Chapter 56
For now, we’d made it to the door behind which the 〈Dream Lord〉 of the 〈Centipede Tunnel〉 waited: the Rock Centipede, also known as the Stone Centipede.
Luche opened her 〈Status〉 and looked over at me.
“A-All right! I’ll put the points into 〈Fool’s Acrobatics〉, then?”
“Yeah. The Skill you get at 【18】 in 〈Fool’s Acrobatics〉 is a powerful asset for any type of Jester.”
During our time in the 〈Centipede Tunnel〉, Luche had gone from 【Lv: 39】 to 【Lv: 47】.
She currently had 【11】 Skill Points left.
That was enough to acquire a useful new Skill through 〈Fool’s Acrobatics〉.
In particular, the Skill she could get here would also be effective against the Stone Centipede.
While discussing how to deal with the Stone Centipede, I’d suggested that she spend her Skill Points on 〈Fool’s Acrobatics〉 here.
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【Skill Tree】
[Remaining Skill Points: 3]
〈Fool’s Acrobatics[18/100]〉【+8】
〈Great Luck[30/70]〉
〈Attack Up[0/50]〉
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Luche allocated her Skill Points.
“Oh! I got a Skill called 〈Acrobatic Flurry〉!”
〈Acrobatic Flurry〉, the 【18】 Skill in 〈Fool’s Acrobatics〉.
It was a Skill that let her slash at enemies with her knife while spinning in an irregular pattern.
Making use of her natural speed, she could spot an opening and overwhelm the enemy with a flurry of attacks. It was a Skill that could become the cornerstone of a Jester’s fighting style.
Especially now that her 〈Blacksteel Knife〉 had brought her Attack up to a respectable level, she could deal a lot of damage at once if she landed it well.
“You probably got the general idea from the Skill description, but it’s best to try it out once. Think of kicking off the ground to propel yourself into the air, then using Mana to maintain your spinning speed.”
“I see... Got it! I’ll give it a try!”
Luche kicked off the ground and quickly spun around, swinging her knife as she did.
After three rotations, she planted her feet on the ground.
She lost her balance a little and nearly fell, but quickly steadied herself.
“Looks like it works.”
“It definitely seems like I could get more attacks in, but I feel like there’d be an opening after I finished... If I’d used it against the Mithril Golem, I think a counterattack would’ve sent me flying.”
Luche shuddered.
“You’ll just have to get used to it and learn when to use it.”
Like 〈Acrobatic Flurry〉, combo-type Skills tend to leave you vulnerable at the end.
And because 〈Acrobatic Flurry〉 is so fast and unpredictable, the user can’t fully control their own fine movements while using it.
If an opponent read her movements and reacted, they could land a painful blow.
Skills like this were powerful, but they came with significant weaknesses.
“But you don’t have to worry this time. The Stone Centipede has a clear opening where you can land a combo Skill.”
“A clear opening...?”
I smiled and explained to Luche how we’d fight the Stone Centipede.
“Y-You’re right. If that works, we should be able to defeat it pretty easily...”
“At our current level, there’s honestly no room for failure. The Stone Centipede is a 〈Dream Lord〉 that’s quite easy to beat, as long as you know how.”
I pushed open the large door and headed into the deepest part of the 〈Dungeon〉, where the Stone Centipede waited.
Beyond the door lay an even larger chamber than any we’d seen so far.
The ground was uneven, and huge boulders were scattered all around.
“This is my first time entering the deepest part of a 〈Dungeon〉.”
“When we fought Embryo, it was in the 〈King’s Wandering〉.”
It was my first time reaching one in this world, too.
The deepest part of a 〈Dungeon〉 was often designed to embody that 〈Dungeon〉 and its 〈Dream Lord〉.
Here in the 〈Centipede Tunnel〉, enormous stalactites stretched down from the ceiling, and a thin layer of beautiful green water covered the floor. It was a fantastically beautiful place.
It was even more impressive than it had looked in the game.
If there were a view like this on Earth, it would surely be a World Heritage Site.
“...Not that I have time to enjoy the scenery.”
“Z-Zzzzz... Zzzzzzz...”
An eerie chittering echoed throughout the area.
When I looked up at the ceiling, I saw a gigantic centipede with gray armor, its body like a boulder, crawling along above us.
It had to be at least fifteen meters long.
“Our host has arrived.”
“Zzzzzzz...!”
With a thunderous crash, the Stone Centipede fell in front of us.
Its enormous jaws were aimed straight at Luche and me.
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Monster: Rock Centipede
Lv: 60
HP: 156/156
MP: 71/71
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The Rock Centipede, also known as the Stone Centipede.
It had an overwhelming amount of HP, high Attack and Defense, and exceptional speed.
It had both ranged and melee attacks, and its enormous size gave it the imposing presence befitting a 〈Dream Lord〉.
Players of 〈Magic World〉 lamented that it could have been a viciously difficult opponent, if only a few things about it had been different.
The game’s systems made high-level monsters that were easy to defeat highly prized, so beginner players were especially fond of it for that reason.
“Let’s take it down quickly, claim the experience and items, and then hurry back to Lacolina.”