49***Hidden Floor

*SCREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!*

Mount 3 - Gyro Has Gone Berserk!!!!

'Keep it up guys!' I whispered to everyone as we entered the Final Boss' Berserk Mode. Our final barrier - a giant silver scorpion with black legs, black-tipped claws, and an orange-tipped fire-nature tail - has finally had his life cut to half after 10 minutes!

Had this fight happen any time before a few minutes ago, I would have been near ecstatic at how well this was going! But now, it feels as if the veil has been lifted.

All through the fight I could see signs of outside interference! I've been wielding nothing but regular blocking shield for the past few boss floors, which would cut my damage dealing, but that hasn't happened. Instead, it seemed to have increased! Thing is though, it wasn't by much!

And even while we're up against the last Boss, I'm seeing more signs that ever!

There have been a COUNTLESS number of times that more damage was dealt than should have been! We take 2.43% less damage than we should be - armour be darned! Our Essence Recovery Rates have been increasing our essence 1.135% faster than they should ! Even our very attacks and guards are moving faster than they should be!!! (knowing this stuff is all apart of strategizing.)

Heck, I've counted 5 times when the dude's hp. dropped with zero input from us!!!

'I should have known that something was up from the get-go.' I thought to myself! Really, smashing Phinral's head into the walls?! What was I thinking?!! That wasn't even a game mechanic!!!!!

Now this might sound like I'm just complaining, but if you need any more convincing, the strategy I'm using is tailored for the long run. It's made for 4 person teams and would have normally been suicide otherwise, but thanks to the Lore Hunter community, a 3 person one had been devised using the previous.

In short, its turtling, but with a twist. One of the dp.s have to turtle to, which puts more than half of the team in the defensive, while only one can go and attack the Boss Monster. But that's not what's important.

What IS though, is that because of this setup, it takes forever to whittle down said Boss Monster's life! The fastest I've ever seen was a 3 man team getting to half within 8 minutes, and they almost died by then and had to stop midway! We almost beat their record and barely have a scratch!!!

'*tsk* That attack definitely grazed her leg, yet no damage.' I mumbled in my head as Angus dove to duck out of the way of a stab from Gyro's claws.

Looking at her, I flashed back for a second to when we were talking in front of the Boss Floor before.

***

"Guys, you are not going to believe this."

"What now nerd?" Eleora replied in her same expressionless voice. Angus rubs off on her too easily! What is she, 5?!!!

"*sigh* I'll make it brief." I continued, having no time to react to her. "Our subconscious thoughts are being controlled!"

"..."

"... Eh?"

"Now come, we need to get out of..."

"Hold the phone b****!" Angus cutted in. "What do you mean by that?!!!"

Her anger right now is justified, but we don't have time.

"I meant what I said." I stated matter-of-factly.

"So you're saying that our thoughts are not our own or something?" Eleora slid in.

"Yup." I confirmed.

"From how long?" She continued.

"For me at least, the moment I entered the game."

"B***s***!" Angus shouted at me, for seemingly no reason, but with one look into her eyes, I could tell that it was the same thing I went through. One's mind giving up control of one's body!

"Oi Angus, stay with me!!!" I shouted, slapping her across the face!

*SLAP!!!*

Whatever went missing in her eyes came bake with a vigor as she exploded into my face! I would have said something, but I did slap her, so I left I be. She didn't slap me back either, and I'm assuming its was for the same reasons.

'But still I can't believed that worked! Wait, loosing track! No time!!!'

"I'm not too sure of it myself, but it's a hunch with facts behind it. If you want more details, give me your ShroWd username.

***

"Incoming!!!" Angus screams all of a sudden, bringing me back!

I shake out of my sputter to see Gyro raising his claws high above his head!

'Ha, I see! This must be....'

"Prepare to fly!!!" I shouted, running essence into my hands! Gyro dropped them almost immediately after, wrecking the ground beneath us!!!

*CLAW METEORE!!!!!!*

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" I belted out in determination as I let the essence explode out of my hands!

*ROCKET!!!!!*

*WATER SPOUT!!!!*

*DRAGONFLY STEP!!!!*

I flew out and up high over his head behind Eleora, who shot up in a twirling water kick, and Angus who was throwing her knives and using both them and the airborne debris to run out through!

Now, 'how did I know that was going to happen?'. Easy, because I played the game before... okay, let me rephrase that.

I played a game like this dungeon before. In fact, 'like' doesn't put it to justice!!! This dungeon is so much like the game, the creators might as well have just changed the character and attack skins and made it into a VR game!!! Everything, from the damage taken, to the number and placement of mobs per area, to the area of effect of each attack, to even the drops, are exactly the same as a game I once beta tested as a kid!!!!

Back when I was 9 and getting hooked on BMO lore, Star Orb made a game called Goblin Castle. In entailed running around a labyrinth, fighting monsters, and defeating the final boss to place the Goblin's Sector at the Grave of the Goblin King to seal the labyrinth and stop monsters from attacking some village they never expounded on in the game.

It was the first and only game I ever beta tested, and I played the absolute life out of it! I could bet the whole thing with my eyes closed and only one finger five times in an afternoon! And in BMO, I. Completely. Forgot. About. It!!!!!

This game was so important to BMO Goblin King lore, that even though it never became an actual game, a mini game in a side quest of another quest to kelp a kid in a fair in Haven Town, Area8, being based off of it was all the Lore Hunters need to use it has heavy reference material!!! Yet, even the thought of making a comparison to the two eluded me!!!

You've seen my mental state!! That just doesn't happen!!!

*SCREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!*

'Huh?' I look down in confusion at Gyro's screech. Both Eleora and Angus were still with me, and the floor, covered from head to toe in roots like the rest of this room, had fixed itself. So I was confused...

...up until I saw his tail come blasing for me!!!!

"Hup!" I hefted one of my shields to my front and reinforced my arms and shield! A flash of inspiration hits me and I pumped some Explosive essence in there too!

*BOMBSHELL BASH!!!*

*TAIL WHIP*

Tail and shield connected, and I flew back as the kickback and the tail slammed into me!

'Whew that caught me off guard!' I thought to myself as I flew up. I wasn't expecting a upper whip attack!

'Guess I was too confident on this one.' I braced myself to kick off of the roof, but then something even more unexpected happened!!!

As I met the roots on the roof, they gave way and I blasted right through!!!

The roots grew back near instantly as I crashed into a second ceiling, making me land hard unto the rough, uneven wood with a bounce!

"Ow!" I winced as a significant sliver of pain made it past the nullifiers.

I got up, brushed off some imaginary dust, and prepared too dig back down.

*SHIELD THRUST!!!!*

I thrusted my shield into the ground beneath me with all my might, only to realise one more surprise. The floor didn't even get a scratch!!!

"Eh?!" I said in shock!

At that, a notification went off and I took a second to look it over.

Secret Room Discovered!

... a secret what now?!!!