Chương 58: A Bad Case of Dovey In The Tummy

You have heard the roar of a terrifying foe. You are paralyzed for 33 seconds. After the initial wave of fear at being paralyzed, I realize it isn't so bad. The space that we have been teleported into is gigantic, like dozens of kilometers in diameter. As for the source of the roar, it is nearly a kilometer away. [Lucient Drake (Floor Boss)] It looks kinda like the dragon, but way smaller. The thing is still easily the size of a skyscraper, so not to be underestimated.

Oh, and the entire thing has a faint glow about it, like its very monsteryness is shining. The light makes its dark red scales look a bit pink even, which is just a bit hilarious. It also makes me want to slay it even more. After all, there is nothing more fun than slaying a monster powerful enough that it can afford to be decorative. Of course, the drake does not just stand there, and rapidly starts to approach me and Ari. The latter of which is apparently able to move already.

I wait out my paralysis and watch as she jumps back and successfully draws the attention of the monster. Then the world starts to shake. Rocks rain down from the distant ceiling and I regain movement just in time to dodge a large boulder that would've smooshed me like a pancake. I use the momentum from the roll to launch myself at the drake. A crack echoes through the air as Ari fires her rifle and I watch the ball of fire smash into the monster.

Several of its scales get ripped off in the blast, but I don't notice any other damage.

"Damn fire resistance." She says and then appears beside the drake and drives her fist into its side. Its scales shatter under her attack, and the monster lets out a deafening screech that almost paralyzes me again. Not to be shown up, I Plane Step next to the drake, and charge up a good ol' <Anvil Strike>. I really do need some new martial techniques soon, but it does do the job pretty well. Under our combined attacks, the drake tries desperately to fly away. But the moment I see its wings flap, I start chanting.

"<Ice Burst>" Frost envelops the world around me, encasing everything in a veil of frost thick enough to stop even the drake. Ari also gets caught up in it, but oddly enough, the ice just seems to melt off her armor after a few seconds. Just how much shit did she pack into it? The drake struggles against the ice and I can see it start to crack. Not wanting to waste such an opportunity, I let the energy I have been building go, directing all of it into a single swing. Thrwak.

Luxmore obliterates one of the drake's legs, and much of the area surrounding it. But I am forced to Plane Step away as the drake's jaws nearly clamp around my body. Having failed the bite, energy starts to gather in its mouth. I barely have a half-second, and use it to activate Steel Form. The attack is like a bolt of pure light energy, and it crackles against my skin. My health starts to plummet, and my arm feels like it is quite literally on fire. But I simply grit my teeth and hold my position.

"Master, fear not, for the great Dovey is here!" Says a stupid bird, moments before I am blown off my feet by a sudden gust of wind. I get flung dozens of meters back, and just barely get to see the sight of a tiny dove smash beak first into the drake's side. But, to everyone's shock, he pierces deep into its flank. The monster roars and flails around, even going so far as to bite at its side. Meanwhile Dovey wreaks havoc on the inside of the monster.

I use the opportunity to glance at my wounds, which are not the best to say it lightly. For one, my left arm is just gone. Though thankfully it seems the sheer heat of the attack has prevented me from bleeding out. I can feel my arm starting to regenerate too, but I can tell it is going to take a moment. As for the rest of me, well, I have been better. Mostly just some pretty bad burns, and my armor has seen some better days.

But I can't be paying attention to that right now, there is still a monster to slay, and treasure to be had! This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I push the pain off to the side, something that is becoming far too easy as of late. I don't know if it is because of system magickery or some odd skill that I am learning, but pain just ain't a big deal anymore. Sure, it hurts, but that just doesn't seem as important as it once was.

There are more important things at hand, like slaying monsters and saving the world. Wielding Luxmore in one hand, I charge towards the drake, and land a couple blows onto it. I don't know how else to put it, but with it being distracted with the whole having a bird in its stomach problem, it just lets me keep hitting it. I can definitely see why such a boss would give people trouble. That initial roar has definitely killed quite a few people. As would that light beam attack.

Heck, that one should've killed me, and surely would if I had invested just a bit less in defense. Ever so slowly, I get the sense that the monster's health is dropping. Far too slowly, though. My resources are starting to get low, so I try to drink a potion. But it is as if the drake suddenly realizes I exist, and that it can't stop Dovey. As I raise the potion to my mouth, the monster rams into me with the full force of a several thousand ton monster.

Thankfully, my Steel Form is still active, so I actually sustain surprisingly little damage. Being trampled isn't exactly fun, though.

"Orn! Just uh, stay down there for a moment!" I hear Ari's voice call out, and figure that it is best to just lie here for a moment. The drake seems to be confused at where I went and is stampeding around randomly off in the distance. Which is why when the world flashes white, I scream. The sound is deafening as an explosion echoes out from my left. I barely manage to turn my head to see Ari positioned on a large rock.

Her rifle has expanded somewhat, anchoring itself to the ground in what seems to be a very hastily constructed upgrade. Oh, and an upgrade it is. The attack cuts through the air and nails the drake right in the center of its chest. I watch the monster disintegrate, and barely even hear the series of dings as its health pool finally hits zero.

'Ding', You have slain the floor one boss. Please await teleportation to the intermission room.

'Ding', Magic Smith has advanced to level 43. Stat points distributed.

'Ding', Dovey has advanced to level 41. Stat point distributed.

'Ding', Dovey has advanced to level 42. Stat point distributed.

'Ding', Dovey has advanced to level 43. Stat point distributed.

'Ding', Dovey has gained a new ability, [Destructive Dive]'Ding', Major Spirit 'Dovey' has been critically injured, estimated recovery time: 3 days, 19 hours, 24 minutes.

'Ding', Spirit Mage has advanced to level 40. Stat points distributed.

'Ding,' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 41. Stat points distributed. Instantly, I search for Dovey, and can't seem to find him. I rush over to the corpse of the drake, or at least, what little is left of it. Surely enough, in the middle of the remains is the form of a small bird. He looks a lot more transparent than normal, as if he is barely even real to my Spirit Sense. I guess this does answer the question of whether spirits can die.

It seems that any fatal injuries will just put them out of business for a while. Which is good to know, I guess. I reach out and pull Dovey into my phylactery so that he can rest in peace. Meanwhile I let Luma out to help improve my healing. Goddess knows I am going to need it.

"Hell yeah, that was awesome, wasn't it?" Ari says, appearing on the ground below me.

"It was, though I kinda expected a bit more I guess. The drake was quite weak, really."

"Hmm, well it was only the floor one boss. The early floors are a bit weaker I think, to give people a chance to get used to it. Trust me, it gets really rough later on, there is a reason why no one ever completes dungeons."

"Fair enough. We also had both of us, and at risk of sounding overconfident, I think we are both a bit far from the norm." I say, jumping down next to her.

"Hah, I too would agree." She says and moves to slap me on the back, before aborting as she realizes her strength.

"So uh, what now?"

"We just wait. It'll teleport us in a few seconds. It gives a few minutes leeway so that people can tend to critical injuries and whatnot. These dungeons are dangerous, but they are not intended to have too high of lethality, that would defeat the point of them."

"Yeah, if everyone dies, then no one would run a dungeon. I read that they are pretty important in maintaining the balance of the world or whatever. They help destroy most of the malice that usually builds up."

"That is the theory, I think." She says, and I expect her to elaborate further, but she simply does not. A bit of an awkward silence stretches between us for a few seconds until the teleportation takes a hold of us. Not that there is anything wrong with an awkward silence here and there, of course.