CHAPTER 86: PEAK OF RANK 1 VI

Rhys launched forward as the Wrath’s corrupted breath ripped through the battlefield, a beam of violet fire carving the caldera in half. Stone melted, rivers of lava boiled higher, and the shockwave nearly tore him off his feet.

Bounce surged in first, silver aura blazing so bright it hurt to look at. He leapt straight into the beast’s path, claws dragging across its molten jaw, forcing the corrupted breath upward. The blast gouged a hole through the ash-clouds, turning night into a violet dawn.

"Good boy!" Rhys roared, sprinting through the steam. The Verdant Scholar Sword blazed emerald as his mana flared.

[Swift Cut]—his body blurred forward, closing the gap.

[Vertical Slash]—he cleaved down across the beast’s neck, sparks hissing as molten bark split.

The Wrath shrieked, tail lashing toward him like a spiked whip—

Rhys gritted his teeth—

[Mana Shield].

The barrier shattered on impact, but it blunted the force enough for him to skid across the rocks instead of being pulverized.

"Puddle—cover!"

The slime rose high above the battlefield, halos blazing.

[Light Bullets]. Five streaks of radiant energy hammered into the Wrath’s exposed chest, each strike detonating in blinding bursts. The beast reeled, claws scraping the stone to hold itself steady.

Then darkness surged—

[Abyssal Grasp]. Tendrils erupted from beneath the caldera, wrapping the monster’s limbs, binding it down for a heartbeat longer.

"Bounce, now!"

Bounce howled, silver aura erupting. He charged, jaws clamping into the Wrath’s shoulder with crushing force. Cracks tore wider, molten ichor spilling like rivers.

Rhys took the opening.

[Whirlwind Slash].

His sword became a storm, emerald arcs tearing through bark, roots, and molten veins. The Wrath’s chest split under the barrage, glowing too bright—too unstable.

The beast convulsed, violet fire gathering again in its throat—unstoppable this time.

"Puddle!"

Puddle’s halos spun into a blinding ring—

[Gleaming Halo]. Light burst outward, reinforcing Rhys and Bounce, healing their battered bodies just enough to push forward.

Rhys gripped his sword with both hands, crown pulsing with the rhythm of the land. Mana poured into the blade, fire and water fusing—

[Steamburst Edge]!

He drove it into the Wrath’s chest at the exact moment Bounce ripped free the core with his fangs.

Puddle detonated his final strike—

[Shadow Tendrils] and [Light Bullets] chained, imploding together inside the wound.

The Wrath’s eyes flared violet one last time—

then burst.

A blinding explosion rocked the caldera. Lava fountains collapsed, stone shattered, and the corrupted storm above split apart, leaving only falling ash.

When the light faded, the beast’s husk collapsed, molten veins darkening to cold cracks of stone. Its roar died into silence.

[ Black Forest Nature’s Wrath – Defeated ]

Rhys fell to one knee, sword buried in the scorched ground, chest heaving. Bounce limped to his side, silver aura flickering but alive. Puddle drifted down slowly, halos dimmed, giving a weary but victorious "kuyuuuu."

Rhys let out a shaky laugh. "...That was insane."

And then—

[Ding!]

The system’s light descended, washing over the battlefield.

The silence after the Wrath’s fall was suffocating, broken only by the hiss of cooling stone and the slow trickle of lava. Rhys stayed kneeling for a moment, letting his heartbeat come down, before finally pulling the Verdant Scholar Sword free of the ground.

The crown pulsed once, answering the forest’s release.

And then—

[Ding!]

[ System Notice ]

Unique Field Boss Defeated: Black Forest Nature’s Wrath

Reward Acquired:

Conqueror of the Black Souls Forest (Unique Passive):

10% increased damage to all Boss-type enemies. +15% drop rate from Boss-type enemies.

Skill Acquired – Wrath’s Resonance (Unique):

For 10 seconds after being struck by a Boss, gain +20% Strength and Magic Attack. Cooldown: 60s.

Item Acquired – Splinterfang Axe (Epic):

A molten axe born of Wrath’s corrupted roots. Heavy, unstable, unsuitable for Rhys’s class.

Experience gained!

Level Up!

Rhys is now Level 191.

Rhys exhaled slowly, rolling the notification away with a tired grin.

"Figures. Another axe I can’t use."

Bounce huffed, still glowing faintly silver, though exhaustion weighed on his movements. He rubbed his head against Rhys’s shoulder anyway, satisfied with the victory.

Puddle bobbed in the air, giving a tired but triumphant "kuuuu," halos flickering weakly like guttering lanterns.

Rhys chuckled, dragging himself back to his feet. "Level one-ninety-one, huh... nine more to go." His eyes lifted toward the far-off horizon, where the mountains bled into a storm-wrapped sky. "When we hit two-hundred, we’ll be ready for the real climb. Ready to step into the peak ranks."

He sheathed the Verdant Scholar Sword, the weight of it familiar now.

"Until then," he said softly, more to himself than to the others, "we farm. We grind. We keep going."

Bounce gave a sharp, determined bark.

Puddle spun once, sending a spray of tiny sparks into the cooling air.

Together, they turned from the dead caldera, heading back into the shadows of the forest—not as prey, not as wanderers, but as its conquerors.

The Black Forest was no longer Wrath’s domain.

It was theirs.

The caldera’s ash had barely settled when Rhys felt it—

a tug. Not from the crown, not from the sword, but from deeper beneath the mountain itself.

A pulse.

Bounce’s ears flicked, silver glow faint but attentive.

Puddle tilted, halos orbiting tighter, voice rising in a soft "kuyuuu..."

Rhys squinted, shifting ash and scorched bark aside until the ground revealed something unnatural: a circle of obsidian stone, cracked but unbroken, pulsing faintly with violet veins.

"...A seal," Rhys muttered, brushing his thumb across the stone. The Verdant Crown hummed in response, roots of light stretching faintly from its gems like threads of recognition.

The seal split open with a grinding hiss.

Heat rolled up from the earth, thick with old mana, and a stairwell spiraled down into the dark.

[ Hidden Dungeon Unlocked – The Withering Roots ]

Difficulty: ???

Status: Unclaimed

Rhys gave a low whistle. "So the Wrath was just the warden."

Bounce growled, stepping closer, his glow cutting through the rising steam.

Puddle drifted in after, shadows and light flickering like twin lanterns.

Together, they descended.

The air inside was different—

not just hot, but alive with an almost hungry breath. Roots jutted from stone, blackened and skeletal, twitching faintly as if trying to regrow.

Old statues lined the corridor, half-shattered effigies of beasts that once roamed the Black Forest—wolves, boars, owls—each one scarred, corrupted, hollow-eyed.

By the time they reached the first chamber, the pressure had grown thick enough to sting.

A stone gate loomed before them, runes carved across it in jagged script. When Rhys touched the gate, the system’s voice rang:

[ Dungeon Claim Available ]

This dungeon has no master.

Would you like to register as Dungeon Holder?

Yes / No

Rhys let out a low laugh, almost disbelieving. "A dungeon under a field boss... makes sense now why the Wrath never left this peak."

He tightened his grip on the Verdant Scholar Sword, then pressed Yes.

The roots lining the walls recoiled, shriveling into dust. The oppressive air lifted—only slightly—but enough to breathe.

[ Dungeon Successfully Claimed! ]

Owner: Rhys

Dungeon: Withering Roots

Rank: C (Upgradeable)

The crown pulsed once more, in harmony with the sword at his hip. Rhys straightened, expression sharpening.

This wasn’t just loot. This was territory.

"Guess we’ve got a base now," he muttered, running a hand along the newly-stabilized gate. "A place to rest... and farm."

Bounce barked once, short and pleased.

Puddle gave a bright kuyuuu, halos spinning in quick circles.

For the first time since entering the Black Forest, Rhys allowed himself to relax, even just a fraction.

The Wrath was dead. The forest was theirs.

And now, beneath its roots, so was the dungeon.

The dungeon’s gate stood firm now, its runes dim but no longer hostile. Claiming it had steadied the structure—but only on the surface. Rhys could feel it, the same way he’d felt the Wrath’s pulse before.

A second heartbeat. Deeper. Older. Waiting.

"Figures," he muttered. "Half measures don’t stick."

The system’s prompt confirmed it:

[ Pseudo-Ownership Established ]

To gain True Dominion over the Dungeon: Withering Roots, you must defeat the Core Guardian.

Estimated Depth: Unknown (Multiple Floors).

Bounce’s silver fur bristled, tail flicking with sharp energy.

Puddle’s halos slowed, alternating black-white glow like a steady pendulum.

Rhys exhaled, pressing a hand against the gate. "Then we go down. One floor at a time."

The first steps into the Withering Roots felt like walking into the belly of a dead titan. The roots here were thicker, wrapping the stone walls like ribs. Mana seeped from them in slow drips, burning violet when it touched the floor.

[ Floor 1 – The Hollow Burrow ]

Ash-wolves—half-formed like the ones above—slid out of the walls. But unlike those that crumbled in the open forest, here the dungeon sustained them. Their bodies knitted back together every time they fell apart, held by the core’s power.

"Persistent," Rhys said, drawing the Verdant Scholar Sword. Mana flared along the blade’s edge as he muttered, "Fine. Let’s see how you like this."

He cut forward—Swift Cut flashing once, bisecting two wolves. Bounce darted through with a silver blur, slamming another into the wall. Puddle’s halos pulsed, unleashing Shadow Tendrils that pinned the respawning monsters long enough for Rhys’s Fireball to incinerate them to ash.

And this time—they stayed ash.

[ Clear Condition: Defeat all monsters – Floor Complete ]

The roots along the walls retracted, opening a stairwell downward.