FWOOSH!
Xandros was instantly transported to the third floor. The air was thick with a metallic scent, the atmosphere far heavier than before. A dark cavern stretched out before him, jagged stalactites dripping with an eerie glow, casting long shadows over the uneven ground.
"System, pull up the monster information."
[Ding]
[Third Floor Monsters – Night Stalkers]
Stats:
Name: ???
Race: Night Stalkers
Bloodline: Low-Mid Grade Shadow Beast Bloodline
Strength: E
Agility: E+
Endurance: E
Intelligence: F+
[Number of Night Stalkers on this floor: 20]
Xandros narrowed his eyes. The increase in strength was noticeable. The creatures lurking in the darkness were undoubtedly more formidable than the previous floors.
SHUFFLE.
A blur of movement. A shadow detached itself from the cavern walls and lunged at him with unnatural speed.
SWISH!
Xandros ducked, his sharp instincts allowing him to evade the razor-like claws that slashed through where his head had just been. He countered instantly.
SHING!
A clean horizontal slash cut through the creature's abdomen.
GRK!
Dark ichor splattered as the Night Stalker let out a strangled cry before collapsing lifelessly.
[Ding][1 Night Stalker killed – 40 EXP gained]
Xandros smirked. "Faster and stronger, but still just beasts."
The cavern exploded into motion. Shadows twisted and converged, forming a pack of Night Stalkers with glowing red eyes, their low growls resonating through the cave.
Without hesitation, Xandros activated his Elemental Intent. The cavern trembled as the surrounding elements bent to his will.
"Let's finish this quickly."
He stomped the ground. Earth spikes erupted in a wave, impaling four of the creatures before they could react.
[Ding][4 Night Stalkers killed – 160 EXP gained]
The remaining beasts snarled and leaped from all angles.
Xandros moved like a phantom, his Katana of Destruction becoming an extension of his will. He sidestepped one claw strike, twisted, and slashed upward. A severed head flew into the air. Another beast lunged—Xandros spun mid-air and delivered a vicious kick that shattered its ribs on impact.
CRACK!
The creature flew back, colliding with the cavern wall, leaving a bloodstained smear as it slid down, unmoving.
Two Stalkers attempted a synchronized attack from his blind spot.
"Too slow."
Xandros raised his palm. A surge of Thunder Intent crackled through his fingers.
[Lightning Arc]
BOOM!
A devastating bolt of lightning exploded from his hand, disintegrating the creatures mid-air. Their charred remains crumbled to the ground, smoke rising from their corpses.
[Ding][5 Night Stalkers killed – 200 EXP gained]
Only eight left.
Xandros flicked his katana, shaking off the blood. "Time to end this."
He dashed forward, his body blurring.
One step. A Stalker's head split in two.
Two steps. Another was bisected at the waist.
Three steps. He pivoted mid-stride and impaled two beasts in one thrust.
The final four hesitated, their instincts screaming danger.
Too late.
Xandros sheathed his blade and spread his arms. The air around him condensed with an overwhelming aura.
[Gravity Implosion]
The cavern distorted. A crushing force slammed the remaining monsters into the ground. Bones snapped. Their screams were drowned out as their bodies were flattened under the sheer weight of his attack.
Silence.
[Ding]
[Third Floor Cleared]
[20 Night Stalkers killed – 3000 EXP gained]
Xandros exhaled, cracking his neck. He barely broke a sweat. "Next floor."
[Ding]
[Transporting to the Fourth Floor…]
FWOOSH!
.......**........
(25 minutes later)
SPLURT!!
The final imp let out a gurgling shriek as Xandros' blade carved clean through its torso, spraying green blood onto the frozen ground. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the excess filth flying from his katana before sliding it back into its sheath.
[Ding][4th Floor Cleared]
Exhaling, Xandros took a moment to roll his shoulders. His battles on both the third and fourth floors had been relentless, facing wave after wave of goblins and imps. Though they were nothing more than pests, he had learned something valuable—their weak spots, their predictable movements. His experience grew sharper with each fight.
"I hope the next floor is something different… something more fun," he murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Just as he finished his thought—
[Transporting to the Fifth Floor]
FWOOSH!
The moment Xandros materialized, an unexpected chill wrapped around him. The temperature had plummeted drastically, the ground beneath him now a vast expanse of frozen tundra. A blizzard raged in the distance, and the entire floor looked like something ripped straight out of the North Pole.
Not that the cold bothered him. Supreme beings like him didn't care for such trivial things.
[Ding]
[Fifth Floor Monsters – Snow Wolves]
[Stats]
Name: ???
Race: Lesser Snow Wolf
Bloodline: Low-Grade Demonic Bloodline
Strength: D-
Agility: D+
Energy: D-
Affinity: Ice
Endurance: D
Intelligence: E
Number of Wolves: 30 (Includes Floor Boss)
Xandros raised an eyebrow. "New stats, huh? Energy and affinity… means they can manipulate elements to some degree." He chuckled, eyes gleaming with excitement. "And a boss fight too? This is going to be fun."
HOWL!!!
His sharp senses picked up the distant cries of wolves. He tilted his head slightly, listening as the eerie howls echoed across the frozen wasteland.
Then, without warning—
ROAR!!!
A pack of massive, white-furred wolves burst from the snow, charging toward him with razor-sharp claws and fangs bared. Their ice-blue eyes glowed with primal hunger.
SHING!
Xandros drew his katana, its polished steel reflecting the blinding whiteness of the environment. He bent his knees slightly, his muscles coiling like a spring.
The first wolf lunged, its claws slicing down—
CLANG!
A perfect block. Sparks danced between his blade and the beast's icy talons. The impact sent a sharp tremor up Xandros' arm, but he barely reacted. Instead, his smirk widened.
"You're fast… but not fast enough."
With a swift counter, he twisted his katana, slicing through the wolf's throat in one clean motion. Blood sprayed against the pristine snow.
The others didn't hesitate.
Another lunged from behind—Xandros sidestepped and drove his blade through its ribs, twisting before pulling it free.
One attempted to bite his leg—he leapt into the air, spun mid-flight, and brought his katana down. The wolf split in two before it even realized what had happened.
As more swarmed, he blurred into motion—dodging, cutting, countering. His katana danced like a reaper's scythe, carving through the wolves with terrifying efficiency. His movements were precise, controlled, yet wild enough to show he was having the time of his life.
His grin widened. This… this is exhilarating.
Suddenly, Xandros felt a shift. The air grew colder.
HOWL!!!
The remaining wolves tried to regroup, but Xandros wasn't in the mood to drag things out. Channeling the fire elemental energy in the atmosphere, he infused his blade with flames.
FWOOSH!
The temperature around him spiked instantly, steam rising from the frozen ground. The wolves hesitated—fear creeping into their glowing eyes.
"Burn."
With a single, fiery slash, a wave of flames erupted from his blade, engulfing the remaining wolves.
HOWL!!!
They howled in agony as fire consumed them, their bodies turning to ash.
[Ding]
[30 Lesser Snow Wolves Killed]
[1,500 EXP Earned]
Xandros exhaled, his breath turning to mist in the frigid air.
"That was fun," he mused. "Now… where's the boss?"
BOOM!
The ice cracked. A massive shadow loomed in the distance before leaping down from an ice hill.
A towering, white-furred wolf landed with a thunderous impact. Unlike the others, its body radiated power—its eyes burned with intelligence, its fur was sleek like polished steel.
[Ding]
[Fifth Floor Boss – Snow Wolf General]
[Stats]
Name: ???
Race: Lesser Snow Wolf
Bloodline: Low-Grade Demonic Bloodline
Strength: D+
Agility: D+
Energy: C-
Affinity: Ice
Endurance: C-
Intelligence: D+
[Skills]
Ice Spike – Summons 10 deadly spikes (Cooldown: 3 minutes)
Ice Beam – Fires a powerful energy beam (Cooldown: 5 minutes)
Xandros' golden eyes flickered with intrigue. "Oh, you look like you might actually be a challenge."
ROAR!!!
Their gazes locked. The tension in the air was palpable. Then—
BOOM!
They exploded forward at the same time.
Xandros' katana clashed against the wolf's ice-coated claws. Sparks and frost flew in all directions. Strike for strike, blow for blow, the two combatants matched each other with terrifying precision.
The wolf snarled before leaping back and summoning ice spikes from the ground—
Xandros blurred, dodging through them effortlessly before appearing behind the beast.
SLASH!
Blood splattered as the wolf's tail was severed.
ROAR!!!
The beast howled in agony, its balance faltering.
"That should slow you down," Xandros remarked casually.
But the wolf wasn't done yet.
Suddenly—
[Ice Beam]
WHIRR!
A brilliant blue energy beam surged toward Xandros at lightning speed.
For the first time, his eyes widened slightly.
But he didn't panic. Instead, he got into stance, katana held firmly.
SLASH!
With a powerful downward swing, he cleaved the beam in half. It split, exploding behind him.
BOOM!!!
The impact sent a shockwave through the tundra, shattering ice formations around them.
Xandros grinned. "Alright, I've had my fun."
Gathering fire elemental energy, he raised his hand, shaping it into an arrow made of pure flames. The heat distorted the air around him.
[Spark of Destruction]
He released the arrow.
The wolf, sensing its impending doom, fired another Ice Beam in desperation—
Too late.
The flaming projectile cut through the beam effortlessly before slamming into the beast's skull.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted, sending debris flying everywhere. The battlefield was left in ruins.
As the smoke cleared, Xandros stood unfazed, his katana resting on his shoulder.
[Ding]
[Floor Boss – Snow Wolf General Killed]
[150 EXP Gained]
[Obtained D-Level Beast Core]
He exhaled, stretching his arms. "Damn, that was fun. And I'm getting better at creating skills on the fly."
Glancing at his notifications, he smirked. "I'll check those later. For now…"
He turned toward the next portal, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"...Let's see what the next floor has in store."
...........**.............
(2 hours later)
Ding!
[9th Floor Cleared]
[Gained 2,500 EXP][Gained 30 C-Level Beast Cores]
Xandros exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the battlefield littered with the remains of the Treants.
"Tch. Damn tree monsters," he muttered, flicking the last splinters from his blade. "Took way too long. If they weren't so damn durable, I'd have finished this floor in half the time."
His golden eyes flickered with mild irritation, but it was fleeting. His lips curled into a smirk as he turned toward the swirling portal ahead.
[Transporting to the 10th Floor]
FWOOSH!
The instant Xandros set foot on the 10th floor, the atmosphere shifted violently.
A suffocating presence pressed down on him, thick and menacing, sending a sharp tingle up his spine. The very air trembled, whispering danger.
His instincts flared.
This… is at least B-rank.
Xandros' smirk widened, his pulse quickening—not in fear, but in excitement.
He wasted no time. "System, give me the details."
Ding!
[Tenth Floor Boss – Shadow Python]
[Stats]
Name: ???
Race: Shadow Python
Bloodline: Medium-Grade Demonic Bloodline
Strength: B-
Agility: A-
Energy: B+
Affinity: Shadow
Endurance: C-
Intelligence: B+
[Skills]
Shadow Stealth: Temporarily boosts agility by 30% (Cooldown – 10 minutes)
Venom Breath: Releases a breath that paralyzes the enemy for 5 minutes (Cooldown – 30 minutes)
Shadow Armor: Encases its body in powerful dark energy, increasing defense by 30% (Cooldown – 10 minutes)
HISS… HISS…
Xandros lifted his gaze just in time to see a massive figure slithering through the darkness.
Then it descended.
BOOM!
A monstrous, obsidian-scaled python crashed down onto the ground, shaking the entire cavern. Jagged black scales gleamed under the dim light, its body stretching over 15 feet long, thick as a war elephant.
Its eyes—two glowing pools of eerie purple light—locked onto Xandros with primal hunger.
Its forked tongue flicked.
Its presence demanded respect.
But Xandros?
He simply chuckled.
"Well, shit. Is this an Anaconda remake or something?" he muttered. "Ah, fuck me—I'm actually gonna have to put in some effort."
He cracked his neck, letting his aura seep out like an encroaching tide.
The temperature dropped.
The air grew heavier.
Xandros' presence, usually restrained, flared—a force so suffocating it made the very ground tremble beneath his feet.
The python's slit pupils constricted.
It felt it.
That primal, unshakable authority.
This wasn't prey.
This was a predator beyond its understanding.
Xandros' katana slid from its sheath with a whisper of steel.
He lifted it lazily onto his shoulder and smirked.
"Come at me, big boy."
...............**...............
Hey guys this is a special episode to celebrate my first week as a writer. Thank you all for reading my work. Love you all ❤️.
Don't forget to vote with power stones guys!!!