Chapter 106: Do My Best (1)

Our group pressed further into the dungeon.

Soon, a massive door radiating an icy aura, unlike anything we'd encountered so far, came into view.

The reason this dungeon is referred to as a 'Ghost-Type' likely lies behind this door—the boss monster.

"Something feels chilly here."

"Yeah, why did it suddenly get cold?"

Travis and Monica said uneasily as they eyed the door.

I looked steadily at the team members.

"Everyone, get ready for battle. The boss monster is likely behind that door."

"O-Okay."

Piel answered, looking somewhat drained.

"Okay, Theo. I'm ready."

Andrew declared, his face uneasy.

'Piel is understandable, but what's up with Andrew?'

Anyway, we need to defeat the boss monster quickly and leave this dungeon.

The damp and stuffy air here makes it very uncomfortable.

Our team stepped through the door and entered the Boss Room.

About 30 meters ahead stood a ghostly figure, roughly the size of an adult man.

This was the dungeon's boss, the 'Ghost'.

Most physical attacks don’t affect it, so one needs mana or holy power to effectively confront it.

Travis and Monica stared at the Ghost, their eyes widening in shock.

"What... What is that?"

"It looks like a ghost, but why isn't it moving?"

However, nothing happened.

This was due to the boss's nature.

The 'Ghost' doesn't attack unless someone approaches within a certain range.

However, dealing with it using only magic from afar can be tricky.

The greater the distance, the weaker the magic becomes.

So, we need to get closer.

But that's easier said than done.

As soon as you approach, you're hit by the [Blind] spell.

Even Piel, as skilled as she is, can't fight with her eyes closed.

We need a way to counter that.

'It's the perfect monster for rookies who rush in without a strategy.'

Luckily, I'm an experienced player who knows the original game 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' like the back of my hand.

I know the tactics for such a low-level dungeon boss.

...But there's the factor of increased difficulty.

First, I need to see if its behavior has changed.

"Andrew."

"What is it, Theo?"

"Shoot a fireball at it."

"To reach that distance, I'd need to use quite a bit of mana."

Of course, I knew of that.

To strike a target 30m away, it's natural to need a substantial amount of mana.

A fireball cast with less mana would dissipate before it even reached the target.

I met Andrew's gaze steadily.

"Trust me, and fire."

"Alright."

With a nod, Andrew focused mana into his palm and released a large fireball.

The massive fireball soared towards the Ghost.

'Hmm, with that much power...’

He probably used around 30% of his total mana.

I had gauged Andrew's mana pool earlier when he was fighting the zombies.

Fwoosh!

The fireball, flying straight, hit the Ghost squarely.

The Ghost let out a silent shriek.

For a boss, the Ghost was considered lower-tier among all bosses, lacking the ability to talk.

Its tormented cries sounded almost melodious to my ears.

'Good, its behavior haven’t changed.'

He had enough money to buy low-grade Holy Water.

Without hesitation, I uncapped the bottle and sprinkled the Holy Water on Romeo.

The sticky, gooey Holy Water clung to Romeo's sharp blade.

I looked ahead.

The Ghost screaming malevolently, was advancing on us.

'Yes, come closer.'

When the Ghost was about 10 meters away,

Whoosh—

I swiftly hurled Romeo at the ghost.

The short distance ensured Romeo struck the ghost directly.

The ghost's scream was incomparable to the one it let out when hit by Andrew's fireball.

I immediately commanded Romeo to return.

Romeo flew back to my side, nestling next to his companion in my arms, Juliet.

There was no time to rest.

I quickly sprinkled more Holy Water on Romeo and threw it at the Ghost again.

I repeated this four more times.

By the time the holy water was almost depleted...

Swoosh─

The Ghost's form vanished.

Leaving no trace behind, as if it had never existed.

[Hidden Quest Cleared. You have obtained 1 shop gold coin as a reward.]

: Dungeon Boss Subjugation (Repeatable)

[You have defeated the Dungeon Boss for the first time. You have received 3 Shop Gold Coins as a reward.]

[You have defeated the Dungeon Boss, whose difficulty had increased. You have received an additional 2 Shop Gold Coins as a reward.]

[Total reward: 6 Shop Gold Coins]

'That's more like it.'

I smirked with satisfaction.

There was an additional reward for defeating the higher difficulty boss.

Now, I had a total of 22 gold coins and 40 silver coins in my possession from the shop.

I had enough to purchase an 'Expert' level trait—worth 20 gold coins—and still have some leftover.

But there's no urgent need to buy the 'Expert' level trait right now.

I'm confident we'll rank first in this practical evaluation.

Naturally, that's because I was the one who defeated the Boss 'Ghost'.

It will take several days for it to respawn.

So, there's no hurry.

Lately, it feels like the shop has been quite generous with its rewards.

At this rate, I might even be able to afford a 'Master' level trait.

With these thoughts in mind, I led my somewhat disoriented team members out of the area.

After a little while...

Having recovered from the [Blind] status, my teammates spoke.

"That was terrifying. But the boss... disappeared? I heard screams though."

"Exactly. Theo, did you... take it down by yourself?"

"Yeah. Luckily, the item I brought worked well."

I said, shaking the empty bottle of holy water.

Andrew looked at me with a mixture of frustration and admiration.

"...Sorry for doubting you, Theo. As always, you've got everything figured out."

Piel looked at me with a complex expression and muttered,

"...You’re incredible."

Then she quickly turned away.

'Why is she acting like that again?'

It's really hard to understand.

Wasn't the misunderstanding all cleared up?

Anyway, with the boss defeated...

It's time to look for the divine beast.

I wanted to rest a bit.

Using Overload, even for a short time, was exhausting, and with all the unexpected events, I was worn out.

But I had to keep moving.

Resting now means my future might be much harder.