[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 91 – Raid Dungeon (8)
How should we attack the boss’s gimmick?
Ketal looked around.
The wide cavern.
Party members were busily moving the fainted mercenaries.
And the chains on the ground.
The changes that occurred as the boss entered the hidden phase were that the hole in its chest closed and the chains came undone.
The loose chains were still lying on the ground.
‘Maybe I can use those.’
Just like with the previous gimmick, let’s try to restrain the four arms with the loosened chains.
There were many cases where you could clear it by repeating the gimmick.
Ketal moved decisively.
He reached out toward the charging boss.
Crash.
He clenched his fist and struck down hard.
The cavern shook violently.
The monster let out a scream.
[Kaahhhh!]
Ketal began to pick up the chains from the ground and bind the boss’s arms.
The handcuffs were open, so he couldn’t bind them in a normal way.
So, Ketal decided to just wrap the chains tightly around the arms.
Of course, the boss didn’t stay still.
Who would quietly wait while their arms were being chained?
It shook its arms violently, trying to shake off Ketal.
Ketal found the movement annoying.
“Stay still.”
He was trying to deal with the gimmick but kept getting interrupted.
He stomped on the boss’s body with a bit of irritation.
A loud noise erupted.
The boss let out a sound like it was coughing up blood.
Although it was immune to physical damage and didn’t get any wounds, it felt the impact.
As the boss calmed down a bit, Ketal wrapped the chains tightly.
‘Next, wrap it around the pillars at the edges.’
Ketal moved toward the edge with the chains.
But there were no pillars there.
‘Ah.’
Come to think of it, all the pillars had sunk into the ground when it entered the hidden phase.
He had bound the chains but there was nothing to attach them to.
After a moment of thinking, Ketal made a decision.
‘I’ll just jam it into the wall. Whatever.’
He took the chains and thrust them into the wall.
Cracks appeared as the chains embedded deeply.
He did this with all four arms, securing them to the edge of the cavern.
Ketal looked at the boss with a satisfied smile.
[Kaaah!]
The boss struggled.
Nothing special happened.
“Maybe this isn’t it.”
[Kaaah!]
Crack! Crack!
The chains embedded in the wall were forcibly pulled out.
The boss, with an enraged expression, swung its arms.
The chains scraped the ground harshly as they flew toward Ketal.
“I don’t need these anymore.”
Ketal grabbed the incoming chain and crushed it with force, turning it into powder.
“Now then.”
Ketal smiled broadly.
What should he try next?
He pondered while dodging the boss’s attacks.
Ketal stared at the boss’s face.
Large eyes.
And in contrast, small nose and mouth.
Their size was similar to that of a human.
The opponent didn’t take any physical damage.
It was practically in an invincible state.
And there was one way to defeat such an enemy.
Ketal moved his feet.
His body flew through the air.
In an instant, he reached right in front of the boss’s eyes.
[Ka.]
Ketal’s figure filled the boss’s large eyes.
As the boss panicked and tried to respond, Ketal’s hand grabbed the boss’s head.
Boom!
He slammed it down.
This time, the boss couldn’t even scream.
The reason was simple.
Ketal’s hand was covering both the mouth and nose.
‘This method is standard too.’
An opponent immune to physical damage.
But invincibility doesn’t mean they don’t need to breathe.
By cutting off their breath, you can kill them.
Ketal had seen quite a few works where invincible opponents were dealt with this way.
It was worth a try.
The boss couldn’t even cry out.
A powerful force gripped its mouth and nose.
It was the kind of strength and pressure one would feel from being buried under a mountain.
The boss flailed its arms desperately to attack Ketal and break free.
Unlike before, Ketal didn’t dodge or counterattack.
He couldn’t, as he was holding onto the boss’s face.
Boom!
Each time the boss’s fists hit Ketal’s body, a shockwave erupted.
The boss was strong.
According to Cartman, it was superhuman strength, capable of dominating nature and cleaving everything in two.
But it was meaningless.
Ketal’s body didn’t budge an inch.
The boss repeatedly pummeled him, but Ketal appeared unscathed.
The boss felt like going mad.
Thus, 30 minutes passed.
The boss’s movements became somewhat sluggish, but it seemed more like it was exhausted because Ketal hadn’t budged an inch.
The attempt to block its breathing didn’t seem to have much effect.
“This isn’t working either, huh. Then what’s the point of having a nose?”
Ketal let go.
The boss roared as if it had been holding back.
[Kyaaaaaaa!]
The scream echoed through the cavern.
It staggered as it stood up, glaring at Ketal with eyes full of hatred.
The boss charged wildly.
Ketal extended his arms, grabbed the boss’s arms, and slammed it down.
The boss’s body was pinned to the ground.
Ketal then grabbed the boss’s tail.
“How about you go back into the hole you came out of?”
Ketal dragged the boss along.
The boss clawed at the ground, trying to resist, but it was futile.
It looked like a child being forcibly dragged by a parent.
Ketal threw the boss into the hole in the ground.
The scream grew distant.
Boom!
After a while, the sound of it hitting the bottom echoed.
Ketal looked down with interest.
“It’s pretty deep. How far down does it go?”
[Kaaaah!]
The boss clung to the wall, climbing back up.
“Oh, you’re climbing out!”
Ketal laughed joyfully.
Although it was a meaningless effort, it wasn’t sad or tiring at all.
It was actually fun. Trial and error is also part of the fun of clearing a challenge, isn’t it?
‘What should I try next?’
Ketal thought happily.
* * *
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“Ah…”
The party members watched with grim faces.
At first, they had marveled at Ketal’s strength.
They were thrilled at the possibility of survival and amazed at his power overwhelming the boss.
But as time passed, their awe faded, replaced by fear.
[Kyaaaaa!]
The boss roared.
The mere sound made their bodies stiffen reflexively.
The boss was strong.
It had easily defeated Cartman, an elite mercenary.
It was a monster they couldn’t hope to defeat even if they died and came back to life a hundred times.
Yet, that very boss was being toyed with by Ketal.
Of course, from Ketal’s perspective, he was simply moving to find a way to conquer the boss.
The boss didn’t die, so it was natural for him to keep trying to find a strategy.
But to the party members, it looked like Ketal was just playing with the boss, despite having the power to overwhelm it.
The most disturbing thing was Ketal’s expression.
“H-he’s smiling,”
Marcy muttered in a trembling voice.
As if the boss’s struggle was amusing, as if he was enjoying the situation.
Ketal’s face never lost its smile.
It wasn’t simply the smile of someone enjoying the battle.
If it were, it wouldn’t be so frightening.
It was something different.
It was more alien.
It was the smile of someone finding the entire situation entertaining.
The boss was a monster.
So what did that make Ketal, who toyed with such a monster?
[Kyaaaaa!]
At some point, the boss no longer tried to fight.
It was trying to escape from Ketal.
The boss turned and desperately tried to flee.
“Oh no, you don’t.”
Ketal grabbed its tail and pulled it back.
The boss’s body crashed to the ground.
[Kaa! Kaa!]
The boss resisted, but its movements lacked the vigor they had before.
The boss couldn’t die.
At first, it had tried to win somehow, but now it knew better than anyone that it was impossible.
The boss was now scared.
Ketal’s power was terrifying, but what was even scarier were the eyes watching it.
Eyes that didn’t see it as a living being.
To this human, it was nothing more than a fun toy.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It didn’t want to be this human’s toy any longer.
It wanted to escape.
Up until now, it had been proud of its immunity to all damage unless the gimmick was solved, but now it only felt regret for it.
…No!
The boss opened its eyes wide.
It was the ruler of this dungeon.
It had been promised the dominion over higher realms by devouring these invading humans.
It couldn’t afford such pitiful thoughts.
What if the opponent is stronger?
What if it treats it like a toy?
It just needed to fight and win!
[Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!]
The boss rose violently.
Its body swelled.
Its arms doubled in size, and its tail grew longer as if shedding its skin.
Through sheer willpower, it had reached a growth limit it would normally be unable to attain.
[Uwooooo!]
It swung its fist with anger and pride.
Boom!
And the fist stopped.
Ketal caught it with one hand and nodded.
“A second hidden phase? Interesting.”
Ketal exerted strength in his hand, and the boss’s body slammed into the wall.
[Ugh, ugh….]
The determination in the boss’s eyes slowly faded.
Its movements lost their vitality.
“Hmm.”
Ketal pondered.
He had tried most of the strategies available in the current situation, but the boss remained unharmed.
This meant the boss couldn’t be defeated through conventional means.
After a moment of contemplation, Ketal picked up his axe.
When the chains had been bound, the boss’s chest had split open.
Although it had closed again when the hidden phase began, it indicated that part was a weakness.
‘Shall I try going all out?’
The boss was immune to physical damage.
But perhaps that was only because Ketal hadn’t used his full strength.
Ketal’s eyes grew serious as he raised his axe.
And at that moment, the boss felt a chill.
It was invincible.
It wouldn’t take damage until the gimmick was solved.
But something about that axe felt different.
It would die.
That fear flashed through the boss’s mind.
[K-Kaaaaa!]
The boss suddenly thrashed about.
It hurriedly moved away from Ketal and began doing something on its own.
Upon closer inspection, it was deactivating its own gimmick.
And shortly after.
Screeeee!
The boss’s body began to emit light.
Its body slowly disintegrated into dust.
Even as it died, the boss had an expression of relief, finally being free.
The boss disappeared.
“…Huh?”
The party members, who had been watching in trembling fear, widened their eyes.
‘…Did the dungeon boss just commit suicide?’
[PR/N: BRO GOT TRAUMA HAHAHHHA]
That’s what it looked like.
The expression on the boss’s face as it disintegrated clearly showed relief, even they could see that.
But they couldn’t accept this fact.
Dungeon bosses are monsters.
They don’t fear death, and even if their limbs are torn off, they would launch themselves to bite their opponents’ necks.
Such a creature committing suicide out of fear?
It was an absurdity.
“Hm?”
Ketal also momentarily hesitated, not understanding the sudden change in situation.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
“A self-destruct pattern, huh.”
The boss had destroyed itself.
Whether it was because he had inflicted a certain amount of damage or due to the passage of time, this seemed to be another method of defeating it.
Ketal stretched.
It was a somewhat satisfying strategy.
He turned his gaze.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes! We’re fine!”
Gainert stood at attention like a newly enlisted soldier.
The sudden formality was puzzling, but Ketal didn’t mind it much as the situation was satisfactory.
“Then we should wake the unconscious ones.”
The mercenaries were still unconscious.
Gainert hurriedly nodded.
“I’ll wake them.”
He rushed over to the unconscious Cartman.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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