Wraith of Despair (Hard Difficulty Boss, Aggressive)

  Level: 25

  Strength: 271

  Agility: 183

  Spirit: 150

  Endurance: 266

  Skills:

  Corpse Miasma (Passive): The Wraith of Despair is perpetually shrouded in corpse qi. Enemies fighting it are affected by the miasma, reducing all attributes by 20% and inflicting a poisoned state.

  Chain Lash (Active): Uses the iron chains in its hands to strike enemies with devastating force.

  Burst of Malice (Active): Erupts with internal resentment, knocking back nearby enemies and inflicting a poisoned state.

  Undying Malice (Passive): Driven by profound resentment, the Wraith of Despair harbors intense hatred for Fire and Light attribute magic, granting a natural 30% damage reduction against them.

  Description: Three hundred years ago, a woman became a Dark Witch through her Class Awakening. The Church of Light branded her an omen of misfortune, and the narrow-minded villagers bound her in iron chains before sinking her to the bottom of the lake. Gradually, everyone realized the woman was truly different—she never died beneath the waters. Or perhaps she had died long ago, but her lingering malice kept her eyes fixed on the village from the lake floor, casting a never-ending curse upon them...

  The attributes of this Hard Difficulty Boss were absurdly high, with its Strength even surpassing Lucian’s own.

  Furthermore, it possessed four distinct skills, each appearing more formidable than the last.

  Crucially, its Endurance was not only massive, but it also boasted a 30% damage reduction against Fire and Light magic. Fire-based skills were typically a Mage's most powerful tools; with this 30% resistance, the Wraith of Despair became a literal wall of iron. No one present could easily breach its defenses.

  Lucian had used Dragon Tooth Strike to suppress the Wraith of Despair, but as the skill's power dissipated, the creature let out a harrowing shriek. It triggered Burst of Malice, and a cloud of purple-black, foul-smelling gas erupted from its body. Simultaneously, it lashed out with a claw, slamming it against Lucian’s Obsidian Dragonscale Greatsword.

  The sheer Strength behind the blow forced even Lucian back several steps. He was immediately afflicted with the poisoned status, causing his attributes to drop by 10%.

  Fortunately, Lucian possessed the Black Dragon Bloodline, which granted him a 50% resistance to debuffs. Had his attributes dropped the full 20%, the situation would have been considerably more dire.

  Seeing Lucian forced back by the Wraith of Despair, Chloe and the others fell into a state of panic.

  Gareth lay on the ground, his face turned a sickly black—a clear sign of the debuff inflicted by the Corpse Miasma passive.

  He scrambled to his feet with great effort. Seeing the Wraith of Despair preparing to charge the backline, he roared, "Jared! Use Charge and Holy Trample! Hold the boss down!"

  Jared, a seasoned combatant, didn't hesitate. He raised his shield and activated Charge, hurtling toward the Wraith of Despair in an attempt to pull its aggro.

  However, just as Jared closed the distance, the Wraith of Despair swung its arm. An iron chain whistled through the air, whipping toward him with a thunderous crack.

  BOOM!

  The impact was deafening. Jared was sent flying before he could even trigger Holy Trample. The Bronze Tier shield in his hands shattered instantly, reduced to a heap of useless scrap metal.

  The boss's power far exceeded everyone's expectations.

  Gareth’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He tilted his head back and downed an Antidote, and as his condition stabilized slightly, he hoisted his greatsword and prepared to throw himself into the fray to protect the backline.

  But the Wraith of Despair struck again, activating Chain Lash. The relentless strikes hammered Gareth backward until his two-handed greatsword was knocked clean out of his hands, spinning into the distance.

  "It’s over. This boss isn't something we can handle!" Gareth was on the verge of total despair. He had gravely underestimated the brutality of a Hard Difficulty Secret Realm.

  As the iron chain rose, poised to crush his skull into a bloody pulp, Gareth’s eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

  The chain never fell. Instead, a low growl resonated through the air, followed by the descent of a draconic phantom that sent the Wraith of Despair tumbling backward.

  Lucian had stepped in once more. Only he possessed the power to knock this boss back.

  "Dragon Tooth Strike!"

  CRASH!

  The Wraith of Despair took the hit head-on, new wounds opening across its body, though it was clear that an attack of this level wasn't enough to kill it outright.

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  Gareth had narrowly escaped death, but he felt no relief.

  He turned and shouted to Lucian, "Lucian, its stats are too high! We're no match for it!"

  "Take Chloe and the others and get out of here! Exit the Secret Realm! I’ll stay behind to hold it off!"

  Lucian narrowed his eyes at the Wraith of Despair as it scrambled back to its feet. He gave a flat refusal. "No need to retreat. I can handle this thing."

  "You—" Gareth’s voice rose in panic. He felt Lucian was being far too overconfident.

  Yes, Lucian was powerful, but they were facing a Level 25 Hard Difficulty Boss. Lucian had just been shoved back moments ago; it was clear the boss held the numerical advantage in raw stats.

  If Lucian couldn't maintain a hard aggro lock on the boss, Chloe and the rest of the backline would be slaughtered.

  However, the words Gareth was about to speak died in his throat at the sight of what happened next.

  Lucian’s right arm began to undergo a violent transformation. The limb expanded as muscles surged and rippled, while pitch-black dragon scales tore through the flesh, anchoring themselves firmly into his skin.

  In an instant, Lucian’s right arm underwent a complete metamorphosis, transforming into a monstrous Dragon’s Claw.

  Beneath the pitch-black scales, a dark-red glow pulsed in rhythm with his breathing, as if an incredible, prehistoric Strength was coiled within the limb.

  But the transformation didn't stop there.

  The Obsidian Dragonscale Greatsword in Lucian’s hand began to shift. It looked as though the metal were liquefying, seeping directly into the Dragon’s Claw.

  As the Draconic Armament trait of the Obsidian Dragonscale Greatsword activated, the massive blade merged entirely with the claw. Lucian’s arm swelled further, becoming even more thick and sinewy, radiating an aura of raw, violent power.

  Lucian gave his new "arm" a test swing. He was more than satisfied with the explosive surge of Strength vibrating through his nerves.

  Between the Level 2 Dragon’s Claw and the double-buff provided by the Draconic Armament, Lucian now possessed a limb of peerless devastation.

  Though it wasn't explicitly listed on his Status Screen, Lucian could sense it—the Strength attribute of this single claw was at least 350 points!

  Seeing Chloe and the others frozen in a daze, Lucian’s voice barked out, snapping them back to reality. "Don't just stand there! I’m taking the front line. Backline, keep the damage coming!"

  With those words, Lucian lunged forward, his Dragon’s Claw swiping toward the Wraith of Despair.

  Chloe and the other mages and archers shook off their shock. Realizing this was no time to gawk, they immediately began chanting and drawing their strings to focus fire on the BOSS.

  As Lucian’s claw tore through the air, the Wraith of Despair let out a guttural screech from deep within its throat, simultaneously lashing out with its Chain Lash.

  The rust-covered iron chains slammed into the Dragon’s Claw, but Lucian didn't give so much as an inch. He stood his ground like an immovable mountain.

  It was clear—in a pure contest of Strength, Lucian now held the absolute upper hand!

  The Dragon’s Claw descended with crushing force, swiping the Wraith of Despair clean off its feet and sending it tumbling back. On the Secret Realm’s damage leaderboard, Lucian’s Damage Output spiked violently, a testament to the sheer horror of that single strike.

  Chloe and the mages opened fire. Chloe stuck to her Holy Light magic; even though the damage was dampened by the Wraith of Despair’s Undying Malice, the radiant energy still helped sustain Lucian’s state.

  The other mages pivoted away from Fireballs, opting for Ice Spikes instead. Not only was the damage higher, but the frost effect helped bleed away the Wraith of Despair’s mobility.

  At this point, Lucian was the only front-liner capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Wraith.

  Relying on the Dragon’s Claw, he became entangled in a brutal melee with the monster, maintaining a suffocating dominance.

  Between his overwhelming physical pressure and the relentless bombardment of spells and arrows from the rear, the Wraith of Despair could do nothing but shriek in futile rage.

  The Dragon’s Claw provided the perfect balance of offense and defense. Even a BOSS like the Wraith of Despair was no match for Lucian’s current form.

  In truth, Lucian could have likely soloed the Wraith of Despair himself, but with Chloe and the others providing ranged support, the kill was significantly faster.

  Finally, under the combined might of the party, the Wraith of Despair threw its head back and let out a final, piercing howl. The miasma of resentment within its body erupted outward, spiraling into the air before finally dissipating into nothingness.

  Its massive carcass collapsed into a heap of rotting, putrid flesh, emitting a stench that could turn a man's stomach.

  The Secret Realm was finally cleared.

  The numbers on everyone’s quest panels ticked over to 1200/1200, followed by a bright notification of completion.

  Golden light washed over Lucian and Chloe simultaneously. Lucian reached Level 15, while Chloe hit Level 14.

  However, to Lucian’s slight disappointment, no level-up notification arrived for Nyx.

  He had to admit, the more powerful the race, the slower the progression. He had assumed getting Nyx to Level 10 would be a breeze, yet even after clearing an entire Secret Realm, she remained stuck at Level 9.

  It looked like he’d need to hunt down some high-tier beasts once they exited the Secret Realm.

  As the BOSS fell, the world within the Secret Realm began to warp and blur. The scenery dissolved into a hazy, chaotic void, and everyone found themselves standing in a space of swirling primordial energy.

  Within the chaos, three items slowly materialized. Wrapped in a mysterious aura of Strength, they floated gently toward the group.

  These were the rewards for clearing the Secret Realm: a scroll, a set of robes, and a staff.

  "We finally did it..." Chloe’s eyes shimmered. A mix of exhaustion and excitement played across her face.

  Gareth walked over, leaning heavily on his sword for support. A relieved smile broke through his weary expression. "Yeah. We owe it to Lucian. Without him, we’d all be rotting in the dirt right now."

  Gareth paused, glancing at the Secret Realm’s data panel. "According to the rules, Lucian, you take first pick."

  The data panel was undeniable. Lucian’s Damage Output was leagues ahead of everyone else—more than ten times that of Chloe, who held the second spot.

  By every standard of the adventuring world, the first right of refusal belonged to him.

  Lucian deactivated the Dragon’s Claw, allowing his arm to return to its human form. He stowed the Obsidian Dragonscale Greatsword and stepped forward, his gaze scanning the three rewards.

  The names and properties of the items laid themselves bare before his eyes.