Level 300 Boss Battle!
Amos fought his way through multiple levels, breaking a sweat for each unit. He had ever worked this hard, but at the same time, he had never received this much EXP for his MTS before — either way it was a win-win. He had undergone so much pain, to the point where he thought he had become cripple. Nonetheless, he stuck to his motive and got back up — continuing to venture through the dungeon with determination.
At certain intervals, he felt his Earthside telling him how much fun the dungeon was, but he ignored this side of himself, and pushed it aside. For this dungeon was no game as his Earthly side was envisioning it, it was real life. However, he kept the Game stone closely, given that it was his only way to avoid permanent death.
After a couple of hours, Amos had decided to take a rest.
"I need a five, " he sat, "My body won't stop nagging me to stop, " he leaned against a mossy stone wall.
The MTS user appeared, "I'm impressed, you've survived."
"Geez, Blueface, I know I'm weak–but underestimating me like that is enough to make me cry, " he opened a tab on his MTS, "After three hours, I've already made it to Level 17, look at my stats."
[ Statistics ]
Strength: 21 [ Common ] [ + ]
Defence: 4 [ Feeble ] [ + ]
Speed: 20 [ Normal ] [ + ]
Power ( Magical Ability ): 1 [ Poor ] [ + ]
Mana: Infinite [ Rare ]
Skill : 10 [ Poor ] [ + ]
Intelligence: 10 [ Poor ] [ + ]
[ Available U.P = 0 / 1000 ]
Current LVL: [ 17 / 10,000 ]
Current EXP: [ 1552 / 4000 ]
[ Available U.P = 27 / 1000]
"I've saved myself 27 UP, however, I'll be saving up to 50 until I decide to spend them, also, " he looked at Blueface, "How much UP do I receive after leveling up once? I've been trying to figure that out for the longest time now, at first I thought it was three, but I'd have only twenty-one UP right now if it were so."
"It's three. You get 3 UP per level, " replied the MTS user, "But sometimes, a bonus is given. The higher the level of the dungeon, the higher the bonus."
"Ohh, that explains it—thanks."
"Also, what would you be spending the UP on?"
"Skills. All on skills."
"You know, if necessary, an MTS assistant can recommend the criteria to which he thinks is best for the MTS user. And the MTS assistant's choice is always better. Especially when you MTS users are all on the same degree of absurd."
"That...won't be necessary at all. I've decided to invest in my Skill criterion a lot more from now on. After using my one and only first skill, Instant dash, all day, I've developed even certainty of the Skill Criterion being the best option for me. But that's just my viewpoint. I've used it so many times, and more than 90% of those times, it saved my butt from fatality."
"I understand."
Amos stood, "Let's get moving again."
As Amos entered the next floor, he was instantly teleported to another location. In this location, there was nothing but darkness.
"Hello, " he called, "Where the hell am I? I can't see a thing here."
"Amos? Is that you?"
'Hmmm, that sounds like Sasuki's voice.'
"Yeah, it's me. Is that you Sasuki?"
"It is. You see Chizuko, Amos proved you wrong, he actually did survive — maybe he isn't that weak after all. "
"Wouldn't stretch my assumptions that far, Amos can have most of his body parts detached from the goblins for all we know."
"Yeah, I can't see shit down here!"
"Of course, you can't it isn't a toilet, Sasuki."
"Heh heh."
'Nataly's here too. I guess they were waiting for me afterall.'
Amos then looked behind him and saw an MTS screen hovering before him, it said...
< Waiting For Remaining Players >
< [ 6 / 8 ] >
"Guys, are you seeing this? It's another MTS screen."
"Of course not you asshole, we don't own an MTS!"
"You'll pop a vein if you continue like this, Cheese."
"Nataly—stop calling me that!"
"Amos, we're probably waiting for the others. Just three more players to go."
'And that's Joseph's voice, which sounds a lot different but forget about that. He's right, it's probably waiting for the other players. But wait! How does he know that!? How can he possibly know the remaining players needed! That's not possible unless he owns an MTS himself. No. It isn't smart to be so certain about a simple surmise, he probably knows how much of us there are here at the moment.'
"Wait, Joseph, that's you right?"
"Yeah, that's Joe, he's been here first, and Cheese's still pissed about being in second place."
"SHUT UP NATALY! I HAD TO GO ON A PEE BREAK!"
"Whatever you say, Cheese."
"That's the reason why Joey's so suspicious, " said someone sounding like Sasuki, "Never has he ever placed first in anything — even Arley outperforms him."
'That's true. Even as a newcomer, I know it's unlike Joseph to be at number one. Did he take some steroids overnight or something?'
"How much of the team is here anyway?"
"Well, for starters, we have Joseph, Cheese—
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
"Sasuki, Mika, you and me."
"So only Natan and Arley's remaining."
"Arley's probably dreaming of getting what she wanted from Liang, and Natan's probably caught up trying to solve the size of his brain or something, " said Chizuko.
"Sounds like them to me."
"Hey Anus, is there an option to start without them?"
Amos looked at the screen.
'Actually, there is one. But what exactly are we starting?'
"Yeah, there's one."
"Can you press it for me and be useful for once in your life?"
"Don't listen to Cheese, we can't just start whatever we're starting without them."
"Yeah, you're right, Nataly. We're a team, we can wait for them."
"What if they're dead?"
"Stop being that way Chizuko, " said Mika, "I know you're a villain and all, but this is our comrades you're talking about."
"She's right."
"Agreed."
"Then we wait..."
Five minutes passed and finally..
< [ 7/ 8 ] >
< [ 8/8 ] >
"Hello?" called Natan.
"Nate!"
"Oh, it's Natan!"
"They're here!"
"They're?"
"Yeah, all 8 of us are present, that's what the MTS says, " replied Amos.
NATAN: Where are we?
NATALY: In some sort of dark room waiting for you two. Where's Arley?
< Starting... >
< 20 Seconds Remaining... >
NATAN: Arely is here too.
ARLEY: Correct.
NATAN: Infact, Arley was my hero today, she saved me countless times in the dungeon.
AMOS: Aren't you suppose to be the strongest here?
NATAN: My ability is the strongest. Though, that ability can not be used on MTS entities, for they do not possess a mind of their own. Without a living organism with a working brain, I am completely useless. And that is why Arley was the star of the show today. And it's the first time in a while I've used my hands in a fight.
ARLEY: No need to thank me, Natan. You saved me many times too!
< 14 Seconds Remaining... >
CHIZUKO: Arley, isn't it unhealthy for you to have two partners? I mean, I thought you were all head over heels for the cap.
NATALY: Oh my, Cheese. No need to hit her so hard.
CHIZUKO: You disgust me, Arley. Two guys? Any more of this and I'll start to see you as a full-blown prostitute. First Liang and now Natan? What is it with you and Vampires?
NATAN: You're going too far, Chizuko.
CHIZUKO: Shut up, Natan. Although it is pitch black, I know you're seeing a pink glow over there! That's her cheeks for both you and Liang.
SASUKI: Powerful Blush.
< 7 Seconds Remaining... >
NATAN: We've been together in the dungeon for hours, and none of us showed any romance to each other. Isn't that right, Arley?
ARLEY: Mhm-hmm.
CHIZUKO: What's this? Natan's showing love for Arley? Oh hell no! We all know he loves his very own sister romantically, so a relationship like him and Arley would be one-sided.
NATAN: CUT IT OUT CHIZUKO! You already know Nataly and I only share platonic love.
NATALY: Disgusting. Chizuko, when the lights are back, the first thing I'll do is slap you.
< Complete! >
They were all teleported to a different location.
"Guys, I don't like this, where are we?"
As soon as Nataly realized that they could see again, she slapped Chizuko to the face.
"Why you!"
And of course, Sasuki held him back as usual.
They were standing in the midst of a dungeon again, except this time, it was much more diverse from the prior one. Furthermore, as the eight figures stood bewildered, a creature emerged and shaped its matter into existence before the puzzled eyes. Accordingly, Amos received a new MTS message...
< BEWARE: [Entity] DRULA THE DRAGON [LEVEL 300] Has summoned! >
< New Tasks >
< Defeat Level 300 Drula, Reward: 20,000 EXP >
'20,000!?' Amos was on the urge of hitting the light fantastic.
Drula the Dragon was a huge white dragon with white scales, and enormous wings attached to its spiky back. Its arms seemed to make Amos transition to the verge of laughter, for they were rather tiny for its commonly large body. However, its legs were massive and complementary to its body to an extent, the tail was no exception either.
The Dragon looked down at the comrades, who had finally gained enough apprehension to result in the changing to battle stances. Looking at the disparity between its sizes and theirs, Amos knew this dragon would be no easy feat. However, he noticed a red crystal in the middle of Drula's massive head, and he couldn't help but smirk.
"What's the matter, Anus, " asked Chizuko, "Trying to hide your fear with a smile?"
Amos gave Chizuko the cold shoulder and got lost in his thoughts, 'Usually, the creatures of these MTS tend to attack almost instantly as if it were some kinda habit—what's up with this Drula thing?'
"My comrades, I'm afraid I am nothing but useless to you in this situation, " said Natan, "As I explained before my telepathic abilities is ineffectual to Wirborl beasts. I'm afraid I have to simply observe this battle. But, I'll try my best to help you all when necessary."
Nataly was also confused, "Why hasn't it attacked yet?"
Amos glanced at her, "That's what I've been wondering..."
"Well, " Chizuko took an arrow from his quiver, "It's probably experiencing Down-syndrome of some sort — and I've got no time to waste, " he started sprinting, "I've got a Queen to impress!"
Sasuki sprinted in pursuit, "Count me in, Chizu!"
The others, except Arley and Natan, all charged the beast. As they stormed in close, gradually, Drula bent its head back, and a luminous glow appeared in its mouth. Oblivious, Chizuko continued running ahead of his comrades and towards the beast.
"Be careful, Chizuko, " Amos finally decided to say.
"Don't need to!"
As they came in closer, the dragon suddenly stopped bending its head, and awaited their closer presence cleverly. Next, it pushed its head back forward at an abrupt pace, widened its mouth, and instantly fired a red beam that increased in both size and breadth the further away it got from its initial activation. It formed a cone shape, with the point at Drula's mouth and the circular shape at the other side of the battlefield.
As a significant result, all eight of comrades were down, with the ones who were positioned closer knocked meters away due to the impact of Drula's wrath. The damage was powerful, but it wasn't fatal, consequently, the comrades were all able to get back up. As they looked at Drula, they saw that he just stood there waiting for them again with utmost patience.
"This thing's no good, " said Amos.
Natan looked at him, "Sure thing."
Nataly faced Chizuko, "Oh my, Cheese is bleeding, see why Amos told you to be careful now?"
He retorted with an aggravated tone, "Shut up!"
Chizuko then took another arrow from his quiver and aimed his bow at the dragon, "You bastard!"
"Chizuko, I don't think we should attack yet."
"As if I'm going to listen!"
With that said, Chizuko released the arrow from his fingers and it sped promptly towards Drula. As it traveled, it quickly built up more momentum — increasing the possible damage further. Yet, Drula didn't allow himself to get any critical hits and blocked with his wings despite seeing the rather tiny appearance the arrow possessed. It knew that even if it were to get hit directly, its impenetrable scales would just cause the arrow to pitch away. However, it avoided the risk of the arrow bringing it to its demise — with the inclusion of the wings, there were only a few meager areas without scales on Drula's body. As the arrow hit Drula's wing, it experienced no pain at all.
Having seen that the shot connected, Chizuko smirked maliciously.
"Now decay, " he said, "Break up into multiple pieces before my eyes!"
As predicted, Drula's left-wing began to decay gradually. It then looked at its wing, contemplated the effects of the arrow, positioned its mouth where the decay had yet to reach, and bit the entire wing clean off before the decay could spread any further.
What's more, it immediately commenced an healing process as soon as its decaying wing fell unto the stone floor. The Comrades looked at Drula's missing wing, only to see it regenerate within a few seconds. Its new wing was formed before the old one could even decay fully. And this fact caused Chizuko to sneer publicly.
"It regenerates, " Amos commented.
"Gee, Anus, " said Chizuko, "Thank you for stating the obvious."
Nataly looked bothered, "So what are we going to do?"
"Look out!"
Before the others could focus their attention back to the dragon, they were all hit with a beam of red energy once again. As Amos had assumed, the only reason it attacked was to retaliate after being hit by Chizuko — this assumption was quite accurate.
Amos stood, 'I wonder if this thing's rigged. What if it only attacks after we attack—or attack or when being attacked—
'Then that would be great, ' added Natan.
'Ohh, yeah. I forgot you can read my mind.'
"Guys, Amos thinks only if we attack, the beast retaliates, and I think he's most certainly correct, " Natan dropped his broken glasses.
Chizuko stretched his damaged neck, "I swear, this thing's going to pay."
Everyone looked over at the Dragon.
Amos then faced the comrades, "Guys, what if this is like a video game boss, and the dragon has a weak spot? Like, " he pointed at the red crystal in Drula's head, "Like that crystal in its forehead....could that be a possible weak spot?'
Natan looked at it carefully, "Well, I don't see why not? Chances are, that red crystal in its head can even be its source of power, or the red energy in this case."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, " added Amos.
"Let's see, " Natan stepped forward, "I wonder who has the strongest blasts. Oh my, only if Liang was here. "
Mika stepped forward as well, "I have a Dark Mana Fist skill that allows—
"That allows you to emit dark mana from your bloodstream through your hands, I know, " interrupted Natan, "But still, that skill won't suffice. Its magnitude is too insufficient to deal adequate damage, plus it's range is bad too."
"What about my arrow?" Asked Chizuko.
"Well, that could actually work, but it makes no sense now does it? Since the dragon is fast enough to defend himself, I don't think the bow is the best option given that the dragon knows its effects now. Unless we distract him, and get close — only then does that theory contradict. But hold on, " he smiled, "I've just realized something. It seems the dragon has only blocked with its wing to avoid being hit in its weak spot — if so, the weak spot theory is now obvious. It probably blocked Chizuko's arrow because, given its traveling speed, there was no way the dragon could have predicted where it could have been hit. So, cowardly apprehensive, the beast defended itself. Then too, it also blocked its head with its wing. Must say, this entity is rather clever for one without a real brain."
"So, this means my arrow could work or not?"
"It can, " he looked at the dragon again, "But are there any more options before we proceed?"
Amos stepped forward, "I have a few blasts up my sleeve. I've even stored myself some mana from that Johnathan Mitchell guy."
"So, what are these blasts in specific?"
"To put it simply, I can mimic many blasts really. So far, the only ones I know are Energy Blasts and Light burst from Xui Zang."
"I have no idea who that is, but those skills can work! Same goes for your arrows, Chizuko."
"Great."
The comrades all brainstormed their plans to defeat Drula once and for all. And after five minutes, they were ready to commence their artful conspiracy. They all ran in together, however, they were all significantly distanced from each other, and they were in sporadic positions, all charging Drula.
Uncomfortably nervous, Drula ended up flapping his wings, and began flying. The fact that he was now flying, their plan was ruined. Still, they continued on with it.
The Dragon then maintained one spot as it flapped its wings, and fired multiple red energy balls down at the comrades. And with one fell swoop, all eight of the comrade were exploded by the attacks. The only one that stood promptly after being hit was Chizuko. Foolishly, Chizuko ran in and tried attacking Mighty Drula himself, only to receive a direct hit to his chest, and fall to his knees.
Again, he stood and aimed his arrow at Drula. As he did so, Drula's eyes glowed red this time, and a charging up sound became audible to the ears of many. The others knew this kind of action indicated that Drula was about to perform a special. As it charged, Chizuko trembled and did his best to aim his arrow at the Dragon's weak spot. However, the crystal was quite small, and he couldn't quite aim properly, for the dragon was in flight.
With Flaring nostrils, furrowed eyebrows and fiery blood-red glowing eyes, the chaotic creature discharged the accumulated red energy in one blow at Chizuko. Concentrated, Chizuko was able to shoot the arrow, but the blast simply eradicated it before it could merely reach close to Drula. And now...Chizuko was about to be brought to his utmost fatality.
And all Chizuko did was force his lips to form a trembling smile, and awaited his death. When suddenly, Amos appeared from what seemed like thin air, and with the help of his [Instant Dodge] skill, he dashed into Chizuko, and pushed him away. He then looked to his left, and got hit by the red energy blast instantaneously.
It was a heroic act, and Chizuko, who still got hit but survived, was greatly surprised to see Amos protect him.
Like a zombie, Amos then stood again, trembling excessively, and gritting his teeth as his injuries agonized drastically. As he looked up at the creature, it raised its index finger and fired a small but powerful energy beam through Amos' chest, tragically slaying him off. Yet, Amos' Game Stone Activated and he was alive again, with all injuries healed. Seeing this, the others stood, and started fighting again. But within a mere minute, they were brought to their knees once more.
Then suddenly, while everyone was floored, Drula fired red energy at them again cruelly. Amos, who was in the best condition at the moment, then continuously used the Instant Dodge skill every ten seconds to avoid being hit.
"Instant Dodge, " he dashed sideways and starting running forward, "Instant Dodge, " he dodged Drula's blast, 'That's right, Drula, focus on me not the others! Soon I'll have you terminated! Thanks to you, I know that I can shout the skill instead of mentally activating it.'
He then dodged again, and leaped five meters above the ground and slashed his sword, cutting off Drula's left-foot. Outraged, Drula regenerated, and started chasing Amos by flight.
'He's totally pissed!'
Mika then hit Drula with her Dark Mana Fist skill, causing him to face her. Having seen the opportunity, Amos then leaped into Drula and chopped his tail, however, the dragon's scales were too hard to cut fully. So his attack was useless if not considered a distraction. Drula continued to attack Amos.
As it chased Amos, Amos turned around, leaped five meters into the air and fired an energy beam himself with the mana he had stored from Drula's attack himself. Nonetheless, Amos failed to hit the Dragon's red crystal, and continued running.
'Geez, this dragon's got rage for a fake one. It looks furious. Even so, I must defeat it. My only strategy is to aim for the weak spot, but my blast won't work out.'
Jealous, Chizuko stood and held an arrow to his head.
Natan stood, "What are you doing, Chizuko?"
Chizuko glared at him, "You think I'm going to let that asshole over there have all the fun!? Who the hell does he think he is! I'll show you! I'm the best, " having said that, he shot himself in the head with his bow and arrow with a grudge on his face.
Natan was upset, "You fool! What are you doing!?"
Chizuko's impulsive actions were fueled by nothing but jealousy — he couldn't stand watching a 'weakling' like Amos fight the dragon alone. And given his state, Chizuko could not even stand, let alone fight. So, he decided to commit suicide.
After dying like an absolute idiot, Chizuko's Game Stone brought him back to life once more, and he started laughing antagonistically. When he confirmed that his injuries were all gone, he immediately dashed into the battlefield again.
And while Drula had his hands full with Amos, Chizuko furiously shot arrows at Drula's back. Screeching like fingernails on a chalk board, Drula ended his flight and dropped to the floor as if it experienced actual pain. Chizuko brimmed with malice as he laughed vehemently, and he didn't stop here either. He gradually approached the dragon, shooting arrows non-stop.
And as Drula decayed, Chizuko continued to laugh. Chizuko also realized that its abdomen had softer skin, and this was where Chizuko aimed. Amos then used this opportunity to leap into the air, crash down, and thrust his sword into the Dragon's crystal, causing it to screech even louder.
Chizuko was less than five meters away from it, same went for Amos, and as they came closer, Drula looked at them with laughing eyes and instantly exploded itself, destroying the entire room with them. As the smoke and dust cleared, Natan saw Amos and Chizuko on the floor lifeless, and he immediately limped to them.
"Arley! Arley we need your help, " he shouted.
He then had Arley heal them both, and they recovered enough to stand — however, Arley was unconscious after healing them both. And later, all eight of the comrades were teleported out of the Wirborl, and they acquired the item which Suzy wanted from the dungeon.
Chizuko glared at Amos, "Hey Anus, never try to save me ever again, I don't need a hero, and I had a game stone, you asshole."