Chapter 60
Somehow, I ended up battered and bruised, but I managed to defeat the 〈Goblin Emperor〉.
“Ahh, what is this? This feels so damn good.”
Lying sprawled across the boss room floor, gazing up at the sky—which was turning red with the sunset despite this being a dungeon—I basked in the sense of fulfillment spreading through my whole body.
The back-and-forth brawl with the 〈Goblin Emperor〉.
And then the sequence from dodging that 'Goblin Style: Deadly Crushing Sword' with 'Sonic Sword' to the final finish with 'Brave Slash.'
What was that? It felt so damn good.
That was insanely fun! (A roar from the depths of my heart.)
There were so many things I couldn't do or feel back in the 〈Dan-Katsu〉 game days that my mind couldn't process them all.
I wanted to savor it more.
This was what it meant to be moved.
I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Leveling up, equipping powerful gear, and mowing down monsters.
Not something so game-like, but something more like a technique.
I was finally experiencing what it felt like to play a game through real-life action, something that didn't exist back in the game days.
And on top of that, this battle...
It was what you'd call “godlike.”
Just remembering that final sequence made my face split into a huge grin.
I gazed in delight at the badge proving I'd cleared the 〈Wild Herb Grassland Dungeon〉, which had somehow ended up in my hand, holding it up to the sky to watch it sparkle.
“Real-life 〈Dan-Katsu〉 is way too much fun~”
“What are you doing, Zephyrus-kun?”
“Huh?”
Looking up, I saw Hanna tilting her head as she looked down at me. Apparently, she'd come up beside me without my noticing.
I hadn't noticed her at all. I must've been so caught up in the moment.
Although I was looking up at her, Hanna was wearing a long skirt, so I couldn't see anything. Not that I was looking for anything in particular.
“You beat the boss. Congratulations, Zephyrus-kun.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Hanna.”
“But you're all beat up. And you only have half your HP left.”
My HP had dipped into the red zone for a while there.
Seriously, with my high VIT and the 〈Sky Series〉 equipped, taking this much damage... Rare bosses are no joke.
“The boss was a rare one. It was definitely fun... I mean, tough.”
“Rare?!”
Hanna's startled voice echoed through the boss room.
“You beat a rare boss?!”
“Yeah. It wasn't easy, though—in fact, that was the first real fight I'd had.”
As Hanna hurried over, I nodded gravely with an appropriately stern expression.
But remembering the fight with the 〈Goblin Emperor〉 made my expression relax into a grin again.
“But, as expected of you, Zephyrus-kun. I've heard rare bosses are incredibly strong, and you beat one all by yourself...”
Hanna's admiring gaze felt wonderful.
It wasn't very dignified to keep lying there, so, reluctantly, I got up.
“I think rare bosses drop incredible loot because they're so strong, right?”
“You bet. There should be some amazing treasure inside those.”
Two large golden treasure chests sat where Hanna and I were looking.
A 〈Gold Chest〉—guaranteed to contain rare loot.
“All right, Hanna, collect the boss drops like you usually do. I'll go open the chests in the meantime.”
“What?! No way, Zephyrus-kun! I want to watch you open the treasure chest, too!”
“Hanna, you always want to open the chests the moment I look away. Since I cleared this solo, I have the right to open both of them.”
“I know, but... please, let me open just one! I've never opened a Gold Chest before. If I don't get the chance now, I might never get to open one in my whole life.”
I looked at Hanna as she pressed her palms together and begged.
It was true that Hanna should probably dedicate herself to crafting soon. It was already unusual for Hanna, who wasn't even a combat class, to have come with me all the way to Intermediate Beginner.
Crafters usually devoted themselves to production once the second-tier Skills unlocked at LV20.
But if she became a full-time crafter, she'd have fewer chances to open treasure chests. She could go through her entire life without ever seeing a 〈Gold Chest〉.
Hmm. When I thought of it that way, maybe it was a little sad for her?
“Then just one.”
“Yeah. Yeah! Thank you, Zephyrus-kun! I'll make you something super delicious later to thank you—I made lots yesterday!”
Saying that, Hanna patted her 〈Item Bag (Capacity: Large)〉.
Maybe I was too soft on Hanna after all. (You could also say she'd won me over through my stomach.)
Well, we'd have plenty of chances to open 〈Gold Chests〉 from now on, so letting Hanna open one shouldn't hurt.
But I want to open 〈Gold Chests〉 too, so you can't do this every time, okay? You can't, got it? (I'm not confident.)
I stood in front of one of the 〈Gold Chests〉 and let Hanna open it first. Now, what was inside?
“Waaah. It's so cute! A white cat plushie!”
“Are you serious?!”
Hanna's words left me utterly dumbfounded.
I looked at what Hanna had taken out of the chest, then did a double take.
“W-What's wrong, Zephyrus-kun? Why are you making such a ridiculous face?”
“What's wrong? That's the 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉!”
“Lucky Cat-sama?”
The plushie in Hanna's arms was a maneki-neko made a hundred times cuter, with a cutesy design sure to go viral with girls. It was called the 〈Cat That Brings Good Fortune〉, or 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉 for short, and to us 〈Dan-Katsu〉 players, it was practically a god.
It had just one effect: granting 〈Good Fortune〉.
But that effect was incredible.
It increased rare drop rates and made it easier to encounter rare monsters, of course.
It could also occasionally increase the amount of drops or materials gathered, make items less likely to break—in short, it brought nothing but good things.
We 〈Dan-Katsu〉 players revered 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉 as a god, placing it on household altars and leaving offerings.
It was a divine item said to make a world of difference in how quickly you could clear the game.
It could drop from rare bosses starting in Intermediate Beginner, but if I lucked into a rare boss on my first try, did I get 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉 on my first try too?!
Damn, I feel like I used up more luck than winning first prize in the lottery!
I was scared of what the future held after getting this lucky.
I started to tremble, wondering if I'd used up all my luck.
“〈Lucky Cat-sama〉, please grant me good fortune!”
On impulse, I took the paw of 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉, still held in Hanna's arms.
I felt like 〈Lucky Cat-sama〉 nodded deeply. (It didn't, of course.)
Now it was my turn. I opened the Gold Chest, and what came out was...
“A 〈Rare Monster Flute (Boss)〉...?!”
〈Rare Monster Flute (Boss): A flute that awakens rare bosses. If they're in a bad mood, they'll attack you.〉.
Regardless of what it was based on, blowing it in a Safety Area increased the chance of a rare boss appearing in the boss room.
This was another huge win.
I could practically see the 〈Goblin Emperor〉's over-the-top, fervent plea for a rematch.
All right, let's go another round!
“Zephyrus-kun, did you get anything good?”
“You bet! This is another incredible jackpot! Sure, it has a limit of five uses before it breaks, but if you stop at four and repair it, you can use it five more times. There isn't any other item that lets you spawn rare bosses semi-permanently. Seriously.”
A 100% rare-boss spawn isn't impossible, but items like that are basically single-use. For something that summons a rare boss, being able to use the 〈Rare Monster Flute (Boss)〉 five times makes it a once-in-a-lifetime jackpot.
The problem was that there was no one around who could repair it right now, so I couldn't use it.
Maybe I'll see if I can find someone who can repair it in C Road next time.