Chapter 288: Fighting the Dungeon Boss [Bonus - ]

Chapter 288: Fighting the Dungeon Boss [Bonus Chapter]

The rumbling intensified as Solomon walked out onto the shifting dunes. The perspective had shifted entirely. While a few of the sandstone mountains still loomed taller than his new giant form, the vast desert no longer felt like an endless world. It simply felt like a massive, open combat arena.

In the distance, the colossal sandworm breached the surface. The beast tore straight through a sandstone mountain, splitting the peak apart as it swam through the earth with terrifying velocity.

Even with his giant transformation, the sandworm was still significantly larger than Solomon. From his current perspective, the charging beast looked exactly like a commercial airplane hurtling directly toward him.

Solomon tapped the base of the spear against the sand a few times to test its weight. He gripped the shaft tightly with both hands and immediately dropped into a low, defensive stance, keeping his silver eyes locked on the approaching dust cloud.

However, just when the beast was a few hundred feet away, the violent rumbling abruptly stopped. The sandworm dove deep beneath the dunes, disappearing entirely from sight.

The desert fell dead silent.

A split second later, the sand directly beneath Solomon’s boots exploded upward. The sandworm erupted from the earth, launching Solomon high into the air. The beast unhinged its circular jaws, peeling its mouth back like a blooming flower of razor-sharp teeth, fully intending to gulp the giant teenager down whole.

Solomon did not panic. He immediately regained his mid-air balance, twisting his torso to angle his descent. He thrust the serrated spear downward, aiming directly into the center of the sandworm’s gaping maw.

Sensing the lethal threat, the beast snapped its jaws shut just before the spear could connect. It twisted its massive body and dove back beneath the dunes, swimming away into the darkness as Solomon landed heavily on the sand.

Solomon chuckled, resting the spear across his broad shoulders. "That same trick is not going to work twice," he muttered. "Do you honestly think I am a mindless beast like that centipede you ate earlier?"

He aggressively tapped the butt of the spear against the sand, sending rhythmic vibrations into the earth to actively provoke the monster. "Come out and fight me!" Solomon shouted, hurling a string of colorful insults at the dunes as if the beast could actually understand him.

The beast did not charge blindly. It continued swimming beneath the surface, occasionally breaching the sand far in the distance to circle Solomon’s position. It was clearly gauging his reflexes, calculating his reach, and preparing for a coordinated strike.

Just then, a shadow blotted out the moonlight.

Solomon looked up just in time to see the entire top half of a sandstone mountain flying directly at his head. He dove to the side, tumbling across the dunes as the colossal boulder crashed into the sand where he had just been standing, kicking up a blinding cloud of dust.

Solomon pushed himself up, coughing and thoroughly confused. He looked toward the jagged mountain range. ’Did that worm just use its body to bat a mountain at me?’ he wondered, tightening his grip on the spear. ’It is definitely using the environment to its advantage.’

The sandworm erupted from the dunes on his left flank, whipping its massive, spike-covered body toward him like a spiked club.

Solomon ducked beneath the sweeping attack, the jagged thorns grazing the fabric of his makeshift toga. He spun around and drove the serrated spear directly into the beast’s thick hide.

The multi-tipped spear pierced the tough armor, tearing a deep gash as Solomon yanked it free. The beast shrieked, an agonizing roar that vibrated the very air.

Realizing the human was a legitimate threat, the monster became significantly more cautious. It stopped relying on brute-force ambushes and began utilizing different tactics. The sandworm dove beneath the surface and began swimming in rapid, tight circles around Solomon’s position, creating a huge whirlpool of sinking sand.

Solomon felt the ground giving way beneath his boots. The loose powder dragged him downward toward the crushing vortex at the center.

’I cannot fight it if I am buried alive,’ Solomon quickly analyzed, struggling to maintain his footing. He needed to force the beast out of the whirlpool.

He stopped fighting the sinking sand. Instead, he channeled a massive surge of his silver aura directly into fists. Utilizing the explosive power of his giant form, he bounded off the sinking powder and launched himself straight up into the air, clearing the edge of the vortex entirely.

While airborne, Solomon spotted the dark silhouette of the sandworm swimming just beneath the surface of the whirlpool. He flipped the heavy spear in his hands, pointing the serrated tip downward.

"Let us see how you like being fished out!" Solomon roared.

He plummeted toward the desert floor, driving the spear down with all his might. The weapon pierced the sand and sank deep into the beast’s submerged spine.

The sandworm shrieked as Solomon dragged its massive bulk onto the solid bedrock of the canyon. Stripped of its ability to swim through the loose dunes, the beast thrashed wildly, its jagged, tooth-like thorns scraping against the stone and kicking up a blinding cloud of sparks and dust.

Solomon ripped the serrated spear from the beast’s spine, taking a quick step back as the monster coiled itself into a defensive, towering spiral.

The sandworm unhinged its circular jaws, but instead of lunging forward to bite, a sickening gurgle echoed from its throat. A high-pressure geyser of corrosive, emerald-green acid erupted from its maw, spraying across the canyon in a wide arc.

Solomon widened his eyes. He channeled his silver aura into his weapon and utilized the evasive footwork of the Azure Crane Blade, vaulting backward just as the acid splashed against the bedrock. The stone instantly hissed and melted, bubbling into toxic puddles.

’It is not just a physical brawler,’ Solomon realized, adjusting his grip on the spear. ’It has ranged attacks.’

"I was at an advantage because I could fight it with the spear without getting close to it... but now... I can’t even get anywhere near the radius of its acid attacks." Solomon made some distance between them. "I have to defeat it before I lose the power of the giant."