*Splash* *Splash*
'There's even water here which is contaminated with miasma... if not for my miasmic control... it is very likely that this miasmic water would have restricted my mobility a lot...'
While following the guidance of the vague feeling, Rio was now passing through corridors that were filled with water about one feet deep.
Morever, there was creepy sound of something jumping in water and making splashes ringing out in the dark corridors again and again.
This place is definitely something that weak hearted people can't afford to visit.
Rio himself has no such emotion called 'fear' anymore so he wasn't feeling even the slightest bit of nervousness.
Moreover, the guidance was also asking him to go in the direction where those splashing sounds were coming from, so Rio had no choice but to go there anyway.
'I guess that's why people say that having 'fear' is important... if you don't have it, you will go head first into danger without caring about anything...'
'Fear is important to live... those who aspire to live a stable and long lives can only do so if they have fear...'
'I wonder when I will be able to feel it again though...'
As Rio is currently in a state where he's blessed by the miasma around him, he's moving in a more stealthy way and he doesn't even produce any noise when he walks on water.
Using Sword Intent and assuming his own body as a 'Sword' Rio can make himself float and so walking on water is not that big a problem for him even if it's polluted with miasma.
'Now that I think about it... there's no such place in the world whose environement I can't withstand... If I can deal with miasma then I can deal with others too...'
While thinking about various things in his head, Rio hurriedly made his way forward and finally reached the place where the splashing sounds were coming from.
And as Rio had expected, the sound was being made by a trap.
It was a spear that was constantly ramming a broken shield into the water and making loud noises.
The whole corridor was filled with broken armors and weapons laid out all over in the corridor and most of them were corroded by the miasma in the water.
'Hmm, don't tell me that these are the remains of a whole raid party that came here and died...'
'Then their bodies and even bones were melted by miasma so they disappeared without a trace...'
It's not too uncommon to find the remains of people who had died in the dungeons.
Most dead bodies end up getting eaten by monsters while others get destroyed by the harsh environments.
Similar things would have likely happened here.
All the party members died and their bodies got melted by the miasma in the water and all that's left of them are the corrupted empty armors.
*clinck*
Rio swung his sword and broke the shield that was stuck in the spear trap.
Once the shield broke away, the trap got deactivated and stopped thrusting itself into the water, finally the splashing sounds stopped and the environment became calmer.
'Strangely... I seem to have started to like this calm, dark and creepy environment... It's oddly soothing and comforting...'
Rio shook his head and took a few steps forward to observe the broken equipments around him.
Most of them were damaged beyond recognition but a few still had the scars of past battles imprinted on them.
'Hmm, most of them seem like sword marks... were they killed by something that could use swords?'
There are barely any monsters in the dungeons who use swords as weapons and most of them are usually just undead or those walking armors with contaminated souls in their body.
Rio glanced forward and noticed that the corridor ends not far away and it opens in a massive wide hall.
'This smells of a boss fight...'
Rio has played a lot of rpg style games before so he can see a boss fight coming when he sees the stage for it.
'A secluded dark place, broken armors and weapons outside, and a massive open arena...'
'All these indicate just one thing... I have reached the lair of a 'hidden' boss monster somehow...'
Moreover the vague guidance was strongly asking him to go forth in the hall, which means that this boss fight is completely unskippable.
'The biggest problem is... that this whole building and all these trials are meant for SS- rankers...'
'Even the weakest traps here are strong enough to one-shot me instantly...'
'Which means that the boss monster here will be something that even SS-rankers will find hard to deal with and I certainly don't have the ability to defeat a monster that can give SS- rankers a hard time...'
Although Rio has no fear, he's not an idiot either, he knows when to fight and when to retreat.
Even he's not foolish enough to take on such strong enemies as of yet.
'Ugh, It would have been so much better if I had found this place after becoming an S-ranker... and it would have been even better if I was an SS-ranker...'
Although Rio doesn't really want to let go of this opportunity, he has no other choice right
now.
No matter how amazing that opportunity might be, it's not worth risking his life over it when doesn't even have any information on it.
In the past, no matter which chance Rio stole from Fade, he had knowledge about them beforehand so he s prepared for the I case scenario.
But right now, he has no information and the enemy has the advantage.
Rio didn't stare at the hall for too long and decided to leave early.
Staying here too long will do him no good anyway.
*Whoosh!*
Just when Rio took his first step back, something strange happened.
As if the space-time fabric had shifted itself, Rio found himself standing in the middle of the
large hall which he was trying to leave.
A rare solemn look appeared on Rio's face as he tightened his grip on his sword.
'Sigh, so I will have to fight my way out in the end?'
Rio had no idea what caused the spatial disturbance and directly made him enter the boss area without asking for his permission.
But now is not the time to think, an attack can come from any direction so he needs to be
vigilant.
*Splash*
Just when Rio was staring at everything around him with vigilance, a blob of meat fell into the water from the ceiling of the hall and made loud splash noise.
Rio immediately focused his attention on the other party at that moment.
But as if completely unconcerned about Rio's presence, the blob of meat started to tremble
and absorb the miasma in the water.
Its form started to change and slowly.
'You think I will stand here and let you transform?'
[Sword Intent!]
[Elemental Sword Art: Miasma Type: Miasmic Arc!]
Rio immediately rushed to the other party's side and swung his sword while coating it with a
perfect balance of Sword Intent and Miasma.
But before the sword could hit the other party, the blob of meat grew an arm and a pitch black
sword condensed in its hand.
*Clink!!*
For the first time in his life, Rio's sword was deflected and perfectly countered at the same
time.
Rio instantly jumped back and a rare look of shock appeared on his face.
'T-this!?'
Even when Rio fought and trained with Jin or had the fight with other talented sword users,
Rio's sword was never perfectly countered like this.
Even Jin had to use some tricks to see through his moves to block them.
But right at this moment, the blob of meat used that black sword to 'Parry' Rio's attack and
completely rendered it useless.
'Did that thing just use 'Handling' !?'
Only Rio's own skill, that is Handling, can do such a perfect counter to his attacks. While Rio was shocked for a second the blob of mass completed its transformation after
absorbing a lot of miasma from the polluted water filled in the arena and finally took a humanoid shape.
Covered in miasma and with a sword in hand, the enemy looked extremely familiar.
"Hoh... so it's a mimic type monster..."
What was standing in front of Rio was a literal copy of himself.
'This also explains how my attack was blocked so easily... If it's me, obviously I can block my
own attack easily...'
Originally Rio thought that the other party must have had some powerful countering skill like
his 'Handling' skill, but it turns out that the other party was an exact clone of himself so he obviously has 'Handling' too.
'Well, I didn't expect this to happen but, if it's this... I still have a chance to survive...'
If the boss monster was some extremely powerful SS-rank beast, Rio would have had nearly
zero chances of survival.
But as this is a mimic type boss enemy, it means that the other party will mimic your own powers and abilities, the other party will be 'Equal' to you and not stronger.
Rio clenched his sword and placed it beside his waist while taking his stance. The mimic did the same thing as if it was able to predict what Rio was going to do next.
'Fighting yourself is not something you get to do everyday... I guess I will have to prove it
here...'
'About who is the copy and who is the original...'
A rare excited smile appeared on Rio's face hidden by the shadow cloak.
'Let's dance!'
Author's notes.
Yo! It's your beloved author here!
D*mn! We will get to see Rio fighting Rio this time!
Question of the day.
What would you do if you met a clone of yourself?
1. Fight him.
2. Share your pain and suffering with him?
3. Others (Tell me in the comments)
By the way, don't forget to use those power stones!!