightly as heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Charging toward the chamber were nine hulking hobgoblins, each larger and more muscular than any goblin he'd faced before. Dressed in chainmail armor and wielding enormous clubs, their bloodshot eyes burned with feral rage.
"Great. Berserk hobgoblins. Just what I needed."
Their blind frenzy worked to Axel's advantage at first, as they barreled straight into the concealed trench. Spikes pierced through joints and exposed flesh, though the chainmail armor prevented any fatal damage. Undeterred by the pain, they clawed their way out, blood gushing from their wounds as they continued their charge.
Even the sticky glue failed to halt their advance. With sheer brute force, they stomped through the adhesive trap, leaving chunks of their own flesh behind as they pressed on.
"Some crazy bastards, huh?" Axel muttered, raising his last remaining darts. One by one, he took down five of the hobgoblins, leaving four still charging forward.
Suddenly, one of them hurled its massive club directly at Axel. He ducked just in time, the weapon smashing into the wall behind him.
"Huh, pretty heavy. Let's see how you like it!" Grabbing the discarded club, Axel hurled it back with all his strength. The improvised projectile struck the hobgoblin square in the face, sending it tumbling backward into the sticky glue. It struggled to rise, but its berserk strength wasn't enough to overcome the adhesive's grip.
That left three.
Axel threw his dagger at the closest one, but the hobgoblin deflected it with its club. Before Axel could draw another weapon, Sylva leapt from his shoulder.
'Siiiil!'
The slime latched onto the goblin's back, her body pulsating with crimson energy as she drained the creature's life force. Already weakened from the blood loss and injuries, the hobgoblin collapsed in seconds.
Sylva wasted no time jumping to the next one. By the time the final hobgoblin reached the chamber, it found itself face-to-face with an empowered Sylva, who made quick work of it as well.
"Whoa... that's an insane ability, Sylva!" Axel said, watching in awe as his companion devoured the corpses.
'Siiiil~ Siiiil!'
The slime chirped happily, crawling back onto Axel's chest and nuzzling him affectionately. Her glowing streaks shimmered brighter than ever, a possible sign of evolution.
"You're the MVP, no doubt about it," Axel laughed, scratching Sylva's surface as if she were a pet.
But before they could celebrate further, a deafening roar echoed down the hallway.
RAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Emerging from the shadows was a massive troll, towering over three meters tall. Its grotesque form was barely covered by scraps of cloth, and in its hands was a giant bone club that dwarfed even the hobgoblins' weapons. It tripped into the trench, spikes impaling its legs. But unlike the others, its wounds closed almost instantly, and it continued charging as if nothing had happened.
"What the fucking hell?! A berserk troll? And it's regenerating? of course, that's the fucking final boss!" Axel exclaimed, watching in horror as the troll stormed forward.
"Shit," Axel muttered with a grave expression, gripping his weapons. "Alright Sylva. TIme for the real fight."