Chapter 47 - The Test [4]
The mini boss was a Hobgoblin Champion—it’s an evolved goblin; it was much faster, smarter, and stronger than any monster on this floor.
Its physical attributes were on an entirely different tier compared to the weak trash mobs we had fought in the tunnels earlier.
It also uses weapons; daggers, sword, and shield.
Its tactical versatility made it a deadly opponent for normal freshmen parties that were entering a dungeon for the very first time.
But the group already knew this information... Cordelia bought information from the seniors, and she had Crystal tell it to us.
We had spent time reviewing its attack patterns, weapon preferences, and defensive habits during our squad preparation sessions back at the academy grounds.
’Though, I already know more about the mini boss than them from the game forum and my gameplay.’
I thought to myself.
I knew every single frame of its movement, its hidden phase triggers, and the exact weaknesses of its combat pattern from my extensive hours playing through this exact level.
Then inserting mana to [Frost]—
FWISH~
I transformed it into a rapier.
The cold blue aura surrounded the dark wooden sheath, vibrating with dense energy as the weapon reshaped itself into a thin, lethal needle-blade built for rapid thrusts and armor penetration.
I adjusted my grip on the handle, keeping my posture relaxed and light on my feet as I crossed the threshold into the wide boss chamber.
Tap-
*****
As soon as Vael and the others entered the mini boss room—
BOOM!
The massive double doors behind them shut closed with a loud sound, and it alerted the floor boss.
The heavy, reverberating sound echoed sharply across the large stone arena, locking the group inside the boss room until the encounter was fully cleared.
-KIEEEE...!
The Hobgoblin Champion looked at the group with a crazed smile on its face. It was holding a crude sword made of monster bones, and a worn down wooden shield on the other hand.
Its red eyes flared with intense hostility as it stomped forward onto the raised stone platform, dragging its heavy bone blade against the ground to intimidate us.
Even with their position being discovered, Vael and the others didn’t feel threatened at all. None of us panicked or lost our tactical pacing, standing smoothly in our designated offensive positions as the boss made its dramatic appearance.
After all, even this situation, they already knew this was going to happen.
Cordelia made sure they have every information they are going to need to attain their goal for the test.
And also, the sudden closure of the entrance doors was a standard boss arena mechanism that every senior scout had detailed in their floor guides.
"Be careful, its weapons are covered with poison. It might not be lethal, but it’s not bad to take precautions."
Vael told the others.
"Don’t let even a single surface strike touch your exposed skin."
He added, reminding the vanguards that the dark green coating glistening along its bone blade was a nasty paralytic agent.
Then without waiting for their response—
Vael raised my left hand, channeling two distinct streams of mana simultaneously through his fingers in a split second.
"[Speed], [Strength]."
He casted buffs on all of them except from Crystal who will be with him at the back of the formation.
A dual burst of silver and vibrant red light erupted around Zion, Cordelia, and Cindy, instantly heightening their physical output and explosive foot speed.
"Got it."
Zion replied with a smile.
He rolled his shoulders once, feeling the immense wave of strength flooding his muscles, his grip tightening around his sword hilt.
"Thanks for the buff."
Cindy told Vael, adjusting the grip on her weapons.
Her quiet voice carried a tone of genuine appreciation as she felt her weight lighten drastically under the speed spell’s effect.
Cordelia didn’t say anything, she wants to give Vael space, so she just nodded her head at him.
She then adjusted her stance, resting her hand near her waist as the water mana swirling around her arm flared into a bright, pressurized current.
And after that— B A M!
The three of them kicked off the ground and propelled themselves to the Hobgoblin Champion at the same time!
Their feet pushed off the stone floor with explosive power, blurring across the wide arena distance in less than a single breath.
WHIIISH—!
Cordelia launched the first attack, she swung her whip as hard as she could. The long stream of high-pressure water whistled sharply through the air, aiming directly for the monster’s neck with terrifying velocity.
TWACK!
But the Hobgoblin Champion just blocked it with its mana-coated shield! It even smiled after doing so.
A dark aura flared over the surface of the worn wooden buckler, absorbing the attack’s impact of the liquid blade and scattering water droplets across the floor.
The Hobgoblin grinned maliciously, mocking Cordelia’s attempt as it leaned into its defensive posture.
Then with a quick draw of its other hand— SWOOOOSH!!!
It threw multiple poisoned daggers at her!
Its arm blurred with impressive speed, sending three small, jagged throwing daggers whistling through the air straight toward Cordelia’s torso.
But Cordelia wasn’t even fazed by this.
She didn’t even bother to interrupt her stance or pull back her weapon to defend herself from the incoming projectiles.
FWISH-
And at that moment, Zion appeared in front of her.
His boosted speed allowed him to instantly bridge the gap, stepping directly into the path of the flying daggers without losing his composure for even a second.
And effortlessly— TIIINK!
He deflected every flying dagger with a single swing of his [Excalibur]!
His sword flashed in a brilliant silver arc, striking all three poisoned blades simultaneously and sending them clattering harmlessly against the stone wall.
-KIEE?!
The Hobgoblin was surprised by this. Its wide, crazed grin instantly collapsed into an expression of sheer shock as it realized how easily its surprise counterattack had been neutralized.
Then as its attention was focused on Zion and Cordelia—
SWIIIIH!
A sharp spike of survival instinct shot up its spine, forcing its ears to twitch as a tiny disturbance in the air rustled right behind its neck. It suddenly felt something dangerous coming!
And instinctively—
-KIEEE?!
SWOOSH!
The Hobgoblin Champion ducked down without even checking what it was. It trusted its guts.
The Hobgoblin dropped its center of gravity instantly, letting its knees bend as its upper body pitched forward toward the ground in a desperate evasion move.
And as it did; a needle-like weapon passed through where its head was!
The thin, sharp point of a sai whistled through the empty space just a millimeter above its ear, cutting through a few strands of its coarse hair.
If the Hobgoblin didn’t move or was late for even a split second, that would’ve pierced its head!
The owner of the sai was, of course, Cindy. She made use of the mini boss’ shock to get behind the it undetected.
She deliberately went after Zion and Cordelia so that she could use the two of them as decoys... and it almost worked. The fight would’ve ended right then and there if her ambush had landed.
"Tsk."
Cindy clicked her tongue because of thatl, she quickly jumped back and retreated outside of the Hobgoblin’s reach. She pushed off the boss’s shadow in a nimble backward leap, landing lightly a few meters away to reset her balance and avoid any immediate counter-swipes.
-KIAAAA!!!
The Hobgoblin was about to chase after her.
Enraged by the narrow lethal strike, its red eyes flared with fury as it spun around on its heels, raising its bone sword to lung forward after her retreating form.
But before it could even try to—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three fireballs flew in its direction, forcing the monster to dodge them and forget about the chase.
The blazing spheres of intense orange mana streaked across the monster room from the backline, detonating against the floor directly at the Hobgoblin’s feet in rapid succession.
The explosive pressure and heat forced the floor boss to fling its body sideways, raising its mana-shield defensively as smoke filled the immediate area.
It was Crystal... She was an all around mage that knows a lot of mid-tier spells, she can use multiple elements as well.
"Fuuuh~"
She stood calmly beside Vael with her staff raised, seamlessly weaving elements to control the boss’s movement options and protect the close combatants.
"..."
Vael smiled seeing all of this. He stood at the back of the chamber, watching the front trio and Crystal execute a textbook high-speed suppression strategy with complete sync.
Then in his head...
’Now... how can I get the last hit in the middle of all this?’
He asked that.
Vael was studying the battle from the back, he was going to respond based on what happens. But ultimately, his goal was to deliver the killing blow onto the Hobgoblin Champion.
After all, he wants to try something.
’Having the last hit in the game gives that character the most experience points to level them up and get stronger... there are no status window in this world like that... so I wonder, does that rule still applies?’
Vael asked in his head.