131. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (9)
131. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (9)
"We'll head down to the third floor now."
After resting as much as we needed, we finished preparing for the third floor and stepped onto the stairs. As when we descended to the second floor, the lighting was too faint to see clearly, but we could proceed without much concern.
Most dungeons had a separate boss room on the third floor.
"We're finally at the third floor..."
"Wonder what kinda monster owns this dungeon..."
"There were Two-Headed Dogs... Maybe Cerberus?"
"No way. If it is, forget the pay—we'll have to turn around and run. We'd take a huge loss. A huge loss."
I half-listened to the chatter behind me as I walked and spotted a faint light at the end of the stairs. Was that the exit?
"This is the third floor. Everyone stay sharp."
Everyone fell silent at my words. The atmosphere suddenly became far too heavy. I had told them to stay sharp, not to suffocate themselves with tension.
No. This level of tension was probably right for inexperienced rookies.
We emerged from the suddenly quiet passage and reached the third-floor forecourt. Sparse bushes and trees grew near the walls around a boss room sealed by a wall and door. What kind of monster was waiting inside?
We stopped before the boss-room door and briefly exchanged opinions.
"Wouldn't it be another beast-type monster?"
"Something completely unrelated could appear, couldn't it? Lizardmen roamed the Woodrock Dungeon, but its boss was a werewolf."
"Right. I think we learned in Dungeon Studies that bosses occasionally appear even when they don't match the dungeon's overall theme."
"They said that happens in fewer than ten percent of cases, so it probably won't happen here."
"Ten percent, huh..."
A percentage that seemed small or large depending on how I looked at it. In the game, everything from ordinary monsters to the boss usually followed the dungeon's theme.
Had something become tangled?
Had the game and reality mixed together?
That wasn't something I wanted to hear. It meant my game knowledge might not apply here 100% of the time. If I charged into mortal danger based on false information at a critical moment...
I needed to gather information more thoroughly.
"Everyone, pay attention. I'll explain what you need to remember before we enter the boss fight."
Their only experience fighting a boss was probably the final-exam dungeon, so it made sense to go over the basics once. I considered how to explain them and began.
"First, no matter what the boss does, don't panic. Assess the situation calmly."
Nothing was more dangerous than losing one's composure. The boss wouldn't be some neighborhood mutt, and it would never ignore an opening forever. Responding calmly to its attacks was fundamental.
"Second, never break formation. Once a formation collapses, even elite soldiers die no differently from ordinary troops."
The same applied to dungeon exploration. Tanks, damage dealers, and supporters existed for a reason. Those roles couldn't be reproduced 100% in reality, but they were still useful in a world where combat positions were clearly defined. Dungeon explorers valued a balanced party for exactly that reason.
"Lastly... don't hesitate when I give an order. That moment of hesitation could kill a companion. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded seriously at my words.
They'd done well so far, so they should have managed this time too. Still, I felt uneasy. Theory and actual combat were very different. Even so, the boss should not have been as vicious as the one in the rift, so I probably did not need to worry too much.
...It could not really have been Cerberus, could it?
That monster was not supposed to appear until after the middle of the game.
"Then we're going in."
I placed my hands on both sides of the door and slowly pushed. It scraped across the floor as it opened little by little. Rather than opening it completely, I peered through the gap.
"...Fuck."
It really was Cerberus.
The sleeping Cerberus was visible in the distance. Fortunately, it didn't appear to command any underlings; it was alone in the vast boss room.
I released the half-open door and quietly led the party backward.
"Raise your hand if you know anything about Cerberus."
...They all knew?
Then did I even need to explain?
"Shuri. Describe the characteristics of Cerberus."
"Cerberus is a beast-type monster with three heads! Its intelligence is nearly human, and... it's famous for each head using a different breath attack."
"Pass. Viola, what attributes does Cerberus use?"
"The order varies by individual, but each head uses one of three attributes: fire, ice, or lightning. But old man... can we actually defeat it?"
"Who knows. It's up to you all. Lewis. What's Cerberus's weakness?"
"Cerberus primarily fights with its powerful body and breath attacks fired from its heads. However, because it has three heads, it becomes easier to handle when their decisions conflict.
"Its canine sensitivity to smell can also be considered a weakness."
"Correct. Sif. Then what's the method for taking down Cerberus?"
"Uh, the standard method is to numb its sense of smell, then advance behind a shield and deal with each head one at a time, right?"
Sif's answer was correct. Cerberus would not die unless all three heads were severed, so anyone hoping to defeat it safely needed a way to block its breath attacks.
Its first attack pattern was a breath attack. The breaths, fired at roughly twenty-second intervals, had to be blocked or avoided. Dodging, however, wasn't an option.
It would have been nearly impossible for Shuri, a Wizard, and Viola, an alchemist, to evade them.
Blocking them was impossible as well.
"...But we have no means to block Cerberus's attacks."
"R-right? So what do we do?"
"Well..."
It was not as troublesome as a Hydra or those bear cubs, but it was still dangerous enough. Fighting it head-on would undoubtedly demand serious sacrifices, so I had no intention of giving Cerberus a fair fight.
According to the game, that bastard was disgustingly huge and irritatingly fast.
Only a knight capable of using aura could recklessly charge such a monster.
So I would devise a plan to cheese Cerberus.
"...I'll explain a plan that will let us defeat Cerberus easily. Follow my instructions. Understood?"
"Cerberus?"
"Yeah."
"Is that possible?"
"I'll explain how. Everyone, move over there and listen carefully."
------------------
Creeeak—
The three-headed dog Cerberus slowly stretched and woke at the sound of the door opening.
Cerberus blinked several times. When it saw four enemies approaching, it smacked its lips and rose leisurely. Its prey wore tense expressions. The monster opened all three mouths as it watched them approach without fear.
Fire, ice, lightning.
Breaths of three different attributes began gathering in the air.
'C-could we withstand that?'
Shuri desperately scraped together her mana. Yohan had ordered Lewis's party to neutralize or block Cerberus's first breath attack. She chanted the strongest magic she could prepare while staring up at the steadily swelling breaths.
She was using Third-Class Magic: Flame Blaster.
It fired a concentrated beam of flame capable of reducing an enemy to ash and boasted the greatest firepower among Third-Class Magic.
It was admittedly insignificant compared with Cerberus's breath, but it was still formidable magic.
And that was why Cerberus's left head was glaring at her.
"It's fucking enormous..."
Viola cursed and took out every reagent she had.
Explosive reagent. Ignition reagent. And the box Yohan had given her.
'I could do this!'
Reassuring herself, the steel-armed alchemist kicked off the ground and charged Cerberus. At a glance, it looked almost reckless.
It was nearly impossible for reagents like hers to inflict meaningful damage on Cerberus.
But her role wasn't to damage it. She only had to disrupt the monster before it released its breath. Suppressing her fear, Viola charged alongside Lewis.
With her arm strength, she needed to come within at least ten meters to hit it with the reagents.
Thirty meters.
Lewis poured as much aura as he could into his sword. A blue energy formed on his blade, gradually materializing to a visible degree, making the blade gleam.
A sight befitting the word AURA. His target was the leg.
He advanced like a gale, charging to inflict a wound on Cerberus's foot. But as if proving the name Cerberus meant it wouldn't just sit there and take it, the right head grinned unpleasantly and lifted a paw.
An action like it was trying to crush a bug underfoot.
Twenty meters.
Sif stood quietly at Shuri's side, ready to grab her and evacuate if things went wrong. It was a simple method of hiding in the pit Yohan had dug, but Shuri likely wouldn't have the stamina left to flee on her own.
Ten meters.
Viola's reagents and Lewis's aura streaked through the air. The heavy box fell before traveling even five meters.
Even so, their combined attack distracted Cerberus for a moment. Feeling a chill, Viola immediately moved aside, while Lewis slipped between its legs and aimed for a jaw.
Its head was too high, so Lewis managed only a scratch. Cerberus abruptly dropped its body as though crushing an insolent pest. Sweating heavily, Lewis barely escaped from beneath it and slashed at its flank.
Again, a scratch.
Lewis's aura couldn't inflict meaningful damage on Cerberus.
'Damn it!'
At this rate, he couldn't distract it.
Even so, Lewis had held its attention briefly, delaying the completion of the breath by nearly five seconds.
Five seconds was an extremely short amount of time, but that alone was enough.
Because Shuri's magic was complete.
"Flame... Blaster!"
Shuri's flame magic was completed an instant sooner and raced toward Cerberus's heads. A flame capable of reducing everything to ash clashed with a breath containing three attributes.
The winner was obvious.
At least, that was Cerberus's judgment.
And,
Cerberus realized too late that its judgment was wrong.
"...raft."
Its enormous body suddenly tilted. The breaths lost their aim, blasted through the ceiling, and vanished.
Unable to regain its balance after the sudden change, Cerberus fell into the pit.
"!@*&!$(#*!(*$!!"
"Shut up. You mutt."
Their eyes met.
That was the final sight seen by the middle of Cerberus's three heads.