Chapter 91: Battle with the Dungeon Boss (3)

In comparison, Hina was doing slightly better than her older sister. Up until now, she maintained the numerous buffs applied to the close combat group. Keeping this up for so long consumed a good chunk of her mana supply, but it wasn’t as mentally taxing as what Cielle had to do. Although despite that, for the past 2 minutes or so, that constant supply of buffs had abruptly stopped. At the same time, Hina’s face completely morphed into a determined, and fatigued expression. Her cheeks flushed red, as she gritted her teeth while cold sweat continually dripped down her brow.

In the end, Hina had stopped her passive supporting role and was currently deep in strain towards another goal.

Meanwhile, Cher and the rest of the combat group weren’t holding out so well.

Under the combined wrath of six bulging tentacles, blocking was the limit of their abilities. In the end, there were six tentacles to four people (the long ranged, remaining twin did not join in on direct combat). Cher and the President carried the majority of the burden by facing off against two tentacles each, while the other two struggled with one.

Cher did not use any of her current skills, because they consumed mana, and she needed what little mana she had in order to stack her [Fever Burst] skill to its maximum of three. She did not recklessly use this skill or any other for that matter, because she was saving it for the main body. Despite that though, she was doing noticeably better than the rest of the combat group.

This was mostly because of the existence of her shield. When all she did was block and defend, a shield became an indisputable asset.

In comparison, the President had a much more difficult time coping under the pressure of two tentacles. His face scrunched up in strain as he dodged and weaved between two simultaneously approaching tentacles. His sword flashed briefly, leaving behind a shallow trail of blood on the surface of the right tentacle.

As the tentacle retracted to prepare another attack, the President did the same as he jumped backwards. He had gotten used to the pattern of their attack, but in the end, these past twenty minutes had consumed a great deal of his stamina. In the end, he only had about three stamina potions in his pockets, so the current rate of stamina consumption was really detrimental in the long run for him.

While the President lamented over this, a tentacle suddenly surged towards him. While this wasn’t surprising in itself, after all, he had been under assault by these tentacles for the past 20 minutes, what caught him off guard was that a tentacle outside of the two he dealt with had attacked him.

The President’s eyes, widened as he saw it approaching. The tentacle that currently shot towards him like a torpedo was actually one of the two tentacles that assaulted Cher. Just before the tentacle was about to reach him, the President’s body moved by instinct.

His passive [Body Maneuver] skill came into full effect, as he twisted his waist at an impossible level and barely dodged the incoming strike.

But even before he had the time to sigh in relief, to his surprise the tentacle had not been aimed at him in the first place. Glancing behind him, the President’s face paled while a lock of profound anger welled up from deep within his eyes.

The tentacle penetrated through heated air and quickly approached their only long range damage dealer - the remaining twin who had lost her brother earlier during the Satou fight.

She stared with widened eyes, while her hands hastily fumbled with her slingshot, but such an action was pointless. By this point it was already too late.

The tentacle grabbed onto the arm that was wielding the slingshot, and without pause, immediately yanked upwards. A cruel crunch resonated throughout the room as the upper arm that was wrapped up by the tentacle fractured. This crunching sound was followed by an immediate pop. The humerus had snapped completely in half, while the shoulder dislocated.

A pain filled scream escaped from the twin’s- from Kathy Bernard’s vibrating throat. Tears rolled down from her cheeks and her eyes were squinted shut in pain. Kathy’s body was wracked in pain, despair and agony filling her palpitating heart, but unfortunately for her, this was not the end.

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The tentacle jerked upwards, and with another tug, her arm was completely ripped out from the socket. Blood unceasingly flew everywhere, and the arm that had just been forcibly yanked out was sloppily thrown to the floor. A wet squelching noise reverberated as the tentacle smacked down onto the severed limb.

Meanwhile, Kathy’s throat was hoarse from screaming. Her complexion was pale from blood loss, and her remaining hand was covered in red due to her useless attempt at holding back the gushing torrent of blood that poured out from her open wound.

Another tentacle, one which Emiko had preoccupied a while ago, suddenly rushed forward. Emiko, who was taken aback by its sudden burst of vitality, could do nothing as one of the two tentacles that originally attacked the President took its place and kept Emiko busy.

The tentacle that approached Kathy was one of the ones that were plated with sharpened carapaced at its tip. It rushed forward, toward the still screaming defenseless girl.

Fully knowing what was to come next, the President let out a guttural yell, as he turned towards the scene and rushed forward. Unfortunately, the distance between them was too far.

The others reacted much the same, but they were too busy preoccupied by the remaining tentacles. They could only watch with miserable faces as they tirelessly blocked while one of their friends was about to meet her untimely death.

The sharpened tentacle continued forward and completely pierced Kathy’s chest. The spear like tip dug deep into her flesh before it barreled all the way through the other side. Her mouth slightly opened as a bitter puff of air exhaled from her crushed lungs.

Blood dripped out from her pale lips as the light of life slowly faded from her eyes. After 20 minutes, their first death in battle had occurred.

The President, who saw all this happen before his eyes, stopped in mid sprint. His fists clenched, while his breath hastened. A mad glint glowed in his eyes as he suddenly jumped forward. With no regards to his own life, he charged at the tentacle before him.

A guttural howl erupted from his hoarse throat, but just as he was about to reach his target, a sudden force pushed hastily pushed him to the ground as a silhouette collided with the President. The silhouette had been Cher, as she rolled in front of him and promptly brought her shield up to defend. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Not a moment sooner, a giant impact smacked into her raised shield, temporarily numbing Cher’s arm. Despite that force of that blow, that first impact was merely the precursor as more and more tentacles slammed into Cher’s shield.

The President, whose mind had momentarily been clouded by anger, suddenly sobered up at the face of this unending assault. Even from behind the protection of Cher’s shield, he could still feel the heated air around him vibrate, bringing a cold sweat dripping down his brow. As he stared wide eyed at Cher’s flushed complexion that forcibly gritted through each impact, his head cooled and an abrupt cascade of shame filled his mind.

He fully realized that just then, he could have died. He could have died without having done anything. If that had happened, then Kathy’s death that had just occurred in front of him would have been all in vein.

“Sorry…” He softly muttered towards Cher as his grip on his sword tightened.

The President gritted his teeth, just as his body surged with new found energy. The grief of his recent loss, and the anger of his own incompetence fueled his every movement as he jumped out from under Cher’s protection and hacked out towards the tentacle.

The tip of his sword clashed with the carapace lated tip of the tentacle and sent in back a meter or so. Using this moment opportunity, the President vigorously leaped up and swung his sword downward.

Swish!

In one swift motion, he sliced through the tentacle, exactly on the spot where the armor like carapace started to grow. As the metal tip fell, the rest of the tentacle wriggled around for a while before it momentarily retreated.

Unfortunately, after it had fallen back by about 10 meters, it suddenly started quivering in anticipation, before with a sudden burst of energy it pulsed vigorously. The hacked off tip started growing at unprecedented speeds. In less than 15 seconds, the once bisected tip had grown back, the only difference being this tip was not covered in the exoskeleton like carapace from before.

The President’s face immediately bittered after seeing this scene unfold in front of him. Somewhere, deep within his mind, he had long expected something like this to happen, although seeing it actually take place in front of him was truly a shocking blow.

As he lets out a heave of stale air, he glares at the wriggling tentacles in front of him.

“There really isn’t any way to win… after all this time, we’ve made virtually zero progress… not to mention, Kath- we just lost someone…” His face morphed into a scowl as he helplessly worded out his frustration.

Right now, to him, it truly felt as if they were simply throwing away their lives. As the person who was responsible for the lives of his friends, this burden was truly too great to bear for someone his age.

Just as his mind was about to fall into despair, the ground around the base of a nearby tentacle started to tremble. The minute vibrations were soft, almost unnoticeable at first, before they rapidly intensified. Soon the ground rumbled vigorously, just as the base of the tentacle started to rise.

Soon, the once submerged portion of the tentacle became exposed, revealing a spherical base, one that twice as large as a hardwood teacher’s desk. The ball shaped base was colored black, with stains of dirt brown around its sleek surface. The center of the mass glowed a faint orange, and was slightly transparent, revealing an eye shaped object inside the base. This eye pulsated irregularly, similar to a heart.

With one glance, it was apparent that this eye was delicate, and that the thin layer of transparent flesh that protected it was as frail as paper. Seeing this the President’s eyes glowed in astonishment.

“Hokusei! Do it now! It's trying to burrow back into the ground, I can’t keep it above ground for long!”

A sudden voice erupted throughout the battlefield, and the President instinctively turned towards the source of the voice. There, he saw Hina’s pale expression. She gritted her teeth, while her brow was scrunched up concentration. In that instant, he fully realized why Hina’s buffs had abruptly halted.

Without hesitation, he charged forward.

As if sensing the impending danger closing in on their comrade, two nearby tentacles moved to halt the President’s progress.

As one tentacle came down towards him, he bent his body at an impossible angle and narrowly dodged. The other tentacle that was surging forward from below, was immediately blocked by Cher, who had sprung up in his support.

Unobstructed, the President’s heavy footsteps turned light as his determination surged to unprecedented levels. In less than 10 seconds, he arrived at the exposed eye and unhesitatingly chopped downward with his sword. The heated piece of metal penetrated through the eye ball like a piece of tofu.

Without much resistance, the exposed tentacle wriggled pathetically for a moment, before it immediately fell to the ground lifeless. It’s once muscular wriggling body withered, while the eye lost the dim glow it once maintained.

As the President jumped back, away from the destroyed tentacle, he immediately spat, and with a voice of resentment, muttered lowly, “An eye for an eye, a death for a death…”

The rest of the survivors who saw this immediately had their morale boosted. In their eyes a look of defiance glinted as the intensity and vigor of their resistance to towards the five remaining tentacles intensified.

Unable to hide the joy and anticipation in his voice, the President immediately shouted towards Hina, “Can you do that again? If we keep this up, it won’t take long until we destroy the rest of the tentacles!”

But as those words left his mouth, the moment he glanced back and saw Hina’s unhealthy complexion, he immediately regretted ever speaking. Even without confirmation, he knew Hina did not have the capacity nor capability to repeat what she had done.

As if to verbalize this reality, Hina grunted in fatigue, before bitterly stating, “Sorry, uprooting that one consumed more than half of my remaining mana. It's impossible for me to do that again.”

Hearing this, the President could not help but let out a bitter laugh. He knew it wasn’t Hina’s fault, but he could hide the disappointment written on his face. The ray of hope that had sprouted within his heart had been immediately trampled the moment it was raised.

As he tiredly sighed, he glared at the remaining tentacles. The remaining fight was still an uphill battle with no end in sight.

****

(Perspective Change)

I knew the situation was dire, and as I continued to exchange blows with the boss, I realized that at most, all I was doing was buying time. Despite the knife stabs, sword slashes, and club bashes I repeatedly inflicted, the Boss’s health still remained above 80%.

The main root of this was obviously the Boss’s insane regeneration. The pesky tentacle that had squirmed its way besides the Boss constantly replenished its HP the moment it dipped below 80%. At first, I thought I could use the moment when the tentacle stabbed into the Boss or when it drained the monsters above as an opportunity to sever the tentacle, unfortunately, things did not go so smoothly.

The tentacle had positioned itself so that it was directly behind the Boss. Even when it exposed itself, the Boss would be their to safeguard it. Not even [Shadow Sprint] could create an opening in the face of this absolute defense.

I knew that in order to reverse this situation and successfully kill the boss, I needed to destroy its tentacles first and stop its almost infinite regeneration. In theory it was truly simple, but the reality of it was that this simple task was an impossibly steep hurdle.

It was like asking someone to jump over a 2 meter fence while their legs were broken.

As the feeling of helplessness started growing within me, I suddenly noticed an inexplicable change had occurred in the battlefield behind me.

Glancing back, I saw the scene of a withering tentacle slowly dying take place before my eyes. An inexplicable feeling of euphoria bubble within me before it immediately cooled upon seeing Hina’s pale and languid expression.

From my time spent with her and the others, I knew Hina had expended a lot of her mana in uprooting that sole tentacle. Doing it again was probably impossible. Still, the reduction of seven tentacles to six tentacles was an immense improvement.

Not to mention, at the current state, if it were just five…

My mind instantly raced as I momentarily distanced myself from the approaching Dungeon Boss and took in the whole battlefield behind me with widened eyes.

The withered tentacle, the dreary expressions, the giant mass of [Black Gemini] that hovered over the air, even the human corpse that lay scattered amongst the dust that collected on the floor…

In an instant, I immediately made my decision.

I flung my body towards the Boss and once again entered in an exchange of blows. Due to the innate durability my armor and Familiarity bonus gives me, I could stand to take a few of its hits.

As I engaged in repetitive combat, amongst trembling bodies and vicious howls, I took a deep breath before I yelled out towards the rest of the group.

“Cher! President! Prepare to switch!” Shooting a quick glance behind me, I could see the duo’s eyes light up in comprehension. As if sensing a coming change in the current battle field, their bodies jittered in excitement as momentary vigor.

Without stopping, I then addressed Cielle, “Get ready Cielle! On my count, I want you to fire off your strongest attack! Directly at the Boss!”

Cielle who heard my frantic yells through the screen of roars, vigorously nodded. After a moment’s hesitation, she confirmed with an obviously forced “Okay!” Even in the heat of the moment, yelling out and speaking in such a loud voice did not suit her.

After receiving confirmation from everybody, immediately focused my attention back on the Boss. I needed to stall a bit of time for Cielle to ready her attack while at the same time, finding an opportunity to distance myself from the Boss. I changed my current set of weapons- strapping the sword back behind me in favor of dual wielding two pairs of daggers.

The whip that wriggled behind him instantly shot out and slammed down towards me. With a quick side step, the tentacle hit the floor, upsetting some of the collected dust beneath me. At the same time, I jumped onto the tentacle, and using it as a makeshift spring board, I rebounded off of it, and forcibly sent my body flying through the air, heading directly towards the Boss.

As expected though, being a Boss ranked monster, it wasn’t so easy to deal with.

In the face of my straight forward attack, a creepily human snort expelled from its mouth, before one of its tree trunk sized trees rapidly moved towards the air and backhanded me.

As the black arm hit my chest, I could feel my insides roil while my face involuntarily morphed into a pained grimace. Despite that, I managed to stay resolute. On the moment of impact, my hands jabbed downwards, piercing the Monster’s thick arm with my two sets of daggers. Simultaneously, my legs also wrapped around its arm.

As the Boss roared in anger, it vigorously shook, intending to dislodge me, but I was as stubborn as a cockroach. Just a split second lapse of movement was all I needed before I immediately scuttled along its arms like a true roach, and headed straight for its chest.

Reeflech shot me a beady red glare, as it snarled, and raised its other arm in an attempt to block me. Unlike before though, such an attack was something I had expected, or rather, it was something I truly anticipated!

As the arm came barreling down on me, I stabbed my right dagger onto its chest, before, I bent my body backwards at an impossible angle. I narrowly avoided the blow while at the same time, used the embedded dagger as a handhold to maintain my balance.

I then jerked myself forward with a pull from my right arm and sent myself flying directly towards its head.

With my other arm, I immediately thrusted my dagger towards its exposed eye. Filled with my full killing intent, and coupled with [Dissect]’s [Mutilation] effect, the dagger slid vigorously into its left eye.

It let out a pained howl, while both its arms simultaneously came flying towards me. In response, I avoided and pushed myself away from the Boss with a kick to its throat. Its roaring momentarily halted while I sailed through heated air.

“NOW!”

I suddenly desperately yelled, and not a moment sooner, a several blurry masses of darkness soared past me and directly headed towards the distracted Dungeon Boss.

As I stared past me, I could see the coalesced and solidified form of [Black Gemini]. There were four jagged spears of black that cut through the heated air. One of these spears faintly glowed with a trace of unnatural green. From past experience, I knew full well what that faint trace of green signified.

Cielle’s [Acid Clad] skill. It was a dangerous trump card that, if used in conjunction with Cielle’s [Black Gemini], showcased a tremendous amount of force. Even I don’t dare to face such a monstrosity head on.

While it did pack quite a punch, it's only real demerit would be its insane mana consumption. According to Cielle, when she initially tested out this new type of “composite” skill use, when she applied [Acid Clad] to her [Black Gemini] skill, the mana consumption multiplied by 10. Even after she managed to raise [Acid Clad] to beginner level 6 throughout the process of 2 whole weeks, the mana consumption was only reduced to a mana consumption of 7 times the original.

It was an insanely expensive skill that packed as much destructive power as the mana it consumed, and right now, such a skill was being used without reservation.

As the spears hurtled forward, the tentacle behind the Boss immediately moved to block. One spear was instantly crushed into several smaller pieces, while another deeply imbedded itself into the meat of the tentacle.

The other two spears continued to fly towards the Boss before they stabbed down onto its left thigh and right shoulder. Whether through a stroke of good fortune or because of Cielle’s accuracy, the sole spear clad in acid was the one that pierced the Boss directly in its shoulder.

Upon impact, a massive howl reverberated through the refuge, almost shaking it to its very foundation. Immediately, almost 10% of its hp instantly decreased. Further more, after that immediate 10% hp drop, its health bar further lessened as [Acid Clad] quickly did its work.

Aside from the Boss’s rampant scratching at its shoulder, there were no exterior signs of the acid taking into affect. Unlike Satou’s use of the skill, when Cielle used [Acid Clad], the process was slower, much slower to say, when Cher’s arm was melting.

This difference was primarily due to the difference in stats between Cher and the Dungeon Boss, as well as the difference in Cielle’s own skill mastery versus Satou’s was at the time.

Nonetheless, there was one thing that Cielle had that Satou didn’t.

Skill synthesis. The combination of [Black Gemini] and [Acid Clad] was truly something out of this world. While [Acid Clad] gained long range mobility due to [Black Gemini], at the same time, [Black Gemini]’s innate hp loss based on aggregate pain was further supplemented by the acid [Acid Clad] produced.

In the end, I watched with wide eyed awe as the Boss’s hp slowly depleted. Its constant howls of fury and pain rang through my ears as the visage of its desperately pawing figure came to view.

But while I was filled with minute glee at the scene, I was not one to miss such a perfect opportunity as this.

I twisted my body in mid air, before I landed on the floor on both feet. With a roar, I immediately called out the combat group. My voice was drowned out by Reeflech’s own miserable howls, but the visual confirmation between Cher and I was made.

Upon her signal, the melee group instantly rushed forward, their mad sprint did not even take into account the wall of tentacles that blocked their way.

Of course, as of now, those tentacles weren’t something they needed to worry themselves over. After all, that was officially my job now.

With a quick intake of breath, under the protection of the overhanging shadows above, I immediately vanished with [Shadow Sprint]. In an instant, I reappeared directly behind the wall of tentacles. In front of me was a rather imposing stalk of muscle that shot out from the ground and ended with a carapaced tip that wriggled 20 meters above ground.

During the split second I immediately appeared behind the tentacles, I was invisible. To the stalks of muscle that had their full attention focused on the rushing group of battle hardened teens, I was merely a gust of wind.

My feet heavily slammed down on the ground, as both my arms gripped onto the handle of the black sword behind me. My waist bent, my arms taut, and with a low rumbling growl, I immediately slashed towards the base of the tentacle.

My strike, which I placed 120% of all my effort in, to the point where my hands bled red, was infused with [Dissect]. The very core of severing came into being as my blade flew through muscle with little resistance.

The blade which completely dissected the tentacle from the waist up continued barreling forward before it slashed down onto the ground below, imbedding its blade into the floor in the process.

While the weak point of the tentacle was the eye like object that existed below ground, if I sliced it cleanly from its base, severing the greater majority of the tentacle from its power source, the only obvious outcome would occur. The stalk of muscle quickly came tumbling to the ground, while it simultaneously withered in mid air.

In an instant, the tentacle count had been further brought down to 5!

At the same time, with one of the tentacles gone, a gap opened up within the wall of muscle that blocked the melee group’s rush. Leading the charge forward, Cher hid behind her shield as she ran, jumping across the withering stump before she fearlessly dashed towards the Dungeon Boss. Behind her, the President along with the rest of his surviving part followed closely behind.

As I saw the others engage the Boss in combat through the corner of my eye, I also began doing my best as I forced my heavily heaving body forward.

Excluding the one stationed behind the Boss, I was left with four tentacles to face. These four tentacles almost instantly surrounded me on all sides, their muscled trunks wriggling violently like malevolent snakes.

Unlike when the combat group faced off against these tentacles, I was alone, so despite confronting fewer tentacles, my situation was comparatively more severe. In the face of these four trunk-like whips, I was hard pressed to remain unscathed. In less than ten seconds, my body was riddled with light bruises and superficial cuts.

It took all my effort to keep my body moving and avoid the oncoming strikes from all around me, but, even with my body exerting itself to its fullest capacity, in the end, that still wasn’t enough. In the face of their hive-like teamwork, and torrential bombardment, the most I could do was redirect the oncoming blows towards my armor and other protected parts of my body.

While on the outside, it may seem as if the tentacles barely caused me any real damage- merely grazing past my constantly flittering body as I weaved in and out between tentacles - in actuality, the damage they were inflicting was comparable to the Boss’s, if not more so.

Most of the real, heavy blows landed on my chest and back, the parts of my body I kept covered in armor. Because of this, the newly crafted armor quickly grew dented and deformed. It’s durability was rapidly decreasing, but in the heat of battle, I had no way of repairing it.

I was bruised, I was battered, I was exhausted, I was all these things and more, but the defiant glint in my eyes still sparked with vigorous luminescence.

With primal ferocity fueling my body, I swung my sword towards an oncoming tentacle. The blade sank deep into its flank, before the tentacle shook and suddenly jerked forward, dislodging my blade and sending me flying into the open hands of two oncoming tentacles.

Seeing their approach, I instantly twisted my wrist, before I raised my arms upward and slammed the base of the sword onto the closest incoming tentacle. Rather than driving the sword towards the tentacle, I used the built up energy to propel myself towards the ground, narrowly avoiding the remaining tentacle as it swept past where my head used to be.

I practically hugged the ground, as I ran towards the base of the tentacle. Because its end was extended out behind me, it was the perfect opportunity to aim for another kill.

With the long sword fluttering behind me, I readied a strike amped up with [Dissect], but before I could land my killing blow, the remaining tentacles burst forward and stopped me in my charge.

I frantically leapt backward, dodging the incoming spray of dislodged rocks and debris as the tentacles slammed into the ground with a resounding thud.

I gritted my teeth and scowled. Having missed my chance, I was once again back to square one. I blocked and dodged the incoming tentacles as I lamented.

I knew that my only chance was to perform a [Shadow Sprint] and directly attack the base of the tentacle while it was unguarded. Of course, using [Shadow Sprint] alone consumes a large chunk of my stamina, not to mention the use of [Dissect] which is practically a necessity of I want to cleanly sever the tentacle’s thickest section.

It was a costly price, but in the end, I had three remaining stamina potions left, so after some quick deliberation, I decided to take the risk.

Just as I readied myself and prepared for the perfect opportunity, a massive dull, but powerful thud resounded from the middle of the refuge.

“!?”

My head instantly jerked towards the source of the noise. With taut trepidation, I peered towards where the others were currently stalling the Dungeon Boss. I knew, despite the incessant wavering within my heart, that a change had occurred in the battlefield.

****

Towards the center of the open space, through the combined might of Cher, the President and his surviving party, which consisted of Emiko and the teacher, Reeflech was currently struggling.

Although individually, the four of them could not hold a candle to Hide in terms of tenacity and fighting prowess, through their combined might, their teamwork was strong enough to cover the difference. Not to mention, with the effects of [Acid Clad] currently surging through Reeflech’s body, the four survivors had a comparably easier time when compared to Hide’s own gruesome experience.

One of the advantages the survivors held during this battle was Cher’s [Fever Burst]. Because of this skill, it was possible to stack a 9% stat debuff, which lasts 7 minutes each stack, for up to three stacks. Cher managed to apply the first stack during the moment of confusion of their initial rush.

Right now, the Dungeon Boss was 9% weaker, but this was only a minimal advantage, especially when compared to Cielle’s earlier attack. With [Acid Clad] gradually shaving away at it’s life, Reeflech’s HP had dropped to 65%, and the tentacle’s vitality transfer was working full time in order to cancel out the effects of the vicious skill. The tentacle was frantically moving from the monster horde to Reeflech, and back again, all in an attempt to sustain the Dungeon Boss’s life.

To the tentacle, the current situation was a war of attrition, whether the acid loses its potency, or whether the tentacle ran out of vitality to transfer, the mindless tentacle could do nothing but continue its uphill struggle.

It was because of this, that the combat group had such an easy time. And it was because of this, that Reeflech’s eyes now flashed with unnatural, and unhindered killing intent. As it glared down on the four humans in front of it, they were like ants staring up at a giant.

But to Reeflech, whose minimal intelligence just barely registered their existences within its diminutive mind, the pain that they had given it was enough of a driving factor for it to go all out.

It’s body slightly trembled, and ignoring the pain on its right shoulder, Reeflech let out a low, vibrating snarl. Suddenly, all the pores covering Reeflech’s body immediately opened up, while a white puff of steam slowly emitted out the two holes atop its head.

Gradually, the intensity of the stream that flowed from the two holes increased, and with it, white steam further gushed out from the opened pores on Reeflech’s skin. The intensity of the steam experienced an exponential increase, and soon, vigorous white smoke was being expelled out from all over its body in large quantities.

Not even 10 seconds later, Reeflech’s whole body was shrouded in white fog.

From a couple dozen meters away, Surrounded by several tentacles, Hide who saw this happen through the corner of his eye, immediately darkened his expression as an uneasy feeling welled up deep within his mind.

Without visual confirmation, he could not even see the Boss’s status window, but nonetheless, spurred by his growing sense of unease, he immediately yelled towards the combat group.

“Move Back! Get out of there!”

His voice was lost, overshadowed by the sharp hissing noise that constantly sounded out from Reeflech’s massive body. It was a sound akin to a bubbling tea kettle, but this noise was a lot more sharper and organic.

But even without Hide’s warning, the combat group fully understood the implications of this white steam, all all hastily stepped backwards. Their frantic expressions fully displayed their fright and confusion.

Unfortunately, while they did make the appropriate retreat back, Reeflech had acted first.

The white blanket of fog rolled forward, as a shrouded attack from inside the mist barreled towards Cher, who had been standing guard, closest to the Boss while acting as a vanguard.

A primal sense of danger filled her everybody as goosebumps littered her shivering arms. On instinct, she raised her shield up, just in time as a massive force completely pushed down onto her comparatively small stature.

The force, while heavy and filled with killing intent, only lasted for a moment, and the damage it did was minimal. Cher steadied herself as she was inadvertently pushed back by five steps, before she managed to right herself.

Unfortunately, while Cher managed to avoid death and injury, someone else wasn’t so lucky. A pitiful human voice echoed from within the shrouded confines of the fog.

This shrill cry caused shivers to run down everyone’s spines, despite the heat of the room. Filled with fear and with their constantly palpitating hearts on overdrive, the others all instinctively drew back, away from the incoming mist.

As they took a moment to collect themselves a few paces away from the constantly expanding fog of white, the President was the first to notice that one of their own had not exited from the fog.

An instant look of dread washed over his face, while his foot unconsciously took a step forward. The President’s expression grew firmer and he took another, more confident step closer towards the fog. Just as he was about to run head first into the expanding white, a sudden voice from further back jolted the President’s frantic psyche back into normality.

“Stop!” The voice hastily called out, causing the President to turn his head to stare at the source of the voice.

Constantly weaving in between tentacles, and with a body covered in injuries, Hide desperately shook his head. “Don’t go into the steam! You won’t be saving anybody that way.”

While dodging another set of oncoming tentacles, Hide stared with sunken eyes towards the wall of white that had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. While his body shook from exertion, his mind was constantly spinning as he tried to think.

Hide knew that the steam was constantly increasing with no signs of stopping. By this point it had covered a space of around 50 meters, and was still expanding. While the appearance of this steam was outside his expectations, he fully comprehended that its danger was just potent as the tentacles or the Boss’s fire affinity.

The steam did not cause any immediate damage, in fact, it wasn’t even a damaging type characteristic. Its main impact was not direct, but rather indirect. The roiling fog of steam that was constantly expanding was capable of completely cutting off their sight. To the main group, this was a heavy blow.

For the others who had done any extensive training on any of their other senses, sight was one of their most important factors when it came to battle. Without it, much less fighting, even the simple task of walking became challenging.

With [Echolocation] and [Sensory Remapping], Hide might be able to manage somewhat within the steam, but to the others, the effects of the steam were simply too great. Undoubtedly, their fighting strength would instantly drop to a fourth of its original capabilities, maybe even worse.

And even then, Hide, who still relied on his vision as his eyes as his primary sensory organ, would be hard pressed to do well in a sightless environment.

On the assumption that the Dungeon Boss can see through the thick layer of ever expanding msit, then there was no doubt that, if the mist was allowed to expand any further, they’d all be slowly picked off one after another.

From deep within the mist, a primal snarl could be heard, while at the same time, the thickest layer of steam began to shake, signifying the Boss’s forward assault.

As the Boss charged forward towards the survivors, the steam further expanded and spread throughout the room. Now, about 85 meters of steam stretched out in all directions, with the Dungeon Boss at its epicenter.

The worry in everyone’s heart increases, and Hide’s brow scrunches up in deliberations, as he juggles with the idea of moving away from his position and helping out the rest of the survivors.

But just as Hide worried, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew past him and spread throughout the room. The steam was immediately pushed back before the wind, once again changed, and the once expanding steam was pushed to the ceiling.

The vision obscurity immediately lessened, and now, only a thin layer of fog persisted.

Hide inadvertently let out sigh of relief as his eyes, instantly turned to face the source of the wind. The moment he did so, his face immediately darkened, as a low voice, filled with obvious concern escaped from his lips,

“Hina!”

The girl inquestion painstakingly forced as smile as her eyes grew more and more vague. Her concentration was currently focused on the whole room in front of her. Blood dripped down from both her nostrils while Hina could hear a faint buzzing within her ear drums. Expelling out that room wide wind had taken a fair amount of mental concentration on her part, but the look of bitter determination was the only thing that existed on her pale pallor.

“Don’t worry,” She unconvincingly reassured through gritted teeth. “I still have a fair bit of mana left, and because I was helping you out back then with what you were crafting, Hide, I can keep this up for a little while longer.

I’ll use aerokinesis and wind magic to keep the steam from gathering, so you guys- get in there and fight!”

Her words oozed out fatigue, yet her tone was unyielding.

Upon her words, Hide immediately swallowed down what he had wanted to say, as he dodged another incoming attack and turned his eyes towards the middle of the room.

The Boss was still constantly emitting out steam in large portions, but a gust of air was continuously whirling around him, causing the newly produced steam to funnel upwards into the hole on the ceiling. Right now, through Hina’s utmost effort, Reeflech was like the eye of a tornado, while a formidable cloud of white gathered over everyone’s heads.

Below that column of steam, the Boss let out a vicious snarl. When the steam had cleared, it revealed a mangled corpse that laid strewn, haphazardly onto the ground beneath it. Looking closely, the body was revealed to be that of the teacher’s.

It was obvious at first glance, that the man had died. His body was crushed and his spine was snapped. A blood slowly oozed out with his body as the epicenter. Traces of melted and boiling skin could be found riddled around his corpse, evidently from the Boss’s intense, heated air.

The sight of the corpse sent a sharp shiver running down everyone’s spines.

Unfortunately, the did not have time to mourn for this most recent loss.

The Boss’s stomach was bulging and pulsated with a vibrant and menacing red glow. To everyone who saw this, their eyes widened in shock. This was especially true for Hide, who had painstakingly tried to prevent this from happening earlier on during the battle.

While Reeflech had been encased in steam, he had not stayed idle. He actually used that momentary lull in order to charge up and prepare its strongest attack.

Just seeing the unnaturally large stomach as it pulsated like a trembling heart was enough to send fear circulating through everyone’s minds. Without prompt, Cher, the President, and Emiko immediately scattered.

In response to this, the Dungeon Boss let out a cold snort. With almost no hesitation, its stomach immediately emptied, as a column of compressed fire erupted forth from its mouth.

BOOM!

The emergence of the flame immediately scorched the surroundings while the air it passed vibrated with intensity. The column of fire was aimed a little bit towards the right of the room. Whether by coincidence or intention, directly in front of the fire, was the President’s frantically sprinting figure.

His back was turned, while a bead of sweat rolled down from the corner of his forehead. He could feel an intense heat rapidly approaching him, but he did not turn around. Rather he couldn’t. The fear that had bubbled up within him, coupled with the touch of death that grazed his mind completely stopped him from doing anything but continue to mindlessly and fruitlessly run forward.

Seeing the incoming column of fire approach, everyone could not help but let out involuntary gasps of shock. Most notable was Hina’s own desperate cry, who, at that instant felt utterly powerless to help.

Just as the President’s fate was seemingly sealed, a figure immediately rushed towards him from the side. Without hesitation, the thin silhouette ruthlessly pushed him to the side, outside of the flame’s original trajectory.

This had all happened in less than a fraction of a second, and as the President’s expression morphed into astonishment, realization instantly dawned on him. Just as his head slightly tilted sideways, through the corner of his vision, he locked eyes with the individual who had pushed him.

The President’s mouth opened in shock, and just as he hit the floor, the column of flame completely enveloped that person. Through the raging fire, the President’s hoarse cry echoed throughout the room.

Despite that person’s efforts, the President did not completely escape from the fire, his right arm and right leg had been caught by the weaker, outside portions of the rapturing flame. These weakened wisps of heat were strong enough to instantly cauterize the President’s flesh, giving him immediate third degree burns.

But despite the pain his body went through, the despair in his mind was strongest. Seeing the person who had pushed him out of the way… just to save… for the him who had done all those things before… the cry that originated from his heart was hoarse and bitter.

As the flames finally died out, the person who had been swept up inside it was completely unrecognizable. Only the charred remains of a person who once existed remained. It was completely unidentifiable, but the image of that person’s last moments, of that person’s face had been carved deep into the President’s mind.

The image of a girl. Her face, bright, sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh. A person he had been close to even before the apocalypse, and had only grown closer as these days of hell progressed.

Emiko.

It was her. She was the one who had saved him. She had pushed him out the way, even when his own mind had been caught up in helpless fear. She had saved him, when he couldn’t do it by himself. Because of that, he had lived. Because of that, she had died.

With her death, the President was now the last person from his original group that remained.

His current visage, was by no means heroic, or awe inspiring. With half his body burned, and with a fish eyes emptiness deep within his pupils, it was the look of a defeated man. Despite that though, despite his disheveled, and hopeless appearance. Despite his injuries that caused his entire right side to go numb, despite all the setbacks, and all the deaths, he got up.

He ignored the pain. He did not even notice as a light blue substance entered his body and frantically tried to heal him. He spoke not a single word, but simply drew his blade, as he hobbled towards the Boss. His eyes were locked onto Reeflech’s domineering figure, but deep within those hollow, almost lifeless eyes, the light of determination, of retribution welled inside.

Ding!

A quiet sound reverberated within his skull, but he ignored that too. His full attention was all focused on that domineering figure. Each painstaking step he took only brought him closer.

“AAAHHHHHHHHH!”

With a hoarse roar, his body immediately sped up, as sprinted towards Reeflech.

Cher, who had recovered besides him, had no time to mourn the recently departed, as she followed closely behind the President’s assault. She rushed forward, blocking the incoming tentacle slash, by slightly tilting her shield sideways, and redirecting the oncoming force.

She soon entered within range, and immediately performed a [Shield Bash], one imbued with [Fever Burst]. Contrary to her expectations, Reeflech met her charge head on, sending out a heated fist directly towards her raised shield.

BOOM!

The moment both sides collided, the force from the impact inadvertently caused the Dungeon Boss to take a staggering step backwards. In comparison, Cher was more badly affected by the impact. Her remaining arm went numb from the knock back, and she was sent flying through the air before she deftly crashed through the floor with a thud.

Blood dripped down from the corner of her lip, while her chest heaved up and down in exasperation. Her current state was pitiful, but a slight smile blossomed on her face.

The 2nd stack had been completed without any problem.

Right now, Reeflech was 18% weaker than his usual self, and such a state would last for 7 minutes.

The President, wasn’t one to miss such an opportunity as he immediately leapt from behind Cher. Although his right arm hung limply by his side, and even though he was dragging his right leg like a dead log, his body still moved at an inhuman speeds. Newfound energy welled up from his body, while his eyes flashed with golden brilliance.

He slashed towards the monster, drawing blood from the Boss’s still outstretched arm.

The President’s actions were jittery and jagged, but each strike was delivered with clear killing intent, and enough power to back it up. With each attack, a superficial wound would take its place. Soon, Reeflech’s skin was littered in numerous cuts as blood flowed from its steam emitting pores.

The atmosphere was charged with the bitter scent of blood, as both sides collided. One comprised of a domineering existence, peerless within the confines of the Dungeon, and the other made up of the remnants of the Combat group - two humans spurred by determination and maintained through sheer willpower.

****

Although their tenacity and desperate determination was admirable, with just the two of them, even with the effects of Cher’s twice stacked [Fever Burst], the duo was just barely hanging on. Against the indomitable mountain like force of the Dungeon Boss, they were at a clear disadvantage. And as the effects of [Acid Clad] began to fade, this disadvantage steadily grew as the battle dragged on.

When the lingering acid was completely flushed away from the Dungeon Boss’s system, its battle prowess immediately exploded, further pushing back the duo through its sheer strength. It’s HP, which had managed to dip below 50% due to the effects of [Acid Clad], was eventually raised back up, hovering just over 70% by the tentacle that lay firmly rooted behind the Dungeon Boss.

But with its recovery, a new changed seemed to have occurred within the Dungeon Boss. Its remaining eye flashed with almost human like intelligence, as it threw a punch towards the ground. The moment ground collided with fist, the earth slightly trembled as Cher and the President were forced backwards.

Seeing this, the Dungeon Boss’s eye upturned into a crescent as it made an expression greatly resembling a sneer. Despite its low level intelligence, it was clearly displaying an arrogance that would not pale in comparison to actual humans. It charged forward, while simultaneously, the tentacle that had stayed rooted behind it up until now, finally moved.

But unlike what Cher and the President had expected, the tentacle did not move to confront them, rather the base of its trunk crawled forward, towards the back of the refuge, where another fierce battle was currently taking place…