Wolf

It takes me just two seconds to realize that I’m not actually on the 190th floor of the dungeon.

“Dad, where are we?” Sapphire asks as she suddenly appears out of my shadow next to me as we both look around the dark, seemingly empty place around us. The only thing that I can see for miles and miles are small specks of black energy. A black energy that I quickly realize is void energy.

“The void,” I answer before a System Message appears in the center of my interface.

System Message

Welcome to the void.

In the place of a boss floor, the System has decided to put you up against a single creature of the void. If you manage to win, or survive for longer than five minutes, then you may pass on to the 191st floor.

Close

As soon as I finish reading the message, it vanishes from sight and a roar echoes throughout the void around us.

I look up to find some strange creature standing several hundred meters ahead of me and Sapphire. One that I’m certain wasn’t there a second ago.

The creature looks just like something right out of a movie about aliens, with smooth black scales covering its body, a long tail tipped at a sharp point, two arms, and two legs, each with sharp black claws at the ends of their digits. It has a long mouth filled with dozens of sharp fangs, and for some reason doesn’t seem to have any eyes.

Sapphire quickly turns into her spider form while I narrow my eyes at the creature, still in hunter form. But the moment I identify it, I mutter, “Shit.”

If I’m not in the bounds of the System, why the fuck is the System able to tell me this?! And why am I getting a System Message from it as well?!

I blink at that thought as I realize that the System Message didn’t specify who it was from.

Then the void creature bursts forward in a speed far beyond what I’d ever be able to reach, making my eyes widen in shock. I instinctively pull on the void energy nearby with my marks, making a massive amount of the particles nearby rush towards me as if I were the center of a whirlpool, knocking the void creature aside in the process.

And it doesn’t stop there, as once the void energy enters my body, I feel it begin to overwhelm my heart, following which a System Message appears in my vision, once again confirming for me that the System is in fact here.

System Message

You are too weak right now to handle the amount of void energy you draw within the void. So don’t bother trying.

Close

I can’t help but swear at the System as a stabbing pain rises from my chest, making me drop to my knees. But despite the pain I manage to look up – likely due to my pain resistance that was infused into my species – to find the void creature having been sent over a kilometer away by my actions somehow.

Then I feel the marks above my shoulder suddenly vanish, following which the flow of void energy stops, and my heart finally manages to catch up with the void energy in my body, converting it all to voided eternal ice.

I let out a sigh of relief before looking over at Sapphire, who is kneeling next to me with a worried look on her face.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine now,” I tell her with a pat on the head. Then I turn back to the void creature, who is once again rushing towards us with immense speed. “Get in my shadow.”

Sapphire looks opposed to the idea for a few seconds before eventually giving in and doing it, following which I look down at my jacket and mutter, “Let’s just hope this works.” I then raise my head to stare directly at the approaching creature and clearly state, “Cocytus.”

I grit my teeth in expectation of the pain, but fortunately it never comes and a massive wave of ice bursts out of me, using the voided ice element still in my body to its absolute potential, better than I could’ve done myself as it rushes out to freeze everything around us. Including the void creature.

After seeing it freeze solid following a loud screech, I rush over to it with my fist raised. But by the time I reach it, the creature is already beginning to shatter the ice. Which makes me regret my decision to attack.

It’s too late now though and I follow through, smashing my fist straight into the creature’s chest and sending spikes of ice from the surrounding ice into its body at the same time. The creature then goes flying for several dozen meters, smashing through my ice with ease until it finally stops.

I cautiously walk up to the creature before finding it with a massive hole in its chest, no longer breathing.

Right as I’m about to let out a sigh of relief though, the hole begins filling itself with some sort of black gook, following which it begins to turn into the creature’s missing flesh.

My eyes widen in shock, and I bring up both hands to smash them down on the creature’s skull, but for some reason, it doesn’t do anything to it.

“What the fuck are you?!” I can’t help but shout as I repeatedly smash my hands into the creature’s skull to no avail.

Why won’t my attacks do any damage now?!

To test if it was my punch or my ice that damaged it before, I send another dozen spears of ice at its head, but they fail to even so much as dent it as well. Leaving me standing in shock next to it, just watching as it slowly heals itself.

System Message

You have four minutes left until you win by default.

You should start running.

Close

Great. And now the System really is talking to me.

I immediately turn around and begin running as far away from the creature as I possibly can.