Chapter 74: Dungeon Cleared!
Chapter 74
"Shit." That was all Zen could mutter as the goblin twisted the spear in his body, causing another gush of blood to rise up his throat. His mouth filled with the bitter metallic taste, his eyes blurring in and out, his vision fading rapidly from blood loss.
CACKLE!
The beast let out a harsh sound while Zen, impaled on the other end of the spear, fought to hold on. His chest burned, his mouth overflowed with blood, but still he glared at the creature with a mixture of malice, pain, and defiance.
The goblin boss didn’t want to waste another second. With a wicked twist of its wrists, it rotated the spear inside his body once more. Zen’s body convulsed violently, and this time, he coughed out the thick blood clogging his throat.
Kuk, kuk, kuk!
Zen hacked and coughed, spewing mouthfuls and then streaks of blood consecutively, staining the ground beneath him.
’Mu... mum.’ Zen croaked inwardly as his consciousness dimmed further, and from the corner of his eyes, an image appeared. A glowing figure stood before him—his mother.
She shone softly, her arms stretched wide open, a warm smile resting on her beautiful face. Her golden-yellow eyes looked at him with love, and the gentle wind carried her long black hair in slow waves.
"Come to me, son. You’ve done enough already. Let’s go and rest." Her voice was tender, calm, full of warmth that tugged at his fading heart.
’Rest? Come to you? M...mum?!’ Zen’s cracked inner voice trembled, and tears swelled in his eyes. His vision blurred further, though not just from blood loss this time—it was the weight of longing.
The goblin beast yanked the spear from his stomach. Zen stumbled forward, only to be pierced again, the weapon jamming cruelly into his already punctured side. His eyes widened, his body shook violently, and more blood spilled as a system notification flickered before him.
{-20HP}
{HP: 21/65}
Kuk!
"Come on, son. Kindly give up and let’s rest together," his mother’s voice urged again. Tears streamed down Zen’s cheeks, but this time, instead of surrender, something else stirred inside him.
His hands locked tightly around the spear. He refused to let it move even an inch. His teeth clenched as he lifted his head, and with blood dripping from his lips, he smiled—not a smile of despair, but of resolve.
"It’s not my time to die today. Today is the day I become something more... something powerful... something feared by all, including this weakling in front of me." Zen’s voice was raw, shaking, but filled with unyielding determination. Slowly, with trembling legs and bleeding wounds, he forced himself upright.
The goblin snarled and yanked hard, trying to pull the spear free, but no matter how much strength it poured into the effort, the weapon wouldn’t budge. For the first time, the beast felt its confidence falter. Fear—sharp and unfamiliar snaked into its chest.
Without hesitation, it resorted to savagery. The goblin hammered its foot against Zen’s body repeatedly, each strike thundering into his ribs, his chest, his side. Blood poured freely, but Zen refused to let go. Step by agonizing step, he rose fully upright, never once releasing his grip.
"Today is not the day I die, Mum! I miss you, but I can’t come to you right now! Your son still has a task to accomplish!" Zen roared, his words carrying a strength far beyond his failing body. His roar drowned out the pain, the fear, and even the beast’s frantic cackles.
With a feral snarl of his own, Zen smashed his elbow against the spear gripped in his blood-soaked hands.
CRACK!
The weapon shuddered, splintering under the force. The goblin, startled, swung its leg toward Zen’s face in panic. But contrary to its expectations, Zen’s hand shot up. His arm, bloodied yet unyielding, blocked the strike. The force landed, but he didn’t flinch.
For the first time, it was no longer the goblin’s fight to win.
Zen turned his gaze away from the beast and instead looked straight at the glowing image of his mother floating a few metres ahead. His chest heaved, his blood dripped freely, but in his eyes was no despair. Only fire.
"I’m sorry, Mum. But your son is now a Reaver, and I must finish my task. My mission—my main mission is to get back to reality, right now." Zen’s voice was calm yet unwavering. "And I refuse to let the game or the game lord have the last laugh."
And as he spoke, he watched his mother’s image smile warmly before her body slowly disintegrated into thin air. She waved at him one last time.
"Bye, sunshine."
"Bye, Mum... for now," Zen whispered.
Right on cue, the goblin boss released the spear in sheer terror. Its breath grew ragged as panic overtook its senses, and it frantically scanned the entire chamber for a path to escape. But the room felt smaller now, the walls closing in, and its choices were vanishing by the second.
It didn’t have the luxury of carefully picking a route—its instincts screamed at it to flee. Muscles coiled, it attempted to bolt.
"You aren’t going anywhere," Zen said coldly, his tone carrying the weight of a death sentence. His bloodied hand clamped the spear lodged in his body. With a grunt, he tugged it out in one swift pull. "Argh!" His cry of pain echoed as blood streamed from the wound.
{-5HP}
{HP: 16/65}
"Ahhhhhh!" Zen roared, fury overtaking agony. He seized the spear, turned on his heel, and hurled it with every ounce of strength left in his battered frame. The air shrieked as the weapon tore through it, whistling like a predator closing in on prey.
The goblin, halfway through its escape, turned its head just in time to see the inevitable. Its eyes widened in dread, and before it could move, the spear pierced straight through its abdomen.
Flesh ripped, bone cracked, and the weapon tore a gaping hole through its torso, jutting out the other side with grotesque finality.
Zen’s lips curled into a bloodstained grin. "Time to test this skill on you."
{Skill: Phantom Edge Activated}
Instantly, Zen’s sword glowed with a pale white energy that shimmered violently, pulsing as if hungry for blood. Without hesitation, he let loose his thirty-one agility stat points, his body exploding into motion. His feet slammed into the cracked floor, launching him forward with blistering speed. The air itself seemed to snap in his wake.
The goblin writhed in agony, impaled and barely clinging to life. On its knees now, it tried to crawl away, blood pouring heavily from its ruined abdomen, staining the dungeon floor in dark rivers. Its claws scraped desperately against the stone, but every inch forward was a struggle.
BAM!
Zen’s blade cut into its back in a savage diagonal slash, the sound of tearing flesh ripping through the chamber. The sword bit five inches deep, ripping open a bloody wound. The goblin shrieked in anguish as Zen leaped back instantly, his glowing sword ready for more.
"Now, system... do your thing," Zen hissed under his breath.
A second later, the air trembled, and an invisible strike crashed down from nowhere, slamming into the exact spot Zen had wounded.
BANG!
The phantom slash carved deeper, driving into the goblin’s exposed spine. Bone cracked, marrow splintered, and the beast’s body contorted grotesquely as the force split its back nearly in half.
{Skill: Phantom Edge successfully used}
{Skill is now on cooldown!}
{Cooldown time limit: 2 minutes}
Tring!
{Quest Completed! Dungeon Cleared}
{Rewards will now be distributed...}
{Personal message from the system: I’m shocked. Looks like you aren’t dying anytime soon. But trust me, you will.}
"Screw you!" Zen bellowed into the air, his voice echoing with rage and defiance.
His legs gave out, and he dropped heavily to his knees. His chest heaved, his wounds burned, and his body screamed in exhaustion. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs, but despite it all, Zen’s eyes still carried that flicker of unbreakable resolve.