Online Game: My Hidden Class Is Dragon Sovereign!

--Chapter 26--

Title>> Vaguis the Bounded[1]

The chilling silence of their footsteps made contact with the cold mirror floors and didn’t go away any time soon.

And it definitely couldn’t hide the eerie feeling that surrounded the cathedral, flooded by twisting shadows.

Xavier stared at the polished floor and then back at the unblinking red eyes at the far end.

It wasn’t merely what he expected.

It was actually better...

Even more realistic than he had actually thought it would be.

Honestly... it was awesome!

All his life, he had faced this dungeon from the eyes of a spectator.

From behind a controller, and a character.

But now?

Right now...

He was looking at floors that looked like something was trapped underneath.

And whatever it was... was trapped there, was staring back at him, wearing his own reflection as a mask.

His eyes followed the pillars in the distance that rose upward as though there was a ceiling there, but Xavier knew better after completing this dungeon on Hard difficulty multiple times.

What was up there was no ceiling.

And what was down there...

Xavier’s eyes moved back to the far end, where a throne formed from fused chains was occupied by the mighty Vaguis.

The HUD didn’t betray Xavier’s knowledge, displaying boldly for all to see.

[Vaguis the Bounded – Level 10]

[HP: 4500/4500]

[Status: Sealed]

This was the final boss of the dungeon.

A demon, if Xavier remembered correctly.

And the only reason it was Level 10 was because this was Medium difficulty.

At higher difficulties, this boss easily reached Level 20 with far fewer restrictions.

Obviously, his health was ridiculously high, but that wouldn’t be too much of a hassle with the critical-hit potential that party engagements usually came with.

And its status...[Sealed]

That was courtesy of the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of chains that stretched from the throne upward.

Each chain was taut, holding back something that had no business coming down, yet its presence could still be felt even now.

It produced the same rhythmic breathing that echoed steadily through the cathedral, each breath settling deeper into the party’s ears.

"Okay... this shit is creepier up close," Dex finally said, voicing everyone’s thoughts out loud.

Xavier chuckled lightly. The boy wasn’t lying.

"Movement..." Priya said, brushing the cold from everyone’s joints.

She quickly drew her sword as her A-Rank Talent activated.

[Eyes of Horus]

Xavier might not have incredible eyes like Priya, but he was still able to pick up what she was talking about.

"How many are they?" Dex asked, nocking an arrow as he pointed from side to side.

It wasn’t long before the signal Xavier had been waiting for arrived.

The taut chains that seemingly led to nowhere rattled like a bell, and the first wave emerged.

They literally peeled away from the scattered shadows like wet bandages.

The figures looked small, no bigger than a normal five-year-old.

"Prepare yourselves," Xavier said, flicking his wrist and causing his dagger to manifest in his grip.

The steel of the stainless dagger had already begun to dull after clashing with the Sword Sentinel.

But it was still enough to make a difference.

Especially when the enemies were a pack of small, gaunt creatures on all fours with grey, furless skin.

Their mouths released a bubbling mixture of saliva and whatever yellow substance was mixed into it.

[Vaguis Spawn – Lv. 4]

[HP: 80/80]

"Only Level 4?" Juo, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke.

"That’s the deceit," Xavier said, looking at Timothee, who nodded in understanding as though reminded of something.

"Listen carefully. The stuff dripping from their mouths is flammable."

He paused briefly.

"Super flammable, actually. It ignites on contact with anything that isn’t their own skin. One touch and you’re a torch."

"Yeah... that’s fuckin—"

Dex, for once, seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Yeah, it is..." Xavier continued. "Remember the walls at the entrance? The wet stone I told you not to touch."

"Yeah...?" Priya nodded alongside the others.

"It is made of the same substance. One touch back then would’ve blown the whole corridor... and us with it."

Dex’s face went pale, seemingly drained of blood.

"Shit... we would’ve been toast."

"There is still time for that..." Xavier chipped in with a smile that drained the worry from their nerves.

"Look... we’ve come this far, and we ain’t fucking it up now."

He balanced the grip of the dagger in his hand before gesturing it toward his own neck.

"It’s pretty easy. Attack from the neck up. The gland that produces the substance is somewhere from the neck down. So if you attack anywhere else on the body, it ruptures. You get sprayed..."

Xavier pulled his Dread Cloak closer around himself.

"If you get sprayed... you go human torch. Understood?"

Everybody nodded like a hive mind, their attention never leaving Xavier for a second.

They remained attentive as he explained their positions once more.

Timothee was the tank and frontline.

Priya was the scout, or in Xavier’s own terms...

Their untouchable member. She was Miss Governor.

Dex and Juo were the backline DPS.

"What about you?" Juo asked.

Xavier was already pulling the Dread Cloak tight around his shoulders.

The fabric shifted, matching the mirror-like stone, the dim light, and the shadows between the pillars.

"I’m going to get their attention."

He vanished.

***

With him now part of the scenery, Xavier moved like a ghost as the first cries of battle swept through the cathedral.

The spawns rushed forward like a wave of grey, baby-like monsters with four legs and harsh, snapping jaws.

The first line of defense, Timothee, met the creatures head-on, slamming his hardened fists into their skulls.

The blows caved them inward before the creatures could spray.

The force sent their bodies crashing into the pillars before they dissolved in moments.

[Player Timothee: Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

[Rewards: 30 EXP Accumulated to Party]

Not far behind Timothee was Priya.

She moved like she could read the Titan like a book, filling every opening he left behind.

Her blade moved swiftly, carving through every creature her Talent marked, like a cake.

[Player Priya: Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

[Rewards: 30 EXP Accumulated to Party]

It was exactly what you would expect from Level 7 and Level 6 players going against Level 4 monsters.

Then there was Dex. He started well enough.

A few of his mana arrows pierced straight through the throats of the spawns without a fuss, as if he were Hawkeye.

But the spawns, unlike the Ashbelly Runners, weren’t stupid. They noticed.

And immediately began leaping and spitting in his direction.

The sudden pressure forced Dex into a panicked reaction.

His next arrow struck one of the spawns squarely in the chest.

The creature swelled as the gland ruptured.

A yellowish mist spread out, with the flying arrow making contact.

Boom!

This led to a small but violent explosion and the creation of a small fire ball in mid-air, engulfing three other leaping spawns at once.

The resulting chain of explosions sent a shockwave crashing into Dex, knocking him from his hiding spot.

Dex’s health bar plummeted as his back slammed into a nearby pillar.

[Player Dexter – HP: 72/110]

"Fuck!"

He scrambled back to his feet, favoring his back slightly.

"I’m good! I’m good!"

"The neck, Dex," Xavier’s voice echoed from somewhere among the scenery, amusement clear in his tone.

"Not the chest."

"I know! I know!"

Dex was quick to his feet but he was already getting surrounded. The numbers grew from five to ten.

But Xavier arrived like a ghost. Hidden beneath the effects of the Dread Cloak, he moved with frightening precision.

He danced among the creatures like a throat collector.

His dagger found neck after neck before the spawns even realized he was there.

And where the dagger’s worn edge wasn’t quite enough, his fists finished the job, smashing jaws inward and rupturing the glands internally.

The creatures gagged on their own secretions before collapsing.

It was exactly the kind of precision you would expect from a genius med-school dropout.

[Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

[Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

[Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

[Vaguis Spawn Defeated!]

...

...

Dex swallowed hard, his eyes widening at just how quickly the creatures disappeared.

To Xavier, however, the notifications felt almost insulting.

These fucking things were only worth thirty experience each.

They weren’t here to help anyone level up.

Quite the opposite.

They were here to waste time, drain mana, and test whether the party was worthy of facing Vaguis himself.

It was solid game logic.

Very annoying game logic.

But then...

He noticed something completely unexpected.

A/N: Kindly... Support the story. Your powerstones and Golden tickets go a long way.

T for Thanks