1st Floor Boss(3)
--- Asuna ---
"I'll tank. You focus on dealing damage."
You're really crazy.
That is what I felt like replying, but instead, I simply nodded.
If it was me just a few weeks ago, perhaps I'd have doubts.
Now?
Well, let's say...
There's no reason to have such doubts.
Illfang the Kobold Lord loomed before us, over two meters tall, muscular, covered in blue-grey fur with bloodthirsty, copper-red eyes.
His large bone axe gleamed menacingly in the dim light, and the leather shield strapped to his arm seemed impenetrable.
He was just like described.
To be honest, I'd have been really scared of him, was it not that I've seen so many monsters for the past month that I've grown numb to them.
As Haru took his position to tank, I readied my rapier, feeling the familiar weight and balance in my hand.
Haru braced himself, his spear poised to intercept Illfang's attacks.
As we got into his attack range, the boss swung his massive axe down with a ferocious roar, but Haru met it head-on, his spear straining against the impact.
The sheer strength of Haru's defense was impressive, but I noticed the cracks beginning to form on his weapon.
Ignoring the rising tension, I launched into action.
I activated my [Linear] skill, holding the rapier in front of my body and twisting it sharply. The first thrust found its mark in Illfang's chest, the tip of my weapon sinking deep into his fur-covered flesh.
That only took out less than a quarter of one HP bar.
Bosses really do have a monstrous amount of HP...
With the post-motion delay remarkably short, I chained another [Linear], striking his side.
Haru's spear finally gave way under the relentless assault, shattering into pieces.
For people at high levels, this might be a terrible outcome, as high level weapons are that rare.
Yet, he remained unfazed.
He had merely broken a Beginner's Spear, after all.
He knew that measly spear wouldn't have been able to endure a Boss' attacks for long.
With a quick dodge, he evaded Illfang's next wild swing, reaching into his Inventory to pull out another spear. The smooth transition was seamless, and he resumed his position, intercepting another bone axe strike with his new weapon.
But I had no time to focus on him.
I continued my assault, chaining [Linear] thrusts in rapid succession. I targeted Illfang's shoulders, ribs, and abdomen, each strike causing the boss to stagger slightly.
The copper-red eyes of Illfang gleamed with rage.
This reaction indicated that one HP bar was down.
"Switch!"
As such, I immediately nodded before switching as Haru moved forward.
Just as predicted, three Ruin Kobold Sentinels began to materialize around the Boss.
Haru sprinted, positioning himself behind Illfang, timing his move perfectly as the Sentinels fully spawned. With a determined shout, he activated his skill, Threefold Piercer. His spear ignited with a fiery glow as he used the first move, the thrust.
It was not enough to kill it, but that wasn't a problem.
Since he was behind the monster, his thrust threw the monster in my direction.
As the monster flew towards me, I steadied my rapier and activated my skill, [Linear]. With a swift, precise motion, I severed the Sentinel's throat, watching as it dissolved into pixels.
That's how we took care of one, but it was not the end.
While I had the Boss' aggro, he swung his spear horizontally, the blade slicing through the air with lethal precision.
The second Sentinel barely had time to react before it was split clean in two, its body collapsing in a heap of metal and flesh before disappearing.
The last Sentinel, still trying to orient itself, was met with Haru's final vertical strike. The spearhead blazed as it bore down, crushing through armor and bone. The monster crumpled to the ground, defeated before it could pose any real threat.
'I knew it already, but this man is really a genius.'
To be able to toy with the game's mechanics to this extent, I am honestly really impressed.
It's not like he knew everything beforehand.
No, instead, he suddenly told me he would research how the game mechanics worked and interacted with each other.
At first, I have do admit I had my doubts.
What could there be gained by doing such a thing?
With the results clear in front of me, I can only affirm once again, that I was really foolish.
I really wonder, if he didn't take me into his party, what would I have done?
Would I have become this strong, in such a short amount of time?
"Don't get distracted, Asuna. Things have yet to end"
Well, I can't retort to that.
Since the monsters had been cleaned up, Haru quickly regrouped with me.
For now, it's just a matter of repeating what we've already done until the Boss' HP reaches the critical point.
---
It didn't take too much time to reach that point.
Thanks to our good coordination, and our high levels, we have easily managed to wear the Boss' HP down, without even changing strategy.
It was an incredibly crude and simple beating.
But now, was the most important moment.
As I let my skill [Linear] flash one last time to hit the Boss' arm, I saw the last HP bar glowing red.
According to the information, the boss should've dropped his axe and shield, unleashing another weapon with a whole new attack pattern.
It'd be a bit of a problem if we didn't know it beforehand, but since we had quite accurate information, I didn't expect much of a difference.
And yet, that was precisely the problem.
Illfang did have a sword sheathed behind him, but instead of using that, a club suddenly materialized in his hands, glitching into existence as it grinned maliciously, like it knew we expected him to do something completely different.
"...What...happened?"
Before I could react, I was against the wall. The speed and force were unreal. Although being hurt in the game does not make you feel any pain, I was shocked to the point it felt like I was dreaming.
What was that blur?
How was I even hit?
My HP bar had dropped by a quarter from a single strike.
But even so, I couldn't stay still like this.
I struggled to my feet, still somewhat dazed from the impact.
"No matter what weapon it uses, we still have the level advantage. But alone, I cannot beat it, Asuna! I need your help!"
His words made me snap out of my reverie, as I noticed something.
'...Ah, was I trembling?'
Now that I had more clarity, though, I could see the scene before me. Haru's spear clashed against Illfang's club, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The club's brute force was countered, but it was clear he couldn't hold out for long.
Even in such a dire situation, he still managed to split his focus to talk me out of my fear.
The inner terror I had barely managed to suppress so far resurfaced with a single hit.
I guess It's natural, though.
If that shiny green HP bar in my vision emptied completely, I'd...
I slapped myself. Now it wasn't the time for that.
Moreover.
"I really need to pay it back for this."
I gripped my rapier, rushing back to the fight with a renewed determination.
I wanted to kill this boss more than ever now.
---
Author's Note:
Next chap will end this fight!
I hope you liked the little plot twist that will be fully explained next chap :)