Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

[Name: Gorrak]

[Rank: B]

[Points: 2000]

....

So here it was. The main boss of the second dungeon.

Austin was standing in the waiting area after he defeated all the mob soldiers.

He was tired and wounded all over.

Annihilating more than a hundred giants was not easy.

It may be the toughest mob battle he had until now.

Entities full of brute force. Sure, they were easy to fool and weren't fast enough to chase after him—even once Austin had got into their grasp, nothing other than brutal death awaited.

He was surviving all because of his agility and coordination with his weapons.

He has already lost the Absolute Barrier during the mob hunting, so he couldn't become careless during the final battle.

'Well...in front of that thing, I would be damned to become careless.' Austin muttered under his breath as he saw the thirty-foot tall Orc Lord, standing with his battle hammer resting beside him.

A walking mountain of muscle and scars. His gray-green skin was thick like iron, stretched over bulging sinews that pulsed with raw power. Jagged bone plates jutted from his shoulders and arms, trophies of countless battles. His massive tusks, stained with old blood, curled upward like savage blades.

His eyes burned like molten embers, filled with hatred and hunger. Each breath rumbled like a growling beast.

Austin knew he wouldn't be able to win against this thing without support.

'Let's see...' He peeked at his points table and found he had accumulated over twenty-two hundred points until now.

Taking a deep breath, Austin made the decision, "System, buy me the Ashen Maul."

[Ding!]

[Command accepted!]

As those words faded, Austin raised his hand and a weapon began to materialize in his hands.

The mace has a four-foot-long handle, crafted from dark, reinforced steel with a slight curve for better grip and control. The surface is wrapped in thick, weathered leather, ensuring a firm hold even in the bloodiest battles.

At its top, the head of the mace is a brutal sphere of blackened iron, nearly twice the size of a human skull. Jagged, razor-sharp spikes protrude from it in an uneven pattern, designed to crush armor, shatter bones, and tear through flesh with every strike.

"It's heavy .." Austin muttered as he swung the weapon slightly. It was quite heavier than Raijin...almost like he was holding a tree.

'What's the special effect of the weapon?' Austin actually just took it because he was searching for a high-ranking damage-dealing weapon...without knowing the effect it could produce.

[Ember-effect: Each strike of the Ashen Maul leaves behind smoldering embers at the point of impact, causing a lingering burn. Repeated strikes on the same spot intensify the effect, increasing the severity of the burn with each consecutive hit.]

Austin hummed, "Nice."

He then went ahead and brought some potions, "One low-rank healing and recovery potion."

The total points he spent in the items was sixteen hundred, leaving him with just six hundred points.

Austin gulped down the potion and felt his wounds healing at a greater pace and his breath stabilizing. His legs weren't hurting as much now, and he seemed in a much better state.

Glancing at the clock on the left, he found he only had ten seconds.

Holding the mace with both hands, Austin muttered under his breath, "Wish me luck, Val."

And with those thoughts, the waiting area vanished into nothingness.

A thunderous roar shook the battlefield.

"KHUAAAAANGHH!"

The Orc Lord's deafening bellow sent a powerful gust ripping through the air, dust and blood spraying everywhere. But Austin didn't waver.

He charged forward.

His boots sank into the damp soil, a ground soaked not by rain—but by the blood of fallen foes. His grip tightened around his weapon, eyes locked onto the towering beast.

Across from him, the Orc Lord grasped his battle hammer, massive fingers curling around the handle as it loomed overhead, ready to crush him into the earth.

But—

**DHWAM**

The hammer slammed down with the force of an earthquake. The ground shattered beneath its weight—but Austin was no longer there.

He had already let go of his Ashen Maul, shaking off the weight that had slowed him, and exploded forward like a cannonball.

In a heartbeat, he was already upon the monster, using its own skull belt as a foothold to launch himself upward.

The Orc Lord felt the tug at its waist. Confused, its massive head tilted downward—

Too late.

Austin had already leaped, his Ashen Maul reappearing in his hands mid-air.

*CRACK*

A sickening fracture echoed as the mace slammed into the monster's wrist.

"GHUOOOH!"

The beast winced, a deep, guttural cry of pain shaking the battlefield.

Austin landed, knees bending, his gaze immediately snapping to where he struck.

And there it was—deep red patches seeping into the monster's thick skin.

The Ember Effect had begun.

The Orc Lord's pained wince twisted into something far more dangerous—rage.

His burning-red eyes locked onto Austin, and with a guttural snarl, he lunged.

**BOOM**

A massive foot stomped down, the sheer force blasting dirt and debris into the air. Austin barely had time to react.

**WHAM**

A backhand swing from the monster's colossal arm came like a battering ram, catching Austin mid-step before he could fully retreat.

"Ghh—!"

The impact ripped the air from his lungs. His body rocketed backward, crashing into the ground, rolling through mud and shattered stone. His vision blurred, ears ringing from the hit.

But the Orc Lord wasn't done.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The monster was already charging, its massive frame moving with terrifying speed. With one hand, it lifted its battle hammer again, the edge glowing red-hot from the heat of Austin's Ember Effect.

"HRAAAAAGH!"

It swung down, aiming to crush him entirely.

Austin, dazed but not beaten, forced himself to roll away just as the hammer obliterated the spot he had been lying in—

**BOOM**

The entire ground split apart spreading like veins, chunks of dirt, and molten embers flying in every direction. The shockwave sent Austin tumbling further back, his arms stinging from the heat.

The blond prince gritted his teeth, pushing himself up, feeling a sharp sting along his ribs—a gash from the Orc's strike. His coat was torn, blood trickling down his side.

Austin shoved himself upright with a grunt, his muscles protesting, but he ignored the pain. His Ashen Maul lay behind him, abandoned.

Yet, he didn't hesitate.

He charged forward.

The Orc Lord noticed. This time, the monster didn't scoff—it had learned.

Instead of bracing itself, it launched into the air.

Austin's eyes widened. "What the—"

Before he could react—

**BOOOOOOM**

The entire dungeon quaked as the monster came crashing down. The force ripped the ground apart, sending a violent shockwave tearing through the battlefield.

Austin's footing vanished.

His legs buckled, and his body lurched—he fell.

"Agh!"

The ground below had collapsed, forming a deep crater. Austin tumbled down into it, his back slamming against a jagged rock.

Dust clouded his vision. His chest heaved as he tried to regain control—

Then—

A shadow loomed over him.

Austin's breath hitched.

The Orc Lord towered over the crater's edge, its massive silhouette blocking out the dungeon's eerie glow.

And then, he saw it—

The battle hammer was raised high.

A strike meant to end him.

Panic flared in his chest—he had no time to dodge.

"WISP!"

He shouted on instinct.

Before the hammer could fall—

SWWOOSH—!

Something whipped through the air, a blur of wood and force.

CRACK!

The Orc Lord's head snapped sideways.

"KHUENG!"

A deep, guttural howl of pain tore from the monster's throat as it staggered back, clutching the side of its skull.

Austin's wild eyes darted up.

He instantly shot away from the crater, and commanded the system,

'Berserk, now!'

[Command accepted!]

[All the stats have significantly risen!]

Feeling the surge of strength and speed in his body, Austin was a blur through the battlefield.

He summoned Ashen Maul in his hand before jumping into the air. His body was light and his legs were strong, which allowed him to reach the top of the Orc Lord's head.

The Orc Lord sensed danger as it instantly tried to raise its hammer in retaliation.

But it was too late.

**DHWAK**

The Ashen Maul landed squarely on the skull of the monster with a strength that simply surpassed the human, Austin once was.

The head of the monster was split open, blood gushing out by the strike, as the ember began to seep inside its skull.

"Ghrueng"

The Orc Lord staggered away, clutching its head as Austin landed on the ground, and darted forward once again.

The Orc Lord swung its weapon to keep the human away, but Austin was simply too fast for the Orc Lord to track.

Jumping in the air, Austin gripped his weapon with all his strength, and accompanied the strength he commanded,

"DICHARGE!"

An attack that sent a tremor through the dungeon, resonated as Austin's weapon landed on the Orc's head.

A blinding shockwave erupted.

The moment Austin's Ashen Maul connected with the Orc Lord's skull, a violent pulse of force detonated outward, ripping through the air like a thunderclap.

CRACK!

The Orc Lord's skull erupted.

A geyser of black ichor and shattered bone burst outward like an exploding volcano. Chunks of thick, green flesh ripped apart, flung in every direction as the sheer force of the impact detonated inside its head.

The orc's body convulsed violently, its massive limbs twitching as the headless corpse staggered back.

A moment later—

THUUUUUD!

The thirty-foot titan collapsed.

The ground quaked as the lifeless hulk slammed into the dungeon floor, sending a final, echoing tremor through the cavern. A pool of dark blood quickly spread beneath its twitching fingers, the last remnants of life draining away.

Austin landed with a rough roll, breathing heavily. His clothes were splattered with gore, bits of bone, and seared flesh stuck to his armor.

Wiping his sweat, he muttered, "Berserk is a cheat ability..."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. That concludes the second dungeon and Austin is now a B-rank. Drop a comment