Arthur surveyed the battlefield, his expression gradually turning serious. This setup was far more dangerous than the first round. The endless ice-covered terrain made movement difficult, while the swirling snow naturally blurred his vision and reduced his awareness of the surroundings.
"Damn it! In my previous life, I only received a Royal-grade class evolution. There was just one round, where I fought a Royal boss along with a few Elite and Common bosses."
"What kind of shit is this? Is every round going to become harder?"
Arthur could not help but curse inwardly. It seemed the game was taking its entertainment very seriously. After giving him a God-grade class evolution, it apparently had no intention of letting him obtain it easily.
"Stealth."
Arthur vanished.
Boom!
The moment he moved, his body shot forward at terrifying speed. There was perhaps a brief delay of one or two seconds before reaching maximum velocity, but even that was enough to make Arthur’s eyes shine with excitement.
The microscopic body control technique allowed him to accelerate to his full speed almost instantly. At the same time, he could clearly feel that his reaction speed and control over his body had increased tremendously.
Even on the slippery ice, Arthur moved as naturally as if he were standing on solid ground. Every muscle fiber and every movement responded exactly as he intended, allowing him to maintain perfect balance despite the frozen terrain.
"No wonder this is a Divine technique."
Slash!
Before the battle had even properly begun, all thirty-two Common bosses died instantly. Arthur had already passed through them, and only after several seconds did their bodies collapse onto the ice.
The two Epic-grade bosses, a massive octopus and a gigantic polar bear, were momentarily stunned. They could not understand what had just happened. Before they could even blink, the intruder had appeared and slaughtered all of their subordinates.
Then, realization struck them.
"ROAR!"
The two monsters roared furiously, their terrifying voices echoing throughout the frozen battlefield. Their killing intent surged as they finally understood that Arthur was the one responsible.
However, Arthur merely smiled.
"Too late, buddy."
Boom!
Arthur disappeared once again.
Before the monsters could properly react, he rushed toward the Elite bosses. His dagger flashed repeatedly through the air, and each movement was clean, precise, and absolutely flawless.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
The Elite bosses fell one after another without being given the opportunity to organize themselves. Unlike the first round, Arthur did not allow the battlefield to descend into chaos.
However, the powerful bosses had already begun moving.
Boom!
The enormous octopus suddenly attacked. Its massive tentacles crashed down repeatedly, smashing into the ice where Arthur had been standing only moments earlier.
Each attack possessed greater raw speed than Arthur himself. However, with his microscopic body control technique, Arthur did not need to move far to avoid them.
A slight twist of his waist.
A small movement of his shoulder.
A subtle shift of his legs.
With only the smallest adjustments to his body, Arthur narrowly avoided every attack. To the octopus, it seemed as if Arthur’s body had become completely unpredictable.
At the same time, the massive polar bear charged toward him. Its enormous body tore across the ice with terrifying momentum, intending to crush Arthur with its overwhelming physical strength.
Arthur, however, did not intend to fight them directly.
Kill the nuisances first.
Then deal with the big fish.
Arthur became a complete menace within the frozen battlefield. Moving like a ghost through the swirling snow, he appeared and disappeared between the monsters, slaughtering the bosses as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
Soon, the battlefield was littered with corpses.
Only four Legendary bosses and the two Epic bosses remained. Arthur had already eliminated every other monster, leaving behind only the strongest opponents.
This time, however, Arthur did not give them the opportunity to escape in different directions.
Boom!
Activating his full speed, Arthur immediately targeted one of the Legendary bosses.
A gigantic penguin.
Among the remaining monsters, its speed was the slowest.
Slash!
-300,000 HP!
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
Arthur’s body control had not merely improved his ability to reach maximum speed in a short time. It had also dramatically improved his control over every movement of his body.
Previously, Arthur could only slash three or four times per second.
Now, that number had instantly increased to nearly ten.
His dagger became almost invisible as it flashed through the air. Before the penguin boss could properly react, its body was struck again and again.
With a final screech, the massive creature collapsed.
Arthur had already turned off the money notifications.
They were far too distracting during a battle like this.
His predatory eyes slowly shifted toward the remaining three Legendary bosses.
The massive octopus and polar bear continued attacking him relentlessly. They roared in fury and attempted to corner him, but Arthur was like a slippery fish.
No matter how powerful their attacks were, they could not properly touch him.
Arthur continued moving through the battlefield, gradually eliminating the remaining bosses. One after another, the Legendary monsters fell beneath his dagger.
The battle continued.
One hour passed.
Puchi!
Arthur’s dagger pierced directly into the octopus’s head.
The enormous monster froze.
Then its massive body slowly collapsed onto the ice.
The battlefield finally became silent.
Arthur stood amidst countless corpses, his breathing slightly heavy. He had killed every boss that had appeared in the round.
Crack!
Crack!
Suddenly, a series of cracking sounds echoed across the frozen battlefield.
Arthur immediately turned around.
The massive ice statue in the distance began to break apart.
A creature slowly emerged from within.
The sea serpent.
It was at least two hundred meters long. Its enormous body stretched across the frozen land, while the remnants of ice continuously fell from its scales.
Arthur took a deep breath.
This would be the second time he had soloed a Mythical boss.
But unlike before, Arthur could not afford to be careless.
"No mistakes are allowed."
"I can’t die anymore."
His eyes became cold.
The serpent was still emerging from its frozen state, and Arthur immediately recognized the opportunity. He did not give the massive creature even a second to properly position itself.
Boom!
Arthur shot forward the moment the sea serpent emerged from the ice. He did not give the Mythical boss even a second to fully awaken before his dagger flashed toward its enormous body.
Slash!
-300,000 HP!
His dagger struck the serpent’s scales, producing a shower of sparks. Arthur immediately moved across its massive body, attacking continuously as he searched for weaker areas.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
However, Arthur’s expression gradually became serious. The serpent possessed sixteen million HP, and despite his terrifying attack speed, his attacks barely made a noticeable difference.
"ROAR!"
The sea serpent finally awakened completely. Its ancient blue eyes locked onto Arthur, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly spread throughout the frozen battlefield.
Crack!
The temperature dropped instantly. Frost spread across the ground, and countless ancient symbols appeared beneath the ice as the serpent released its Mythical power.
[Ancient Frozen Domain Activated.]
Arthur immediately felt his body becoming heavier. The freezing energy attempted to slow his movements and disrupt his control over his body.
"So you can control the battlefield too."
Boom!
The serpent’s enormous tail crashed downward. Arthur moved to dodge, but massive pillars of ice suddenly erupted from the ground, attempting to block his escape.
Arthur’s pupils contracted.
Boom!
He twisted his body at an impossible angle and narrowly escaped between the falling tail and the ice pillars. The ground exploded behind him as the impact shattered the frozen battlefield.
"ROAR!"
The serpent opened its enormous jaws. Ancient blue energy gathered inside its mouth before a terrifying beam of freezing energy shot directly toward Arthur.
Boom!
Arthur instantly accelerated.
The beam narrowly passed beside him, freezing everything in its path. Even Arthur’s arm became numb after being grazed by the freezing energy.
"You’re quite troublesome."
Arthur rushed forward again.
The serpent attacked continuously, combining its overwhelming physical strength with its ancient powers. Ice spears erupted from the ground while its massive tail swept through the battlefield.
Arthur became a ghost.
He twisted his body around the attacks, moving with the smallest possible movements. His microscopic body control allowed him to read the serpent’s muscles and predict its attacks before they were released.
Boom!
Arthur suddenly appeared beside its head.
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
Slash!
-30,000 HP!
The serpent roared furiously.
Its massive body suddenly twisted, attempting to crush Arthur beneath its enormous weight. At the same time, the entire frozen battlefield began shaking.
Arthur’s expression changed.
The serpent was becoming more aggressive.
It no longer cared about receiving injuries. It was trying to force Arthur into a situation where he had nowhere left to dodge.
Boom!
Arthur retreated.
The serpent immediately opened its mouth, gathering ancient energy once again. However, Arthur noticed something different this time.
The energy around the serpent’s head was unstable.
Its eyes narrowed.
"Found you."
Boom!
Arthur suddenly accelerated toward the serpent.
Ice pillars rose from the ground. Its tail swept toward him, while a freezing beam shot directly at his position.
Arthur continued forward.
He bent.
Twisted.
Jumped.
Changed direction.
Every movement was calculated to the absolute limit.
Boom!
Arthur passed through the serpent’s attacks and appeared directly beside its head.
Slash!
-300,000 HP!
The dagger struck the damaged area.
The serpent roared and violently twisted its enormous body. Arthur was thrown backward, but he immediately stabilized himself and rushed forward again.
The battle continued.
The serpent’s body gradually became covered in wounds, while its attacks slowly became weaker. Arthur never stopped moving, continuously attacking whenever an opening appeared.
Finally, the sea serpent’s HP dropped to the last few hundred thousand.
Arthur’s eyes became cold.
"End this."
Boom!
He accelerated toward the serpent again.
The sea serpent opened its enormous jaws, attempting to swallow him whole. Arthur waited until the last possible moment before suddenly changing direction.
Boom!
Using microscopic body control, he twisted through the narrow gap beside its teeth. In the next instant, Arthur appeared directly beside its damaged head.
Slash!
-300,000 HP!
The serpent’s body froze.
Its enormous eyes slowly lost their light before its two-hundred-meter-long body crashed onto the frozen battlefield.
Boom!
Arthur stood on its massive head, breathing heavily. The ancient pressure that had dominated the battlefield gradually disappeared.
For several seconds, Arthur remained silent.
Then a tired but victorious smile appeared on his face.
"Now that’s what I call a Mythical boss."
The battlefield finally became silent.
Arthur had soloed his second Mythical boss.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have cleared the 2nd round. You have 15 minutes for resting.]