Chapter 35
"......Grandpa, to think you ended up like this...! If only I hadn't been so late!"
"Well, it's not a big deal."
"No, it IS a big deal!"
"I feel better than before. I'm a bit glossy and harder now, but thanks to that, I'm overflowing with Power."
Saying that, Grandpa punched a hole in the wall.
Isn't that a bit too much overflowing with Power?
No seriously, what in the world happened?
"Well then, let's go home, Hideo. Your Grandma's probably making crab hotpot for dinner right about now. New Year's means crab hotpot. Crab hotpot."
Isn't this guy way too tough?
Let's go to the hospital first?
"A-Anyway, Grandpa, before dinner, let's at least make one phone call, okay?"
"Crab hotpot."
He wants crab hotpot so bad he turned into a crab hotpot bot.
"I'd be happy if you could look for my smartphone."
"Smartphone, huh. Let's see... I feel like one of the guys earlier had it......"
He rummages through the cultists' belongings.
But the smartphone isn't found.
Where could it be?
"Wait, come to think of it......"
I remembered.
Right, we were grabbed by that evil arm and dragged into this dungeon...... What was that arm anyway...?
I turn around slowly, fearfully.
And there, I see the cultist man grinning smugly as he runs deeper into the dungeon with a triumphant face.
When did he slip out of the ropes?!
Or rather, did we tie him up too loosely?!
That wicked smile...
He's definitely up to no good.
"Grandpa, stay here. Shimaenaga-san! Let's go!"
"Chee-chee!"
"Be careful out there. Smartphone, smartphone, crab hotpot."
I chase the man deeper into the dungeon.
I display the 3D map on my sunglasses.
If I remember right, this way leads to——that wide space, the huge dome.
As I pursue the man, I see that wicked smile slip through the black gate at the end of the corridor.
It's a heavy, black, rusted door.
It looks familiar.
I'm pretty sure this is just like the Resource Boss's room.
The door is faintly wrapped in white mist.
In white letters, the mist says "Dungeon Boss: Malice Buried in the Black Swamp."
I trace the letters.
Then, the pure white letters start to be slowly consumed by pitch-black darkness, like ink spilled into milk.
Once the letters turn completely black, the mist sealing the gate clears, and we're able to enter.
I gulp audibly.
Shimaenaga-san on my shoulder chirped a tense "Chee."
We nod at each other.
We push open the black iron gate.
Inside, just like the 3D map, it's a massive space.
A dome-shaped space.
It resembles a colosseum.
But something feels off.
It has the vibe of ancient ruins, but they're submerged in a dark swamp.
It's as if a once-prosperous civilization decayed over time, and now, right before our eyes, is sinking into the swamp and vanishing with its secrets.
In the center of the swamp—the center of the dome space—sunlight pours down from above.
Sunlight streaming through a break in the clouds.
It's mystical, but what it illuminates is so grotesque I couldn't feel any joy.
Sitting at the center of the boss room is a massive monster with tentacles.
It has eight tentacles, like an octopus, but in addition, there are many black arm-like things writhing around.
They're octopus-like legs, but they don't have suction cups.
They're more horrifying—melted, bloated humans bundled together.
Like corpses buried at the bottom of a swamp and festering resentment have taken form as a tentacle monster.
It must've been this thing's black arm that pulled Grandpa in at the dungeon entrance.
So this is "Malice Buried in the Black Swamp."
I see. It really is a horrifying monster, just like the name says.
"H-Haha, you're the bad one! We of the Metal Shiba Inu Club were about to embark on a noble holy war... but you, Finger Man, you got in our way...!"
The cultist stood right next to the monster.
The monster isn't attacking the cultist.
Are they in a symbiotic relationship?
"But it's too late now. Our metal monster research is already complete... Behold this marvelous anomaly!"
He pulled out a revolver pistol.
"Finger Man, we know you're strong. But defeating this dungeon boss is impossible. And as long as no one contacts the outside, our holy war shall continue!"
"Ah, my smartphone!"
"Hahaha! As long as I'm holding onto your smartphone, we have the upper hand!"
"Grrgh, that's a dirty trick!"
"Then, Finger Man, become the punching bag that gathers combat data for our evil god. We must crush the many strong warriors of the Dungeon Foundation. And you, as their secret weapon, are the perfect subject for combat data!"
The cultist pointed the revolver at the tentacle monster.
A blast rang out.
The sound of gunpowder igniting.
Blue Blood flowed from the tentacle monster.
But instead, the wounded area began turning metallic.
"Wait, don't tell me... anything shot by that anomaly turns into metal?"
"Correct, Finger Man! Until now, our prototypes could only grant DEF 100,000, but with this completed version, it may be possible to grant DEF 1,000,000!"
What? No way. Seriously?
"And 'Malice Buried in the Black Swamp' is a dungeon boss! Its base stats are high—with a single tentacle strike, it can do ATK 1,000 to 1,200. Its HP? A staggering 25,000,000!!"
"25 million...? Huh?"
I could hear the sound of all the blood draining from my face.
A cool, whooshing sound.
Wait, wait.
Hagane, who had DEF 100,000, completely nullified my finger snap.
So defense and attack power are basically a simple subtraction.
ATK minus DEF equals DMG.
In other words, with 1,000,000 defense...
ATK − 1,000,000 = DMG
Is that how it works all the time?
What's with that gun?! That's gotta be banned. Totally a regulation limits violation.
Unless your ATK is over a million, you can't even scratch it—this is insane...
I mean, even before that, the fact that it has 25 million HP is just nonsense.
So it's meant to be fought safely by dozens of people? This is a raid boss. It's just on a completely different level compared to other monsters. Literally a different dimension.
It's only the first floor dungeon boss, so it should be weaker than the dungeon boss we fought back on floor 20 in the Gunma dungeon... but even so, going solo against this thing is absurdly tough.
"This is where you end! Ha, haha, hya hya hya hya hya! Ah—hahahahahaha!"
The cultist cackled maniacally as he hid behind the tentacle monster.
The monster swung at me as I got stuck in the swamp.
A massive tentacle, three meters in diameter and roughly eighty meters long, came crashing down from directly above and smashed me flat.
I died.
—Or at least, I thought I did, but I was still alive.
It hurts like hell, though.
It felt like my neck was going to snap from the impact.
I got completely covered in swamp water and filthy mud.
But I'm still alive somehow.
It's thanks to leveling up.
"Status..."
────────────────────
Akagi Hideo
Level 130
HP 8,302/15,529
MP 1,253/2,623
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv4'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv3'
'One Hit'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault'
'Blue Pulsation'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
────────────────────
I'm pretty sure my HP was 9,152 just a moment ago.
Ignoring the gradual recovery from 'Blue Pulsation,' that means I took around 850 damage.
That's powerful.
I was wearing 'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' and still took that much...
Without it, that hit would've taken over 1,000 HP in one blow.
This is a first.
It's the first time I've taken this much serious damage.
The tentacle came crashing down again.
I got crushed from straight above like a game of Whack-a-Mole.
This freaking hurts.
And the intervals between attacks are deceptively short.
If I zone out even a bit, I'll get whittled down in no time.
HP 8,302/15,529
↓
HP 7,442/15,529
I guess the damage varies a little depending on where it hits.
Damn it, this field is so unfair.
I can't dodge with my feet stuck in the mud!
"If I get caught up in a damage race, I'll run out of ammo (HP)... I've got to end this fast—no, I've got to kill it in one shot."
Chipping away at it does nothing because of the metal effect. Any damage under a million gets completely nullified.
In that case, my only chance is to unleash some overwhelming firepower that surpasses everything.
"Shimaenaga-san!"
"Chi~!"
I immediately had Shimaenaga-san use their new skill.
───────────────────
'Blasphemous Pact'
A warning to the world.
The blasphemous monsters have found an ally.
Increases all stats of the ally by 400%.
Usable once every 720 hours.
Pay 10,000 MP to reset the cooldown.
───────────────────
Shimaenaga-san floated down onto my head and started smacking me gently with their fluffy little wings.
Suddenly, an overwhelming power surged up from deep inside my body.
At the same time, a pitch-black aura began to pour out of me (Please don't come out...).
The motion is adorable, but the visual effect is way too evil.
"Chi-chi-chi!"
"Yeah, that's right. We can do this—together."
Our enemy is a raid boss.
Vastly larger and far more powerful.
But we'll manage. I know we can overcome this incredible trial.
─────────────────────
"......Grandpa, you've ended up like this...! If only I hadn't been so late!"
"Well, it's nothing serious."
"No, this is absolutely serious!"
"I actually feel better than before. I'm a bit shinier and harder, but thanks to that, I'm overflowing with power."
With those words, Grandpa punched a hole in the wall.
Isn't that a little too much overflowing power?
No seriously, what the heck happened?
"Well then, let's head home, Hideo. Around now, Grandma should be making crab hotpot for dinner. New Year's means crab hotpot. Crab hotpot."
Isn't this guy way too tough?
First, let's go to the hospital?
"A-anyway, Grandpa, before dinner, let's at least make a quick phone call, okay?"
"Crab hotpot."
He wants crab hotpot so badly he's turned into a crab hotpot bot.
"I'd be happy if you helped me find my smartphone."
"Your phone, huh. Let's see, I feel like one of the guys earlier had it......"
He rummages through the cultists' belongings.
But he doesn't find the smartphone.
Where could it be?
"Huh, come to think of it......"
I remembered.
Come to think of it, we were grabbed by an evil arm and brought into this dungeon... That arm... what even was that?
I slowly turned around in fear.
And there it was—the cultist man grinning smugly, wearing a triumphant expression as he fled deeper in.
When did he slip out of the ropes?!
Or rather, was the tying too sloppy?!
That wicked face...
He's definitely up to no good.
"Grandpa, stay here. Shimaenaga-san! Let's go!"
"Chee-chee!"
"Be careful out there. Phone, phone, crab hotpot."
I chased the man deeper into the dungeon.
I displayed the 3D map on my sunglasses.
If I recall, past here——was that wide space, the huge dome area.
As I chased the man, I saw him, grinning wickedly, slip through the black gate at the end of the corridor.
It was a heavy, black-rusted door.
It looked familiar.
I think the Resource Boss's room looked like this.
The door was faintly enveloped in white mist.
On the mist, white letters read: 'Dungeon Boss: Malice Buried in the Black Swamp.'
I traced the letters with my finger.
Suddenly, the pure white letters began to darken, as if black ink had been spilled into milk, being slowly consumed by darkness.
Once the letters turned completely black, the mist sealing the gate cleared, allowing us to enter.
I swallowed hard.
Perched on my shoulder, Shimaenaga-san let out a tense(?), "Chee."
We nodded to each other.
We pushed open the black iron gate.
Inside was a massive space, just like the 3D map showed.
A dome-shaped chamber.
It looked like a colosseum.
But something felt off.
It had the atmosphere of ancient ruins, but they were sunken within a dark swamp.
As if the glory of a once-prosperous civilization had decayed over time, now sinking into the swamp, vanishing along with its secrets.
In the center of the swamp—the center of the dome—sunlight streamed down.
Rays of light filtering through a break in the clouds.
It was mystical, but the creature being illuminated was so grotesque I couldn't feel any joy.
Sitting at the center of the boss room was a massive monster with tentacles.
It had eight tentacles, making it look like an octopus, but there were also numerous black arm-like appendages writhing around it.
They were octopus-like, but didn't have suction cups.
Instead, it was more horrifying—melted, bloated human bodies tangled together.
As if corpses buried at the swamp's bottom and their dark emotions had taken shape as the tentacle monster.
That black arm that dragged Grandpa into the dungeon must have belonged to this thing.
Malice Buried in the Black Swamp, huh.
Makes sense—it's exactly the kind of horrifying monster the name implies.
"H-ha ha, you're the bad one! Our Metal Shiba Inu Club was about to embark on a noble holy war... and you, Finger Man, you got in the way...!"
The cultist was standing close to the monster.
The monster wasn't attacking the cultist.
Are they in some kind of symbiotic relationship?
"But too bad for you. Our metal monster research is already complete... Behold, this magnificent anomaly!"
He pulled out a revolver pistol.
"Finger Man, I know you're strong. But defeating this dungeon boss is absolutely impossible. And as long as no one contacts the outside, our holy war continues!"
"Ah, my smartphone!"
"Hahaha! As long as I'm holding your phone, we hold the advantage!"
"Grrr, such a cowardly tactic..."
"Now then, Finger Man, become the punching bag from which we'll collect combat data for our evil god! We must trample over the many strong warriors of the Dungeon Foundation. You, the secret weapon of the Dungeon Foundation, are the perfect candidate for gathering combat data!"
The cultist aimed the revolver at the tentacle monster.
There was a bursting sound.
The blast of gunpowder.
Blue blood flowed from the tentacle monster.
In its place, the area around the wound began turning metallic.
"No way... don't tell me anyone shot by that anomaly turns into metal...?"
"Exactly right, Finger Man! Until now, our prototypes could only grant DEF 100,000 at most, but this finished version can grant DEF 1,000,000!"
Huh? No. Seriously?
"And Malice Buried in the Black Swamp is a dungeon boss! Its base stats are high, and just getting slapped by a tentacle hits for ATK 1,000 to 1,200. Its HP is a staggering 25,000,000!!"
"25 million...? Wha?"
I could hear the sound of blood draining from my face.
A cool, whooshing sound like "suuuu."
Wait, wait.
Hagane, with DEF 100,000, completely nullified my finger snap, right?
ATK and DEF have a nearly direct subtraction relationship.
ATK - DEF = DMG
So DEF 1 million means...
ATK - 1 million = DMG
That's what we're dealing with?
What the heck is that gun? It's totally banned. That's a regulation limits violation.
If your ATK isn't over a million, you won't even scratch it... that's insane.
And before we even get to that, I don't even understand how something can have 25 million HP.
So it assumes you're fighting with dozens of people safely. This is a raid boss. It's on a whole different level than any other monster. Literally a different dimension.
It's just a first floor dungeon boss, so it's probably still weaker than the boss from the 20th floor of the Gunma dungeon I challenged before... but even so, it's absurdly strong to fight alone.
"This is where you meet your end! Hahaha, ahhahahahaha! Aahahahahahahaha!"
The cultist let out a maniacal laugh as he hid behind the tentacle monster.
The monster came at me while my legs were stuck in the swamp.
A massive tentacle, 3 meters wide and 80 meters long, came crashing down from directly above and smashed me flat.
I died.
Or so I thought—but I was still alive.
It hurts like hell though.
The impact felt like it was going to snap my neck.
I got drenched in swamp water and ended up covered in filthy mud.
But somehow, I'm still alive.
It's thanks to the level-up I just got.
"Status......"
────────────────────
Akagi Hideo
Level 130
HP 8,302/15,529
MP 1,253/2,623
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv4'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv3'
'Surekill'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault'
'Blue Pulsation'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
────────────────────
I'm pretty sure my HP was 9,152 just a moment ago.
If I ignore the small recovery from 'Blue Pulsation', then I took about 850 damage.
That's powerful.
And that's with 'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' equipped too......
Without it, that would've shaved off a full 1,000 HP in one hit.
This is a first.
I've never taken this much real damage before.
The tentacle came crashing down again.
It slammed into me from directly above like a game of whack-a-mole.
This hurts like hell.
And the attack interval is kind of annoyingly fast.
If I zone out, it'll chip away at me until I'm dead.
HP 8,302/15,529
↓
HP 7,442/15,529
I guess the damage varies a bit depending on where it hits.
Damn it, this field is so unfair.
I can't dodge with my legs stuck in the mud.
"If I try to match it in a damage race, I'll just burn through my ammo (HP)...... I need to finish this fast—no, I have to kill it in one hit."
Chip damage means nothing against metal. Anything under a million damage is completely nullified.
That means my only chance is to hammer it with overwhelming firepower.
"Shimaenaga-san!"
"Chii~!"
I have Shimaenaga-san use their new skill right away.
───────────────────
'Blasphemous Pact'
A warning to the world.
The blasphemous monsters have found an ally.
All of the ally's stats are boosted by 400%.
Can be used once every 720 hours.
You can use 10,000 MP to reset the cooldown.
───────────────────
Shimaenaga-san floated down onto my head and gently patted me with their soft, fluffy little wings.
And with that, an incredible power surged up from deep within my body.
At the same time, a pitch-black aura began to pour out (please don't do that......)
The motion is cute, but the visual effects are way too evil.
"Chii chii chii!"
"That's right—we can do this, can't we?"
The enemy is a raid boss.
Vastly larger, vastly stronger.
But we can do this. We can overcome even this insane trial.
─────────────────────
Hello
Fantastic
I got a request, so I tried drawing Shimaenaga-san.
It's the scene where they first meet Finger Man.
You can view it from the link below.
https://kakuyomu.jp/users/ytki0920/news/16816927859607364228