Trials and Rewards (4)
Underground level 7. This place was crawling with Chongwang species and other monsters.
Along the way, we ran into Shion's Team X. A cigarette sparked a huge commotion. Even though I wanted to help, Shion held me back and sent me on my way.
"We're fine here, so head back to your team."
Even as every sleeping Chongwang species woke up and charged, Sion Illeionhart remained utterly calm. Yeah, this is what it takes to be a real leader, I thought.
With the monsters swarming Shion's team, level 7 cleared out completely. I hurried down to the lower levels. Shion had stayed behind on purpose to buy us time to escape. I couldn't let that sacrifice go to waste.
The moment we descended, a nose-piercing stench hit us, but I brushed it off, figuring it was from the monster nests.
"Hey, Kyle. There's a path over here?"
"This looks like it could fit one person through."
Luckily, level 8 had a ventilation shaft leading further down. We dropped to the lower level without unnecessary fights. Unfortunately, a spider-like monster woke up and smashed the vent, so the other teams would have to brute-force their way through. Nothing we could do about that. Even now, Shion's team was fighting up above. Time was short.
Level 9 was a maze. We wasted most of our time here. One teammate got lost and vanished for good. But we couldn't go back for them. Turning around would trap us too—and that would go against Shion's will.
"Sorry! I'll come back for you!"
"Elin, you bastard! Hey! You're not seriously leaving me, right?!"
"Sorry! I'll remember you!"
In the end, after agonizing, we sacrificed one and pushed down.
We finally reached level 10. The deepest bottom of Underground Town Everd. No monsters, no traps, no maze.
"Whoa……."
Just a single, enormous boss room sitting there alone.
Sylvia Leopard strode forward and flung the door open—and the result was… disastrous.
"Senior! Don't go that way!"
"Huh?!"
In the pitch-black cavern, I reached out. But before my hand could touch Sylvia, flames erupted.
[Team A. Sylvia Leopard: Eliminated]
"Eliminated……?"
"Hey! Kyle! This isn't the time to space out! Snap to it!"
"Wait, that means we're down to……."
Our tank Sylvia got hit by the breath and was out in an instant. That made four eliminations. One supporter + one trapped (effectively eliminated). One mage eliminated. And just now, one melee dealer gone.
Three of us left: Kyle Ivanstair. Elin Beonard. Kai Alma.
……A hopeless situation.
The party's balance had collapsed long ago. Now just three dealers. And had we even landed meaningful damage on the boss, the Ferocious Salamander? Hardly.
"That thing… is our damage even going through?"
We'd attacked while sacrificing Sylvia, but the Salamander was still fine. Even when Kai Alma landed punches in every opening, it just twitched a few times. Every time it twisted, flames poured from its scales. Every scattering ember triggered damage judgments.
"…To take down this lizard, we need to inflict internal damage."
Kai Alma, who had paused, finally figured it out. But even so, we had no good way to do it. If we could stab a blade deep into the muscle, sure. But flip that around—endless punches from a martial artist like Kai Alma were useless.
Unless he unleashed attacks infused with inner power like his master. …For now, it was a pipe dream.
"What good is that now?!"
Clang—!
Elin blocked the Salamander's descending forepaw. But overwhelmed, one knee hit the ground. Holding it off was all she could do. With all focus on the paw, she had no attention for the tail whipping from behind.
"Guh?!"
She took the tail hit square. The cadet uniform saved her; bare skin would've meant elimination like Sylvia. Elin slammed into a pillar before stopping. It felt like her spine was paralyzed. Barely standing, her right hand felt empty.
"My sword… where's my sword?"
Adjusting her glasses, she looked ahead. Her sword lay at the Salamander's feet. No way to retrieve it like that. But time it right, and maybe—
……Crack!
"You bastard! That's not fair!"
The Salamander brushed away the shattered sword fragments like they annoyed its paw. Elin's stunned expression reflected in the mirror-like shards.
"Ha, haha……."
Elin finally collapsed. Not physical limits—mental ones. Like the entrance exam, her willpower had reached its breaking point.
"Yeah, figures……."
No matter how skilled, she couldn't match a monster like Serin Anette. Extras exit stage right on cue.
The Salamander opened its maw toward the slumped Elin, flames building—
Bang!
The door flew open violently. Hurried footsteps echoed everywhere, and something snatched Elin away. Salamander flames poured where she'd been.
"Huh……?"
"You okay?"
Opening her eyes late, Elin saw unfamiliar faces.
"Wh-who are you?"
But before greetings, a long tail whipped. Two dodged hastily out of range. The swept area charred red. Elin's teary eyes caught a familiar face.
"Y-you……?"
"We're here to help!"
"You came to save us!"
Leading were Iri de Sugamond and the other Team X members. For Team A, down to three, it was a rough welcome—but one person scowled: Kyle Ivanstair.
"Hey… Kyle? What's with the face?"
"Where's Shion?"
"Well… Shion has something come up, so he's still……."
Iri waved her hands nervously, but Kyle's expression darkened further.
"He's not eliminated, is he?"
"No! Of course not!"
"Good, then……."
Muttering that he'd be back soon, Kyle looked up.
"That lizard's hide is tough. Blades don't even penetrate."
"Not like that weird skeleton where physical attacks did nothing at all?"
"Skeleton? What're you talking about?"
"Ah……."
Realizing her slip, Iri covered her mouth. They'd taken the mid-boss themselves, so Kyle's group hadn't met the necromancer.
"…Blades don't stick, but damage does go through. It's just healing faster than we deal it."
Kai Alma approached late, cracking his knuckles.
The damage wasn't meaningless. The lizard just regenerated faster, turning it into an endless war of attrition.
"Kai's right. Damage lands, but we can't pierce the hide for criticals."
Pummeling a foe blades won't cut just drains stamina. To deal real damage to the Salamander, internal wounds were the only way, like Kai said.
But it breathed fire. No reckless close approaches, and even full party strength might not reach internals….
"Thinking about it, our perspective was too narrow."
Team A was three melee dealers. Limited range inevitable. But now Team X joined. Missing Shion and the student council president, yet still at full strength.
A light breeze, then opaque mana radiated. Source: Edel Di Bison, who read the field instantly and withdrew her mana calmly.
"Um, wait. This whole field… how to put it. The ley line's off."
"The ley line's off?"
"Like… the mana from the ley line matches the lizard's energy……."
"Ah! So the whole field is the boss's territory?!"
"Y-yeah! Exactly!"
Dungeon bosses claim a territory long-term. Over time, their mana fuses with the ley line's. Here, the Salamander's stay polluted it all.
"That lizard… its regen comes from the ley line?"
"Yes! So basically, infinite health and mana……."
"What?"
"Huh……?"
Silence fell.
Longer a boss stays, more the ley line corrupts, turning the area into a demon den. Ley lines spread like roots—one spot tainted affects others. It spreads, demonizing regions. Hunter Association calls it "demonization." Why they rush gates: close pre-break for minimal damage. Fail, monsters flood, area becomes den. …With the boss as lord.
Not hopeful, so Edel chose words carefully.
"Anyway! That name……."
"Kai Alma."
"Like this junior says, internal damage is viable! Surface heals fast, but internals take time……."
Overwhelmed by stares, her last words mumbled. But that summed it up.
"So there is a way to take it down."
Tough against unpierceable hide, but a method existed. Worth trying.
"I told you. Just beat the boss."
"Talk is cheap! How?!"
Team X filled numbers, but doubts lingered.
"Senior said it: easiest is direct internal damage. Like, inside the mouth."
Kyle pointed inside his mouth.
Of course, reason they couldn't: breath.
"Attack the mouth against a breather? Crazy? Didn't you see Senior Sylvia get eliminated?"
"Just a hypothesis. Hypothesis."
Salamander breath is lethal. Uniform or not, direct hit = out. But.
"It's just a lizard Salamander. Doesn't chain breaths continuously, right?"
"If it did, it'd be a drake."
"Right. Igniting its mouth could deal big damage……."
Kyle clapped Kai's shoulder. Kai scowled.
Before action, Iri spoke.
"But…… didn't we have one more in our team?"