Chapter 90: The Real Boss Fight (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: The Real Boss Fight (2)
Although fighting the Golden Golem and the Blacksmith wasn't part of the original plan, I had prepared a countermeasure for just such a contingency.
It was a Tier 2 spell I had acquired.
“Electrostatic Coat.”
Crackle. Sparks flew across Aimus’s armor.
I summoned one Cumulonimbus cloud and activated the Hourglass.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■■■■]
To be honest, Electrostatic Coat wasn't a very efficient spell in the game.
It granted immunity to lightning attacks, provided a shield that absorbed 300 magic damage, and increased status effect resistance by 1 point.
These were all minor effects, making it largely useless. Didn't the coat shatter in a single hit from the Magic Acid hammer when I cast it on the Orc Fighter?
And a single point of status resistance wouldn't be enough to block the Golden Golem's gilding effect, not with the huge level difference between them.
So why did I include Electrostatic Coat in my Memory Book build?
Because of the trait listed below.
[Electrostatic Coat]
▶The target becomes immune to lightning attacks, gains a shield that absorbs 300 magic damage, and their status effect resistance increases by 1.
▶Each time the target is hit by a lightning spell, they gain Lightning Charge +1.
▶For each stack of Lightning Charge, the magic shield’s value increases by 80, and status effect resistance increases by 1.
Lightning Charge.
The more it stacked, the more potent Electrostatic Coat became.
In the original game, it was rare for a single character to be hit by lightning five or six times in one battle. What’s more, the Lightning Charge stacks decreased by one each turn, so you couldn't accumulate them over a long period. You needed to focus an explosive barrage of lightning spells all at once, which was nearly impossible in the game.
But for a real-world Hourglass user, it was a different story.
“Cumulonimbus.”
I cast the spell again as soon as its cooldown finished.
I had already cast Electrostatic Coat on Aimus, and now I would summon a large number of Cumulonimbus clouds during my turn. After that, a light touch of Superconductivity would finish the setup.
With the Hourglass’s modification giving me six Action Points per turn, I could summon a maximum of seven Cumulonimbus clouds, including the one I summoned before flipping the Hourglass.
Since Superconductivity was also a lightning spell, it and the seven lightning strikes would grant 8 points of resistance and a 640-point magic damage shield.
Adding the base values, that came to a total of 9 resistance and a 940-point shield.
Considering that even a skilled 4th-floor adventurer had a resistance of 2 or 3 at most, this level of resistance was absurd.
Therefore, our team's monstrous monk would not be affected by the gilding.
Even if he were hit by Magic Acid, he would withstand it easily, as the magic shield would absorb all the damage.
The combination of Electrostatic Coat and Cumulonimbus would turn Aimus into an impregnable fortress.
I would position him at the front to wrestle with the Golden Golem and the Blacksmith. A super tank immune to physical attacks thanks to his Steel Veins and immune to magic attacks thanks to his Cumulonimbus-charged coat.
He would use his iron staff to establish a control zone and block the enemy's advance, while Yernil and I dished out steady damage from behind him.
With that, we could take down the Golden Golem or the Blacksmith without a problem.
However, there was a slight flaw in this design: the cooldown of Cumulonimbus.
‘Fifteen seconds.’
Because of this cooldown, I could only summon a maximum of four Cumulonimbus clouds within the 60 seconds provided by the Hourglass. Which meant…
‘I’ll use Time Trader.’
It was a new Hourglass skill I’d obtained from the fountain.
[Time Trader]
▶Consume 1 second of the Hourglass’s time to remove 1 minute from a specific spell’s cooldown or a negative status effect’s duration.
▶Target Spell: Cumulonimbus
“Cumulonimbus.”
Simple arithmetic suggested I could deploy all the spells in just seven seconds, but the 60 seconds of tactical decision time was a precious resource in itself. I couldn't afford to waste it, so I had to use it meticulously.
“Cumulonimbus.”
“Cumulonimbus.”
I spent just three seconds to complete the cooldown trades and checked the remaining time.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 42 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■□□□□]
The remaining two casts would take up to 30 seconds, so I could let 12 seconds of buffer time pass. During that time, I needed to think about what might happen next.
Once Yernil, who was currently mouthing “I’ll be going now” beside me, left her position, the situation would escalate rapidly.
Until now, I had been imagining a strategy for fighting the Blacksmith and the Golden Golem simultaneously. Of course, the current situation was quite different from what I had envisioned.
For example, encountering the Blacksmith while my Hourglass was on cooldown, the Golden Golem reviving before I could regroup with Aimus, and the Assembly Core reactivating to produce more Brass Golems one by one.
“Cumulonimbus.”
[Your turn. Time remaining: 27 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
Let’s go through them one by one.
First, the three types of Brass Golems.
The sword-and-shield, longspear, and crossbow golems weren't a major threat when encountered in the field, but it was different now. They would inevitably force us to waste skills or spells. For a squishy wizard like me, getting hit by the Blacksmith's Magic Acid hammer or stabbed by a Brass Golem's longspear were both life-threatening, critical injuries, weren't they?
If the number of Brass Golems exceeded our own, our chances of winning would become slim.
What about destroying the Assembly Core itself?
Just as Ingelam stealing the core halted golem production, destroying it was a viable option. But for now, I’d keep it as a backup plan. If Yernil could reach the Production Control Room in time, I could issue her a turn-based command to use the Assembly Core to our advantage.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 16 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
Now, to think about the Blacksmith and Golden Golem combo.
The two of them together had a synergy that went beyond just two special bosses attacking at once. It seemed the Blacksmith's foundry repair ability also applied to the Golden Golem.
The fact that this was an unknown variable I had never encountered in the game was a source of anxiety. I didn't know how much the Golden Golem's regeneration would improve, which would mess with my damage calculations.
Therefore, it would be best to separate them if possible.
‘Will it work?’
In fact, this was another reason I sent Yernil to the Production Control Room. To separate the two special bosses.
The Blacksmith was an intelligent monster obsessed with golem creation. Since I had openly ordered Yernil to go to the Production Control Room and get rid of the dolls, that thing must have caught on.
So, what would the Blacksmith do?
1. Chase Yernil directly.
This was impossible. The Blacksmith's running speed couldn't match our elf's agility. Likewise, the Brass Golems couldn't catch her either.
2. Use the foundry's structure-shifting ability to chase Yernil.
This was also impossible. It had already used a small-scale structure shift to block the Lightning Shock and lightning strikes. That spell had a fairly long cooldown.
3. Order the Golden Golem to pursue Yernil.
Hmm… I wasn't sure if there was a command hierarchy between them, but I thought this was a possibility. While the Golden Golem couldn't catch Yernil by running, it did have another method of movement, much like the foundry's structure shift.
If the Golden Golem did go after Yernil, it would be best for me to split the party as well. I had a rough strategy for that, too.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 4 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
Time was almost up.
I checked the cooldowns of my other spells. All of them, including Electrostatic Coat, were fully refreshed.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 2 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
I aimed my wand at the last designated spot among the clouds filling the sky.
One second left.
“Cumulonimbus.”
I finished my meticulously used turn.
[All Action Points have been consumed.]
[Ending turn.]
Rumble!
Seven massive storm clouds gathered, carefully avoiding the space directly above the adventurers to cover the rest of the map.
Whoosh!
A downpour began.
The foundry had an excellent drainage system, so the rainwater didn't pool on the floor but flowed away to one side. The casting mold was covered by a chaotic tangle of the Assembly Core and pipes, which acted as a roof. Thanks to this, not much rain fell onto the molten metal within, but steam still billowed up violently.
However, the golems remained motionless. The Blacksmith was the same.
The standoff between the last remaining adventurers in the foundry and the last monsters guarding it continued. The tension between them was sharp.
Both our party and the constable's party held their breath, nerves on edge.
“I’ll be going now!” Yernil announced with grim determination.
“If you run into any monsters, don’t fight. Just run.”
I added a word of caution, worried the Golden Golem might pursue her.
“Yes! Don’t you worry!”
With a determined look, Yernil’s slender legs pushed off the ground as she sprinted toward the Production Control Room. Among everyone here, only Back Attack could possibly keep up with her pace.
Alright, Blacksmith.
‘What will you do now?’
I watched the monster intently.
Would it give an order to the Golden Golem?
“…”
Unfortunately, it remained still.
It wasn't the best-case scenario for me, but there was nothing I could do. I’d just have to wait for Yernil to get rid of the dolls as quickly as possible and return…
“Look over there! Caleb!” Neko shouted, pointing toward the Assembly Core.
“The Golden Golem is moving!”
Perfect.
The monster suddenly strode forward and leaped into the molten metal filling the casting mold.
Splash! It sent lava flying in all directions.
Back Attack’s eyes went wide.
“What the hell, it’s jumping into the lava?”
His expression screamed, Is it committing suicide?
Of course not.
The Golden Golem doesn't melt. Because the main component of the lava is ‘brass.’ The melting point of brass is around 920 degrees Celsius, while gold’s is 1,064 degrees. According to the game's lore, the temperature of the 4th-floor lava is somewhere in between, so the Golden Golem wouldn't melt in it. That's why it didn't take any damage in the lava.
The only time that monster turned to liquid here was when it liquefied itself to reform a body that had been scratched or crushed by physical force.
Or to travel through the pipes.
“Look over there!” the Priest shouted.
“It’s going into the pipes!”
The Golden Golem was taking the pipes!
It was heading straight for the Production Control Room, planning to pop out and surprise Yernil when she arrived.
Yernil had Sound Mapping and Sentry Redeployment, and she was much faster and more agile than the Golden Golem. She wouldn't be taken down easily, but knowing her personality, she wouldn't abandon the mission I gave her. She would end up in a difficult standoff with the Golden Golem in the Production Control Room.
“Superconductivity.”
I had to act now.
First, I cast the spell on Aimus, making an electric current flow through him.
BOOM! KABOOM! BOOM!
In an instant, seven bolts of lightning struck his Electrostatic Coat in rapid succession.
Neko and the Priest seemed a little startled, but Aimus remained calm. We had practiced this before entering the 4th floor.
However, my next command surprised him slightly.
“Aimus! Go after Yernil!”
“What?”
“The Golden Golem is using the pipes to intercept Yernil! Go and help her! And…”
This time, the Priest and Back Attack were shocked.
“Priest, Back Attack, you go with him!”
“What did you say?!”
“Are you serious, boss?”
“Hurry! You’ll need a party of that size to fight the Golden Golem. Aimus will take the front line. And Priest, cast Nathaniel's Grace Period on him!”
“…!”
The Priest’s eyes doubled in size. He seemed to understand why I was sending him.
“Nathaniel’s Grace Period!”
The Priest’s Tier 3 spell fell upon Aimus. The divine power of Nathaniel sealed the duration of beneficial magic on the target. In other words, it was like putting a lock on Aimus’s Lightning Charge stacks so they wouldn't expire.
“Let’s go.”
Aimus didn't argue. He simply swept up the slower Priest into his arms.
“Be careful.”
Aimus bid me farewell and immediately started running toward the Production Control Room.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go, boss?” Back Attack asked worriedly.
“Go now!”
Another Brass Golem emerged from the molten casting mold. A longspear golem this time.
“Tch. Don’t you die.”
The moment Back Attack took off after Aimus, the Blacksmith also began to move. It probably thought this was a good turn of events. The Golden Golem was gone, but in exchange, our main force had been cut by more than half.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two new Brass Golems took up positions to defend the casting mold. The Assembly Core glowed above the fresh lava pouring into the mold.
“More golems are being made!” Neko shouted.
The Blacksmith took out its Magic Acid.
I cast a spell on the remaining Orc vanguard.
“Electrostatic Coat.”
Crackle, crackle. An electric current sparked across the Orc Fighter’s body. At the same time, a vial flew from the Blacksmith’s fingertips in a high arc.
“Superconductivity.”
I hit his armor with a bolt of lightning.
BOOM!
A powerful bolt of lightning erupted, deflecting the Magic Acid.
It was a completely different outcome from our first clash with the Blacksmith in this very spot. Back then, the Electrostatic Coat had shattered instantly, but this time, it didn't even flinch.
At this moment, what he wore was a treasure-grade piece of armor that the cash-strapped Public Security Headquarters couldn't even dream of. A coat with 9 resistance and a 940-point magic shield, something no 4th-floor adventurer could have ever imagined.
“I… I blocked it!”
The Orc Fighter himself looked bewildered.
“How…?”
“Don’t be scared! The Magic Acid won’t work on you anymore.”
Because if the magic shield was about to break, I would just hit him with Superconductivity again to recharge it.
“Neko!”
I glanced to my side and saw Neko looking dazed. For her, who had come here wearing something that looked like a raincoat due to the Public Security Headquarters’ lack of funds, this must have felt like a bit of a culture shock.
‘To think you can get such monstrous performance out of such a minor defensive spell!’
That was the look on her face.
“Snap out of it!”
“Y-Yes!”
This was no time for that. The Brass Golems had started to move.
“Take the golem on the right!”
“Psychokinetic Fist!”
Neko crushed the longspear golem with a green psychokinetic punch. From the casting mold, a crossbow golem was forming and rising to its feet.
And then the Blacksmith charged.
One of the greatest advantages of the Electrostatic Coat strategy was that the Cumulonimbus lightning strikes had a cooldown of only five seconds. The clouds could be used to recharge the coat, but when the Lightning Charge was high enough…
“Lightning Shock.”
They could also be used for offense.
KRA-KOOM!
Seven bolts of lightning slammed into the Blacksmith.