We slowly walk forward while activating our skills.
The white, green, blue, and red lights shine through the grey mana-imbued fog until we're completely engulfed.
White transfer magic blinds me as I push my perception skills to their limits.
What Lydia said stuck out to me. Special Bosses are much more intelligent than most, it's best to stay on guard even if I'm clearly strong enough to defeat it.
If this is going to be a brand new Floor Boss, I'd like to find out everything there is to know about it before it gets a chance to make its move.
The white light around me fades away, revealing the light purple tint of the Lower-Floor Boss' domain.
[400m]
[Lv. 440]
[Lv. 440]
[Lv. 440]
[Lv. 440]
[250m]
[Lv. 435]
[Lv. 435]
[Lv. 435]
[Lv. 435]
[Lv. 435]
[Lv. 435]
[100m]
[Lv. 430]
[Lv. 430]
[Lv. 430]
[Lv. 430]
[Lv. 430]
[Lv. 430]
Readings pop up all over my inspect and enemy detection skills.
The Floor Boss' minion's levels fill my mind's eye as my gaze tightens and focuses on the enormous tree at the back of the dungeon.
"Not what I was expecting at all..."
Its trunk is easily 100 meters in diameter and grows high into the dark purple sky spreading green leaves in all directions. It's creating cover from above for over a kilometer high.
The thick brown roots of the overgrown plant twist and turn all over the dungeon floor creating mounds of rock and dirt hundreds of meters high and opening up earth down below for presumably the same distance.
They're ferociously searching for nutrients to support the massive tree to grow more, this creates a very odd landscape.
Large red circular fruits hang from the branches that look big enough to crush a small town if they were to fall to the ground. They look like overgrown apples but have a thin mana shielding around each of them.
I whisper under my breath.
"I've never seen anything like this..."
As these words leave my lips, a pair of crimson-red eyes appear from the back side of the tree in the darkness. Dense invisible mana comes radiating from them.
I feel a wave of intimidation hit me as I appraise and inspect the lurking creature in question.
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I shiver out of reflex and watch my teammate's bare mind attack, but manage to stay on their feet.
My attention turns back to the Boss.
Its dark black scales glimmer purple and green as it twists and slithers around the branches near the top of the tree's trunk. Still hidden in the dark purple fog and shadows, It lets out a loud hiss and shows off its white fangs, welcoming us to its lair.
Another intense wave of energy hits all of us as the monster's status comes into my mind's eye.
____________________
[700m]
[Lv. 483]
Active Items:
[The Ancient Serpent King's Scales] +121% Defense +99% Speed +97% Agility +55% Magic Resistance
[Lower-Floor Boss Identification Core]
Active Skills:
Combat Magic [Advanced Earth Summoning]
Intimidation
Buff:
Poison Breath [Hidden Ability]
____________________
"It's a serpent... and its enormous..."
The Boss slowly moves its long body around the branches of the tree, eyeing us from almost a kilometer away.
Normally, it'd be close to impossible to see a monster at this distance with the naked eye, but its sheer size is astounding. If I were to put a number on it, this creature is nearly 100 meters long.
Another thing I notice is its "Lower-Floor Boss Identification Core". I've seen one of these before, but It didn't drop last time. Or at least I didn't have the chance to pick it up.
Before I can think too deeply about this topic, I'm interrupted by 6 level 430 serpents that come slithering into all of our field of view.
____________________
[Lv. 430]
Active Items:
[The Ancient Serpent Scales] +81% Defense +79% Speed +77% Agility +50% Magic Resistance
Active Skills:
Combat Magic [Advanced Earth Summoning]
Intimidation
____________________
They move their bodies back and forth to traverse the landscape but also manipulate the rocky root-covered floor beneath them to accelerate their movements.
With glossy black scales, showing a hint of dark green as they slither closer, their glowing red eyes lock onto each of us.
Loud hisses fill the air as they surround our team of 6 and go in for the kill just seconds after we've entered.
Fisher is the furthest up front, he takes the first one on. With a swift slice from his blade, a bright blue jet of mana-imbued water magic comes rippling out of his sword. The 20-meter-long snake is decapitated in an instant and its head rolls to the floor.
Lydia is nearby, letting the serpent that's challenged her get up close and personal. She doesn't even bother to draw her swords. The mage just puts out a hand and begins glowing bright white and blue.
Ice forms all around her and once the monstrous snake dives into her 5-meter-wide aura, its glossy black and green scales begin to cover with crystal clear ice.
In just fractions of a second, the monster is completely frozen solid.
It falls to the floor and shatters into thousands of pieces as Lydia shows a thin smile for all of us to see.
Abby and Maria jump up in the air, propelled by ice and earth magic to take on two other snakes from behind us.
These creatures are covered in thick shields of mana, but they're nowhere near as powerful as the Blue Ogres we recently faced.
The two girls slice each snake in half the long way without a hint of resistance.
Arie and I turn our backs to each other in the middle of the other 4 other battles and fire off our respective shots at the final two monsters waiting to attack from a distance.
My blade of fire and his arrow of light hit both targets square in the forehead.
The 6 serpents that attempted a sneak attack on us are all defeated in an instant.
I can sense the excitement in the air as everyone keep's their skills fully charged. We move forward without saying a word or complementing each other's kills.
It's obvious we're all ready for the real fight to start.
The purple fog from above in the tree at the back of the Boss Room grows much denser and starts to creep down the trunk.
Running forward through and above the twisting roots of the massive tree, we come across the next 6 level 435s. They're slaughtered in an instant just like the snakes behind us in a glorious light show.
The glowing red eyes of the Ancient King lurk atop the tree, waiting for us to approach. The closer we get, the denser the purple clouds above the tree become. The green leaves are starting to fade out of sight and the fog drifts down to the Boss Room Floor.
This reminds me of the last Lower-Floor Boss I faced. It had minions slow me down on the way, but they were nowhere near as strong as the Boss itself.
It just waited for its prey to arrive. It seems this Boss has a similar plan.
Another few hundred meters pass and the final 4 level 440 Serpents are slain.
We all stand on top of a large root near the base of the tree and look up at the lurking serpent's glowing eyes as the purple fog passes over us.
The low buzz of mana fills the air and the presence of the Boss looms over us.
Maria waves her sword in the air, pointing it up at the glowing red eyes in the darkness above. She speaks up in a cheerful tone despite the growing omnibus environment.
"Come on down, we're ready to fight!"
Her voice echoes, and we're left with silence.
Seconds pass, and nothing happens. Those crimson eyes just continue to stare down at us through the purple fog and wait...
Then, I feel my MP being drained.
Not very much, but a noticeable amount. It feels similar to the effects of my self-regeneration skill's perk when I drink alcohol.
At this moment, I realize the battle has already begun.
"This fog... It's filled with poison."