Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 93: Vraxxis, the Thornforged

A thunderous roar reverberated throughout the fourth floor of the Dungeon of Beginnings.

The movement of Vraxxis, the Thornforged, was getting visibly more erratic, as if he was losing his temper from getting his crap beaten out of him.

The Catkin Swordsman was agile and deadly. Alex watched in amazement as his master engaged the stag in combat, winning without too much of a problem.

Because Cairo didn’t need any help, the young man focused on dealing with stray monsters who were drawn by the Mini Boss’s call for reinforcements.

Most of these monsters were the Rotting Treants, which were half-dead, aggressive tree monsters.

Fortunately, they only come alone or in groups of twos.

——

< Rotting Treant >

Monster Rank: Rank 2

Monster Grade: Uncommon

Type: Undead Tree Monster

Health: 200 / 200

Attack: 35 - 45

Note: Its heart long dead, the rotting treant knows no mercy, only the endless hunger of decay.

——

In the past, Alex would have already run away from such a monster. But now, he welcomed the challenge.

With sword and shield in his hands, he faced the rotting treant, while Dim Dim threw stones at its head.

The Dim Sum God knew its secret weapon, the brittle vial, would not have any effect on the undead monster.

Since that was the case, it just kept on throwing stones at the rotting treant, triggering Alex’s passive skills, Improve Stone Throw and Head Shot.

For some reason, Dim Dim had access to some of Alex’s skills, allowing it to deal significant damage and also act as a distraction to the monster, which was torn between attacking Alex or whacking the little bun to oblivion.

While the two were locked in combat, the young man suddenly heard his master’s shout from a distance.

”Alex, behind you!”

The young man didn’t think twice before looking behind. The sight that greeted him was the Mini Boss charging in his direction.

Its eyes glowed crimson, and its body was riddled with dozens of wounds, all of which had been inflicted by Cairo.

Clearly, Vraxxis had entered a berserk state. Since it had common sense, unlike most NPCs, its aggro shifted to Alex, the weaker one. The Catkin was simply too much for it to face in a one-on-one battle.

With a leap that would put Olympic swimmers to shame, Alex jumped to his right side and rolled on the ground to evade the charge of the stag monster.

A moment later, the sound of something hard hitting a tree trunk reached his ears, followed by a familiar notification sound indicating that he’d levelled up!

The rotting treant the young man had been fighting earlier was hit by the stag’s full-frontal assault, which obliterated its body into pieces.

A few seconds later, the treant turned into particles of light, leaving a monster core behind.

”Demon Slaying Arts First Form!” Cairo shouted as his sword was covered with purple flames.

”Culling blade!”

Vraxxis cried out in pain as the Catkin’s blade perfectly hacked the side of its body.

However, just before it was about to counterattack, it heard a mighty shout from behind.

”Shield Charge!”

While the Mini Boss was distracted, Alex took this opportunity to use his strongest attack.

Svalinn slammed into the monster’s backside, making it stagger.

However, the young man wasn’t finished with his attack just yet.

”Rear Ender Thrust!”

This attack wasn’t really a skill. The young man simply shouted a cool name on the spot, thinking it would help with his plan to end the rear of the Mini Boss with a single, powerful thrust!

Alex’s sword glinted with ferocity as its sharp point stabbed at the monster’s you-know-where. Vraxxis roared due to a pain that far surpassed anything inflicted by Cairo’s Demon Slaying Arts.

However, the Mini Boss was still a Mini Boss, so it firmly planted its front hooves on the ground before giving Alex a back kick filled with rage, desperation, and humiliation.

A loud thud echoed within the corrupted forest as Alex blocked the attack with his shield.

However, he was still sent flying by the impact and crashed into a wall of the dungeon.

He no longer had the passive skill, Knockback Immunity, since he no longer possessed Everguard. At the moment, it was being repaired by the Hartwell Clan.

”Demon Slaying Arts Second Form!” Cairo stabbed his sword on the ground, making it shine in a golden light.

”Grand Cross!”

A giant golden cross formed under the Mini Boss, then emitted a radiant light that was very effective against Corrupted and Undead Monsters.

Vraxxis uttered its last and final roar before dissipating into particles of light.

A single sword strike from Cairo might have already finished it, but the Catkin still chose to use one of his Demon Slaying Arts as a form of overkill.

Alex was expecting to hear another Level Up notification, but it didn’t come.

The young man then glanced at his Status Page to check his experience bar to see how many experience points he gained when Cairo killed the Boss Monster.

[Experience Points: 44%]

’Is it because the experience points are shared between me and Master?’ Alex thought. ’Well, I guess it’s not that bad.’

Since Cairo was the one who had dealt the most damage to the Boss Monster, it was understandable that most of the experience points went to him.

The most Alex had done was land two attacks on the Mini Boss, which had already been on the verge of death.

When the monster died, a treasure chest appeared where it had stood earlier.

It was a silver treasure chest, which guaranteed at least two rare items. But on rare occasions, Super Rare Items might also be found in silver treasure chests.

Alex was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t a gold treasure chest.

A gold chest gave a guaranteed Super Rare Item when opened, so many guilds would try to farm Wandering Bosses in order to get the items they exclusively dropped.

”Master, this treasure chest is yours,” Alex said. ”You were the one who worked hard to kill the Mini Boss, so this is rightfully yours.”

Cairo nodded and didn’t refuse his disciple’s proposal.

Unlike Alex, who always performed a good luck ritual before opening a treasure chest, Cairo simply lifted the lid and peered inside the chest.

There were three items inside it.

Vraxxis’ Monster Core, a purple shard, and a pair of gauntlets.

——

< Brambleheart Shard >

Type: Rare Crafting Material

— When used to craft weapons, it will increase the chances of getting a passive life steal effect.

Description: A fragment of Vraxxis’ cursed heartwood, still pulsing faintly with stubborn life. In skilled hands, it can be forged into weapons that feed on the vitality of those they strike.

< Thornwoven Gauntlets >

Type: Rare Equipment

Effect: Strength+3 and +Critical Hit Rate.

Minor Thornlash Effect: Increase bleeding damage done by melee attacks.

Description: Gloves crafted from living, cursed vines, a relic of Vraxxis’ own forgework. They tighten around the wearer’s hands, enhancing grip and strength, but whisper in an ancient tongue when blood is spilled.”

——

’Those two items are good,’ Alex thought. ’Especially the Minor Thornlash effect. Since Master likes to slash his enemies repeatedly, they will lose their health faster from bleed damage.’

Cairo kept the two items inside his storage ring before glancing in the young man’s direction.

”Rear Ender Thrust?” Cairo asked, amused. ”That’s the first time I’ve heard of this skill. When did you learn it?”

Alex chuckled because he understood that his master was just teasing him.

In order to avoid the topic, the young man decided to praise the Catkin for fighting the boss by himself without breaking a sweat.

Cairo chuckled, knowing that the young man was just buttering him up to change the subject.