Clowns' Grave (5)
"Anyway, can you and Aquaril really take on the boss monster by yourselves? That thing's insanely strong."
Kanisia said this to me in front of the boss room.
Is this another kind of test?
Well, whether it was a test or not, there was only one answer I could give.
"We'll have to try. Just take care of the Ghost Clowns at the start."
"Ooh, look at that confidence. All right. Don't worry about the Ghost Clowns."
Kanisia nodded as if to say leave it to her, and her pink hair swayed with the motion. Hmm... what kind of shampoo was she even using?
"Still, going in blind is dangerous, so want me to fill you in on the boss?"
"Mm... yeah. I'd appreciate it."
Kanisia had plenty of dungeon-clearing experience, and she launched into her briefing.
"Sixteen monsters spawn in the boss room total. The boss itself — the Bandit Clown — plus five Ghost Clowns, and ten Thief Clowns."
"...Sixteen?"
That threw me a little. It was a lot more than I'd expected. I'd figured ten at most.
For the record, F-rank and E-rank dungeons only had a single boss monster waiting in the boss room. Starting from D-rank, though, other monsters spawned alongside the boss, so you couldn't approach it the same way you would an F or E-rank clear.
In truth, the real beginning of Fairy Masters was Chapter 3 of the story — and D-rank dungeons.
"You'll handle the Ghost Clowns, right?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll wipe them the second we walk in."
Kanisia grinned with total confidence and nodded. If the Ghost Clowns were out of the picture, that left eleven monsters including the boss.
After that she gave me a brief rundown of the boss's weapons and attack patterns. When she finished, I looked at Aquaril.
"You heard all that, Aquaril?"
"Yes, Master."
"I'll keep the boss occupied. While I do, you take out the Thief Clowns. And here's the important part — do not kill them quickly."
"...Pardon? Don't kill them quickly?"
"Right."
"Uh... Master? Isn't it usually the opposite? Wouldn't it be better to finish the Thief Clowns fast and come help you...?"
Aquaril asked again, clearly not following. If this were an ordinary dungeon, she'd have been right. The longer you soloed a boss, the more the pressure stacked up.
What was a boss monster, after all?
It was the strongest, nastiest thing in a given dungeon. Taking one on alone was brutal, and a single mistake could get you killed.
But in Clowns' Grave, we had to do the opposite.
"There were a lot of traps on the way here, right? In dungeons like this — the kind loaded with traps — the boss room has them too. And the monsters know exactly where they are. Because the traps are just as dangerous to them."
Of course, traps didn't work on ghost-type monsters with physical immunity, like the Ghost Clowns.
I kept going, and Aquaril listened intently.
"So we need to kill them slowly and watch where they move — and where they don't."
"Ah! So that's why..."
She let out a small sound of understanding.
"But that puts far too much of a burden on you, Master. Please, let me take the boss instead."
"No. You're stronger than I am right now. And if either of us gets in trouble, you'll reach me faster than I could reach you."
I said that, then snuck a glance at Kanisia.
"....."
She didn't say a word, but her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me. That last remark had clearly bumped her affection even higher.
What is this, a dating sim...?
I was starting to get a handle on how to raise Kanisia's favor.
She liked people who respected their Fairies. You could tell from the way she treated her own Fairy, Abraham.
And that's child's play for me.
I had zero intention of treating Aquaril poorly just because she was my Fairy. Right now she was the only person I could trust one hundred percent — how could I treat her like garbage?
Besides — and I wasn't saying this just because she was mine — Aquaril was beautiful. Of course she was; she was a Fairy. And I mean drop-dead gorgeous. If fantasy worlds have elves, this place has Fairies.
So of course I treated her well. It came naturally.
Don't call me a face-con. This is just basic human nature.
"All right. Let's go in."
"Yes, Master."
Creeeak— thud!
We opened the boss room door and stepped inside. The boss monster, the Bandit Clown, had been lounging on a large, broad stone. It rose to its feet.
True to its nature as a monster, the Bandit Clown was enormous. I was tall myself, but this thing towered over me — a good eight feet, easy. The Thief Clowns beside it looked like children.
Its forearms and thighs were thick as tree trunks, and in its hands it held a pair of dark crimson two-handed axes, one in each fist.
The mask is different.
It wore a different kind of mask from the Thief Clowns. Where they wore Western-style clown masks, the Bandit Clown's evoked an Eastern goblin.
The thing was already dangerous enough. That mask made it look even worse.
"All right, friend — let's get this started!"
Kanisia kicked off the fight. Ten spears of mana materialized behind her back and shot toward the Ghost Clowns circling through the air.
"Keek-keek-keek?!"
Not a single Ghost Clown dodged Kanisia's Mana Javelin. Even if one had been lucky enough to slip past a spear, there was never just one.
Kanisia's Mana Javelin is level 7, right?
If the skill followed the game system, she could generate up to fourteen mana spears at once. Two per skill level.
"Kieeeeeek!"
The moment every last Ghost Clown vanished from the air, the boss let out a shriek. Furious over its minions' deaths, apparently.
"I'm counting on you, Aquaril!"
"Yes, Master!"
At the same time, Aquaril and I both burst forward.
"Keek-keek-keek!"
A Thief Clown gripping a rusted dagger charged at me. Get stabbed by that thing and you'd definitely get tetanus.
Bang—!
I charged in with my shield up — and the Thief Clown vanished. It reappeared behind me. Instant teleportation, their specialty.
"Keek-keek-keek!"
I heard its laughter at my back, but I ignored it and kept running toward the Bandit Clown.
Slash—!
"Keek?"
Aquaril would kill it anyway.
I was only fighting the Bandit Clown.
"Kieeeeeek!"
The enraged Bandit Clown swung an axe at me. It wasn't particularly fast. I ducked, threw myself forward, and slipped past its side.
Fwit—!
"Tsk!"
As I brushed by I slashed at a calf that felt like solid rock, but the hide was so tough I barely left a scratch. I clicked my tongue.
Whoosh—!
"Whoa?!"
The Bandit Clown spun to catch me, swinging the two-handed axe in its right hand. I rolled desperately. The attack had come from so close I nearly didn't make it.
I'd dodged the axe — but the assault wasn't over.
"Kieeeeeek!"
"Kh!"
The Bandit Clown let out a piercing shriek that didn't match its bulk and stomped down where I was. I hadn't even gotten up. I had to roll again.
Boom—!
It stomped so hard the ground trembled like a quake. Boss-monster strength, no joke.
Don't try to block.
Get cocky and try to tank a hit, and you die. Even if I caught the attack on my shield, I'd take serious damage.
Into the inventory... ah, right.
The shield was basically useless, so I started to stash it in my inventory. Then I remembered I wasn't alone here. I clicked my tongue and tossed the shield onto the floor instead.
Please don't break!
It was only a 1-star shield, but I'd spent a full 500,000 gold on the damn thing. And I'd barely even used it.
I silently prayed it would still be in one piece when the fight was over.
"Kieeeeeeek!"
Crunch—!
"Nooooo?! My 500,000 gold!"
The prayer died the instant I made it. I'd thrown the shield far away just in case — and this psychotic boss bastard ignored me entirely, charged the shield, and stomped it to pieces.
"Keek-keek-keek-keek!"
"....!"
And then the Bandit Clown looked at me and laughed.
"You're dead, you son of a bitch. A monster dares to laugh at me?"
Getting mocked by a monster lit a fire in me. No matter what, I was taking this bastard's head.
At least sacrificing the shield had given me time to get my stance back. I got up and charged.
"Kieeeek!"
I ducked under a terrifying axe swing and slashed its thigh. Still no deep wound.
But that was fine.
My job was just to buy time until Aquaril got here. And blood was already running from the cuts I'd made. In game terms, it was bleeding.
If I dragged this out, I won.
"Come on, you muscle-bound pig! I'll make you pay for my 500,000 gold!"
"Kieeeeeeek!"
"Master! I'm coming to help!"
While I was stalling the Bandit Clown, Aquaril finished off all ten Thief Clowns and came running.
"You remember where the traps are?"
"Yes!"
"Which one's closest to me?"
"That way!"
"Okay!"
I dodged the Bandit Clown's attack and sprinted in the direction Aquaril pointed.
"Kieeeeeek!"
Its lower body a bloody mess, the Bandit Clown roared and came after me.
"Master!"
Aquaril's urgent cry. I threw myself forward.
Crunch—!
"...Kieeeeeeek!"
The instant the Bandit Clown stepped into the space I'd leapt over, its foot plunged downward as if something had yanked it under. Then it screamed. A sharp iron spike punched up through the top of its foot.
Traps weren't only dangerous to dungeon raiders. They were just as lethal to the monsters.
Slash—!
"Kieeeeeek?!"
Aquaril had closed in silently and carved across the Bandit Clown's back. Her Swift Sword skill raked wounds across it at high speed. Before long, its back was as blood-soaked as its legs.
"Ki, ieeeeeek!"
The Bandit Clown wrenched its foot free and swung both axes at Aquaril. But if I'd been able to dodge those attacks, there was no reason she couldn't. She slipped back with room to spare.
Now the aggro was on her. The wounds she'd dealt were bigger and hurt more than mine.
Aquaril did what I had done — evading the boss's attacks by a hair and luring it toward the traps. If she opened too much distance, it might stop chasing, so she kept it just close enough.
Tap—
Its massive foot hit a floor switch.
Whoosh— thud!
"Ki, eeek...!"
A huge boulder dropped from the ceiling onto its head. The sluggish boss couldn't get out of the way in time and took it square. Blood ran down its skull as it staggered.
"Attack!"
I barked the order at Aquaril and charged, slashing wildly at its unprotected back. Aquaril cut at it from the front.
Thrust—!
"....! Keek! Keek! Kieeeeeeeeeek?!?!?!?!?!"
The Bandit Clown, stunned and unable to move, let out a scream that told me exactly where she'd stabbed.
"...Oh, fuck."
I checked the spot and winced, drawing my legs in. Aquaril's sword was buried in its groin.
"Hurts, doesn't it? Let me put you out of your misery."
I stepped up to the thing as it stood there with its mouth hanging open, trembling, lined up my aim, and thrust.
Thrust—!
My sword punched through the roof of its mouth and turned its brain to pulp.
"....!"
The Bandit Clown's eyes rolled back.
Boom—!
Then it toppled over backward.
You have slain the boss monster of the D-rank(+) Dungeon — Clowns' Grave.
Bandit Clown ★★★
The windows that appeared in succession announced the Bandit Clown's death.
