Chapter 196: Dunegon Run IV

Kaiser tightened his grip on the Radiant Sword of Light.

He wasn’t particularly skilled in close combat. Even after spending a hundred years in his class trial world, he had focused more on developing his abilities and learning how to command his undead than on mastering swordsmanship.

However, that didn’t mean he was completely helpless in melee combat.

He had fought enough battles to understand basic positioning, timing, and how to avoid wasting movements. More importantly, his powerful soul allowed him to control Shattered Soul with greater precision than most people could manage at such a low comprehension level.

He could use the Soul aspect to inflict direct damage, but he deliberately refrained from relying on it.

For now, he wanted to understand how the Shatter aspect interacted with physical defenses.

The Twinblade Serpent Warrior hissed angrily and charged at him again.

This time, Kaiser didn’t retreat immediately.

He watched the monster’s shoulders and tail, looking for signs of its next movement.

The serpent warrior thrust its sword forward.

Kaiser turned sideways and let the blade pass close to his body. At the same time, he swung his Radiant Sword of Light toward the monster’s wrist.

The monster attempted to pull its arm back, but Kaiser had already released a concentrated burst of Shattered Soul.

CRACK!

The energy struck the injured area, causing the scales around its wrist to fracture further.

The monster’s grip loosened.

Kaiser twisted his body and struck the sword with the flat of his golden blade.

CLANG!

The poisoned weapon flew out of the monster’s hand and landed several meters away.

For the first time since the battle began, the Twinblade Serpent Warrior was completely disarmed.

"Now!" Kaiser shouted.

Alex immediately rushed forward.

His jade-green greatsword glowed as he poured more Blood Sap energy into it. The vines woven into the weapon grew denser, reinforcing its structure until it resembled a massive sword made from green jade.

He swung it toward the monster’s chest.

The Twinblade Serpent Warrior crossed its arms to block the attack.

BOOM!

The impact forced it backward, and several scales broke apart.

Before it could recover, John extended his shadows around its tail. Henrick reinforced the binding, while Pascot emerged from the darkness behind the monster and struck its injured back with a concentrated shadow attack.

The combined assault finally restricted its movements.

The serpent warrior roared and released another burst of poisonous energy, but this time, the students were prepared.

John and Henrick used their shadows to slow the spread of the mist, while Alex pulled his vines back to avoid letting them be corroded.

Kaiser stepped forward.

He raised the Radiant Sword of Light and gathered Shattered Soul’s energy around its edge. Black patterns spread across the golden blade as he concentrated on the cracks already covering the monster’s chest.

He could feel the difference between the two aspects more clearly now.

The Soul aspect attacked the spiritual structure of a target, making it especially effective against beings with souls. The Shatter aspect, however, was more versatile in a different way. It could interfere with physical defenses and energy barriers, allowing him to break through protections that might otherwise resist his attacks.

At his current level of comprehension, he couldn’t yet use it freely against anything he wanted. He needed to focus his energy, identify a weak point, and maintain control long enough for the effect to take hold.

But the principle was becoming clearer.

’If I can understand this Rule well enough, even a powerful defense won’t necessarily protect its owner.’

Kaiser took another step forward.

The Twinblade Serpent Warrior struggled against the shadows and vines, trying to raise its arms to protect its chest.

Kaiser swung his sword.

"Shattered Soul!"

The golden blade struck the same damaged area.

CRACK!

The fractures spread across the monster’s chest, breaking through its scales and disrupting the defensive energy beneath them.

Alex followed immediately, driving his jade-green greatsword into the exposed opening.

BOOM!

The impact sent the Twinblade Serpent Warrior crashing to one knee.

It tried to stand, but its damaged body could no longer support its movements properly. John tightened his shadow bindings, and Alex’s vines wrapped around its tail once more.

Kaiser approached cautiously, keeping his sword raised in case the monster attempted another desperate attack.

The Twinblade Serpent Warrior lifted its head and released a weak hiss.

Then its body collapsed onto the ground.

The poisonous mist surrounding it gradually dissipated.

[Miniboss Defeated!]

[The Twinblade Serpent Warrior has been killed.]

[Obtained the Twinblade of Blooming Poisons]

The five students remained alert for several seconds before finally relaxing.

Alex rested his greatsword against his shoulder and exhaled.

"That thing was a lot more troublesome than I expected."

"Most of the difficulty came from its poison and speed," Henrick said. "If we had fought it without coordinating our Rules, someone might have been seriously injured."

John nodded as he withdrew his shadows.

"We also had to keep adjusting our methods. Its defenses were too strong for us to defeat it with a single attack."

Pascot walked out from behind a tree and looked at the monster’s corpse.

"Still, we managed to take it down. Not bad for our first miniboss."

Kaiser dismissed the Radiant Sword of Light. His expression remained calm, but he was satisfied with the outcome.

The battle had taught him several things about Shattered Soul. Concentrating the Shatter aspect on an existing weakness was far more effective than spreading its power across a large area. He had also learned that combining it with an offensive skill could produce better results than relying on the Rule alone.

Most importantly, he was beginning to understand how to use Shattered Soul during close combat.

His comprehension might not have increased by much, but the practical experience was valuable.

"Let’s take a short break and check our condition," Kaiser said. "We still have to clear the rest of the dungeon, and there’s no guarantee the next miniboss will be as manageable as this one."

The others agreed.

While Alex checked the condition of his jade vines and John examined the shadows around the clearing, Kaiser glanced at the dungeon notification.

They had defeated the first miniboss, but the trial was far from over. They still had to reach the main area of the Myriad Serpent Abode and defeat whatever awaited them there.

With three hours available, they had enough time to continue.

However, Kaiser intended to use every remaining fight as an opportunity to improve his comprehension of Shattered Soul.

After all, reaching five percent comprehension within a month and a half would not be easy.