Chapter 7: The Surface Guardian
The silence of the ruined chamber was unsettling. Wolfgang stood at its center, battered but victorious. His breaths came ragged, blood streaking his torn cloak and fingertips, yet his sharp blue eyes burned with determination. He had survived, and with survival came power.
The system chimed softly in his mind, a now-familiar sound.
[Quest Complete: Defeat the Unknown Entity]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 9.]
Stat Points Available: 6
Wolfgang's lips curled into a grin. Three levels for that monster? I'll take it.
The pain gnawing at his limbs faded to background noise as he opened his status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Wolfgang Mozart
Level: 9
Health: 40/150
Mana: 120/120
Strength: 20
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 22
Free Stat Points: 6
Skills:
• Soul Rend - Rank II
• Shadow Step
• Shadow Flare
• Executioner's Strike
• Shadow Infusion
Wolfgang's eyes flickered over the numbers. Six points. His choices could mean the difference between life and death in whatever came next. He wasn't arrogant enough to assume the danger was over—not yet.
"Let's boost my odds," he muttered.
He allocated the points, prioritizing his immediate needs.
Strength +2 → 22
Agility +2 → 20
Intelligence +2 → 24
The rush was immediate. Strength spread through his limbs, his movements felt sharper, and his mana reservoir pulsed with power.
[Stats Updated.]
Wolfgang rolled his shoulders, testing the renewed energy surging through him. His injuries still ached, but his movements were lighter, faster.
"Better."
The Guardian's Wake
The faint light he'd seen earlier grew brighter now, spilling from the doorway at the far end of the chamber. Each step toward it echoed sharply, his boots scraping across cracked stone.
As he crossed the threshold, Wolfgang's vision adjusted to the vast chamber beyond.
A massive circular arena sprawled out before him—much larger than anything he had seen so far. At its center stood an altar, ancient and scarred. Its surface glowed faintly, runes carved deep into its surface pulsing with light.
Then he heard it.
A sound—low, deep, and rhythmic. Breathing.
Wolfgang froze.
From the far end of the arena, something shifted. The shadows parted to reveal an enormous figure seated upon a throne carved into the wall itself. Chains as thick as tree trunks draped over its limbs, and its form was wrapped in heavy black armor, jagged and brutal.
It lifted its head.
Two glowing white eyes stared directly at Wolfgang.
The air grew heavy, pressing against his chest like a weight. The system chimed softly, the sound unnervingly calm.
[Surface Guardian Awakened]
Level: 20
Danger: Lethal
Title: Gatekeeper of the Dungeon]
[Warning: Escape Is Unavailable Until the Guardian Is Defeated.]
Wolfgang's heart skipped a beat. Level 20. The Crimson Tyrant had been overwhelming at Level 15—this was something else entirely.
The Guardian rose to its feet with an earth-shaking groan. It towered above Wolfgang, a massive war axe materializing in its hand. The blade alone was twice Wolfgang's height, its edges crackling with dark energy.
"Level 20, huh?" Wolfgang muttered, his grip tightening on Shadowfang. "Bring it."
The Battle Begins
The Guardian moved faster than its size should have allowed. In a single step, it closed the distance between them. Its axe swung horizontally, cleaving through the air with terrifying force.
Wolfgang barely reacted in time. Shadow Step activated, pulling him into the darkness and reappearing to the Guardian's left. The sheer force of the missed attack shattered the ground, sending shockwaves that nearly knocked Wolfgang off his feet.
One hit, and I'm dead, he realized.
Wolfgang didn't waste the opening. He darted forward, Shadowfang humming as he activated Shadow Infusion. The blade rippled with dark energy as he slashed at the Guardian's side.
The blow connected.
The armor cracked faintly, but the Guardian barely flinched. Instead, it spun, its massive fist lashing out faster than Wolfgang expected. He threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the strike, but the aftershock sent him skidding across the arena.
[Health: 35/150]
I can't chip away at this thing. I need to find a weakness, Wolfgang thought, pushing himself back up.
The Guardian lifted its axe high, the blade glowing as energy crackled along its edges. Wolfgang's instincts screamed at him to move.
The weapon crashed down.
Wolfgang activated Shadow Step, disappearing as the arena split in half. A crater erupted where he had stood moments before, the force of the attack rattling the entire chamber.
From his new position, Wolfgang's sharp eyes scanned the Guardian. The armor was thick—impenetrable in most places—but near the joints, the plating was weaker, exposing faint gaps where the dark energy pulsed.
"There."
Wolfgang charged forward, his dagger flashing. He baited the Guardian into another swing, slipping under the massive arc and darting toward its back. He activated Executioner's Strike, pouring every ounce of his strength into a single, precise blow.
The dagger struck the Guardian's exposed knee joint.
The result was immediate. A deep crack spread from the impact point, and the Guardian staggered slightly, its massive form groaning as the armor at its leg shattered.
[Critical Hit!]
[Damage Inflicted: -20% Guardian's Health]
Wolfgang didn't stop. He activated Shadow Flare, the explosion of dark energy slamming into the Guardian's weakened knee and forcing it to drop to one side. The ground shook as Wolfgang rolled back, his chest heaving.
The Guardian's roar shook the walls.
It swung its axe wildly now, forcing Wolfgang to retreat to the far side of the arena. Its movements were slower—more erratic—but it was still lethal.
"Come on," Wolfgang muttered to himself, his eyes blazing. "Just a little more."
The Guardian raised its axe again, this time drawing in the ambient energy from the arena. The blade's glow intensified, and Wolfgang's instincts screamed danger.
[Warning: Lethal Strike Incoming.]
The Guardian slammed the axe into the ground. A shockwave of dark energy erupted outward, consuming the arena as it raced toward Wolfgang.
He sprinted forward, his mind a blur. "Shadow Step!"
The world twisted as he disappeared into darkness, reappearing directly above the Guardian's head.
Wolfgang roared, dagger aimed downward.
"Soul Rend!"
Shadowfang plunged into the Guardian's exposed neck joint. Energy surged through Wolfgang, stealing the last remnants of the Guardian's strength. The monster's roar cut off abruptly as its massive body collapsed, shaking the arena one final time.
The system chimed softly.
[Surface Guardian Defeated.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 11.]
Stat Points Available: 4
Wolfgang dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, blood dripping onto the shattered stone. The door at the far end of the arena rumbled open, sunlight spilling into the dungeon for the first time.
Wolfgang looked up, his body trembling but his grin triumphant.
"Next."
End of Chapter 7