Chapter 87: Suldun Vs. Veyra (part 1)

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Suldun Vs. Veyra (part 1)

The flames surrounding his blade suddenly expanded.

For a brief moment, the sword looked as if it had transformed into a blade of pure fire.

Suldun swung downward, and a massive crescent of crimson flames tore through the air.

The attack struck the Gravehorn Reaper directly in the chest.

Boom!

The enormous undead beast was pushed backward.

The flaming slash cut through its ribs and struck directly into the empty cavity where the dark purple flame burned.

The death energy surrounding the monster erupted violently.

The Gravehorn Reaper attempted to regenerate.

Its bones began moving, the flesh around the wound started to reform. But the crimson flames continued burning through the death energy.

The purple flame inside its chest flickered, then it went out.

The Gravehorn Reaper’s enormous body froze.

A few seconds later, it collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Boom!

The forest became silent.

Suldun stood several meters away, his sword still surrounded by fading flames.

He watched the monster’s body carefully.

The Gravehorn Reaper did not move.

Its death energy was rapidly disappearing, and without the purple flame inside its chest, its regeneration had completely stopped.

Suldun slowly lowered his sword.

"That was close."

He looked at the massive corpse.

"If I hadn’t found the source of its regeneration, this could have taken much longer."

He had used three of his five skills.

Flame Edge.

Burning Body.

Inferno Slash.

He still had two skills remaining, both of them fire-based, but he had not needed to reveal them.

----

Back in the throne room, Ragnar stared at the floating screen in silence.

Kaelira’s golden eyes remained fixed on Suldun.

"He defeated the Gravehorn Reaper."

Ragnar nodded.

"Yeah."

The battle had been short, but that was exactly what made it impressive. Suldun had not simply overwhelmed the Gravehorn Reaper with raw power. He had observed its abilities, identified the source of its regeneration, and then used the right combination of skills to end the fight before the monster could prolong the battle.

Veyra, however, was smiling faintly.

"My lord."

Ragnar glanced at her.

"I know what you’re thinking."

Veyra’s smile widened slightly.

"Then you already know what I am going to ask."

Ragnar sighed.

"You want to fight him."

"Yes."

Veyra looked at the floating screen.

"That human is much stronger than I expected. I would like to test his strength myself."

----

Suldun did not immediately leave after defeating the Gravehorn Reaper. Instead, he crouched beside the enormous corpse and began examining it carefully.

A dungeon this dangerous was unlikely to contain monsters that were completely worthless after death, and his years as an adventurer had taught him that valuable materials could often be found on powerful monsters.

He removed several pieces of the Gravehorn Reaper’s bones, carefully selecting the densest sections that contained the greatest concentration of death energy.

The black horns were especially valuable. Even after the monster had been defeated, they remained hard enough to resist ordinary weapons, and Suldun could sense a strange energy still lingering within them.

He also collected several pieces of its hide and the dark purple crystal that had formed around the center of its chest after its internal flame disappeared.

"This alone should sell for quite a bit."

Suldun placed the materials into his storage ring.

He then glanced around the forest.

The dead trees, the thick death energy, and the monsters he had encountered had already convinced him that this dungeon was far more valuable than he had expected when he first entered.

He had already obtained several useful monster materials.

And, most importantly, he had obtained an enchanted sword from the goblin village.

Suldun looked at the sword hanging at his waist.

The weapon was considerably better than the sword he had entered the dungeon with. He had originally intended to investigate the dungeon, gather whatever valuable materials he could find, and leave before encountering anything beyond his ability to handle.

Now he was beginning to wonder if he should actually continue.

"Should I keep going?"

Suldun rubbed his chin as he thought.

He had already gained far more than expected. If he returned to Lufast City now, the materials and enchanted weapon alone would make the trip worthwhile.

Of course the deeper part of the dungeon would contain something even better. But the deeper he went, the more dangerous the monsters would become.

He had already fought the Gravehorn Reaper.

Continuing deeper might mean encountering something even more troublesome.

Suldun slowly stood.

"Maybe I should leave while I can."

He turned toward the direction he had come from.

Then a woman’s voice suddenly echoed through the dead forest.

"Human, why the rush to leave?"

Suldun froze.

The voice was calm, there was no hostility in it.

Yet the moment he heard it, every instinct in his body screamed at him to be careful.

The voice continued.

"Let’s fight first. Entertain me for a while."

Suldun’s hand immediately moved toward his sword.

His eyes swept across the forest.

"Who’s there?"

A figure slowly emerged from the mist. Suldun’s pupils contracted.

A woman, no a monster.

At first glance, there was nothing monstrous about her appearance.

She looked like a beautiful woman dressed in dark clothing, with a horn. However, the moment Suldun sensed her aura, his expression changed completely.

The pressure surrounding her was nothing like the monsters he had fought on the first floor.

It was not even comparable to the Gravehorn Reaper.

The flames surrounding her body were faint, but they carried a terrifying heat that made the surrounding death energy distort.

Suldun stared at her for several seconds. He had never seen a monster like this before.

"An intelligent monster..."

His grip tightened around his sword.

"This is my first time seeing one."

Veyra smiled faintly.

"Then congratulations. You just found one."

Suldun’s expression remained serious. He took a slow breath and forced himself to calm down.

His instincts were screaming at him, extreme danger.

Every part of his body was telling him that fighting this monster was a terrible idea.

Yet he also understood that running might not be an option.

If this woman had wanted to attack him immediately, she could have done so before revealing herself. Instead, she had appeared directly in front of him and openly challenged him.