Chapter 84
I summoned Flee and climbed onto its back.
Actually, I was much faster than Flee, but it was to save even a little bit of stamina before fighting the boss.
"Let's go, Flee."
It was time to find the spawned boss.
It was no different from Zone 3.
I planned to look around continuously in a clockwise direction, gradually widening the search from the Zone 4 Interior.
As I was riding Flee and sprinting across the Snowfield like that.
Hwooooo...
A faint sound reached my ears through the strong wind.
I raised my head.
How should I say 'a sound like something huge was flying'?
While looking around the sky to find the source of the sound...
"...!"
I soon found it.
The huge figure was visible across the sky.
What... is that?
A Monster with multiple heads, looking just like a Hydra, was flying toward this side at an incredible speed.
I had never seen such a Monster in Zone 4.
Moreover, it had an overwhelming size, even larger than the Zone 3 Boss, the wyvern.
There was no way a guy like that was a Normal Monster, so his identity could only be one thing.
‘It's the boss.’
...Is it a direct delivery service this time?
I didn't expect the boss to come toward me first.
It was good that it saved me time searching, but the problem was that I hadn't activated the Warp Device yet.
[9:59]
I quickly activated the fully charged Warp Device.
The Zone 4 Boss had almost fully approached.
Feeling it with my Sixth Sense, I realized it was indeed a strong enemy.
It didn't give me the feeling... that I shouldn't face it.
Shooooo-!
However
"...Huh?"
I thought it was coming toward me.
The boss just passed by and flew away with a swoosh into the sky over there.
What the?
Where is that guy going?
I was in a state of tension, but then I stared at the receding boss in bewilderment.
For now, I also have moved to follow it.
I rode Flee and sprinted at full speed to chase the flying boss.
As I barely managed to keep up without losing it.
Soon, the boss landed.
I also reduced my speed.
I slowly approached the boss that had landed in the middle of the Frozen Ground.
A monster with nine snake-like heads, its entire body made of ice.
But somehow it was strange.
Unlike the Zone 3 Boss that tried to kill me as soon as it spotted me, the Zone 4 Boss had no interest in me.
Kwakkwakkwakkwakwa!
Whether I approached closely or not, it was just digging up the Ice Ground like crazy with its front paws like a mole.
...What on earth is it doing?
[6:01]
I checked the time on the Warp Device.
More time had to pass, so I just watched the boss's eccentric behavior for now.
Soon, the boss, having dug a large hole, laid their body inside it.
How should I describe that sight?
It looked like a bird incubating eggs in a nest.
The Warp Device now has 3 minutes left.
Well... anyway, I should slowly start fighting, right?
I Unsummoned Flee.
I approached to the boss.
Only then did the boss look this way and let out a fierce roar.
Kyaaaaa-!
It looks like it has a mind to fight now.
I used Stop Time and pondered.
For the first attack, I was of course planning to shoot a Line of Destruction, but...
‘...Where should I attack?’
For any creature, the vital spot you can basically think of is naturally the head.
That's why I cleanly took care of the Zone 3 Boss by blowing off its head too.
This guy had nine heads.
I might be able to overlap and hit a few of them, but hitting all nine heads at once was impossible.
...Should I just hit the middle of its torso instead of the heads?
After pondering which would be more fatal, I concluded to hit the torso.
After finishing my Mental Concentration and using Time Release.
I shot a Full Charge Line of Destruction just like that.
The Jet-black Ray pierced right through the middle of the boss's torso with a bang.
The Destructive Power of the Line of Destruction was indeed at a level that made even the defense of a Level 80 boss pale in comparison.
However,
"...!"
The pierced hole froze over just like that and began to fill up in an instant.
What is that...
Does it even have regeneration abilities? Like the 3rd Floor boss?
It seems hitting the torso wasn't the right answer after all.
The boss, having casually recovered from the massive penetrating wound of the Line of Destruction, launched a counterattack.
As one of the boss's heads opened its mouth toward this side...
Intuition's Warning rang out.
Kwaaaaa!
A deep blue Breath Attack swept over the spot where I had been standing just a moment ago.
I threw my body to the side and dodged.
Whether it was an Ice Breath or not, the ground froze and a chilly coldness rushed all the way over here.
The other heads chased in the direction I was moving.
Pause for a moment.
I used Time Stop.
Let's think for a bit...
I confirmed that the Zone 4 Boss possessed regeneration abilities.
It was a super-fast regeneration ability even faster than the boss of the 3rd Floor.
‘Does this guy have a core too?’
Since it regenerated even after I pierced the center of its body, at least the core wouldn't be there...
No, I can't conclude that it has a core in the first place.
Still, it would have a vital spot.
It regenerates from the Hit of the Line of Destruction in an instant, but it doesn't even have a weakness?
Then it's just an immortal. That makes no sense.
I soon reached a conclusion.
‘I should try attacking the heads.’
There was no other particular answer.
If it even regenerates its heads... should I flee for now?
After finishing my Mental Concentration, I used Time Release.
Flame Strike was cast. Fireballs flew toward the boss's heads.
Kwaaaaang!
An explosion covered the boss's head.
I could see that it took a Hit, but...
‘...It's not regenerating!’
I saw that the wounds on the heads were not regenerating.
As expected, I have to attack the heads.
At that moment, another head opened its mouth toward this side.
I threw my body and dodged again.
Because the attack was somewhat predicted by my Sixth Sense, dodging the Breath Attack wasn't difficult.
Good, I can just go like this.
While dodging the boss's attacks, I maintained a certain distance and fired off Magic Skills as soon as their cooldowns returned. I also activated Scorching Zone.
The boss also showed no intention of moving from the hole and only shot Breath Attacks.
I was responding in the exact same way. Of course, I dodged everything and the boss got hit by everything.
I could deal more damage if I landed a hit from close range, but there was no need to take the risk of fighting up close.
Since the duration of Diul's Pitch-Black Fog wasn't long, I didn't use it and saved it.
As I kept flying around the boss and continuously launching Magic Bombardment...
Craaack!
Soon, one of the heads split and fell off, as if its durability had reached its limit.
Kuaaaaa-!
Of course, the boss was still moving perfectly fine.
I probably have to destroy all nine heads.
At this rate, the remaining heads would soon be too.
[0:09]
After canceling the Warp Device whose time was up.
I continued to accumulate damage on the boss without overdoing it in the same way.
Kwaaaaang!
As I launched a Flame Strike, one more head was destroyed.
I shot the Line of Destruction whose cooldown had returned, destroying three heads at the same time.
Perhaps its regeneration power dropped as its heads were destroyed. I could see that the body below the heads was slowly failing to regenerate the damage from the Scorching Zone.
Following that, I destroyed one more head with the Lightning Strike Skill, and now there were three heads left.
It was then.
Flap-!
The boss suddenly raised its body and began flapping wings.
As a cold wave raged around, I was pushed back slightly.
The boss slightly lifted its body as if trying to fly up into the Void.
Huh? This guy... is he trying to run away?
‘Where do you think you're going?’
Naturally, I couldn't let it run away.
I used the Leap Skill to approach the boss.
And I summoned Diul and immediately used Pitch-Black Fog.
Shaaaaa-
Darkness stretched out in all directions.
The boss, trapped in the range of the fog before it could lift, staggered and then collapsed straight onto the ground.
Since all of its body's senses would have been blocked, there was no way it could fly.
Kyaaaaa-!
The boss flailed and went crazy on the ground.
It shot Breath Attacks randomly in all directions.
But there was no way it could land an attack on me while seeing nothing, when it couldn't even hit me in a perfectly fine state...
I approached very close to the boss within the Pitch-Black Fog.
Activating the Light Sword.
Since it would try to run away again once the fog was lifted, I needed to take off all its heads before then.
While dodging the thrashing boss's movements, I focused my hits on one head.
Since the remaining heads had already taken qutheme a bit of damage, I cut it off quickly.
After blowing up another head by launching a Flame Strike whose cooldown had returned, he moved on to the next target.
Thrust-!
I approached the last remaining head and stabbed the Light Sword into it.
"Farewell."
Releasing the Pitch-Black Fog, I swiftly stepped back.
Kwaaaaang!
The Light Sword exploded, blowing away the boss's last head.
[The Zone 4 Boss has been defeated.]
[You have acquired the Zone 4 Boss Defeat Reward.]
[You have acquired the Zone 4 Boss First Defeat Reward.]
Messages popped up one after another.
"Phew."
It was a Clear Success.
Is this a fairly easy victory?
Still, this boss put up a fight that actually felt like a fight.
Soon, the corpse of the Zone 4 Boss disappeared.
Was it because the boss had shot Breath Attacks everywhere?
Feeling as if the surrounding chill had grown much stronger, I was about to head back.
"..."
At that moment, my eyes suddenly went to the hole.
Come to think of it... why did this guy do such an eccentric thing as digging a hole?
Even when fighting, it didn't move and kept its spot. Of course, it did try to run away at the end.
I approached to the hole.
As I looked down into the bottom of the hole...
"...?"
Something sparkled in the middle of the hole.
An ice crystal? A jewel? There was something like that.
I went down into the hole.
Hmm... what is this?
‘A reward?’
Weren't all Boss Rewards supposed to be received in the Reward Room?
I carefully reached out my hand toward the jewel.
Intuition's Warning didn't particularly ring, so I just picked up the jewel.
[Item: Heart of the Demon King of Frost]
It is the Heart of the Demon King of Frost that froze the World.
The information popped up.
‘...It's really an item?’
Heart of the Demon King of Frost?
But there was absolutely nothing in terms of a description.
As I tilted my head and examined the item...
[Item: Frost#$■◇Demon King^#◇▶%]
Suddenly, noise appeared in the description and the font broke strangely.
Wh-what?
The moment I panicked at this phenomenon that I was seeing for the first time.
"...!"
Suddenly, a shiver ran through me.
As if a chill were seeping into my mind...
The jewel dropped from my hand with a thud.
My mouth, which I hadn't even opened, opened on its own and let out a Gwangso.
"Kuhahahahahaha!"
...Huh?
My body wasn't listening to me.
Some other entity was controlling my body, a sensation as if my soul had been pushed back.
"Good, this is good! It's liberation!"
I swung my hand.
Kwaaaaaa!
Then a Great Chill raged and the entire area froze over.
What is this...
I couldn't figure out what on earth was happening.
I could only know one thing.
My body had been stolen by some weird guy.
‘Hey! Hey! What are you!’
When I shouted with my thoughts, that entity spoke.
"You're chattering too loudly, you lowly creature."
...Lowly creature? Me?
The guy muttered while clenching and unclenching his hand.
"It's a pathetic body, but well, I suppose I should be satisfied with this much. I shall put your flesh to good use."
What is this bastard saying.
Kwaang!
The guy leaped high and flew straight across the sky.
And then it came to a stop just like that.
Because I had stopped time.
Ah, this works.
I had lost control of my body, but I could still stop time.
- ...What is this? What's going on?
At that moment, a flustered voice echoed in my head. It was a voice like an old man.
Huh?
I had stopped time, but this entity was also speaking perfectly fine.
Is it because it entered my mind?
- You stopped time?
The guy seemed deeply flustered.
I also spoke.
‘Give me my body back. What did you do?’
- Is this your doing? What on earth did you do?
‘You can tell by looking. I stopped time.’
- No, I mean how... what kind of nonsense is that?
I am just as dumbfounded right now.
I caught the boss perfectly fine. So, what kind of mess is this?
I spoke again.
‘I said hurry up and give my body back.’
- Don't be ridiculous. Your flesh is now mine.
‘Who decided it's yours? I said give it back.’
- You're the one who needs to release this quickly!
Hah, what the hell is this bastard.
‘Then let's just stay like this.’
Anyway, I couldn't just let my body be stolen.
With time stopped, I listened to the voice of the Old Man chattering noisily.