Chương 44: The Calm Before the Clatter

Recap: You subdued the skeletons using Core Authority. The party believes you're a Dungeon Guardian. You voted to REST & REGEN (SAFE) for 10 minutes. Closing my lid was the best feeling in the world. Better than eating a goblin. Better than biting a mage. It was the feeling of shutdown mode. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Activated: Camouflage Condition: Motionless + Lid Closed Status: ACTIVE Regen Rate: Stamina x2 (Dormant State) Ten minutes. That's all Kara asked for.

But for me, ten minutes of dormancy was like a full night's sleep. My muscles relaxed. The iron bands cooled. The mana in my pool trickled upward, steady and calm. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Time Elapsed: 20 Minutes SP Regenerated: +19 (Dormant Bonus) Current SP: 24/24 (Full) MP Regenerated: +2 Current MP: 5/14 HP Regenerated: +0 Current HP: 13/19 Close enough to full. I felt ready. I felt dangerous. I felt… like a box waiting to happen. Outside, the whispers stopped. The party was ready.

"Up," Torin said. His voice was hard. Focused.

"We move." Renn lifted me again. I didn't resist this time. I was rested. I was loaded. I was a missile waiting for a target. We moved through the Bone Pits. The skeletons we had subdued earlier… they followed us. Not attacking. Just… walking. Like a honor guard.

"Look," Renn whispered.

"They're escorting us."

"Don't get comfortable," Torin warned.

"Once we hit the Boss chamber, the Core might override the box's control. Undead loyalty ends where the Boss begins." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Not if I eat the Boss, I thought. Then they're all mine. The tunnel widened. The air grew colder. The smell of bone dust became overwhelming. And there, at the end of the cavern, was a door. Not stone. Not wood. Bone. Massive femurs woven together like iron bars. Ribcages forming the frame.

A skull the size of my entire body sat above the lintel, eye sockets glowing with green fire. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Boss Detected: Bone Weaver (Level 5 Elite) Location: Floor 4 Core Chamber Threat Level: High Recommendation: Do Not Engage Alone Level 5. I was Level 3. But I had Ironband Defense. I had Core Authority. I had a party of three fugitives who thought I was a god. The skeletons stopped at the entrance. They wouldn't go further. The Boss's aura pushed them back.

They clattered their teeth, agitated, but refused to cross the threshold.

"Here," Kara said. She stopped ten feet from the bone door.

"This is it." Torin checked his sword.

"Box… can you… open it?" I slid forward. Renn set me down. I approached the bone door. My Core Touched status pulsed. The door wasn't just wood and bone. It was locked by mana. A seal. I could bite it. I could Slam it. Or I could… use the Core Authority to ask it nicely. The skull above the door shifted. The green fire intensified. A voice echoed. Not the Core Voice. This was the Boss.

"Little… Fragment… You… bring… meat…" It knew. It knew I had a Sub-Core piece inside me. It didn't care about the party. It cared about me.

"Open… Enter… Become… Part… Of… Weave…" The door groaned. It began to open slowly. Not because I touched it. Because the Boss wanted us in. Trap, I thought. Obviously a trap. But we needed to clear the floor to progress. And the Core Voice was screaming"CLAIM IT" in my head. Torin stepped up beside me.

"Ready?" Kara raised her staff. Renn nocked an arrow. I had full Stamina. Full Health (mostly). One plan. Current Stats (Level 3 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 13/19 (Regen pending) Mana: 5/14 (Regenerated) Stamina: 24/24 (Full) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Core Touched, Boss Chamber Entrance, Bone Weaver Aware. What do you do? A) SLAM THE DOOR (FORCE) Wait for it to open halfway. Slam into the gap. Break the hinge/bone. Enter aggressively. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Surprise Entry. Risk: Boss Ready.) B) RUSH THE BOSS (AGGRO) Enter immediately. Use Taunt to draw all aggro. Let the party attack from behind. (Cost: 3 MP (Taunt). Gain: Party Safety. Risk: You take all damage.) C) SEND SKELETONS (MINIONS) Order the waiting skeletons to charge first. Use them as fodder to test the Boss's defenses. (Cost: 2 MP. Gain: Intel, Distraction. Risk: Skeletons die instantly.) D) STEALTH ENTRY (HIDE) Activate Camouflage. Slide in quietly. Scout the room before the party enters. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Intel. Risk: Party might walk into trap.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 43! Option C (Rest) was successful! You are fully rested (SP Full) and ready for the Boss Fight!