"Phew..."
The spacious passage was splattered with scarlet blood. Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf corpses littered the ground, each one horribly mangled. The whole place was a complete mess!
Amid the piles of corpses stood a lone figure. The boy was spattered with blood and clutched a long, bloodied blade, panting for breath.
Once he had steadied his ragged breathing, Cheng Xiaoyu surveyed the carnage around him. His gaze fell on the Demon-Slaying Tool in his hand, its blade covered in cracks, and he shook his head helplessly.
"Just as I thought—it's secondhand junk. This Demon-Slaying Tool is nearly done for. But this should be over soon..."
He murmured to himself, glanced at the spoils he'd collected in the Item Inventory, then looked at the Green Gem in his hand, which was engraved with strange symbols.
He hadn't expected the Return Stone to drop so easily... Should he go back?
But... he might never get another chance to grow stronger so easily. Once he used the Return Stone, the Beginner Dungeon might disappear like a limited-time event in a game.
Should he keep going, or turn back...?
After a moment's thought, Cheng Xiaoyu put the Return Stone back in the Item Inventory. With determination in his eyes, he headed deeper into the darkness.
He continued through the Air-raid Shelter, killing the Demon Beasts that attacked him along the way. His level and stats steadily increased, too.
Come to think of it, aside from giving him night vision, his Shadow Element abilities hadn't been much use. He'd barely used Shadow Evasion at all. He was practically turning into a melee mage.
Even so... he still didn't think his current strength was enough to beat the thing waiting below.
Maybe it was because his Perception had improved, but he could clearly sense the monster down there... It was absolutely terrifying!
After all the fighting along the way, his level had risen to 15.
His Demon-Slaying Tool probably couldn't withstand another battle...
Cheng Xiaoyu didn't hesitate any longer and stepped inside. At this point, he had to take down the final Boss!
As he went farther in, he realized the Air-raid Shelter was enormous. It clearly wasn't the same space as before, and it looked completely different. Green Vines had spread across the old walls, making the place look more like a cave in the wilderness.
Suddenly, something came hurtling through the air. Cheng Xiaoyu's pupils contracted, and he immediately braced himself to defend.
Even so, one blow sent him flying. He slammed hard into the wall, then dropped to the ground.
If he'd had an ordinary human body, that blow would have nearly shattered every bone in his body...
Cheng Xiaoyu clutched his chest in pain and looked at the Demon-Slaying Tool, now broken halfway down the blade. He struggled to his feet.
A gigantic Demon Beast slowly emerged ahead. Its sharp, vertical pupils stood out in the darkness, and its gleaming fangs flashed with a cold light.
A Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf... Not one of the small Magic Wolves he'd fought earlier, but one exactly like the one he'd encountered in the cave before!
The old Cheng Xiaoyu would have run without a second thought. But now, he wanted to try to kill the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf.
No matter what, I have to get stronger!
A vicious glint shone in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes. He gripped the remaining half of his Demon-Slaying Tool and charged, his face twisted into a grimace.
A humanlike scorn flickered in the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf's eyes. But suddenly, the little bug seemed to melt into the darkness and vanish. A moment later, pain shot through its leg. A wound appeared out of nowhere, and blood began to flow.
Cheng Xiaoyu used Shadow Evasion to close in quickly, then slashed the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf's leg with his Demon-Slaying Tool, hoping to limit its speed first.
Even with both its forelegs wounded, the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf reacted quickly. Before Cheng Xiaoyu could turn into a shadow, it swung a paw at him.
"Whoosh!"
Cheng Xiaoyu didn't dodge. He was sent flying and rolled across the ground several times before he could bleed off the force. Then he quickly regained his footing.
"Roar!"
The Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf opened its jaws and roared toward him. Dust flew into the air and surged at Cheng Xiaoyu like an attack.
Cheng Xiaoyu dodged with a sideways leap, then turned into a shadow and put some distance between them. He wouldn't fall for the same move twice.
Seizing the Afterswing after it used Flying Sand and Rolling Stones, Cheng Xiaoyu's arm muscles bulged as he hurled the Demon-Slaying Tool with all his might. The half-blade struck the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf squarely in the eye.
The Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf let out a pained howl and staggered backward, losing a huge portion of its vision.
Taking advantage of the opening, Cheng Xiaoyu rushed forward and leaped up to grab the hilt. He yanked the blade free and landed on its back.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, he drove the Demon-Slaying Tool deep into the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf's back. One stab wasn't enough, so he struck again and again, until the Demon Beast was finally dead.
"Die!"
At last, the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf succumbed to the blood loss from its eye and back, collapsing helplessly into a pool of blood.
[Notification] [Level Up]
Exhausted, Cheng Xiaoyu sat beside the corpse, panting. He looked down at the sleek short sword that had appeared in his hand.
He checked the weapon's description. The short sword had been forged from the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf's fangs. It had a chance to inflict Paralysis and Bleeding, making it a pretty good Demon-Slaying Tool.
That wasn't the only reward. There was also a potion that seemed to boost his abilities. Drinking it would reduce the physical damage he took by 20% and increase his strength by 10%. That was the best reward of all.
[BOSS Defeated] [The Dungeon will return to its original state]
The next second, a strange light washed over the surroundings. The corpses and bloodstains vanished, and the place returned to its original Air-raid Shelter state. It no longer looked as dilapidated and spacious as before.
By the time he left the Air-raid Shelter, dusk had fallen. It was probably already late.
He took out his phone and immediately saw several missed calls and Unread Messages, all from his younger sister, Ye Xinxia. Realizing he was in trouble, he hurried home. It would be better to explain in person.
When he opened the door, Cheng Xiaoyu immediately spotted Ye Xinxia sitting on the sofa. She wore pure white cotton Pajamas, her smooth hair falling over her shoulders.
Hearing the noise at the entrance, she turned around at once. When she saw that parts of her brother's clothes were torn, worry filled her eyes.
"Brother, why are you hurt again?!"
Ye Xinxia looked so anxious that she tried to get up. Cheng Xiaoyu hurried over and helped her back onto the sofa, speaking softly.
"Xinxia, they're just a few scrapes. You don't need to worry."
Ye Xinxia said nothing. She deftly took out the Medical Kit and applied ointment to Cheng Xiaoyu's wounds. She'd done this for him many times before.
Seeing the worried, earnest look on his younger sister's face, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help smiling fondly. It felt good to have a sister who was always looking out for him.
"You're still smiling! Brother, you promised me you wouldn't go back. How could you forget?"
Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu still smiling, Ye Xinxia grew a little angry. She pouted and lightly smacked his arm.
"I did promise you. But we agreed it would be before the New Year, and this isn't within the time we agreed on."
"Come on, Brother, you're so mean!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu laugh so happily, Ye Xinxia couldn't help laughing softly too. No matter what, she believed her brother would always come home safe.
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