08. Dungeon Experience: Despair Edition
08. Dungeon Experience: Despair Edition
The dungeon raid was smooth.
Kill and slash, check if there was anything around, then move on.
That was how they eventually arrived at the final boss room.
Since it was before facing the boss, monsters didn't approach their vicinity.
The in-game system referred to this as a Safe Room, and they would rest in front of the door or replenish their stamina and such...
"It's like a territory marking. An insanely strong boss monster has claimed this spot, so other monsters around can't approach."
"Surprisingly, that makes sense."
In this context, the Safe Room was essentially a form of territory invasion.
Since each monster had its own territory, and they dared not invade the boss's territory, it was forcibly turned into a Safe Room.
As invaders, they didn't care about territories or anything of the sort, so such a situation could arise.
"Alright, we've rested enough! How about we get moving now!"
"We just sat down...?"
"We didn't really do anything anyway."
On the way here, he had seen that every single monster was a fucking joke, so the boss monster was probably a fucking joke too!
"Let's go quick, deal with it quick, and head back to grab a meal together."
"Fine....wait, hold on. Together?"
Why would I eat with you?
When he wondered what kind of girl she was, Mars tilted her head and threw the question back at him.
"Is it weird for party members to eat together?"
"No...I mean....never mind."
Let's not argue any further.
Mars wasn't even a heroine who influenced the story that much, so it wouldn't be an issue if she was a bit of an outsider.
"Me too, me too! I want to eat with you two as well!"
"Huh? Weren't you eating with your boyfriend?"
"Tch....fine, whatever. He hasn't been paying any attention to me lately."
"Really? Well, the more people eating, the better it is for me!"
Because the more people gathered for a meal, the tastier it was!
Mars laughed heartily, thumping her chest.
If what she said was true, she must have been eating disgustingly tasteless meals all this time.
As he let out a small snicker internally, he momentarily made eye contact with Yuno.
"Let's do our best together?"
".....Oh."
I wasn't in any position to mock anyone either, he realized.
He let out a light breath and rose from his seat.
'For now──we have to break it, break it apart'
A tutorial boss with such tricky patterns it couldn't be cleared in a first playthrough no matter what.
Since Cronus had told him to break that tutorial boss and clear the dungeon, he spoke to Yuno and Mars.
"Brief strategy time."
" ".........??" "
The two were bewildered.
Hear me out for a moment.
This was all going to be valuable experience.
...
..
.
"Hup, hah!"
Kiiigigigik──The three entered through the boss room door.
The vanguard at the very front, Mars, raised her greatsword and charged forward.
"Where's the enemy!"
Mars raised her voice valiantly.
In response, the tutorial boss──Goblin Champion roused its body from its spot.
"Kreoooohhh!"
"Champion...! It's really coming out...."
No, it wasn't just the Champion.
"Kikshit, shishishit!"
"Kyrieuuk...kirick!"
"A Goblin Warrior, and even an Archer..."
Although there was only one of each, since there was only one vanguard who had to handle them, the burden was doubled.
Right in front of them, the Goblin Champion launched heavy attacks, the Goblin Warrior plugged any gaps they tried to open, and conversely, the Goblin Archer targeted weak points to create gaps—a coordinated combination.
"Mars, I'll support you!"
They had to divide the enemy's forces somehow.
Yuno raised her bow and aimed for the Goblin Archer, releasing an arrow.
The arrow flew in a straight line.
"Kwoooooh....!"
"As expected...it's not going to be that easy, is it?"
However, before the arrow could even reach its target, the Goblin Champion blocked the attack.
At a glance, it seemed like every path was blocked.
"Now, Mars!"
"Uryaaaaaaah!!!"
However, the fact that the Champion moved to block the Archer's attack meant there was no ally left to protect the Goblin Warrior.
Chrono, who had been holding his breath until now, attacked the Goblin Warrior alongside Mars.
"Kit, kirreurueok?!"
"Did you underestimate it...?"
An attack barely grazed its skin.
The Goblin Warrior wore a ghastly smile and tried to regain its stance──
Bang!
"──Kit?!....Keok...."
"Got it."
Chrono did not miss that opening.
A bullet lodged between the Goblin Warrior's eyebrows.
The Goblin Warrior collapsed without even being able to resist. The Champion, seeing this, flew into a rage and launched its body at Chrono.
Claaaang!
"Where do you think you're going...! Your playmate is me!"
Mars's greatsword blocked its path.
The two warriors faced off once more.
But the situation had changed drastically from the start.
"Kisheeeek?!!"
"Focus fire on that little shit!"
"Okay! Like this, right?"
2-on-1.
The Goblin Archer barely dodged the hail of bullets and arrows.
Since it might die any second if things continued, the Champion tried to twist its body away.
Kagagagak!
"I told you not to look away! Do you see me as some dog's dick?"
"Keuk....k....oh....kreohhhhh!!!"
It was blocked.
Every single attempt was blocked.
It must have been frustrating. Infuriating.
But the moment it resisted, the blade would come again. To protect something, it had to sacrifice its own flesh.
Could the Goblin Champion do that?
The answer to that was──Yes.
"Kreohhhhh!!!"
"Whoa...?"
The Goblin Champion braced for the pain of being slashed once and leaped toward the back row behind them.
"K.r.e.o.h.h.h.h!!!"
"Chrono!"
"I know!"
The distance closed in an instant.
Chrono scooped Yuno into his arms and put strength into his legs.
'One second──into two seconds'
Adding more time within time.
Chrono dodged the Champion's attack with movements that were twice as fast, carrying Yuno.
"Yuno, now!"
And the moment the attack failed was precisely the best time for a counterattack to succeed.
Yuno drew her bowstring and released it at the Goblin Archer.
The arrow extended out once more.
If it had been the same situation as before, the Goblin Champion could have easily deflected it....
"Kishit?! Ki....kieeeek...."
"It's done!"
But this time, the Goblin Champion had thrown itself in front of the Goblin Archer and failed its attack.
Since it lost sight of them for a moment, its reaction was delayed. And even more so, the Archer, whose vision was blocked by the Champion, couldn't even think of dodging before being struck by the arrow and dying instantly.
"Kwooh....oh....ohhhhh!!"
Warrior and Archer.
A roar from the Champion who had lost all its loyal subordinates.
As if there was nothing more to assess, it threw its body ruthlessly. Mars once again stepped up and blocked its attack.
"Kreuuugh...! Now it finally feels like a fight!"
"Ooh, oooh!!"
Thud, thud, crunch, crururunk!
The ground shattered, and the sound of weapons cracking echoed.
From now on, it was purely a battle of endurance.
"Yuno, don't use Holy Magic! Normal attacks! Just use normal attacks!"
"Ah...got it!"
While Mars tanked right in front and held out, Yuno and Chrono fired arrows and pulled triggers without rest.
"Oh...oooh...!"
"This...fucking bastard...!!"
The Goblin Champion gradually became drenched in blood.
But apart from the physical fatigue, every single attack was still fierce, so Mars, who was blocking the way, couldn't even breathe properly.
'When...when does it die...!'
Chrono had definitely said it.
Chrono had said it when they devised the strategy in front of the boss room earlier.
[If you hold out with your body and we keep up the focus fire, its eyes will start to roll back, right?]
"....Kuruk!....Kreoohhh..."
The Goblin Champion vomited blood.
Was it now? Was that moment now?
Hoping it was, Mars checked the Champion's skin.
[Berserk. We have to endure that to win.]
"Kreohhhhhhh!!!!"
"Keuk...so this is it...!"
The Goblin Champion's entire body turned red hot.
At the same time, as if all previous attacks were child's play, a barrage of blows that were impossible to endure any longer began to pour down.
Kuguguguguung! Kugung! Kwaddeudeuk!
"Ugh...ah...aaaaaaaahhh!!!"
Endure.
Endure.
Endure, he had said.
Mars mustered all her strength and endured the Goblin Champion's attacks.
"Now, Yuno! Use everything you've got, everything you don't!"
"Haaaaaap.....!!"
Because there were two people attacking diligently from behind.
If she endured until those two killed this bastard, it was their victory.
If she couldn't endure, it was their defeat.
Mars clenched her teeth and endured the Champion's attacks, and endured again──
Crunch.
"Huh?"
A sound that shouldn't have been heard.
The sound of something snapping.
Kwaddeudeudeuk!
"───Kureuk...!"
Her body floated up weightlessly.
She floated into the sky, and at some point, crashed to the floor below.
Her lungs contracted sharply. Her vision stained red. Agony resounded through her entire body, along with a heat boiling all over.
"Thi....thithii...!"
She was hit. Smacked down, sent rolling across the floor.
A wretchedly ugly sight of a loser.
Mars couldn't accept her state.
Because she couldn't accept it, could never accept it.
"──Gulp....ptoo!"
She downed every potion in her pouch.
A bit of stamina returned.
At the same time, she charged towards the Champion, which was trying to attack Yuno and Chrono──and swung her sword down with all her might.
"Don't touch my friends! You son of a bitch!"
"K...reohhhhh!"
The attack was blocked again.
But she didn't care.
'Kill it.'
Kill this bastard.
Kill the bastard in front of her.
No goal beyond that was necessary.
Crunch, pudeudeuk, kwajik!
"Kuhak! Keueup...keeu, aaaaaahhh!!!"
Even if her bones shattered, she paid it no mind.
Even if something snapped, she paid it no mind.
Only forward advance. Attack. Like a tank charging ahead, looking at nothing but what was in front.
"Mars....."
Chrono spoke toward Mars, who was pushing forward without caring for her own body to protect the friends behind her.
"You...this goddamn idiot!"
How many times had he warned her to be careful!
That if she went berserk, she'd just end up dead!
He told her to just not fight, to just endure and they would win...!
"Kureuk...keueup, keueuuuk....!"
"Fucking hell, for god's sake."
Mars was even vomiting blood while fighting.
Someone might see her, sacrificing her body and waging a bloody battle, and be moved.
But by his standards, that was just trolling.
Who told her to fight?
He told her to just endure.
Why was the tanker swinging her sword like a dealer...!
'That damned Quirk, seriously.'
Mars's Quirk, Berserker, had triggered.
Truthfully, he had half expected it.
But seeing it actually happen right in front of his eyes was massively infuriating.
"Chrono...what do we do now...?"
"...For now, we have to deal as much damage as possible."
The berserk state was triggered when its HP was around 30 percent, wasn't it?
At a glance, it looked quite manageable, but in reality, it wasn't very hopeful.
The attack power of the Champion under berserk was more than double its original.
Even a single hit could take half the health of a low-HP character, and if they got hit by it in berserk state?
It meant instant death, or a critical injury close to it.
That was why the tanker needed to hold out and buy time as much as possible....but Ultimately, the Quirk had triggered and messed everything up. What could be done?
"If it really doesn't work, I'll fill in."
It would be fine.
They wouldn't die.
Since it was the tutorial, if they were wiped out, the teachers would come out and save them then.
'For now, let's give it our best shot.'
He put strength into the hand holding his gun and pulled the trigger toward the Champion.
