Chapter 155
After classing up, equip the Training Bracelets and switch to your preferred weapons!"
"I leveled up!!" "Me too!" "Same here."
I never expected them to chain attacks from that position, and it turned into a chaotic brawl. But since the enemies were long-range types, it was easy to class up, defend against attacks with Air Clean, and switch to the Training Bracelets.
Now, everyone has reached Class 3.
With that, it’s best to switch to equipment that lets us fight at full strength.
"Nell and Amina, switch! Ingrid, unleash your sword!! Support Amina directly! Lady Claudia!!"
I shifted Nell to attacker, placed Amina on the Angler, and had Ingrid guard to reduce the movement range of Air Clean.
"Switch to offense! From here on, we prioritize efficiency and push straight to the boss room." "I’ve been waiting for this."
With Amina’s song drawing the attention of the Matangos, we finished changing our equipment and went on the offensive.
Now that I had my scythe spear, Nell her halberd, and Ingrid her concealed sword ready, the Matangos—already counteracted—were no match for us.
"It’s much easier to wipe them out now." "The Angler’s movement speed is slow, after all. It’s strong against close-range enemies due to its power type, but it’s weak against long-range attackers like those."
Even so, the cleanup speed dropped.
But once we switched to equipment that let us fight at full strength, the restrictions vanished, and we could effortlessly cut down the chained Matangos.
"Don’t worry about stat allocation yet. We’ve got 4 BP, and distributing it now will just make calculations messy later."
The drops were a decent haul of magic stones and spore dumplings. I kept tossing them into the Magic Bag one after another—selling them to the apothecary near Zinc’s shop should net us a good profit.
Special potion ingredients are rare in this world, so the buy prices are promising.
"That’s great!!" "Amina, you’re studying arithmetic with Nell later." "Eh!?"
Suppressing Amina’s protest (she’s bad at stat calculations), we advanced deeper into the dungeon at a much faster pace.
Perhaps due to the Angler’s heavy footsteps, Matangos frequently attacked from the forest.
Instead of dealing with them one by one, it was more efficient to let them gather before wiping them out, so our progress sped up dramatically.
"...Ahaha, sorry."
In the middle of our focused dungeon run, a cute, growling sound echoed.
Amina, clutching her stomach and laughing awkwardly atop the Angler, had broken our concentration. Since we were starting to lose focus anyway, it was a good time to take a break.
We weren’t at a safe zone yet, but that’s where the Mochi Dungeon Key came in handy.
"Since we’ve made good progress, let’s stop for lunch."
I pulled the key from the Magic Bag and suggested a break.
"Then I shall prepare lunch."
Creating a dungeon inside a dungeon—this was already commonplace for our group.
"Alright, let’s quickly take down the Kagami Mochi, fetch some water, and have lunch in the boss room."
After setting up the Mochi Dungeon in a corner of the Matango Dungeon, we headed inside.
"Mmm, the air’s much better here." "Of course. Over there, it’s a space filled with floating spores. Here, it’s a pure, light-attributed mochi space. The air’s different."
The cleanliness of the air—or rather, the lack of particles floating around—made a huge difference.
Amina removed her mask and took a deep breath.
Following her lead, everyone else took off their masks as we ignored the mochi along the way and pressed forward.
"Hah!" "That was quick." "With this much of a level difference..."
The dungeon’s area was smaller than others, so we reached the boss room swiftly. Nell bisected the Kagami Mochi inside with a single slash.
"Hmm, silver." "Hey, even a silver chest drop is pretty impressive, you know?"
I teased Nell, who frowned at the silver chest, as I pulled a mat from the Magic Bag and spread it out.
"Amina, hold that side for me." "Okay!" "I’ve fetched water." "Thanks. I’ll set up the stove now."
Ingrid brought out the lunchboxes she’d prepared this morning and a magical device resembling a portable stove.
Claudia fetched water from the safe zone’s spring.
Ingrid took it, poured it into a pot, and placed it on the foldable table over the stove.
"It’s amazing that we can rest safely like this inside a dungeon." "As your class rises, dungeons expand. Up to Class 6, you can still reach the boss in a day or two, but beyond that, you’ll need to prepare for week- or even month-long battles."
While Ingrid added pre-cut vegetables to the boiling pot to make soup, Claudia—still unused to resting in a dungeon—sat on the mat and looked around.
"A long battle… So this dungeon is still short?" "Yes. I’d say we’ll reach the boss room in about an hour. For Class 3, this is mid-sized."
The key to dungeon diving is maintaining peak condition.
Healing potions and spare weapons are important, but so is securing ways to rest like this.
Sometimes, you even need sleeping arrangements, which is why the portable Mochi Dungeon—with its safe camping spots, water sources, and sleeping areas—is so useful.
"Wait, we’re almost at the boss?" "Yeah, we’re not far now."
This spot was safe enough to cook, and closing the boss room’s door kept intruders out.
If we needed to escape, the glowing teleportation circle would handle it.
"It’s that giant mushroom monster, right?" "Yeah, Big Mash. Basically an oversized Matango. Its attacks are variations of the Matango’s spores—sleep, paralysis, and poison. It also uses earth magic like Stone Bullet and the healing Earth Heal Circle."
As we rested and recovered in the dungeon, I reviewed the boss’s mechanics while Ingrid finished the vegetable soup.
"Also, its sheer size means its physical attacks hit harder, so be careful. It’s not fast, but its toughness and power are nearly ten times a Matango’s. Nell and Ingrid, watch out in close combat." "Got it." "Understood."
Big Mash’s attack pattern involves spreading spores, using magic to keep enemies at bay, and swatting those who get too close.
At certain damage thresholds, it heals itself, forcing a war of attrition.
Without countermeasures, you’ll constantly suffer status effects while being whittled down from range.
Plus, it heals after taking enough damage—making it a boss that teaches newer players the importance of preparation and intel.
"Ingrid can handle the spores, and Lady Claudia can stun it to interrupt healing. The key is staying inside Ingrid’s Air Clean zone and not overcommitting to damage. Stick to that, and we’ll win."
The boss’s biggest weakness? It’s slow.
Some giant bosses are fast, but you won’t find many early Class 3 enemies that are big, fast, and strong. Big Mash is a sluggish, slow-moving boss with telegraphed attacks.
Its moveset is limited, and the same tactics used on Matangos work here.
Its attack patterns are straightforward: fist slams, stomps, body presses, Stone Bullet, and the occasional butt slam.
"Those are its main attacks. As for positioning—"
As I explained, a delicious aroma filled the air.
"Liberta, the soup is ready." "Alright. Amina’s stomach is at its limit anyway, so let’s eat and prepare for the fight." "Yes!" "Yay!! Lunchtime!!"
Bowls were filled with soup and passed around.
Eating warm food in the middle of battle was a rare luxury.
"There’s meat in it too."
Nell smiled at the hearty ingredients.
"And we’ve got sandwiches too. With this much, we’ll be ready for the afternoon fight."
The lunchboxes also contained sandwiches—firm ones that’d grown on me for how they strengthened my jaw.
"Now, let us give thanks for the gods’ blessings—" "Let’s eat." """"Let’s eat.""""
Following Claudia’s prayer, we ate at our own pace.
Once we finished and rested—
"Time for the boss!!"
We resumed the dungeon dive.
With our stamina, morale, and mana fully restored, we pressed on.
We’d already been handling the Matangos well, but now we progressed even faster, soon reaching a plaza dominated by a massive tree.
Nell wasn’t the only one fired up—everyone was unharmed and free of status effects.
In gaming terms, we were entering the boss fight at full HP.
"Let’s take it down quick, yeah?" "Ooh!!"
Keeping the mood light to avoid tension, I made a casual declaration, and Amina cheered in response.
The moment we all stepped into the boss area, heavy footsteps began shaking the ground.
Open-field dungeon bosses appear in one of two ways: already present or arriving from elsewhere.
The former applies to immobile bosses like Treants, while the latter is for mobile ones.
The footsteps grew louder until the massive figure appeared.
"Whoa, it’s huge."
Matangos are under a meter tall—child-sized.
But Big Mash is nearly ten times larger, towering over ten meters.
A grotesquely enlarged Matango with unbalanced limbs and a distorted face.
The giant mushroom monster pushed through the trees, revealing itself.
As if an RPG message played, the scene was set.
"Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"
A shrill shriek signaled the start of battle.
"Tailwind into Cheer Song!!" "Okay! Leave it to me!!"
As the fight began, buffs were swiftly deployed.
"Lady Claudia and Nell, lower its defense! Focus on one leg—its balance is bad, so it’ll topple fast!" "Got it!" "Leave it to me!"
The three frontliners—me, Nell, and Claudia—dashed forward, staying within Ingrid’s adjusted Air Clean zone.
"Hah!"
Claudia’s opening move: Lightning Step into Thunder Palm Wave. Despite the level difference, the giant’s movements were briefly locked.
Still, it’s funny how our healer deals the most damage.
Next came a barrage of strikes focused on its right leg.
Its slow speed meant interruptions delayed its next attack—perfect for Claudia’s rapid strikes.
"Gyah!?"
Big Mash’s right leg gave out, sending it crashing sideways.
"Nell! Hit its face!!" "On it!!"
Nell leaped forward, halberd raised.
"Severing Battle Axe!!"
With defense lowered and EXBP secured from Class 2, the devastating strike slammed into Big Mash’s face.
"Dodge!" "!"
As I shouted, Nell backstepped just as a massive hand smashed down where she’d been.
But for me, the timing was perfect.
"I’ll take that wrist."
I coated my scythe spear with Magic Edge.
Before it could raise its arm again, I closed in.
"Neck Hunter!!"
Aiming for the base of its wrist, I activated the skill.
The defense-piercing slash lived up to its name, cleaving through the flesh like tofu—severing Big Mash’s left hand clean off.
"Enemies with limbs are easy prey for me."
Now, let’s hunt efficiently.