Chapter 36
Unlike the 〈Beginner Dungeon〉, the boss room in the 〈Tropical Forest Dungeon〉 is outdoors.
Maybe I should call it a boss field. The boss was waiting at the far end of a circular clearing.
“That’s the boss of the 〈Tropical Forest Dungeon〉. It’s called the 〈Bear Anteater〉.”
“A bear... anteater? Is it a bear? Is it an anteater?”
“...It’s an anteater.”
At least, that’s how it’s classified.
The 〈Bear Anteater〉 is a boss variant of the 〈Quill〉 we encountered along the way, but its behavior is a lot like a bear’s. It stands on two legs, attacks with its powerful arms, and moves quickly on all fours. And it doesn’t use its tongue.
Honestly, I think it’s more accurate to call it a bear that looks like an anteater. That’s the kind of boss it is.
Hannah and I sat in the innermost Safety Area, eating the lunch she’d brought while watching the boss inside.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? We can see it right there, but we can’t touch it or go in, and it doesn’t even react to us...”
When Hannah reached out from the Safety Area toward the boss room, something like a barrier stopped her.
That’s how field-type dungeons work: you can’t enter the boss room unless you pass through the proper gate. No matter what Skills you use, you can’t damage the boss from outside.
“Yeah. ...Whoa! This rice ball has an omelet and grilled chicken inside!?”
“Hehe, tasty, right?”
“It’s delicious!”
Seriously, it was delicious. I never expected that combination.
Apparently, Hannah had made this special lunch using drops from the 〈Beginner Dungeon〉. She proudly showed it off, so I made sure to praise her a lot.
“Now, what’s in this rice ball... Hannah, there’s nothing inside?”
“Oh, I made the whole inside out of rice.”
“That’s just a salted rice ball!”
So I’d been mistaken. Oh, but it’s nicely salted and delicious.
Besides, the beautiful Hannah had made these rice balls with her own hands. I had no complaints. As if I would.
I’d never had a girl make rice balls for me in my previous life, after all.
As I ate Hannah’s food, still a little lost in sentiment, the salt tasted stronger than before.
“All right, shall we get going? Hannah, stick to the plan and stay back. Just have the Potions ready.”
“Okay. Got it. Be careful too, Zephyrus-kun.”
“I’m new to boss monsters too, so I’ll be careful. But it’s only a lower-tier beginner 〈Shocker〉 boss. If I struggle here, I’m in trouble.”
I said it lightly to reassure Hannah.
In 〈Dan-Katsu〉, the 〈Bear Anteater〉 had a wide range of behaviors and attacks, making it difficult to prepare for. But it was still just a lower-tier beginner 〈Shocker〉 boss. The sad truth was, you could brute-force your way to victory.
After all, it was designed to be beatable even by beginners who’d just cleared the Tutorial.
That’s the fate of a first boss monster. It can’t be helped.
I readied the 〈Sky Series〉 and passed through the gate. Hannah followed me in.
The 〈Bear Anteater〉’s red eyes turned toward us, and the boss that hadn’t moved at all until then sprang into action.
Oh-ho. It’s pretty imposing in real life. As you’d expect from a boss, it’s bigger than me and has an intimidating presence.
“All right, here I go. 'Appeal'!”
I stepped forward and struck a sharp pose with 'Appeal' before the 〈Bear Anteater〉 could target Hannah, drawing its attention to me.
“Grrrr!”
Its red eyes fixed on me as if they could pierce right through me.
Even though I knew what to expect, it was pretty scary. Nothing like fighting the Goblin.
“Graaah!”
“Right off the bat, 'Brave Slash'!”
When there was some distance between us, the 〈Bear Anteater〉 had a habit of charging straight at me.
I took advantage of that and prepared to meet it with 'Brave Slash'.
I waited for the right moment, then swung upward in a single slash.
“Gah!”
“Whoa!”
My 'Brave Slash' landed squarely on its face, but I was a little too slow to dodge the 〈Bear Anteater〉 as it kept charging despite flinching. I failed to knock it back.
It clipped my leg, costing me 4 HP and leaving a tiny wound.
“Whoa there. So this is what taking damage in real life feels like...”
“Zephyrus-kun, are you okay!?”
“Yeah, it only grazed me! It doesn’t hurt at all, so I’m fine!”
I called back to Hannah. The wound barely hurt at all.
That’s because in real-life 〈Dan-Katsu〉, HP absorbs most of the damage and also reduces the pain you feel.
Hearing about it and actually experiencing it were completely different, but it wasn’t enough to make me panic.
I readied myself again and turned to face the 〈Bear Anteater〉.
We weren’t far apart. Holding my shield in front of me, I charged at it this time.
“Graaah!”
The 〈Bear Anteater〉 rose onto its hind legs, drew back both arms, and slashed at me.
I knew that attack, so I decided to block it with my shield.
With a loud clang, it slammed into my shield. Despite the noise, only a little force traveled back through my arms.
I’d wondered how powerful it would be, but against my STR and VIT stats—both over 70—and with my 〈Sky Series〉 equipment, its attack was far too weak to worry about.
I can handle this.
I activated 'Brave Slash' again, its cooldown having just ended.
As it swung its powerful arm, I dodged and slipped inside its guard, slashing with a flash of blue light.
“Hah!”
“Gah! Gagagah...”
Oh, I got a critical hit.
The 〈Bear Anteater〉 took massive damage all at once, and its movements stopped. It was down!
Now’s my chance!
I couldn’t use 'Brave Slash' because of its cooldown, so I kept slashing with normal attacks.
“Gagagagagaaaah!”
Its HP hit 0, and the 〈Bear Anteater〉 vanished, engulfed in a huge burst of effects.
Two 'Brave Slashes' and a few normal attacks with the Sky Sword. It felt almost exactly like fighting the 〈Bear Anteater〉 in the game.
And just like that, my first battle with a boss monster was over in no time.
A huge pile of drops was left behind.