[Ding! Your skill "Summon Goblin" has leveled up. Current level: Lv30.]
[Ding! Talent "Skill Evolution" triggered. Skill effects enhanced!]
[Summon Goblin (Lv30): Consumes 50 mana to summon two Special Goblins (50% chance of Large Goblin, 50% chance of Ice/Flame Goblin), lasting 30 minutes.]
Inside the castle's grand hall, Lucien stood amidst a horde of Goblins.
Although the Skill Evolution didn't allow him to summon entirely new creatures,
the ability to summon two Goblins at once was still a significant improvement.
Besides, he already commanded a formidable force of 153 Large Goblins and 100 Ice/Flame Goblins.
These Goblins boasted attributes comparable to second-tier professionals who had just reached level 10.
With such a powerful army at his disposal, Lucien felt confident.
He pointed his staff toward the second floor, and his army surged forward,
effortlessly clearing the corridors and bedrooms of Blood Thralls.
After eliminating all 50 Blood Thralls as required,
Lucien arrived at a door at the end of the hallway.
Pushing it open, he stepped into a spacious room of about 100 square meters.
The furnishings were elegant and luxurious, though the centerpiece—a golden coffin engraved with intricate patterns—lent the room an eerie vibe.
The coffin lid creaked open slowly.
"I smell... the scent of fresh, delicious blood!"
A hoarse, ancient voice echoed from within.
An old man sat up inside the coffin, his gaze locking onto Lucien.
Dressed in a meticulously groomed tailcoat and with neatly combed silver hair,
he looked as though he were preparing to attend a noble banquet.
But his ravenous eyes, filled with hunger and lust, were utterly revolting.
Lucien silently retreated, allowing his horde of Goblins to flood into the room and launch an attack.
Meanwhile, he used Inspect on the figure.
[Monster]: Vampire Baron - O'Neill
[Grade]: Bronze Boss
[Level]: 10
[HP]: 10,600/10,600
[MP]: 7,500/7,500
[Strength]: 242
[Constitution]: 278
[Agility]: 301
[Spirit]: 299
[Talent]: Frenzy (D)
[Skills]: Blood Slash, Blood Shadow Glide, Blood Drain, Blood Burst
[Frenzy (D)]: Increases agility when health drops.
"Hissss!"
Lucien sucked in a cold breath.
Internally, he cursed the damnable guiding angel Phyllian once again.
That wretched being really wanted him dead!
Monsters were categorized as Common, Elite, and Boss.
But even among Boss monsters, there were distinctions.
Bosses were further divided into: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, Diamond, Epic, Legendary, Demigod, and God.
In a normal trial dungeon, encountering a single Black Iron-tier Boss would already be considered excessive.
But this Blood Moon Castle had presented him with a Bronze-tier Boss!
With over 10,000 HP and triple-digit stats,
any other novice adventurer would have given up on the spot.
But Lucien was no ordinary adventurer!
O'Neill faltered slightly at the sight of the horde flooding the room.
Then he sneered.
"Pathetic weaklings! No matter how many of you there are, what can you do?
"An ant trying to topple a tree is simply overestimating its strength."
With that, he flew out of the coffin,
a slender sword appearing in his hand as if by magic.
He charged into the Goblin horde.
"Blood Slash!"
A crimson arc of light swept through the crowd.
Dozens of Large Goblins were decapitated, their heads rolling across the floor.
Lucien's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure.
Not only did he have Large Goblins,
but he also had a hundred Elemental Goblins.
The Ice Goblins attacked first, hurling a rain of ice spikes at O'Neill.
Unable to dodge, he braced himself for the assault.
As the ice spikes landed, Flame Goblins followed up with blazing firestones.
-152… -237… -164… -145…
Elemental damage numbers appeared in rapid succession.
At the same time, the Large Goblins didn't remain idle.
Surging forward, they swung their spiked clubs relentlessly at O'Neill.
Bam!
-24!
Thud!
-27!
O'Neill was caught completely off guard.
His earlier disdain quickly turned to alarm.
Goblin-kind were creatures he could crush underfoot with ease.
Wielding a weapon against them was already beneath his dignity.
Now, he was being overwhelmed and forced into defense!
Rage filled him, but he was helpless to turn the tide.
Though he could slay ten Goblins with a single strike,
hundreds more stood in his way.
The hundred Elemental Goblins in the back not only slowed him with ice but also dealt devastating damage through Elemental Reactions.
As more Large Goblins charged in,
O'Neill shouted in fury:
"Damn you, you filthy mongrels! Die!"
"Blood Slash! Blood Slash! Blood... Slash!!!"
His sword glowed with crimson light as he unleashed slash after slash,
desperately trying to break through the encirclement.
But O'Neill knew the true threat wasn't the Goblins—it was the human Summoner controlling them.
If he could kill Lucien, the battle would be his.
Determined, he activated his skills:
"Blood Burst!"
"Blood Shadow Glide!"
A crimson mist surrounded him,
and he surged forward like lightning, breaking through the Large Goblins' ranks.
However, the room was too small.
Upon reaching the narrow hallway,
he was bombarded by dense waves of Elemental attacks.
Unable to dodge in such tight quarters, O'Neill failed again and again.
After countless futile attempts to charge, his health was finally depleted.
Kneeling on the ground, O'Neill glared toward Lucien with bitter frustration.
His skill Blood Drain could have restored his health,
but it would only prolong his humiliation.
Defeated, he closed his eyes.
A Large Goblin approached, its spiked club smashing into O'Neill's head,
finishing him off.
[Ding! You killed a Level 10 Bronze Boss - Vampire Baron O'Neill. Gained 5,000 EXP.]
[Ding! Your level has increased. Current level: Lv5.]
[Ding! Your level has increased. Current level: Lv6.]
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the Hell-Level Trial Dungeon. Evaluating performance...]
[Ding! Evaluation: SSS!!!]
[Ding! Hell-Level Completion Rewards: +100 Free Attribute Points, +1,000 Gold Coins.]
[Ding! SSS Evaluation Rewards: Blood Eye (Epic Weapon).]
[Ding! First Hell-Level Dungeon Completion Bonus: Teleport (First-Tier Skill).]
Lucien exhaled deeply, finally able to relax.
The Boss's repeated attempts to breach the Goblin wall had kept him on edge.
Now, it was over.
He eagerly examined his rewards.
The 100 Free Attribute Points were immediately allocated to Spirit,
the best choice for caster professions.
The gold coins were safely stored in his inventory.
Lucien then checked the Blood Eye weapon:
[Weapon]: Blood Eye
[Grade]: Epic
[Attributes]: Spirit +50, Mana Regen +5%, Magic Lifesteal +10%
[Skill]: Blood Glare
[Requirement]: Spirit > 100
[Blood Glare]: Consumes 10 HP and 100 MP to create a floating eye that can scout within a 500-meter radius.
"This is amazing!" Lucien exclaimed.
For a caster, avoiding close combat was critical.
With this, he could scout and cast spells from a safe distance—perfect for a Summoner!
Then, he turned his attention to the Teleport skill book:
[Skill]: Teleport
[Requirement]: Spirit > 10
[Description]: A universal first-tier skill that allows instant movement to a visible location within a range equal to 10% of your Spirit stat (in meters).
"Ha ha ha!"
After learning the skill, Lucien felt unstoppable.
With Blood Eye for scouting and Teleport for mobility,
he was nearly untouchable—especially with his Mana Refund talent enabling infinite teleportation!
"Not bad for clearing a Hell-Level dungeon," Lucien said with satisfaction.
But as he thought of the spiteful guiding angel Phyllian, his eyes turned cold.
"Hmph! Just wait. Your time will come…"
He opened the exit menu, ready to leave.
Suddenly, the entire castle trembled.
A beam of blood-red light shot into the sky,
and a complex magical array appeared before Lucien.
Within the array, a blood-red figure slowly emerged.
Lucien's expression darkened. He tried to click "Exit," but a notification appeared:
[Ding! An unknown Boss has appeared. Exiting is prohibited!]
"Damn it!"
In the Apocalypse: Divine Descent main system space,
Phyllian burst into laughter, though her voice betrayed a hint of fear and relief.
She had been closely monitoring Lucien's progress.
Despite her efforts, Lucien had successfully cleared the Hell-Level dungeon,
forcing her to resort to desperate measures.
Spending all the merit points she had accumulated over 10,000 years,
she resurrected an ancient being and sent it to descend into Lucien's dungeon.
With this being present, it was impossible for Lucien to survive.
However, Phyllian had a lingering concern.
The resurrection array allowed the summoned entity to choose its master based on payment.
If the individual near the array could afford the price demanded by the being,
they could claim it as their servant.
This possibility made Phyllian nervous.
Still, she reasoned that an ancient being wouldn't ask for mere gold or silver.
No matter how much money Lucien had, he wouldn't escape his fate.
Relieved by this thought, Phyllian turned off the monitoring screen and prepared to guide the next adventurer.
Having depleted all her resources targeting Lucien,
she now needed to work hard to recover.
Before leaving, she adjusted her expression carefully,
determined not to provoke another adventurer into vengeance.