The massive iron doors creaked open, their groaning echoing through the cavern like a warning. Ned squinted into the dimly lit expanse of the boss room, his heart thudding with a mixture of fear and excitement. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the distant drip of water and the soft crunch of boots against the rocky ground.
The room itself was a marvel of ancient construction. Jagged walls lined with glowing mana crystals cast an eerie blue light, creating a kaleidoscope of shadows that danced along the high ceilings. Enormous stalactites hung precariously above, and veins of molten ore pulsed faintly under the cracked floor. At the far end of the chamber stood a towering throne of stone, carved with intricate runes that seemed to hum with dormant energy.
"So this is it," Usain muttered, his voice steady but his grip on his mana rifle betraying his nerves. The rest of the party nodded, each tightening their hold on their weapons. Ned—true to form—was already imagining how he'd narrate this scene as a vlogger.
"What's up, Spectator Squad! Welcome to my first-ever boss fight—live from the depths of Miner's Quake! Watch as we absolutely smash this..." His inner monologue faltered as the sound of heavy footsteps reverberated through the room.
A massive silhouette emerged from the shadows. Slowly, with the grace of a lumbering mountain, the Golem King revealed itself. Standing a terrifying twelve feet tall, its stone body was etched with glowing runes, and a colossal hammer—half as big as the monster itself—rested in its right hand. Every step it took sent tremors through the ground, shaking loose small rocks from the ceiling.
"Alright, team. Stick to the plan," Usain said, pulling out a grenade from his storage device. This wasn't your average grenade—this was a mana-device, sticky and designed to immobilize monsters for a crucial minute. It was state-of-the-art technology, and Usain was very proud of it. Perhaps too proud.
As he pulled back to throw it, the Golem King let out a guttural roar that reverberated through the room. Usain flinched, startled by the sudden noise, and—with all the precision of a drunk darts player—threw the grenade a solid ten feet to the right of its target. The sticky bomb latched onto the floor, catching only one of the Golem King's legs.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ned muttered under his breath.
"It's fine! Just stick to the plan!" Usain snapped, though the rising pitch of his voice betrayed his panic.
The Golem King, now only partially immobilized, let out another roar and slammed its hammer into the ground, summoning a swarm of smaller golems. These minions were smaller and slower but numerous enough to keep the rest of the party occupied.
"We'll handle the adds!" shouted one of Usain's lackeys, already charging toward the smaller golems.
Ned, meanwhile, had other plans. The Golem King—level 15 and absolutely terrifying—was not something he could take on directly. But he wasn't here to play fair. He was here to experiment.
"Alright, big guy," Ned said, gripping his staff. "Let's dance."
Ned darted forward, using Talaria to close the distance in a blur. He aimed his staff at the Golem King's glowing runes, landing a series of precise strikes that chipped away at its health. It wasn't much, but every little bit counted. The Golem King swung its massive hammer in retaliation, narrowly missing Ned as he activated Talaria again to sidestep the attack.
That's when inspiration struck.
"What if I let you hurt yourself?" Ned grinned. He planted himself directly in front of the Golem King, waiting for it to swing again. At the last possible moment, he activated Talaria and dashed out of the way. The hammer slammed into the ground with such force that chunks of stone flew everywhere, and the Golem King's health bar dipped slightly.
"Hah! Take that!" Ned shouted, repeating the maneuver. He managed to bait the Golem King into hitting the ground twice more, each time chipping away at its health. But on the third attempt, the Golem King's glowing eyes narrowed. It let out a low growl and adjusted its swing mid-attack, forcing Ned to roll awkwardly to avoid being flattened.
"Oh no. You're learning," Ned muttered, scrambling to his feet. The Golem King's runes flared bright red as it entered berserk mode. Its movements became faster, more erratic, and infinitely more dangerous.
By now, Usain and the rest of the party had finished dealing with the smaller golems and turned to see the enraged Golem King. Usain's face twisted in fury.
"What did you do?!" he shouted. "It's not supposed to go berserk until it's at half health!"
"You're welcome" Ned called back, dodging another swing.
The party regrouped and launched an all-out assault on the Golem King. Usain's lackeys—armed with a mix of ranged and melee weapons—focused on chipping away at its health, while Clara used her healing magic to keep everyone alive. Usain himself used his mana rifle to land precise shots on the Golem King's weak points.
Ned, meanwhile, continued to fight creatively. He used Spectator's Insight to analyze the Golem King's movements, predicting its attacks and calling out openings for the others. When he saw an opportunity, he coordinated with Clara to use her light magic to blind the Golem King temporarily, allowing him to land a powerful strike on one of its glowing runes.
The battle was long and grueling. The Golem King's berserk mode made it a relentless opponent, but the party's teamwork and Ned's ingenuity eventually turned the tide. With one final, thunderous crash, the Golem King collapsed, its massive body disintegrating into a pile of glowing mana crystals.
As the dust settled, Ned leaned on his staff, panting heavily. A chime echoed in his mind, and a familiar screen appeared before him:
Congratulations!
Level Up!
Ned's jaw dropped as his level shot up to 8. The others were busy dividing the loot and recovering from the fight, but Ned couldn't help grinning like an idiot.
"Alright," he muttered. "Not bad for a banished spectator."
The party gathered the Golem King's remains, dividing the spoils among themselves. Just as they were about to leave the dungeon, something caught Ned's eye. In the corner of the room, hidden behind a cluster of mana crystals, a faint glow flickered. Spectator's Insight buzzed faintly, drawing his attention to it.
His curiosity piqued, Ned tried to get a better look. The glow seemed…different, almost alive.
"You guys go on ahead," Ned said, waving them off. "I think I dropped my hoverboard somewhere on the way. Gonna backtrack and grab it."
"Seriously?" Usain scoffed. "You're the kind of guy who'd lose his own head if it weren't attached."
Clara hesitated, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll catch up," Ned said, forcing a reassuring smile. Inside, his excitement was bubbling over. Whatever that glow was, it was something no one else had noticed. And if Spectator's Insight was pointing him toward it, it had to be important.
As the party reluctantly left the dungeon, Ned turned back toward the faint glow, gripping his staff tightly. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's see what you've got for me."