*Creaaak!*

"Phew."

After entering the fortress and dealing with a few scattered chimeras, I quickly realized that this elite dungeon was different from the others.

"All the monsters are chimeras."

The elite dungeon known as *Aspiro's Fortress*.

Judging by the name, this dungeon was likely another stronghold of the demonic forces, just like the *Demon Army Outpost*. *Aspiro* was probably the name of the demon that ruled here.

However, I didn’t see any demons. The only creatures roaming the fortress were chimeras.

From dog-like chimeras similar to those I had encountered at the outpost, to flying chimeras and bipedal ones, this place seemed less like a demon's fortress and more like a chimera's fortress.

Chimeras, lacking intelligence, had no organized behavior. There were no fixed patrol routes, and they didn’t call for reinforcements. As a result, reaching the first tower wasn’t too difficult.

Before long, I arrived at the lowest of the three towers I had seen from outside.

The interior of the tower was quite spacious, large enough to accommodate a proper boss fight.

"This looks like the site for the first boss battle."

I gripped my sword tightly and readied myself.

The first tower wasn’t very tall, around the height of a 3- to 4-story building in the real world. However, the ceilings were extremely high, with each floor using an expansive layout.

Finally, I stepped fully into the tower, and what greeted me was an unexpected sight.

"Gah."

The word "squirming" came to mind.

From the floor to the walls, the entire space was filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of eggs. Or were they cocoons?

Some looked like real eggs, while others seemed like flesh masses shaped like eggs.

They were all connected to a massive piece of flesh spread thin across the floor, pulsating as though they were part of one living organism.

The air was damp and thick with moisture.

As I cautiously approached, I organized my thoughts.

Countless eggs and cocoons. The damp, enclosed space inside the tower. The fortress filled with chimeras.

With all of these clues, it wasn’t hard to figure out what I was looking at.

"A chimera hatchery."

So, this was where the chimeras were mass-produced.

The lower levels of the other two towers likely held similar scenes.

However, I hadn’t found an entrance to the middle-sized or largest tower. The only way to proceed to the next tower was via the bridge connected to the top of the smallest tower.

Across from the entrance where I stood was a staircase leading to the upper floors of the tower. To reach it, I had to cross the room filled with chimera eggs.

Given this kind of floor structure, there was only one predictable pattern. If I approached any cocoons about to hatch, all the nearby chimeras would wake up.

In that case, this section could be more dangerous than the boss fight itself. Even though I had grown stronger, I wasn’t sure how long I could hold out against a horde of chimeras.

How could I make it to the stairs?

I poked a small egg lying by itself near the entrance. Its color was pale, and it was much smaller, indicating that it probably wasn’t going to hatch anytime soon.

"Oh."

Just as I thought, the small egg didn’t react when I touched it.

So, what about the cocoons?

I carefully approached a large cocoon that was isolated from the others.

*Beep.*

*Creaaak!*

As soon as I was about 3 meters away from the cocoon, a chimera awoke. It was a flying type, somewhat bat-like, and it darted toward me.

*Whack!*

I lured the chimera toward the entrance and dealt with it before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that surprised me."

It had more HP than I expected. It was much sturdier than the chimeras outside.

As I suspected, this area wasn’t designed for players to fight all the chimeras.

At that moment, I finally understood the layout of the floor.

Although the eggs and cocoons were densely packed, there were small sections filled with the smaller eggs.

Those sections of smaller eggs formed a clear path leading straight to the stairs.

"Aha."

Visualizing the detection range of the cocoons in my head, I carefully followed the path lined with small eggs, making sure not to touch any of the larger cocoons, and headed toward the upper floors.

Though it was a strange and dangerous environment, it was surprisingly easy to navigate once you saw the pattern. In fact, avoiding the scouts at the outpost had been much harder.

Of course, the layout might change later, but for now, I could easily make my way to the stairs without waking any more chimeras.

I confidently moved forward.

*Step, step,* walking proudly.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t get too cocky.

*Tiptoe, tiptoe.*

---

"Made it."

I successfully passed through the stairs and reached the upper floor of the tower.

As expected, the lowest tower was divided into upper and lower sections.

If the other towers were structured similarly, I wouldn’t have much trouble getting through the minion sections.

The upper floor of the tower was much cleaner, with none of the eggs or cocoons present. However, the damp atmosphere persisted.

This was clearly where the first boss resided.

Given that the dungeon was filled with chimeras, it wasn’t hard to predict what the boss might look like.

"Something like that, I guess."

I looked up at the high ceiling.

There, hidden in the shadows, was the vague outline of a grotesque creature.

*Caw.*

A low growl echoed through the room.

Chimeras could take on various forms depending on the base creature they were made from, and their cries differed as well. The sound I had just heard reminded me of something.

"It sounds like a monster from a kaiju movie or a dinosaur movie."

Nodding in understanding, I continued forward. When I reached the center of the upper floor, the figure in the shadows began to move.

*Thud.*

A massive, red, fleshy creature appeared before me in an instant.

"Oh."

Just as I had thought, it looked like a dinosaur.

The creature stood on two thick legs, its long, powerful tail acting as a counterbalance for its body.

The only difference from a dinosaur was the absence of front legs. Had they atrophied? Being a chimera, it wasn’t necessarily modeled after a real dinosaur.

Its body resembled that of a dinosaur, but its head was more like a grotesque fish, with sharp teeth filling its maw, ready to tear apart anything that came too close.

It was a strange creature. Since it had the head of a fish, I might as well call it "Maw."

Soon, a named boss interface appeared in front of me, confirming my guess.

The enormous maw-like creature let out a deafening cry.

*CAAAW!*

---

[First Boss]
[Level 40 Blood-Maw]
[HP 4,000,000 / 4,000,000]

---

*Whack!*

I unleashed *Starlight Slash* on the blood-maw’s body. As expected of a massive boss, unlike the agile human-shaped bosses like Zarcan, this one made for a perfect punching bag.

*CAAAW!*

The blood-maw roared and slammed its enormous jaws into the ground, trying to bite me. *Boom, boom!* But with quick movements, I easily avoided its attacks.

It was trying to swallow me whole, its sharp teeth perfect for chewing up whatever it caught.

Judging by its attack patterns, I wouldn’t be able to block its moves, and it was fast. But not so fast that I couldn’t dodge.

When it tried to slam down again, I dodged behind it and used *Counterattack*.

*Clang!*

As I used the skill, the blood-maw’s tail whipped around instantly, and I barely blocked it, breaking into a cold sweat.

Its attacks were similar to the wyvern from the *Demon's Tomb* first boss, but while the wyvern had swung its tail forward, this chimera attacked its rear without even turning around.

It had a rear attack pattern, just like the demon.

Still, it wasn’t too dangerous as long as I knew what was coming.

The early stages of the fight were just reconnaissance. I took my time figuring out its basic attack patterns.

Suddenly, the blood-maw curled its body tightly.

A spinning move.

*Clang! Clang!*

Two powerful impacts hit my sword in quick succession as I blocked its spinning body.

It spun twice. Perfect for triggering *Just Guard*.

*CAAAW!*

The blood-maw opened its massive jaws and slammed them into the ground again. *Boom, boom!*

I couldn’t afford to get hit. In elite dungeons, HP hardly mattered—one hit could kill you or leave you near death.

I avoided the standard attacks while dealing damage and refrained from using *Counterattack* for now.

The blood-maw curled its body again, preparing for another spin.

*Clang!*

I blocked the first spin at the perfect moment.

*Swish.*

Then, I used *Counterattack* to avoid the second spin.

My successful *Just Guard* triggered a gentle glow around my body. With the accompanying vitality buff, I unleashed a flurry of *Starlight Slashes* on the blood-maw's body.

*Whack, whack, whack!*

*CAAAW!*

With wounds carving across its bloody hide, the boss’s HP started to drop

 rapidly, and it let out a pained scream.

---

[First Boss]
[Level 40 Blood-Maw]
[HP 3,054,516 / 4,000,000]

---

Its basic patterns were easy to handle. It didn’t have nearly as many diverse attacks as Zarcan.

But it was time to prepare for its special patterns. I paused my onslaught and focused on observing its next moves as I continued slashing away.

As soon as the boss's HP dropped to 75%, just as expected, its behavior changed.

*CAAAW!*

"Huh?"

The blood-maw suddenly turned its back to me.

*Boom, boom, boom.*

In a matter of seconds, the enormous creature scrambled up the wall and began climbing it with surprising agility.

Before long, it clung to the ceiling.

I stood there, dumbfounded, watching it.

Ah, so that’s where it had been hiding earlier, up on the ceiling.

But wait, if it’s on the ceiling, I can’t attack it, right?

It was that pattern again. During this special phase, the boss could attack freely while I had to run around like my feet were on fire.

"This... This is so annoying!"

I stomped my foot in frustration.