Chapter 92: Battle with the Dungeon Boss (4)

(Perspective Change)

I constantly flittered around the battlefield, weaving in and out between stalks of muscle as my eyes vigilantly scanned for any opening, no matter how small.

The four tentacles that unceasingly smashed down upon me were relentless, but it was because of their ferocity that I was forced to push myself beyond my limits. Ignoring my constantly draining stamina, my mind was drawn taut like a wire.

I eventually got used to the constant rain of attacks. So far, through minimal movement and a fair bit of insight, I had managed to avoid getting hit for a good duration of 45 seconds. If you take into account the fact that I had immense difficulty dodging even a single attack back when I started, this change was quite substantial.

It was during this moment of immense concentration, that I noticed the steadily approaching tentacle that originated from the Dungeon Boss’s own battle.

Earlier, I had noticed the events that had transpired during their battle, but I was powerless to help. Not only was it immensely taxing for me to waste a [Shadow Sprint] to cut the distance and assist the others, I was also currently acting as the vanguard for Cielle and Hina. Despite the “protection” of the girls from Kido’s harem, I knew full well that if my defense were to be broken, then Cielle and Hina’s deaths were practically guaranteed. That was especially true after their current state. The constant use of magic had taken quite a toll on the duo, both mentally and physically.

So when I noticed the incoming tentacle, I was not surprised. Rather, a small smile formed on my lips. Instead of worsening my situation, I had decided that from this change, I would forcibly reap some benefits.

I continued dodging the other tentacles, and quietly waited as the fifth tentacle slowly approached within range. The moment it got within 20 meters of me, I immediately downed a stamina potion, and instantly moved.

With a single thought, I used [Shadow Sprint] and vanished into the shadows.

Not a moment sooner, I reappeared directly in front of the newest tentacle. Even before the tentacle had a chance to react, I unreservedly attacked. Without a trace of hesitation, I corked my body backwards, tightening my every muscle to its very limits. In one instant, my body straightened, and that pent up energy exploded outwards into a singular sword strike.

Swish!

The slash that had been imbued with all my efforts in addition to [Dissect], completely lobbed off the base of the tentacle in one go. Like slicing through paper, the tentacle was completely severed from its base.

The downed tentacle immediately fell as it began withering at a tremendous rate.

Despite the coursing fatigue running through my body, I could not help but smile upon seeing this scene. With this, the remaining number of tentacles had been finally reduced to four. Despite our current losses, we were making enormous progress.

But with this moment of elation, came weakness.

Making use of the opening created from my all out attack, the several tentacles from before came surging forward. As I moved to avoid, I accidentally stumbled, the wave of sudden fatigue momentarily stunning me. Beyond expectations, [Physical Strain] had come earlier than anticipated.

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In this moment of weakness, like a bloodthirsty leech, one of the tentacles latched onto my leg with force strong enough to break bone.

The tentacle yanked forward, and I was immediately hoisted up into the air, before I dangled upside down, a feeling of helplessness slowly seeping through me.

I involuntarily grimaced. While the sudden surge of pain from [Physical Strain] was something I could fight through, this current situation was completely devastating. From past experience, I knew that like those, I could not easily escape with [Shadow Sprint].

I had been restrained. It was sort of the same principle as to why I could not teleport through walls, or why I could not teleport with another person. It was one of [Shadow Sprint]’s biggest weakness, and one outcome I had fought against unceasingly throughout this battle.

As I dangled helplessly, my grip on my sword tightened, as I tried to bend my waist upward in an attempt to slice the tip of the tentacle off and free myself. But the instant I moved, the tentacle abruptly moved downward, and I was ruthlessly slammed onto the floor.

The unexpected blow knocked the wind out of me, and my vision grew momentarily blurry for a split second. Before I could even recover though, the tentacle dragged me along the floor, before it immediately lifted me upwards and slammed me back onto the ground. This time, the impact carried more weight and almost twice the force from last time.

This time, I could taste blood, and my head rang as a dizzying buzzing noise reverberated through my ears. Even with my increased defense, and the armor that protected me, my head was still exposed, and coupled with the tentacle’s unearthly power, I could not help but take damage.

When my skull bounced off the ground like a partially deflated basketball, I was half certain I now had a concussion.

But despite my current state, the tentacle had no regard for me as it once again slammed me ruthlessly onto the floor. This time, learning from past experience, I immediately raised my arms to protect my head. But in the end, in the face of this situation, that was the limit of my resistance.

As the tentacle repeatedly dragged me across the floor, as it lifted me up, and as it slammed me down, the only thing I could do was protect my head. Even the light blue semi transparent liquid that shot towards me could do little but placate a few of the injuries that had formed on my body. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

I knew that even with Cielle’s assistance, the most she could do was provide minor HP regeneration. She did not have enough mana to condense another spear, much less imbue her skill with [Acid Clad]. On top of it all, from my numerous exchanges with these things, I grew to realize that these tentacles did not feel pain.

Her regular [Black Gemini] could do little to help. The only thing she was capable of doing was constantly heal me as my own HP continued to dwindle downwards.

As my body violently cut through air before it was slammed down onto the ground once more, through my narrowed eyes, I stared at Cielle and Hina who looked on with worried expressions on their faces. What I was feeling right now was absolute helplessness.

In this state, I was completely embolized. My [Shadow Sprint] was effectively silenced, and my greatest asset, which was my speed, had been trounced. I could not help but worry, not for myself, but for the two who stood a little ways behind me.

I knew that, much less assist, Hina and Cielle did not have anything currently within their arsenal that was capable of protecting themselves. Cielle’s soul skill was useless against these things that could not feel pain, while Hina’s own elemental magic had their limitations.

The tentacles and the Boss themselves constantly emitted out heat, fully demonstrating their fire affinity, while both earth and water magic were both out of the question. Similarly her use of air magic was not to the level where she could slice through objects through wind.

Uprooting the tentacles were a possibility, but that took a tremendous toll on her mind, and consumed a fair majority of her mana. With Hina’s current mana, I doubt she had enough to perform such a miracle. Not to mention, that even in the face of this impending danger, Hina was still constantly funneling the steam that the Boss emitted towards the ceiling.

Even as the first and 2nd floors above use were completely shrouded in a layer of thick fog that resembled an ever expanding curtain of white, the steam that the Boss produced did not lessen in the least. If Hina so much as slackened for even a second, than that roiling steam would expand outwards, spelling doom for Cher and the President.

Hina could do nothing. Cielle could do nothing. I could do nothing but endure.

After a hazy amount of time passed, I barely managed to cling to my half conscious state. By this point, my face was bloody, and I was positive that one of my legs broke, but I could not tell which one. My armor was cracked and dented, while blood constantly seeped out through my gritted teeth.

The tentacle still clung to my ankle, which had probably broken by now, and as it dangled my upside down, blood rushed to my head and a feeling of nausea overwhelmed me. What little remained in my stomach was instantly expelled out, as I could not push back the vomit and bile that surged forward.

But even the slight shake caused by my vomiting was taken as a sign of aggression, as almost immediately, the tentacle snapped forward and once again ruthlessly slammed into the ground. Every Time I moved, every time I so much as lifted a finger, the tentacle would immediately attack, unconsciously conditioning me to the pain and damage it produced.

As the collection of staunch dirt, blood, and vomit, filled my nostrils, through hazy eyes, I helplessly glanced at Cielle and Hina.

My hands instinctively clawed at the dirt below me, just before I was once again lifted up and slammed back down. It was during this brief moment, that the still image of the three other tentacles approaching the others was forever burned into my mind…

*****

(Perspective Change)

It was at this point where Hide’s greatest fears slowly realized.

While Hide was restrained, the other three tentacles began making their way towards the long range combat group. Slowly but surely, they drew closer, closer to Cielle, Hina, and the other two from Kido’s harem- Saya and Mindy.

Cielle and HIna’s faces were grim. Deep within their minds they could not repress the slowly rising fear that they felt, but still, they remained unmoving. They knew full well that their current position held immense importance. Even with the threat of death looming over their shoulders, they still could not simply give up and run away.

Right now, the only thing sustaining Hide from death was Cielle’s constant healing. His HP, which had dipped down below 20% was on the verge of emptying. Cielle’s resolution was set firm, as she determined to extend Hide’s life by even the smallest of seconds.

In comparison, Hina’s was still constantly controlling the steam to tunnel upwards. The moment she slacked, the endless white that emitted out from the Dungeon Boss would roil outwards, enveloping the surroundings in a curtain of white. If this were to occur, Cher and Hokusei would meet a fate akin to death.

With death directly threatening two people she cared about, their was no way Hina could simply abandon her post.

With resolute yet dark expressions, the two sisters stayed firm as they glared unyieldingly at the approaching stalks of muscle.

In contrast, the girls from Kido’s group were less resolved. They trembled while their faces scrunched up into ugly expressions. Their hands were paper white as they desperately gripped onto their spears. As death loomed before them, they could not restrain the fear and anxiety that bubbled up from deep within their hearts.

Up until now, they knew that they were weak. This realization was as apparent as the moon on a cloudless sky. They were so weak, that even during this crucial battle, the only thing they were capable of doing was standing in front of Cielle and Hina under the pretense of “guarding”. They did not have the ability to fight, much less stand in front of these tentacles which virtually represented death itself.

As this enormous pressure bared down onto both of them, one of them cracked under the stress and and screamed.

The transfer student- Saya, abruptly dropped her spear, as she frantically screeched, her voice resonating with the fear and panic that coursed through her veins. Without so much as a glance backwards, her legs bursted with fear driven energy, as she frantically sprinted towards the underground passageway.

Driven by her palpitating heart, despite her scattered thoughts, she pressed forward.

When the fighting had progressed, already, a tiny seed of fear and unease had sprouted deep within the recesses of her heart. As the danger reached a crescendo, it was only natural that that seed would grow and fester until her mind practically collapsed.

What’s more, with Kido as her only mental support missing throughout all of this, how exactly was she suppose to stand in front of death and risk her life?

But as she ran, it was quickly made clear that her attempts were futile.

Her waist was immediately seized, before the tentacle unceremoniously lifted her up into the air.

Amidst her frantic, and desperate screams, the tentacle abruptly applied pressure as it began to squeeze.

Crack!

A series of popping and cracking sounds resonated, as Saya’s once ear piercing screech ultimately died down, replaced by a pathetic set of barely audible whimpering. In that instant, her HP rapidly plummeted, and when she was finally carelessly dropped onto the floor like a sack of bricks, she hovered over the edge of death. Her HP was less than 5%, and numerous detrimental status effects like [Cripple], [Bleeding], and [Bruised] all affected her.

The light of life was slowly fading before her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it.

Saya tried to look at Cielle, wanting to plead for the remaining strands of hope she fostered, but even this simple action was impossible for her. Her body did not move, she could not crane her neck to stare at the people she had turned her back on. She did not even possess the capability of begging for her life.

“Uuuu….”

A bitter sobbing could be heard in the almost silent space. It was a helpless, bitter, and utterly despondent noise that almost wrenched at someone’s heart, but to the tentacles, this crying had no effect. After all, they could not hear, and even if they could, why would they sympathize with an enemy?

As the situation progressively spiraled downward, suddenly, from amidst the whirling fog of steam that blotted out the upper floors, a singular silhouette jumped downward.

Despite the height, he landed onto the floor with almost practiced ease. Without pause, the silhouette immediately rushed forward. The silhouette blurred, as he rapidly approached the sole tentacle that kept Hide restrained. His speed was incredible, only second to Hide’s own.

In no time at all, the silhouette immediately arrived at the base of the tentacle.

Through a film of haze and nausea, realization dawned on Hide as he stared at the approaching man with narrowed eyes.

Hide subconsciously opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a primal yell burst forth from that person's throat before an explosion erupted.

BOOM!

A flash of light momentarily filled the room, as a deafening sound shook the very foundations of the refuge. The blast had been completely directed at the base of the tentacle, and almost instantly a giant hole was dug out from the ground.

In less than an instant, the base of the tentacle as well as the protected portion of its eye that once lay rested underground, had been utterly destroyed.

Hide, who had been dangling helplessly in mid air was thrown backwards by the supplementary force of the blast.

In comparison, the Person’s figure was also pushed aside by the sheer force of the explosion. His body continually tumbled backwards before he crashed into a wall. As the dust settled, it revealed a pale complexion, one streaked with sweat, blood, and dirt.

The man’s breathing was ragged, while a thin flow of blood dripped down from his nose and mouth. His current countenance completely reflected the man’s current physical state, but that did not stop his lips from curving into a feral smile.

Hide tumbled helplessly across the ground. Through the corner of his eye, he could see that a tentacle was rapidly approaching him, intent on delivering the final blow to Hide’s currently weakened state.

An unnatural glimmer shined within Hide’s eyes.

Steam had completely blotted out the ceiling, and subsequently created a domineering shade that fell over the whole battle field. With this as his backdrop, Hide immediately used [Shadow Sprint]. Hide’s body instantly vanished just as the tentacle swiped past empty air.

Hide reappeared instantly besides Cielle and Hina.

His body shook for a second, before he fell face first onto the ground. His chest breathed up and down, greedily sucking in as much heated air as possible. The helplessness from before had vanished from his mind, instead replaced by caution.

Even as Hide’s body was completely enveloped by Cielle’s [Blue Gemini], his eyes stayed fixed on the person who had saved him. But while his full attention was focused on that man, suddenly, an abrupt thud reached his ears.

Turning around, he found somebody sprawled along the floor. With one glance, Hide’s complexion instantly changed as a look of worry filled his face.

“Cielle… you…”

He quietly muttered, as he stared at the heavily panting, and extremely pale visage of the girl before him. Hide knew immediately that just now, that last heal had used up all of Cielle’s remaining mana. Right now, her body had lost all its strength. She did not even have the energy to talk, only capable of staring directly into Hide’s eyes.

As his own face reflected within Cielle’s iris, he could see unwavering fighting spirit swirling deep within them.

He knew the threat of death was quickly approaching them, so he had to get up, but even then, he could not help but let out a wry smile.

Cielle’s last heal could not even heal half of Hide’s HP, but he did not worry about this. He knew that she had done her best. Cielle supported everyone up to this point, but finally, her seemingly inexhaustible mana reached his limit.

Glancing up at Hina’s furrowed expression, he knew that she was also close to reaching her limit. It was just that, Cielle had simply beat her to it.

In the face of this situation, Hide completely resigned himself.

“After seeing everyone else try this hard to the point of exhaustion, there’s nothing else I can do but grit through everything and attack with even more efficiency!”

****

As Hide stood back up, His gaze scanned over the current battle field. The remaining three tentacles were spaced out along the room. The closest one was 30 meters away from him, but that distance was rapidly decreasing as it unceasingly approached.

Seeing all this, Hide could not help but let out a tired sigh, before his expression turned resolute. With little hesitation, he downed the remaining stamina potions he had saved, as his gaze turned towards the person who had saved him earlier.

That silhouette was now steadily rising back to his feet, and upon seeing this, Hide could not help but frown at the familiar face. Without a doubt, that man was Kido. It was the same Kido who had disappeared at the start of the battle field, but even after Kido had saved him, Hide still could not dismiss the doubt and unease he felt.

This was especially true after Kido’s recent display. That skill he used… such a familiar, yet powerful skill…

Almost instantly, Hide’s frown morphed into that of grim bitterness as realization flashed in front of his eyes.

“Kido… He...” Hide quietly muttered, just as he saw Kido look up and scan the battlefield in front of him.

After some quiet deliberation, Hide saw Kido’s body move forward. With speed easily surpassing Kido’s earlier limits, he weaved and avoided the incoming attacks. Kido did not even pause for a second, s he beelined towards his fallen comrade.

A look of near reverence floated on the surface of Kido’s childhood friend’s face. Up until now, she had harbored an impending sense of doom, but with his singular display of strength, that stiffening feeling had completely disappeared.

From besides her, seeing this incomprehensible display, Hide once again frowned. Kido’s speed was definitely something that the Kido from yesterday could not achieve.

As Hide momentarily pondered, he abruptly recalled his conversation from yesterday. Hide came to an immediate realization, as his face darkened.

In his mind, the change in Kido’s speed, and probably his other stats all led to only one conclusion.

Without a doubt, within Hide’s mind this possibility had firmly cemented itself as “fact”.

Kido had escaped back to the East Building, and killed the survivors there. This was all in order to reap the benefits from the Dungeon specific trait that explicitly granted a person a temporary boost in stats for killing a fellow human being.

What’s more, upon seeing the explosion skill in Kido’s own hands, Hide came to the same conclusion that he had also killed off Miki. Why else would he have dropped down from the upper floors instead of from the underground passageway?

As Hide was confirming these thoughts, Kido finally arrived at the crippled transfer student.

Saya could not move her body, but through the corner of her eye, he could see Kido’s looming figure. While her face stayed paralyzed, she felt a surge of joy well up from inside her heart. To her, Kido’s expressionless face that looked down upon her was like a prince on a white horse.

Her lips struggled to move, as she uttered out a barely audible, “Kido...”

In the face of all this, Kido’s eyes remained eerily cold. Those eyes which looked down from above, were almost lifeless, while his face remained indifferent, even at the sight of Saya’s broken body.

While the joy in her heart still existed and continued to blossom, upon seeing that cold and indifferent expression, a tiny speck of unease tainted her mind. She wanted to say something, she wanted Kido to say something. His silence was domineering, and sent an uncontrollable shiver down her broken spine.

Just as she began harboring these thoughts and worries, from above her, Kido suddenly began speaking. But each word he spoke was distant, and cold, almost as if he were simply talking to himself and not at Saya.

“Ah… how horrible… If only I had arrived sooner, you wouldn’t be in such a state.” His words, his tone, his voice, they all sounded like pretense, not an ounce of actual emotion within them. “Looking at your current injuries, I don’t think even Miss Cielle’s amazing healing skill can save you… Instead… Instead of letting you suffer miserably like this… it would be best to end your pain right here, right now.”

Hearing these frigid words escape from the mouth of the person Saya had considered her savior, she struggled to move. As her pale lips slightly parted, before she could utter out a single sound, a cold slab of metal stabbed through her back and pierced her heart.

Kido was expressionless as he turned towards the others. After slight pause, he glanced back at the corpse beneath his feet, before he began walking forward.

As he left, he whispered quietly, seemingly to himself, but at the same time, directed at the body whom he had left behind.

“Your sacrifice… I won’t let it go to waste.”

****

(Perspective Change)

As Kido approached, from around me, I could see the cold shock and surprise written on the girls’ faces. This was especially true for Kido’s childhood friend, who had a look of apparent denial plastered onto her face.

When Kido finally approached, before he could even say anything, the Childhood friend immediately mumbled. Her words were incoherent and jumbled together, like a congealed mass of dirt. “Kido… you, what did, Sa-Saya… she… you….”

Her expression remained pale white while her eyes were as wide as saucers. As she struggled to form her words, Kido abruptly turned to look at her. For a split second, he wore a cold and indifferent expression before it immediately changed into his usual placating smile.

Making a face that was very Kido-like, his tone lowered, as he explained, “Saya, she… she was on the verge of death. She told me she did not have much time left to live, so… she asked me to…”

His words died off, but the implications behind them remained.

The childhood friend in response, laughed awkwardly, as she brokenly spoke, “A-ah… yeah, t-that makes sense…. Y-you possibly couldn’t…. P-p-poor Saya…” Her voice was trembling, and sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of something she firmly believed did not happen.

In the face of her stammering, Kido continued to stare at his dazed Childhood friend. He was silent for a moment, before he abruptly grabbed her shoulders. The slight yelp that escaped from his childhood friend’s lips was ultimately ignored as Kido stared down into her swirling eyes.

“Mindy… Saya didn’t want to die, tortured by those tentacles. Back then, I could not help it, but now that I’m here, I’ll protect you.”

“Ah-”

Before she could say anything, I could not contain it any longer, as my own cold voice interjected their conversation.

“... What happened to Wizard hat? That skill you just used looked an awful lot like hers.”

In the face of my provocation, Kido turned towards me as his face morphed into his usual placating smile. He sighed exaggeratedly, while he said, “It was the same thing with Saya. Miki… she… I could not save her… When I was making my way back here, she was already dead. Half eaten by monsters. The only thing I could salvage was her skill book…”

Each word he spoke sounded like absolute farce in my ears. I knew he was lying, after all, I personally hide that girl away from the monsters. It was such an inconspicuous location that even with the Dungeon Boss’s abilities, it was next to impossible to accurately pin down her location. What’s more, the current horde was immobile, stuck in that trance like situation as they congregated near the edge of the 1st and 2nd floor holes.

Those things that were more HP potion than monster couldn’t have possibly killed her.

I did not voice any of this out. Instead, I turned towards the battlefield in front of me. The three tentacles were slowly making their way closer. Their roiling mass of flesh were compressed together, ready to pounce at any second.

Kido, who saw my abject stare, lightly smiled.

“I don’t know how many tentacles there were before I arrived, but right now, the current situation is pretty favorable. We’ve managed to reduce it down to three.”

I did not respond. “...”

“If we keep this pace up for just a while longer, then after we finish, we can go help out Cher and the President.”

Again, I did not respond. “...”

“With you and me working together, something like this can be-”

“How many people have you killed today Kido?” In the midst of his speech, I unabashedly asked.

“...” Kido faintly smiled, but did not answer.

After a moment’s pause, Kido once again took up his sword, before he leaned forward and rushed towards the three remaining tentacles.

As he ran, I could saw him remove a faint blue vial from his back pocket. The vial gave off the illusion of luminescence before he immediately uncorked the cap with his teeth and drank the vial dry.

Seeing this, I could not help but narrow my eyes. From the looks of things, it seemed like Kido somehow managed to hide a few mana potions without me noticing, and now, he was using it like toilet water.

All of this, from his disappearance early in the battle field, to his use of Wizard Hat’s skill, to his sudden possession of mana potions, I could not help but feel uneasy in front of everything.

Without a doubt, Kido’s existence was something that brought me worry, but at the same time, it became increasingly clear that Kido’s strength was now needed. Especially now that he possessed that destructive skill, it was imperative that I worked together with him.

As I harbored these thoughts, I let out a tired sigh before I immediately made my way into the battlefield.

I could hear a fierce roar from further ahead of me. Kido made a beeline for one of the three tentacles.

“Why is it….”

While Kido’s attack might have been normal, what I found odd was that, despite being within range for attack, none of the tentacles assaulted him. Rather, the moment I drew near, all three simultaneously surged forward and attacked me.

I bore the brunt of their force, while Kido passed through without so much as a single scratch.

BOOM!

The moment he reached the base of the tentacle, Kido once again used his explosion skill. In one blast the trunk of the tentacle was completely ripped through shreds. The muscular stalk fell to the floor, while it withered in mid air.

Because of his overexertion, Kido doubled over. His chest rose and fell at a rapid, irregular pace as he tried to catch his breath. With shaking hands, he reached over into his pocket and pulled out another blue vial. Like a drug addict in need of his fix, he carefully uncorked the vial as he raised it towards his pale lips…

Meanwhile, making use of the commotio Kido’s explosion caused, I immediately turned towards one of the remaining tentacles and locked it on as my next target. I kicked off the ground before activating [Shadow Sprint]. As I appeared directly in front of the base of the tentacle, with well practiced motion, I once again slashed out at the stalk.

In one clean slice, I dissected the 2nd tentacle, leaving nothing but a withering stump in my wake. With this, only one tentacle remained. After getting rid of it, Reeflech should completely lose his ability to regenerate.

Taking a moment to collect myself, I breathed out a composed sigh, while I turned towards the remaining tentacle.

The tentacle was wriggling madly, its smooth, dirt stained flesh pulsating like a rupturing vein. The tentacle itself was considerably close to Kido’s current position. In fact, Kido was well within its range, but considering what happened last time…

BAM!

As resigned thoughts entered my mind, suddenly and without warning, the remaining tentacle lashed out towards Kido’s bent over position. Its trunk hit Kido square in the back, forcibly slamming him down onto the ground with a resounding thud.

As if waking up from a stupor, its once lenient and complacent attitude regarding Kido had completely disappeared. It repeatedly attack, slamming and beating Kido like a worn out ragdoll. As the latter was sent flying, he spat out copious amounts of blood while a look of shock and confusion filled his face.

The tentacle kept its ruthless attacks going without giving Kido a single chance to rest or recover. In fact, its intensity was significantly greater than when it had attacked the others before, almost as if the tentacle produced a sort of malicious enmity towards Kido’s very existence.

“...”

In the midst of the constant sounds of flesh pounding, and body smashing, I could not help but stare in quiet awe for a moment.

Even when I approached the tentacle, it ignored me. When I got into its range, it did not even react. When I was at its base, its merciless attitude towards Kido had not lightened for even a second. The tentacle was solely focused on beating Kido down, as if it were venting out all of its nonexistent anger. In the face of this one sided terror, my existence did not even register.

“....”

Slice!

With little resistance, I successfully severed the tentacle while Kido distracted it.

The last tentacle helplessly fell to the floor, and withered like a dying flower. I turned to stare towards Kido’s currently battered condition.

For a second, nothing moved. The collection of upturned dust and freshly smashed concrete remained undisturbed for a quiet second. Of course, that second only lasted for a single second, as not a moment sooner, from underneath the concrete and rubble, Kido shakily stood back up.

His body was bruised and his armor was severely cracked. With his disheveled hair and pale complexion, his current appearance was one of tired exhaustion. On his face, his expression was morphed into relentless determination, mixed with a slight tinge of confusion.

Kido spat out one mouthful of fresh blood before he steadily walked forward, towards the final Boss of this dungeon.

****

I gulped down an HP potion, before I followed Kido and ran towards the others.

As I neared, CHer and the President quickly came to view. With a sweeping gaze imbued with [Identify], I discovered that both of them were teetering dangerously close to death. Without out even taking into consideration their current appearance, their HP were both heart wrenchingly low. This especially held true for the President, whose health hovered somewhere around 15%.

What was surprising was that beneath his feet were several empty vials of HP potion. Even after using so many resources, he still wound up in such a state, showcasing just how brutal his fight had been. If there was a status effect similar to [Mental Strain] but for HP, then surely the President was its first victim.

While Cher was in a fairly similar situation to the President, comparatively speaking she was doing far better than him. This was mainly because of her shield, which she used to tank most of the attacks coming from the Boss. So despite the dangerous situation, her health hovered safely over the 50% line.

If there was one thing of concern though, it would be the hazy fog within Cher’s eyes. This sort of thing was a clear indicator of low mana count. Indirectly, the dim light in her eyes was evidence that Cher had managed to successfully apply the third stack of [Fever Burst].

While this meant that the boss was now about 27% weaker, it also meant that under the effects of [Mana Exhaustion], Cher’s perceptivity and reflexes would momentarily lower. Normally such a condition would be exceedingly dangerous, but taking into account the current circumstances, it was a necessary sacrifice, one I did not intend to waste.

Without stopping, I immediately ran past the two of them, and leaped towards the Boss. Its raging eye widened as it saw me approach, but even as it moved to react, under the current effects of [Fever Burst], it was far too slow to make it in time.

[Efhermet Dagger] gleamed with cold radiance as I thrusted it forward. The blade pierced directly into the Boss’s shoulder blade, and almost instantly, one of the numerous effects of [Dissect] activated. The skin around the newly opened wound opened up, as several newer cuts suddenly appeared. [Laceration] was working in full effect, and the pain it left behind brought forth an earth shaking howl.

But even as the Boss madly flailed around in a fit of anger, my attack did not stop there. I continued to stick to the creature’s body, ignoring the scalding heat its skin gave off, as I quickly yanked out my dagger.

I grabbed onto its shoulder with my spare hand, and fought through the burning sensation, while I jerked my shoulder forward and once again, thrusted forward with my dagger. The blade re-entered the previous wound, and this time, [Dissect]’s [Perforate] effect activated.

[Perforate] was a skill that worsened the effects placed by [Laceration]. It increased the surface area of the wound, while at the same time, worsening the bleeding loss effect.

After I used the skill, I was finally forced to concede, as I jumped off the Boss’s body.

I breathed out a relieved sigh as I inspected my current condition. Glancing up at my HP, I could not help but form a grimace. Any form of direct contact with Reeflech was enough to shave off a significant chunk of my hp. This was due to the intense heat it continually gave off. It was heat strong enough to burn, and the fact that it only got hotter and hotter the more HP it lost, did not help the current situation.

As blood dripped down from its open wounds, the others rushed in to attack.

Cher moved towards its right, while the President moved to its left. From the corner of my eye, I could see Kido sneaking his way behind it. Not one to mess up such a perfect formation, I immediately closed my window panel, and joined in on the attack. I directly faced the boss from the front, a dagger in one hand, and a wooden club in the other.

As we rained more and more blows towards the surrounded monster, its HP steadily depleted. After 30 seconds, its health had dropped to 20%. A significant amount of this was due to the bleeding effect my [Perforate] inflicted.

While the situation shifted to our favor, it became clear that like a cornered animal, the more the Boss’s situation worsened, the stronger and more desperate he became.

It howled intensely, a mix of anger and distress deeply embedded within its voice. A wave of steam suddenly erupted forth from its body. This outburst was several times stronger than usual, and Hina’s rapidly dwindling control could not hold up.

Almost instantly, the space around the Boss quickly grew white, and in response, everyone hastily retreated. I jumped back, and a moment later, two more figures emerged out from the fog. The President’s sweat stained pallor came into full view, while a little ways back, I could see Kido steadily back peddling away from the fog.

But while three of us successfully escaped, Cher wasn’t so lucky.

THUD!

An earth shattering sound resonated from the depths of the mist, just as a blurry silhouette whizzed past the heated air. The figure flew halfway across the room befor, like a broken ragdoll, she hit the wall with a resounding thud.

Cher’s body crumpled to the floor, while the shield in her arm fell like a sack of bricks. She laid unmoving, and just as wave of unease shook me to the very core, from amidst the fog, the Boss suddenly erupted forward. Its arms were pumping fiercely, and gave off an intense heat hot enough to evaporate the very sweat on my face.

Seeing the raging monster rapidly closing in on me, I bitterly swallowed my worry for Cher, before I turned and directed all my focus on the Boss.

It’s HP that once hovered over 20%, now significantly dropped to below 10%. But as if to compensate for that, the domineering aura it gave off increased in magnitude, while the heat it emitted was as hot as an open flame.

Its body had stopped emitting steam. The once night shade tone of black that covered its whole body had been replaced by a vibrant red. A red that pulsated like a heartbeat and glowed like a neon sign. In contrast, its once red, beady eyes, were now colored a dark, and ominous black.

With one sweep of my [Identify] skill, I could tell that the Boss had used a skill called [Rage Override]. Just going off the current changes I could see, the skill’s effects were easy enough to guess. Other than the [Rage Override] skill, something else that peaked my interest was that the [Cursed] title that hovered over the monster’s name, was now fluctuating.

Like the fuzziness from a tv channel with poor connection, the [Cursed] title’s irregularity, brought some concern and confusion, but I had no time to think about that as the Boss’s heated fist came down at me with shocking speed.

Swish!

I managed to dodged the incoming blow by a hair’s breadth, but that had left me wide open for its follow up attack. Like a giant hammer, its other fist came crashing down from the sky. It hit me square on my back, slamming me to the ground in one quick motion.

I coughed up blood, while an involuntary groan escaped from my throat. I could feel that the plate metal behind me had deformed and cracked.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the raging monster looming over me. It turned on its heels, as it immediately threw itself onto Kido. Kido’s expression widened, and for a moment, his breathing grew ragged. He frantically jumped back, but it was not enough. The Boss’s imposing figure was rapidly drawing closer and closer.

I could see Kido grit his teeth to the point of drawing blood, before he immediately swung his sword down onto the ground. As he did so, his blade glowed with faint vibrance, before an earth shaking explosion erupted forth from the ground up.

The blast added force to Kido’s retreat, but just as a relieved sigh built up within his throat, from the depths of the blast, a red fist cut through the light, and slammed directly into Kido’s exposed body.

His eyes bulged, as blood sprayed forth from his agape jaw. He was ruthlessly sent flying back, before his body came to a sudden stop as he hit the wall.

In contrast, as Kido hit the wall, the Boss emerged out from the explosion. The blast had depleted its HP down to 4%, while the fist he had used to strike Kido down was mangled and extremely damaged. As its eyes swiveled around its surroundings, a mad glint was present.

It eyes continued to scan the room, before, with furious prejudice, it locked its gaze towards Kido. Its hulking body paused for a moment, before it stalked over.

Surprisingly, Kido had not lost consciousness. As he fell to the ground, he immediately recovered. He shakingly rose back on his feet, using his sword as a support, before he returned the Boss’s glare with his own.

Kido’s breaths were raspy, and shallow. It was clear from the dent in his armor that his rib cage had been damaged. In fact, he looked so mangled, that it wouldn’t be all that surprising if a few of his internal organs had taken severe damage.

His usual facade was gone, as Kido’s face lit up in a malicious grimace.

His eyes momentarily darted towards me before they continued to glare at the approaching menace. With bitterness clearly present within his voice, he darkly spoke, “That explosion was my last move. I have no more mana, I have no more potions. I… I can’t move anymore.”

Hearing this, and taking into account the damage he had sustained, it was apparent that Kido was unable to fight any longer.

I picked my battered body up, before I began a limping jog towards the Boss. I downed a few potions, bringing my HP back up to 60%. From the besides me, I could see the President. He was heaving in heavy amounts of air, while he ran to catch up to me.

As I tossed the last few HP potions I had left, I quickly stated, “You keep the Boss occupied for a few seconds. Since I have the highest damage output, I’ll attack.”

He solemnly nodded as he drank three potions with rushed fervor.

Without pause, the President immediately broke out into a sprint. His sword was raised aloft, as he struck down onto the Boss. In response, the Boss shot him a quick glare, before it raised a mangled fist to block.

As the President quickly exchanged a series of blows, it grew increasingly apparent that the current Reeflech, charged with [Rage Override] was far too strong for him to handle alone. Even though the President dodged every incoming hit, the resulting heat that lashed out from the Boss’s ver body possessed enough power and intensity to continually shave off the President’s HP.

In mere seconds, the President’s health nw hovered below 20%.

In the face of such a situation, I rushed to attack.

I held my dagger in one hand, while on the other, I tightly wielded a sword. I ran behind him, and without hesitation, I immediately stabbed the Boss’s back with my sword. Through my blade I could feel the Boss’s body jerk as it reacted to [Lacerate], but that wasn’t enough.

With a silent breath, I continued my assault, bringing my dagger up before I stabbed down onto the same spot the newly opened sword wound was. This time, this strike was imbued with [Proliferate], and a massive bleeding effect activated as a result.

Both critical hits quickly depleted the Boss’s Hp down to 3%, while the bleeding effect guaranteed gradual HP loss.

But I was not satisfied. It was not fast enough. Even if it did die, given the time remaining, everyone else would meet their end before then.

The heat the Boss emitted caused me to sweat profusely, while my HP gradually depleted from near contact. I drew out my dagger, before I jumped into the air. Using the still embedded sword as a springboard, I leaped forward, propelling my body towards the Boss’s upper back.

The Boss, who could feel me crawling onto his back like a pesky cockroach, immediately raised a fist in retaliation. I narrowly avoided by twisting my upper body to the side. The fist helplessly swung down on empty air, but the heat that emanated from near contact was enough to shave off even more of my HP.

With little hesitation, I gritted through the several 1st degree and 2nd degree burns that now covered my body before I stabbed down onto the Boss’s shoulder.

I used the dagger as a hand hold as I repositioned myself onto its back.

Just sitting on its shoulders was enough to drain my HP, and in a few seconds, my health was immediately brought down to less than 35%. If I did not act fast, my health would empty before the Boss’s.

I immediately pulled out dagger after dagger from my makeshift utility belt, before I unceasingly stabbed them all down onto the back of the Boss’s neck. Knife after knife, some imbued with [Dissect], some not. A few of them were critical hits, while others could not even penetrate the skin. With desperate fury, I unceasingly stabbed down onto its neck.

I rapidly attacked, and in the span of 10 seconds, I used up my full collection of daggers. By this point, the Bss’s HP had dropped down to less than 1%, while in contrast, my own was now down to 25%.

Reeflech’s body quaked, as he roared in pain. Two massive arms immediately rose above his head, before they came toppling down towards me, intent on bringing an end to my resistance.

In response, I immediately unsheathed [Efhermet’s Dagger] from the Boss’s bloodied neck, before I jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding those trunk like arms of his.

While still in mid air, under the cover of the overhanging shadows casted by the blanket of steam above my head, I immediately used [Shadow Sprint].

In an instant, my vision rapidly changed, before I found myself in a world of white. All around me was a dense fog of swirling steam. Even though such an ephemeral scene brought a slight bit of confusion, I immediately collected myself.

Because this was what I wanted, because this was where I had intended to go, I knew full well that I was currently above the Refuge. Past the two gaping holes on the 1st and 2nd floors, I was currently in mid air, within the air space of the 3rd floor.

As my widened eyes gazed past the seemingly endless fog around me, I immediately felt the effect of gravity bearing down on my body. Not even a second had passed, and I was already falling back down towards the ground.

Without hesitation, I reoriented myself in mid air. I positioned myself so that my face was facing the ground, while I freefell headfirst. In my hand, I was tightly gripping onto the dagger like my very life depended on it, which it probably did.

I felt the wind whip behind me, as I fell past countless curtains of white steam. I narrowed my eyes, staring past nothing but white, while the anticipated scene repeatedly played in the back of my mind. With one dagger poised and ready, I came barrelling down like a comet.

This seemingly ephemeral scene lasted for what seemed like an eternity, but when in actuality, only mere seconds passed. In no time at all, my body broke through the layer of white and my rapidly accelerating body streaked towards the ground.

Directly below me, I could see the Dungeon Boss, its eyes were staring straight up, a clear hateful glint hidden deep within its beady pupils. Without hesitation, it brought its fist up to attack, but in the end, my falling speed was simply too fast.

Before the Boss could do anything, my tightly gripped dagger thrust outwards, while at the same time, I activated one of [Dissect]’s effects, [Mutilate], all in order to boost my final attack.

The night clad dagger, fueled by my own thrust, as well as assisted by gravity accurately pierced into the Boss’s remaining eye socket. A gush of blood erupted forth as my blade sunk in with no resistance.

In that moment,a familiar sensation washed over me. It was a sensation I’ve grown accustomed to throughout my time within this dungeon. A sensation that I’ve experienced numerous times. A sensation that I’ll probably never forget for the rest of my life.

The sensation of taking a life.

Due to my velocity, the moment my dagger met even the slightest bit of resistance, my wrist bent, and a clear snapping sound resonated throughout the room. In an instant, 10% was shaved off of my HP, but that was a cheap price to pay for the killing the Dungeon Boss.

As the once domineering corpse began teetering backwards, I gritted through the pain, as I pushed off of the body with my broken wrist, cancelling out some of my forward momentum. I tumbled to the floor, landing helplessly near the fresh corpse in front of me.

“....”

I blinked twice, and after seeing the lifeless body in front of me, I could not help but breath out a sigh of relief.

Ding!

Almost at the same time I fell to the floor, a familiar ding reverberated in my skull.

<Achievement: You have slain a Boss ranked monster.

The Boss ranked monster: Reeflech the [Cursed] has been slain, and the [Curse] has been passed on.

Reward(s):

+200,000 exp

75 unallocated points

Stat Change: Vitality stat has been converted to Greater Vitality >