As I walk through the heavy snow forest I could feel my skin staying as the freezing air starting to affect me.
I was currently in the country of Russia on one of the inhabitable areas where it was mostly ice Gray was right next to me completely unaffected by the cold air.
From my inventory, I pulled out my dungeon key. Today I was going to use the dungeon key that I meant to use some time ago.
[Would you like to use the Dungeon Key?]
[Yes/No]
A jagged black portal burst open in front of me as I entered it with grey and the coldness around us immediately disappeared as now we appeared on a City.
I pulled up my status window to make sure I didn't gain any status effects. I was immune to mental status effects the [gamer mind] but other than that, he could be affected by other types of status effects.
Suddenly, Gray growled low in his throat.
Ahead, down one of the crooked intersections, shadowy figures began to emerge from the fog around us slow, shuffling, twisted. They looked human, but only barely. Skin pale and stretched thin, black veins bulging, and their eyes... empty.
[Undead Wraith]
Status: Cursed, Aggressive
Abilities: Leeching Claw, Scream of the Lost, Infection Touch]
"Tch… zombies, huh?" I muttered, cracking my knuckles.
With a flick of my wrist, flames surged through my hands icy blue. I hurled a concentrated orb straight into the mob.
BOOM.
Half the street was swallowed by the explosion, chunks of asphalt flying into the air. A frozen shockwave rippled through the surroundings, freezing undead in place before the fire burned them to ash.
Gray leapt into the fray, tearing into the survivors with his fangs and shadow-infused claws, moving like a blur.
[+250 XP]
[+300 XP]
[Skill Leveled Up: Frost Flames Lv 55 → 57]
"Hell yeah," I grinned.
But the celebration was short-lived.
The sky darkened further, and a deep guttural howl echoed through the ruined buildings. The remaining undead dropped to their knees, twitching, before their bodies exploded into black mist.
[Mini-Boss Encounter Triggered]
A figure emerged from the cathedral at the city center. A tall, skeletal humanoid with a tattered priest's robe and a pulsing heart of cursed magic in his chest.
[Wretched Cardinal]
Boss enemy – Tier: Elite
Abilities: Blood Sermon, Curse of Obedience, Chain of the Condemned]
"Well… shit," I muttered, eyes narrowing. "Gray, stick close. We're going to need coordination."
The thing raised its staff, and the bells of the ruined cathedral rang out.
Dozens of undead began pouring from the buildings.
[Wave 1 – Survive the horde]
Time: 3:00 Minutes
My gauntlets shimmered, and I activated Reinforce Magic, my body growing tougher. Then, without hesitation, I charged into the horde.
I slammed my fists together, activating the Twin Wolf Gauntlets, their crimson glow pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. Flames burst from my feet as I leapt forward, landing in the middle of the charging undead with an explosive shockwave of Frost Flames.
"Come on, then."
They surrounded me. My Wind Step activated instant movement, 10 meters in a flash. I appeared behind a cluster of wraiths, driving a spear of condensed fire-ice through their chests. Boosted Gear pulsed once more.
BOOST
My power surged. Gray followed up with one of his skills [Shadow Pounce] knocking down three revenants at once and tearing through their throats with precision.
[+250 XP]
[+280 XP]
[Frost Flames Lv 57 → 59]
A flame ignited around my hands as I conjured a rotating vortex of fire and ice.
Skill Created
[Spiral Frostfire Lance – Lv 1/100]
Hurls a condensed rotating projectile of flame and ice. Deals massive damage and applies burn and slow.
I launched it straight at a cluster near the ruined subway entrance.
BOOM!
The impact vaporized half the wave in a flaming, freezing explosion.
[Time Remaining: 0:57 seconds]
The air grew heavier. A massive tolling echoed from the cathedral, and the Wretched Cardinal stepped forward again. But he still didn't attack instead, he raised his staff and chanted in an unknown tongue to me.
Suddenly, the buildings around us flickered, shifting like a mirage. Gray growled low.
Suddenly, the area where we were fighting changing slightly as all the destruction was gone, and now it looked like a normal city.
The fuck is this.
It just looked like a normal city. We stay there like this looking at the scene for a while. I didn't know how long we were here but we just kept watching until in the scene in front of us we saw as some people started getting sick.
Since he came from out of the world, he assumed the dungeon was once another world as well, or at least base on the world that they were looking at right now.
As more and more people started getting sick anarchy started as people started killing each other but a certain figure managed to stop the chaos. The figure looking pretty similar to the dungeon boss.
[Bonus Objective Triggered: Uncover the Curse]
Follow the city's echoes to discover its secret. Reward: ???
I finally manage to moved through the mist now pulsing with magic.
Following the figured of the Wretched Cardinal, I found a ghostly woman kneeling before the cathedral altar. Her voice was a whisper, barely audible.
"He told us salvation would come. That fire and ash would cleanse us of sin. We trusted him… and he fed us to the darkness."
I watched as ghostly chains erupted from the cathedral floor, latching onto her and dragging her into a pit beneath the altar. The vision ended.
And then…
[Curse Uncovered: The Cardinal betrayed the city's faith and sacrificed them to an unknown entity. The city exists in a spiritual loop, tied to his cursed heart.]
Reward Unlocked: Cursepiercer Rune (Epic)
Time Remaining: 0:00
Wave Complete. Boss Phase Initiated.
The Wretched Cardinal let out a scream. His staff lit up with unholy light as he pointed it toward me.
"You saw it, didn't you? My devotion. My sacrifice."
"Yeah," I said, activating Reinforce Magic and coating my fists in Frost Flames.
The battle began with a volley of cursed energy chains shooting from the cathedral's floor. I dove to the side, flicking out a Spiral Frostfire Lance mid-dash. It hit, dealing 8,500 damage and burning away the outer layer of his shield.
Gray flanked from the side, biting at the Cardinal's leg, forcing him to stagger.
I charged, dodging chains and spears of cursed light, and drove a punch straight into the Cardinal's chest.
The Wretched Cardinal screamed, his body convulsing. His cursed heart shattered like glass, and black mist exploded from the wound.
[Wretched Cardinal Defeated]
[Boss Kill Bonus: +10,000 XP]
[Level Up: Boosted Gear Lv 78 → 80]
[Skill Unlocked: Sacred Flame – Lv 1/100]
A flame infused with holy and infernal elements. Effective against cursed, undead, and divine entities.
[Dungeon Cleared: City of the Forgotten]
Rewards Granted:
– Title: Cursebreaker
– Epic Item: Heart of the Forsaken
– +30 Gacha Ticket
– Bonus Reward: Soul Map Fragment (1/3)
As the mist began to lift and the outside portal appeared, I took a deep breath and glanced at Gray, who sat panting beside me, his tail wagging slightly. "Good boy," I muttered, ruffling his fur.
As we both enter the portal.
-later-
As I made it back home, I am nearly gone on my couch as I pulled out trade of food, I bought while coming back home.
As I was eating, I decided to open back my inventory to look at the rewards, I gain during the dungeon.
[Cursebreaker]
Increases resistance to curses and grants bonuses when dealing with cursed enemies or locations. Likely to reduce or negate debuffs tied to dark magic, cursed weapons, or corrupt environments.
[Soul Map Fragment (1/3)]
One of three pieces needed to unlock a special dungeon.
[Heart of the Forsaken] – Epic
The dungeon boss core containing it essence is a good material for a weapon.
[Gacha Roll: commencing]
[Skill Book: Blink Step] – Rare
Teleport a short distance instantly. Max range: 15 meters. No cast time. Cooldown: 8 seconds.
[Perk: Draconic Intimidation] – Rare
Enemies with lower Willpower or Spirit stats are more likely to flee or freeze when confronted. Boosts presence-based intimidation.
[Weapon: Cursed Fang Dagger] – Epic
A black dagger forged from the fang of a soul-eating beast. Inflicts stacking curse damage over time. Greatly amplifies [Devour].
[Mystery Box (Gold)] – ???
A shimmering golden box. Something powerful lies within.
[Skill Book: Mana Drain Field] – Epic
Generates an area that leeches mana from enemies and transfers it to you. Scales with Magic stat. Duration: 10 seconds.
[Item: Black Phoenix Feather] – Legendary
Revives Someone once from death with 40% Health and magic reserves. Cooldown: 30 days.
[Pet Upgrade Stone] – Epic
Used to evolve a summoned companion. Boosts level cap, unlocks new forms and skills.
[Summon Token: ??? Companion] – ???
A mysterious summon bound to you. Must be activated at a Soul Altar or summoning circle. Type and affinity unknown.
[Title: Lone Devourer] – Epic
When fighting solo, [Devour] gains 100% increased absorption speed. You gain +15% magic regeneration per fallen enemy nearby.
[Spell Book: Abyssal Grasp] – Rare
Conjures shadowy hands to immobilize and crush a target. Deals dark magic damage and reduces movement for 6 seconds.
[Potion Bundle: High-Grade Recovery x3, Stat Boost x2]
Health and magic regeneration potions, and temporary +10% boost to a primary stat for 5 minutes.
[Artifact: Pendant of Soulfire] – Epic
Enhances [Sacred Flame] by 50%. Allows it to cleanse curses passively within a small radius.
[Skill Level Tokens] x9
Can be used to instantly raise any skill by 1 level (stackable).
[Blueprint: Flame-Infused Armor Set] – Rare
Allows crafting of a lightweight armor set that boosts fire-based damage and defense.
[Weapon: Twin Blades of Ice and Ash] – Epic
Dual swords bound to frost and flame. Boosts [Frost Flames] by 30% and enables chained combo attacks.
[Pet Skill Book: Alpha Howl] – Rare
Grants a pet the skill to buff nearby allies with increased damage and speed for 10 seconds.
[Perk: Stamina Engine] – Uncommon
Stamina drains 30% slower. Recovers slightly faster out of combat.
[Skill Book: Infernal Surge] – Rare
Temporarily overloads flame-type spells for 50% increased damage. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
As I looked through my rewards, I decided to open the golden box to see what I would get.
[Soulforge – Lv 1/100]
You possess the ability to forge weapons, armor, and artifacts directly from the souls of defeated enemies.
Potentially useful, but I need to learn how to craft weapons to use the skill properly I thought a little irritated.
As I was thinking that gray was currently eating a steak I had bought him when I went out to buy food currently munching on the meat.
Remembering the new item I got [Pet Upgrade Stone] I decided to use observe on him to see his stats and levels to see if I should use it on him or not.
[Gray – Fenrir Pup]
Level: 12 [Level caps at 50]
Species: young Fenrir
Status: Tamed | Bonded
Mood: Happy (Meat Acquired)
Affinity: Shadow/Frost
Loyalty: MAX
Skill: Bite, Shadow Pounce, Howl of Fear, ice bite, shadow bite, enhancement magic
Would you like to use [Pet Upgrade Stone] on Gray now?
[Yes\No]
I clicked on no immediately since he could still gain levels and skills, and there was no need to rush his evolution.
For now, I just kept eating my food as I decided to turn on the TV.
-Ophis-
She could only see the anamaly with some interest.
She usually kept tapped on possessors of longinus when she prepared to observe the new possessor of ddraig she was surprised on her discovery.
Unfortunately, the possessor of the red dragon had died before she managed to reach him, but somebody has stolen the booster gear from him.
And this person had also consume the soul of ddraig. This had gain her interest, she now kept observing this new anamaly.
She might try to recruit him but for now, she will see how far he can go.
XxX
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