Boom!
With a crashing sound, a monster collapsed and turned into black smoke.
Roar!
Inside the cave stood an orange-red creature.
A blazing flame burned on its tail.
It was Cursed Corpse – Little Fire Dragon, Cao Ye's first cursed puppet creation.
After days of refinement under Cao Ye's control, it now possessed basic autonomous combat ability.
As his mastery over Puppet Manipulation improved, the cursed corpse could now fight independently.
This was Cao Ye's biggest achievement over the past few days.
"Wow… Is this your 'creation'? Incredible!"
Nearby, Tsubaki stared at the little fire dragon with amazement.
In Orario, puppet-type creations were practically nonexistent, let alone cursed corpses.
"This is my first work."
"I've modified it many times."
"It's finally somewhat usable."
"It's unbelievable."
"There's no mechanism inside it, yet it moves like a living creature."
"It can even fight."
"How does it work?"
"The Fire Dragon itself is a puppet."
"It's controlled through my technique."
"Technique? Your skill?"
"Something like that."
"I inject magical power into the cursed corpse and control it."
Tsubaki was fascinated.
As a blacksmith, she naturally found such creations fascinating.
But unfortunately—
This ability relied on Cao Ye's unique skill, meaning it couldn't be replicated.
That was disappointing.
If such technology were reproducible, it would shake the entire city of Orario.
RUMBLE—
Suddenly the dungeon began to shake violently.
A massive crystal wall in the distance shattered.
Then a gigantic figure emerged from the crystal.
"The Floor Boss?!"
"It respawned today?"
Tsubaki was shocked.
Meanwhile—
Cao Ye smiled.
For the past few days, he had been camping on Floor 17, waiting for this moment.
Now his patience had finally paid off.
"Miss Tsubaki."
"Please watch my back."
"Huh?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Of course…"
"To subjugate the dungeon's lone king!"
Tsubaki was stunned.
This was the Floor Boss.
Even though it was the earliest one, it still had Level 4 potential.
And Cao Ye was only Level 1.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"That's the Floor Boss!"
"You're only Level 1!"
"Level isn't everything."
Cao Ye replied confidently.
Tsubaki sighed.
She didn't know whether he was confident or reckless.
But adventurers had to take risks.
Otherwise, what kind of adventurers would they be?
"I must be crazy too."
"If things get dangerous, I'll step in."
"Understood."
Cao Ye thanked her.
Then walked toward the monster.
Floor Boss: Goliath
A Floor Boss is a special monster that exists only on a specific dungeon floor.
There is only one at a time, earning it the title:
"King of the Floor."
Floor bosses are typically two levels stronger than normal monsters on the same floor.
They also possess massive bodies and powerful abilities.
Because of this, defeating them usually requires multiple adventurers working together.
Goliath – the Floor Boss of the 17th Floor.
Potential Level: Level 4.
One of the most famous bosses in the dungeon.
Cao Ye took a deep breath.
Then activated his combat mode.
Mana Burst – Activated.
Magical power surged through his body, enhancing his physical strength.
A ripple appeared in space.
From his Imaginary Space, a weapon slowly emerged:
Inverted Spear of Heaven.
Since he was challenging a Floor Boss, he naturally needed his strongest weapon.
Tsubaki narrowed her eyes.
"That weapon…"
"What is it?"
Her instincts as a blacksmith told her immediately:
This was no ordinary weapon.
Before them stood Goliath.
A monster nearly 20 meters tall.
Massive body.
Dark skin.
Glowing red eyes.
The tyrant of the 17th floor.
ROOOOAR!!
Goliath roared violently.
Its movements alone destroyed the surrounding terrain.
Walls cracked.
The ground shattered.
Just its presence caused devastation.
This was truly the "King of the Dungeon."
Naturally—
The closest target was Cao Ye.
Goliath opened its mouth.
Magical power gathered rapidly.
BOOM!!
A massive shockwave erupted.
This was Goliath's ranged attack: Roar.
The blast shattered the ground and shook the entire floor.
But at the moment the attack ended—
A figure shot forward at extreme speed.
"Ratio Technique!"
SLASH!
Before Goliath could react—
The strike had already landed.
Blood exploded outward.
Goliath's massive hand was blown apart.
Its wrist looked like it had been hit by a cannon.
In just a single exchange—
The Floor Boss was injured first.
Tsubaki stared in shock.
"How is that possible?"
"Goliath's skin can even resist low-level magic."
"How could Cao Ye break its defense in one strike?"
"Is it his strength…"
"Or that strange sword?"
Cao Ye's voice echoed calmly.
"Ratio Technique."
"My cursed technique."
"It divides a target's length into ten parts and creates a weak point at the 7:3 ratio."
"If I hit that point…"
"It triggers a critical strike."
Tsubaki blinked.
Wait.
Was he seriously explaining his ability out loud?
Revealing your ability in combat was usually extremely dangerous.
But then—
Magic power surged violently around Cao Ye.
This was the principle of Technique Revelation.
By publicly revealing the ability's mechanism during battle, the technique itself becomes stronger.
In the world of Jujutsu, power often follows a cause-and-effect rule.
After fusing cursed energy with magic, Cao Ye's magic had inherited this property.
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