531. Gargoyles

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 155]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 157]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 151]

Three Demons stood before me. Wild Demons. Statue-like creatures. Their skin was made from stone, and they faced me with glinting red eyes. I tensed the moment I saw them. Each was lower-leveled than me, but they were still Primeval Demons.

They lashed out all at once as I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe. The [Gargoyles] weren’t fast. I could see them coming. But there were three of them, and I knew that each of them was incredibly sturdy. I swung out, trying to strike them all with a single swing.

“[Divine Radiant Slash]!”

I yelled as I sliced horizontally. The attack struck the first two [Gargoyles], breaking off their shoulders and chests. The third managed to hold back just in time as my Divine Nebular Slash missed its head. I clicked my tongue as I swung back around, following up with a [Draconic Fury]-enhanced [Barrage of Cinders].

But the very first [Gargoyle] shrieked. Even with an arm missing, it still moved as if it was uninjured. It sent a pulse of crimson light towards me, barreling ahead of the others. I was prepared for it. I knew what these Primeval Demons were capable of, and I was ready to counter their attacks.

In an instant, I teleported behind the first [Gargoyle]. The crimson ring shot forward, striking the wall, before dissipating. It was a curse. A snare. Some sort of antimagic attack that would disable any spell I cast. And I avoided it. I appeared behind the Primeval Demon, already mid-swing.

“Take this!”

I unleashed the onslaught of [Draconic Fury]-enhanced [Barrage of Cinders] into the first [Gargoyle]’s back. It recoiled as I carved out large chunks of its stone-like skin. Behind me, I heard the thudding footsteps of the second [Gargoyle].

It lumbered forward with a limp— the [Divine Nebular Slash] from earlier breaking off bits of its left leg. Its entire body shone as it leapt at me.

And I stepped out of the way.

“Idiot.”

I chuckled, watching as the second [Gargoyle] crashed into the first. They both tumbled down a corridor, and I dusted my hands off.

“Now to deal with—”

And [Angelic Premonition] blared in my head. I just raised my right arm as a blurred object swung at me from the side. I caught the clawed hand of the third [Gargoyle]. I glanced back at it with a grin as it stared back at me with its hollow eyes. It was literally like a statue. It didn’t have any facial expressions. But it somehow looked shocked.

“Surprised?”

I pivoted around to face the third [Gargoyle]. It had managed to avoid my [Divine Nebular Slash], so it was still uninjured. And yet, its stone-like skin began to sizzle as flames wisped off my right hand. I tilted my head casually at the Primeval Demon as it let out a screech.

“[My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends]. Sorry, but you can’t hurt me.”

And I dropped my Divine Nebular Scythe. I twisted the [Gargoyle]’s arms behind its back. The scale-like skin on my arms burned with a gray flame as I held the Primeval Demon in place. It couldn’t break free. Even if it tried. I smiled and raised my left hand. Flakes of the same gray flames wisped off my left clawed hand as I swung down hard.

The [Gargoyle] reeled. And I continued to dig into its back. My arms themselves continued burning— the repeated attacks shattered large chunks of the Primeval Demon. Until I tore through its chest, ripping the [Gargoyle] apart.

This was my Grand Skill. [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends]. It made me invulnerable. It meant I couldn’t be hurt. And because I couldn’t be hurt, I could swing down at the [Gargoyle] as hard as I could without fear of injuring myself. Not only that, but with each swing, my aura of flames would burn the Primeval Demon before I could finally dispose of it.

It was simple, really. But there was just one issue— I had just used my Grand Skill over an hour ago. I had escaped from the [Basilisk], fleeing with [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends]. That should have been it. The Grand Skill should not have lasted more than twenty minutes. Yet, here I was, using its abilities to tear down a [Gargoyle].

I heard a pair of shrieks coming from behind me. I glanced back as the first two [Gargoyles] standing at the edge of the tunnel, glowing with a crimson aura. I took on a wide stance as the Primeval Demons charged at me. My arms burned with the flickering gray flames as I bared my teeth.

“Come and try me!”

They froze as I dashed straight at them. I crashed into the both of them with my arms extended, knocking them back down the tunnel with me. I smashed them against the stone ground as they struggled, but I continued to tear through them. They flailed back at me, swinging at my arms, but their attacks couldn’t hurt me. Because [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] made me invincible. Or at least, it made my arms invincible.

After I had leveled the Grand Skill, the aura of invulnerability could now be concentrated on specific parts of my body instead of forming a protective barrier over my entire self. That meant I could now choose to protect just my arms alone. In doing so, it meant that the rest of my body was still vulnerable, but the duration of [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] was also extended.

Now, it could last… well, a significantly longer period of time compared to before, especially when less of my body was under the protection of the Grand Skill. And with that brand new boon from a Level 2 Grand Skill, I tore apart the remaining two [Gargoyles] as they failed to even leave a scratch on my scales.

Defeated [Gargoyle - Lvl. 151]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Gargoyle - Lvl. 155]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Gargoyle - Lvl. 157]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Class [Draconic Apprentice] Level Up!

[Draconic Apprentice - Lvl. 127] -> [Draconic Apprentice - Lvl. 128]

Gained 2 Secondary Skill Points!

I stared at the pile of rubble that had once been the three Primeval Demons. They weren’t as strong as the very first [Gargoyle] I fought. Which made sense. Each and every one of them was lower-leveled than even me. In fact, one of these three [Gargoyles] had been 10 levels below the first [Gargoyle]!

Anyway, while they weren’t a problem individually, defeating the three of them at once wasn’t easy. Fortunately, I had a Grand Skill while they didn’t.

“It’s a good thing you guys didn’t have Grand Skills.”

I snorted as I started away from the dead [Gargoyles]. Our battle had led us tumbling down a tunnel with a dead-end. So I returned back to the circular chamber that branched out to various other corridors. I swept my gaze around the room, seeing all the different paths I had already explored. I had investigated about a quarter of them, so there was still plenty of places I could explore.

The only problem was—

“I wonder… just how long will my Grand Skill last?”

I didn’t actually have a good sense of how long the altered version of [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] would protect me for. I intuitively understood that now that the Grand Skill was at Level 2, it would last twice as long as it originally did, which was how I knew it would last for twenty-minutes now.

But once I began to reshape my Grand Skill, my understanding of it became more abstract. I vaguely knew that it would last longer simply because it simply covered both my arms. However, I had absolutely no idea how long it would last. It could be anywhere from a few more hours to ending soon, and I wouldn’t know.

“Maybe I should [Rest] here for a while…”

I frowned, tapping a finger on my chin. I strolled around the cave chamber in thought as [Passive - Weaker Regeneration] took effect. I picked up my Divine Nebular Scythe, before looking down at myself. I hadn’t taken much damage from the battle against the three [Gargoyles]. When they were thrashing about, they did inflict some curses and snares that hurt me. But I was relatively unscathed compared to my first battle with a [Gargoyle].

I came to a halt right before a narrow tunnel. It had a steep decline, and its entrance was half-buried in rubble. But what caught my eye was not the slit-like opening that I could barely fit through, but the markings on the wall next to it.

“What is this?”

There was a symbol carved into stone. Runic shapes that made no sense, even with my [Universal Language Comprehension]. That normally meant that these were inscriptions of power— some kind of magic or curse which didn’t have any intended comprehensible meaning.

However, I went to Mavos Academy. I had studied various runes used for enchanting and the like. I knew that modern runes were relatively simple, while historically, runes were far more complex. I had seen a foundational rune that was commonly used back during the Alexandrian Era, and I was more than certain this design was even more intricate than that.

I rubbed my chin before shrugging.

“Maybe this leads to an armory?”

I would have liked to have an Epic Grade or Mythic Grade weapon with me as I explored this Dungeon. Certainly, if I had the Breastplate of Alexander, I wouldn’t have had to use a Grand Skill to escape the [Basilisk].

I wandered down the tunnel as my burning gray flames lit up the path. It led me further down until it reached the edge of a cliff. I glanced around at the walls of this corridor. It was… different from the rest of the tunnels. While most of the tunnels seemed to be carefully dug out to form the vague shape of proper hallways— with brick-like walls and flooring. This tunnel seemed to be haphazardly dug out.

Like it was a tunnel that was created after my dad’s kingdom had fallen. And that made me hesitate for a moment. Could it have been that this was dug out by a wild Demon like the [Basilisk]? But the [Basilisk] was imprisoned down here. That meant this had to have been formed by something else.

I didn’t think the [Gargoyles] could have been responsible for this… could they? The first one I encountered was waiting like a statue for me before it attacked. I felt a sense of apprehension holding me back as I reached the other side of the tunnel.

I saw the exit up ahead, and I took in a deep breath. I stepped forward to see what was waiting down here for me…

Now Entering [Lair: Spout of the Gargoyles]

I paused as the voice echoed in my head. I stared at what was waiting up ahead for me. It was a chamber. Not an artificial chamber with smooth tiles and a tall ceiling. This was a cave chamber that seemed like it had been burrowed out by some [Geomancer].

And waiting there were [Gargoyles]. Dozens of them. They stood lining against the walls of the room as my eyes grew wide. There was another tunnel further leading down just up ahead. But I only stared at the waiting Primeval Demons.

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 155]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 158]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 161]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 168]

[Gargoyle - Lvl. 152]

…

Their heads snapped towards me as I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe. The gray flames wisped off my arms— and flickered.

I blinked as the Grand Skill ended. [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] faded away. And I stood with no Grand Skill against a small group of Primeval Demons.

“Oh no.”

They charged as I braced myself.