Chapter 138: The Boss Monster's Boss
Chapter 138: The Boss Monster's Boss
Boom~
Kaisen didn't use his claws this time. Instead, he simply used his bare hands to rip the tentacle that was grabbing his ankle.
There was no way a level 121 creature could stand up against a level 240 pervert. It was simply impossible.
He used his strength to pull himself to the ground, tearing the tentacle like it was a piece of paper.
The tentacle came free with a boom, sparks flying everywhere. For a second, the flame hands of the creature didn't move at all.
It was like the creature was contemplating what the hell was going on.
One minute, the human was level 120, and now he was way stronger than the creature at level 121.
'Good. I have five minutes anyway. There's no way this fight will be dragged out that much.'
Kaisen cracked his neck, popping the bones inside his body.
Level 240 was no joke. He felt like he was filled with enough energy to melt the world. It was simply too much.
"Let's get this over wi—huh?"
Kaisen was ready to kill the creature, but the sudden movement caught him off guard.
The creature's flaming tentacles, resembling a blooming fire, suddenly started to retract into the broken glass dome which still had the side portion intact.
"Nah, nah. There's no way in hell I'm gonna let you go, motherfucker. Not before I cure my dearest Alice."
A sadistic smile formed on his face as the shattered top of the dome began to reform, like someone was fixing it.
"Gonna hide now, eh?"
Kaisen leaped and dived straight into the rapidly closing dome. His fist connected with the newly reformed glass.
What took him multiple stomps earlier shattered with just one hit.
Boom~ Crackle~
As he dove inside, the flame hands surrounded him, painting his vision with bright orange colors.
'Oh, this shit again?!'
Suddenly, something happened to him—something well within the logic of this twisted world.
[240]
[210]
[170]
His level was dropping fast. It wasn't like the Night Shades or their king—this was slower, or maybe it felt slow because he was such a high level.
But he didn't falter; the creature was right there. He couldn't lose here, not with everything on the line.
If he lost, he'd lose his friends and himself. That was not an option.
He glanced up and saw the glass dome had completely reformed, trapping him inside with the flame hands and the creature.
Scenes of Alice and her little antics flashed through his mind.
'What the hell! Is this what they say about replaying moments of happiness before you die? Well, I'm not gonna die here.'
But he was glad he was seeing the moments. They gave him motivation to keep fighting.
The scenes were vivid but short: her cheeky smiles, her flustered face when he teased her, the way she kissed him and presented herself in a skimpy outfit the first night she willingly gave herself to him.
And that moment, when she hugged him to sleep while he was healing in the queen's palace. Every memory was like a flash.
It was only a few days ago that all of those happened, but now, it felt like years.
The scenes were so vivid, it was like she was actually there, hugging him.
He felt his heart warm and something in his chest.
He had never felt it before, but he had a suspicion of what it was.
'...I really do like her, don't I?'
It was strange and weird. He chuckled, a single tear streaming down his face.
He didn't notice that his level had dropped down to 90.
'So I must not fail here. For her. For me. For everyone.'
He took a deep breath and braced himself, the memories fueling his determination.
An intense glow below caught his eye, more brilliant than the tentacles themselves. He pushed himself towards it, but suddenly stopped mid-air.
Tentacles that looked like flames surrounded him, and on what looked like the ground, a small fire burned with one comically large eye in the center.
It stared at him, seemingly smiling despite having no mouth. He couldn't go any further down; he was down to level zero.
'Level zero? What the hell? Even in the game, you start at level one, not zero.'
He was baffled, but one thing was clear: this tiny flame was responsible for all the chaos.
The crosses, the desert, the Night Shades, and Alice's condition—all of it.
'What is level zero? And why's that thing so ugly?'
He didn't know, but he knew that killing this thing would end the battle.
"And how would you do that?"
?!
Kaisen heard the voice from somewhere around him.
His first instinct was to suspect the flame, but it didn't have any mouth to speak.
"What the fuck?!"
Was there someone else in this dome? Another boss guarding this stupid flame?
If that was the case, he swore he would find the developers of the game and whoop their asses.
"Look down, mortal. It is I, the Hand of the Flame, that's talking."
The voice was proud, like a god addressing its subject. Kaisen frowned and looked down at the flame on the ground.
"You can talk to me?"
He couldn't believe he was talking to a flame.
"I can speak directly to your mind. I'm not bound by mortal things like a mouth, for I am a god."
"Wow, so cringe..."
Kaisen spoke honestly.
"Wh-what did you say now, mortal? I can just burn you to death right now."
The flame threatened him, but Kaisen understood what type of creature this was.
It was the same as him, at least, a while before.
"I know what you are. You and I were the same. A weak, pathetic, lonely creature whose ultimate power is your tongue. You try to wiggle yourself into people's hearts and take control of them. But we are not the same. No, you are not the same as me. Because unlike me, you've failed."
"What are you on about? You're done. You don't have any power to defeat me nor any power to escape from here. You're level zero. You are even weaker than a terminally ill person. You will rot here. With me."
The flame's voice sounded smug, like it was smirking. But Kaisen just smirked back at the flame, his lips curling in a boastful grin.
"You would've burned me alive if you had the power. You would've killed me without even saying anything to me."
His smirk widened, knowing he was right about the creature all along.
"The only reason you aren't doing anything is because you're just a brain. A flame that kindles all these mindless creatures. And all I have to do is extinguish you to end this battle."
The flame didn't respond for a moment.
Kaisen was sure he had called its bluff correctly.
He had suspected from the moment the tentacles took some time to process the sudden surge of power in him.
Then they tried to hide again, seemingly knowing he could be dangerous for the flame.
And the final blow was this: the flame's reaction. It wasn't attacking him and only talked.
'So it's a brain. I wonder why the flame is a brain?'
Was it just a design or did it have an actual purpose?
"...And how are you gonna kill me? You don't even have the power to come to me, let alone go up. You're suspended there until you rot away. And it's true I'm weak, but right now, you're weaker than me."
The flame's words were laced with a mocking tone, but Kaisen knew he was onto something.
Kaisen shook his head, unable to contain a maniacal laugh.
He couldn't believe his luck—nor could he believe he was about to resort to the most absurd tactic to defeat a boss monster like this.
"Do you know what my greatest strength is?"
He asked, looking down at the flickering flame.
"..."
The flames remained silent, prompting Kaisen to press on.
"It's not my power. It's not any weapon but me. Myself. And I'm about to show you my greatest weapon now."
Before the weight of his words could sink in, Kaisen slowly unzipped his pants and revealed his greatest weapon: his very own monster that had been sleeping.