Chapter 199: Dungeon Run VII
Kaiser immediately stopped.
"Everyone, stay alert."
The ground beneath the stone structure began to shake.
A massive serpent slowly emerged from a hole in front of the structure. Its body was covered in dark green scales, and its enormous head rose several meters above the ground. Unlike the other serpents they had encountered, it possessed several pairs of glowing yellow eyes arranged along the sides of its head.
Thick poisonous energy flowed around its body, forming a green aura that spread throughout the clearing.
A notification appeared before Kaiser’s eyes.
[Boss Monster Detected!]
[Name: Myriad Poison Serpent King]
[Rank: 4]
[Level: 500]
[Type: Serpent Monster]
[Description: The ruler of the Myriad Serpent Abode. It possesses powerful physical abilities and can manipulate several forms of poison. Its poisonous energy can contaminate the surrounding environment, making prolonged battles extremely dangerous.]
Kaiser finished reading the notification and frowned slightly.
"So this is the final boss."
Alex stared at the enormous serpent, tightening his grip on his jade-green greatsword.
"Level 500? No wonder the academy assigned us a Rank 4 dungeon. This thing is much stronger than the minibosses."
"Don’t let its size intimidate you," Kaiser replied. "We only need to defeat it using our Rules. Focus on supporting each other, and don’t take unnecessary risks."
John, Henrick, and Pascot nodded.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King lowered its enormous head and stared at the five students. Its multiple yellow eyes glowed as it opened its mouth, revealing several rows of sharp fangs.
A moment later, it released a deafening hiss.
The poisonous mist covering the clearing suddenly surged toward them.
"Move!"
The students immediately scattered.
The green mist swept across the ground, engulfing the area where they had been standing. Several plants withered almost instantly, and even the stones began to change color under the influence of the poison.
Kaiser retreated toward the side of the clearing while gathering the power of Shattered Soul.
’Its poison is much stronger than the Venom Sage Serpent’s. We need to avoid direct contact.’
The boss raised its head and released several streams of poisonous liquid from its mouth. The attacks shot toward the students like arrows, striking the ground and exploding into clouds of toxic vapor.
Alex summoned his jade vines and infused them with Blood Sap, using them to pull himself away from the incoming attacks. John and Henrick manipulated their shadows to redirect several poisonous projectiles, while Pascot concealed his movements and searched for an opening.
However, the Myriad Poison Serpent King was far more dangerous than any opponent they had faced so far.
Its enormous tail swept across the clearing, destroying several stone pillars and forcing the students to retreat again.
Kaiser watched its movements carefully.
’We can’t approach it recklessly. We need to find a way to restrict its movements before we can attack its weak points.’
He raised his hand and concentrated the Shatter aspect of Shattered Soul.
Black energy gathered around his fingers as he aimed at the scales covering the serpent’s head.
A burst of energy shot forward.
CRACK!
A small fracture appeared on one of the scales.
However, the damage was insignificant compared to the monster’s enormous body.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King immediately turned its attention toward Kaiser.
Its multiple eyes narrowed, and its enormous head rushed toward him with surprising speed.
Kaiser quickly moved aside.
The serpent’s jaws snapped shut where he had been standing, producing a loud sound that echoed throughout the clearing.
Kaiser felt a chill run down his spine.
’That was close.’
He had no intention of discovering what would happen if those fangs pierced his body.
The boss raised its head again, preparing another attack.
Alex immediately rushed forward, swinging his jade-green greatsword toward the serpent’s lower jaw.
BOOM!
The attack struck the monster’s scales, but the damage was limited.
Even so, it successfully diverted the serpent’s attention away from Kaiser.
"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Alex shouted.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King turned toward him and released another furious hiss.
Kaiser took advantage of the distraction and moved toward its flank.
If they wanted to defeat this boss, they would have to work together and gradually weaken its defenses.
And unlike the previous battles, a single mistake could cost them far more than a few minutes of progress.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King focused its attention on Alex and lunged toward him.
Its enormous jaws opened wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs covered in poisonous liquid.
Alex immediately jumped backward while pulling his jade-green greatsword across his body.
The serpent’s jaws snapped shut, missing him by a narrow margin. Its head slammed into the ground, creating a small crater and sending dirt flying in every direction.
Before the monster could pull back, Alex thrust his free hand forward.
"Blood Sap!"
Greenish-red energy flowed through the jade vines spreading across the ground. The vines rapidly thickened and shot toward the serpent’s head, wrapping around its lower jaw and neck.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King struggled against the restraints and released a furious hiss.
Alex’s expression changed when he noticed the vines beginning to wither.
"Damn! Its poison can even affect my Blood Sap-enhanced vines!"
The vines had become considerably stronger after being infused with his Rule, but they couldn’t completely resist the boss’s poisonous energy.
Alex immediately summoned more vines to reinforce the existing restraints.
"John, Henrick! I need your help!"
John and Henrick reacted immediately.
Their shadows spread across the clearing, merging beneath the serpent’s enormous body. Several shadowy tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped around its tail, attempting to restrict its movements.
For a moment, the Myriad Poison Serpent King was unable to move freely.
"Now, Kaiser!" Alex shouted.
Kaiser didn’t waste the opportunity.
He rushed toward the serpent’s flank with the Radiant Sword of Light in his hand. Golden light illuminated the surrounding poisonous mist as he concentrated the Shatter aspect of Shattered Soul along the blade.
Rather than attacking the monster’s thick scales randomly, he focused on the small fracture he had created earlier.
The golden sword struck the damaged scale.
CRACK!
The fracture spread, breaking apart a small section of the serpent’s armor.
Kaiser immediately followed with another strike, directing the power of Shattered Soul into the same area.
CRACK!
Several more scales shattered, exposing the flesh beneath.
However, the Myriad Poison Serpent King suddenly twisted its enormous body.
Its tail swept toward Kaiser with terrifying force.
Kaiser immediately retreated, but the tail moved faster than he had expected.
BANG!
The attack struck the ground beside him, sending a shockwave through the clearing. Kaiser was forced to jump backward to avoid losing his balance.
At the same time, the serpent released another burst of poisonous mist.
The green cloud spread rapidly, forcing Alex, John, and Henrick to withdraw their restraints before they were destroyed by the poison.
Pascot, who had been waiting for an opportunity to attack, was also forced to abandon his approach.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King finally freed itself.
It raised its head and released a deafening hiss, its multiple yellow eyes glowing with anger.
Kaiser landed beside a stone pillar and glanced at his teammates.
"Everyone, keep your distance when it releases that poisonous mist! We can’t afford to let our Rules become ineffective before we finish it!"
Alex nodded while retreating to a safer position.
"Understood! But how are we supposed to keep it restrained when its poison destroys everything we use to bind it?"
Kaiser looked at the serpent’s body.
’The poison is the biggest problem. Its physical strength is troublesome, but we can handle that by working together. The real difficulty is keeping it in one place long enough to attack its weak points.’
He carefully observed the monster as it moved across the clearing.
Although its scales provided strong protection, the serpent still had to move its body whenever it attacked. Its head and neck were particularly active, while its enormous tail constantly shifted to maintain balance.
Every movement created brief openings.
The problem was taking advantage of those openings without getting caught in its poisonous attacks.
"John, Henrick, don’t try to restrain its entire body," Kaiser said. "Focus on its tail whenever it prepares to attack. Even slowing it down for a moment will help."
He then turned toward Alex.
"Use your vines to restrict its head whenever it lowers it. Don’t try to hold it for too long. Just create an opening for me."
Alex understood what Kaiser was planning.
"You want to attack the same weak points again?"
"Exactly. Its defenses are strong, but they aren’t impossible to break. We just need to concentrate our attacks instead of wasting energy."
The three students nodded.
Meanwhile, the Myriad Poison Serpent King lowered its head and began gathering poisonous energy inside its mouth.
A dense green glow appeared between its fangs.
Kaiser immediately recognized that something dangerous was coming.
"Scatter!"
The five students moved in different directions.
A moment later, the serpent released a massive stream of poisonous liquid.
The attack swept across the clearing, destroying everything in its path. Several stone pillars crumbled, and the ground was covered in bubbling green liquid.
Alex narrowly avoided the attack by pulling himself behind a large tree with his jade vines.
John and Henrick used their shadows to move away from the affected area, while Pascot disappeared into the darkness between the trees.
Kaiser was the last to retreat.
He watched the poisonous stream pass in front of him before moving toward the serpent’s flank again.
’Its attacks are powerful, but they also require it to focus on a particular direction. If we can exploit that, we should be able to get close.’
The serpent raised its head after releasing the attack.
Before it could prepare another one, Alex launched his next move.
"Blood Sap!"
Numerous jade vines erupted from the ground around the serpent’s neck. Rather than wrapping around its entire body, they concentrated on its head and lower jaw.
The serpent immediately tried to release another burst of poison.
However, the vines pulled its head downward, disrupting its aim.
John and Henrick simultaneously extended their shadows around its tail, slowing its movements.
"Now, Kaiser!"
Kaiser rushed forward.
This time, he didn’t aim for the serpent’s head.
Instead, he targeted the exposed scales along its neck, where his previous attack had already damaged its defenses.
He raised the Radiant Sword of Light and concentrated the Shatter aspect on its edge.
Black energy gathered around the golden blade.
"Shattered Soul!"
The sword struck the damaged scales.
CRACK!
The fractures spread farther than before, exposing a larger section of the serpent’s neck.
Kaiser immediately attacked again.
CRACK!
More scales broke apart.
The Myriad Poison Serpent King roared and violently twisted its body. Its poisonous energy surged outward, destroying the vines around its head and forcing John and Henrick to withdraw their shadows.
But Kaiser had already achieved his objective.
A considerable section of the serpent’s defenses had been damaged.
He quickly retreated before the monster could retaliate.
The serpent raised its head and stared at him with all its yellow eyes. Its body trembled as poisonous energy gathered around its neck.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
’It seems I’ve finally managed to damage it properly.’
However, the monster wasn’t going to give them another easy opportunity.
Its entire body suddenly began glowing green.
The poisonous mist covering the clearing was drawn toward it, gathering around its scales and forming a dense layer of energy armor.
Kaiser immediately sensed the change.
’It’s strengthening its defenses with poison energy?’
The Myriad Poison Serpent King raised its enormous head and released a roar that shook the surrounding trees.
Then it charged.
Its movements were considerably faster than before, and the poisonous energy surrounding its body left a trail of green mist behind it.
Kaiser quickly moved aside, but the serpent abruptly changed direction, sweeping its head toward him.
He raised the Radiant Sword of Light and concentrated Shattered Soul along its edge.
CLANG!
The sword collided with the serpent’s scales.
The impact forced Kaiser backward, and his arms trembled from the tremendous force.
More importantly, the Shatter aspect failed to break through the reinforced defenses.
Kaiser glanced at the green energy covering the serpent’s body.
’So it can strengthen its defenses by gathering poisonous energy. That explains why its scales became so difficult to damage.’
The serpent continued pressing forward.
Kaiser retreated while searching for another opening, but the monster’s enhanced speed made it difficult to escape its attacks completely.
A powerful gust swept across the clearing as its tail came crashing down.
Kaiser narrowly avoided the strike, only to find the serpent’s head rushing toward him again.
Before he could reposition himself, a thick jade vine wrapped around his waist and pulled him sideways.
BOOM!
The serpent’s jaws snapped shut where Kaiser had been standing.
Alex had rescued him at the last moment.
"Are you alright?" Alex shouted.
"I’m fine," Kaiser replied as the vine lowered him to the ground. "Thanks."
He looked toward the Myriad Poison Serpent King, which was now turning its attention toward Alex.
The situation had become more dangerous.
The boss had strengthened both its defenses and its speed, making it much harder to approach. If they continued fighting without finding a way to deal with its poisonous armor, their attacks would accomplish very little.
Kaiser tightened his grip on the Radiant Sword of Light.
’There must be a limit to how much poisonous energy it can gather. We just need to figure out how to break through that defense.’
He glanced at his teammates.
"Keep moving and avoid its attacks! Don’t waste your energy trying to overpower it directly."
Alex nodded and raised his greatsword.
John and Henrick spread their shadows across the clearing, while Pascot began moving between the trees again.
The five students prepared for the next exchange.
Their first attempt had revealed the boss’s weakness, but they had also discovered that the Myriad Poison Serpent King possessed another dangerous ability.
To defeat it, they would need to adapt once more.