Chapter 33: PHANTOM STRIKE
The instant he said it, a dark ripple spread from beneath his boots. His outline shimmered, then vanished completely. The dungeon fell silent—no footsteps, no sound, no trace.
The Giant Scorpion froze, its stinger twitching in confusion. Its multiple eyes scanned the space before it, but Raito was gone—his presence faint, almost nonexistent. Still, the creature wasn’t entirely blind. It could feel something—an energy, dim and fading, like a whisper of heat in the cold.
It shifted its massive body, tail raised high, dripping with venom. The moment it sensed movement, it fired—a thick, black stream shooting across the air.
But Raito was already moving. From the shadows, he leapt, a faint grin flashing across his invisible face. "Too slow."
He soared above the venom, flipping midair as it splattered harmlessly below him. The acid hissed against the stone, burning deep cracks into the dungeon floor.
Then—thud!—he landed right on top of the creature’s tail.
The scorpion hissed and shook violently, trying to fling him off, but Raito sprinted along its back, boots striking the hard shell in quick, light steps. "You’re big," he said, his voice echoing faintly from nowhere, "but you’re slow."
As he ran up the tail, his body shimmered faintly back into view. The darkness peeled away from him like smoke. He was now standing near the monster’s main body, daggers ready.
The scorpion lashed its stinger repeatedly, but Raito dodged each strike with precision. Each miss struck its own armored body instead, though it didn’t matter—the creature was immune to its own poison.
Using Shadow Phase hadn’t been helpful while moving along the massive shell. The skill drained his LP, making it more hindrance than aid. With a frustrated sigh, Raito deactivated it.
He continued moving fluidly, scanning for a weak spot. Then, he spotted a vulnerable joint along the scorpion’s shell. He bent slightly, bracing with his left hand to block incoming stingers while thrusting his dagger with the right, stabbing relentlessly until a crack appeared.
"Yes, finally," Raito muttered as he drove the dagger deep. The scorpion let out a deafening screech, thrashing violently as Raito fell off its back. It lashed once more with its tail, but he parried easily. The creature backed away, raising its stinger and releasing a visible cloud of dark, venomous gas.
Raito laughed, a sharp grin on his face. "What are you doing? Running out of options already?" he taunted.
But the scorpion suddenly froze.
"Why did it stop? Is it not scared... or is something else wrong?" he wondered.
Just then, a notification popped up on his screen: LP Reducing.
"What? My LP is decreasing?" Raito exclaimed, opening his status box. The numbers were dropping rapidly. "I told you to set it on fire!" he shouted at the system voice, panic lacing his tone. His life points were being drained—he realized the scorpion’s gas had a hidden effect he hadn’t anticipated.
"Now this isn’t good," Raito muttered, dropping to one knee. His breaths were shallow, his body burning with pain. He didn’t try to stand. "What’s going on...?"
He recalled something he had read in the library: certain monsters release venomous gas. "I thought it was running away... but no. It’s preparing to use one of its weapons."
Raito’s organs felt like they were failing. Panic tinged his voice. "Status box!"
He opened it, the interface scrolling rapidly. He tapped Healing, then selected the notification that popped up:
[Healing Process Of Venomous Gas — Cost: 220 LP. Duration: 4 minutes. User will not be affected by the venomous gas.]
"Wait... just four minutes? And 220 LP?" Raito’s eyes narrowed. "I have to act fast. I have to end this quickly."
He clenched his fists, determination hardening his expression. "After this... there are still five more monsters. To feed Greed’s hunger... and I know the next one will be even stronger. I have to finish this."
He tapped Accept. A green light enveloped his body, and his organs began to function normally. His breathing steadied.
"Ah... that’s better," Raito said, relief and resolve mixing in his voice. "Now... Big man, tell me... where we stop?"
He raised both daggers, holding them near his face, crimson eyes blazing.
Should he activate Shadow Phase again? He needed to think carefully. Invisibility would make him harder to target, but the scorpion was relentless. With LP slowly depleting, he couldn’t afford the cost unless absolutely necessary.
Raito’s mind raced. "No... I need Minotaur Strength more than Shadow Phase right now. If I rely on stealth, I won’t have the power to block its strikes. I have to endure and overpower it, not hide."
He tapped the status box, selecting [Greed → Minotaur Strength] and activated it. White energy surged around him, anchoring his body with immense force.
[Notification: Minotaur Strength activated ]
"Alright... let’s finish this," he muttered, tightening his grip on the daggers.
The giant scorpion staggered back, trying to put distance between itself and Raito, but the damage to its underbelly was clear. Its thick armor had been pierced, exposing the soft, vulnerable flesh beneath.
"Perfect... now to close the distance," Raito muttered, tightening his grip on the dagger strapped to the back of his hand. He surged forward, running straight at the beast.
The scorpion lashed out, its massive pincers snapping together with a deafening crack aimed at him. Raito dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the first strike, then twisted as the second pincer swung past him.
Its claws were razor-sharp, but the Minotaur Strength flowing through Raito’s body gave him the power to counter. With a precise strike, he drove his dagger into one of the scorpion’s massive pincers, slicing clean through. The creature shrieked in pain, the sound echoing through the dungeon. Shock rippled through its movements as it tried to recover.
Raito didn’t hesitate. The scorpion’s staggered, wounded stance was his opening. Its exposed underbelly glistened in the dungeon light a perfect target. He pressed forward, eyes locked on the weak spot, ready to exploit every advantage.