Rumble rumble!
The entire boss room shook.
At first, the movement was barely noticeable. But gradually, a strange sensation rising from beneath my feet enveloped my body. A sensation as if my body was floating in the air. It felt like gravity had momentarily disappeared, as if my body was floating upwards.
Thud.
Screech.
Soon after the boss room’s vibration ended, the wall where I had entered opened, revealing a completely different scenery from Area 1.
The color softly flowing from the corridor beyond the door had a green tinge. It’s not that the color emitted by the magic stones had changed, but it’s an entirely different area to begin with.
The entire boss room had moved down like an elevator, entering Area 2.
I had felt it since the boss room walls rotated, but the ancient dwarves’ technology is on the level of lost technology. Or maybe the game company tweaked the ancient temple structure while turning it into a dungeon.
Either way, this instance dungeon structure was quite interesting.
Woong.
As I entered the first cube-shaped room of Area 2, the platform puzzle I saw in Area 1 appeared again. In an even more complex form.
“Eek.”
I made a grimacing face.
This isn’t very fun.
Area 2 was more complex than Area 1. There were many cube-shaped, hexahedral rooms. Of course, there were not only puzzles but also gimmicks to defeat monsters inside rooms within a short time.
The problem was, the rooms in Area 2 had doors in all four directions. Even excluding the door I came through, there were three directions to go. Moreover, it’s a dungeon where the cube rooms themselves move around on their own.
The right-hand rule doesn’t work in this type of maze. Map reading is impossible since the room positions change. But with this structure, the boss room is likely to be located in the center when viewed overall.
I solved the maze while maintaining a clear direction so as not to go in circles. The occasional corridor rooms confirmed that I was on the right path. Anyway, with an overall cube-shaped room structure, there isn’t just one path leading to the boss room.
As long as I don’t go round and round, I’ll reach it.
“Here it is.”
Finally arrived at the Area 2 boss room.
Reaching that place where the soft green light emitted by the magic stones forming the walls created the lighting, I looked at the center.
There it is. A golem that looks like a Named.
A wooden doll, no, a tin doll? Since it’s a golem made of magic stones, should I call it a magic stone doll?
The doll golem about the size of an adult male had a head without facial features.
Come to think of it, there was a character in classic fighting games that could choose a wooden doll or tin doll form. It reminds me exactly of that.
The problem is, there isn’t just one golem.
The Named golem in the center, and at each vertex of a triangle surrounding it, similar shaped golems were placed. The auxiliary monsters were arranged in a triangular shape as if protecting the Named.
One golem in the center of the room, and at each vertex forming an equilateral triangle with it at the center, one golem each slightly smaller in size than the central golem.
“What a nasty structure.”
I’ve faced Named bosses with mob monsters several times. These golems looked like they would do ranged attacks just by looking at them.
If I face the Named head-on in battle, I can keep two mob golems in sight. But I have to deal with one at my back.
Is there a gimmick that can move the mob golems’ positions?
Or maybe I can focus on the Named and two golems’ attacks, and deal with the attacks from the golem at my back by using invincibility skills well.
I sat on the floor clutching my head, running battle simulations in various directions.
It’s a tricky structure to just rush in. I need to make a good plan before entering the battle.
But.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for me to utter a question. Quite strange information popped up in front of my eyes as I brought up the Named status interface.
[2nd Named]
[Level 45 Magic Golem Arkan]
[HP 2,000,000/2,000,000]
[Level 45 Magic Golem]
[HP 2,000,000/2,000,000]
The HP is lower than even the Nameds from the Outpost, which was the elite dungeon two areas before.
Putting that aside, the mob golems’ HP and the Named’s HP were identical.
Like the intricately twisted dungeon structure, my head fell into a labyrinth.
What is this? What is it implying? Is it saying to take care of everything including the mobs?
The 2 million HP itself looks low, but considering them as auxiliary monsters rather than Named, it’s not an easy number at all.
Magic Golem Arkan, this one will surely have an enrage pattern too. If I deal with the mobs first, I’ll definitely get caught in the enrage time.
Minotaur’s enrage was just strengthened attack power and speed with barrier generation, but if it’s the type of enrage that restricts the battle area or spams wipe-out skills, I can’t handle it.
I have no choice but to solve it one by one.
I immediately drew my sword and entered the battle.
Clang, boom boom!
Through the sparks flying in all directions from clashing with my sword, the Named golem ‘Arkan’ swinging magic blades came into view.
Whoosh!
As I lightly ducked my head to avoid Arkan’s blade, a chilling sensation crept up behind me. In an instant, I used two skills in combination.
Tap tap!
My body, using Backward Evasion followed by an approach skill, blurred in place and avoided the ice chunk shot from behind.
Indeed, the golems’ attacks themselves were monotonous. They just clumsily swing magic blades when approached, and shoot fireballs or ice chunks from a distance.
However, in contrast to the monotonous attacks, it’s a very difficult battle. A 1:1 battle structure where I can focus on just one Named would be much easier.
Right now, I’m in a state of facing four bosses.
Fortunately, even in the midst of this confusion, I could standardize the battle pattern.
First, maintain the offensive while avoiding the Named’s close-range attacks.
Block the attacks of the two magic golems far away in front at once by matching their delays. Since the distance to the two golems is the same, the projectile speeds don’t deviate. The interval between projectile launches is quite long too.
And for the attacks of the one golem behind that I inevitably can’t keep in sight, avoid them with invincibility skills.
Mobilizing all my senses and skills, I block and avoid attacks while continuously attacking the Named.
Even in a situation where I couldn’t make satisfactory attacks, Golem Arkan’s HP decreased rapidly.
To begin with, it’s a Named with quite low HP. If I maintain this state, it seems I could take it down much faster than other Nameds.
[2nd Named]
[Level 45 Magic Golem Arkan]
[HP 1,799,105/2,000,000]
Woong.
When Arkan’s HP went below 90%, changes occurred in the battle area along with a strange resonant sound.
Clack!
The sensation transmitted to my sword changed to semi-elasticity. It’s a similar feeling to when I hit Minotaur’s barrier.
At some point, a red barrier had been generated on Arkan’s body. The damage reduction rate is about 1/10. It’s not a situation where I can continue the attack at all.
I calmly surveyed the battlefield.
As with Minotaur, there must be a way to strip off this one’s barrier too.
What about the mob golems’ status?
Both of the two in front are surrounded by red barriers. The same color as the Named.
Swish. Boom!
While rotating my body and sword together and sweeping away the two fireballs in front, my gaze momentarily swept the rear.
The mob golem in the rear.
The barrier color is blue.
Swoosh!
My body shot towards the mob golem in the rear like an arrow.
In a split second, the analysis was over.
I need to use that golem surrounded by the blue barrier.
After approaching the mob golem, I immediately used Counterattack to put all four golems in front of my view.
The pattern of the mob golem surrounded by the blue barrier soon changed to a close-range pattern, swinging a blue magic blade at me.
Clang! Boom boom!
I maintained a blocking posture with my sword raised, and surveyed the battle situation again.
It was much easier than the previous position where I had to pay attention to attacks from behind. But in this state, I can’t attack the boss.
Clack!
I swung my sword at the blue golem in front of me, but the same semi-elasticity as when I hit the Named was transmitted to my sword.
Indeed, the mob golem’s barrier has the same specifications as the Named. I can’t break through this damage reduction rate and deal with the mob.
Then, what has changed? What pattern should I use?
Clang! Woong!
When I blocked the mob golem’s second blue magic blade, a faint blue light settled on my sword along with a strange resonant sound.
Clang!
The third attack, the blue light settled on the sword intensified.
This confirmed it.
“Aha.”
Block the close-range attacks of the golem surrounded by the blue barrier to charge blue energy on the sword. Then hit the boss’s red barrier with the sword fully charged with blue energy.
A charging gimmick, huh.
I endured the time of perseverance until the sword was fully charged while constantly blocking the magic attacks coming at my sword from the front.
Flash!
And finally, my fully charged sword started glowing, emitting a strong blue light.
Swoosh!
Taking advantage of the gap when magic attacks were sparse, my body approached the central Arkan at high speed.
Clang!
As I swung the sword imbued with blue light, Arkan’s barrier was torn apart helplessly.
Crackle!
Arkan, who sparked strongly as if a machine had broken down, soon fell to his knees.
Boom!
I lightly swung my sword to sweep away the attacks of the mob golems still shooting magic from a distance, and gripped my sword again while lowering my posture.
“Good.”
Gimmick solved.
From now on, it’s extreme damage time.