Canoeing to the Jungle #3
In D&A, elite monsters are assigned something called random difficulty. The stages total eight levels.
1. Very Easy
2. Easy
3. Normal
4. Hard
5. Very Hard
6. Master
7. Nightmare
8. Hell
Up to the fifth stage, Very Hard, they carry no special prefix and simply receive titles such as ‘Burning,’ ‘Frozen,’ or ‘Shining’ according to randomly granted attributes. From the sixth stage onward, however, fitting modifiers appear. Something like “Master’s Mermaid – Maid Mermaid.”
If an elite monster bears the name “Nightmare Emperor Ant – Kukulkan,” it signifies the second-strongest individual among the hardest difficulty rank.
Such a creature sat upon a throne woven from beast bones and leaves, gazing down at me.
“We are always prepared to accept a challenge.”
The Emperor Ant spoke. Though I called it an Emperor Ant, its form was little different from a human with two arms and two legs. The glossy black exoskeleton wrapped around it like armor gave the impression of a stylishly designed battle suit or robot.
Not bad at all.
“But before that, it would be proper for you to show etiquette to us, Kukulkan, master of this jungle. All of you, kneel and pay your respects to us.”
Whoosh—!
The moment the Emperor Ant rose from its seat, a strange ripple spread through the air. The tingling vibration against my nape was strong enough to make my knees jerk.
“…My, my body is moving on its own.”
Victorica dropped to one knee with a heavy thud. At the same time Enio, standing beside her, muttered “An aura like a demonic asura…” and found herself kneeling as well.
The only ones still standing were Nike and me. Even though my Steel trait had activated and nullified the oppressive feeling, it was quite surprising that someone as timid-looking as Nike remained completely unaffected.
“Victor, that guy is the owner of this jungle! You could even call him the lord of the forest! Deep woods, jungles, and mountains all have beings like this!”
It seemed Nike was fairly used to situations like this. For a moment I recalled the rumor that a terrifying monster lived in the Reshguard Forest where she had grown up.
Before I could ponder it further, the Emperor Ant laughed.
“You did not yield to our pressure. What strange children you are. You possess more than enough qualification to stand as our opponent.”
When the creature that had risen from its seat began to move its legs, the waiting ants moved in perfect coordination to form a staircase. The being that approached us was quite large—its frame roughly the same as my own.
“Originally a duel with an elite warrior would come first, but remaining idle is tiresome. We wish to test the new power we have obtained. Challenger, we shall grant you the opportunity to face us.”
Normally, whether queen ant or empress ant, all they could do was make a zzzzzt sound. Their appearance was simply that of oversized ants. This Emperor Ant, however, was different. It could speak, and its form was almost human. I had never seen anything like it.
Judging by the granted elite modifier “Nightmare,” the difficulty was 7. In that case, what would the appropriate stats be for a standard strategy? Even so, they probably wouldn’t exceed 300, right?
Curiosity surged through me. A new monster. A new achievement! I wondered what kind of techniques it would use. Above all, an emperor—how cool was that?
Still, before fighting it there was something I needed to do.
“Victorica, Enio. Snap out of it.”
“Was that a status ailment attack?”
“…It feels awful. I think I might vomit.”
Victorica and Enio staggered to their feet, steadying their stances and completing battle preparations.
“Victorica, open with the flash.”
“I was going to do it even if you didn’t tell me!”
The tip of Victorica’s staff flared with light. At the same time a brilliant burst exploded outward.
"O light that blinds the wicked—"
⟨ FLASH ⟩
“It is like the sun itself!”
The Emperor Ant, struck by the flash, clutched its face with a hard, claw-like hand and staggered. Enio did not miss the opening.
“Thicken— Shadow Pierce!”
Black shadow surges like a serpent and stabs upward like an awl.
When Enio slammed both palms against the ground, a black shadow raced forward like a snake. Sssssss—!
The shadow halted before the Emperor Ant, then shot upward like a spike and grazed the creature’s sturdy armor.
Clang—!
“What…!?”
Enio was visibly shaken. The Shadow Pierce, which dealt 75 percent damage in proportion to basic attack power, had failed to leave even a scratch on the emperor’s carapace.
Tough customer.
To deal damage to that thing, it looked like I would have to draw my sword after all.
Shing.
I drew Tyrving once more. At the same time I kicked off the ground. In an instant I closed the distance to just below its waist and traced a flash of a slash from left to right.
Damage Coefficient: 75%
Effect: Slashes with a trajectory of light while the target is blinded.
I had to finish it while Victorica’s flash still held sway. Crowd-control skills like flash or shadow binding worked best on the first attempt; resistance built quickly and success rates dropped.
Swooosh—!
The demonic sword Tyrving sliced through the air like silk. It tried to bisect the creature’s body.
Crunch—.
Yet the blade that could slice logs like paper only managed a shallow cut along its flank before stopping. The sensation was less like cutting an ant and more like striking rock—no, solid iron. The sturdy-looking exoskeleton had not been for show.
“…Gaaah!”
“But the attack does connect. It is fully conquerable.”
The creature staggered backward. Purple blood streamed from its shattered exoskeleton. It shook its head violently, apparently having fully shaken off the flash’s effect, and spoke.
“Pain… How long has it been since we last felt this…!”
It spread the wings on its back that fluttered like a cloak and buzzed them loudly. Using the thrust from those wings, it charged at me and swung its claw-like forelimbs wildly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I somehow managed to block the attacks using Victor’s bizarre reflexes, but any single hit would clearly have been a grievous wound.
Crash—!
When its talons shredded a thick palm tree, Enio cried out.
“Victor, I’ll help! Shadow—.”
“Do not interfere, woman! The moment is perfect! My legion!”
At the emperor’s roar, winged ants poured in from every direction.
Zzzzzzt. Zzzzzzt. Zzzt!
The pattern where a boss monster summons smaller ones was common. Thanks to that, Enio and Victorica had to focus entirely on the ants swarming from all sides.
“Get away, you things! Don’t bite my staff! Disgusting bugs!”
“Victorica, I really didn’t want to say this, but let’s work together for now!”
“Swordsman, it seems we cannot expect aid from the women.”
“……”
“This is the grip that tears even trees like paper. To block our attacks repeatedly—truly a fine sword. But how many more swings do you have left? Ten? No, perhaps five?”
It was smarter than any ant had a right to be. Even while I focused entirely on defense, it seemed to have noticed my HP steadily dropping.
“With that sword, we need not even lift a finger and you will collapse on your own. But that would not be entertaining. We shall reveal the secret art bestowed upon us by the gods—the special move that allowed us to reign as emperor.”
Buzzzzzz—.
The Emperor Ant’s wings, now lifting it roughly ten centimeters off the ground, beat with increasing ferocity. I did not know exactly what it intended, but after such a large wind-up, a total-annihilation skill or equivalent pattern usually followed.
In D&A the game gave one or two turns to prepare or cancel it. This real-world Ludens was not turn-based but reflected reality in real time; nevertheless, the fact that it was showing an opening for several seconds was undeniable.
Now the real fight began.
“The number of slashes I can still swing is five. Taking you down within that span seems difficult. However, that is the tale without doping.”
“Doping?”
Normally the standard procedure was to drink a stamina potion when HP ran low. But since I had no idea what patterns a first-encounter monster might use, it was wiser to inflate my HP first.
I pulled out one of the water bottles hanging at my waist. Inside was lukewarm stew. The effect, however, was the same.
Gulp, gulp. Feeling vitality surge through my body, I sheathed my sword once more.
“Wh-what is that…!”
The Emperor Ant appeared flustered, yet its demeanor quickly regained composure.
“We do not know what you intend, but it is too late!”
Buzzzz— Its body rose into the air and plummeted toward me like a missile.
Aerial charge that pierces the target with overwhelming mass and speed.
“Receive this—secret technique Bird Missile!”
…An ant using Bird Missile? For a split second I was stunned. Yet even without the surprise, I doubt I could have dodged the attack that slammed down in an instant.
“Pierce through!”
BOOOOOOM—!!!!
CRAAAAAASH—!!!
An overwhelming impact struck my body. Perhaps the Earth felt this much pain when the asteroid collided with it. The sensation of bones shattering and my brain rattling inside my skull. And yet—
I endured without letting out a single groan. Full HP of 283 after doping. Truly impressive.
“Hoo… haa… That hurt more than I expected.”
I could not know the exact number, but by feel my remaining HP was around 75. The fortunate part was that Enio and Victorica fighting in the distance appeared completely unaffected. So the Emperor Ant’s finishing move was a single-target instant-death pattern rather than an area attack.
Nevertheless, I had not died instantly. My body felt heavy, blood surged from my mouth as if my internal organs were damaged, yet I still lived. The ant could not accept that fact.
“Our strike that pierces even boulders… Our strike heavier than any great rock…!”
“It is light compared to two hundred million in debt.”
“What are you saying…! You monstrous bastard…! One more strike will finish you…!!!”
Buzzzzz—.
It looked ready to flap its wings and ascend again. Yet the reason it could not flee into the sky was the strange roots coiled tightly around its feet.
“What—!? What are these roots!”
Nike shouted at the struggling Emperor Ant, her voice filled with rage.
“Victor’s enemy…!”
…I’m not dead yet, though. And wasn’t the druid identity something you wanted to keep hidden?
The ant emperor yelled.
“Strange woman…! Were you not the one who could do nothing…!”
There had been many unexpected variables, but it was time to end this.
“Nike, keep it pinned just like that.”
Now that I held Tyrving and my stamina was ragged, the timing was perfect. Tyrving’s additional ability increased damage according to lost HP.
The HP lost to Bird Missile totaled around 200. Victor’s bare-handed attack power: 29. Attack power added by Tyrving: 50. Combined total: 279.
Multiplying the Arclight Style Type 1 “Light Slash” coefficient of 75 percent against an attack value of 279 produced roughly 209 damage.
That was enough to fell most episode bosses in a single blow.
Base Attack: 79
Multiplier: 75%
Projected Damage: 209
“Arclight Style Type 1.”
“Release us! We are the emperor! We are the ruler of this jungle! We are the named Kukulkan who received opportunity and… power from the gods—.”
“No. You are simply an ant.”
“What…?”
I had been slightly excited because it was a newly added boss. In the end, its difficulty was only a little higher than the empress ant’s? Still, its appearance alone had been quite stylish.
Slash—.