The Missing Chief of the Red Anvil Tribe
Geis and Mikhail. The two dwarves he'd met in the Hymer Mine had been desperately searching for their chief, and there he was, right before his eyes.
"......Remodeled, huh?"
But the chief's appearance was far from normal.
His left arm had been replaced by an iron arm larger than his own body, and in place of one eye sat a black magic stone. Black energy seeped ominously from that stone.
-Tch. Looks like they went wild with the modifications. Mad scientists all have the same playbook, no matter the genre.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
What happens when an amoral genius scientist goes berserk?
The answer stood right in front of him.
"Grraaahhh. Hngggg."
The dwarf chief let out a chilling groan in a voice too eerie to describe, and the surrounding demonic energy rippled in response.
"What do you think? My life's masterpiece! Ahh, isn't it truly magnificent?"
"......"
Frantic asked, but Carpe ignored him completely.
Crazy attention-seekers like that only get worse if you react. Carpe stuck to the ancient wisdom: Ignore the clowns.
"......I rushed the finishing touches a bit, so the polish is off...... but it'll be fine. I can tweak the details later. Perfect chance to gather combat data too. Ehihihik!"
With no response from Carpe, Frantic seemed a little disappointed, but he pressed on doggedly.
"Now, if you've got anything else to pull out, go ahead. The more data, the better. Got nothing more?"
Carpe had finished summoning all his retainers the moment the forced event ended.
Frantic eyed each of Carpe's retainers with meaningful interest, muttering brief admirations.
"Oh ho. These are unexpectedly fine 'specimens.' Might need to dial back the power a notch. Wasting such precious materials would be a shame......"
BOOM!
An explosion erupted right in front of Frantic.
Carpe had ambushed the self-absorbed rambler with a fireball.
"Tch. Interrupting a guy mid-sentence."
But Carpe's fireball dealt no damage.
Just before it hit, the dwarf chief blocked it with his massive iron arm.
"Judging by how you handle those dolls, I thought you might be reasonable...... Turns out you're just another barbaric savage. No point discussing art with you."
With that, the dwarf chief stepped forward.
And then.
"......He's gone?"
Incredibly, the dwarf chief vanished from Carpe's sight. Carpe hadn't even blinked—he'd been hyper-focused—yet the chief faded like a mirage.
The moment Carpe registered the disappearance, a split-second later.
"Guh?!"
It was pure instinct.
I'm dead.
Any hesitation, even for a second, and he'd be gone. Carpe reflexively activated a skill.
"Protective Aura! Guhck!"
KABOOM!
The moment he sensed the brutal impact on his back, Carpe was smashed into the wall at terrifying speed. The sudden force crumbled the cave wall, kicking up dust.
And then, a barrage of alerts popped up.
MP has reached 0. Protective Aura deactivated.
HP has fallen below 60%. Rune Engraving effect 'Orb of Healing' activated.
HP recovers 1% per second for 10 seconds.
MP has fallen below 30%. Rune Engraving effect 'Orb of Magic Healing' activated.
MP recovers 0.5% per second for 5 seconds.
Instant-death level attack permitted. Entering 5-second stun.
Unlock activated. Stun released!
"What the hell......"
Checking the alerts, Carpe couldn't help cursing.
One hit.
Just one hit, and he was on the brink of death.
Obviously, Carpe had entered the cave at full HP and MP. Any player would, not knowing when a quest battle might ambush them.
And in that state, he'd instantly activated Protective Aura. He'd maxed it with skill points, granting 30% damage absorption.
"What kind of insane damage is this?!"
Thanks to his Magic Fist Lord class and sky-high Magic stat, Carpe's total MP dwarfed other players at his level.
Yet one hit did this. If he hadn't reflexively triggered Protective Aura, instant death.
"My liege! Are you alright?!"
"Guh?!"
The problem? The fight had only just begun.
While Carpe took the ambush, none of his retainers—including himself—could react in time.
Yet the dwarf chief vanished from sight again.
"What skill is that? Not invisibility."
Invisibility or stealth would've been caught by Dragon's Eye.
Blink teleport? No, blinks have cast delays. Not chainable like this.
-Probably a boss-exclusive skill. Stay sharp. No telling where it'll pop next.
"Hoo. Wish I could ID the skill, but I can't even see it......"
The situation was dire.
Worst of all, his MP was bottomed out. No MP, no real skills.
"Damn it."
He wanted to chug a mana potion from inventory, but he couldn't risk it.
The dwarf chief would surely strike at that opening. The trickle from rune effects was his lifeline.
Whoosh!
The dwarf chief reappeared—this time dead ahead.
He swung his hammer at Carpe with blinding speed. But this time, Carpe didn't get ambushed.
Royard intercepted between them.
Royard crossed his arms, and the hammer crashed down.
CRUNCH!
The result exceeded imagination.
Royard—Carpe's retainer with the highest defense—had his arms crumpled like tin!
Retainer Steel Royard's body severely damaged. Functions reduced by 30%.
"Grraaah?"
The demon-corrupted dwarf chief seemed mildly surprised to have his attack blocked, but that was it.
The moment he raised his hammer again.
"My turn now!"
Not on my watch! This general joins the fray!>
Carpe and Gillian charged from both sides.
Tina's sword aimed for the dwarf's heart; Gillian's greatsword for his head.
Clang! CLANG!
But both attacks were effortlessly parried. The massive steel arm shielded him completely—no damage.
"Guh! Tough bastard."
Nggh. Solid as hell! If this general had his original body, trash like this......!>
The two retainers poured on attacks nonstop, but they only bought time.
"......Ha. What kind of ridiculous monster is this?"
Carpe let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
He'd braced when the alert called it an invincible boss, but this was overkill.
Other invincible bosses he'd faced—fanatic priests, even Servant Lord's fragments—weren't this broken.
No clear path to victory.
"No choice. Gotta bail."
While his retainers stalled, Carpe chugged a mana potion from inventory.
Abandon "beating" the invincible boss.
Switch to the textbook strat.
"Mukhyang!"
"Kyut!"
While others held the dwarf at bay with combined attacks, Mukhyang had sneaked to Frantic.
Their coordination was seamless now.
After the first hit proved unwinnable, Mukhyang bolted for Frantic.
"Castling!"
Castling swapped Mukhyang and Carpe's positions.
Frantic stood before him, face paling in shock.
"Ma Sword Penetration Mirror!"
Carpe's judgment was simple.
Can't beat the puppet? Beat the puppeteer!
Straightforward, logical—and feasible.
Provided he could actually drop him.
Clang!
"Tch. Pity. Nice try, but you think I wouldn't prepare for that?"
Ma Sword Penetration Mirror hit an opaque black barrier. Carpe hammered it full-force, but it held firm.
"Useless. This shield's forged from the dwarf's mana. Won't drop till my loyal minion falls."
"......What?"
The puppeteer had invincibility too?!
Carpe faltered at the curveball.
Another way besides dropping the puppeteer? Nothing came to mind. Erasing the floor's magic circle? It was inside the shield too.
"Unlock!"
Last resort—he tried Unlock. No dice.
"......Damn."
He'd half-expected that. Unlock handled boxes or item curses, not magic shields or other living beings.
If it could cleanse debuffs, he'd have used it on Gillian's original body's poison.
BOOM! BOOM!
While Carpe futilely pounded the shield.
Retainer Steel Royard forcibly unsummoned.
Retainer Light's Tistania forcibly unsummoned.
Retainer Mukhyang forcibly unsummoned.
Retainer Dark Army forcibly unsummoned.
Retainer Mirage forcibly unsummoned.
Forcibly unsummoned retainers cannot be resummoned for 12 hours.
All retainers forcibly unsummoned. First time since starting the game.
-......Damn. This is that thing.
Cheonma sighed at the overwhelming strength. He'd figured out the quest's true nature.
-Dead Event. Anything else doesn't make sense.
Or, forced-loss event.
Common in other RPGs: quests where player defeat is guaranteed, advancing the scenario from there.
"......Room open!"
Cannot move to Room.
This area blocks player warp skills and scrolls (retainer movement allowed).
"Damn. Figures."
Room retreat blocked too.
-Give up. No winning this, dead or alive. Concept's different from other invincible bosses.
"......Shit. First death in a forced event."
Thud!
The dwarf chief loomed, hammer raised at Carpe.
"......Fine. Let's see what story's worth this bullshit."
Carpe closed his eyes, accepting death. The hammer fell.
KABOOM!
"......Huh?"
Something changed.
Carpe opened his eyes, unharmed despite the swing.
"......Gr......graaak."
The dwarf chief clutched his head in agony.
The massive hammer had grazed just past Carpe.
"K-kill...... human. Kill me...... please."
"Ah."
Carpe grasped it instantly.
The dwarf's true self, buried in demon corruption, had resurfaced.
"Tch. Dosed him to the max, and he's still conscious. Great test subject, but this resistance is always trouble."
Frantic muttered, pulling a medal-like item from his pocket.
The dwarf chief howled in torment.
"Now, kill that human."
"Kill...... yes, kill......"
The dwarf chief raised his hammer again.
Veins bursting from pain, tears streamed from his remaining eye, soaking the floor.
[......]
Then.
A miracle.
The dwarves' ancient god is extremely furious at the desecration of his kin.
Forced event 'Divine Possession' activated.
"......What?"
The demon-choked dark cave.
At its center, holy energy began to envelop Carpe's body.