CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31 : THE BATTLE AGAINST THE MAUSOLEUM GUARDIAN ( 2 )

N/A:

I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to @ TaoTeChing for offering a Golden Ticket to the book.

Your gesture truly touched me.

Enjoy the read!

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As the Mausoleum Guardian stood before him, ready to kill, Deon once again activated his Sense Enhancement skill.

But this time, all his senses were not just boosted — they had fused together.

For nearly a second, in Deon’s eyes, the world seemed to slow down.

He felt strange sensations, as if, for those few seconds, he was part of another dimension.

Even the Mausoleum Guardian, who had outclassed him in speed and strength just moments ago, now appeared sluggish.

Taking advantage of those precious seconds, Deon, who had been gathering his aura since the beginning, infused it into his sword and slashed across the skeleton’s chest — where a black stone the size of a fist was embedded, containing a considerable amount of corrupted mana.

Crack!

The stone had fractured, and its contents began to leak at an alarming speed.

But unfortunately for Deon, the Guardian wasn’t dead. He had missed his strike.

If he had managed to shatter the stone — the very source of the Guardian’s and his horde’s power — he would have killed it instantly. But he had only managed to crack it slightly.

Still, the Guardian’s death was now only a matter of time. Once all the corrupted mana had drained out, both it and its horde would lose the energy to move.

"I knew it... That black stone filled with corrupted mana was its core. Too bad I couldn’t destroy it in one hit.

Will I be able to hold out until that thing empties itself completely?"

It was now a race against time.

If Deon survived for the next three minutes, he would win the fight.

But it was far from guaranteed, and he knew it.

After its core had cracked, the Guardian froze for half a second before muttering a few words, then turned and charged toward Deon at full speed.

Once near him, it unleashed dozens of slashing flurries, which Deon countered effortlessly.

"Whoa... How is this possible?

Could it be... what I think it is?" he wondered, surprised at how easily he was parrying the blows.

The Guardian seemed weaker than at the beginning of the battle.

But even so, Deon still couldn’t completely dominate it. They were now equals — in both strength and speed.

More than a minute had passed, and the fight continued.

Deon did everything he could to stay alive until all the energy from the Guardian’s core was gone.

The Guardian, knowing its end was near, fought desperately to kill its opponent before dying.

It was its mission — it had to protect this place.

"Why do I feel like this skeleton is mocking me?" Deon muttered under his breath.

As the battle dragged on, Deon gradually began to gain the upper hand.

But strangely, he felt that the Guardian was scheming something.

His suspicions were confirmed when the system emitted a notification.

Ding!

[ You have been struck by a curse ]

[ All your stats have permanently decreased by 50% ]

[ Corrupted mana is infiltrating your body, putting you at risk of imminent death ]

Deon was stunned by the notifications.

His heartbeat accelerated — he was ready for anything... except death.

He didn’t want to die, not now, not before he had even begun his true adventure in this new world.

Just as despair began to cloud his thoughts, another notification appeared.

Ding!

[ The effect of your title: One Who Overcomes Adversity has activated ]

[ Your curse has been broken ]

[ All your stats increase by 40% ]

Right after the notification, Deon felt a sudden surge across all his stats.

A moment ago, they had been evenly matched — but now, the title’s effect instantly allowed him to surpass the Guardian.

A smile lit up his face.

"Hey, thanks for the curse," he murmured before slashing the Mausoleum Guardian with a diagonal strike that shattered its core.

Once its core was destroyed, the Guardian stopped moving and collapsed to the ground.

Deon had won.

But judging by his state, he looked more like someone on the verge of death.

Seeing the skeleton — or rather, the Mausoleum Guardian — lying motionless on the ground, all the adrenaline that had been keeping Deon on his feet faded away.

The title’s effect disappeared, leaving behind only an overwhelming, throbbing pain.

On the other side of the wall, the skeletons Alexia had been fighting also fell lifeless as soon as the Mausoleum Guardian was defeated.

Unable to stand any longer, Deon’s knees gave way. He was about to collapse when a hand caught him.

"Alexia..." he murmured, as his consciousness began to fade from blood loss.

Ding!

[ You have slain the Mausoleum Guardian ]

[ You have gained +500 experience points ]

[ Your experience has reached its limit.

Do you wish to rank up?

Yes / No ]

"Yes..." he whispered weakly as the notifications scrolled before his eyes.

[ All your stats have increased by +100 ]

Deon suddenly felt his strength return.

[ You have gained +600 stat points ]

"Deon, are you okay?! Stay with me, don’t pass out now!"

Alexia quickly pulled out a healing potion from her spatial ring and helped him drink it.

Soon, the wounds on his body began to regenerate slowly.

Within fifteen minutes, they had completely disappeared — the only thing left was his mental exhaustion.

"Thanks a lot... Seems like you’re always the one saving me when I’m in danger, huh?

Guess I’m lucky to have you," Deon said with a faint smile.

"What are you talking about? Rest a bit more and regain your strength before we continue exploring.

This place gives me the creeps — I don’t want to stay here any longer," Alexia replied.

She was already feeling embarrassed by the way the conversation was turning, but as always, she didn’t show it.

"Uh... Alexia..."

"Yes?"

"Did you know your outfit is torn? Uh... I can kinda see your chest..." Deon said awkwardly.

"Oh! So he can see in the dark!" she exclaimed, blushing slightly.

Alexia couldn’t believe it.

She was embarrassed, but she didn’t want to make a scene.

So, she summoned her earth elemental spirit, and soon, every torn part of her outfit was covered by a thin layer of earth, hiding her skin.

A long, awkward silence filled the corridor.

Then Deon’s eyes fell upon a particular object near the lifeless remains of the Mausoleum Guardian.

Curious, he stood up and picked it up. It was shaped like a ring.

"So this is what an artifact looks like, huh?" he murmured.

Ding!

[ You have obtained: Artifact ??? ]

"Deon?"

"Yeah? It’s an artifact, apparently... but the system isn’t displaying its name or rank.

That’s strange..." he replied, slipping the ring onto his finger to try it on.

"Hmm, I see. Maybe if you meet certain hidden conditions, its details will appear," Alexia replied calmly.

Ding!

[ You have equipped: ??? ]

"I hope it’s something useful," Deon said.

But when he tried to remove the ring to store it in his spatial ring, it wouldn’t come off.

"Damn it..." he muttered, trying hard to stay calm in front of Alexia.

Meanwhile, Alexia was more concerned about their other companions.

"Amelia, I hope you’re safe," she murmured, staring down the dark labyrinth corridor.

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N/A:

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