Chương 64: Hammer of the Void

Recap: You are on Floor 7 (The Void). 4 Void Walkers are aggroed. You voted to DEPLOY HAMMER (AOE). Four spheres of deletion hovered in the starry dark. Four pairs of faceless eyes stared at me. Torin was bracing his shield. Kara was chanting. They thought they needed to save me. Save yourselves, I thought. I've got artillery. I focused on the Dimensional Pocket. The Guardian Hammer sat there, heavy with fire enchantment. In low gravity, weight didn't matter—but momentum did.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Dimensional Release Cost: 0 MP (Retrieval) Item: Guardian Hammer (Unique) Effect: Rotational Momentum I didn't just drop it. I spun it as I ejected it. The hammer materialized mid-air, ten feet above the cluster of Void Walkers. It wasn't falling; it was orbiting. The fire enchantment trailed behind it like a comet's tail.

"WHAT… IS…" the lead Walker hissed. Swing. The hammer completed its arc. It didn't hit one target. It swept through all four. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. The sound was muffled in the void, but the visual was clear. The ethereal bodies shattered like glass under a sledgehammer. The fire burned the shadow substance instantly. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 40 HP (AOE Sweep) Targets Hit: 4 Void Walkers Status: DECEASED They didn't scream. They just… unraveled. Stardust and black ichor floated in the zero-G air.

I didn't let the hammer drift. I focused. Store. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Dimensional Storage Cost: 0 MP (Retrieval) Item: Guardian Hammer Status: Secured It vanished just before it floated into the endless dark. Safe.

"By the Gods," Torin whispered. He lowered his shield. He looked at the floating dust.

"You… you wiped them out. In one swing." Kara lowered her staff. Her spell fizzled unused.

"That hammer… it's bonded to you. Isn't it?" Yep, I thought. My pocket rocket. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION XP Gained: 100 XP (4 Void Walkers) Current XP: 600/600 LEVEL UP! If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Level: 7 Stat Points Available: +2 HP Max: 25 → 27 (+2) MP Max: 20 → 22 (+2) SP Max: 30 → 32 (+2) Current HP: 27/27 (Full Restore) Current MP: 22/22 (Full Restore) Current SP: 32/32 (Full Restore) New Skill Unlocked: Void Step (Active) Cost: 5 MP Effect: Teleport 10 ft (Line of Sight) Cooldown: 30 Seconds Teleportation, I thought. Finally. No more sliding. The dust settled. The platform ahead cleared. Another shadow bridge led deeper into the void. But this one… it was broken. Gaps in the bridge.

Ten-foot jumps over nothingness.

"Broken path," Renn said. He looked at the gaps.

"I can jump… maybe. Torin… with armor? No."

"I can carry you," Torin offered.

"No," Kara said.

"The gravity… it shifts. If you miss… you fall forever." I looked at the gaps. Ten feet. My Void Step cost 5 MP. I had 22 MP. I could teleport four times comfortably. Follow me, I thought. I slid to the edge of the first gap. I focused on the other side. The skill felt… intuitive. Like remembering a limb I didn't know I had. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Void Step Cost: 5 MP Current MP: 17/22 Effect: Teleport Successful Zoop. I vanished. I reappeared on the next platform. Solid. Safe. I vibrated. Buzz. (Come on).

Torin blinked.

"Did… did it just teleport?"

"Box magic," Kara said. She sounded tired but impressed.

"We follow its path. Box… lead the way." I teleported again. Zoop. Gap two. MP: 12/22. Again. Zoop. Gap three. MP: 7/ 22. One more reposition to avoid a crumbling edge. Zoop. Gap four. MP: 2/22. On the fifth platform, I stopped. There was a door. Not wood. Not stone. Made of… light. A barrier. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Boss Chamber Detected: Floor 7 (The Void Lord) Requirement: Party Entry Warning: Void Step Disabled Inside Chamber I vibrated toward the door. Buzz. (Wait). I couldn't teleport in there.

I'd be stuck with sliding. But I was Level 7 now. I had full stats. I had the Hammer. I had the Party. And I had 2 MP left. Barely enough for a cantrip, but not a spell. Torin caught up. He stepped onto the platform.

"This is it. The Void Lord."

"Ready?" Kara asked. She checked her mana.

"I'm at 50%. Renn has half his arrows."

"I'm full," Torin said. He looked at me.

"Box… you're the MVP. You tell us when to go." Now, I thought. Before I lose momentum. I slid toward the light door. It rippled like water. I passed through. Cold. Silent. The chamber was a sphere. Floating rocks orbited a central figure. A humanoid shape made of pure vacuum. A hole in the world. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Boss Detected: Void Lord (Level 8 Elite) HP: 500/500 Abilities: Gravity Crush, Void Beam, Teleport Weakness: Core Resonance, Light It turned toward us. It didn't have eyes. It had absence.

"INTRUDERS… IN… MY… NOTHING…" The voice shook my iron bands. Torin charged. Kara began to chant. Renn fired an arrow. It vanished into the Lord's chest without effect.

"WEAK…" The Lord raised a hand. The gravity spiked. Ten times normal. Torin fell to his knees. Kara stumbled. I… I was heavy. 120 pounds became 1, 200 pounds. My base groaned. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Status Effect: Gravity Crush Effect: Movement Speed -50% Effect: Stamina Cost x2 Effect: Slam Damage +20% (Weight Bonus) Heavy, I thought. But I'm Ironband. I could move. Barely. The party was pinned. I was the only one who could reach the Boss.

Current Stats (Level 7 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 27/27 (Full) Mana: 2/22 (Critical Low - Void Step Usage) Stamina: 32/32 (Full) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Gravity Crush (Heavy), Void Step Disabled, Boss Engaged. What do you do? A) SLAM THE BOSS (HEAVY) Use the Gravity Crush to your advantage. Your weight is higher. Slam deals more damage. (Cost: 10 SP (x2 Cost). Gain: Massive Damage. Risk: Stamina Drain.) B) DEPLOY HAMMER (RANGED) Release the Hammer. Throw it? No, drop it. Let gravity do the work. (Cost: 0 MP. Gain: Damage. Risk: Hammer might get crushed.) C) SLIDE TO REPOSITION (TACTICAL) Use Stamina to slide to a better angle. Conserve MP for emergency. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Position. Risk: Slow Movement.) D) TAUNT THE BOSS (DISTRACT) Draw aggro from the pinned party. Let them recover while you tank. (Cost: 3 MP - NOT ENOUGH MP. Skill Unusable.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D.

Most votes wins. [Author Note] Starting MP was 22/22 (Level Up Full Restore), so remaining MP is now 2/22. This adds tension to the Boss fight since Taunt (3 MP) is no longer an option!