Chapter 59
Hanna seemed to get the hang of it quickly and made MP Potions one after another.
In just 30 minutes, she made an incredible 57 high-quality MP Potions and 22 regular MP Potions. I couldn't thank her enough.
We couldn't possibly use that many today, so we'd continue after getting back. For now, I put away the 〈Alchemy Set〉.
I gulped down a few of them, restoring almost all my MP, so I could challenge the boss without waiting for natural recovery. What a lifesaver.
Waiting for natural recovery takes forever, so MP Potions will be essential from now on.
Since this was Hanna's first time fighting the boss, I had her wait in the Safety Area while I challenged it solo.
The boss room was surrounded by vines. When I held my hand over the gate, the vines drew back, opening the way inside.
"All right, I'm off!"
"Okay. Good luck, Zephyrus-kun!"
To live up to Hanna's utterly untroubled confidence in me—and to get our guild going—I was going to make short work of an Intermediate Beginner boss.
"Ah."
The instant I stepped inside, I understood.
Oh, this is going to be a slog. No doubt about it.
The boss, which should normally have already spawned and be waiting for challengers, was nowhere to be seen.
But the teleportation circle wasn't glowing. That left only one possibility.
The boss of the 〈Wild Herb Grassland Dungeon〉 was a 〈Night Goblin〉.
An armed goblin riding a huge wolf, accompanied by two Sword Goblins and two regular Goblins.
But if none of them were anywhere to be seen, that meant...
Ah, I rolled a rare boss.
A few things happen in Intermediate Beginner Dungeons that you don't see in Lower Beginner Dungeons.
For example, in Intermediate Beginner Dungeons, you can't see inside the boss room from the Safety Area.
That's why I didn't realize there was a rare boss event until I entered the boss room.
Lower Beginner Dungeons are still meant for players who've just graduated from the tutorial, so they're very easy. There are no traps, you can see the boss, and the boss monster is weak enough for a solo player at the same level to take down.
And the most important thing about Intermediate Beginner Dungeons is that rare bosses can appear.
Rare bosses can occasionally appear in Intermediate Beginner Dungeons. The odds are incredibly low, so normally you'd use consumable items and the like to summon one.
But this time, it seemed I'd hit that low-probability roll naturally.
Normally, I'd be thrilled and call it lucky, but this was a little complicated.
Because I'm alone (solo), after all.
From Intermediate Beginner onward, bosses get absurdly strong, and party play is basically a requirement.
A rare boss can be as strong as a boss from Upper Beginner.
The reason I was confident I could clear Intermediate Beginner practically solo this time was largely that I was counting on brute-forcing my way through with my 〈Sky Series〉 gear.
Honestly, a Level 21 solo player taking on a boss at Upper Beginner level would be reckless.
"Ahh, but I've got 〈Sky〉 gear. Maybe I can do this?"
Normally, it would definitely be reckless. But after checking my stats, Skill setup, equipment, and items again, and thinking about how strong a rare boss was... I couldn't help thinking I might be able to manage it.
Well, I might as well see how it goes.
Just as I finished sorting out my thoughts, the space at the back began to glow at just the right moment.
It was the rare boss's spawn effect.
The one that appeared was a 〈Goblin Emperor〉.
It wore a gleaming crown and a red cape; otherwise, it was half-naked, with muscles even more obnoxious than a 【Muscle Warrior】's.
It held a rod in its left hand and a sword in its right.
It could use magic and fight up close. A real pain to deal with.
All right, I'll start with a preemptive strike.
"'Shine Lightning'!"
The spell shot from the tip of my 〈Sky Sword〉 and struck the newly appeared 〈Goblin Emperor〉.
It was an area attack, so its power wasn't particularly high, but the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 was more susceptible to magic.
Magic wasn't my specialty, but the 〈Sky Sword〉's magic power should've helped me deal a decent amount of damage.
"Gogyaaaah!"
But the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 charged right at me, completely unfazed by the magic.
Whoa, not even any knockback? I hit it directly, but it doesn't look like I did a thing!
"'Sonic Sword'!"
A slash unleashed with a swift movement.
I used it to dodge.
I moved sharply to the side, and the 〈Goblin Emperor〉's attack struck the spot where I'd been standing.
"That was close!"
That was thrilling.
"Goraaah!"
Magic this time?!
A 'Fireball' shot from the rod in its left hand.
I dodged it easily. It didn't look much different from Hanna's, so I had no trouble avoiding it.
"There we go! My turn now! 'Brave Slash'!"
I unleashed a powerful blow on the 〈Goblin Emperor〉, blue effects spilling from my 〈Sky Sword〉.
"Goraaahhh!"
It crossed its sword and rod to block, but that's the 〈Sky Sword〉's 'Brave Slash' for you. The blow broke through its guard, and the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 staggered.
As expected, the power was more than enough. I could tell it had taken a lot of damage even through its guard.
A debuff icon appeared over the 〈Goblin Emperor〉, too. 'Brave Slash' lowered the target's Defense.
I'd have liked to follow up, but it was rough that my attack Skills were on cooldown.
With no choice, I swung my sword in a regular attack.
Thanks to the 〈Sky Sword〉's attack power, it should've hit harder than an ordinary Skill attack.
"Gaaaah!"
The 〈Goblin Emperor〉 swung its sword and rod in return.
I blocked the sword with my shield, but its rod struck my 〈Sky Armor〉.
"Ow! You little—!"
It didn't hurt as much as I'd expected. It just surprised me.
My armor and HP barrier were doing a good job.
But even a little pain was still pain.
My anger meter went up.
"Gaaaah!"
Its anger meter was rising, too.
"Look at those muscles! In 〈Dan-Katsu〉, muscle builds are a joke!"
I landed a blow, loaded with all the frustration I'd built up until now, right in the 〈Goblin Emperor〉's chest.
"Gobaaaaah!"
Its rod slammed into me as if to say it didn't give a damn.
"Gah! You bastard!"
Just like that, the two of us began trading blows without either giving an inch.
My 〈Sky Sword〉 slashed its arms, waist, stomach, chest, neck, and head.
I could block all the goblin's sword attacks with my shield, but that rod in its left hand was a pain. Every time I attacked with my sword, it hit me right back.
I didn't have much HP left.
I cursed inwardly. Who wants to get into a battle of attrition with a boss?! Bosses have way too much HP!
Though I was the one who started the battle of attrition!
With no choice, I backed away and healed.
"'Aura Heal'!"
'Aura Heal' restored a moderate amount of HP—half my maximum.
But in the meantime, the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 had raised its sword.
I saw a red effect. It was the animation for a Skill.
The 〈Goblin Emperor〉's movements from the game replayed in my mind.
'Goblin Style: Deadly Crushing Sword'!
"Gogyaaaah!"
The 〈Goblin Emperor〉 brought its sword down as if to say, 'This finishes it!' But as if I'd let that hit me!
"'Sonic Sword'!"
I used 'Sonic Sword' to make an emergency dodge.
Then I circled around behind it and slashed.
"Goraaah?!"
My 'Sonic Sword' strike caught it while it was locked in its Skill animation, landing a critical hit.
I managed to knock the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 down for a few seconds.
"All right, you're wide open! 'Brave Slaaash'!"
My strongest attack struck the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 as if drawn to it.
"Goooooh..."
The 〈Goblin Emperor〉's HP hit zero, and it sank into a sea of effects and disappeared.