The Last Struggle of the Labyrinth Master
To my question of whether she could clear it, Seo Ian gave me a look that suggested I was asking the most obvious thing in the world.
"The trash mobs here are insanely strong, too. Do you really think I can take down the boss with just one sword?"
That was her reply. I was the one who had asked the question first, yet she had turned it right back on me.
No, how would I know that? I just got here!
"Wouldn't it depend on how you handle it?"
"Then I don't think it's possible."
That wasn't the answer I had hoped for. I wanted the usual confident grin and a response like, "No, of course I can!"
Wow. This is a problem. I’m going to be stuck here for 24 hours, aren't I?
"Why? You're strong, Seo Ian."
I asked, feeling a bit impatient.
"That's true!"
Only now did she straighten her shoulders, placing both hands on her waist triumphantly.
"But I think the boss here is even stronger. The trash mobs alone have insane health, probably because of their defense. The boss is only going to be worse, not better... So, Rabbit!"
She stepped closer, looked at me, and grinned as she continued.
"Help me out!"
"How?"
Just tell me what you want. Stop just shouting "Rabbit!" in communities or in real life and actually specify what you need! That’s the only way I can go get the item or find something similar!
"Something with high boss damage or a damage buff? Or, since I use Strength stats, anything that boosts that is fine. Anything that can pierce the boss's defense and melt its health bar will do."
'Defense' and 'Health'.
Actually, there was an item I’d been thinking about since I heard that earlier.
"...Then, Awakened, would you like to buy some Defense Penetration Elixirs? They allow you to deal damage while ignoring defense. 50% effectiveness for 5 minutes."
"Huh? Why have you been hiding that until now?"
I wasn't hiding it; I had forgotten about it myself.
To make an excuse, I’d only used it once in a special floor, and since the mobs were being wiped out easily without needing such things, I hadn't felt the need for them. That’s right! The very existence of the item had been slowly fading from my mind!
Of course, I couldn't tell her the truth.
"New arrival."
The 'universal word' solved it neatly.
"And one more thing."
It wouldn't help with the boss, but there was one more thing Seo Ian would need right now.
"Milk."
She’d been tasting every kind of chocolate bar until just a moment ago; how could she not be thirsty?
Seo Ian didn't even answer, just held out her hand.
"But why did you even come in here in the first place?"
"They said the rewards were 10 times higher."
I knew that much.
"But if you can't clear it, it's all for nothing, isn't it?"
"I guess so?"
"Ugh..."
No... this is a matter of life and death, so how can she be so irresponsible and talk about it like it’s someone else's business with a "I guess so?"
I couldn't tell if she was just incredibly bold or if she was indifferent to everything.
'Plus, she broke her weapons and only has one left...'
Seo Ian's back looked lonelier than usual today. She had been struggling even with two swords, which was why she hadn't been able to leave. Now that she only had one left, would a few extra elixirs really be enough to take down the boss?
This was the moment I needed to think carefully.
If she could take it down, that would be perfect. 'But what if she can't?'
Let's say I hand her the elixirs, encourage her by saying, "I think you can do it," and send her off to fight the boss. What if she fails?
In a normal Tower, it might be different, but here, if I get into danger, I can only leave after 24 hours. Seo Ian would have to wait a week to exit through normal means. That meant she could actually die.
Unlike when I always had a backdoor installed, the disappearance of an exit I could use at any time made anxiety grow and threaten me.
However, someone who had always run forward without a backdoor didn't seem to feel that kind of anxiety.
"I'll be back."
She didn't even give me a chance to ask where she was going before she continued.
"If I die, just tell people I died. Don't waste your time looking for me."
"Where are you going?"
"Where else?"
Instead of answering, she pointed to a corner with her fingertip.
"...I thought you said you couldn't take it down?"
"I definitely said that. But not anymore."
Heat began to rise slowly in her eyes. On top of that, the corners of her mouth were curling up, filled with excitement and anticipation.
Ah. She’s gone off the deep end.
She was in a state where she wouldn't listen to anything I said anymore. In that case, I might as well help her with everything I’ve got and resolve this situation. If we can get out quickly, that’s good for me too, right? Besides, she said the contribution reward is 10 times higher. Since Seo Ian's name was floating even higher than the 53rd floor, the rewards would be even more lucrative.
And above all else...
The person involved had that look of absolute certainty in her eyes.
I, who lacked the certainty that she couldn't clear it, couldn't bring myself to pour cold water on her.
Instead.
'Crafting Recipe.'
I emptied all the materials left in my inventory and started making every type of elixir I could.
If worse comes to worst, I’d have to take it down myself. Even if my level was much lower than Seo Ian's. And even if my weapon wasn't just un-upgraded, but of a completely different grade.
Skill: Weakness God.
If I could stack the elixir effects twice and apply the defense-ignoring damage at 100% instead of 50%, wouldn't it be worth a shot?
And if that still didn't work?
...Crafting of 2 bottles complete!
In the worst-case scenario, I’d have to choose the lesser evil. I had just made two bottles of our 'life insurance,' one for each of us.
Of course, I didn't hand them over yet.
The encouragement effect. Making her believe, "I can actually clear this." If I handed these over too early, she might think, "If the Rabbit is handing me things like this, does that mean I can't clear it?" and the encouragement effect I’d worked so hard to build up might be diluted.
"Rabbit."
How long had we been walking? Seo Ian, who had been leading the way, suddenly turned around and whispered to me in a low, uncharacteristic voice.
"Yes?"
I wasn't completely oblivious, so I matched her tone and answered in a small voice.
"See that black circle over there? That's the boss."
As I shifted my gaze to where Seo Ian was pointing, I really did see a pitch-black, strangely grotesque-looking, uneven circle.
I squinted slightly to get a better look.
Only then did I realize it wasn't some bizarre sphere, but the boss monster in a human shape, curled up into a ball.
"I'm going to start by cracking its head with a surprise attack, so don't make a sound."
"Okay."
It was common knowledge that any boss monster took 1.2x damage if you hit it in the head. However.
"But Seo Ian."
"Yeah?"
"There's a spot that takes even more damage than the head."
Hitting the 'reverse scale' I’d identified with my Hawk's Eye would deal far more damage than cracking its head.
"Where?"
I blinked my eyes rapidly.
Uh... well...
"Are you lagging again?"
Seo Ian leaned in, peeking at me as if checking my complexion.
Try looking as hard as you want. See if you can see through this mask.
"...You see the finger with the ring on the right hand, right?"
"Yeah. I see it."
"The fingernail on that finger."
Honestly, the target area was tiny. If I fired with Rapid Fire and Tracking applied, could I hit it? I couldn't be sure. If the boss's Agility was applied higher than my total Agility, it seemed likely that it would be blocked or miss.
'Then should I take elixirs focused on Agility before attacking? The 100% defense-ignoring damage should cover the fact that my attacks might not land...'
It was something I might have to experience alone later. I was running a simulation in my head when...
"...Rabbit."
Seo Ian, who had been staring blankly at the monster's fingernail, called me.
"Yes."
"Or behind, no, wait, you're dead! ...No, never mind. Our Rabbit could be wrong too. Don't you think?"
She smiled at me. I had just heard something that was about to change from "You're dead" to "You're in trouble" drift back to "Never mind."
Is she being kind to me because I'm an NPC?
Looking back, that didn't seem to be the case. She fought with Ber just fine, didn't she?
"Ugh. I'm tired. I need to go home and sleep."
Muttering to herself, she began her final preparations before entering the boss fight. She emptied the elixirs I’d given her, starting with the ones with the longest duration, and finally tucked a recovery capsule between her molars.
"Anyway, watch closely today. I'm going to show you something insane."
She spoke quietly, then—click—she pulled the helmet she’d been holding onto her head.
"I'll look forward to it."
I quietly put some distance between myself and Seo Ian. I needed to take my own elixirs while she was distracted by the boss.
* * *
"Ah, damn it! There's a 3rd phase?!"
That sound was Seo Ian shouting as she hurriedly retreated to gain distance after seeing the boss monster grow in size the moment its health dropped by a third.
And while Seo Ian was happily dancing with a sword in one hand...
I, having finished all my doping with the intention of stepping in if things went south, stood far away, hiding my crossbow behind my back, and watched her.
"Rabbit! You said you shoot guns in other places!! You said you'd help me by shooting!!"
It wasn't a gun; it was a light crossbow. And helping was limited to repeated raids. Seo Ian was clearly on her first clear. If she succeeded, she would have her name on the rankings whether she liked it or not. That is, if she took down the boss by herself.
I had intended to join in if things went poorly, but if they didn't? The elixirs I’d consumed were a waste, but I’d planned to just watch until the end. Without lifting a finger.
Rather than raising suspicions like "Is the Rabbit actually an Awakened?" by landing a hit here, wouldn't it be much more useful for future Tower intrusions to remain an NPC as I was now?
"I don't help with things you can clear on your own."
While I was at it, I gave her a subtle 'encouragement'.
Then.
"That's right! I'm different from those losers! I am!"
The effect was tremendous. Seo Ian, who had been backing away to gain distance, charged back toward the boss as if she’d gained courage.
Since she was swinging a sword, it should have sounded like 'swish-swish', but for some reason, 'thud-thud' sounds were coming from here, and occasionally, strange, deafening roars like 'Boom!', 'Crunch!', or 'Clang!' were mixed in.
The sounds echoed as if they would burst my eardrums for a while.
Before I knew it, the boss's health had dropped by about 65%.
Seo Ian gained some distance from the boss. Thinking she would shave off its health before the 3rd phase properly activated, she took a stance.
"Rabbit!!"
She suddenly called me.
"Yes!"
"Look at this! This is the most insane thing!"
And I realized the reason she called me was to show off the new skill she’d obtained.
'Wow. No, another attack skill? And it didn't even appear for me even if I died trying?!'
One sword multiplied into several, and except for the sword in her hand, the remaining swords circled the boss and plunged straight into the ground. After that, an enormous amount of light-formed sword blades erupted from within the circle, mercilessly shredding the boss in an instant!
Honestly, it made me a bit jealous. Ah, is it because my trait is Intrusion? Why don't I get anything like that?
As Seo Ian cast it twice in a row, the boss's health melted away like snow in the midsummer sun, not even spring sunshine. Just before the boss's final phase activated. Even though not even a minute had passed, the boss only had 5% health left.
"This defense-ignoring damage is insane!?"
A voice filled with joy pierced my ears, no matter who heard it.
-Krrraaaargh!!
And following that, a spine-chilling, rage-filled roar hammered my eardrums.
Finally.
Was it because we couldn't take it down quickly? The boss began to roar, going insane.