Chương 65

The heat radiating from the massive, cracked stone doors was suffocating. Rudra stood at the entrance of the underground labyrinth, staring at the glowing veins of magma pulsing through the rock. The ambient temperature was so high that the air literally shimmered.

"You wait here," Rudra said, carefully pulling Kratos out of his cloak. He handed the sleepy, dual-colored cub over to Elysia.

"This trial specifically demands that I face it entirely alone. If Kratos steps in and blasts a monster, my qualification is ruined." Elysia took the cub, her expression strict but laced with genuine concern.

"A labyrinth of this scale is meant for a full subjugation squad, Rudra. It is not a training ground; it is a slaughterhouse. If I sense your aura fading, or if you linger on the brink of death, I am coming in after you, trial be damned."

"Deal," Rudra grinned beneath his dark leather mask. He turned and pushed his hands against the heavy stone doors. With a loud, grinding rumble, they slowly pushed open. A blast of dry, scorching air hit his face. He stepped inside, and the doors slammed shut behind him. Immediately, a flurry of golden text illuminated the dark, volcanic tunnel. [You are the First Discoverer of the 'Volcanic Salamander Labyrinth'!] [For the next 10 days, the following benefits will be applied within this dungeon:] [- Experience gained from monsters is increased by 30%.] [- The item drop rate is increased by 30%.] Rudra whistled. A 30% boost to both experience and drops in a massive raid dungeon was an absolute goldmine.

"Okay, it is way too hot for this," Rudra muttered. He unclasped his heavy brown travel cloak and tossed it into his inventory. Without the baggy cloak hiding his figure, his true, upgraded gear was finally visible. Over the last thirty days of brutal grinding across the borders of the Arc and Ultina Kingdoms, he had completely replaced his beginner gear with high-tier, Unique-rated equipment. He opened his inventory to double-check his setup before diving into the madness.

[Behemoth's Iron Armor] [Rating: Unique Durability: 500/500 | Defense: 320] - Strength +60 - Stamina +60 - Reduction of 15% of all physical damage. - Skill [Crushing Weight] is generated. Armor made from the super tough skin of a giant Iron Behemoth. A weak person would be crushed by it, but a strong warrior wears it like a second skin and becomes a walking brick wall. Conditions of Use: 600 Strength, 500 Stamina.] [Crushing Weight] [Enemies standing within 2 meters of you feel a heavy gravity that slows their Agility by 5%. Resource Consumption: 300 Mana Skill Cooldown: 10 Minutes] [Shadow Panther Leather Pants] [Rating: Unique If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Durability: 250/250 | Defense: 160 - Agility +80 - Evasion rate increases by 10%. - Footwork related skills Stamina Consumption is reduced by 10% Pants made from the flawless fur of a Shadow Panther hunted in the deep woods. They are so light and flexible that your footwork becomes as fast and unpredictable as a wild animal's. Conditions of Use: 600 Agility.] [Fierce Wind Ring] [Rating: Unique - Strength +40 - Agility +40 - Increases Attack Speed by 8%. A ring holding the magic core of a Gale Harpy. It wraps your arms in blowing wind, making every swing of your weapon much faster.] [Forgotten Ocean Ring] [Rating: Unique - Intelligence +50 - Persistence +50 - Mana Recovery increases by 20%. An old ring found in the sunken temples of the Ocean God. It is filled with deep sea magic that helps you quickly get your mana back.] His defense was solid, his speed was incredibly high, and his stamina consumption was tightly optimized. He gripped his Abyssal Ironwood Staff with both hands, letting out a sharp breath.

"Alright," Rudra said, marching down the glowing tunnel.

"Let's see what a ten-man dungeon looks like." The narrow tunnel suddenly opened into a cavern so massive he couldn't see the ceiling. Pools of bubbling orange magma lit the room. Hiss. The sound echoed from the shadows. It wasn't just one hiss. It was hundreds. Crawling out of the magma pools and dropping down from the rocky walls were massive, six-foot-long lizards. Their scales glowed like hot coals, and thick, black smoke poured from their jagged jaws. [Volcanic Salamander - Lv. 165] [Volcanic Salamander - Lv. 167] [Volcanic Salamander - Lv. 165] Rudra's eyes widened. There weren't just five or ten of them. A literal sea of glowing red reptiles was surging toward him, blocking every single exit. This was what an army-scale dungeon meant: absolute, suffocating density.

"Bring it on!" Rudra yelled. He tapped into his high Agility and dashed right into the front line of the horde. He raised his heavy ironwood staff high over his head and brought it down with devastating force.

"[Crushing Strike]!" BOOM! The staff smashed into the skull of the leading Salamander. His 800+ Strength instantly pulverized the monster, sending a shockwave of cracked stone and ash into the air. Before he could pull his staff back, three more Salamanders lunged at his legs.

"[Sweeping Gale]!" Rudra dropped his hips and swung the staff in a massive, low horizontal arc. The wind from his Fierce Wind Ring accelerated the strike. The heavy wood slammed into the charging lizards, violently sweeping them off their feet and throwing them into the bubbling magma.

"Too easy!" Rudra laughed. But his laughter died quickly. He pulled his staff back to reset his stance. In that split-second pause, a barrage of scorching fireballs rained down on him. He managed to dodge three of them, but the fourth slammed into his shoulder. [-850 HP] Rudra grunted, stumbling backward. The Behemoth's Iron Armor absorbed the worst of the impact, but the heat was intense.

He swung his staff again, crushing another Salamander, but the moment he stopped his swing to ready the next attack, a lizard clamped its burning jaws around his calf. He kicked it off, but more were already taking its place. They were swarming him. The moment he killed one, three more filled the gap. His combat style—swinging with massive, explosive force and then resetting his posture—was getting him killed. Every time he stopped his staff to change directions, the monsters exploited the opening.

[-620 HP] [-710 HP] His health bar was steadily dropping. His stamina was burning rapidly from constantly dodging and spamming heavy skills. Rudra parried a lunging Salamander, shoved it back, and frantically read the blinking golden text of his quest window in the corner of his eye. > A sword has a hilt and an edge, dictating a strict path. A staff has no beginning and no end. To step toward the realm of a Saint, you must understand the concept of 'Endless Momentum.'

"Endless momentum," Rudra gasped, dodging a jet of fire. He looked at his staff. He realized exactly what he was doing wrong. He was fighting like a man holding an axe—chopping, stopping, winding up, and chopping again. The starting and stopping killed his momentum and left him wide open.

"A staff has no beginning and no end," Rudra whispered, his eyes locking onto the endless sea of red monsters.

"So I just... never stop swinging."