Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Necro King Necredin (4)
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The time Necredin had granted us was 10 turns.
After 10 turns, berserk would trigger.
‘Typical DPS check boss.’
If damage numbers had popped up over its head, it probably would’ve felt pretty satisfying. After all, the damage we’d normally dealt would balloon fivefold with one AoE.
Looking back, its attacks weren’t as threatening as they’d seemed.
In a way, it had outright handed us the strategy. Pour all our firepower into it within 10 turns and break through.
If that’s what it wanted, then we’d oblige.
Single-target attacks were off the table.
They’d just get split five ways, reducing damage to 1/5.
‘Fatal Reversal is a must. But Break is iffy.’
I’d never used Break on multiple enemies, but per the original game, it was a single-target attack.
Swinging the sword hard might hit all five, but who knew.
“Um, excuse me… Haribal. Is there a reason you keep covering my ears…?”
Still, blocking Mina’s knee-jerk reaction had bought us time to plan.
On my orders, Mina summoned Rozia.
That solved our lack of a tank.
In the first attempt, Rozia hadn’t done a thing. She’d only been summoned after Aren got poisoned and the front line collapsed.
Rozia wasn’t a living being, so she’d be immune to poison.
If she blocked the attacks, the outcome would be different this time.
The issue was whether there was a phase 2.
Did we need to clear through phase 2 within 10 turns to avoid the wipe, or just phase 1? Hell, we didn’t even know if phase 2 existed.
If it did, we’d need to split our firepower.
But.
‘Sister Arisha’s personality hadn’t vanished.’
She’d definitely yelled at us to run.
The wipe mechanic came from the real Necredin.
I’d figured it was some kind of cute girl mode peel.
But maybe Sister Arisha’s form and the lingering spirits were just a shell wrapping the true Necredin.
Either way—phase 1 or 2—the real problem was DPS.
‘Any tweaks to the setup?’
I checked Rene’s sockets.
╔═════════╗
◈Abyss Core - Rene◈
╠═════════╣
▸ Equipped Shards: 16/16
◎ ◎ ◎ ◎
◎ ◎ ◎ ◎
◎ ◎ ◎ ◆
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
╠═════════╣
◎ = Green Shard III x11
◆ = [Dark Cloud]
◆ = [Black Cloud]
◆ = [Adamant]
◆ = [Self-Love]
◆ = [Flying Edge]
╠═════════╣
▸ Stat Bonuses
Attack Power +1
Vitality +11
Defense +3
Crit +41
Agility +11
╚═════════╝
‘No way to boost damage further.’
Since the enemy struck first, assume we pull [Black Cloud].
[Self-Love]’s extra attack meant nothing for Mina.
[Adamant] couldn’t go—essential for Just Guard.
Even swapping the rest to crit only got us to 47.
That was my max.
Aren was already all-in on attack with no room left, same for the other two.
Stack weaknesses with Corner Slash like always, dump all our AoEs—could we kill it in 10 turns?
No confidence.
Necredin hadn’t even flinched in the first fight.
‘Wait… extra attack?’
Then it hit me. We had one.
A lifeline I’d overlooked.
[Special Shard: Dark Cloud]
[Special Ability: Fruition]
[Fruition - When the user is in a party with someone they’ve formed bonds with (three or more), and the enemy is groggied, unleash a powerful joint attack.]
‘Someone with three or more bonds…!’
Fruition, the special ability from beating Elevber.
How powerful was it to straight-up say “powerful”? Never tested it once.
Hadn’t even considered it. No plans to run boss fights with Aren.
Thought four-man parties were way off.
Maybe ending up in a boss with non-follower Aren was someone’s design.
I immediately pointed Rene at Aren.
“What’s up?”
With Fruition in mind, another possibility emerged.
‘Dual Arts.’
If my hypothesis held, peeling off Sister Arisha’s shell was phase 1.
Then facing the real Necredin was phase 2.
Even if wrong, no choice. This time, we had to go all-in—no other answers.
Either way, no groggy meant no dice. We desperately needed AoE right now.
‘Gotta bank on Dual Arts.’
Against Roze and Lilian, Cecilia’s Dual Arts had clinched the win.
‘Stardust’ could shred half a phase-2 boss’s HP in one go—overwhelming power.
If a Dual Arts with the three of them brought that kind of AoE, we had a shot.
The problem?
[Aren Bright]
[Cannot measure target’s affinity level.]
For some reason, Aren’s affinity wasn’t visible.
We’d seen level 0 before, but “cannot measure”?
‘Because he’s the protagonist?’
Seemed affinity levels only showed for original heroines.
Couldn’t fully explain Rene with that, but…
Plenty I didn’t know.
Anyway, bummed Dual Arts with Aren wouldn’t deliver something epic.
Next, Alicia.
“Hm? Something wrong?”
[Alicia Cyrus]
[Affinity Level: 0]
‘No, why?’
Hadn’t she liked me?
Not overthinking.
She’d been calling me son-in-law or whatever just recently.
‘…A mask.’
Right. I’d forgotten Alicia always wore a mask.
The “junior” act and friendliness? Part of the facade.
Once we cleared the dungeon, she’d pretend it never happened?
Knew it, but couldn’t help feeling bitter and let down.
Shoving down the disappointment, I turned to my last hope: Mina.
[Mina Rose]
[Affinity Level: 4]
4?
Leveled up one in the meantime.
From dungeon crawling together nonstop, probably.
If 5 was Cecilia-level overt romance, 4 meant Mina trusted me just shy of that.
“Phew.”
No need for max affinity to use Dual Arts.
Even a heal Art was fine.
Undead enemy.
For foes where heals equaled damage, a healing Dual Arts might hit even harder.
‘Mina’s the key to this run, huh.’
Even this flops?
Luckily, unlike last time, we had two more shots. Three including the final try.
But.
‘No need to use them all.’
Recalled the kill logs in Haribal Dungeon.
Even if Rene erased deaths, the sensation and memory stuck in my head.
The first try—three of them turning to ash from the scythe.
That’d log as a kill record in the dungeon.
And since I remembered, their deaths weren’t truly undone.
So this time, no dying.
With that resolve, I explained the plan I’d formulated.
Of course, omitting that the boss in Sister Arisha’s form wipes us after 10 turns.
Felt like the time wasn’t right yet.
Something about a dead one’s aura inside.
Made do with vague excuses like that.
Then nailed down the biggest variable: Mina.
“Mina. If the nun you loved blocks us as an enemy inside there, what’ll you do?”
She mulled it over, then answered.
“…No more hesitation.”
That’d do.
⁎⁎⁎
[Why that…]
Slash!
Entered and skipped its mouth with a Sword Qi to the face.
[…Seems you’ve made a hasty friend while I was away. Quite rude.]
Necredin, struck square in the chest out of nowhere, scowled unpleasantly.
Preemptive strike landed perfectly.
No chance for Mina’s emotional chat with Necredin.
Mina had steeled herself too—no shaking like before.
It flicked its hand, and four wraiths popped out for a combo assault as expected.
But Rozia tanked them all this time.
My turn.
I drew Rene without hesitation.
Light shimmered from Rene and Raphael—two Abyss Cores.
Harbinger of Dual Arts.
‘Please. Ideally a strong, wide-range AoE!’
A message popped up.
[Dual Arts - Haribal & Mina]
[Conditions not met. Cannot use.]
“?”
Conditions not met?
Affinity level 4 should be plenty for Dual Arts.
What the hell?
[…What are you trying? That’s…]
Then, Necredin on the throne spotted me drawing Rene and spoke warily for the first time.
No need to worry. Dud anyway.
Who knew the ace up my sleeve would fizzle at the start.
‘Stay calm. Stick to the plan.’
Didn’t predict the dud, but figured it might be useless. Turn not wasted was a win.
Sheathed Rene quick, regripped my sword.
Marked a wraith for weakness, snagged extra turn, then charged.
Meanwhile, Aren unleashed Mantra on the four wraiths clustered around Rozia.
Mina’s holy light beam nailed the wraiths, followed by Absolute Reversal off flawless Dance of Eleven Scarlet Petals.
But even so, our DPS fell short of dropping Necredin in 10 turns.
Turn 7.
Rozia, unable to hold, dissipated.
“Rozia!”
Tank gone, formation crumbled instantly.
“Urk…!”
Wraiths focused Alicia next.
Poisoned, she couldn’t use her turn right.
We hit turn 10 again inevitably.
[…That’s enough.]
Vision dyed gray once more.
[Unique Ability - Action Rewind 2 / 3]
Shit.
⁎⁎⁎
“What… did you just say?”
Dual Arts with Aren: no go. With Mina: mysteriously dudded.
Second fight flow was solid otherwise.
DPS.
That damn DPS grabbing our ankles nonstop.
Not planned, but Rozia mobbed the wraiths perfectly.
Let Mina’s single-target Holy Calling smash all four straight-on.
Aren slotted Absolute into the clump easy, sans Mantra.
But even piling on Alicia’s Iron Wire Blaze, no groggy.
Felt damage stacking better than first try, but that was it.
Nothing left to lean on.
Except this.
I stared straight into Alicia’s eyes, repeating word-for-word.
“I said I like you, senior.”
Affinity grind for Alicia Dual Arts.
Starting now.