Chapter 193
Live practice is good, but that doesn’t mean I can neglect leveling up.
The next class I need to tackle is Class 4, and the fact that Nel and the others have already completed their Class 4 leveling means they have the means to do it.
"I owe you big time, Nel. I’m really grateful." "Leave this much to me!!"
While expressing my thanks to the very person who secured the dungeon key, I prepare to take on the challenge ahead.
This time, the enemies I’ll be fighting are of the Golem variety. When you hear "Golem," you might picture a clay figurine, but this time, I’ll be facing a slightly—or rather, distinctly—unusual type of Golem.
In the world of FBO, Golems are a type of monster that exhibit unique traits depending on the continent. The one I asked Nel to secure a dungeon key for is the Big Head Golem, exclusive to the southern continent.
This Golem’s spawn point is located near the ruins of an ancient civilization in the mountainous region, which branches off from the southern highway leading from the royal capital.
Using the Pendulum of Teleportation to mark the location and equipping the Training Bracelet, I had Nel rush to secure the dungeon key. I never expected her to accomplish it in just a single day.
Her unwavering streak of good luck is something that suits her victory pose better than anyone else—a talent that any speedrunner would covet to the point of tears.
The dungeon generated by the Big Head key that Nel obtained is inhabited by Golems with, as the name suggests, enormous heads. They’re technically a variant of Iron Golems, meaning their entire bodies are made of iron. But their most distinctive feature is their absurd design—lacking a torso, with thick limbs sprouting directly from their massive heads, practically begging for someone to question why they were made that way.
According to the analysis team, they’re either joke monsters or relics from a bygone era where cost-cutting led to the removal of torsos.
Still, their combat abilities are decently high, and plenty of players have been lured into a false sense of security by their bizarre appearance, only to be wiped out.
Their primary means of attack are direct strikes from their disproportionately thick, long arms. Their special move is a powerful Rolling Attack, where they curl up their rounded faces, tuck in their legs, and launch themselves forward with momentum.
And when their HP drops below 10%, they start firing off their limbs like rocket punches—an inexplicable design choice. Eventually, they end up fighting as nothing more than rolling heads, creating a surreal spectacle.
Despite their quirks, the Big Head Golems are invaluable for efficiently meeting the EXBP requirements for Class 4.
Since this isn’t a special environment, I’ve entrusted Ingrid and Amina with leveling up and skill training for Claudia and Lady Esmeralda from Class 1 (with their skills and stats reset). Meanwhile, I’ve brought Nel—who has strong opinions about item drops—to tackle the Big Head Dungeon in the guild’s dungeon-unlocking area.
"Oh, there they are."
The Big Head Dungeon is a confined, cave-like excavation site.
Following the set path leads to the dungeon boss, but there are dead ends and detours along the way, each populated with monsters.
There are four conditions for Class 4 EXBP:
**First**, you must have obtained both a Job and a Title. Failing to secure either of these before Class 4 will result in missing out on EXBP. While this seems lenient compared to previous conditions, slacking off in Class 3 can lead to complications later.
**Second**, the dungeon must feature subspecies monsters.
"This time, it’s just a regular Big Head." "When we were leveling, they didn’t appear much—maybe ten at most?" "That’s already way more than enough."
When you think of subspecies, you might imagine the Golden Mochi from Mochi Dungeon, but those are rare enemies counted separately. Subspecies monsters are variants of the same species with distinct differences, most notably among Golem types.
For example, Haniwa (clay figures) change into different types when equipped with dropped parts, but Big Heads occasionally spawn with altered or additional parts, qualifying them as subspecies.
An important note: the dungeon itself only needs to have subspecies spawns—you don’t have to exclusively fight them for leveling. However, seasoned players might notice that there’s an activation requirement for this condition.
While you don’t have to focus solely on subspecies, you **do** have to defeat at least one.
"Then I’ll take this one down." "Go for it."
Defeating a subspecies activates the first two conditions and applies them to the remaining two EXBP requirements.
The first one we found was a standard Big Head. Part of the challenge this time is scrutinizing each one like a spot-the-difference puzzle. But given that Big Heads are Class 4 monsters, their stats are naturally high.
"On three!!"
This time, I’ve equipped my Swamp Dragon gear along with a custom-made wind-attribute weapon for added effectiveness against the earth-attribute Big Heads.
Even without using Gold Smash, the fact that these things can tank Nel’s head-on attacks speaks volumes about their toughness.
*THUD!* A loud impact echoes through the cavern, attracting distant Big Heads.
"Hmm… five or six hits, I’d say."
But with Nel’s maxed-out stats, they don’t take long to bring down.
"Your stats have grown a lot too, Nel."
I checked Nel’s Class 4 stats before entering the dungeon:
**Nel – Class 4 / Level 200** - Job: All-Round Merchant - Title: Pioneer - Base Stats: - HP: 1600 - MP: 400 - BP: 0 - EXBP: 0 - Skills (10/14 slots): - Spear Mastery – Class 10 / Level 100 - Axe Divinity – Class 10 / Level 100 - Sundering Axe – Class 10 / Level 100 - Water Armor – Class 10 / Level 100 - Power Swing – Class 10 / Level 100 - Gold Smash – Class 3 / Level 12 - Bank – Class 1 / Level 1 - Air Step – Class 10 / Level 100 - Stall – Class 1 / Level 1 - Appraisal – Class 3 / Level 45
With four-digit HP and passive skills boosting her attack power, even the high physical resistance of Golem-types can’t withstand her for long.
Seriously, watching her shred monster HP bars with basic attacks is something else. Big Heads—and most Golems—have high attack, defense, and HP but suffer from slow movement and poor evasion. Nel’s ability to close distances quickly and unleash devastating physical attacks makes her perfect for face-to-face combat, skyrocketing our EXP efficiency.
"Drops are just magic stones this time. I wish we got more ore." "Would be nice if a Golden Big Head showed up." "Right?! They’re stronger than Golden Mochi, but their drops are way better!"
Her drop rate is absurdly high, too, making her invaluable for securing promotion orbs.
The "Golden" variants aren’t universal, but they exist for a fair number of monsters—Big Heads included. I call them Golden Heads, but their official name is Golden Big Head. Some FBO players nicknamed them "God Heads" due to their divine, golden appearance, which caught on for a while.
As Golems, they’re tougher than Mochi, but Nel’s raw firepower bulldozes through them regardless.
Golden Heads drop magic stones, inexplicably *golden mochi*, and—very rarely—skill promotion orbs. The orb drop rate is abysmal—around **0.0025%**. Yet Nel has managed to snag one before. That’s terrifying.
Hence her comment about them being "delicious."
Golden Heads have an extremely low spawn rate and only appear when the dungeon is generated. Pulling an ultra-rare drop from an already rare monster is a feat only Nel could pull off. Most players would need countless attempts to even record it happening.
And right now, that same Nel is pummeling a hulking iron-faced monster with limbs into scrap.
Honestly, I raised her myself, but isn’t it rare for fox-girl characters in anime to be physical attackers? Most use talismans or magic.
As I ponder this, another Big Head lumbers toward us, drawn by the noise.
"Ah! This one’s arms are different!" "An imbalanced variant?"
This one’s a subspecies—found way faster than expected. Whether it’s thanks to Nel or just dumb luck, its right arm is oddly thick, throwing off its balance as it moves.
"I’ll take care of it real quick." "Go get ’em!" "Got it!"
With this, the third condition is fulfilled. Keeping the Training Bracelet equipped, I raise my spear and charge forward with Nel’s support.
"Heart Strike!"
Despite the name, I drive the spear straight into its nose—slipping past its defenses to pierce the core, a Golem’s weak point.
Golems’ high durability usually makes physical attackers avoid them. But for those like Nel, who can overpower their defenses, or me, with armor-piercing skills, they’re ideal for efficient leveling.
"The next 30 minutes are critical!"
The third condition: leveling up within 30 minutes of defeating a subspecies. This doesn’t require one subspecies per level—just one kill buys you 30 minutes of eligibility. If you defeat another within that window, the timer resets.
Whoever designed this condition is a sadist.
And the fourth EXBP condition?
"Three of them grouped up ahead!" "Perfect! Let’s rush them!" "On it!"
Engaging groups of three or more. While Class 2 forced consecutive battles, Class 4 demands multi-enemy fights.
The key is that the battle must start with multiple enemies present. Train-pulling (gathering monsters) doesn’t count—they must already be grouped when combat begins. So Amina’s song-based luring won’t work here.
We have to charge into pre-formed groups within the 30-minute window. Fortunately, this dungeon has fixed areas where Golems cluster. Their positions are randomized but follow certain rules.
Plus, Big Heads’ slow movement makes multi-combat manageable. With armor-piercing abilities, they’re ideal for Class 4 leveling—and if we’re lucky, we might even score a Golden Head and its drops.
"Ah! Found another subspecies!" "Nice! Luck’s on our side!"
After clearing a few groups and leveling up, we spot another subspecies just before the timer runs out. This one has unusually large eyes.
Even with their wide detection range, Big Heads have blind spots. Silencing my footsteps, I slip into its blind spot—
"Heart Strike."
A single thrust from behind secures the kill and resets the timer.
At this rate, we’ll wrap this up in no time.