Chapter 85: The Gravehorn Reaper Has Arrived (part 1)

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Gravehorn Reaper Has Arrived (part 1)

Suldun stopped walking. His eyes narrowed.

"There."

A pair of crimson eyes suddenly appeared between the trees.

Then another.

And another.

Within seconds, several pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the mist.

Suldun’s expression became serious.

A low growl echoed through the forest.

The next moment, five enormous creatures burst from the mist.

They were Gravefang Beasts.

Their bodies were large and heavily built, resembling massive predators whose flesh had long since decayed. Exposed bones covered portions of their bodies, while jagged spines extended from their shoulders along their backs.

Their elongated skulls were dominated by two enormous curved fangs, and dark death energy constantly leaked from their bodies.

The five undead beasts spread out almost immediately.

They did not charge blindly.

Two moved toward Suldun from the front while the remaining three circled around him, attempting to surround him.

Suldun’s eyes flashed with surprise.

"A new kind of monster?"

He immediately adjusted his stance. The first Gravefang Beast lunged.

Its enormous jaws opened wide as it attempted to tear Suldun apart.

Suldun shifted his body to the side.

The beast’s claws slammed into the ground where he had been standing, sending dirt and dead grass flying through the air.

Suldun swung his sword.

Slash!

His blade struck the creature’s side, cutting through rotten flesh and exposing part of its ribs.

The Gravefang Beast staggered but did not fall.

Instead, it twisted its body and swung its tail toward him.

Suldun quickly raised his sword.

Bang!

The impact forced him several steps backward.

"So they’re tougher than they look."

The second Gravefang Beast attacked from behind.

Suldun sensed it at the last moment.

He ducked.

A massive claw passed over his head. Suldun immediately kicked the creature’s knee.

The force of the blow made the undead beast stumble, and he followed with a horizontal slash across its neck.

A large portion of the beast’s neck was severed.

Yet it still did not die.

Dark energy gathered around its wound, slowly attempting to reconnect the damaged bones and flesh.

Suldun’s expression changed.

"Regeneration?"

The other three beasts attacked at the same time.

One came from his left. Another charged from the right.

The third leaped over them, aiming directly for his head.

Suldun’s body moved before he even consciously thought about it.

He stepped backward, allowing the first beast to pass in front of him, then twisted his body and struck the second beast with the flat of his blade.

The impact sent it crashing into a dead tree.

The third beast landed where Suldun had been standing.

Suldun immediately drove his sword downward.

The blade pierced through the beast’s shoulder and pinned it against the ground.

The creature violently struggled.

Suldun pulled his sword free and finished it with another strike.

The undead beast’s body collapsed.

For the first time, one of the Gravefang Beasts stopped moving.

Suldun looked at the remaining four.

"Four left."

He wiped a small amount of black blood from the edge of his sword.

The beasts growled, then they attacked again. The battle continued through the dead forest.

Unlike the monsters on the first floor, the Gravefang Beasts were much more aggressive and much harder to kill. Their physical strength was considerable, and their regeneration allowed them to continue fighting even after suffering wounds that would have incapacitated an ordinary monster.

However, Suldun was simply too experienced. He quickly adapted to their movements.

Whenever one beast attacked, he used its momentum against it. When another attempted to circle behind him, he changed his position before it could close the distance. He avoided their jaws and claws while continuously looking for openings.

Still, the five beasts were not completely helpless.

One managed to bite into his sleeve and nearly caught his arm.

Another forced him to leap over a fallen tree to avoid being crushed.

A third struck his shoulder with its claws, leaving several shallow wounds.

Suldun landed several meters away and glanced at the blood slowly running down his arm.

He frowned.

"They actually managed to injure me."

His expression became more focused.

He had already realized that this floor was completely different from the first.

The monsters were stronger, the environment itself seemed to favor them.

Even the death energy in the air appeared to be slowly restoring their strength.

Suldun lowered his stance.

"Then I can’t waste any more time."

His sword began to glow.

---

Several minutes later, they were both lying motionless among the dead grass.

The forest became silent once again.

Suldun stood in the middle of the battlefield, breathing slightly harder than before.

Five Gravefang Beasts had been defeated.

He looked down at the wounds on his arm and shoulder before glancing at the bodies.

"I can’t believe I got injured."

He had expected the second floor to be difficult, but these monsters had proven more troublesome than the creatures on the first floor.

Still, they were not enough to stop him.

Suldun sheathed his sword for a moment and looked deeper into the forest.

"There’s more."

He could feel it.

It was as if something enormous was slowly approaching through the mist.

Suldun’s eyes narrowed.

The ground suddenly trembled.

Thump.

He froze.

Another tremor followed.

Thump.

The sound was slow and heavy. Suldun immediately drew his sword again.

The flames returned to the blade. The mist ahead began to move.

A gigantic silhouette slowly emerged between the dead trees.

At first, Suldun could only see two enormous black horns.

They curved backward like the twisted branches of an ancient dead tree.

Then the creature stepped forward. The ground shook beneath its weight.

A massive undead beast emerged from the mist.

Its face was an exposed skull.

Two enormous black horns rose from either side of its head, forming a terrifying crown.

Suldun’s expression became solemn.

The creature lowered its head. Its crimson eyes locked onto him.

The pressure alone was enough to make the surrounding trees tremble.

Back in the throne room, Ragnar leaned forward slightly.

"There it is."

Kaelira’s golden eyes narrowed as she observed the monster.

"The Gravehorn Reaper."

Veyra remained silent.

Her eyes were fixed on Suldun.

On the floating screen, the Level 35 warrior stood alone in the dead forest, facing the Level 20 mini boss.