After the Warlord – Silence That Stalks
The smoldering corpse of the Cryptborn Fangbeast hissed on the floor, its core now a dull flicker within Leon's pouch. Smoke drifted through the shattered chamber, mixing with blood and scorched mana.
Leon stood at the center, breath measured.
He glanced at his summons.
The Warrior Zombie was stabilizing—still recovering from the last clash.
The Elite Undead Sorcerer hovered nearby, silent but alert. Its vortex eyes still shimmered with the remnants of its last cast.
The fight was over.
Or so he thought.
A tremor shook the chamber floor—deep, deliberate.
Not the unstable quake of a dungeon collapsing.
This was a step.
A single, earth-crushing step.
Then came another.
And another.
A shadow loomed over the fractured altar behind the throne of bones.
Then—
The wall exploded.
He Came for the Threat
Stone shattered.
Dust blasted outward as a massive figure emerged from the wall itself, ducking beneath the arch as it stepped through a previously sealed chamber.
Leon's stance shifted instantly.
His gun was raised, summons reorienting without instruction.
What emerged wasn't a construct.
It was alive.
A giant.
Seven meters tall.
Muscles like stone cords. Pale, scarred flesh. Chains wrapped around its arms like loose bindings from a forgotten prison. A single burning red eye glared from the center of its skull, embedded into a flat, cracked brow.
Its jaw was tusked, bone-carved like a trophy mask, and its right arm ended in a warped great axe formed from fused bone and steel.
It wasn't just big.
It radiated command.
[System Notification: Final Dungeon Boss Encounter – Cyclopean Dreadreaver (D-Rank)]
Leon's stomach tightened.
D-Rank. He wasn't ready for that tier.
But the Cyclops didn't care.
It had come for him.
Not for the core. Not for revenge.
For prevention.
Because Leon had become a threat.
The First Exchange – Not Just Power, But Pressure
The Cyclops let out a low, guttural breath. Then it roared.
The sheer force blasted mana across the chamber, sending Leon sliding back as debris rained from the ceiling.
The roar wasn't blind fury.
It was a signal.
Leon gritted his teeth and fired the first shot—undead-infused.
The bullet struck the giant's chest and… did nothing.
No stagger. No sound.
The eye locked on.
The Cyclops moved.
Fast.
It slammed a foot forward and brought its axe down in a wide, building-cleaving arc.
Leon rolled.
The floor behind him detonated into fragments.
The Warrior Zombie charged—greatsword raised.
The Cyclops met it head-on.
Steel met the axe.
The zombie was thrown across the room in one swing, crashing through a half-collapsed column.
Leon's eyes narrowed. No time to retreat.
"Stagger it—aim for the eye!"
The Sorcerer cast instantly. A focused Mana Explosion, condensed into a single blast, lanced toward the Cyclops's face.
The giant raised its forearm—absorbed the blow.
It wasn't just brute strength.
It was smart.
A Battle of Attrition and Skill
Leon sprinted left, keeping the Cyclops in his peripheral while flanking wide.
The Sorcerer charged another bolt—this time, he gave a new command.
"Cast—beneath it."
The undead launched a Mana Explosion under the giant's feet, causing the ground to rupture.
The Cyclops stumbled—just slightly.
It was enough.
Leon fired again.
The bullet struck its exposed knee.
The beast flinched.
Then turned on him.
The eye flared red.
A pulse of raw energy launched from its iris—a beam attack.
Leon dove behind a broken pillar. The beam carved through the stone like paper.
No cooldown. No warning.
Leon gritted his teeth, blood trailing from a graze along his arm.
He'd never fought anything like this.
Not even close.
System Unlock – Core Bond Mode
Just then—
[New Feature Unlocked – Core Bond Mode: Fuse summon traits for temporary synergy]
Leon's brain lit up.
That's it.
He turned to the Sorcerer.
"Merge with the Warrior—Bond Mode."
The Sorcerer floated toward the fallen Warrior Zombie, extending a clawed hand.
A ring of dark sigils formed beneath them.
Black lightning surged.
The Warrior's frame stiffened.
The runes on both undead lit up in sync.
[Temporary Fusion Activated – Grave Knight Configuration (3 Minutes Max)]
The new form rose—twice the size of either summon.
Armor wrapped in shadowed robes, with burning crimson runes flowing between cracks in the plating. A two-handed greatsword laced with mana trails. Four glowing eyes.
Leon didn't speak.
He just pointed.
"Kill it."
The Final Clash – Titan vs Undead Warlord
The fused undead charged, every step shaking the chamber.
The Cyclops roared and met the blow.
Axes clashed with soul-forged steel.
Each impact lit the room.
Leon didn't stop moving.
He sprinted to the opposite side, drawing the Cyclops's peripheral attention.
He fired—again and again—each shot carefully aimed for the eye.
The fused summon parried a brutal overhead swing, used the counter to slice deep into the Cyclops's shoulder.
Blood sprayed. The Cyclops screamed.
It tried to beam—Leon fired first.
The bullet struck its brow—not deep, but enough.
It recoiled.
"Now!" Leon shouted.
The Grave Knight jumped.
And drove its sword down.
Straight into the Cyclops's eye.
A final blast of mana ruptured outward as the dungeon shook violently.
The Fall of the Titan
The Cyclops staggered once.
Twice.
Its axe dropped.
Its single eye burned, then flickered—
And went dark.
It collapsed with a deafening boom, shaking the entire dungeon structure.
[System Notification: Dungeon Boss Defeated – Dungeon Cleared]
The Grave Knight shimmered.
Then split apart—Sorcerer and Warrior falling to one knee, mana drained.
Leon holstered his gun.
Then walked forward, stood before the corpse of something no E-Rank solo adventurer had any business defeating.
He looked up at the silent ceiling.
Then smiled.
Post-Fight: Growth, Evolution, Intent
[New Ability Acquired: Core Bond Mode] [New Passive: Cyclopean Focus – Enhanced Perception and Weak Point Detection] [Item Acquired: Cyclops' Ocular Core (Unique)]
Another notification blinked.
[Class Evolution Tree Now Visible – Next Path Unlockable at Level 10]
Leon opened his status screen.
Level 9.
One more.
And the game changes again.
He turned toward the dungeon's exit portal, his summons slowly rising behind him.
Not broken.
Stronger.
They'd fought a Titan—and lived.