Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World
Chapter 38: [38] Boss Room. The Monsters Have Classes??

Chapter 38: [38] Boss Room. The Monsters Have Classes??

The boss room was a vast chamber with towering walls, pillars and crimson flags that were displayed on them.

The floor was even whiter than the flooring in the hall, the pearly white marble reflecting the players as they walked in.

After their experience in the hall, the players were more uneasy and far more cautious. Their eyes scanned the room, trying to find the boss, but there was no one in sight.

The only thing of note were the statues that were at the very end of the room.

Seated in an uncaring position was what seemed to be a goblin with an ornate crown resting lazily on his head.

Kneeling by his throne were five other goblins, each one bowing to their king, the moment forever encapsulated in stone.

’The king and his loyal guards....’

But there was something odd about these goblins. Unlike the goblins they had fought earlier, these goblins were taller.

They were not as robust as the goblin champion, instead, they were all vaguely humanoid in height and shape.

"High goblins..." Vanessa whispered from behind him.

Darius nodded. High goblins were an evolved version of goblins, they were several times stronger, and so intelligent that they couldn’t even be compared to regular goblins.

’But why are they statues?’

"Really? I guess all we have to do is smash the statue of that king to pieces huh?" One of the players said as he walked away from the formation.

"What do you think you are doing?" Darius asked, his voice nearly a growl.

"Woah, woah!" The player raised his hands in his defence. "That hall was already hell, I bet that is why this part is so easy."

He may have been right, but there was no way to know. Darius wanted to analyze the situation well before making any move.

"Stand down, I never gave you that order."

The player nodded. "Alright chief." He turned around, as though he was going to return when he suddenly smirked.

"Sprint!"

"Hey are you—" Darius shouted, but he was too late.

The boy’s body was encapsulated in a bright blue light and in seconds, he was in front of the goblin king, his hammer raised high.

"Sorry Darius! I’m going to kill the boss and get his drop, no hard feelings alright!"

Soo-jin shook her head by the side. "What a fool..."

Stab!

Before the player could bring his hammer down, a compartment on the king’s throne opened, and a large arrow flew out, blowing apart his head.

His blood splashed atop the statues, and instead of sliding down the smooth stone, the statues absorbed them...

"Shit!" Darius cursed. "Get ready, something is about to happen!"

The statues groaned as they came to life. The stone melted away to flesh and armour, the monsters that were once statues gaining life.

Before them now stood the king’s most loyal guards in the flesh. One wielded a lance taller than himself, the other a bow that looked as though it took effort to draw.

Standing at the back, draped in long black robes was undoubtedly a mage, a goblin with a massive shield stood in front, their tank, and finally, the goblin that seemed to be leading the operation unsheathed his long sword, the blade gleaming in the light.

A knight...

From a simple glance it was easy to tell that these were far from regular monsters, these monsters had classes.

The king had also been freed from petrification but he did not bother to meet their gaze. He kept staring at the floor, uninterested in what was going to happen.

To him, the players they had gathered were not worth his time, they were not even worth as much as a glance.

Darius gritted his teeth. "Vanessa, Olivia, Soo-jin now!"

Now that they had just woken up, they were bound to be stiff, they had to hit them with all they had.

"Un!" Vanessa responded, her eyes sharp.

"Eat this you monsters!" Olivia screamed, lighting coiling around her body.

"Hmm..." Soo-jin breathed out quietly as they all launched their spells.

FWOOOOOOSH—!

First came the fire, then the wind met it, converting it into an even greater flame. But that was not all, the lightning surged through the inferno, and with a force that could pull down a mountain, the combination spells pounded right into the monsters.

Bang!

The hall shook, the pillars threatened to collapse, and the room became hot as the three elements ran wild with vigour.

"Yes! That is it!" One of the players, a tank, screamed out in glee. "We got them, we got those bastards!"

Darius’ gaze shot towards the boy. "Fool! Keep your shield up, we haven’t gotten the notification!"

The players were largely new to this world, that was why it was easy for them to forget its rules.

Never celebrate until the system announces the death of your foes! But unfortunately, the player was not listening.

"That is what you get for killing my friend! You shits—"

Splurt!

Blood suddenly exploded backward as a dagger flew out of the inferno, digging into his chest. It had come from nowhere, and it had been so fast that even Darius could not sense it.

"Huh?" The player stared at the gaping wound, and the steel dagger that was now firmly planted inside him.

"W-what... happe..." his words slurred as he fell down, dead.

[Sam has passed on to the beyond. His game has ended.]

"Keep your shield up you morons! Don’t let your guard down!"

The fire cleared, revealing a sight that shocked the young players to their very bones.

Every single one of the guards had survived without a scratch. The goblin mage was floating above them, his staff raised, and a protective dome covering them.

On the floor, the knight had his hand outstretched, his crimson eyes gleaming from within his helm.

Darius realized it instantly. He had been the one to throw the dagger.

Just how great is the difference in our strength that we didn’t notice that attack? Once again, Darius had failed to protect a classmate, and it felt like he had been made to swallow razors.

[Threat detected! High Goblin Knight, Level 7 x 1!]

[Threat detected! High Goblin Lancer, Level 7 x 1!]

[Threat detected! High Goblin Archer, Level 7 x 1!]

[Threat detected! High Goblin Tank, Level 7 x 1!]

[Threat detected! High Goblin Mage, Level 7 x 1!]

[Threat detected! High Goblin King, Level 15 x 1!]

The knight commander raised a hand high, with an arrogance that practically leaked out of his skin, and then he brought it down, signaling his men to attack.

And then all hell broke loose, as shortly after, calamity descended before the king, and his throne room was coated in a thick layer of red.

<•••>

Southern Continent, Venaris.

Two men dressed in black suits stepped out of a clean, expansive looking sedan.

"Is this the last one?" The first man asked, adjusting his black shades.

On the breast pocket of his suit was a golden insignia in the shape of a Phoenix, the symbol of the number one guild, Fable.

"Yes, we’ve checked all the others, and everything seems to be fine so far." His partner replied.

They had been going from school to school across the country, scanning the portals for any potential anomalies.

So far, more than three academies had already completed their tutorials and were being greeted by their families, but many were still taking the tutorial.

Normally, it would be odd that these players would still be in the midst of their challenges... well, that was until you considered the academy and the students themselves.

"Ryklys Academy..." The first man muttered as he stared at the large sign board. Ryklys academy was one of the top most institutions in the school, a place that accepted nothing but the best.

And that was not all...

The hero was also in Ryklys academy, as well as the heir of the order guild, and their young mistress... Soo-jin...

The tutorial should have been a breeze for them, why then had they not completed it?

"Let’s go inside." His partner called as he began walking toward the entrance.

"Sure..."

After showing the staff their identity cards, they were led right to the hall where the rift was. The first guard then stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pair of gold rimmed spectacles.

It was an artifact that could detect rift-related anomalies. The spectacles not only allowed him to see the unseen, he would also be able to sense the mana coming from the rift.

He wore the glass and stared at the portal when suddenly—

"Keh—!!"

The man bent down and emptied his stomach. He was sweating profusely, his entire body shaking all over.

"Hey! What is wrong?! Are you okay?"

’What... What was that?!’ He had been a player for more than two decades, and yet, never in his life had he sensed mana so sinister.

"What colour was it? Get a hold of yourself, the young mistress is in there! What colour is it?" His partner grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

The man shook his head, his expression faltering.

"Black... it was black."

"A black rift?!" His partner’s face went as pale as a sheet of paper. "Hell-level difficulty..." he muttered, falling down on his butt.

"Fuck!"

No one was making it out.