Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

Chapter 236 235- Conquered

Austin floated in the deep, cold water, calmly breathing, thanks to Aqua Lungs. His limbs drifted around him as he thought about how to deal with the oversized octopus lurking nearby.

But his thoughts were cut short.

Two slick tentacles shot out from the dark and coiled tightly around his wrists, yanking him forward.

"Tch, persistent bastard," Austin growled, now face-to-face with the massive boss monster—one worth five thousand experience points.

The Kraken's glowing red eyes burned with hunger and fury. It was clear no one had dared to enter its domain before.

GRRRRRRRRRRR

The water trembled around him as the beast snarled. Austin winced—his arms were being pulled hard.

"Guh!" He clenched his teeth, his veins bulging with tension. "Berserk!"

BOOM

A surge of power flooded his body—his strength and endurance skyrocketed. His muscles swelled, biceps flexing like coiled springs as he fought back.

With all his might, he drew his wrists closer to his mouth.

Then—

CHOMP!

"GREYYYYAAHH!!" The Kraken shrieked in pain as Austin bit through the slimy tentacle, tearing it clean off.

He immediately spat the foul meat, face twisting in disgust. "Disgusting."

But before he could charge again—

SFOOOOOOO

A thick, black cloud burst into the water.

The Kraken's defense mechanism.

Austin's vision turned to pitch-black in an instant. No light. No movement. Nothing but ink.

He narrowed his eyes.

'Fine. Then I'll play dirty, too. Piercing Gaze.'

The skill activated. It was part of the Aqua Lungs set—and it let him see through anything. Fog. Smoke. Even shadows.

The darkness around him faded from his sight, revealing the now-empty water.

Austin calmly scanned the area, eyes glowing faintly.

The Kraken was gone.

But not for long.

Austin summoned his Shard, the weapon stretching long and sharp as he spun it behind him—SLASH!—cutting through the monster's slimy tentacles.

"KHIEEK!" the Kraken screeched, furious. But this time, instead of ink, something far worse poured from its swirling, wormhole-like mouth.

'Shit—' Austin reacted fast. He increased the weight of his Shard, dragging himself deeper into the water just in time to dodge a glowing blob of acid.

More acid came—neon and violent, sizzling through the water as the Kraken kept launching them. Austin darted in every direction, his strong arms pushing him faster than most could swim, dodging death again and again.

But the Kraken wasn't stupid. It paused...then unleashed a wide wave of acid, spreading it like a deadly curtain.

Austin's eyes shot open. He raised his Absolute Barrier—just in time—but not fast enough.

HISSSSS

"Aghh..." he grunted as burning pain seared his shoulder and side. His skin sizzled, and his muscles twitched under the pain. Underwater, he couldn't use potions. So, gritting his teeth, he wrapped himself fully in the barrier and made for the surface.

THWANG THWANG!

Acid blobs slammed around him, missing by inches. The Kraken had sensed weakness—it was relentless now.

Austin didn't scream. He didn't roar back. He just swam. Focused. Calm.

SPLASH!

He broke the surface, gasping for air, chest heaving. But there was no time to rest. The Kraken was still below.

'It's strong in the water... and it won't come out, no matter what I do,' Austin thought. But he had a plan.

'Mirage Sync.'

In a flash, another Austin appeared beside him. Silent and prepared. Without a word, the clone ran straight toward the water.

Meanwhile, the real Austin looked up and chanted—once, twice, three times—barriers layered like floating stairs, rising higher into the sky.

His clone followed, diving into the deep again.

Underwater, the Kraken's red eyes locked onto the false Austin. The bait worked.

The clone summoned the Shard and charged. SLASH! It cut another tentacle clean off.

The Kraken roared again, louder this time. It fired an acid bomb.

BOOM!

It struck the clone head-on. Flesh tore. A leg vanished. But the clone didn't scream. It just kept swimming up.

The monster grinned—finally, its prey was dying.

But something felt wrong. The injured Austin didn't flinch. Didn't scream. Didn't slow down.

The Kraken's eyes narrowed. It lunged forward, mouth wide, eager to devour its helpless prey—

But just as its jaws snapped shut—

PSSHHH

The fake Austin vanished into mist.

The Kraken's eyes went wide.

Too late.

BOOOOOOM

Something dropped from the sky—a blur of force and fury.

CRAAACK!

Austin landed on the Kraken's head like a comet, his Shard glowing with the power of Kinetic Discharge and Berserk.

The impact was devastating—its slimy skull burst apart like a cracked egg.

Austin didn't stop.

He tore through the monster, bursting out of its other side in a fountain of blood and gore.

The sea turned dark with ink and death.

And the Kraken...was no more.

Austin floated in the crimson-tinted water, chest rising and falling as the sunlight broke through the waves above.

[Ding!]

[You have conquered the fourth dungeon!]

[+5000 EXP!]

[Current EXP: 7296]

"…Five thousand points," he muttered with a tired grin, blood dripping from his cheek.

He looked down at the fading corpse below, then up at the still sky.

"One down," he whispered, eyes sharpening. "Plenty more waiting."

And with that, he kicked forward toward the next battle.

°°°°°°°°°

[Dungeon: Sixth]

[Pre-mid boss stage]

The cold bit into Austin's skin, snow swirling around him like a living storm. Frost clung to his brows. Ahead, twenty hulking ice bears, their white fur dusted with blue, growled in unison—their glowing eyes locked on him.

Austin cracked his neck and raised God's Wrath, the twin war hammers pulsing with faint golden light. His breath turned to mist as he whispered,

"Come on, then."

The first bear roared and charged.

BOOOOM!

Austin slammed one hammer into the ground—an explosive shockwave tore through the snow, hurling the bear back like a ragdoll. The ground cracked beneath his feet.

Two more came from the sides, flanking him.

Austin spun.

CRACK—THWAM!

He bashed the left one with his hammer, its skull denting before it was launched into a nearby frozen tree. With the other, he twisted and hurled the second hammer at the beast on the right.

THUD

The bear's head snapped sideways as the hammer struck with enough force to shatter ice.

Austin raised his hand, and the hammer flew back into his grip with a golden streak.

The rest of the pack growled louder—ten of them charged as one.

"Alright," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Let's shake the earth."

He jumped.

High.

And as he came down, both hammers above his head, golden sparks danced across the sky.

BAAAAAAM!!

He slammed them into the ground. A colossal shockwave erupted, cracking the icy floor and sending bears flying in every direction—limbs flailing, snow bursting like thunder.

One tried to crawl away.

Austin walked toward it, dragging one hammer behind him. His breath slowed. His eyes are calm.

With one clean swing—

CRUNCH.

Silence returned to the dungeon, broken only by falling snow.

Austin heaved a sigh as he finished all twenty mobs within a few minutes.

He looked far ahead, and a huge beast of about fifteen feet, huge feet and long arms was waiting for him.

It looked like a yeti, but not those friendly ones. Those eyes clearly radiated a sharp lust for blood.

'I think I should take a break...' Austin sat down on the snow, and instantly, a resting zone appeared around him.

Curling his knees, he asked the system, 'Show me my stats.'

[Ding!]

[Combat: 99/100]

{Next reward at 100}

[Romance: 79/100]

{Next reward at 80}

[Durability: 99/100]

{Next reward at 100}

[Trickery: 49/50]

{Next reward at 50}

[Overall Progression: 99/100]

[Next Reward at 100]

Austin hummed in surprise, "I am so close, eh? How come?"

[Ding!]

[Your romance stat progressed when you reunited with your beloved.]

[Your trickery stat was boosted when you tricked the whole demonic army.]

[Your combat stats were affected by the usage of Scar and your battle in the dungeons.]

Austin hummed, understandable.

"So...will I ascend to the next stage after defeating this one?" He asked while pointing at the yeti.

[Most likely, host.]

Austin hummed again as he summoned a few potions and some food from the inventory.

It has been a few hours since he was summoned here, and he has already progressed a lot. He was in a haste since he wanted to save the love of his life, but going out like this meant not only would he fail to save her, but he would be killed too.

And Austin can't lose his life...at least not until he saves Valerie.

That's why he was going to take his time and slowly prepare his body to absorb the third fragment. So, once he gets out of the dungeon, he could end that bug once and for all.

The system commends the Host's dedication. *Cheering*]

Austin chuckled as he slowly chewed the chips and thought of a strategy to defeat his next opponent.

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. The training will conclude in the next one. Drop a comment. You have to!