Global Survival: I Have Endless Skeletons-Chapter 174: The Final Floor Boss
Thoren rode the Undead Iron Roar Komodo deeper into the massive crater.
On all sides, the only thing he could see was an endless landscape of jagged rock formations.
At times, he felt as if the rocks were moving.
It was subtle, so subtle that he could not be certain.
Yet the strange sensation persisted.
Not only the rocks... he sometimes felt as if the entire crater itself was shifting slowly beneath his feet.
But he could not confirm it.
The unsettling thought lingered in the back of his mind, forcing him to remain cautious.
Thus, Thoren raised his guard.
His eyes constantly darted left and right, scanning every corner of the rocky wasteland as he searched for the final Floor Boss.
However, to his surprise, he saw nothing.
Not even a single beast appeared along his path.
It was as if every living creature within the crater had vanished without a trace.
"What is going on?" he muttered aloud, his face etched with confusion.
He had expected to encounter numerous beasts while making his way toward the boss.
In fact, he had prepared for constant battles along the journey.
Yet reality was the complete opposite.
The surroundings were eerily quiet.
Too quiet.
The silence felt unnatural, like the stillness of a graveyard.
"Is it possible that, because of the final boss battle, all the beasts have retreated?" he wondered.
The more he considered the possibility, the more puzzled he became.
No one had ever mentioned such a situation before.
Still, Thoren forced himself to remain calm.
There was no point in overthinking things now.
Instead, he continued following the mysterious voice that guided him through the crater.
Nearly an hour passed as he traveled deeper and deeper into the vast depression.
Gradually, the environment around him began to change.
The towering rock formations started shrinking in size.
The jagged pillars that once dominated the landscape slowly gave way to smaller stone and fractured terrain.
At the same time, the temperature began rising.
A faint wave of heat brushed against his skin.
The ground beneath the Komodo’s heavy footsteps also began to look different.
Cracks appeared across the surface like scars spreading through the earth.
Before he realized it, the towering rocks had completely disappeared.
All that remained ahead of him was a vast plain of fractured land.
Thin streams of steam rose from deep fissures scattered across the terrain.
The air felt heavier.
Hotter.
Thoren immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere.
It felt as though he had stepped into another world entirely.
A place where something powerful resided.
Carefully, he commanded his mount to proceed with caution, guiding the Undead Iron Roar Komodo between the fractured ground.
The deeper he traveled, the wider and more intimidating the fissures became.
Standing atop the Komodo’s broad back, he leaned slightly forward and looked down into one of the cracks.
There was nothing.
Only endless darkness.
The depth seemed immeasurable.
A chill ran down his spine.
His muscles stiffened instantly.
His heart began pounding heavily against his chest.
As he continued forward, the safe ground grew increasingly narrow.
Soon, he realized something alarming.
There was now only a single path ahead.
On both sides of the path lay massive fissures that stretched into darkness.
The path itself barely remained wide enough to walk on.
Thoren took a slow, steady breath to calm his racing heart.
Then he looked down at the narrow trail and understood something immediately.
Continuing forward while riding the Komodo was impossible.
The creature was simply too large.
Left with no other choice, he dismounted.
With a wave of his hand, the Undead Iron Roar Komodo dissolved into dark energy and returned to his undead storage space.
For a moment, Thoren stood alone on the narrow stone path.
The silence around him became even heavier.
From his inventory, he retrieved an ordinary iron sword.
He inhaled deeply through his nose, then slowly exhaled.
The tension in the air grew thicker with every passing second.
Grinding his teeth slightly, Thoren stepped forward.
Retreat was no longer an option.
With every step he took, he felt as though he were walking toward his own doom.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound of his boots striking the stone echoed loudly across the empty expanse.
The noise bounced between the deep fissures, returning to his ears again and again.
For a brief moment, an unsettling thought crossed his mind.
Perhaps this might be the last time he ever heard that sound.
His breathing grew heavier.
But he forced himself to remain focused.
He could not allow the oppressive atmosphere to invade his thoughts.
Then suddenly, a deep growl echoed from the depths of one of the fissures.
The sound was distant, yet unbelievably powerful.
The moment Thoren heard it, every hair on his body stood on end. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
His soul trembled violently.
An overwhelming instinct urged him to look down into the abyss.
But he resisted.
Summoning every ounce of willpower he possessed, he forced himself to keep his gaze forward.
He exhaled sharply and tightened his grip on the iron sword.
Then he continued moving.
Step by step.
Deep inside, he knew something important.
The battle had already begun.
If he faltered here, if he allowed fear to consume him, everything would end before he even reached the boss.
But Thoren refused to be intimidated.
Not by anyone.
Not by anything.
He steadied his breathing and began conditioning his mind.
He forced himself to imagine that the surrounding darkness did not exist.
He shut out the distant sounds echoing through the fissures.
He focused only on the path ahead.
Only the path mattered.
At first, it was difficult.
The oppressive presence surrounding him felt like a crushing weight pressing against his mind.
But slowly, his efforts began to work.
His steps became steadier.
His breathing stabilized.
The hesitation in his movements disappeared.
Gradually, his stride grew firmer.
Then stronger.
Five minutes later, he finally reached the end of the narrow path.
In front of him stood a set of ancient stone steps leading upward.
Without hesitation, he climbed them.
One step.
Then another.
As he reached the final stair, the scene before him suddenly opened up.
Thoren found himself standing inside an ancient coliseum.
The massive arena had long since fallen into ruin.
Large portions of the structure had collapsed, leaving behind broken walls and shattered stone pillars.
The once-grand arena floor was littered with debris.
The remaining walls were covered with deep scars and gouges.
In one corner of the coliseum, Thoren noticed something unsettling.
Bones.
Many bones.
Some clearly belonged to humans.
Others belonged to creatures he could not identify.
Shattered weapons and broken pieces of armor lay scattered across the ground like relics of a forgotten battle.
Slowly, Thoren shifted his gaze across the arena.
Then his eyes stopped.
At the far end of the coliseum sat a lone figure.
The figure rested upon a broken stone throne, observing Thoren with a calm, almost curious expression.
A system notification appeared before Thoren’s eyes.
[Final Floor Boss]
[Demon Malzareth]
[??]
[??]
Apart from the creature’s name, no other information was available.
For a few silent seconds, neither of them moved.
They simply stared at one another across the ruined arena.
Then slowly, Malzareth stood.
The demon towered over three meters tall.
His charcoal-black skin looked as hard as stone.
Two massive curved horns extended from his head, while his crimson eyes glowed with terrifying intensity.
His muscular body constantly released faint streams of blood-red energy that drifted through the air like mist.
Even from a distance, Thoren could hear something disturbing.
The raging sound of blood rushing through his own veins.
It was as if the blood within his body was responding to the demon’s presence.
As though it wanted to burst out of him.
Thud.
Thud.
Malzareth stepped down from the throne platform, his movements slow and deliberate.
His predatory gaze remained locked on Thoren.
With every step he took, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to bend slightly under his will.
An invisible pressure descended upon the arena.
Thoren felt the crushing force pressing down against his back.
Yet instead of fear, a surge of excitement ignited within him.
His blood boiled with fighting spirit.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
Dark energy erupted around him.
The Undead Rend Colossus appeared first, its towering skeletal body radiating overwhelming destructive power.
A second later, the Undead Storm Tyrant materialized beside it, gripping its massive war hammer.
****
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