CHAPTER 77: VR DUNGEON (4)

Chapter 76: VR Dungeon (4)

The Twin-Head Orc’s roar thundered through the corridor, rattling stone and shaking the air itself. Both heads bared jagged tusks, saliva dripping onto the floor with sickening splats. Its axe scraped against the wall, sending sparks flying, while the club dragged behind it, gouging the ground.

The oppressive aura it exuded pressed down on us like a physical weight. Even though this was VR, my instincts screamed real danger. My hands trembled around my sword hilt, but I forced them still.

We weren’t facing a D-rank beast. This thing was practically B-rank in strength.

Maria whispered, her voice tight. "This is... impossible."

Aurelia’s expression hardened, her rapier blazing faintly with flame. "Nothing is impossible. We only lose if we surrender."

Sakura’s violet eyes locked on me. Calm. Expectant.

And Sam... Sam was pale, clutching his staff tightly, lips moving in silent prayer.

All eyes turned to me.

Leader. Strategist. Commander.

The titles felt heavy. But if I faltered, we’d be crushed.

I inhaled sharply. "No panic. No waste of mana. We’ll use brains, not brute force. Follow every order I give, no matter how reckless it sounds. Understood?"

Maria hesitated, then nodded firmly.

Aurelia smirked. "You’d better make it interesting."

Sakura gave the faintest bow of acknowledgment.

Sam’s voice shook, but he said: "I trust you."

Good. That was all I needed.

"Sam—buffs now!"

"Divine Light, strengthen our blades!" His staff glowed, a halo spreading over our weapons. Strength surged in my veins.

"Maria, freeze the ground under its feet!"

She slammed her staff down. "Frost Shackles!"

Ice spread rapidly, locking the Orc’s massive legs for a brief moment.

"Now—Sakura, shoot the right head’s eye!"

Her arrow blurred, glowing faintly with mana. Thwip!

The beast jerked, the right head snarling as the arrow struck close to its eye, staggering it.

"Good. Aurelia, strike left leg, tendon joint!"

"Flame Lunge!" Her rapier stabbed forward, fire bursting at impact. The Orc bellowed as one knee buckled.

We moved as one, coordinated, precise.

But...

CRACK!

With a deafening roar, the Orc shattered the ice shackles and swung its axe. The air screamed as the blade tore through space.

"DODGE!"

We scattered. The axe smashed down, splintering stone, shockwaves blasting outward. My body rattled from the impact even though I had avoided it.

The club-wielding head roared next, swinging wide. It clipped the wall, sending rubble flying like shrapnel.

One stone grazed my cheek, leaving a stinging cut.

Even its aftershocks are lethal.

I clenched my teeth. We needed more than just teamwork—we needed precision, absolute calculation.

"Quantum Analysis—activate."

Purple light flickered in my irises. Fractal patterns danced across my vision. The world slowed, branches of probability splitting in dozens of directions.

I could see the Orc’s next swings—the delay in its footwork—the slight imbalance between its left and right head.

Focus. Predict. Guide.

"Maria, left flank ice barrier. Now!"

"On it!" She raised a wall of frost just as the Orc’s axe descended. The barrier cracked instantly—but bought Aurelia the opening she needed.

"Crimson Thrust!" Aurelia’s rapier pierced the Orc’s calf, fire burning into muscle.

"Sam, keep barrier ready for timed for its club swing in three seconds!"

Sam’s lips moved frantically. A golden shield shimmered into place just as the club descended. It absorbed the impact long enough for Sakura’s volley to pepper the Orc’s exposed chest.

The beast staggered back, roars shaking the corridor.

Yes. We were landing blows. Coordinated. Effective.

But it wasn’t enough.

My mana was draining fast, the Analysis skill chewing through reserves. And the Orc wasn’t slowing as it was adapting.

Both heads roared in unison, glowing red. Veins bulged across its body as its aura surged.

Enrage state.

It charged like a juggernaut, ignoring damage.

"MOVE!"

Too late.

The club slammed into the ground near Maria. The shockwave blasted her off her feet, slamming her into a wall. She coughed blood, her HP gauge plummeting dangerously.

"Maria!"

My heart lurched.

Before I could move, the axe came sweeping toward Aurelia.

I dove, slamming into her and dragging her down. The axe whooshed overhead, missing by inches.

She blinked at me, her face far closer than I expected, flushed from adrenaline. "...You risked yourself."

"Shut up and fight."

I scrambled back to my feet, my breathing ragged. My stamina was bleeding away with every dodge, every parry.

Sam rushed to Maria’s side, glowing hands pressed against her. "Healing Bloom!"

Her wounds closed slightly, her breathing steadied. But Sam’s face paled further. His mana was nearly empty.

If he collapsed, we were finished.

I need more. Mana alone won’t cut it.

I gripped my sword, closing my eyes for a split second.

"Aura Holder— Activated."

Mana surged through my body, transmuting into combat aura. My blade shimmered faintly, edges sharper, faster, deadlier.

The pressure eased off my mana circuits, replaced by raw aura energy. My veins burned, but my control was sharper than ever.

The Orc roared again, both weapons raised.

"Not today."

I dashed forward, faster than before, my blade glowing with aura.

CLANG!

Steel met steel. My sword locked against the Orc’s axe for a heartbeat. The impact rattled my bones, but the aura reinforcement held.

I twisted, redirecting the blow, opening a gap.

"Maria strike and freeze its right arm!"

"Aurelia also strike the wound in its leg!"

"Sakura target one eyes blind it!"

They moved.

The Orc bellowed, staggering as ice locked its arm, fire seared its wound, and arrows blinded one eye.

Now was the moment.

"Sam! Boost me!"

His shaking voice rose. "Divine Empower!"

A golden aura wrapped around me, strength surging.

I charged, aura blazing, my sword a comet of light.

"Shadow Swap!"

I flickered behind the Orc, swapping places with its shadow.

It turned too slow.

I slashed across its hamstring, aura blade biting deep.

The Twin-Head Orc screamed, one knee collapsing.

We had forced it down.

But even crippled, it wasn’t finished.

Both heads roared together, mana swirling.

Dark green energy pulsed, gathering in its twin maws.

It’s charging a finisher.

If that beam fired in this narrow corridor...

We’d all be annihilated.

I had one shot. One reckless, insane gambit.

"Everyone—throw everything you have! Buy me five seconds!"

Maria, battered and pale, slammed her staff down. "Glacial Prison!" Ice chains wrapped around the Orc, halting its charge for a moment.

Aurelia’s flames seared the wounds, Sakura’s arrows rained, Sam poured his last mana into a barrier.

I leapt forward, aura flaring dangerously. My blade vibrated, unstable with the energy I was forcing through it.

This was it.

The Twin-Head Orc bellowed, both throats vibrating with fury. It raised its massive axe, mana swirling ominously around the weapon. The club in its other hand swung casually against the wall, sparks flaring.

Even injured, it was still overwhelming.

If I hesitated—we’d be corpses.

I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword. My lungs burned, my blood sang with the danger, and somewhere deep in my chest a familiar cold answered.

Then let’s raise the stakes.

"—Ice Domain!"

Mana erupted outward from me, a cold storm spiraling into being. The stone floor cracked as frost spread in every direction, sheathing the corridor in ice. Walls glittered like frozen glass, the air itself crystallizing in white mist.

The Orc snarled, stumbling as the ground beneath its feet froze solid. Its skin took on a faint blue sheen, frostbite blooming across its veins.

System prompts echoed in my mind:

[ Ice Domain Activated – Radius 30m ]

[ Enemy STR –30%, Speed Reduced ]

[ True Frost Damage: Active ]

I exhaled slowly. The cold wasn’t just outside—it was in my bones, my nerves, my instincts. I could feel every flicker of mana within my domain: my teammates’ fragile signatures, the Orc’s volcanic torrent, even the faint hum of its unstable mana circulation.

Absolute Awareness.

This was my battlefield now.

The Orc roared and swung its axe in a horizontal cleave, the speed terrifying even under the debuff.

But my mind sharpened. With the Weapon Master Trait, I saw not just the swing—I saw the weight distribution, the precise timing, the flaw in its grip.

My body moved before thought.

"Sword Swift."

My blade flashed. A pure arc of steel cut through the air, my movement faster, cleaner, as if my muscles had remembered a hundred drills I’d never performed. The strike met the axe mid-swing, not stopping it, but redirecting its trajectory upward.

The axe slammed harmlessly into the ceiling, showering us with stone dust.

"Maria—now!"

"Ice Lance!" A shard of frozen mana stabbed into the Orc’s thigh, piercing through its skin.

The beast staggered, enraged. The club came crashing down at me like a falling mountain.

Perfect.

I planted my feet in the frost, my aura reinforcing every fiber of muscle.

The club blurred. I raised my sword—angled, precise.

"Sword Counter!"

CLANG!

The impact rang like a bell. The club’s weight should have shattered my bones. But I guided it, twisted it, redirected its momentum.

The Orc’s own force betrayed it—the club swung wide, leaving its chest unguarded.

My sword slashed upward in a brutal arc. Ice-coated steel bit into green flesh. Blood spurted.

One of its arms—the one gripping the club—severed cleanly at the elbow.

The severed limb hit the icy ground with a wet thud, dissolving into blue particles.

The Orc’s remaining head screamed, the sound making the walls tremble.

Now it was one head, one axe, and fury enough to shake the world.

It charged me, reckless, swinging in brutal arcs that shattered the frozen ground.

But in the Ice Domain, I was faster.

I ducked under a cleave, rolled across frost, and answered with a backhand slash. Sparks flew. I spun, pivoted, struck again, chaining Sword Swift into a flurry. My blade danced like a silver tempest, each swing sharper than the last.

The Orc howled, defending desperately.

Every dodge, every parry—it was instinctual now. The Weapon Master Trait unlocked a flow I’d never felt. Swordsmanship wasn’t just attack and defense anymore—it was rhythm, breathing, inevitability.

This... this is the path of the blade.

"Michael—behind you!" Sakura’s voice rang out.

I twisted just in time to deflect the axe with another Counter, sparks igniting as steel screamed against steel.

The Orc staggered, disoriented by its own force.

I lunged. My blade pierced deep into its shoulder. Frost spread from the wound, locking muscles, slowing its swing.

The Orc roared again, enraged, but the frost in its veins was too much.

"Maria Freeze ground of the Orc and aim a spike at it leg!"

"Glacier Bind!"

Ice spikes erupted from the ground, piercing the Orc’s leg and holding it in place.

"Aurelia used ignite! Flame on his wound "

"Burning Brand!" Fire exploded across the wounds, searing frozen flesh into brittle cracks.

"Sakura aim at Second eyes!"

"Piercing Arrow!" Her arrow buried itself in its last good eye.

The beast shrieked, half-blind, half-frozen, reeling.

This was it.

I stepped forward, raising my blade high. Frost spiraled upward, coating the steel in jagged ice. My body screamed with exhaustion, but the Domain empowered me still.

"This ends now."

Aura and frost merged along my blade, a storm condensed into steel.

The Orc swung its axe desperately, but too slow.

I slashed—

SHHHHHRRRK!

The ice-forged blade cleaved clean through its remaining arm. The massive axe fell with a thunderous clang, sliding across the frozen ground.

Armless. Blind. Frozen.

The Twin-Head Orc roared a final, pitiful cry.

I didn’t hesitate.

With a final surge, I dashed forward and unleashed the strongest Sword Swift I had. My sword carved across its chest in a blazing arc of frost.

The beast split open, body freezing mid-roar, shattering into particles of blue light.

[ Twin-Head Orc – Defeated ]

[ Dungeon Guardian Clear – Team 4 ]

Silence.

Only the sound of our ragged breathing filled the frozen corridor. My Ice Domain slowly collapsed, the frost vanishing as reality returned.

I stood there, my sword still raised, my chest heaving, sweat dripping down my temple despite the cold.

Maria whispered, eyes wide. "...That was... beautiful."

Aurelia’s lips curled into a rare, genuine smile. "So that’s the strength of a true swordsman."

Sakura lowered her bow, eyes fixed on me, unreadable but glowing with respect.

Sam collapsed, utterly drained, but managed a trembling smile. "You... you cut its arm off like it was nothing."

I lowered my blade at last, staring at the steel. For the first time, I felt it—connection. Not just holding a weapon, but understanding it.

The Weapon Master Trait wasn’t just a boost. It was awakening.

I clenched my sword tighter, a fire and frost burning together in my chest.

This was only the beginning.

To be continued...