36. Boss Zone Reconnaissance (2)
“That one's the boss of this dungeon.”
Chloe said. The group had arrived at the lakeside. If the dungeon's heart was this lake, then the boss monster lurking within was obvious—a water-type beast.
“A kraken, huh. What a tricky monster. And ugly to boot.”
The massive squid-like monster, the kraken. Water-type monsters were troublesome in so many ways.
A battlefield underwater was inherently disadvantageous for humans. And if things got even slightly dicey for them, they'd flee into the depths. They weren't particularly strong in offense or durability by comparison.
But this kraken was a 2nd form monster. And as a territorial boss like this one, it had likely overcome even those weaknesses.
Good thing we're just scouting.
Gigantic tentacles sporadically broke the surface of the lake. In that instant, Chloe, who had been staring at them, flinched.
“What's wrong, Chloe? Scared to face a 2nd form boss monster? If the mental corruption's too much, you can skip the final recon.”
As expected of a boss monster, the demonic aura permeating the area was thick and oppressive.
Chloe and Rozette. Without me here to keep their minds steady, those two wouldn't have made it this far.
Confusion spreads through a party like an infection. But if even one member stays clear-headed, they can mitigate it to some degree—clinging to that sane comrade like a beacon in the dark.
“N-no... Thanks to you, Lord Yulian, the demonic aura is bearable... Hah...”
But her reaction was a bit off. Chloe stifled a moan that sounded almost like a lewd cry. Glancing at the writhing tentacles on the lake's surface, I quickly pieced it together.
She must've developed a bad fetish back at the atelier.
That tentacle nude portrait I'd drawn of her. Looked like it had awakened something twisted in her.
A noble lady reacting to tentacles like this. Her thighs twitched wildly between her legs—she was clearly burning with arousal.
For a moment, I wanted to scold her, but I let it slide. It was partly my fault, after all.
“If there's a potion to clear your mind, why not take it?”
“Oh, right. I have some refined minhotti extract pills.”
Chloe pulled some pills from her uniform pocket and offered them to me and Rozette.
“It's a concentrate made from top-grade minhotti. Should help you endure the demonic aura.”
She clearly didn't want to share with Rozette, but at my pointed glance, she handed one over without complaint.
Swallowing the pill brought a sharp, minty shock—like toothpaste concentrated tenfold—zapping through my head.
“Ugh... Spicy!!”
But bitter medicine does the body good. I asked Chloe,
“How long does this last?”
“Normally, it'd keep your mind clear for a full hour. But without divine power to fend off that boss's demonic aura... probably ten minutes max.”
“Then we hustle. Tactics as discussed on the way here. I'll draw the monster's aggro. You two take positions and harass it with everything you've got. Retreat on my signal. It won't take all ten minutes—stay sharp!”
Both nodded vigorously. Rozette mounted her magic wand and circled to the lake's outer edge. Chloe did the same on the opposite flank.
“Here goes.”
I strode straight to the lake's front. With ample reward mana still flowing, I froze the surface solid.
The ice path neutralized the terrain disadvantage. The boss—a 2nd form kraken—spotted my rapid approach and unleashed a ferocious roar.
Krraaaaaah—
We'd slipped past its minions unscathed on the way to the boss zone. This dungeon lord seemed furious at our sudden intrusion.
Territorial monsters often have scouts among their underlings.
No wonder it was pissed—personally confirming its minions' negligence. All that rage and hostility locked onto me.
A colossal beast over 10 meters tall, building-sized. Emerging from the water, it whipped a tentacle down at me.
***
I barely dodged.
True to its 2nd form, its reaction speed outpaced any 3rd form I'd faced.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—
The lakeside echoed like torpedoes detonating. That utility-pole-thick tentacle struck with whip-like speed.
A direct hit would've shredded me to bits—fish food, no remains. Instinctively, I wrapped mana around my mana heart, sharpening my senses.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—
The kraken gave no quarter. The second strike hammered down. Dodging by a hair, I felt the 2nd form's deadliness in my bones.
As expected of a boss. Can a 3rd tier handle a 2nd form solo?
I recalled Pantheon's tactical manual.
Subduing a 2nd form required coordinated 4th tier assaults at minimum. Solo kills demanded 5th tier aura or true demonic power.
Three 3rd tier cadets couldn't engage it head-on.
But retreating now? No way.
We'd reached the boss zone—S-rank recon achieved. That alone qualified me for squad leader.
But facing it directly, mapping its patterns and power? That could bump us to an unprecedented 0-rank recon.
Not standard procedure. Scout teams scout, after all.
And after coming this far, just noting its appearance felt like a waste. Even in an artificial dungeon, a live 2nd form's lessons in proficiency were immense.
Ten minutes on the minhotti pills. Those two should hold.
As I evaded, the kraken raised a second tentacle. My body reacted, but its speed was blinding.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang—
I blocked with an alchemy ice wall from the splashing water. Any delay, and I'd have been paste.
Slipping out from between the walls, I heard thunder crash.
“Yulian! Get clear!!”
Kaboom-kaboom-kaboom—
Thunder roared everywhere. A brilliant yellow bolt slammed into the kraken.
Lightning magic beyond 3rd tier limits—Rozette's genuine thunderstrike.
“What?! That squid tanked my full-mana blast!”
The kraken spasmed briefly, then shrugged it off. Elemental weakness exploited, yet its territorial buffs granted high resistance.
Grraaaaaah—
The strike only enraged it further. It thrashed wildly.
Whipping tentacles skyward, it unleashed a barrage of poison stingers. I shouted,
“Dodge! Instant death if they hit!”
Arrow-sized stingers—I evaded some, slashed others.
As a massive tentacle arced toward airborne Rozette,
“Over here, giant squid!”
I infused my imperial sword with refined mana and unleashed White Night. A dazzling white flash slashed the kraken.
Kraaaaaah—
It reacted—part of a tentacle severed.
“Lord Yulian's attack landed!”
Chloe yelled from the opposite side. The kraken had endured Rozette's high-output lightning bare-skinned. My hit landing? Shocking.
“Chloe! No slacking—hold position behind it and keep harassing!”
But I stayed vigilant.
The kraken regenerated the severed tentacle swiftly. My blade hadn't pierced its two primary arms.
2nd form is 2nd form. Even White Night doesn't fully cut through. Tough.
No need to kill it, though. Just catalog patterns and buffs.
In other words, tank aggro and buy time.
“Yulian! Bare-knuckling that squid is suicide! Evade!!”
Battle buffs amplified the monster's frenzy. The kraken was loosening up.
This path led to my death. But we were just warming up—full patterns needed more time.
Crackle-crackle—
Sparks flew from Chloe's hidden needles in the kraken's flesh. Lightning alchemy again. The elemental hit slowed its tentacles slightly.
I narrowly dodged another primary arm strike.
“Five more minutes! And save mana for the escape—don't waste it all on the kraken!”
Recon wasn't over till we reached the entrance safely.
We needed reserves to survive the return.
“Five minutes is too much! Tanking that 2nd form solo is insane!”
“Chloe's right, Yulian! You can't hold that kraken alone...”
“I'm fine. Just keep the harass fire coming! Both of you!”
Chloe wasn't wrong. Five minutes in, buffs were stacking. Berserk mode earlier. Curses thickening the demonic aura.
The next five would be hell compared to the first.
Too much for those two.
Rosario's blessing shielded me.
But theirs would shatter when minhotti wore off—the aura was that dense. If I fell pulling aggro...
Formation collapse in seconds.
And this behemoth—mountain-sized, but pinpoint accuracy.
Without Reinhardt senses, I'd be tentacle fodder already. Chloe's aid had saved me moments ago.
Grraaaaaah—
That blatant killing intent toward me. Monster malice intensified with rank—aiming to erase every life on Iseland.
High-tiers are different. Survive things like this?
The unadulterated killing intent was lethal enough.
Autumn's foes outranked this squid. Full conquest, not recon.
This malice? Child's play.
I endured it bare, plotting my next move. No blind stalling against the kraken for five minutes.
Enhanced incubus trait. Time to test it in combat.
I activated the new skill via system.
You have begun to freely interpret dreams. The dominance of lewd dreams increases.
└─ Dream's Afterimage
You can faintly leave traces of dreams in reality. Usable only on the Incubus themselves. ★
Right then.
The kraken's buff-fueled tentacle strike—more savage now—hurtled toward my face.
Reflexively, I triggered the new skill.