CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 13: SPECIAL BOSS, THE SWAMP REVENANT

From where he stood on the cliff, Stark could see the status panel of the special boss below.

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[Swamp Revenant (Level 7)]

[Rank: Elite (Special Boss)]

[HP: 25,000]

[Countdown: 18 minutes 47 seconds]

---

"Less than twenty minutes..." Stark muttered, narrowing his eyes. "That should be enough, as long as I don’t die."

He took a slow, steady breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

His heart was already pounding in excitement.

Facing an elite boss this early was dangerous, maybe even stupid, but if he won... the rewards would be great.

Next to him, Grace, better known as Starfall, looked pale.

She clutched her staff tightly as her gaze stayed fixed on the monster below.

On the swamp, an old half-sunken ship drifted aimlessly.

Standing at its center was a skeleton wrapped in rotting robes, holding a staff of blackened wood.

Blue-green fire flickered in its hollow skull, and the entire swamp seemed to shudder under its presence.

"Wait here," Stark said firmly, turning to Grace. "Be careful of anything that comes near. I’ll deal with the boss."

Grace hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"Alright... I’ll hold back monsters if they approach. Good luck."

Stark gave her a small nod, then found a narrow path leading down the cliffside.

His boots crunched against rocks and damp soil as he descended.

But just as his foot stepped into the muddy ground, a system message appeared before his eyes.

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[Due to the influence of the "Swamp Revenant," this area has become more dangerous.]

[Lives loss rate: 50]

---

"Tch." Stark clicked his tongue. "Figures."

The swamp itself had been corrupted by the revenant.

Anyone who died here would lose fifty lives on the spot.

That meant even if someone had exactly fifty lives left, they’d be erased instantly, gone forever.

That was the cruelty of [Eternal Soul]. No mercy, no second chances.

Stark had a good stockpile of lives, but it wasn’t something he could waste carelessly.

If he died now, not only would he lose them, but the special boss would vanish before he could even try again.

He gripped his staff tightly. "Alright... let’s do this."

The ship creaked in the distance.

The revenant raised its flaming skull as if it could already sense Stark’s presence.

Before giving it the chance to attack first, Stark pointed his staff.

Scorching Fireball!

Fwish! BOOM!

A blazing orb shot through the air and slammed into the revenant.

Flames engulfed its skeletal body, and damage numbers floated above its head.

-2,560!

Stark’s eyes widened. "Insane!"

That was just his base damage of his fireball, boosted by the 400% Spirit amplification from his build and the advantage of being Level 6.

"Let’s keep it up."

He swung his staff again.

Toxic Crystal!

A shard of poisonous energy shot forward, slamming into the revenant’s ribcage.

Green mist seeped into its bones, and the poison effect took hold.

-1,500! -300! -300!

In just two spells, he had shaved off nearly 6,000 HP.

The swamp water rippled violently as the revenant raised its staff in response.

Flames burned brighter in its hollow sockets.

"Here it comes," Stark muttered, already moving back.

The revenant slammed its staff into the deck of its ship.

Water Surge!

Fwoooosh!

The swamp exploded as thick columns of water shot upward like geysers.

Dozens of them burst in rapid succession, surrounding Stark in a deadly cage.

One wrong step and he’d be obliterated instantly.

He sprinted sideways, mud splashing beneath his boots as he weaved between the surging water.

His eyes tracked the timing, his instincts calculating each movement a second before it happened.

He had dodged attacks like these thousands of times in his past life.

To him, this was nothing new.

But to a normal player, this would have been instant death.

Stark rolled to the side as another column exploded, droplets raining down around him.

His breathing was steady, his focus absolute.

"Too predictable." He smirked, landing lightly on his feet.

The revenant hissed, tapping its staff again.

This time, a shockwave rippled outward across the ship and into the swamp.

Revenant’s Call!

The swamp began to bubble.

Thick, wooden arms emerged from it, followed by twisted humanoid bodies made entirely of roots and bark.

Ten [Tree Revenants] dragged themselves onto the shore, their glowing green eyes fixed on Stark.

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[Tree Revenant (Level 5)]

[Rank: Rare]

[HP: 5,000]

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"Figures..." Stark muttered, raising his staff.

Vine Swing!

CRACK!

A massive vine erupted from the ground in front of him, sweeping across the swamp in a wide arc.

It smashed into multiple Tree Revenants at once, knocking them back with tremendous force.

-1,640! -1,640!

The damage wasn’t as high as his other skills, but the range made up for it.

The Tree Revenants stumbled but quickly regained their footing, rushing him all at once.

It took a few minutes, but Stark managed to get rid of every [Tree Revenant].

By the time the last one fell, the Swamp Revenant had already lost most of its health. Its bar was below 5,000.

But then... the special boss raised its staff high into the air.

The flames in its skull grew to an almost blinding intensity.

"Oh no," Stark muttered, his expression hardening.

A massive wave of spectral energy burst outward from the swamp, covering the entire area.

Soul Wave!

The air turned icy cold as the wave surged forward.

Anything it touched would be paralyzed and burned away.

And there was no dodging it as it covered the entire battlefield.

"Damn it," Stark hissed. "Looks like I don’t have a choice."

A system prompt appeared before him.

[Do you wish to consume 3 Evolution Points to evolve "Magic Shield"?]

"Yes!"

He had just enough.

[You have evolved "Magic Shield" (Uncommon) to "Magic Barrier" (Rare)]

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[Magic Barrier (Rare): Summon a barrier around the user that can endure a few attacks, if damage is too strong, it will break, 50 → 40 (20)-seconds cooldown.]

---

"The name changed..." Stark smirked. "Good."

He spun his staff in his hand and used the ability.

Magic Barrier!

A translucent dome of shimmering energy wrapped around him just as the Soul Wave slammed into his position.

BOOOOM!

The force rattled his bones, cracks spreading across the surface of the barrier.

For a moment, he thought it might break.

But then... the wave passed. The barrier held.

"Perfect." Stark grinned.

The revenant staggered on its ship, its flames flickering weaker than before.

It was running out of strength.

"Time to finish this."

Meanwhile, up on the cliff, Grace swung her staff.

Lightning Strike! Crack!

A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, frying a group of two monsters that had been moving toward Stark’s location.

Damage numbers popped up.

-128! -137! -127!

She grit her teeth and kept casting.

Even if she couldn’t help against the boss, she could at least make sure no stray monsters interrupted him.

Stark noticed her support from afar and gave a faint smile. "Not bad."

Then he turned back to the revenant and raised his staff for the final blow.

Scorching Fireball!

Fwoooosh! BOOM!

The blazing orb exploded against the revenant’s chest.

Its HP dropped to zero.

The skeleton shrieked, the fire in its skull sputtering out before the bones collapsed into a heap.

Its staff clattered against the deck of the ship.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Swamp Revenant" (Level 7 Elite-Rank Special Boss).]

[You have gained 4,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 7 → Level 8!]

[You have gained 10 points in all of your attributes, and 10 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 7 Evolution Points.]

[You have gained 39 Lives.]

---

Stark lowered his staff, then he looked at the glowing panels hovering in front of him and let out a low laugh.

"Two levels, seven evolution points, and almost forty lives..." His grin widened. "That was worth it."

The Swamp Revenant had been completely subjugated.