Chapter 247
"That was quite a challenge."
"... 'Quite a challenge' doesn't even begin to cover it. Why did you drag it into a battle of attrition? More importantly, how did you even win? Normally, you wouldn't win. Normally."
I might have misunderstood Claudia's character.
She's an excellent attacker and healer, skilled enough to be selected for Tier 1.
Having relied on her heavily back in the FBO days, I can vouch for her capabilities.
My downfall was probably teaching her, on a whim, the trick to defeating low-level enemies.
It was good that we defeated the Mithril Knight Golem, rested overnight, and then challenged the Damascus Golem dungeon.
A steel giant with special black patterns etched on its surface.
The Damascus Golem, a monster with durability incomparable to any golem we've fought before.
As a Class 5 monster, on par with the Marsh Dragon, we entered this dungeon with a sense of tension.
Fortunately, the number of monsters in this dungeon isn't that high, and for a Class 5 dungeon, its area isn't particularly vast.
I have the dungeon layout patterns memorized, so there's no worry about getting lost.
The problem is Claudia, who tilts her head with a smile and says, "Oops, I did it again."
"I told you to use accessories, right?"
"They're consumables, so I thought it'd be a waste..."
"...I told you to use debuff items, right?"
"Since Amina's buffs and my debuffs were enough to deal damage, I thought we could manage..."
Looking at the massive golem lying face down, gradually turning into black ash, it's clear we defeated it. The question is, did it really need to take three hours to bring it down?
I can somewhat guess the cause.
After defeating the Mithril Knight Golem yesterday, when I explained the procedure for defeating the next dungeon's boss, the Full-Armor Damascus Golem, she was unusually eager and asked me many questions.
She asked about its behavior patterns, attack skill details, weak points, and all sorts of things.
I answered each question thoroughly for safety's sake, which made me go to bed a bit late.
But I woke up without issue the next morning, in perfect health, and we started our plan to obtain the Heaven's Fist skill today.
We progressed through the path without any problems.
The Damascus Golem's durability is indeed high, and its weight gives it high attack power.
It also has the Power Armor trait, giving it resistance to knockback, so if it trades blows, our chance of getting hit increases.
However, we have the mage Esmeralda, and I, who have learned Hate Down and no longer draw attention, can deliver heart strikes to the golem core to defeat it.
Basically, we proceeded with a two-pronged strategy involving me and Esmeralda.
Even though it's a Class 5 monster, if you follow the procedure, it can be defeated easily.
As proven with the Marsh Dragon, each golem type has its own specific procedure.
They are basically slow, and their joint areas are relatively fragile, so focusing attacks there can slow them down further. Breaking the joints causes them to break under their own weight, rendering the attached parts immobile.
By restricting their movement like that and focusing attacks on the golem core, you can defeat them through physical means alone.
However, that takes time, so the standard method is to use defense-ignoring attacks like mine and magical skills like Esmeralda's.
It's only proof that it's *possible* to defeat them physically.
We proceeded like that to the boss area, and the boss fight was supposed to be Claudia's main stage, but...
"We're supposed to fight the Sky Stone Golem after this. What are you going to do if you're tired before that?"
"Don't you want to defeat an enemy that's worth punching?"
"Well, no, I mean, I understand and can agree with that, but..."
I never imagined Claudia had the traits of a hardcore gamer, the type who min-maxes.
What Claudia did wasn't the planned fight using items to weaken the opponent, but a head-on, frontal assault.
Even with Amina's song providing buffs and the taunt effect分散 attention, Claudia launched such a fierce offensive against the Full-Armor Damascus Golem that she kept generating hate.
I thought about intervening if she failed, but even though her fighting style seemed reckless, to my eyes, it looked like perfectly calculated movements that continuously outmaneuvered the Full-Armor Damascus Golem, so I couldn't stop her.
You can't deal decisive damage without breaking the external armor, but the joint areas are somewhat exposed.
She thrust her hand into those spots, gradually warping them and slowing its movements.
Her movements reminded me of the gamers I knew.
*'No way...'*
I was utterly dumbfounded watching her move.
She didn't so much foresee the magical attacks released from parts of the external armor as she calculated them down to the second, deciding how to evade them with minimal effort before transitioning back to joint attacks.
In this moment, I became convinced: This person is absolutely the type who, if a cheater appeared, would keep punching them even if she couldn't kill them, and say, "Then become my combo practice dummy!!" and use the entire time limit to defeat the cheater.
No matter how high your level is, or how much you bolster your stats, the idea of shattering a lump of metal bare-handed is absurd.
But in reality, every time Claudia punched, sparks flew, the joints gradually wore down, and the boss's movements slowed.
Her movements were refined, overlapping with the movements of players who efficiently whittle away life.
"I never knew Damascus could be shattered bare-handed."
"Neither did I."
"Me too."
"I am now aware of my ignorance."
"No, it's just that Claudia is amazing. Normally, you can't do this, right?"
The result was an incredible feat of defeating it without enhancement items or debuff items, adding a new line to their dictionary under "common sense."
While冷静に冷静に (calmly, calmly) pointing out the absurdity, I worried about what to do next.
"The gate appeared."
"It sure did."
Part of it is that it took longer than expected, but I'm also worried about letting Claudia challenge things in this state.
Normally, defeating the boss should yield a treasure chest and an escape magic circle, but this time, only the gate appeared, no chest.
This is proof that we have successfully met the conditions to obtain the unique skill.
Frankly, the upcoming battle will be fierce.
It's an enemy we should challenge fully armed and prepared, yet we must challenge it bare-handed.
Judging from her movements that completely shut down the FA Damascus Golem, her current condition is excellent.
That said, the golem we're about to face is so much stronger it might as well be a different species from the one we just fought.
"Then, let's go right away."
"Just to confirm, you *will* use items, right?"
"..."
"You *will* use them, right?"
"Can we just feel it out first?"
"Use them now. It's fine. Thanks to Claudia saving them, we can use them without any restrictions."
But, for some reason, I don't feel like we'll lose.
So, on the condition that she uses items, I permitted her to proceed with the next battle.
The Sky Stone Golem.
A sky-blue, octahedral, crystal-like object with three pairs of crystal wings.
And two pairs of accompanying crystal arms.
Speaking solely of this guy, even among the many hardcore players, only a handful managed to defeat it at low levels and bare-handed.
Well, the "low level" part refers to a state about two classes lower than we are now, but a certain maniac tried to challenge it at Class 1, Level 1, attempting to defeat it using only player skill over three days and nights.
To put it simply, he couldn't do it bare-handed.
However, with one knife capable of dealing damage and only the Air Step skill equipped, he managed to defeat it at the minimum level.
But it's no exaggeration to say that player was a top-tier, hardcore addict in the world.
Sensing that vibe from Claudia in this battle, I diligently apply buffs with support items despite her dissatisfied look.
"After we debuff the enemy, I think we can win. You have the behavior patterns memorized, right?"
"Yes, no problem."
Better safe than sorry. Even if she's不满 (dissatisfied), when it comes to matters of life and death, Claudia understands and accepts.
I had conveyed the behavior patterns of the FA Damascus Golem and the Sky Stone Golem last night.
In fact, it's no exaggeration to say I went to bed late because I was explaining the details of these two.
"First, focus on knocking it down. If you don't, it will gain altitude, and we'll basically have no chance of winning."
"I know."
A flying-type golem species.
It's a golem that appears suddenly at Class 6, as if to say that walking on land isn't the only way for golems.
On top of that, it has long-range attacks, so you have no chance of winning unless you first tear off its wings, the flight units.
Weapons are prohibited, but we haven't compromised on armor at all.
The Sunlight series to reduce the magical long-range attacks.
And since we just need to deal damage, we haven't compromised on other consumable items either.
We should have used a bit more by now, but because Claudia didn't use them, we can challenge it in a truly perfect state.
For that, I can only be thankful for Claudia's actions, but...
"In that case, it's fine. After this, we'll be focused on protecting Amina, but we'll jump in to help if it gets dangerous."
"Yes, please do. But..."
The more items we can use, the easier the battle becomes.
"I'll show you that your worry is unfounded."
And with this cool line.
When she says it with that determined face, the impression of her being a battle junkie from just a moment ago fades; it's strange.
"It'd be a big help if you could do that."
With that, we all pass through the gate.
"The wind..."
"What is this place?"
After confirming item usage and passing through the gate, a gust of wind blows.
Looking around, the view is completely different from the cave we were just fighting in; a blue sky without a single cloud is visible.
The gate we came through has disappeared. To leave this place, we must defeat the boss that appears here.
A plaza the size of a baseball field.
No obstructions, no outer walls. A boss area built on a mountain peak.
"This is the battlefield. Don't get too close to the edge carelessly. If you fall, there's a steep slope waiting; you won't be able to get back."
"......" (Everyone)
I heard the sound of everyone swallowing hard at the high altitude, but I was more focused on looking up at the sky.
"Now then, the boss is making its entrance."
An object slowly descending from the sky.
Its body, reflecting light and shining, gradually comes into clear view.
A golem that flies using crystal wings, with an octahedral crystal at its core, despite not being in contact with them.
The Sky Stone Golem appears before us.
As it claps its massive arms together, signaling the start of the battle.
"Here I go."
Claudia shot forward like a bullet.