Boss Floor – Dungeon Middle Level
After entering, a stairway led further down… and after a few minutes, the room below opened up into a massive cave. As I stepped through into the boss room, the monster revealed itself — the Emberclaw Ape, towering at 4.2 meters tall with arms wreathed in flame.
Staring at the dungeon boss, Paul grinned slightly and said, "This seems like a good exercise," while drawing the sword from its scabbard with his right hand.
As Paul checked his shield and exo-armor to ensure everything was securely locked in place, he also attached a pack of card holders with Rune magic [ice] under his wrist. Renya eyed him warily and said, "Are you sure, Prince?" while drawing her dagger.
After securing all the gear with a final tug, Paul nodded and replied confidently, "Yeah… I'm sure." Without hesitation, he dashed forward to attack.
The moment the Emberclaw Ape saw Paul charging in, it bellowed, "AAAAaaa…!"—a thunderous roar, as if issuing a challenge—but the creature didn't move. It simply stood there, waiting for Paul to come closer.
After Paul dashed forward and reached the Emberclaw Ape's attack range, the massive monster struck without hesitation—its right fist crashing down in a swift, powerful arc from above.
Sensing the danger, Paul instantly stomped his left foot hard into the ground mid-run, shifting his momentum to veer sharply to the right, narrowly dodging the crushing blow.
Still carried by the speed of his sprint, Paul planted his right foot firmly into the ground. Using that force, he launched himself forward and to the left, his body starting to spin mid-air.
Before the rotation began, Paul spread his sword arm wide to the side, his blade glinting under the dim dungeon light. As he began to spin, he slightly drew the sword back, angling it just right.
Then—slash slash!
As Paul passed beneath the raised left arm of the Emberclaw Ape, he sliced cleanly into the exposed right arm muscle of the towering beast.
The cut landed deep.
"AAAAAA!" the Emberclaw Ape roared in agony, and in a reflexive burst of pain and rage, it swung its wounded right arm backward, fast and wild.
Before the Emberclaw Ape could swing its injured arm back, Paul had already moved, dashing swiftly to the rear-left of the beast.
With a powerful push from his left foot, he launched himself into a spinning leap to the right, positioning himself behind the towering monster.
His right hand gripped the sword, which he had already drawn and laid across his left forearm, ready and aligned for a strike.
Slash slash slash—!
Mid-spin, Paul unleashed a series of horizontal cuts, slicing across the lower back of the Emberclaw Ape's torso, from right to left from his perspective, cutting deep into the monster's flesh.
When the Emberclaw Ape's back was slashed, it let out a loud scream, "AAAAAAaaa..." while turning to the left, searching for Paul. As it did, it raised both of its hands high into the air in a furious motion.
At the same time, Paul stopped his spin, and upon seeing the raised arms and hearing the monster's roar, he immediately leapt and spun backward—a reflexive move to evade.
While jumping, Paul threw a magic rune paper [ice] behind him, tossing it upward.
Just as Paul had taken off (not too high yet), the Emberclaw Ape slammed both of its hands down onto the ground with immense force.
While briefly glancing back mid-spin, Paul muttered,
"Certainly..."
Boom..! The Emberclaw Ape unleashed a devastating Flame Slam, sending out a shockwave of fire in a 3-meter radius. The area around the beast ignited, and the ground cracked from the intense heat—though it wasn't completely destroyed yet.
As Paul continued spinning backward mid-air, he activated the [Ice] magic rune embedded in the paper he had thrown behind him earlier.
An icy step formed at a steep vertical angle. With precise timing, Paul ended his backward spin by planting one foot firmly onto the ice step. Without hesitation, he immediately etched a [Weight] rune into it.
The rune stabilized the step, allowing it to support his full weight.
In one swift motion, Paul crouched, taking a launch-ready stance—
—and then launched himself forward with explosive speed.
Swoosh..!
While launching toward the Emberclaw Ape's head, Paul gripped his sword tightly in his right hand and unleashed a swift horizontal slash aimed straight at the monster's neck.
Due to his mid-air positioning, Paul was now right beside the Emberclaw Ape—close enough for the monster to notice the attack.
Reacting on instinct, the Emberclaw Ape hurriedly raised his right hand, bringing it up from below in a desperate attempt to shield his neck.
Clang..!
The blade struck the monster's thick, flame-hardened arm—sparks flew, and the impact echoed sharply through the cavern.
As Paul's sword clashed against the Emberclaw Ape's hardened arm, the force of the impact stopped his jump mid-air. He quickly planted his feet on the monster's raised arm, using it as a platform to hold his balance.
"So that's how it is, huh," Paul muttered calmly.
In the next instant, Paul kicked off the arm, spinning backward through the air to dodge the incoming follow-up swipe from the Emberclaw Ape's right hand. As he spun away, he tossed another [Ice] magic paper behind him.
The Emberclaw Ape, now fully turning to face Paul mid-air, roared and hurled a heavy punch from its left hand, aiming straight for Paul's airborne figure.
But Paul, already prepared, reactivated the ice rune as he stepped and launched himself forward, shifting his weight and twisting his body slightly to the front-right. The punch from the monster's left hand narrowly missed, grazing the edge of Paul's previous position.
The air trembled from the force of the blow—but Paul had already slipped through.
When the Emberclaw Ape saw Paul preparing to strike at its head, it quickly raised its right hand, shielding its face from the incoming attack. Paul, seeing the gesture, smirked slightly.
"Now…" he muttered under his breath.
Paul rotated his body forward, his eyes quickly scanning the monster's posture. In the same fluid motion, he threw another [Ice] magic rune paper in front of him, aimed behind the Emberclaw Ape. As he completed his rotation, Paul used his left foot to stop his momentum on the Ape's clavicle, using the spot as a leverage point.
With a quick and powerful push, he leaped over the Emberclaw Ape's raised arm, easily avoiding the shielded head, and soaring above the monster's defense.
As soon as the Emberclaw Ape realized that Paul was behind it, it reacted quickly, attempting to grab Paul with its large, powerful hands. However, by the time the Ape's hands reached out, Paul had already positioned himself behind the creature's head, his feet landing perfectly on the activated ice rune magic with the [weight] rune, giving him the perfect launchpad.
With a powerful leap, Paul shot toward the Emberclaw Ape's head, his sword extended forward, aiming directly at its ear. The blade stabbed into the Ape's ear with a sharp, clean impact.
As soon as the sword made contact, Paul immediately spun to the left, avoiding the Ape's outstretched hand that tried to swat him away. As it swung, the Ape's own hand struck the sword lodged in its ear, pushing it deeper into the creature's skull.
Slab—the sound echoed through the cave-like boss room as the Emberclaw Ape, now lifeless, collapsed to the ground. The mighty creature's body fell with a heavy thud.
Broom. The impact resonated as Paul landed on his feet, victorious over the powerful boss monster.
When the Emberclaw Ape collapsed, its massive form hitting the ground with a resounding thud, the others—Kruger, Greta, and Renya—broke into applause, each offering their own praises.
Kruger gave a hearty clap and said, "Impressive, Prince!"
Greta followed with a smile, saying, "Prince, you're cool!"
And Renya, with a more neutral tone but a hint of admiration, added, "Right…"
Paul, his chest still heaving from the adrenaline of the battle, couldn't help but chuckle at their praise. Laughing, he scratched the back of his head with one hand and said, "Hahahah, just defeated this, still nothing," downplaying the fight as he tried to act nonchalant despite his clear satisfaction.
Renya sighed, her hand still on her forehead as she shook her head in disbelief. "Prince, you're truly remarkable, more than we thought," she said, with a playful yet serious tone. "You've surpassed what even a full Class C adventurer party can do. It's almost like you've forgotten just how dangerous these monsters really are…"
Kruger, leaning against a rock, added with a smirk, "You handled that Emberclaw Ape like it was just a regular monster. Normally, it takes strategy and teamwork, but you—well, you made it look easy."
Greta, adjusting her bow, chimed in, "It's not that surprising, though. The Prince has the strength, skill, and the right mindset. Even as a solo fighter, he's a force to be reckoned with."
Paul, still processing Renya's words, raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "Hhhhhoohh... is that so?" he muttered, trying to grasp how much his abilities had grown. He paused for a moment before asking with genuine curiosity, "So, how does one defeat this monster alone?" His confusion was clear as he tried to compare his own strength to others.
Hearing that, Renya, who was watching the Emberclaw Ape slowly disappear, answered, "At least for melee fighters or archers, you should be able to use all intermediate-level skills. For wizards, they must have at least one high-level spell to beat this." She said while sharpening her nails with a dagger.
Nodding, Paul said, "Is that so… seems difficult, huh?" While looking at the treasure chest that was about to appear, Paul continued, "Okay, let's put that aside for now. Let's see what we can get from the treasure," and walked toward the chest.
"Okay..." Renya said from behind, accompanied by Kruger and Greta.
When Paul was in front of the treasure chest that had appeared, he immediately opened it. The contents were:
Burning ClawsSmoldering HideHigh-Level Magic Core (Medium Quality)
As Paul took the High-Level Magic Core (Medium Quality), he lifted it and rotated his body with it still in the air, saying, "Finally, I can make it..." and laughed, "Hahahaha!"
Seeing Paul so happy, Kruger and Greta were confused and exchanged looks, turning to Renya for an explanation. Renya, seeing Kruger and Greta looking at her, simply shook her head and gestured with an "I don't know" expression.