Chapter 7: Level 18 Flame Ogre

Chapter Seven

Following the momentum of Aiden’s attack, the rest of the group also unleashed their skills and weapons; the remaining four Flame Ogres tried to put up a fight, but against eighteen powerful warriors whose resolve had been sharpened once again and who were now fighting with everything they had, they stood no chance. Within only a few minutes, the remaining Flame Ogres were completely slaughtered, and soon, that section of the large cave descended into silence once more.

The massive bodies of the Flame Ogres slowly began to fade away, disappearing into particles of light, and once again, three Flame Cores and two Skill Books appeared where their corpses had been. Yet this time, there were no bright smiles on the warriors’ faces: no excitement, no celebration, and no one rushed forward with greed shining in their eyes.

After everything they had experienced, they had no idea what kind of danger awaited them in the deepest part of this dungeon; the Flame Cores and Skill Books no longer felt like rewards... they felt like bait. Still, Ron, the keeper of the group, stepped forward and stored the three Flame Cores inside his Item Vault.

As for the two Skill Books, they were Flame Bullet and Inferno Gauntlet, and both were mid-B-grade Skill Books handed to two members of the team to learn. Originally, their plan had been to sell every valuable item they obtained from this dungeon, as a B-grade Skill Book alone could bring them an enormous amount of points, but now, the plan had changed.

Their main objective was no longer wealth; it was survival. They needed to get out of this place alive.

And so, the group continued forward, and every monster they encountered along the way was immediately slaughtered by the warriors. With the support of the healers and buffers, the group didn’t suffer much damage, and any small injuries they received were healed almost immediately.

And there was another piece of good news: the deeper they went, the more items they obtained... Flame Cores, Mana Gems, Skill Books, Weapons, and even other valuable items. One could only say that what was happening before them was beyond legendary; it was something that had never been seen in the history of humanity.

Never before had anyone obtained such an absurd amount of resources from what was supposed to be a low-level dungeon. The more they killed, the more resources they obtained; the more resources they obtained, the stronger they became; and the stronger they became, the easier it became for them to kill the monsters ahead.

It was practically a perfect cycle.

They should have been ecstatic. Every single warrior had grown significantly stronger; at the very least, everyone had become around fifty percent stronger than they had been before entering the dungeon, and some of them had even managed to level up... Aiden, Hurld, and even Michael, all three of them had broken through another level.

In any other situation, the faces of the warriors would have been filled with smiles, and they would have been celebrating their incredible fortune. But not this time. Not inside Dungeon X.

Because the deeper they ventured, the stronger the feeling of danger became, pressing down on their minds like an invisible weight. Their instincts screamed at them: turn back, run, flee this place immediately.

Something was waiting for them, something far more terrifying than anything they had encountered so far. Perhaps they would have listened to those instincts; perhaps they would have turned around and fled, if only they had somewhere to flee to.

But they didn’t. The gateway behind them remained impossible to destroy, leaving nowhere to run and no way back. So, they could only move forward.

Two hours later, the nineteen warriors finally reached the deepest part of the cave, where the atmosphere had completely changed and everyone became tense, their hands tightening around their weapons and their gazes sweeping across the surroundings.

"Everyone, be alert," Aiden’s voice was low. "Be ready to fight for your life at any moment."

He had already unsheathed his blade, his gaze glimmered with caution, and the others didn’t need to be told twice. They immediately prepared themselves, their bodies tensed, their weapons raised, and their skills ready.

They knew what awaited them: the battle against the dungeon boss. And as though their thoughts had summoned it, a massive red light suddenly descended from above.

BOOM!

The red radiance slammed into the center of the enormous platform, the entire cave trembled, everyone’s eyes narrowed, and the red light slowly began to fade.

And from within it, a massive figure emerged... a monster, a Flame Ogre.

But unlike the Red Ogres they had been fighting until now, this one was completely different: it was far larger, far taller. Its body was covered in thick, crimson-red flesh that looked almost like molten stone beneath its skin, its enormous muscles bulged grotesquely across its body while thick veins pulsed beneath its heated flesh.

Two massive, curved horns protruded from its head, its mouth was enormous and filled with rows of jagged, yellowish teeth, its eyes burned with terrifying crimson light, and flames constantly erupted from its body.

Shimmering waves of heat radiated from its massive frame, distorting the air around it. The temperature of the entire cave began rising at an insane pace, and the sheer heat alone made several warriors instinctively take a step backward.

But that wasn’t the most frightening thing; it was its presence. An overwhelming aura descended upon the entire platform, making it almost suffocating.

Aiden’s expression changed instantly. "This..." His eyes widened. "This can’t be..."

He stared at the monster in disbelief, and then a system notification appeared before his eyes: [Dungeon Boss detected. Name: Flame Ogre King. Level: 18.]

Aiden’s pupils contracted. "Level 18..." His voice trembled. "Level 18..."

The words echoed through the minds of the other warriors, and the atmosphere instantly became suffocating. This was impossible. Absolutely impossible.

This dungeon was supposed to be a Level 10 dungeon; according to the established norms, the highest level a dungeon boss could normally reach was around Level 15, and even that was already considered extraordinarily high for a Level 10 dungeon.

But now, an actual Level 18 monster was standing before them. Aiden gritted his teeth, his hands tightened around his sword, and his heart pounded violently inside his chest.

Dungeon X was not a Level 10 dungeon... at least, it was no longer behaving like one. Yet despite the fear that had begun spreading through his heart, Aiden didn’t hesitate.

"Everyone!" His voice thundered across the platform. "Take your formation!"

The warriors immediately moved; they couldn’t afford to hesitate, they couldn’t afford to panic, and they couldn’t afford to retreat. The moment the Flame Ogre King was fully revealed, Aiden and the others charged forward.

Before the dungeon boss could even properly react... BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ...a barrage of powerful skills exploded toward it.

Flames, blades, weapons, energy; countless attacks tore through the air and slammed toward the enormous monster. The warriors didn’t hold anything back, not even a little.

Yes, the dungeon boss was Level 18; yes, it was far stronger than anything they had encountered before. But they had numbers, they had powerful warriors, they had healers, they had buffers, and most importantly, they had the initiative.

If they struck first, if they unleashed everything they had, then perhaps, just perhaps, they could take it down before it had the chance to fight back.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A barrage of elemental and physical attacks bombarded the Flame Ogre King from every direction.

BOOOOM!

The combined force of the attacks sent the enormous monster crashing violently into the far side of the cave wall.

RUMBLE!

Dust and debris erupted into the air.

The group immediately took formation once more, and no one lowered their guard because the reason was simple: they could tell the dungeon boss wasn’t dead.

If it had been killed, they would have already received the system notification. And sure enough, the next second, a terrifying growl suddenly tore from the depths of the monster’s throat.

"GRRRRRRRRRR!"

The sound shook the very air itself, the dust cloud parted, and the Flame Ogre King slowly rose from the rubble.

Its crimson eyes burned with terrifying flames as it turned its gaze toward the group. Then, a few shattered words escaped its mouth.

"Human..." Its voice was rough and grating, almost painful to hear. "Intrude..."

Its grip tightened.

"Die."

BOOM!

The Flame Ogre King raised one massive hand, and flames erupted outward as the blazing inferno twisted and condensed around its palm before forming a terrifying axe.

The weapon was enormous, its edge razor-sharp and radiating an overwhelming sense of lethality. At the same time, the Flame Ogre King’s red skin erupted with even more incinerating flames, its aura intensified, and the terrifying pressure surrounding it tightened, causing several warriors to instinctively tremble in their boots.

Aiden, however, remained calm, his gaze fixed firmly on the monster. There was no doubt about it: this creature was powerful, and coupled with the fact that it was a dungeon boss, the buffs and enhancements that dungeon bosses received were also staggering.

So yes, the Flame Ogre King was incredibly powerful, but being powerful was not the same as being unbeatable.

"Alright!" Aiden suddenly shouted. "Listen up!"

He raised his sword. "Tankers, roll out! Slayers, follow! Healers and buffers, stay alert and do your thing!"

His gaze swept across the group. "Everyone... If you want to live, don’t hold anything back!"

With that, Aiden charged forward; as the leader, he would never ask his warriors to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself.

The others followed immediately, and the Flame Ogre King let out an enraged roar at the sight of the puny humans charging toward it.

"ROOOOOAR!"

It swung its massive axe, and the battle erupted.

And almost immediately, the group found themselves at a disadvantage. The dungeon boss was already terrifyingly strong, but the axe in its hands was an even bigger problem, with every swing carrying devastating power.

The first round of the battle ended extremely quickly, and several warriors were wounded. Thankfully, the healers were already prepared, and wide-range healing skills immediately spread across the battlefield, enveloping the injured warriors in radiant energy so their wounds rapidly closed, their strength returned, and they attacked once more.

The warriors fought with everything they had... Aiden, Hurld, Michael, and everyone else. None of them took a break, and none of them dared to.

They attacked relentlessly, surrounding the Flame Ogre King from every direction while the healers continuously supported them from behind. But the dungeon boss did not fall easily, and the second round passed, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth, and finally, the sixth round began.

BOOM!

A massive axe descended, and two warriors failed to dodge in time.

"AHHH!"

SHING!

The axe tore through them, their bodies were cut cleanly in two, they died on the spot, and blood sprayed across the battlefield.

The gruesome scene shook the remaining warriors to their core, and for a moment, their confidence nearly collapsed. They had already been fighting for so long, their mana was being drained, their bodies were covered in wounds, and now they had watched two of their comrades die right before their eyes.

"Keep fighting!" Aiden’s roar suddenly thundered across the battlefield. "It is near its end!"

He swung his sword. "Don’t you dare stop!"

His voice boomed with authority. "I said keep fighting!"

The warriors gritted their teeth and continued. And Aiden was right: the Flame Ogre King was truly nearing its end.

Several deep wounds now marred its once-mighty body, blood flowed from its injuries, its enormous axe was no longer flawless as cracks ran across its surface, and the flames that had been furiously and hungrily engulfing its entire body were beginning to dwindle.

The once-overwhelming inferno was weakening rapidly, the monster’s movements were also becoming slower, and its breathing became heavier. Yet it still refused to fall.

The warriors pushed forward for one more round, then another, followed by two more brutal rounds where they lost another warrior in the process.

But finally, after everything they had endured, the Flame Ogre King’s massive body staggered, its enormous axe slipped from its hand, and... THUD! ...the flames surrounding its body flickered.

Then... BOOM!

The giant monster collapsed.

Silence descended upon the cave, and for a brief moment, no one moved. Then a familiar chime sounded:

Ding!

[You have slain the Dungeon Boss!]

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly as another notification appeared:

[Ding! You have received a Legacy Skill Book!]

It was over. They had done it. Against all odds, they had survived.

Aiden and the remaining sixteen survivors collapsed onto the ground, some falling onto their backs while others simply dropped onto their butts. They were covered in wounds, their clothes were soaked with blood, and their chests rose and fell rapidly as they gasped desperately for air.

But they were alive. They had survived. They had actually survived. ℯℯ𝑙.

At least, that was what they were led to believe, because before the group could even begin to enjoy their victory, a loud humming sound suddenly filled the air.

"Hmmmmmmmm..."

Everyone froze, and their heads slowly turned toward the source of the sound. Then, a brilliant white light suddenly burst forth from one of the corners of the cave.

The warriors instinctively looked toward it, and their eyes widened. A large white door slowly emerged from the darkness, radiating an indescribable power... majesty, mystery, and something else... something that made their blood run cold.

Aiden’s face froze, Hurld’s expression instantly turned pale, and Michael felt as though he was about to burst into tears. No one spoke for several seconds as they simply stared at the enormous white door.

Aiden’s lips trembled. "This..." His voice was low, almost as if denying what he was seeing could somehow make it disappear. "This can’t be..."

But it clearly was.

Michael slowly swallowed, his face as white as a sheet of paper. He stared at the white door in disbelief, and then a helpless laugh escaped his mouth.

"This dungeon..." His voice trembled. "This dungeon is a..." He paused, his eyes filled with despair.

"...two-gate dungeon."