This ultimately was why dungeon bosses were more difficult to deal with than level bosses. Level bosses were created by the dungeon to protect it, while the dungeon boss was basically the manifestation of the curse itself. They were the lynch pin and the center of the curse. They were the object of its creation and were thus supported by all of its power. Treasure, monsters, and even levels could be sacrificed to increase the power of a dungeon boss, albeit not quickly or easily.

This meant several things. First, that dungeon bosses weren’t instantly replaceable like level bosses. When a level boss died, it took about ten minutes for a new boss to take its place. This new boss was only a shadow of the former boss and would take decades to grow an ego and become sentient. When it came to the dungeon boss, if they died, the lore would become exposed. If for some reason, the invader didn’t destroy it, the core would remain exposed for weeks, maybe even months, while a new dungeon boss was produced.

The new dungeon boss would take considerable resources, and it wouldn’t be uncommon for the dungeon to shrink. It could shrink in floor size like with Terra’s dungeon, or it could also lose a few levels. Furthermore, treasures would be consumed by the dungeon. This had the added benefit of discouraging people from trying to defeat the dungeon which offered little in reward.

Secondly, dungeon bosses were extremely powerful and didn’t draw on just their own personal strength, but the reserve miasma of the dungeon too. This could amplify their power in a variety of ways, but for a creature already composed of miasma, like this specter of the Queen, the amplification was clear. Pulling out all of her power and strength, she let out a terrifying scream as she began to consume her own dungeon in order to fight us.

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It was a scene I had only read about in books. In most guides, it said you never wanted to push a dungeon boss to this point. It was best to kill them quickly or by surprise. If you were lucky, they were too dumb to remember to draw on that strength, or too prideful or cocky to do so. We had never seen it happen before since all of the previous battles had ended in strange or unique ways. As it turned out, today was no exception. Although she tried to pull in miasma, nothing happened. After a moment of lifting her hands to the air, a confused expression appeared on her face.

“Wh-what is going on?” she cried out.

“Seal complete!” as Miki announced, a glow indicated that her containment took effect.

They were as good if not better than the King’s. Even if he was a higher level, what was a Spiritualist if not a job that could directly control spirits? Who could control them better than a nine-tail fox, a creature called the closest to death! In short, even if she wanted to, the time where she could escape had passed. The Queen looked on absently in disbelief.

“I should have been able to destroy you all!” She cried out. “Why? Why did you defeat me! It was like I had lost control of the dungeon! The only way that could happen is if there was a conflicting dungeon boss in this room with me.”

“Fufufufufu… hehehehehe…” Laughter started to echo out across the room. “It was I… the true boss!”