Chương 65: The Heavy Hitter

Recap: You are in the Void Lord's chamber. Gravity is crushed (10x). Party is pinned. You have 2 MP left. You voted to SLAM THE BOSS (HEAVY). Gravity was a cage for them. For me? It was a whetstone. My Ironband evolution was built for weight. Built for density. Under normal conditions, I was 120 pounds of wood and iron. Under Gravity Crush? I was over half a ton of kinetic potential. The Void Lord hovered above us, a hole in the world. It hadn't expected the box to move. It hadn't expected the box to fly.

I didn't jump. Jumping was impossible. I pushed. I engaged every muscle fiber in my base. I used the gravity itself as a ramp. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack Cost: 10 Stamina (5 Base x2 Gravity) Current SP: 22/32 Modifier: Gravity Crush (Weight +900%) Target: Void Lord (Level 8) I launched. It wasn't a slide. It was a cannon shot. The air screamed as I displaced it. The Void Lord tried to teleport. Too slow. BOOM. I hit its core. My iron bands didn't just dent; they impacted.

The Core Resonance passive flared, allowing my physical form to interact with its ethereal substance. The gravity bonus multiplied the force. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Calculation: Slam (Strength 7) + Gravity Bonus + Core Resonance Base Damage: 15 HP Gravity Bonus: +20% Resonance Bonus: +10% Critical Hit (Weak Point): x2 Total Damage: 80 HP Target HP: 420/500 The Void Lord shrieked. A sound like vacuum sealing. It was knocked backward, crashing into one of the floating rocks behind it.

The rock shattered into dust. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"PAIN… IN… NOTHING…" It stabilized. It looked at me. The absence in its face seemed to deepen. It wasn't angry. It was… calculating. It raised both hands. The gravity didn't lift. Instead, the darkness condensed. A beam of pure void energy formed. Thin. Silent. Deadly.

"ERASE…" It fired. Not at me. At Kara. She was on her knees, trying to stand. The beam would delete her before she could cast a shield. I was mid-recovery from my Slam. My base was skidding on the smooth sphere floor. I couldn't reach her in time to Slam. I couldn't Taunt (2 MP < 3 MP Cost). I had one option. Interpose. No, I thought. I'm the tank. I twisted my base. I slammed my brakes. I positioned myself between the beam and the mage. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Action: Intercept Defense Check: 16 vs.

Void Beam (Level 8) Resistance: Core Resonance (Active) ZZZT. The beam hit my lid. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 15 HP (Void Energy) Defense Applied: -16 DR Resistance (Core): -10% Net Damage: 0 HP (Blocked) Yes! My Defense stat + Core Resonance completely negated the beam. The energy washed over my iron bands, harmless. But the cost… the beam wasn't just damage. It was drag. It pushed me. Slid me backward across the floor. Toward the edge of the chamber. Toward the drop.

"Box!" Torin yelled. He was struggling to stand.

"Hold!" I dug my bands into the floor. Sparks flew. I stopped inches from the void drop. The Void Lord lowered its hands. It was charging again. I had 22 SP. 2 MP. 27 HP. The Boss had 420 HP. The party was recovering but vulnerable. I was the only thing standing between them and deletion. I couldn't Slam again immediately (Cooldown 5 seconds). I couldn't Taunt (No MP). I had the Hammer in storage. I had the Mage Staff in inventory. I had my teeth. The Boss began to rise. Higher. Out of reach.

"FLY… AND… DIE…" It was going to bombard us from above. Current Stats (Level 7 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 27/27 (No Damage Taken) Mana: 2/22 (Critical) Stamina: 22/32 (Moderate) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Gravity Crush (Active), Slam Cooldown (5s), Boss Airborne. What do you do? A) DEPLOY HAMMER (ANTI-AIR) Release the Guardian Hammer. Throw it? No, launch it. Use Dimensional Force to propel it upward. (Cost: 0 MP. Gain: Ranged Damage. Risk: Hammer might fall into void.) B) BITE THE FLOOR (ANCHOR) Bite into the stone floor. Anchor yourself. Prepare for the next bombardment. (Cost: 4 SP (Bite x2). Gain: Stability. Risk: No Damage to Boss.) C) USE MAGE STAFF (COUNTER) Equip the looted Mage Staff. Try to fire a counter-beam. Even with low MP, it might have charges. (Cost: 1 MP (Staff Charge). Gain: Magic Damage. Risk: Staff might break.) D) SIGNAL PARTY (COMBO) Vibrate to Torin. Tell him to throw you.

Use his Strength + Your Weight for a Super Slam. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Massive Damage. Risk: Coordination Failure.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 64! Option A (Slam) was huge! You dealt 80 Damage to the Void Lord and Blocked the Void Beam completely thanks to Defense 16 + Core Resonance! But the Boss is airborne now!