Chapter 15

"It’s cleaner than I expected in here."

Was this a habit I’d developed since becoming a solo player? Even though the hallway was dimly lit with torches spaced along the walls, I felt a hint of fear. To shake it off, I muttered to myself.

A pyramid standing in the middle of the desert. Despite its exterior suggesting a climb upward, I had been descending further underground.

The corridor was oddly clean for an ancient ruin. It was a straight path, occasionally narrowing before opening into larger chambers, where monsters would occasionally appear.

"Screeech!"

True to its name, *Lesser Demon’s Tomb* was filled with monsters that were at the fringes of demonic creatures, lacking intelligence but ferocious nonetheless. Some were shaped like four-legged chimeras, others took on humanoid forms.

Even those with human-like shapes had grotesquely distorted faces, wings, or tails that marked them as something inhuman.

Seeing them reminded me of the *Hero's Sword* I once wielded. If I had that holy sword now, I could wipe them all out with a single strike.

*Whirl.*

My body spun as the light of the moon followed my sword.

**[Moonlight Slash (D)]**

- A powerful 360-degree slash attack.

- (Instant activation) Activated upon successful block.

- (D-rank) After use, enters *Draw Stance* (cooldown: 30 seconds).

*Moonlight Slash*—a more powerful version of the basic slashing skill, with a 360-degree attack range.

But the key aspect was entering *Draw Stance* after using the skill.

*Draw Stance* dramatically increased agility and allowed for continuous *Moonlight Slashes* without casting time. It was an offense-oriented stance.

However, in *Draw Stance*, blocking was impossible.

It was a no-retreat stance, fully committed to offense.

If I wanted to block, I’d have to return to a normal stance.

But—

“If my speed increases, there’s no need to block.”

Of course, this wasn’t the same level of agility I had during my days as a hero when I used mana.

After activating *Moonlight Slash*, I felt my body lighten.

I lowered my stance, bringing my sword close to my waist.

*Whoosh.*

My body slid smoothly between the monsters.

*Flash, flash!*

Sword light flashed around me as I weaved through the mass of monsters.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

"Graaargh!"

The monsters couldn’t withstand my *Moonlight Slash* and fell one after another.

"Grrowrr!"

A chimera with the head of a wolf lunged at me from the side.

*Swish.*

I slid effortlessly behind it using the *Counterattack* skill, which could be used in *Draw Stance*. It was a technique that allowed me to swiftly get behind a monster.

*Chomp.*

"Grrah?"

The wolf chimera bit at the air, missing its target.

*Slash!*

Its head rolled to the ground, the body collapsing lifelessly.

“Phew.”

After dealing with the pack of monsters, I sheathed my sword, catching my breath.

I smiled.

“Now, I feel more like a real swordsman.”

---

Fighting the elite dungeon’s monsters had given me a good sense of my current strength.

I felt stronger.

With lighter steps, I continued deeper into the dungeon.

*Tap, tap.*

Eventually, I reached a massive chamber far larger than the previous ones.

How far underground was I now?

I couldn’t even see the ceiling—it stretched into the darkness above.

With my mouth slightly open in awe, I surveyed the dark chamber.

"This must be..."

The lair of the first boss, I assumed.

The moment I stepped into the chamber—

*Fwoosh!*

Blue flames ignited on the walls, lighting up the space.

The chamber was vast and devoid of obstacles, but along the walls were strange objects.

Whoa! Skeletons!

Even without advanced anatomical knowledge, I could tell these skeletons were human. Their clothes and discarded weapons suggested they were the remains of NPCs who had died here.

Given the name *Lesser Demon’s Tomb*, this dungeon probably had some story tied to it.

And in the now fully illuminated center of the chamber—

It was there.

A massive figure covered in black scales, glistening in the light of the blue flames.

Its body was massive—at least three or four meters in diameter. No way could a few people with outstretched arms encircle it.

A lizard-like head, adorned with reptilian wings, revealed itself.

Its shape was unmistakable.

“A... dragon?”

No, this wasn’t a dragon. Dragons were much larger, with four legs in addition to wings.

This creature looked more like a pterosaur—a flying reptile that once existed on Earth. Its name...

“A wyvern.”

Yes, that’s what it was called.

I had seen one on the *Astra Continent* before.

But it didn’t seem like the kind of monster that would show up in a dungeon like this.

Well, it’s a game. There’s probably some backstory for it.

Regardless, it wasn’t a pushover.

It wasn’t as powerful as a true dragon, but it could still breathe something similar to a dragon’s breath.

If I were still the hero I used to be, I could’ve easily defeated it.

But now, with my current self against this wyvern...

I would soon know the vast difference in our strength by the numbers.

*Groan.*

The wyvern stirred, its enormous black-scaled body rising.

Finally, the interface appeared, and I could see its HP.

"Wow."

210,000.

The sheer number left me speechless.

Compared to the *Orc King*, which had already seemed to have a lot of HP, this wyvern had about seven times more.

With just one zone difference, the boss monster’s stats had skyrocketed.

“Monster stat inflation is out of control,” I grumbled, almost on the verge of tears.

But I had grown considerably stronger, too.

I raised my sword with determination.

*Moonlight Slash*, *Draw Stance*—this was a perfect opportunity to test my new attack cycle.

*Beep.*

As I stepped into the wyvern’s aggro range, a system sound indicated that I had drawn its attention.

*Roll.*

The wyvern rolled its lizard-like eyes toward me, locking onto its target.

I cautiously advanced.

First, maintain my blocking stance and carefully observe its basic patterns.

*Screeeech!*

“Ugh!”

*Boom!*

The wyvern’s ear-splitting roar filled the chamber, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions.

The force of it momentarily stunned me.

*Flap.*

The wyvern unfurled its massive wings and, with surprising speed for its size, charged straight at me.

*Screeeech!*

---

**[First Boss]**

**[Level 27 Black Wyvern]**

**[HP: 210,000/210,000]**

---

*Screeeech!*

*Clang!*

The wyvern’s claws came down in a vicious swipe.

But my *Block* skill successfully absorbed the impact.

*Whoosh.*

Next, its heavy tail whipped toward me.

*Clang!*

Blocked again.

I calmly continued to block the wyvern’s attacks.

Head slams, claw swipes, tail whips—the basic three attack patterns.

Then—

*Flap.*

The wyvern’s wings flapped.

*Whoosh!*

Its black scales shot out in all directions, targeting my entire body.

If it kept throwing its scales around like that, I’d end up plucked like a chicken!

For a split second, I had a ridiculous thought, but I quickly activated my *Backstep Evasion* skill to avoid the scales.

Those couldn’t be blocked.

I had tried blocking them before, but the densely packed scales pierced through, embedding themselves in my body and taking away more than half of my HP in one go.

After that painful first experience, I had no choice but to retreat.

But now that I knew the pattern, I could respond.

With the wyvern’s basic patterns mastered, I decided to be bolder in my attack.

While blocking, I landed *Thrust* skills to chip away at the wyvern’s HP, and when its tail whip pattern came up, I used *Moonlight Slash* for the first time.

*Slash!*

Activating *Moonlight Slash*, I entered *Draw Stance*.

The next pattern was the scale attack.

*Flap.*

The wyvern’s wings flapped again.

This time, instead of using *Backstep Evasion*, I activated *Counterattack* from *Draw Stance*.

*Swish.*

I glided behind the wyvern, seamlessly dodging its attack.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

The moonlight traced the path of my sword, as I repeatedly unleashed *Moonlight Slash* while in *Draw Stance*, rapidly whittling down the wyvern’s HP.

*Screeeech!*

The wyvern let out a pained shriek.

It spun around quickly, bringing its head down in a fast strike.

Even with my agility boosted in *Draw Stance*, I couldn’t dodge a boss monster’s quick attack with its much higher agility stat.

But I still had my block.

*Clang!*

I canceled *Draw Stance* and returned to my normal stance, calmly blocking the wyvern’s next attack.

A smile crept onto my face.

“This is it.”

The *Scale Throw* attack was powerful and wide-reaching, but it had a long delay before the next move.

If I could get behind it during that time, I could deal massive damage.

*Draw Stance* and *Moonlight Slash*

.

My new swordsman attack cycle unleashed explosive damage in a short time.

Sure, *Draw Stance* left me vulnerable to attacks since I couldn’t block, but if I timed it between the big pattern delays, I’d be fine.

---

**[First Boss]**

**[Level 27 Black Wyvern]**

**[HP: 157,050/210,000]**

---

I’d shaved off a lot of its HP faster than I expected.

But I didn’t let my guard down.

Just like the named bosses from the previous elite dungeon, this one would likely have a special pattern once its HP dropped below a certain threshold.

And as if on cue, the *Black Wyvern* didn’t disappoint.

Although I kind of wished it had.@@novelbin@@

*Screeeech!*

*Flap, flap.*

Once its HP dropped below 75%, the wyvern flapped its wings multiple times.

*Flap, flap, flap.*

Its enormous body began to lift off the ground.

“Uh-oh.”

I started to sweat.

Of course.

A beast with wings could fly.

*Screeeech!*