Chapter 10: Monster Stampede
“Eek!” Rin squealed, clutching her sword tightly.
“Too many!” Anju gasped, her eyes wide as she gripped her dagger.
“Just run for now!” I shouted, urgency lacing my voice.
I glanced back, catching sight of a massive horde of Orcs chasing us. During the training to become a licensed explorer, we were taught to return to the surface the moment a dungeon starts shaking. Since we were on the lowest floor with the boss room, we weren’t dragging anyone else into this mess, but still—the sheer number of Orcs was insane.
No, seriously, insane.
To be specific, the corridor was so packed with Orcs it was like a wall of flesh.
“Damn it!” I cursed, my voice rough with frustration. “How big of a monster stampede did that bastard Tagaya trigger?!”
An E-rank horde like this would normally be no big deal for me now, but with this many? Even I’m in trouble. No matter how strong you are, sheer numbers can crush you. Plus, escaping to the surface isn’t an option—we need to thin their numbers somehow!
But doing that with these two deadweights slowing us down is a pain in the ass! They’re key witnesses to this incident, so I can’t just abandon them. If only the Orcs would slow down even a little…!
“Fire Wall!” a voice called out, sharp and commanding.
As Rin and the others sprinted toward the exit, a blazing wall of fire erupted between us and the Orcs.
“What the—?!” I stammered, startled.
The sudden event left me, Rin, and the others dumbfounded. The wall of fire didn’t completely stop the Orcs’ advance, but it burned them, slowing their progress. I recognized that voice, though.
That voice…!
I turned toward the source and saw her.
“Kaede-san! Everyone! Are you okay?!” Rieshe called out, her staff pointed our way as she cast her magic, dressed in her PoutTuber outfit, with her Gargoyle familiar, Gar-kun, by her side.
“Y-Yua?!” I exclaimed, shocked. “And Gar-kun too?! Why are you here?!”
As I ran toward Rin, Anju, and Rina, then toward Yua, I couldn’t help but ask.
“That person…” Rin muttered, her twin-tails swaying as she glanced at Yua.
“Uh, yeah,” Rina said hesitantly, her blonde curls bouncing. “That’s the streamer Rieshe-san, right…?”
“Amamii, you know her?” Anju asked, her ponytail swinging as she tilted her head.
I couldn’t help but ask as I got closer to Yua. …Oh, crap. Yua’s in her Rieshe outfit, and Gar-kun’s here too. Calling her by her real name was a mistake, wasn’t it?
“Sorry, Rieshe!” I apologized quickly. “I said your real name!”
“It’s fine,” Rieshe reassured, her tone calm but urgent. “I made sure to stop the stream. We’ll talk details later! For now, let’s escape! The fire wall won’t hold long!”
She was right. The fire wall was weakening under the Orcs’ relentless advance, with more breaking through by the second. But if it’s holding them back this much…
“Rieshe!” I called out. “Can you slow the Orcs down a bit more?!”
If she can, we can reduce their numbers!
“I can!” Rieshe replied confidently.
“Then I’m counting on you!” I instructed. “Rin, you guys take these two and go ahead. Hmph!”
I stopped, turned around, and hurled the two people I’d been dragging forward, giving orders to the trio. They’re explorers too, so they should survive a toss like that. Probably.
“Huh?!” Rin protested, her voice sharp. “Wait a sec! I’m fighting with you!”
“Y-Yeah!” Rina added, her voice trembling but resolute. “Amamiya-san, Rieshe-san, you’re planning to fight alone?”
“I’m fighting too,” Anju declared firmly, gripping her dagger. “Two people can’t handle that many.”
Rin, Anju, and Rina stopped, each readying their weapons, prepared to fight. Their willingness to stand with me was honestly touching. But—
“No, I worded that poorly,” I admitted, shaking my head.
I pulled the Dragonwood Bow from my 【Item Box】, aimed at the Orc horde still chasing us, and readied myself.
“What I meant was—”
Consuming 1,000 MP, I activated a new effect of 【Magic Arrow】, unlocked when the skill reached level 20.
“—get out of the way so you don’t get caught in this!” I shouted.
The arrow nocked in my bow was massive—nothing like the arrows 【Magic Arrow】 had created before. It was ridiculously huge, but the Dragonwood Bow was big enough to handle it, letting me draw the string fully.
“Here we go!” Rieshe announced. “I’ll show you the power of this magic staff Kaede-san gave me!”
While I prepared, Rieshe and Gar-kun readied themselves to face the Orcs. Magical energy began gathering in the staff Rieshe held, and then—
“Wind! Fire! Merge and become power! Wind-Flame Wall!” Rieshe chanted, her voice ringing with authority.
A wall of fire, stronger than before, roared to life between us and the Orc horde, halting their momentum. A composite spell?! That shouldn’t be possible without the ultra-rare 【Composite】 skill, which can only be attached to a staff dropped by a mutant boss monster. Wait… from what Rieshe said, could the staff from that White Evil Treant have had the 【Composite】 skill?!
“Thanks, Rieshe!” I called out gratefully.
The enhanced fire wall reduced the number of Orcs breaking through, and Gar-kun was taking out the ones that did. With this kind of support, I could finish the job. I drew the Dragonwood Bow’s string to its limit and released the massive arrow.
The new ability unlocked at 【Magic Arrow】 level 20 was—
“Get blown away! 【Magic Light Arrow】!!!” I roared.
The transparent giant arrow I fired transformed into a blinding torrent of light. It burst forth, filling my vision with dazzling brilliance, tearing through the dungeon like a laser beam. The aftermath of 【Magic Light Arrow】 cracked the dungeon floor in places, and dust rained from the ceiling.
When the dust settled, the Orcs were gone—reduced to mere chunks of flesh.
“…Phew…” I exhaled, relieved.
It was my first time using it, but it worked better than expected. Though, the power was so intense it damaged the dungeon walls. Oh well, it’s an emergency, and the dungeon will repair itself eventually, so it’s probably fine.
That 【Magic Light Arrow】… it’s a hell of a new power. Consuming 1,000 MP is worth it, but since it’s now light-attributed, it can’t pass through obstacles like doors anymore. I’ll just have to accept that trade-off.
“Amamiya-san! That was amazing!” Rina exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
“I’ve never seen anything like that!” Rin added, her voice full of awe.
“As expected, Amamii’s strong,” Anju said with a nod, her tone matter-of-fact.
“Seriously, what was that?!” Rieshe asked, her voice brimming with excitement.
All four of them showered me with praise. That was my maximum firepower—my trump card. I can’t do anything stronger than that. But it did the job, wiping out the pursuing Orcs.
“Yeah, that was my max output,” I explained, catching my breath. “My ace in the hole. For now, we should be safe, so let’s head to the surface.”
With the Orcs annihilated for the moment, we made it back to the surface relatively safely. When we emerged, other explorers who had escaped the dungeon were there, weapons at the ready, preparing to take on the Orcs. Judging by the Orc corpses scattered around, monsters had already started spilling out.
“We’ve evacuated all civilians near the Cavern Dungeon with the help of explorers who can’t fight the E-rank monsters,” a man, likely the dungeon’s overseer, reported.
“What about reinforcements?” a strong-looking explorer asked.
“It’s Sunday, so many explorers are off in distant dungeons,” the overseer replied. “We’ve requested aid from the Association, so reinforcements should arrive in about two hours.”
Hearing the overseer and the explorer’s conversation, I felt a mix of relief and guilt toward the other explorers. …Oh, right, I need to tell them about the boss room.
“Rin, you guys stay with the injured over there,” I instructed. “I’m going to talk to the overseer about the boss room.”
“Got it!” Rin replied enthusiastically. “Please, Amamiya-san!”
I parted ways with the four and approached the man I assumed was the overseer, dragging the two black-clad figures with me.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Alright, this spot gives a good view of the dungeon entrance,” I muttered to myself.
After speaking with the overseer and handing over the two black-clad figures with an explanation, I used 【Stealth】 to slip away and climbed to the rooftop of a building to observe the dungeon. At the entrance, tanks with shields and explorers wielding swords and spears were bravely fighting the emerging Orcs. Those using guns—like me, without guaranteed accuracy—seemed hesitant to shoot, likely to avoid friendly fire. Instead, they used their sturdy gunstocks like blunt weapons, swinging them carefully to avoid misfires. Magic-using explorers coordinated rotations, casting spells at the entrance to take out Orcs without hitting their allies.
“But there are still too many Orcs,” I muttered, frowning.
Monster stampedes have what we explorers call “waves”—a phenomenon where monsters spawn in phases. In higher-rank dungeons, like A-rank ones, the waves are fewer—three to five—because the monsters are stronger. But this is an E-rank dungeon. The monsters are weaker, so each wave has more monsters, and there are more waves overall. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. I saw a video on PoutTube, and the sheer number of monsters pouring out was unreal.
“Oh? That’s dangerous!” I exclaimed.
Using my enhanced vision from 【Hawk Eye】, I spotted an explorer about to be crushed by an Orc’s club. I fired an arrow created by 【Magic Arrow】, hitting the Orc’s head and killing it instantly. The rescued explorer looked around, confused, but couldn’t spot me on the rooftop before returning to the fight.
“That’s the twentieth wave,” I noted. “We should hold out until reinforcements arrive.”
It was lucky that the explorers around the Cavern Dungeon were high-level. If it had been just low-level explorers, we’d have been wiped out already. Where are those reinforcements?
“Just a bit more effort… huh?” I muttered, narrowing my eyes.
I thought the next wave had started as more Orcs emerged, but something was off. These weren’t regular Orcs—they had a red aura around them, just like Tagaya’s.
“That’s… no way,” I whispered, disbelief creeping in. “It can’t be… can it?”
A possibility flashed through my mind. No, that’s too far-fetched… right?
“But it looks exactly the same…” I muttered, my voice tense.
That red aura was identical to the one Tagaya had. When I used 【Appraisal】, their status showed “Wrath” as a condition, just like the skill Tagaya had shouted. And they seemed stronger. The explorers who had been handling the Orcs were now being pushed back. Were their stats boosted? If so, this was bad. I was thinning their numbers, but more Orcs were spawning than I could handle. The explorers were holding on for now, but it was only a matter of time before they hit their limit.
“E-rank dungeons have a max of twenty-five waves,” I calculated. “We’ve cleared twenty, so including this one, five more to go. We can do this.”
I fired three 【Magic Arrow】 arrows simultaneously at different Orcs to speed up the process. They hit the red-aura Orcs, blowing them and those behind them away. Good, it worked. If I keep this up—
“We can manage this!” I said, determination rising.
I kept firing—three arrows at a time, targeting Orcs and taking out those behind them. My MP consumption was lower, my total MP had increased, and my MP recovery rate was faster, so I could keep this up without worrying. Now, let’s see how this plays out. Hopefully, it ends here.
“Is that the last one?” I wondered aloud.
The explorers near the dungeon entrance had just defeated the twenty-fifth wave, the final Orc. That should mean no more monsters would spawn from this stampede. Now, we just needed to defeat the revived High Orc, the source of this stampede, and secure Tagaya—if he’s still alive. He caused this, but that doesn’t mean the Orcs wouldn’t attack him.
Other explorers were likely gathering to form a party to take down the High Orc. I decided to join them. But as I prepared to leap off the rooftop, I saw something impossible.
“No… why are there still more?” I muttered, stunned.
Orcs with red auras were still emerging from the Cavern Dungeon. That shouldn’t be possible—the twenty-fifth wave was supposed to be the last. Was this stampede itself an anomaly? If so, my worst fear might be true.
My fear… that Tagaya’s 【Wrath】 skill was affecting the dungeon itself. I’d suspected it from the red aura and the stampede, but if that’s true, we’re in serious trouble. The absolute rule of monster stampedes—the limit on wave numbers—might be gone or increased, meaning Orcs could keep spawning indefinitely. Even high-level explorers would eventually be overwhelmed.
We need to act fast, or the explorers in the Cavern Dungeon will be wiped out. It’s just a possibility, but Tagaya’s definitely the cause. The explorers gathering nearby had noticed the anomaly and were returning to fight the Orcs. I had to join them. If I don’t thin their numbers, the others will be in danger, and no one will have the chance to go after Tagaya.
“Reinforcements! Hurry up!” I shouted, desperation creeping in.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Thirty waves… this is getting tough,” I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow.
The Orcs were beatable, but their numbers and enhanced strength were overwhelming. The explorers’ levels and stats were rising from the fights, but they couldn’t push back.
“Reinforcements…” I started, then paused as my 【Hawk Eye】-enhanced vision caught sight of multiple vehicles approaching the battlefield.
“Finally!” I exclaimed, relief washing over me. “Took them long enough!”
Three vehicles stopped near the Orc horde. Naturally, the Orcs targeted them, but before they could get close, they collapsed. The vehicle doors opened, revealing explorers with various weapons. One had already taken down an Orc, and the others began felling them one by one. From their strength, they seemed capable of handling C-rank monsters but might struggle against a boosted D-rank dungeon boss.
“This should be fine,” I decided.
I’d been sniping Orcs from the rooftop to maximize my 【Lock-On】 skill, but that wasn’t necessary anymore. I fired three final arrows, descended the building, and ran to join the explorers near the dungeon.
“Rin! Rina! Anju! Rieshe!” I called out.
As I neared the Cavern Dungeon, I saw the four of them in action. Rin, Anju, and Rieshe were fighting Orcs, while Rina was healing injured explorers with beams of light. I fired 【Magic Arrow】 while running, taking out Orcs near them as I approached.
“Amamiya-san! Thanks!” Rin shouted, her voice bright with gratitude.
“Amamii, good work,” Anju said calmly, giving a small nod.
“Thank you!” Rina said, her voice warm.
“Thanks so much!” Rieshe added enthusiastically.
As I joined them, all four thanked me. They’d gotten used to fighting. Rin must have decided it wasn’t time to hide her unique skill, as her body glowed faintly from using 【Godspeed】. Anju was likely using 【Analysis】, Rina was healing while occasionally smacking Orcs with her mace, and Rieshe was roasting Orcs with fire and wind magic. Fighting Orcs like this was becoming routine for them, even with the red aura boosting the Orcs’ stats. Compared to me at their stage… no, let’s not go there. That’s depressing.
“Alright, reinforcements are here, so we just need to hold out a bit longer!” I encouraged. “Let’s do this!”
I readied my bow again. The reinforcement explorers, except for one, entered the dungeon. The one who stayed was a muscular, long-haired man wearing only upper-body armor that looked ready to burst. He carried no weapon, so he was likely a magic user or a hand-to-hand fighter. Given his build, definitely hand-to-hand. But just one? Were they really sending the rest to take down the boss and secure Tagaya with such minimal forces left behind? It made things easier, but something felt off—not dangerous, just… weird.
“What’s wrong?” Rina asked, noticing my unease.
“Nothing,” I replied, shaking my head. “Just a bad feeling.”
“A bad feeling?” Rina pressed, her voice tinged with worry. “What kind?”
Before I could answer, the muscular man shouted, “Alright, kids, get away from me now! I won’t be responsible if you get caught up!”
The moment he spoke, he struck a pose—a side chest—and his T-shirt and armor exploded off his body.
“…Huh?” I muttered, dumbfounded.
“Eek!” Rina squealed, her face turning bright red.
The sudden spectacle left me stunned and Rina screaming. The man, unbothered, pulled a perfume-like bottle from his pants pocket.
“This is my power!” he declared. “Here we go, Orcs! 【Odor Cannon】!!!”
He uncorked the bottle and doused himself with the liquid. An overwhelming floral scent erupted, enveloping the area. Even pinching my nose, the thick, nauseating smell lingered. The Orcs that inhaled it stopped moving, writhing in agony before collapsing one by one.
“What the hell was that…?” Rin asked, her voice laced with confusion as she approached.
“I don’t know…” I admitted, equally baffled.
All I knew was that he’d dealt massive damage to the Orcs and finished them off.
“Phew…” the man said, striking another pose. “Right now, I’m invincible. My unique skill, 【Odor Cannon】, amplifies my scent to destroy an opponent’s sense of smell. In town, I use perfume, but in a dungeon, I’d use something even stronger.”
…Yeah, I’m staying away from this guy. He’s clearly trouble, and from what he said, it sounds like his scent gets even worse in dungeons.
“That’s… incredible,” Rina said hesitantly. “I’ve never seen a technique like that…”
“Yeah, it’s impressive,” I agreed. “But I’m never getting near him again.”
“Fair enough,” Rina nodded.
“But it’s great for taking out lots of monsters like this, right?” Rin pointed out.
Killing monsters with smell alone… He called it a unique skill, so it was probably mocked like mine was early on, but to become this powerful? Since Orcs have keen senses, the smell probably shocked them to death. It’s a ridiculous reason, but it’s the best I’ve got. What else could it be? There’s no other way to explain it.
“Oh? More of you?” the man called out. “【Odor Cannon】!!”
He doused himself with perfume again, striking poses and felling Orcs as they emerged. Part of me wanted to let him handle this and go after Tagaya, but the reinforcement party was already on it. If I went now, they’d just ask, “Why are you here?” So, I stood there, pinching my nose, watching Orcs die to his scent alongside the other explorers.
What even is this situation?
An hour later, more reinforcements arrived, but we were all just pinching our noses, watching the man dominate. “He’s amazing,” Rin said, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief as we watched him.
How long would he keep striking poses? Side chest, side triceps, front lat spread, back lat spread, abdominal and thigh, Hindu squat—he cycled through them, scattering his scent. It was absurdly entertaining, despite the situation. At first, some explorers shouted catchphrases like “He’s jacked!” but one coughed after breathing in, passed out, and since then, no one dared unpinch their nose. We’d moved to a less smelly spot, finally able to breathe.
“Hey, Amamiya-san,” Rin said, her tone concerned. “Is this okay?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, we’re getting used to it, but it’s pretty intense,” she explained.
She was right. The scene was shocking, and some of the women might be reaching their limit. The man was now choking Orcs with his muscular arms, forcing them to inhale his scent and die.
Yeah, it’s intense for me too. How much scent can this guy produce? He’d pulled more perfume from his 【Item Box】, so it wasn’t running out anytime soon.
“Here comes another,” I noted.
The forty-third wave appeared. He’d probably taken down nearly three hundred Orcs alone by now. He should be exhausted, but—
“My scent never runs out!” he declared, striking another pose.
…This guy’s unreal.
“Wow…” Rina murmured, awestruck.
“Seriously, that guy’s incredible,” I said, my voice tinged with awe. “Fighting alone the whole time? Yeah, he’s fighting, but… something’s off, isn’t it?”
“What’s wrong?” Anju asked, her brown ponytail swaying as she tilted her head, her expression curious.
I muttered something that caught her attention, and she looked at me with a puzzled frown. “It’s just… the party that went to take down the boss and secure Tagaya hasn’t come back,” I explained, my tone uneasy.
That’s right. It’s been an hour. The Cavern Dungeon has five floors, including the boss room. Given that the number of Orcs emerging dropped for a while and then returned to normal, the party should have reached the boss room by now. But there’s no sign of them returning, and the monster stampede hasn’t stopped.
“True…” Rin agreed, her twin-tails bouncing as she nodded slowly. “They’re taking a bit long, aren’t they?”
“Hmm, it’s not just that,” I said, my voice low. “It’s worse than that.”
Damn it. The more I think about it, the more anxious I get.
“Alright!” I declared, snapping myself out of my slump and standing up with renewed determination.
“I’m heading to the boss room,” I announced.
“What?!” Rin exclaimed, her voice sharp with worry. “That’s dangerous!”
“Yeah, dangerous,” Anju added, her tone blunt but concerned.
“Y-Yeah, exactly!” Rina chimed in, her wavy blonde hair shaking as she nodded vigorously. “Other explorers already went in!”
“No, they’re taking too long, and something’s wrong,” I countered. “Besides, with that guy here, this area should be safe.”
Right now, our ultimate weapon—the guy dominating the Orcs with his scent—was still out there, so the surface should be secure.
“I’m going in!” I said firmly. “If things go south, I’ll come right back, so don’t worry!”
“Wait, hold on!” Rin protested, reaching out.
“Sorry!” I called back, apologizing to Rin as she tried to stop me.
I sprinted into the dungeon, heading for the boss room, pinching my nose to avoid that guy’s stench.
I carved through Orcs with the Swiftstrike Dagger while pinching my nose, racing toward the boss room. Soon, the door came into view. The smell… yeah, it’s bearable here. But the door—it wasn’t just open. It was completely smashed in.
“No way…” I muttered, my voice low with disbelief. “Seriously?”
Was the boss defeated? But if so, why was the door in such bad shape? And I hadn’t seen any other explorers on my way here.
“What the hell’s going on…?” I wondered aloud. “Did they get wiped out?”
If that’s true, we’re in deep trouble. The party that went in had members strong enough to take down C-rank monsters. If they were annihilated, the boss—or Tagaya—must be at least C-rank or higher.
“Maybe I should pull back—Whoa!” I started, only to be cut off.
As I considered retreating, something like a tentacle grabbed my arm and yanked me into the boss room.
“Gah! What the hell?!” I shouted, struggling.
I looked at what grabbed me—a grotesque, fleshy tentacle.
“Tch!” I grunted, immediately slicing it off with the Swiftstrike Dagger.
“Phew… what the hell was that…?” I muttered, catching my breath.
Where did that thing come from? I scanned the room warily and saw pools of blood with bodies lying in them.
“No way…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
They were dead. Not Orc blood—human blood. Some were reduced to unrecognizable chunks of flesh, identifiable only by their equipment. Even those still vaguely human-shaped were clearly dead.
“Seriously…?” I gasped, my heart pounding.
And there, ahead, was it.
It vaguely resembled a High Orc, but it was grotesquely deformed—a head with elongated fangs, four flabby arms, four legs to support its massive body, and multiple tentacles sprouting from it, likely the ones that dragged me in. Embedded in its hulking form was…
“Tagaya…?” I murmured, my voice uncertain.
It was Tagaya—or what was left of him. His arms were fused into the creature, only his upper body visible, blackened and with glowing red eyes. This wasn’t a human or a normal monster. It was something else entirely.
“Guu… GYAAAAAH!!!” it roared, letting out a monstrous scream.
Spotting me, it whipped the tentacle that had dragged me in, attacking like a lash.
“Shit!” I cursed, dodging at the last second.
I barely avoided it, but if that hit, it would’ve been bad. The attack shattered part of the boss room’s wall into dust, proving its power.
“This thing’s bad news…” I muttered, my voice tense.
It was too strong. 【Appraisal】 revealed nothing—no level, name, HP, MP, or stats.
“And…” I started, glancing at the door.
As I tried to escape, multiple tentacles lashed out, striking like fists and further denting the door. So that’s why the door was wrecked.
“This is seriously bad…” I said, my voice grim.
I had two options: run or fight. Running wasn’t viable with those tentacles blocking me, so fighting it was.
“No choice,” I decided, steeling myself. “I’ll figure it out while fighting!”
First, speed. The tentacles were fast, but I could keep up if I stayed focused. I dodged them, closing in on the creature in the center of the room. It seemed to dislike me getting closer, as its tentacle swings sped up.
“Guh!” I grunted, barely dodging or parrying with my dagger as I advanced.
Then, it spat a liquid that grazed my body.
“Gah! Acid?!” I exclaimed, wincing.
The grazed spot burned like a fire, and the floor smoked and melted where the liquid hit. Getting hit full-on would be deadly.
“Then take this!” I shouted.
I threw the Swiftstrike Dagger, embedding it in the boss’s head, then dashed past, retrieving the dagger as I ran.
“That should do it,” I said confidently.
The dagger hit its mark. Most monsters would be done for. But instead of dying, the wound closed instantly, and a tentacle wrapped around my arm, catching me.
“What?!” I gasped.
The boss hurled me toward the wall. I twisted midair, landing with a roll to recover quickly.
“What the hell is that thing…?” I muttered, my voice low with frustration.
I’d only meant to test its speed, but I confirmed its insane regeneration, acid attack, and throwing strength. Close combat was definitely a no-go. The tentacles were a problem at range, and I’d underestimated its speed, thinking my agility would outmatch its bulk. Big mistake. No melee, period.
But if I knew that…
“I’ll just attack from a distance!” I declared.
Sheathing the Swiftstrike Dagger, I pulled the Dragonwood Bow from my 【Item Box】 and fired an arrow made by 【Magic Arrow】. It flew straight, tearing into the creature’s fleshy mass. But it kept moving, swinging its arms and tentacles in a frenzied attack, clearly annoyed.
“That’s not gonna hit me,” I taunted, dodging with ease and firing another arrow.
It tore more flesh, but the earlier wounds were already regenerating.
“This is gonna be a slog…” I muttered, frowning.
I could probably avoid defeat like this, but winning seemed unlikely. Unless…
“That’s if I don’t use this,” I said, grinning. “Pierce it! 【Magic Light Arrow】!!!”
A massive arrow, far larger than a normal 【Magic Arrow】, shot out, piercing the boss’s body and blowing it apart with a shockwave.
…I couldn’t secure Tagaya, but I hope they’ll forgive me for that.
But the fight wasn’t over.
“…Huh?” I muttered, stunned.
The boss’s scattered pieces began gathering, reforming into a single mass.
“No way…?” I whispered, my voice trembling.
Not only that, but the tentacles had multiplied, and the flesh seemed to have grown.
“Seriously…?” I gasped.
Even 【Magic Light Arrow】 couldn’t finish it? As I processed this, the creature lashed out with multiple tentacles, faster than before, forcing me to dodge desperately.
“Damn it!” I cursed, scrambling.
“How do I kill this thing?!” I shouted, my mind racing.
No immediate solution came, so I kept dodging, searching for a way to break through. Think. How do I kill it? The earlier attack missed, so I’d need to slip through the tentacles to land a hit. But doing that while dodging their numbers was nearly impossible. I could manage at range with the Dragonwood Bow, but even my strongest 【Magic Light Arrow】 didn’t work. What kind of killing blow would work?
Think. Think, think, think, think…
Hah. This is bad, but… yeah, this is it. I’m exploring the unknown right now. Back when I was weak, I never fought unknown enemies. Even now, with my combat style set, I research dungeon monsters and bosses beforehand. That’s been my explorer life. But this is different.
This boss is strong. A true threat. An unknown entity. I have to figure out its strategy myself, or it’ll kill me. That’s the kind of opponent I’m facing.
Alright, back to basics. Like in the beginning—think and think again about how to take it down safely and efficiently. Trial and error? Bring it on.
“Let’s do this, boss,” I said, my voice steady with resolve.
I avoided attacking, focusing on dodging and observing its movements. It seemed to power up with each regeneration, so I had to be cautious. My strongest 【Magic Light Arrow】 didn’t kill it, so how far could it regenerate? Probably not endlessly—some of the scattered flesh wasn’t absorbed, so if I could break it into small enough pieces, it might not recombine.
The problem was those tentacles. They were too troublesome—fast, powerful, and capable of grabbing me. Getting close was a death sentence. The arms likely had even more power, and there was the acid to worry about. Distance fighting was my only option.
As I thought this, the boss, impatient with my dodging, slammed its four arms into the ground.
“Guo… OH!!” it roared.
It grabbed the shattered debris with its tentacles and hurled it at me.
“…” I stayed calm, drawing on my early experiences, dodging relentlessly. I cut down unavoidable debris with the Swiftstrike Dagger, observing its actions and thinking.
From its earlier attacks and this new move, it could handle both close and long-range combat, but not perfectly. The tentacles were a physical threat, but it couldn’t counter my 【Magic Arrow】 attacks effectively. As long as I kept dodging, I had the edge at range.
Summing it up, my best option was—
“【Magic Light Arrow】!!!” I shouted.
I fired another massive arrow, piercing its body and scattering it with a shockwave. The pieces began moving to recombine, but I was ready.
“【Multi Lock-On】! 【Magic Arrow】!!!” I yelled.
Using 【Multi Lock-On】, I targeted every piece and fired eight 【Magic Arrow】 arrows at once. I could’ve used the Swiftstrike Dagger to shred them, but if nearby pieces recombined during that, it’d be a hassle. So, I ended it here. The bow wasn’t enough for this many targets, so I held four arrows in each hand, firing eight simultaneously to pulverize the fragments further.
I confirmed they weren’t regenerating, then targeted another set of fragments with eight more arrows.
“Ora ora ora ora ora ora!!!” I roared, throwing arrow after arrow.
As long as I had MP, I kept creating and throwing arrows at the fragments. The 【Magic Arrow】 barrage filled the air like a meteor shower, each transparent arrow piercing the boss’s flesh. No matter how it tried to regenerate, the arrows shredded it faster.
The sight was nothing short of spectacular.
Before I knew it, the boss’s body, Tagaya included, was reduced to unrecognizable fragments. But it still wasn’t over. The chunks I hadn’t hit began forming smaller masses, lunging at me. No tentacles, mouth, arms, or legs—just a final, desperate struggle.
“Sorry, but I win,” I declared.
I sliced the lunging mass with the Swiftstrike Dagger, activated 【Multi Lock-On】 again, and fired 【Magic Arrow】 at every fragment.
“Here’s the finisher,” I said.
I unleashed a massive 【Magic Arrow】 at the last large fragment with full force. With its guaranteed hit, there was no escape. The boss had no means to counter, and I attacked relentlessly until it stopped moving entirely.
I stood there, staring at the motionless remains. “So it wasn’t even a monster anymore—just some other creature,” I mused.
That felt like the most logical explanation. As for Tagaya, he was… fused? Absorbed? Either way, he wasn’t human anymore. Definitely not.
“Not being able to question Tagaya hurts,” I admitted. “But if I hadn’t done this, I might’ve died…”
There’s no doubt Tagaya caused this stampede and the boss’s mutation. I vaguely recall him shouting at nothing earlier, which supports that. His 【Wrath】 skill is another concern. Damn it, not securing Tagaya really stings.
“For now, I’ve got proof of the kill,” I said, resolute. “I won’t figure out more by thinking, so I’ll let the Association handle it.”
I couldn’t bring back the bodies of the wiped-out party. By the time I report and return, the dungeon will have absorbed them, leaving only their equipment. That’s a flaw of the 【Item Box】—it can’t store bodies. It’s a grim upside, though, preventing people from hiding corpses to make others “disappear.” The world’s a messy place.
With only a few black bags and no way to carry them together, I offered a silent prayer for the fallen and left the boss room.
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