Chapter 268
"This time, it's a scroll and an EXP boost can.""So when the can drops, it's always with another item?"
"Stop it already!! The Ice Dragon's HP is zero!!"—such a line would fit the aerial combo she displayed. After producing three consecutive rainbow chests and having Nell open them, another energy drink can and scroll emerged.
Claudia, who achieved this, seems recently obsessed with aerial combos, often fighting mid-air. Personally, I also find aerial combos fun, so I totally get it.
"Should I learn this too?""No, this is fine. It's an ice skill for vanguards."
She executed it perfectly—mobility in the air, victory without giving the enemy a chance. If this happened in a fighting game, it'd warrant slamming the arcade cabinet. Secretly, I felt a bit sorry for the Ice Dragon. Cool entrance, only to be instantly silenced by fists—its mood must be funeral-level.
"Claudia, please fall back. Lady Esmeralda will handle the next battle with a volley.""Understood."
No spotlight at all. One-sided damage, ended with a full beatdown. Even if you argue "but it's a boss," the outcome lacks persuasiveness. Unfazed, everyone efficiently prepares for the next phase.
Deactivating Heavenly Fist, the weakened Claudia obediently enters the Golems' defensive perimeter. From here, she takes on a healer role.
In her place, Lady Esmeralda, having recovered mana with potions and Mana Charge, returns to prepare for the upcoming Magma Dragon battle.
Ice magic is the natural enemy of the Magma Dragon—not due to elemental affinity, but temperature compatibility, making damage more effective.
Its combat gimmick: using water or ice magic lowers the surface magma temperature, allowing normal attacks to connect.
There's no reason not to use her. Her efficient potion consumption exudes veteran player vibes.
Total combat time so far, including rest intervals between boss appearances, is 15 minutes. Fully recovering mana in that time is tough.
She used Mana Charge and potions to prepare for the next volley.
"Time-wise, we're on schedule. If this continues, we might finish before Fortune's Summoning wears off?"
No smartphone, not even a watch, but my internal clock estimates we're managing instant-kill theatrics and staying on schedule.
The interval from the Magma Dragon to the Fang Poison Dragon will definitely take 20 minutes.
Adding combat time, total shouldn't exceed 30 minutes.
Pace-wise, we expect to clear this boss rush dungeon within an hour. The issue is the final Fang Poison Dragon.
We anticipate it'll take the longest—the final gate of this boss rush dungeon.
"Liberta-sama.""Yeah, time's up."
As we finish collecting chest contents and Lady Esmeralda completes her magic prep, a magic circle appears.
At Ingrid's cue, we look—scorching heat emanates from it.
Its emergence resembles the Steel Dragon's, but magma, the heat's source, also bursts forth.
Having swum through magma, it lacks limbs, resembling a snake with dorsal and tail fins. Its scales glow magma-red, indicating intense heat.
As it inhales deeply, about to roar—
"Ice Cannon! 12 shots!!"
Lady Esmeralda's ice barrage strikes its face full force.
Sadly, taking this opening volley leaves it helpless.
"It's over.""Indeed, it's over.""Finished."
The first two shots strip the magma defense, drastically reducing defense. The follow-up 10 Ice Cannons—
All treated as critical damage. It's instantly killed, almost unfairly anticlimactic.
"It's a boss, right?""It is, but its only nuisance is moving freely through magma."
Nell, Ingrid, and Lady Esmeralda stare blankly at the ease.
The Magma Dragon. Its strength lies in field advantage—moving through magma, an area players can't touch, using it as armor, shield, and weapon. Fighting it there is troublesome.
But that field-reliant combat style is useless in this arena.
"No rainbow chest either.""At least we got three golds."
You might wonder if such an enemy warranted Lady Esmeralda's volley, but letting it use breath or magic would cause casualties, so instant killing is wiser.
Unfortunately, no verification rainbow chest dropped, so we quickly open these.
No scrolls—just a row of material-type items.
"Using these materials, you can make equipment handy for winter mountains.""Not needed now, right?""Toss them into storage."
The performance isn't bad, but their niche use condemns them to storage.
For now, into the Magic Bag they go, preparing for the next fight.
"Now, for the main event."
Only one boss remains in the rush: the Fang Poison Dragon.
As the boss of the Hydra Dungeon, its combat style is closest to Azhdaha's.
"Ingrid, your turn.""Understood. I shall humbly take the vanguard."
Yet, against such a dragon, her equipment isn't her usual broom.
"A mop made from Thunder Dragon materials... Father would be so shocked his jaw might drop."
A mop.
A secondary weapon compatible with Ingrid's skills. Armed with spear passive skills, it serves as a sub-weapon.
As Lady Esmeralda said, a custom piece entirely from Thunder Dragon materials.
The handle is Thunder Dragon bone, the mop head combines scales and reverse scales, and the cleaning part uses its mane—a piece that would outrage any noble.
"But against debuff-spamming monsters, this is best.""No one would believe it without seeing it in action."
It looks like a joke weapon, but it's dead serious.
"Everyone, please wrap up the conversation. The enemy approaches."
As tension wavers around Ingrid's poised weapon, the interval seems over.
The final boss emerges not from the ground but from a magic circle forming a wall mid-air, leaking purple miasma.
"Deploying Air Clean."
The miasma itself is poison. Unprotected exposure would mean poisoning and trouble.
Ingrid's Air Clean blocks the miasma, cleanly parting the purple air in an eerie spectacle.
"Whoa."
When the miasma-clad body appears, Nell recoils with a gasp.
All five senses degraded by poison, it writhes five lamprey-like mouths. Its appearance would give anyone goosebumps.
No concept of scales; purple fluid constantly drips from its skin surface.
Toxic sweat glands, so to speak.
Total length: 30 meters; height: nearly 10 meters. No limbs, a slug-like body with long, tentacle-like tail extensions.
"Engaging."
As the Fang Poison Dragon emerges, Ingrid dashes forward.
"We're going too!!"
We follow her.
"Amina's attention doesn't work on this one!! Hate will focus on us, so be careful!!"
The way to defeat the Fang Poison Dragon is ultra-close combat centered on Ingrid.
First, position Ingrid right next to it, covered by Air Clean.
Part of her body is exposed, but this prevents its poison from spreading around.
With senses like eyes, ears, and nose destroyed by poison, it detects enemies through acute tactile sense.
It precisely gauges air vibrations, external heat, and touch to locate us. It can't discern Amina's song's quality, so attraction skills don't work—hate-gathering skills are entirely ineffective.
Notorious for difficult hate management and prone to accidents.
But its countermeasure—no, its natural enemy—is:
"Commencing cleaning."
Ingrid, in maid attire, brandishing the outrageous Thunder Dragon mop.
Activating Air Clean, she swings the mop, wiping the Fang Poison Dragon's surface.
A single swipe that'd normally make you say "so what?" but not only the wiped area—a wide range beyond the mop's reach is cleansed of poison.
The Cleaning skill, when activated, cleans dirt within its effect range through cleaning actions. Higher skill levels make dirt easier to remove and allow cleaning impossibly large areas physically.
The mop tip now holds a purple substance, as if having wiped away filth.
"Clean."
She activates a cleansing spell on the tip. The Clean magic skill erases dirt within its effect range—a substitute since she can't bucket-clean the mop each time.
With poison—the dirt—removed, followed by purification and disinfection, it's ready for another wipe.
More like cleaning than attacking, so hate accumulation is slow.
Hence, its natural enemy.
"Without poison!!""Hey!!"
Not expecting an entity that seals its core defense and offense, it attacks全力 (full force) without worrying about poison, unable to spread miasma.
Stripped of its special poison attacks, it can only bite with its lamprey-like mouths.
"Neck Hunt!"
With halberd and scythe spear, Nell and I draw hate, facing attacks from five mouths. Meanwhile, Ingrid diligently scrubs the Fang Poison Dragon clean.
She can't clean inside the mouths, so a bite means game over, but without special poison attacks, numbers aren't an issue.
In fact, dodging allows counterattacks, even severing one head.
Its blood is also poisonous, but Ingrid instantly cleans that too.
The Cleaning skill has near-zero recast time and low mana cost—a handy daily life skill.
But mastered, it becomes a specialist against poison-type enemies.
"Severing Sky Battle Axe!!"
While Nell and I attack, the Fang Poison Dragon, misjudging hate, falls without finding the true threat, its life scattering.
"Alright, now it's just repeating this and leveling."
And thus, the real struggle begins.