85. Tower Strategy (2)
Kugugung-
As if anticipating their arrival, the sealed stone door began to open with a loud noise.
[Entering the boss room.]
Waiting on the other side was a monster.
“…That?”
In the dark expanse of the underground, a single undead stood still, holding a sword.
Above its head, a symbol was visible.
Dungeon Boss
Durahan
• Infected with the HIVE virus, he has endured for a long time, eventually becoming undead, the last survivor of a bygone era. He is a being capable of unique swordsmanship and tactics.
“…Durahan?”
Goooo-
A black aura flowed out like smoke, darkening the surroundings.
The darkness around, solely emanating from him.
Irina spoke up.
“…It’s the boss. That entity is likely the final opponent on this floor.”
She looked around at everyone in turn before speaking.
“Everyone needs to prepare themselves mentally. It won’t be an easy opponent.”
At that moment,
Dura’s head, which seemed frozen in place, began to twitch.
The swirling darkness around them seemed to be sucked into him like a breath, disappearing into the depths of the blade he had embedded in the ground.
Or more precisely, into the interior of the sword.
The dim underground space was suddenly illuminated.
[Rumble….]
His gaze shifted towards the group entering the boss room.
The owner of the third floor. Boss Dura.
Indeed, he felt different from all the others before him, from his demeanor to his posture and flow.
‘…Dangerous.’
It was evident at a glance that he was on another level.
As the group quietly drew their weapons in a tense manner, the system spoke to him.
“Dura is a being that utilizes the mana of darkness. Please pay attention and coordinate this battle accordingly.”
“What, what? Mana?”
Surprised by the unexpected sound, he questioned.
The fact that the undead used mana was not as common as one might think among beings from other realms.
Of course, lower-level monsters also often used mana.
But that was more related to their species’ characteristics.
For instance, those with exceptional magical aptitude.
Such as elves, half-goblins, or orcs.
The fact that the undead used mana was entirely different.
They were supposed to have lost all abilities from their past lives and weakened after death.
Naturally, they should have had no intellectual capacity or memory to move energy.
In other words, an opponent capable of manipulating mana was an undead who had managed to maintain some degree of memories from their past life.
It meant they were not an easy opponent.
As if to prove this point, the surrounding darkness began to swirl and slowly be drawn into Dura’s sword.
It was a creepy sight, as if controlling a small storm.
Was it because something felt off?
Watching this, Muah Muah quietly took a step back.
“Something doesn’t feel right, does it? Is there a chance to retreat?”
Starting to second-guess even before the battle began?
In fact, Muah Muah’s tail was hanging weakly downward.
“……”
At the doubtful statement, the elves blinked for a moment and then raised their weapons.
Clang.
In that moment, Dura swung his dark sword horizontally.
A wave of darkness engulfed them.
Right before the collision of the dark energy, Irina extended her hand forward.
“Shield!”
Kwahng!
Irina’s shield fiercely covered the front of the elves, colliding with the dark energy and causing an explosion.
“Cough, cough!”
Fortunately, the attack was blocked.
However, amidst the acrid smoke, Irina coughed hoarsely.
It seemed like the shock was quite substantial.
“Irina!”
“I-I’m fine! Everyone, hurry and prepare…! Cough!”
As she spoke, Duharan was already glaring at them with a menacing gaze.
As he prepared to attack again, crouching down and about to leap.
“Haap!”
Zion and Ednis rushed in.
They wielded their swords to block his path.
“Ugh…!”
“W-What kind of strength is this?!”
Even though the two of them wielded their swords together to block his path, Duharan’s strength was formidable enough that it was a struggle to just block him.
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“Ednis, mana!”
“Got it!”
At Zion’s cry, they simultaneously drew upon their mana as if by agreement.
Their pupils turned a shade of blue.
A cerulean ignition phenomenon.
It was the exclusive ability of the warrior class, physical enhancement.
“Haaa!”
[…?!]
As their strength began to show superiority, Duharan’s stance started to crumble.
He momentarily revealed a look of confusion but quickly erased that expression, stepping back and creating distance.
Irina shouted, “Now! Everyone, attack!”
Arrows imbued with the golden aura of the elves were shot. It was divine power.
Each arrow that was shot had been enchanted with Irina’s divine power.
“Cough…!”
Irina once again displayed a strained expression along with a wheezy cough, but the concentration of the enchantment magic remained intact.
[…Gahh!!]
Kwadduk!
Arrows poured down like rain.
Numerous arrows pierced Duharan’s entire body.
“It’s working!”
A glint appeared in Han’s eyes.
Even though she was clad in armor, the ease with which she pierced through was remarkable. Indeed, Irina’s attacks were unmatched when it came to the undead.
Infused with divine power, her enchanted arrows carried significant force.
Of course, it was evident that the foe was no easy adversary.
However, at this moment, those gathered here had thoroughly prepared themselves before embarking on the assault of the tower.
[Argh!]
Duran was now using his greatsword to deflect the raining arrows.
Not a shield, but the blade.
As there were limits to the area he could defend, arrows found their mark all over his body, turning him into a hedgehog-like figure.
“This is the moment. We must seize this momentum.”
Once the foe focused on defense, it was crucial to bring them down completely.
“Keep attacking! Don’t stop, everyone!”
The elves seemed to be well aware of this fact, as they tried not to give the foe any openings.
However,
At that moment, the foe’s eyes widened, and then, their mouth opened wide.
A fierce roar escaped their lips.
[Argh-!!]
A circular wave-like vibration swiftly expanded in the air, forming a ring.
The shockwave spread out.
The impact was so intense that the ceiling’s iron beams vibrated, and cracks appeared on the walls.
The elves groaned, covering their ears.
Duran, standing firm, blocked the spreading shockwave with his body.
Yet, the intensity was such that even his large and sturdy frame seemed to tremble visibly.
Even the usually steadfast Duran appeared to struggle to withstand it.
[Argh-!!]
His stance faltering, Duran.
Despite realizing the effectiveness of the attack, the foe rose without relenting, maintaining the assault.
A warning voice from the system sounded.
[Warning! The elves’ formation is collapsing!]
“New patterns will be introduced starting from this boss of the level! Be cautious!”
Patterns? Patterns?
“W-We had that?”
It was a moment of confusion, not knowing what was about to unfold.
[Argh!]
[rrr!!]
Thud!
Numerous claws emerged from the ground.
With fierce roars, ghouls began to unearth themselves, tearing up the earth.
It was precisely those creatures we had just witnessed.
“What, what is it? Are you summoning lower undead? Is that a pattern?”
It was a dangerous situation.
In the moment when the elves had not yet regained their senses.
In this situation, there was only one person who could act immediately.
[─!!]
He ran straight towards Dura-han, who was constantly summoning ghouls with his earth golem.
Grabbing the creature with force, he slammed it to the ground.
And then ruthlessly struck down upon it.
Dura-han, pinned to the ground, reached out trying to somehow hold onto the golem, but there was no way he could be caught.
Unlike Dura-han, the earth golem was much larger, almost the size of a human, towering over him.
Not only in physique, but even the diameter of one of its wrists was so massive that it was not thin enough to be caught in the creature’s grip.
The surface of the creature’s heavy armor began to crack gradually.
And the seemingly increasing number of ghouls being summoned came to a halt.
“It worked! It’s effective!”
But that was all.
It seemed they could not eliminate even the ghouls already summoned by him, as they soon began to gather towards the elves.
However, this was enough.
The elves, who had regained their senses from the fierce battle cries, quickly began to respond to the situation.
While the golem bought time, the elves stepped forward to confront the ghouls rushing towards them.
“The Lord is buying us time! Drive them out in this gap!”
“We, the Muamuas, will hold them off here!”
With determined expressions, the Muamuas began throwing potatoes and acorns they had brought, which instantly grew into giant plant roots from the ground, swatting the ghouls away like toys.
Zion and Ednis joined the battle against the boss Dura-han to bolster their strength.
But even with their combined efforts, tension still hung in the air.
“No, why are they so strong?!”
Dura-han didn’t seem to entertain the idea of falling.
Despite being hit by arrows, ruthlessly beaten, he still stood strong?
While facing Zion and Ednis, Dura-han’s eyes were fixed sharply on Irina, as if he intended to target her specifically.
It was clear that he was aiming to attack Irina, recognizing her presence as a significant threat perhaps due to her instinctive possession of divine power.
[─!]
In a moment of silent fury, the golem swung a massive fist towards him, but Dura-han, as if predicting the move, swiftly dodged the attack, then launched himself towards Irina with great force.
It was a perilous moment.
Yet, Irina’s eyes remained steady, devoid of any wavering.
Irina shouted, “Everyone! Deploy your shields!”
As if they were one body, they unfolded their shields without hesitation.
“Haah…!”
Golden currents flowed in her eyes.
Over the surface of the shields, enchantments were cast simultaneously, illuminating the dark boss room with a flood of golden light.
The shields of the elves intercepted Duharah’s sword as it drew near.
Boom…!!
A massive noise resounded.
However, what rang out wasn’t the impact of a large empty paper, but the golden ant shields wielded by the elves.
[…?!]
“Everyone! Raise your shields once more!”
As the bewildered fellow launched another attack.
Once again, the elves remained in position, focusing on defense.
Once more, a resounding blow echoed as the faces of the golden shields vibrated greatly.
“Wow, amazing….”
It was as if there was no separate massive barrier.
It was a sight resembling the view of one organic large-scale barrier.