Chapter Fifty: Glutyeknee

A giant monstrous Goblin, the largest I had ever seen, dropped into the room, nearly crushing us. Thankfully, time froze, allowing me to grab Thumbs and push everyone out of the way. Its bulbous weight jiggled as it landed with a thunderous crash. It roared, massive piles of spittle flying into the air and coming down like hailstones.

We dodged again, and I took a moment to cast scan. “Health and weak point only!

Enemy Entry 0011: Glutyeknee, level 20 Goblin-Ogre hybrid: (The Third Tribe)

Does not currently have a weak point

Stat:

Level

Effect:

Health

150/150

Health is burned as fuel to keep you from dying.

We scattered like bugs, which was challenging in a room that felt much smaller now. Thumbs and I ended up on one side, Thomas and Klericho on the other. I nocked an arrow and let it fly.

[You have dealt 1 damage.]

I blinked in disbelief. There was no mathematical possibility that we could kill this thing. This was going to be the end of the run. It wasn't smooth, but it was my best run so far. A wave of sadness washed over me. But I shouldn't have accepted my death before it even came because of the armor-wearing guard with a helmet. Somehow, he had access to Cleave, and that was when the magic happened.

"Cleave!" Thomas shouted, his voice piercing with desperation. He waved his one-handed sword, slashing across the belly of the giant beast. Its stomach split open, and its intestines spilled out like glowing spaghetti. Which meant I had a weak point to target.

“Scan again!” I yelled, my voice breaking with urgency.

[Target the intestine with your attacks. They’ll deal double damage!]

Glutyeknee's back was to me, but the intestinal trail it left behind as it lumbered away was unmistakable, a sickly green line shimmering in the moonlight. My breath hitched as I drew back my bowstring, the tension in my arm a familiar burn. This had to count. Every muscle protested, but I couldn't afford to miss. I released the arrow, a quick shout of "Aim" on my lips. My hand cramped, my arm ached, but it didn't matter—the arrow flew true, slicing through the night air and striking its mark with a satisfying thud. For a heartbeat, time stood still, and then the beast let out a low, guttural howl.

[Critical hit x 4! You have dealt 42 damage!]

In a few short seconds, I had dealt more than a third of the boss's life. This class was truly overpowered. Man, I hope I never lose this class.

The Giant Goblin roared in fury, its guttural cry painful in the cramped room. It tried to turn its massive bulk sideways to get at me, its rough, leathery skin scraping against the walls and ceiling. I held my breath, hoping it would get stuck or fall, but it finished the turn, revealing a gigantic open wound—a perfect target for my aim. Seizing the opportunity, I sprinted to the back of the hallway, my boots pounding against the stone floor, putting as much distance as possible between myself and the thrashing goblin.

Around me, my comrades were equally proactive. Klericho relentlessly smacked at the goblin's heel with his mace, each strike a brutal crunch that slowed the beast's movements. Thomas, sweat glistening on his brow, aimed another Cleave near its kidneys, his sword cutting through the air with precision. Their combined efforts dealt 20 damage, a respectable amount for people who had recently died or avoided the dungeon altogether.

Without delay, I pulled back and fired, and fired, and fired until I ran out of arrows.

[Critical hit x 3! You have dealt 36 damage.]

I frowned, pausing in frustration. I reached again for an arrow in my quiver and hit only air. "Where are my arrows?"

[Arrows have to be equipped, Young Archer. And if you do not have them, you did not equip them. Ergo, you have left them in the inventory space.]

“Well, crap. What do I do now?”

[I suggest finding a way past his bulk so that he doesn't grab or eat you. Luck might be on your side, and time will freeze, or you could try to dash in and grab an arrow or two or three. The monster has 6 of them lining his intestinal wall like a clew of worms staked into the earth. Either is likely to end in your death, but it should be fairly entertaining for anyone paying attention.]

I gulped. The goblin was getting closer and closer, and all I could do to keep from hyperventilating was focus on the things I could control. I ran. I ran straight into danger. The goblin leaned forward, jaw unhinging, ready to swallow me whole. And then, the most beautiful sight in the world came into view: a comically large dice bounded around, bouncing every which way.

Time froze. I avoided the jaw-unhinging attack and slid underneath its legs, getting tangled in its steadily disintegrating innards. It roared and started moving away from me. Instead of panicking, I immediately grabbed as many arrows as possible and started using aim with the rest of my mana.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

[Critical hit close range x3. You have dealt 41 damage.]

By the time Crystal was done yammering, I was about to die, my eyes wide, staring, as the goblin leaned down with its giant face, ready to crush my body with its fists. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see how this run ended, but when no immediate pain came, I saw a golden shield covering me from head to toe. But that was all I could see as I had been swallowed whole by the giant ogre. The shield must have kept the ogre from biting me in half. I started freaking out as the claustrophobic feeling overtook me. My heartbeat raced, and my breathing grew shallower. Shallower. Shallower. I closed my eyes again, hoping the feeling would vanish, and then it did as I slid out of the monster's gullet.

Thomas had jumped and used Cleave on the Goblin's throat. Somehow, the carotid artery didn't get cut, but the esophagus did. The shield protecting me finally shattered, and I scrambled quickly to my feet, avoiding another swiping grab from the boss ogre.

The Ogre roared, sending blood and saliva flying everywhere in the room. "You just saved my life. Thank you, man!" I shouted to Thomas. Cursing my stupidity and potential self-sacrifice, which wasn't my thing, I rushed forward and dove into the mess of intestines again. I grabbed for the arrows, careful not to break their brittle forms. They were guaranteed to be on their last breath. If I had a dagger, I could have just cut the intestines to pieces, but as it was, I was fairly happy with what I had done so far. Deciding to risk it, I scrambled, turned, and recast the scan.

I grinned like a maniac. This boss had to give a great Death Boon reward. With the three remaining arrows, I pulled back and aimed three times in quick succession.

[Critical hit x 3! You have dealt 16 damage.]

My grin turned into a frown as my arrows turned to dust upon contact, striking the monster's intestines. I was out of options for damage. But I wasn't alone; just as I was worried about dying again, right before the shrill pain of panic set in, Thomas once again used Cleave, this time on the pile of intestines at the feet of Glutyeknee.

[Congratulations! Your party has slain Glutyeknee. You have received 4 death boons for killing a secret boss.]

I looted Glutyeknee and received a bag of coins. I shook my head. All of that effort, and I only got 30 measly coins. The loot stars were still shadowy above their heads, and they didn't vanish. "Hey, are you guys gonna loot the monster?" I asked.

"Yeah, on it," Thomas replied.

A large tooth-shaped dagger plopped out of thin air onto the ground. "Hey, Archer-dude, come grab this dagger. You were practically dead weight there when you ran out of arrows. We can't have that happen again. Besides, it's the least I owe you for bringing me back to life."

"I know, I forgot to equip my arrows out of inventory space. I should start doing that again."

[You have received a shark tooth dagger.]

Klericho, overhearing us as he came to loot the figure, asked, "What's an inventory space?" As he looted, a bag of coins jingled onto the ground. He picked up the pouch. "Nice! 100 coins. That's a good bit of change." He tied the strings attached to the pouch to his belt.

I wondered why they had so much stuff with them and realized I should have said something earlier. Man, I needed to be careful.

{Stop. Don’t go revealing all of your secrets.}

Where had I heard that before? I wanted to share that I had them with this group, to say more about inventory space, but I couldn't form the words. Whenever I tried, it was like my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. Instead, as if my voice had a mind of its own, a lie slipped out. "Rellum gave me a magical item. I place all my belongings there so I don't have to carry them around. It's so convenient after how horrid lugging around crates was on the first floor."

"Yeah, at least here, if you own a space, you can stash your items there and return to whatever room you are in to move on. Still gotta lug stuff around, but it's safe, for the most part, when you own a place. That skill is mighty handy. In the future, we should just have you carry everything, and we won't have to worry about the extra weight," Klericho said, his face completely genuine.

"Okay, we've spent enough post-battle time chatting. Let's solve this room. As soon as I read the second puzzle, I knew without a doubt what all the answers would be. Crystal, repeat the next clue."

The words of the Glutyekneey puzzle lit up in a bluish-green color that radiated warmth. I felt secure in thinking beating the boss counted as a win.

"I am often seen in the mirror's gaze, higher than mountains, yet lighter than air. I soar without wings; I conquer without arms. When kings and kingdoms fall, it's at my beck and call. What am I?"

"The answer is the seven deadly sins: Pride, Glutyekneey, Lust, Wrath, Envy, Greed, Sloth!" I said all of the names one after the other. The parchments furled into scrolls and vanished. The writing and pictures on the walls lit up in the blue-green color from earlier. Then, a door appeared. I was suspicious of the fact that there was no Aerlyntium, but I could figure that mystery out later.

"Woohoo, we solved it! Go us!" I said, jumping up and down with alacrity.

Thomas and Klericho looked at me like I had grown an extra head. "What?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed but still exhilarated by our victory.

Enemy Entry 0011: Glutyeknee, level 20 Goblin-Ogre hybrid: (The Third Tribe)

Will feast on your bones. And your armor. And your weapons. This beast is a devourer of all things. Do not let it eat you. Seriously.

Weak point, attacking its stomach reveals its soft, gooey inside. All things are weak to evisceration.

Stat:

Level

Effect:

Health

150/150

Health is burned as fuel to keep you from dying.

Vitality

30

Adds 5 points of health per level.

Potency

10

Adds 1 point of damage to all physical attacks

Defense

5

Blocks 1 point of damage from all physical attacks

Item drops

Amount

Chance to drop

Gold

30-100

85%

Random digested item

?

15%