Author's Note: I made you wait, so here is an extra long chapter. Special thanks to Kiomaru for helping me PR this monster of a chapter.

Battle with the Dungeon Boss

By the time the sun rose the next day, the constantly growing nervousness and unease had built up to the point of spilling, drowning out the whole building in a wave of nausea anxiety. Everybody was nervous. They were stressed, they were hungry, they were desperate, but most of all, they were scared.

The morning started with a quiet lull.

It was unbearably early. The sun barely broke through the horizon, but nonetheless, everyone had already gathered in a particular classroom. There was no real reason why everyone had gotten up so early. When the light of the sun barely touches the deeper interiors of the school where the Dungeon Boss resided, the time of day was of little consequence.  It was a pointless endeavor that only served to further tighten the taut string of tension that had already built up around us. But nonetheless, it couldn’t be helped.

It was too early, yet everyone, even those not fighting, were filled with an uneasy excitement. You could see it from the way they moved, to the twitch in their faces. It was the sort of thing that you would notice without even trying to notice. It was an unmasked, unhindered excitement that bordered on insanity.

With this type of mood permeating throughout the school, it was no wonder everyone was awake. Be it by their own will or by some external driving force, nobody dared to miss the start of this important day.

Unlike previously when we gathered in this room, we did not join together to eat or to do other mundane and idle tasks. Instead, the time now was invested in preparation.

With the solemnity of the classroom firmly in place, nobody bothered speaking, which made it a bit more convenient for me. I sat at the front of the room, an old, and badly managed desk separating me from the classroom. With all eyes focused solely on me, I began to recap what we already knew about the Dungeon Boss.

****

[Reeflech].

The End Boss of this hell hole called a dungeon. Based on what we’ve gathered thus far, its hideout is at the nearly dismantled refuge beneath the rotting old school building. The refuge was sparse, with little furnishing and consisted of a small square space that spanned 500 meters by 500 meters. It wasn’t much, but in the end, its importance was unparalleled. After all, this was where our final battle would take place.

The place has two entrances. The first was the front entrance, a set of imposing double doors that were designed to lock from the inside. This was the most direct way of entering and probably the intended way. The second was the old underground passageway that connects the refuge to the east building bomb shelter. This was where we first encountered the boss, and also where the main group will attack from. There also exists a third entrance, but this one was kind of special.

The third entrance was the one we intend to create for ourselves.

As for the Dungeon Boss itself, the information we’ve gathered is limited. Reeflech the [Cursed] Subterranean. Aside from its name, the only things we’ve been able to discover were that it has tentacles and it has an affinity with fire.

Despite what little we know though, the information we do have is enough to justify the fear and nervousness that currently seeped through every crack and crevice of the room. Most notably, the ones that were going to actually fight today could not hide the ugly expressions that formed on their already pale faces.

Its tentacles… going by the approximate distance from the Refuge and from where we had our first encounter with the boss,  then its tentacles can stretch out for more than 50 meters. This sort of range was immensely terrifying, to say the least. Not only did this make dealing with the Boss much, much more dangerous, but it also made the prospect of retreat a near impossibility… That’s not even to mention that that 50 meters was by no stretch of the imagination, just the bare minimum.  

Its true strength and danger could only be properly determined through first hand experience.

As for the Dungeon Boss’s fire attribute… depending on how the battle plays out, it may end up being a more dangerous factor than the Boss’s tentacles.  Just from that one time encounter alone, the danger of its immense power has already plastered itself deep within my heart. Reeflech was capable of producing incinerating columns of fire that had the capability of turning clothes to near ash just from its passing heat. With a range of more than 50 meters, if an attack of similar caliber were to rage across the battlefield, then… much less winning, surviving turns into a near impossibility.

Aside from these two factors, we knew pretty much nothing else. From its level, attack pattern, HP, skills, all these important aspects were in the dark for us. We were practically going in blind, knowing only that the cave we were about to enter was in actuality, the jaws of a dragon.

If there was anything of importance, then it would be the [Cursed] title that I managed to identify on that day. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about this. What its effects were or how it would play out during the battle were all mysteries to me. At most, I could only make vague predictions based on my past experience. Rather than helping, the sheer fact that I know it even exists in the first place only served to plant another seed of doubt and worry within my heart.

As for our plan of action for the day, it was rather simple. A two pronged assault that served with the main intention of seizing the flow of the battle even before it started.

After recapping all this plus the basic battle plan, I then distributed out the two groups.

There would be two groups. One group was aptly labeled the Assault group. This group would comprise of our man fighting strength and would be the group that entered from the passageway. The other group was called the Infiltration group, and would consist of a smaller group of people with the Wizard Hat girl’s [Explosion] skill at its fundamental core.

“The Infiltration group will only consist of three people; Wizard Hat, Kido, and me.” As I boldly spoke these words out into the room, I shoot a quick glance at Kido, hoping to observe some sort of change in his disposition.

Unfortunately, I was met with disappointment. His expression stayed even, going so far as even nodding in ‘compliance’.

Though Kido’s reaction was rather lackluster, the girls that gathered around him could not help but chirp out in dissatisfaction.

“Three people aren’t enough!”

“Let me join the Infiltration group! There’s no way I’m going to let Kido go alone!”

“I-I don’t think it's very safe for Kido to go with so few people…”

Going in order, the Transfer student and Kido’s childhood friend all voiced their dissatisfaction. And although she wasn’t part of the combat group, even the small one that looked like a twelve year old could not help but chime in as well.

They unhesitatingly complained about how dangerous it was, and how the Infiltration group should contain more people. Without a doubt though, the most annoying aspect of their outburst was their insistence to join the Infiltration group.

As for Kido, who was without a doubt the main focus of their pleas, well, he put on quite a convincing act. Kido’s  lips curled up, while his brow creased. His expression turned helpless as he tried to quell the girls’ outburst. Without a doubt, for all intents and purposes, Kido was truly at a loss.

“G-girls, girls please… Saya, Mindi, Amy, calm down! Arguing like this won’t bring us anywhere…”

While Kido played the role of an incapable man, I discreetly swept my gaze across the rest of the room. Ignoring the previous ruckus, I took a glance at the President. His face was scrunched up in consternation. He did not voice out his complaints though, merely letting out a quiet and subtle sigh as he helplessly placed his palm over his face.

My gaze continued until it stopped at my own group.

Because I had already informed the girls of my earlier misgiving regarding Kido the night before, Cielle, Hina, and Cher did not pay the commotion much attention, nor did they show any significant reaction to the arrangement of the groups. If anything, the probably already guessed that the reason why I placed Kido within the same group as me was purely to keep an eye on him.

It was truly fortunate that they did not know my real goal. For both them and I, it was better that they stayed in the dark.

After a minute or two of their unceasing commotion passed, I grew tired of it all, and directly asked Kido what he thought of the group formation.

He paused for a moment before he began to briefly explain, “... I think the group arrangement is good. I’m at least satisfied that I can protect Miki with my own hands.” As he spoke, he shot a reassuring glance at the girl with the wizard hat, to which she replied with a lovestruck expression.

“....Having a small group will be beneficial for our purposes.” I explained with a tired solemnity intermixed within my voice. “This will allow us to bypass through monsters more easily, as well as sneak through the vents more quickly.

Wizard Hat over here is a no brainer, I’ll be going because I previously mapped out the building, and as for Kido… he is one of the few melee fighters we have available, so he is pretty sturdy.” My neck craned to glare at Kido. With extreme bluntness, I uttered, “If worse comes to worse, rather than fighting, your role in this operation will be to act as Wizard hat’s meat shield. You might be decent at fighting, but you don’t have her skill. In the end, for this battle, you are not as important as her.”

As my cold words left my mouth, the girls that huddled around Kido momentarily blanked out before their faces paled. Even Wizard Hat could not help but go slack jawed as she lifelessly stared at my indifferent expression.

After a second or two passed, clarity returned to their eyes, and they simultaneously opened their mouths to protest. But just before they could say anything, Kido stepped up and spoke first. “That sounds about right. My goal is to protect Miki and nothing more.”

With an ambiguous smile, Kido readily agreed.

I paused for a moment before I lightly dipped my head in a small nod.

Ignoring the wave of dissatisfaction emanatingemenating from Kido’s group of girls, I then went explaining the details regarding the Assault group.

They were to enter the passageway beforehand and stop directly at the border where the Boss’s lair officially started. Going by the distance from the Refuge to the East Building bomb shelter that Hina calculated, the boss’s sphere of influence should extend past 50 meters outside of the Refuge itself. That meant that once the Assault group hears the final explosion, they needed to rush past these 50 meters and make their way straight for the boss and initiate combat upon arriving.

This way, the explosion and resulting collapse would at best injure the Boss to some extent, or at worse, keep him occupied just long enough for the Assault group to safely make it to the Refuge without any incident.

The important part of this operation stressed on timing. To bring down the floors above the Refuge, it would take a series of explosions. Previously, we agreed on a specific number of explosions to occur before their group could rush forward. If we, on the Infiltration group, collapse the Refuge before these specific number of explosions were met, then the Assault group would not rush in. If we don’t manage to complete our objective by the time we met these specific number of explosions, then the Assault group would be charging into a virtually unharmed Boss. Without a doubt, that would lead to their deaths even before they make it to the Refuge.

Likewise, if the Assault group doesn’t move forward at the right time, then all the effort done by the Infiltration group would become meaningless.

What made this situation even worse was that we had no more operational walkie talkies left to coordinate with. And even we did, the resulting blast from the explosions would make verbal communication impossible.

This first part of the battle was the most important, and the one that stressed the most on teamwork and timing. One mistake on either side could lead to the utter failure and instant death of both groups.

If mistakes on our calculations regarding the amount of explosions that were needed to bring down the upper floors happened, or if the passageway was to collapse because of the explosions, then all the same, the plan would fail.

It was a plan chalked full of holes and uncertainty, but nonetheless, it was all we had. Even knowing all this, even when they fully comprehended the danger, everyone still readily agreed. The common goal of escaping was too hard for individual fear to snuff out.

After I finished explaining, everyone within the room dispersed so that they could prepare and don on their equipment.

In ten minutes, the final battle was about to start.

****

Through the same hole I used when I brought Cher along last time, I led Wizard Hat and Kido into the main building.

Unlike with Cher though, our route this time was different. Back then, when we made our way to the gymnasium, our route was a bit more direct, maximizing on speed with the sole intent of leading the horde towards us. Right now, we can’t do that. If we ignored the horde and simply took the fastest and most direct route, then, if the horde stays unobstructed, they will catch up almost instantly, leaving us no time to set up and prepare.

Rather than the destination, it was the path that we needed to concern ourselves with the most. We needed to buy enough time for our plan to succeed.  By making use of the school’s innate infrastructure while at the same time benefiting from the ventilation system’s winding tunnels and far reaching network, we can accomplish that.

Since I’ve already mapped out and tested the route we would be taking today previously, as far as this phase of the plan goes, there should be no problems or complications.

After entering the threshold of the old school building, our first destination was to be the third floor. This stemmed from the basis of our plan, which basically constituted of blowing up all three floors of the building and forcing it to collapse onto the underground refuge below.

By blasting the third floor first, the subsequent weight of the rubble and destroyed concrete would put pressure onto the 2nd floor. Then, when the 2nd floor collapsed and all that concrete and rubble fell to the first floor, the task of collapsing the 1st floor becomes significantly much easier.

Finally, through the combined weight of all the accumulated rubble from all three floors, plus Wizard hat’s explosion as the final catalyst, the whole thing should contain enough force to break through the shelter’s stripped ceilings and completely decimate the roof of the refuge.

Of course, bringing down the whole school building was an impossible task. After all, even if it was originally made mostly with wood, it was still reinforced over the years by concrete and steel wiring. The plan did not intend to collapse the whole floors, but rather to detonate and blast through areas on each floor that would hopefully bring down a good section of the space directly over the Refuge.

With Hina’s prediction, Mr. Tei and the teacher from the President’s group’s insight, and with my earlier endeavors in scouting, we’ve managed to locate a few key points on each floor that either held structural importance or have been weakened beyond repair.

Finally, taking into consideration the current strength of each of Wizard Hat’s explosions, we needed a total of 5 explosions. 2 explosions to bring down the 3rd floor, 2 for the 2nd, and finally 1 for the 1st. According to her, she can produce 3 explosions at max mana. Under normal circumstances, with her current mana supply, casting 5 explosions is an impossibility. Luckily, out of all the accumulated drops from the dungeon that I’ve acquired, including my most recent scouting/training trips, I’ve managed to collect 2 mana potions.

Since each mana potion can’t fully restore a person’s mana back to maximum, Wizard Hat needed all two to cast five explosions. While it’s a shame that such a precious commodity has to be wasted before the real fight even starts, I couldn’t be too stingy. After all, those five explosions were all important parts of the plan. Missing even one would bound the whole operation to failure.

Traveling through the ventilation system, we slowly and methodically made our way to our first destination. On our way there, we took a detour and led the ensuing horde towards a small corner in a hallway on the 1st floor. From previous experience, it would take the horde at least 7 minutes to make it from here to the 3rd floor. In comparison, by making use of the vertical incline within the vents, it would only take us at most 3 minutes, buying us 4 minutes of time to set up for the first explosion.

As we drew closer and closer to the third building, and subsequently, closer to the Dungeon Boss, an abrupt metal thud rang out from behind me. I was leading the group within the metal confines of the ventilation shafts, so as I took a quick glance behind me, I could see Wizard Hat directly behind me followed by Kido who was behind her.

Wizard Hat’s neck was also craned towards the back and her attention was completely focused on Kido.  Glancing down, I could see Kido crawling on the metal coffin. Underneath him was a distinct puddle of sweat, while even in the darkness, his face was noticeably paler than usual. His head was lying face down on the cold metal floor, while his arms shook fiercely in an attempt to right himself.

“Kido? W-what happened? Are you okay?” Wizard Hat’s voice vibrated through the metal coffin, a heavy dose of concern interlaid within her voice.

Not even a second passed before Kido raised his head back up and forced a smile on his face. For a moment, his eyes passed over me before they immediately fixated on Wizard Hat.

“I’m fine.” He responded back, his voice filled with mock vigor. “I just slipped on my sweat. I didn’t know it would be this hot in here….”

“Well it is summer right now….”

“You’re right, haha… crawling through here is like willingly jumping into an oven.”

“At least it’s not as bad as-”

“You guys.” I immediately interrupted the two, at the same time my face immediately swiveled back to face the front. “Shut up and start crawling. We don’t have any time to waste.”

Leading by example, without another word, I resumed my crawl forward. I did not voice out how pale Kido was or the obvious consternation that had been written on his face. It was a small incident yet lingering unease was unavoidable. As I continued to make my way forward, I forced this seemingly miniscule feeling of trepidation down and silently crawled.

A little while later, we finally reached the 3rd floor and made our way out of the vents. Using [Echolocation], I could tell that the horde was still a fair distance away from us. They might even still be on the 1st floor. If this was the case, then we had more than 7 minutes remaining. At this rate, Wizard Hat might be able to safely cast two explosions before we have to escape back into the vents.

As we made our way forward, we drew closer and closer to the intended location. Soon, we were completely under the refuge. Shooting a quick glance back, I observed the other two behind me. Wizard Hat’s face was drenched in sweat while her clothes were wet and clinged to her skin. At first, I worried whether or not she had the stamina to make through the whole thing, but seeing the look of determination that plastered itself on her face, these worries quickly subsided.

As for Kido, his countenance was a bit pale, and his eyes had a livid glint to them, but otherwise he was okay, and continued to move without uttering a single word.

As soon as we arrived at the 1st location, a giant explosions erupted, shaking the building down to its very foundations. Small chunks and pieces of the 3rd floor immediately loosened and fell, but otherwise, the integrity of the floor stayed relatively intact.

Seeing as how the horde was a lot slower than we originally expected, we quickly made our way to the next location where Wizard Hat once again used her skill. Another deafening explosions rang out through the building, and almost without delay, the whole third floor began to quake, as large chunks and pieces began to fall to the 2nd floor.

Before the whole place could completely sink in, I latched the grappling hook onto the ceiling, and hauled myself upward. The other two followed in short succession, but they did not make it in time. Before they could reach the overhanging rafters like me, the whole floor began to cave in.

Quickly, in the span of less than 15 seconds, a space of around 700 meters in diameter caved in and large pieces of concrete and rubble directly fell to the 2nd floor. Wizard Hat and Kido dangled from above the destruction, their eyes wide and their faces pale.

Originally, we had predicted that only about a space of 300 meters would come down, but unexpectedly almost double that had caved in. I guess the combination of old rotting wood floors as well as constant 300+ horde stampedes had contributed to the breakdown of the building’s structural integrity.

Looking downward,  I could see fresh monster corpses sprawled along the 2nd floor. They had been caught in the middle of when the building collapsed, and as a result numerous monsters died. No small amount of them were injured as well, a series of pained and mournful howls resonated through the building.

Without hesitation, I directly dropped from the rafters and down to the 2nd floor.

Luckily, as a result of the cave in, one section of the hallway was completely blocked off, separating us from the rest of the horde that had yet to die. In comparison, for the monsters that had been caught in the middle of the incident, about 2 dozen of them had been directly killed, while numerous were heavily injured. They did not pose much of a threat, so I deemed it was safe.

With difficulty, Wizard Hat and Kido quickly followed and soon they too entered the 2nd floor. The moment Kido descended, his face grew noticeably paler while his breath quickly shortened. Of course, when Wizard Hat asked him about his complexion, he merely cited nervousness and anxiety.

Seeing as how the monsters that did survive were slowly recovering, I did not have the leisure of questioning Kido and immediately led the others to the next location. In the end, I did not worry that much, after all, Kido’s death was already something I planned for.

As we proceeded forward, Kido quickly killed off a few of the heavily injured monsters while I led Wizard Hat to the next location. It took less than a minute before we arrived at the next location, and without hesitation or pause, another earth shaking explosion rang throughout the building. Large chunks of concrete and wood collapsed, as cracks and splinters appeared numerously throughout the walls and floor.

Luckily, the floor stayed intact, allowing us to rush to the next location without incident.

Before the 4th explosion took place, Wizard Hat consumed a mana potion. When she finally did use the 4th explosion, her face grew noticeably paler while cold sweat dripped down from her brow. Already, she was showing signs of [Mental Strain].

Unlike Hina or Cielle, Wizard Hat did not use her skill often. Because of that, unlike those two, she did not have as much mental fortitude, and was more easily affected by constant mana use. Still her role in this operation was vital to the point where I could do nothing but ignore the obvious strain  and difficulty she currently went through.

As the 2nd floor caved in, I immediately fed her the last mana potion as the three of us ran back and escaped the sinking floor. Despite the strain she forced herself through, Wizard Hat’s explosions worked properly, and another giant hole on the floor was carved out.

This time, the caved in portion of the 2nd floor was slightly smaller than the hole on the 3rd, but it was still a bit above what I had originally anticipated.

When the dust finally settled and the floor stopped quaking, the three of us gingerly approached the edge of the hole. Peering down into its depths, I could see a large collection of slag and concrete sprawled along the first floor. Beneath that concrete there were a few fresh bodies, but the kill count was undeniably lower than what it was before. Rather, unexpectedly, a majority of the monsters seemed to have fled, and even now after the 2nd floor caved in, I could not detect the horde that had previously been unceasingly following us.

We dropped down to the first floor, and almost instantly, I could feel the fragility beneath my feet. It was almost as if I was standing on thin ice.

While the shaking on the 2nd floor had ceased, that was not the case with the first. It wasn’t large or eye catching, but rather, a quiet tremor that could be barely detected even with my enhanced senses. Under all the weight of the rubble and broken concrete, the 1st floor was giving in.

Under normal circumstances, such a situation would be regarded as good, or lucky, but due to the nature of our plan, if the floor were to cave in before the fifth explosion, then the only thing remaining would be failure.

With haste, I extended my senses in preparation, first making sure there weren’t any stray monsters that could pose a threat during this critical point in the mission.

As I did so, rather than monsters, what had caught my attention was something right next to me. Kido, whose complexion gradually worsened as we neared the refuge, finally took a turn for the worse. His skin was almost as white as a sheet of paper, and the veins and tiny capillaries under his skin throbbed grotesquely. His eyes were bloodshot and his breath was uneven.

He was currently doubled over with his chest heaving in difficulty. The usual ambiguous expressions he wore were now completely gone, only to be replaced by a pain filled grimace.

Wizard hat, who, after casting four consecutive explosions was far too fatigued to notice Kido’s current condition, but I was not. Unease filled my mind and I could not help but to shoot a prodding glare towards him.

It was not that I was concerned about him, but rather, his sudden change filled me with a sense of dread and uneasy trepidation. What was happening to him? Why did he look like that? Although I was already prepared to kill Kido, I was not prepared for the change that occurred with his body.

As my thoughts whirled in rapid succession, a flash of insight took hold of me.

-Could this… could this have something to do with his title…?-

But just as I came to this conclusion, another change occurred next to me. Wizard Hat, whose  eyes were already cloudy in fatigue and whose mind barely functioned under the effects of [Mental Strain], raised her hands up in front of her. 30 meters ahead of her, a bright light blinked into life. It intensified with each passing second, and almost in conjunction, Wizard Hat’s complexion rapidly deteriorated. Veins violently throbbed on her forehead, while her hazy eyes grew bloodshot. The mix of blood and mucus that seeped out from her nostrils did not go unnoticed.

“Oi! Idiot, not yet!” I  immediately yelled in frantic haste.

She was already charging up her fifth explosion!

Because of her fatigue, my frantic voice ultimately went unheard, and the glowing ball of light only grew in intensity.

I glared at her for a second, caught in a moment of indecision, before my glare swept across the whole floor. My eyes momentarily met with Kido, who, despite his body’s current state, had an excited glint hidden deep within his irises. Kido noticed my glare and met mine with a simple smile. He did not say anything, but merely continued to smile a teethless smile.

All of that happened in the span of less than a second before my eyes rested back onto Wizard Hat’s uneasy constitution.

Almost instantly, the white light, whose intensity had been continually building up finally couldn’t take it anymore and snapped. A deafening explosion shook the whole building, and soon, like cracked ice, the floor beneath our feet cracked and caved inward.

As a result of the blast, Wizard Hat’s body flew threw the air as she drifted of into unconsciousness. My ears buzzed and the blinding light that ensued  momentarily disrupted my vision, but through the recesses of fading imaged that passed through my head, there was a distinct scene that filled me with indescribable dread.

Before the explosion detonated, I  saw Kido’s silhouette rush towards that blinding light. He seemingly flung himself forward as the light swallowed him whole. Kido, who I had planned to kill the moment after the last explosion occurred unexpectedly flung himself into the explosion.

Whether out of desperation or some other driving force, I had missed my chance.

Unfortunately, I did not have time to worry about this. Even in this state of near blindness and deafness, I could not rest. The floor as caving in rapidly, and if I did not do something soon, I would soon be engulfed by falling concrete and stifling debris.

I scoffed lightly, as I immediately moved into action. Basing my movements off pure memory, I rushed towards the place where I saw Wizard Hat’s body fly to. After 5 seconds of stumbling around, I finally made it to her location, but at the same time, these mere 5 seconds had already resulted in a space of 100 meters completely caving in, and the signs of collapse were far from over.

With Wizard Hat’s unconscious body slung beneath my arms, I immediately ran. I sprinted  through the hall, outrunning the collapsing floor that continually gave in beneath my feet.

By the time a space of 400 meters collapsed, the floor had finally settled. I had managed to escape, and my vision had returned. Although my ears were still buzzing, I could now see the resulting destruction caused by the fifth explosion.

A column of dirty smoke, dust, and debris filtered through the air.

This column seeped out from the open hole in the floor, completely masking hiding what lay beneath. Whether the Dungeon Boss had been affected by the falling debris, or whether Kido survived his reckless stunt, those were all mysteries hidden beneath the splendor of the dust column.

The sight of destruction was almost breathtaking, but considering the schedule I was in, I did not have the luxury to enjoy it.

I scanned the first room, and upon seeing a small crevice that had been created by concrete and slag, I immediately rushed forward and quickly pushed Wizard Hat into the small space. I pushed another large slab of concrete in front of the entrance of the crevice, completely hiding her from sight.

“Stay here until the battle ends and absolutely don’t attract any attention.” Although she was fully unconscious, I could not help but utter, before I once again walked towards the edge of the newly created hole.

The imposing column of dust from before had lasted for merely 15 seconds before it started to disperse. At the same time, the buzzing in my ears gradually lessened to the point where I could finally hear sound once again.

Almost immediately, a pain filled screech from below entered my ears. It was a guttural, almost primal noise that sent tremors shivering down my spine, inadvertently causing my face to scrunch up in consternation.

Peeking through the settling dust, I could see a wriggling form in the center of the room. An obsidian black body stood out from underneath the collection debris and concrete. From all around the room, the sea of concrete shivered, as if something were moving through them. I did not know why, but the shivering concrete made my own body shiver in slight trepidation.

At the same time, I could see the Assault group making their way out of the Passageway. Luckily, the resulting explosions from before hadn’t caved in the passageway, resulting in the main group coming out relatively unharmed.

They trepidly approached the room, observing  the scene before them.

Meanwhile, as more and more dust settled, my probing eyes finally found Kido. Contrary to my expectations, he had not died. He was hiding in a crevice, a mere 2 meters away from the Dungeon Boss.  Even from this distance, the paleness in his face was indistinguishable. His body was covered in dust, and the armor I had given him was scratched and dented. The veins that throbbed violently on the surface of his skin were like malicious, red tattoos, almost glowing with vile energy.

Although he was so close to the Dungeon Boss, strangely enough, it did not attack him. Whether that was because the Boss himself was too busy recovering, or whether it chose to willingly ignore him, I had no clue, but seeing Kido’s crouching figure, I could not hide the urge to kill him.

I wanted to attack, I really did, but the immediate site before my eyes made me hesitate.

The dust had completely settled by this point and the Dungeon Boss had completely risen from the rubble and concrete, and roared with a ground shaking howl. The air vibrated with his screech, and the Assault group beneath all violently took a few steps back. Even from this distance, I could feel my heart palpitating in anxiety. [Pyschopath]’s innate fear reduction trait could not completely mask the terror that currently welled up in my heart.

Almost instinctively, the moment the dust settled, I used [Identify].

Reeflech - The [Cursed] Subterranean - Lv 65

HP: 15,000/15,000

“Level 65…” My face subconsciously grimaced upon seeing its status panel. Even with me being the highest leveled person in our group, there was still a level difference of more than 20. That’s not even to mention the fact that there were a few people on our side whose level did not even surpass 20. That was a level difference of more than 40!

And its hp alone… it was more than 10 times greater than the HP of the Cyclops Elite…

At this point, I can only hope that our equipment will give us an edge over the battle… but even then, the fear and awe in my heart remained the same.

Reeflech emerge from underneath the rubble, fully exposing its blackened carapace for all to see.  The subterranean was about 2 times larger than the Cyclops elite, but its muscles were more imposing, practically bulging out of its semi translucent skin. There was a dark grey layer of carapace that covered its shoulders and upper thighs.

The monster’s face was like an octopus, with two bulging, almost inflamed eyes, and a beard of wriggling tentacles that were as thick as water bottles. If that wasn’t enough, there were two holes on each side of the Boss’s carapace that constantly emitted out a white colored steam.

And as if the Reeflech wasn’t already intimidating enough, from all around the room, concrete and rubble suddenly exploded upward. The once wriggling sea of debris was upturned and displaced, revealing 7 badly scratched tentacles, interspaced throughout the whole room.  

These tentacled did not originate from Reeflech’s main body, but rather, they seemingly popped out of the ground like malicious, grey-colored veins. At its base, each tentacle was as thick as a tree trunk, and continually narrowed as it extended for a total height of 25 meters. 2 of these tentacles had a shelled tip that looked as sharp as it was frightening.

Going by their formation and how they were interspaced throughout the room, there should have been a total of 10 tentacles, but fortunately, 3 of them were directly destroyed by the resulting cave in.

Regardless, all seven of the remaining tentacles shot up from the ground like malevolent specters, ready to pull a devour whatever pray came close. These tentacles raged around haphazardly, flicking debris and slabs of concrete around so violently, that they inadvertently cleared the surroundings free of rubble. At the same time, their awe inspiring violence momentarily stopped the Assault group’s charge forward.

In comparison, Reeflech’s own anger was more subdued. If the tentacles’ wrath was comparable to a sea, then Reeflech’s was like a compressed and sharpened sword.  

It stood there, exuding out an aura that could almost suffocate. Its bulging red eyes momentarily scanning the room before they came to rest on the Assault group. It made a noise akin to scoffing before its stomach suddenly started  to expand. It took a deep breathe that sent tremors roiling through its beard of tentacles, as its stomach grew larger and larger. At the same time, an ever intensifying red light glowed from the center of its bulging stomach. The red light’s intensity increased the larger and larger its stomach bulged.

Upon seeing this, I inadvertently remembered my time at the passageway. Recalling that violent, superheated column of fire, I immediately began to move.

I leapt through the air, and shot a passing glance towards Kido’s hiding spot. His presence constantly made me uneasy, but I knew that if I did not act now, then Reeflech’s resulting attack would do serious damage to the others. Maybe even completely wiping them out in one go.

Danger!

You have now entered the territory of the Dungeon Boss - Reeflech, the [cursed] Subterranean. Due to one of the features present in the [Oak Wood High School Dungeon], both parties have been made aware of each other’s presence.

Entrance the Dungeon Boss Territory gives the automatic mental debuff, [Fear]. Within the Dungeon Boss Territory, Reeflech’s abilities have been enhanced by a factor of 1.25 times.

Danger!

As I entered the airspace of the refuge, a familiar window panel appeared before my eyes. Unlike last time though, I completely ignored it, hellbent on my assault.

Even before I landed, I immediately pulled out the customized cyclops club from behind me, and used [Shadow Sprint].

My body instantly vanished, and not a moment later, I was suddenly in front of the Boss’s bulging stomach.  I twisted my body backwards like a baseball player, before I unleashed all that built up tensions and attacked.

My shoulders heaved, my torso twisted into place, and my arms swung. The club in my hand, zoomed past heated air and hit the Monster directly in its stomach, deforming it to the point where it lost its red luster. From the impact, the Boss’s coughed up heated air, as it stumbled backwards.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kido’s silhouette immediately dart towards the entrance of the passageway, but I could not give chase. A suffocating, and completely terrifying pressure completely weighted down on me, inadvertently causing my knees to slightly buckle.

I focused all my attention on the creature before me. Its blazing eyes did the same, as all of its attention and killing intent drilled into my very being with ruthless intensity.

For the first time I could not move. This was the first time ever since the world changed in which I’ve felt pressure so terrifying. My body refused to act.  My legs were locked firmly into place, and for a moment, I could not breath.

For the first time, I truly felt [Fear].

In such a state, I was helpless.

Even as its four fingered hand clenched and rocketed towards me, I could not move much less respond. That blackened fist hit me square in the chest with little resistance, producing an ear deafening sound right before my body shot backwards like a v shaped bullet.

I flew through the air for a solid 3 seconds, before I fell to the ground and tumbled to an eventual stop.

The moment I did, I immediately heaved in heavy gulps of air. At the same time, I could feel a slight throb in my chest. Surprisingly though, the hit wasn’t as strong as I expected. It left a slight dent in my armor, but unexpectedly, I was fine.

Without a doubt, this was the work of my stacked [Familiarity] bonus from [Equip], which gave a crazy amount of defense. Without it, I would undoubtedly perished from that single strike, or at the very least, been critically injured.

Unfortunately, I could not revel in my momentary luck. Reeflech was undoubtedly angry, and without pause its stomach once again began expanding.

My face turned grim, as I slightly narrowed my eyes to stare at the Boss. Going by its incessance, it was obvious that if it ever did complete that attack’s charge, then without a doubt, the losses would be terrifying.

“Everyone get into formation!”  I quickly yelled over the sound of sucking air, as I stood back up. I continually barked out order as I stalked forward.“Prez, you and your group come to the front. Cher you join them. For the mean time, keep the tentacles busy.  Hina and Cielle, move back as far as possible, but stay within range. Hina buff the others, including me. Cielle, prepare to provide support.”

Almost instantly, a  pleasant feeling enveloped me, and I could feel an instant increase in my attack power and movement speed. Unfortunately, with each passing second, the Boss’s stomach only continually expanded, causing each step I take to hasten.

“Cielle and Hina, try to find somewhere to hide, and stay away from the tentacles. The people from Kido’s group, stick to the Cielle and Hina and protect them.”

They did not have any real use, but they were sturdy enough to survive being temporary meat shields.

After issuing out all my orders, I shot a cold glare towards the direction of the Boss. It’s bulging stomach glowed fiercely as  wave after wave of steam continually emitted from the top of its head. With no hesitation, I immediately kicked off the ground and rushed forward.

My body flew passed heated air as the distance between us rapidly diminished, but as I approached, one of its madly wriggling tentacles, slightly contracted before it suddenly bursted forward with energy and struck at me. In response I momentarily bent my knees before they instantly shot forward. My body quickly reached max speed, and my silhouette zoomed through the air. The previous tentacle swiped harmlessly at the space I had previously occupied.

The wooden club in my hand  vibrated as I once again struck out towards the Boss’s stomach. It let out a tremendous roar, as its stomach instantly deflated and heated air expelled through its mouth and blow holes.

It shot a furious glare in my direction to which I returned with one of my own. The previous fear and anxiety from before were now completely gone, in its place was cold determination and the confidence I had for the enhancements granted by my [Equip] skill.

Almost simultaneously, the two of us rushed forward. My wooden club held high in the air, while the Boss’s massive blackened fist zoomed forward.  

The fight had truly begun.

****

(Perspective Change)

The current battlefield was in complete chaos.

As it all unfolded, the current group was divided into three. On one side, there was Hide, who confronted and fought the main body of the Boss by himself.

His actions were ruthless, and precise. Each step he took was followed by an attack, and each attack was aimed at a vital part of the body. Stab, thrust, slice, pierce, punch, kick - he utilized everything available from his collection of weapons to his own physical body in his attempt to dominate the Dungeon Boss.

Each move he made carried with it a sense of frantic desperation. Hide’s relentlessness was based on his desire to prevent the Boss from fully completing its attack. Every time it took a deep breath, and every time its stomach glowed bright red, Hide’s body would impulsively move forward to interrupt.

Without exception, the battle was filled with both Hide’s tenacity, and the Boss’s frustration.

And as the battle continued, each of Hide’s attacks, from his most insignificant poke to his most ruthless strike, each and everyone one of them began to accumulate.

The Boss’s hp gradually depleted, It dropped by 1%, then to 3 %, 6%,  15 %... Unfortunately, with the Boss’s decrease in HP, Hide’s own stamina depleted at an astounding rate.

The desperate one sided battle between the immovable giant and the persistent rat had turned into a war of attrition, and sooner or later, someone was bound to give in…

Of the three separated groups, the other two worked intimately close with one another. These two groups were naturally the long distance magic group, which consisted of Cielle, Hina, Mindi, and Saya (of which the latter two acted as defenders), and the close combat melee group, which consisted of the President’s group and Cher.

The situation regarding Cher and the President were no lighter than Hide’s.

In fact, in more ways than one, their situation was in actuality, more difficult to deal with than Hide’s. While Hide went to confront the Boss by himself, the others were left facing the remaining tentacles. On Hide’s side, he fought a desperate battle against the black clad subterranean giant, while the others struggled to maintain a foothold against the combined might of seven muscle clad, violently wriggling tentacles.

Each tentacle held within it strength that far surpassed each of them. By no means was it easy to stand up to this current threat, much less retaliate.

These abominable appendages struck fiercely against their armor and bodies, and with each vicious strike they performed, the tentacles seemingly bulged in excitement, as if they had their own consciousness.

When the melee group did retaliate, it did little to change the tide of war. Each strike and each attempted killing blow was met with fierce resistance. In the face of it all, the tentacles simply pulsed violently, as if shaking off any attacks that the others could muster.

Just from the brief exchanges that already took place, it was apparent that each and everyone of these bundles of muscle possessed some form of resistance to blunt damage, completely opposite of the Gilas they faced before.

In addition, the coordination between these seven tentacles far outstripped anything the ragtag group of survivors could produce.

Each strike seemed to purposely lead the group around, opening up and exposing them for even more  incoming attacks by neighboring tentacles. This deadly sense of teamwork was truly fierce, and without Cher and the President’s intervention, if these tentacles had even the smallest chance of gaining ground between Hide’s fight with the Boss, then even he will be left with nothing but a battered and broken body.

In this regard, splitting the forces up into two may have been the smartest thing to do, however, with neither side making much progress, the current situation was bleak beyond compare.

The base of the tentacles rumbled, and each tree trunk sized root slowly moved forward from underneath the ground.

These tentacles weren’t directly connected to the Boss, nor did they stay stationary in one spot. In fact, these tentacles had a fatal weakness of only having a 75 meter maximum range. But as if to compensate for that, the base of the tentacle could move around, acting as a sort of movable vine.

If an enemy was 200 meters away, and each tentacle had a range of 75 meters, then it would simply move 125 meters forward to compensate for that. Within the boundaries of the Boss’s lair, each tentacle was virtually free of restraint and nigh inescapable to those unlucky enough to fall into their trap.

It was through this movement, that the melee group was slowly being encircled into a tight net of wriggling muscle. They could do no more than to keep these tentacles occupied while Hide did his absolute damndest to attack.

Luckily, these wriggling tentacles did not possess higher intelligence. They did not know how to prioritize, but acted on a basis of first come first serve. They simply chased the individual or group of individuals that drew their aggro. Without explicit control from the main body, these tentacles would not prioritize and attack Hide.

But even this slight stroke of luck was negligible under the fierce assault of moving muscle.

If it wasn’t for Cielle’s constant healing, then the combat group would have long since died during the first minute of their encounter. In fact, it was because of Cielle, and Hina’s intervention that kept these guys alive.

Cielle’s heals were always a constant blessing to the group, allowing their battered bodies to get back up and resist even more beatings. The odd thing though was that aside from healing, Cielle did not take any further action. The constant flow of [Black Gemini] that resulted from her numerous heals  all slowly congregated a mere 20 meters away from her.

This congealed pool of darkness did not move, but simply floated in the air, slowly growing as more and more people cried out in pain around her.

Because of this lack of action, although Cielle was constantly busy, her mana consumption stayed relatively low, allowing her to work faster and more efficiently as the fight progressed. It was to the point where, even with all the new wounds and grievances flowing through the battlefield, she could still spare the time to assist Hide in healing, although for this to happen, Hide had to receive an injury first...

In comparison, Hina’s mana consumption was far greater, but in return her assistance was much more noticeable.

From the moment the battle started, Hina contributions mainly lied in her use buff and support skills. [Haste] increased the group’s movement speed, giving them a far greater chance of avoiding the incoming spears of flesh that fell down on them like heavy rain.

[Fury] allowed each of their blows to deliver almost twice the usual damage, allowing them to, albeit exaggeratedly, exchange steady blows with the wriggling masses of flesh. Its most important factor though wasn’t its actual damage, but the psychological moral boost it gave to the survivors. The concept of stronger attack was a shield in which they hid behind.

[Defense] was a skill that upped their resistance to the attacks, which was especially effective, especially for Cher, whose body was hit almost twice as much as the others.

[Ablative Heal] casted a water shield to form around the melee fighters. The water shield, rather than healing, acted as a dampener and first line of defense against the unexpectedly fierce heat that each strike of the tentacle delivered.

Because of all these skills being simultaneously used, and the need to constantly rebuff her allies, Hina’s mana consumption was great. By the time the battle entered 15 minutes, even with the combined effects of her [Grand Magus] title and [Magic Endurance] stat, Hina had already consumed almost 30% of her total mana.

Meanwhile, as Hide’s own fight dragged on, his stamina consumption actually surpassed Hina’s mana consumption. By now, almost 65% of his total stamina had been depleted, and already he was forced to break out his collection of stamina potions.

Fortunately, his incredible consumption of stamina did not go unrewarded. In these 15 minutes, Hide managed to whittle down 25% of the Boss’s HP.

Panting heavily, Hide instantly jumped back, narrowly avoiding an incoming fist that was aimed square for his head. His feet slid back a meter or two before they came to a complete stop. Hide’s eyes, which could not hide their fatigue, blazed with determination and savage killing intent. A white layer of mist gently wafted from Hide’s exposed skin, which by now, had turned into a shade of flushed red.

Reeflech’s fire affinity was incredible.

It’s body let out a constant stream of heated steam, and each of its fists were not only dense and heavy, but also contained within it a heat hot enough to melt regular metal. Even just getting close to it was enough for one to feel a wave of oppressive and torrential heat.

The heat itself had an adverse affect on Hide. Not only did it cause his face to flush red and his hair to moisten with sweat, it also increased his stamina consumption by almost two fold. For a person like Hide, whose skills all relied on stamina as their driving force, this determinant was by no means light.

As Hide casually pondered this, he forcibly slowed his irregular breathing as he shot another glare at the Boss. His eyes focused in on a recent wound he had inflicted- A knife wound that ran 7 inches deep and had on a constant [Bleeding Effect]. This wound had been inflicted through the use of [Dissect], and it consumed no small amount of Hide’s meager stamina.

Despite this though, deep within Hide’s eyes flickered a faint trace of hope. In actuality, Hide’s gaze wasn’t focused on Reeflech itself, but rather, on the window panel that floated above him.

25%!

Ignoring all the sweat and blood he lost, ignoring the mind numbing fatigue that slowly crept up within his mind, through tenacity and pure effort alone, Hide had managed to deplete close to 25% of its HP down. This achievement was by no means light. 25% represented a fourth of the Boss’s total hp, and that one fourth only took 15 minutes of combat.

At his current rate, it would take as little as an hour for Hide to completely kill the Boss. This feeling of anticipation filled Hide’s heart with a newfound sense of vigor, and it brightened up his already flushed expression.

Hide once again tightened his grip on the two weapons he currently held in his hand. One one hand was his customized boken, cracks and splinters were already appearing on its once sleek surface, but Hide did not have the luxury of repairing it at the current moment. On the other hand, was his trusty obsidian colored dagger, [Efhermet], it’s surface gleaming with a faint trace of red.

Aside from these two weapons, Hide also carried with him an assortment of knives and daggers strapped to his modified utility belt. In addition, behind him was a black long sword, which he had decided to bring along just in case.

Hide could not bring the Pole Arm nor the Giant battle axe mainly because of his role within the infiltration group. Those two weapons were simply too large in stature to bring along on a stealth mission.

As he tightened his grip, Hide bent his knees in preparation. Just as he was about to push of the ground and renew his relentless assault, an inexplicable feeling of danger overwhelmed Hide’s mind. Without warning, he instantly threw himself to the ground. In the process, he felt heated air rush past, its ephemeral tendrils slightly touching his back.

Hide glanced behind him, only to see one particularly muscled tentacle had approached within range and was slowly making its way closer and closer. Looking past the base of the tentacle, he could see the others, but inexplicably, they were caught in what looked like a cage of muscle. The group, outside of Cielle and Hina, were surrounded from the front by six individual wriggling masses of muscle.

Hide could see the look of helplessness written on their faces, but he could not do anything about it as the tentacle swiped at him once more. Hide did not jump back, instead choosing to slightly dip his upper body to the right. The tentacle missed by a hair’s breadth before it started recoiling back to its base.

But Hide was not so kind as to leave behind an opening such as this. As the tentacle returned, Hide fiercely stabbed his dagger into its surface, penetrating deeply. The tentacle continued moving, leaving behind a deep gash that stretched 10 meters and ran all the way to its tip.

By the time Hide pulled his blade out, its night clad surface was coated in a thick film of red.

Hide looked at the wriggling piece of muscle before he used his skill and began to [Identify] it.

Reeflech, the [Cursed] Subterranean

HP: 196/200

Unlike his first encounter, when Hide used his skill on the tentacle, the window panel displayed its HP. Surprisingly, the tentacle itself had very little hp, but what gave Hide a shock, was that the 7 inch deep, 10 meter long wound he had inflicted earlier only depleted 4 HP from it.

“Why is it so low?”, he inadvertently thought. “Does this tentacle have an insanely high defense? Not even the main body is this sturdy… could it be because of something else? Another factor that affects its HP loss?”

As thoughts and ideas raced through Hide’s mind, he did not have the luxury to fully appreciate them as the tentacle, and simultaneously, the main body of the Boss moved into action.

The tentacle shot forward, and almost instinctively, Hide rolled to dodge. Surprisingly though, the tentacle had not been aimed at him. Its original target was the hulking mass of flesh that came barrelling forward from a distance of 20 meters.

The pointed tip of the tentacle viciously penetrated the Boss’s right shoulder without any resistance. It drilled deeply into its flesh, while viscous red liquid slowly seeped out from the edges of the newly formed wound.

Much less dodge, the Boss itself accepted the tentacle with open arms, even going as far as unconsciously letting out a pleasure filled groan as the tentacle repeatedly dug itself deeper and deeper into its body.

Seeing all this, Hide’s expression twisted into confusion, before it suddenly paled. His eyes were not focused on the Boss or the tentacle themselves, but rather on the window panel that floated above the Boss’s head.

“75%...77%... 82%... 90! This thing, it’s regenerating!” With a grimace, Hide moved his body into action as he desperately ran in an attempt to stop the current scene that displayed itself in front of his helpless eyes from happening.

All the hp, all the blood and sweat he shedded, all of the painstaking effort he put in into whittling the Boss’s HP down was suddenly gone, reversed and restored in the span of less than 10 seconds.

The tentacle continually funneled its life force into the Boss’s shivering body. As it did so, the Boss’s hp rapidly shot up, while in comparison, the tentacle, starting from its base, began thinning. Soon, the once tree trunk thick base, was now only as wide as a fully grown man’s thigh.

Of course, Hide, who desperately moved to stop all of this from happening, saw this rapid change through the corner of his eye, but his mind was to feverish to care. Right now, all of Hide’s actions, all of his thoughts and all of his intentions, were solely focused on stopping the Boss from regenerating its hp.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Although Hide moved fast, almost to the point of leaving behind after images, he could not stop the current process from unfolding. By the time he arrived at the tentacle, over 95% of Reeflech’s hp had been regenerated. By the time Hide swung his sword, it was back to full health.

It’s hp regenerated at an outstanding rate, and Hide was powerless to stop it.

The instant Hide’s blade met with the tentacle’s surface, the tip of it instantly jutted out from the Boss’s once pierced body. In that instant, the tentacle seemingly contracted within itself, and although it was powerless to fully block Hide’s [Dissect] fueled slash, it did manage to prevent Hide from fully bisecting the tentacle from its base.

Hide’s blade had been stopped almost halfway, and for a brief moment, his sword remained stuck within the folds of its muscular frame. This brief moment was all the tentacle needed. Although it had shrunk beyond measure, the tentacle itself still retained its original fierceness.

The tentacle exploded out with energy, as rapidly started to close in on itself. Its tendril attempted to encircle Hide’s arm, but with a snort, and a rapid shake of his hand, he parted his sword away from the tentacle, and rapidly drew back.

Spurred by a sudden feeling of caution, he immediately jumped back, but the tentacle fervently persisted. It followed him closely, and with a boom, like a whip, the thin tentacle lashed out and surged forward. Hide leaned his head back and barely dodged the incoming strike by a hair’s breadth.

The tentacle was relentless though. Even after missing its first strike, it repeatedly lashed out several time. In between all this, Hide frantically dodged, his body almost matching in step with the violent heated air that the tentacle seemingly stirred up.

As he dodged, Hide fully understood, that, despite still retaining its speed, the tentacle was much weaker than it previously was before. It simply did not carry the same weight or the same sense of danger from before.

Although Hide understood this, he could not spare even a single moment to rest.

The tentacle’s fierce assault and pursuit was merely a distraction. As Hide shot a glance towards the still stationary Boss, he could see that its stomach was expanding and a faint red glow began to emit from deep within its gut.

Seeing this, Hide could not help but grimace. Deep within his mind, he could not help but comment on the tentacle and the main body’s sense of teamwork. Together it was simply too amazing. If Hide had fought alone and had to face all seven tentacles, in addition to the main body… he shuddered at the mere thought.

The Boss’s stomach had almost expanded beyond unprecedented levels. Although it meant wasting his precious stamina, Hide was left with no choice but to use [Shadow Sprint].

Once he made this decision, Hide’s body almost flickered out of existence, and instantaneously, he reappeared directly in front of the Boss. Hide did not even bother to raise his weapon to attack. Instead, with primal ferocity, he roared as he jabbed his foot straight into the Boss’s gut. The kick sank almost a foot or two deep into its stomach, while the Boss took an involuntary step back.

All the built up pressure and heat that it had been accumulating all came out in disruptive bursts through its agape jaw and through the two holes on top of its head. It was clear that this time, its attack had come dangerously close to completion. The beginning forms of super heated fire shot out from its mouth in weak spurts.

But while it remained incomplete, just the byproduct of heat that it emanated was enough for Hide to fully understand its destructive capabilities.

And although Hide did manage to interrupt its attack, something else he observed from the corner of his eye caused him to pale in frustration.

Throughout his brief exchange with the boss, the slimmed down tentacle monopolized on this opportunity to act. But instead of retaliating toward Hide, it did something much, much worse.

As the fight between the Boss and the survivors progressed, slowly but surely, the remnants of the horde had gathered around the edges of the three holes on the upper floors. When Hide first saw this, his heart raced in foreboding. If these things were to jump down and participate in the current battle, then the group’s chances of success would have drastically diminished.

While outside of Hide’s original expectations though, fortunately enough, the monsters that numbered close to 200 did not attack. Much less move, they simply stood, gathering on the edges of the holes on the upper floors above them. While the sight of such a large congregation of monsters was truly intimidating, they did not attack, which only served to further confuse Hide, and left him wondering why exactly had they gathered?

Right now, this question was fully answered.

The thin tentacle shot up straight into the sky and zoomed towards the hundred masses of monsters that gathered on the 1st floor. It barreled straight towards a particular beast- a minotaur that looked almost twice as big as usual.

The Minotaur, who saw the approaching tentacle shivered in fear, its body quaking uncontrollably. Despite its obvious reaction, the Minotaur did not move, or rather, it could not move. An invisible force like the one that held the rest of the horde in place, kept the Minotaur from moving, practically turning it into a living statue of violently trembling muscle.

Without much fanfare, the tentacle pierced straight into the Minotaur’s stomach. It was at this point, that the Minotaur bellowed in pain. As if the spell had been broken, it fiercely roared and its limbs started to spasm in protest. Unfortunately, by this point, it was all a fruitless effort.

The tentacle began to constrict around the struggling Minotaur, as its tip continually drilled deeper into its flesh. By this point, the tentacle held the Minotaur loftily up into the air, its tendril slowly but surely pulling it down into the refuge below.

The Minotaur’s complexion slowly darkens while its body physically thins. Like a juice box being completely drained of its juice, the minotaur slowly shrivels up. Eventually, those undulating screams from before die down into a whimper, as the monster continually shrivels.

At the same time, the once thin tentacle regains some of its vitality. Its trunk continually expand while the gloss on its surface shines with life. Even the wounds that littered its body slowly closed up as the Minotaur’s life essence drained.

After 10 seconds, the Minotaur has withered to less than twice its original size. It was thoroughly dead, and it's once 3 meter tall carcass lifelessly dropped to the floor with a despondent thud.

The tentacle seemingly shivered in excitement. It now had the thickness of an oil barrel, but it was far from its original size. With gluttony and greed as its driving force, the tentacle once again shot up into the sky. 2 more monsters were drained and killed the same way before the tentacle completely thickened to its original size… no, in actuality, it was now slightly larger than before, and its tip was slightly sharper as well.

Hide, who saw all this while evading Reeflech’s heated fists, had a cold grimace plastered onto his face. He finally realized why the monsters had gathered but had not joined in on the battle. The Dungeon Boss had complete control over them, and he had no intention of letting them attack.

To the boss, these things were subordinates nor were they an actual fighting force for him to maneuver. Whether it be due to pride, or preference, Reeflech treated these things as mere commodities. To the boss, the 200-300+ horde were just simply extra health potions. The horde itself probably realized this fact, but they could do nothing to escape. Their uncontrollable shivering and their hollow howls of despair was a clear enough indicator of the fear and anguish that swept through their numbers.

Despite that though, they could not run away, much less retaliate. The invisible force that compelled them to stay was too strong. The Boss's control over the dungeon and its inhabitants was simply too great.

While this sudden realization brought a damper to the situation, it wasn’t like everything was completely hopeless. For one thing, the Boss’s vitality drain and transfer had an obvious limitation. Hide, who saw the same scene repeated itself in front of his eyes at least three times, came to this obvious realization in a heartbeat.

The tentacles were probably vulnerable when they drained. This was apparent by the fact that the tentacle only shot up to the sky to regain its luster after Hide became preoccupied with the main body. In addition, the tentacles did not use this method of vitality drain on the survivors within the refuge. This either meant that the tentacles were too cautious to use such a vulnerable attack on its enemies, or they simply could not use that sort of method to retaliate.

Hide who realized all these weaknesses, regained some of his earlier confidence, but in the end, that did not stop the current situation from occurring.

Even knowing what he did know, he could not stop the tentacle from thickening. If he separated to attack it, the Boss would gain the opportunity to charge its damnable attack. Hide, who had only experienced a mere fraction of this attack a few weeks ago, had subconsciously placed preventing it as his top priority.

At the same time, the more he tried to interrupt the Boss, the more it would restore its vitality. To Hide, this was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. And even with all this floating in the back of his mind, he knew that this wasn’t the worst of his current situation. As long as those tentacles existed, the Boss would never die.

Unless he is able to destroy every single one of the tentacles, this fight will be pointless. With the total amount of monsters above them taken into effect, then the Boss virtually had an unlimited amount of HP.  

Hide knew, he bitterly knew that the most crucial thing to do was to kill of all the tentacles first before attacking the main body. Right now, apart from the one tentacle that greedily sucked in the vitality of the surrounding monsters, there were six others.

Those six were currently being confronted by the others, but up until this point, their progress was negligible. Of course, for Hide who had basically wasted the last 20 minutes all for the Boss to regain all of its HP back, could not say anything to them. The fact of the matter was, their current situation was really shitty.

Behind Cher and the President’s group, were Hina and Cielle who acted as support throughout the duration of the battle. Cielle was probably the most busy out of the two. She stretched herself thin in order to compensate as the group’s sole healer.

A constant influx of [Blue Gemini] constantly seeped out from her open hands and flew towards the battlefield. At the same time, there was a steady stream of [Black Gemini] that was continuously expelled out from the pores of the survivors who were in mid combat. Controlling this myriad of blue and black took a considerable toll on Cielle’s mind.

In addition, while the swirls of blue constantly flittered in between Cher and the others, the haphazardly floating pieces of black coalesced and gathered in the middle of the room. It formed a giant floating orb of darkness. It was three times as big as a basketball, and it released such a baleful aura to the point where, even though the tentacles did not necessarily feel pain, they still avoided it with unhindered prejudice.

Just from this scene alone, it was apparent that Cielle was building up her fighting strength all in order to prepare for a counterattack, but with the maintenance of the orb, plus the constant supply of [Blue Gemini], all of these factors combined produced a tremendous strain on her mind.

Her skin had become white as paper, her whole body trembled, while a dribble of blood slowly flowed out from one of Cielle’s nostrils. All in all, only 20 minutes had passed, but already, Cielle had used up 45% of her total mana.

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.

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.

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.

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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…

****

(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.

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.

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

The window panel that greeted my tired eyes brought a small smile to my face.

Because I could not train my stats through ordinary effort, the 75 unallocated points was a well received reward. The experience boost was also  helpful, as it raised me directly to level 45. But while the exp and unallocated points were good, the best reward was probably the stat change.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen such information pop up on one of these panels, but almost instantly, I could tell that it was a great benefit that trumped the other two by a wide margin.

Feeling the sense of accomplishment wash over me, I leisurely read the information panel once more. It was one the second read that an uneasy feeling took hold.

“Reeflech the cursed has been slain...and the curse has been passed on…” As I repeated these ominous words to myself, it was for the first time that I noticed that no other notifications had popped up.

The room had entered into a dreary silence. Only the sound of raspy breathing coming from the survivors could be heard. Even the monsters hidden within the fog of steam above did not make a single noise. Their previous whimpering had died down with the death of the Dungeon Boss.

This silence persisted for a few seconds, before, as if the chains binding them down had been unlocked, the sound of hastily retreating footsteps resonated from above.

“....”

The horde had retreated, almost as if fear had struck their very souls, spurring them on to flee with all their might.

The silence from before had returned, and now more prominent than ever.

During this quiet, unsettling time, my heavy eyes scanned through the room.

Off in the distance, I could see Cielle and Hina. Cielle was still slumped down, but her neck was craned forward, while her eyes had an discerning sharpness to them. Besides her was her sister, who had also fallen flat on the floor. I don’t know since when, but it looks like Hina had run out of mana during the last few moments of the battle. Above them was Kido’s childhood friend.

My eyes continued to wander, before they landed on Cher’s slumped figure. Her eyes were tightly shut, and a pool of blood was slowly expanding with her at its epicenter. While the shield that rested right next to her looked practically perfect, aside from a few scratch marks and dirt stains, Cher’s armor was completely tattered. It was deformed on several places, while the chest and abdominal sections showed signs of melting.

Seeing her in such a state, I could not help but feel fearful and uneasy. It was only after I saw her chest slowly rise and fall, did I finally calm down.

The remaining survivors were of course, the President and Kido.

The President, whose eyes met my own, nodded solemnly. He did not say anything, but as his brows scrunched up, and as his grip on his sword tightened, he too realized the oddity of our current situation.

He opened his mouth, but hesitated. After a few seconds of quiet pondering, he finally managed to ask, “Did… Did we complete the dungeon?”

I shook my head in response.

As I shakingly rose to my feet, I thought about the events that transpired and about the message the window panel had shown me.

“The curse has been passed on…”

Recalling back, I remembered that close towards the end of the battle, Reeflech’s [Cursed] title had fluctuated. While that occurrence confused me before, it now somewhat made sense, especially taking into account that ominous message.

Just as I continued thought about this, from the corner of my eye, I could see Kido get up from the floor.

His whole body was drenched in an uneven mixture of sweat and blood. His face was pale, scrunched up into a grimace. It was an out of place expression, especially considering the fact that we just killed the Dungeon Boss.

As I focused my gaze on his mangled body, a brief flash of insight suddenly took hold, inadvertently causing my eyes to widen.

“It makes sense… considering how… but what if…” I hesitated, unsure whether my current train of thought had hit the mark or not, but after some brief deliberation, I steeled myself and decided to confirm my suspicions.

Just as I was about to use [Identify] on Kido, something suddenly occurred that cemented my postulations as truth.

Without the need for my skill, a brightly glowing window panel suddenly blinked into life over Kido’s head.

Nakamura Kido [Cursed]

Like a flashy glowing Neon sign, the window panel above his head shined brightly. Its appearance was almost identical to the window panel that usually hovered over monsters. But even ignoring their similarities, the most important aspect was the [Cursed] title that suddenly floated above his head.

The President also noticed the sudden appearance of Kido’s window panel, and almost immediately, a cold glint shined beneath his eyes. The President’s grip on his long sword tightened, as he took a few pained steps backwards.

Through dark eyes, Kido saw the President’s sudden change in attitude and let out a bitter laugh. It was a laugh that gave off the impression as if he had long since expected this sort of outcome. Yet, at the same time, it was a lonely, hollow laugh that could not hide the tearing sadness within his actions.

“So, it's come to this…” He dejectedly sighed. His shaking hands, fumbled to his pocket, only to pull out a red vial. Unexpectedly, he still had an HP potion left over.

Seeing him agonizingly try to uncork the lid with constantly trembling hands, I could not help but speak. “Even if you drink that, I don’t think it will help.” My voice was cold, almost indifferent. “That explosion skill consumed both mana and stamina… and I don’t think you have any spare stamina potions left.”

Upon hearing this, Kido’s trembling hands abruptly paused. He hesitated for a moment, before letting out a bitter laugh. Without reservation, he threw the vial to the floor, shattering the glass and spilling the red liquid within…

“What happens now…” He asked, his voice low and quiet.

“... I want… I want to get out of this dungeon.” I answered with the only thing that came to my mind. Without even thinking about it, my legs began to move forward, towards Kido’s stock still silhouette.

“How will you leave this dungeon?” He asked.

“Through the only method I can come up with…” I unhesitatingly pulled out a dagger from the back of the Dungeon Boss’s corpse. It’s blade was red, and jagged, chipped at the front. It was obviously a broken down weapon, but that did not matter.

Kido, who saw me approaching, let out a bitter laugh. He started moving backwards, his every step slow and agonizing. With a limp in his stride, he could not go far. The blade in his hand was shaking, raised high in front of him with  obvious intention.

As he moved, he started to speak. “Back then, on the first day I acquired this title.” His tone was low, and neutral, almost emotionless. “Of course, I was concerned when I saw it… after all, [Cursed] doesn’t sound very positive… but there was nothing I could do. Maybe, the only thing that went right during those past few months was the fact that the [Curse] was dormant.

I did not know what it meant.” His tone suddenly intensified, and like a broken damn, the words and emotion continually flowed out. “What had cursed me, why it had cursed me, I did not know a single thing but… today-today I finally found out.”

He let out a long winded sigh, as he stared directly into my passive eyes. “I will not hide anything. Just looking at your face, I can tell that you’ve probably figured it out but… this [Curse] title made it so that, within the dungeon, the holder of the [Curse] experienced an unprecedented boost- be that in skill mastery, experience gain, stat training… as long as they were within this dungeon, they were practically king… The only drawback was… as long someone with the [Curse] was alive, they could not escape the dungeon.”

It was at this point that Kido abruptly paused. A self deprecating smile immediately surfaced on his pale face. “In fact, as long as the [Curse] was alive, nobody can escape this dungeon…”

Hearing his words immediately confirmed what I had already presumed. Without a doubt, in order to escape, there was one more person I needed to kill...

“Then…” Without saying anything else, my stride grew wider and wider. I raised my dagger up in front of me, its tip pointed directly towards Kido.

Seeing all this, Kido’s eyes narrowed. His hands quivered as he turned the tip towards my direction. His face was colored in an unhealthy light, clear that the Boss’s attack from earlier had left Kido with severe after effects. With one glance, I could tell that his HP was hovering just a little above 10%.

But that did not matter. Without any stamina remaining, it was impossible for him to put up a fight. I knew this, he knew this, but still, an extremely fierce, yet savage expression masked his face.

“I… I want to live.” He solemnly spoke, gritting through his teeth. “I know I’ve been cursed, I know that nobody else can leave this place as long as I’m alive but… I… I… I just don’t want to die.”

As the distance between the both of us disappeared, Kido staggered forward, his foot leaving behind a heavy impression on the shattered floor beneath. His body was mangled, his feet were heavy, and as his blade swung down, I could feel that, despite the intensity and determination Kido put forth to his swing, it was slow. It was unbearably slow.

I swayed to the right. Despite my own current condition, I still held the advantage. The blade fruitlessly sliced through heated air.

Kido’s sword embedded itself deep into the ground. He fruitlessly tried to pull it back out, but in his current strength, he simply did not possess the power or energy to do so. As he tightly held onto the handle of his sword, he stared up at me with tear streaked eyes, hidden beneath was a savage determination that threatened to break out of its cage.

“Hide, I..I don’t want to die. Not yet, not now, not after I’ve done so many thing to try to live… I’ve done far too many things to just die like this! Even if I have to kill you and everyone else here, I won’t die. I can’t die!”

“...”

“AAHHH!”

With a primal cry, Kido’s  lunged forward. His hands were clenched into bare white fists, while his expression was one akin to a beast. Like a cornered animal, he bared his fangs and attacked.

“...”

His approach was meaningless to me. Even with all his desperation and intensity, his body, his motions, his attack, they were all unbearably slow.

I once again stepped to the side just as Kido’s body rushed forward. With the flick of my wrist, my dagger glinted faintly with unearthly light before it completely bisected Kido’s right arm.

As I watched him scream out in pain and toppled to the floor, I stood there, motionless.There was nothing else I could do. In order to escape, in order to leave this place, in order to live, I needed to kill him.

Kido was right. In this world, it was kill or be killed. It was survival. And in order to survive… he had to die.

Blood continually flowed out from his severed arm. His pale expression was frenzied, and feral. Saliva and spit drooled down from his face. His eyes swirled with madness. He had lost all sense of coherence, as he repeatedly muttered, “I want to live, I want to live I want to live….”

As I stood over him, all I could see was a broken man. A man driven to a corner, pushed into insanity. A man whose desperation, madness, and will to live all came together hand in hand.

Without speaking, I solemnly raised my dagger up in front of me, but before I could swing it down, I heard a shrill scream from behind me.

“Nooo!”

Shooting a short glance backwards, I could see Kido’s childhood friend, virtually untouched by today’s battle. Her eyes shined with dread, as she immediately ran towards us.

Unfortunately, before she could reach me, she was ruthlessly tackled to the ground by a head of red hair. Unexpectedly, she had woken sometime after the death of the Boss. Although her face was pale, and a trace of restlessness could be seen in her eyes, her arms desperately clung to the struggling girl, pinning her down and keeping her in place. Her expression was filled with pity and understanding, but nonetheless, she stayed resolute and unmoving.

Kido’s childhood friend continually writhed and struggled. Her desperate cry rang out through the room. She was constantly, uttering, “No!, No, no- Kido! Stop! No!”

She cried till she was hoarse and until her throat had started to ache, but, even after all that, she did not stop.

I did not pay her any particular mind, as i redirected my focus back to Kido. Seeing his sudden change in expression, I could not  help but raise my brow in astonishment.

Unlike his previous display, Kido’s expression was serene. His head turned to face his struggling childhood friend, but his were closed the whole time. It was as if he were afraid to see the current, tear streaked face his friend was currently making.

“I’ve done a lot of things.” He quietly spoke. “I’m pretty sure that, at some point along the road, I lost sight of my true goal. I ended up killing people… I killed alot of people, even those I wanted to protect… in the end, to save myself, I killed them too... I went mad. I probably am mad, but...”

He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he simply chuckled before he shook his head. His head turned back to face me, while his eyes opened wide. “I’m ready.”

“...”

Prompted by his words,  I bent down, and unhesitatingly sunk my dagger into his chest. Without exception, the blade entered his body, as blood began to flow from his mouth.

I watched the light fade from his eyes.

With Kido’s death, a thin, paperback book materialized over his chest. The book unceremoniously plopped down on top of his body. I gave a book a single glance, but I did not say or do anything.

The hoarse cries originating from Kido’s childhood friend intensified with his death. At the same time, a familiar ding resonated through my skull, and a glowing window panel appeared before my eyes.

Ding!

Congratulations!

You have completed the [OakWood High School] Dungeon!

*****

Author's Note; We've reached the end of the first arc. The epilogue will come shortly in a few days.  Since this is a special chapter, I will answer a few questions if people have any. I hope you liked it, and please rate and review!