DK hissed in pain as the flames licked his skin, leaving a sharp sting in their wake. He staggered back, using his free hand to swat at the smoldering remains of the spikes embedded in his clothes. His breathing was ragged, and his heart pounded in his chest as the cactolus creatures pressed their advantage, their spiked bodies glinting in the dim light of the ravine.
"Explosive spikes? Seriously?" he muttered, gritting his teeth. The system interface flickered faintly in the corner of his vision, but DK pushed it aside for now. He couldn't afford distractions.
The swarm of twenty creatures began to close in, their tiny legs scrabbling against the rocky floor as they formed a tightening circle around him. Their movements were erratic but coordinated enough to keep DK on edge. He shifted his stance, gripping his blade tightly as he assessed their approach.
"Okay," he muttered to himself, forcing his breathing to steady. "You're predictable, but you're not stupid. Time to get smarter."
With a sharp exhale, DK lunged toward the nearest cactolus, his blade slicing cleanly through its spiked body. The creature let out a faint screech before collapsing, its spines shattering like brittle twigs. He pivoted quickly, catching another as it attempted to leap at his legs. His movements were more calculated now, each strike aimed to minimize wasted energy.
ENEMIES DEFEATED: 6/100
Despite his growing rhythm, the swarm adapted. Several of the creatures began to charge him simultaneously, forcing DK to backpedal and parry frantically. One managed to latch onto his boot, its spines piercing the leather. DK grimaced, kicking it off with enough force to send it flying into a nearby rock, where it burst into a harmless spray of spines.
"Alright, you little pests," he growled. "Let's see how you handle this."
He scanned the ravine floor, spotting a jagged boulder that jutted out near the base of the wall. With a burst of speed, he sprinted toward it, using his blade to fend off the creatures that lunged at him along the way. Reaching the boulder, he scrambled onto its surface, the elevated position giving him a brief moment to breathe and reassess.
The cactolus swarmed below him, their spines bristling as they skittered around the base of the boulder. Some began to gather in groups, their bodies trembling slightly—a clear sign they were preparing to launch their explosive spikes again.
"Not this time," DK muttered.
He focused his mana, feeling the faint hum of his Nexus Core pulse in response. A strange, almost instinctual energy coursed through him as he channeled the mana into his blade. The weapon glowed faintly, its edge shimmering with a faint blue light.
The cactolus fired their spikes, but DK was ready. He leaped from the boulder, spinning midair as he brought his blade down in a wide arc. The glowing edge of the weapon cleaved through several creatures in one swing, the mana-enhanced strike leaving a faint trail of light in its wake.
ENEMIES DEFEATED: 15/100
The remaining cactolus hesitated for a moment, their erratic movements slowing as if they were recalculating their approach. DK took advantage of the pause, closing the distance between himself and another cluster of the creatures. He moved with newfound confidence, his blade slicing through their spiked bodies with precision. The progression on the quest kept moving forward with and DK was finally found a rhythm to kill the creatures while avoiding their flaming spikes. However, every now and then a creature is able to land an attack on DK from his blindspot.
Lucy watched from a safe distance, her arms crossed and her staff at the ready in case DK needed help. Despite her earlier skepticism, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for his determination. "Stubborn idiot," she muttered under her breath, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
DK's confidence, however, was short-lived. As he dispatched another group of cactolus, a sudden screech echoed through the ravine. He froze, his blade still mid-swing, as a larger figure emerged from the shadows near the far wall.
It was a massive cactolus, easily three times the size of the others. Its spiked body shimmered with a faint, fiery glow, and its dark eyes glinted with a predatory intelligence that the smaller creatures lacked. The smaller cactolus seemed to scatter at its arrival, forming a loose ring around the area as if waiting for their leader to act.
"Oh, great," DK muttered, his grip tightening on his blade. "A boss fight. Just what I needed."
The giant cactolus let out another ear-piercing screech before lunging toward him with surprising speed. DK barely had time to dodge as the creature slammed into the ground where he had stood moments before, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.
"DK!" Lucy shouted, taking a step forward. "Do you need—?"
"Stay back!" DK called, his voice sharp but steady. "I've got this!"
The creature turned toward him, its glowing spines quivering ominously. DK could feel the heat radiating from its body as it charged again, this time spewing a barrage of flaming spikes in his direction. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the projectiles, and retaliated with a quick slash to its flank. The blade connected, but the creature's tough hide absorbed most of the impact.
"Okay," DK muttered, breathing hard. "You're tougher than your friends. Let's see how you handle a little mana."
He focused again, channeling energy into his blade until it glowed with a faint blue light. This time, when the creature lunged, he met its charge head-on, his enhanced blade slicing through its spiked hide. The creature let out a guttural roar, its fiery spines dimming slightly as it staggered back.
Encouraged, DK pressed the attack. He moved with precision, striking at the creature's legs and sides to keep it off-balance. Each hit weakened it further, the fiery glow of its spines fading with every blow. The creature then let out a screech and suddenly much larger flaming spikes shot out from its body in all the directions. Many of the spikes hit the other cactolus and dropped them dead instantly. The boss kills still counted into DK's quest progression as he was responsible in bringing the boss cactolus into this frenzy state. DK made sure to hide behind a rock boulder to avoid any of the spikes while in no time he almost hit 95 creatures slain in his progression.
Finally, when the boss creature stopped shooting spikes to catch its breath, DK rushed in with mana infused into his blade. Maybe because it was his instinct to now kill the creature his blade was infused with the dark corrupted energy that cleaved through the boss creature's core piercing straight through its body.
The massive cactolus let out a final screech before collapsing, its body disintegrating into a shower of ash and glowing embers. The system interface flashed in DK's vision.
ENEMIES DEFEATED: 95/100
Mini-Boss Defeated. Bonus Progress: +20 Enemies. Total: 115/100
DK dropped to one knee, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. His legs ached, and his arms felt like lead, but a faint smile crossed his lips as he stood and turned to Lucy.
"See?" he said, his voice tinged with exhaustion but also pride. "Told you I could handle it."
Lucy shook her head, unable to hide her grin. "You're insane, DK. But I'll give you this—you're getting better."