novelzi [334] 4.55 Ancient Lake IV
[334] 4.55 Ancient Lake IV
A giant crocodile isn’t the oversized T-Rex I was expecting as a boss monster from a dungeon modeled— very loosely— on a prehistoric wildscape. But, given that crocodilians have persisted, more or less unchanged evolutionarily, for over three hundred million years, it is an appropriate boss fight.“Well, Sera, I would wish you both good luck, but I know you can handle this,” Hank says.
I’m honestly not sure if he means it sincerely or if this is his way of getting back at me after rebuffing him earlier. For Chloe’s sake, and for the harmony of our adventuring party, I choose to let the possible insult slide right off me as Chloe and I enter the fray.
A mouth full of six hundred and sixty-six teeth each as big as my head champs in rapid succession, sending my blood boiling, excitement and anticipation for battle empowering me. Unfortunately, despite its size and strength— bolstered further by Skills, I have to assume— I’m not gaining the effects of [Morningstar’s Triumph], so its level does not exceed my own.
Its speed, however, does, even factoring in the boost I’m gaining from [Saintess’s Blessing]. One thing I’ve learned about stats is that the absolute gains progress sublinearly the higher those stats rise. Moving from 10 [Speed] to 20 is a larger absolute difference in one’s running speed than going from 20 to 30, which is itself larger than moving from 30 to 40. It seems to vary proportionately to the square root of the stat, although there’s a lot of imprecision on that.
The other problem is that stats can only buttress what’s already there, though equipment, training, Skills, and other magic can influence and augment what’s there as well. And, as it turns out, a massive twelve-foot tall, hundred-foot long crocodile has a lot more ‘there’ to work with.
Aerial combat is the logical solution, but I have a gut feeling that this creature too has some sort of anti-air defenses. Anything this strong must; it wouldn’t be a level 70 floor boss if it could be so easily cheesed. And I’m getting a gut feeling that the second I try something funny in the air, it’s going to be on me like the two hundred tons of muscle it is.
Thankfully, I do have [Dimensional Rift] at my disposal. The problem is that I’m sitting at just over half my maximum [Ether] and slipping into subspace will drain it fast. A protracted brawl will not be to our advantage; I need to finish this quickly. And I have an idea, though an ugly one.
“Chloe, I need you to heal me, refresh my [Cloister], and be prepared to heal me again the second I return from subspace. Probably multiple times.”
“What are you… Wait, is that even going to work?”
“I don’t see why not, and if it doesn’t— actually, regardless of whether it does or not, I have an extra chance, so to speak.”
“Damnit, Sera, when are you going to stop being so reckless? Maybe Dad was right about you. At the very least, have you at least considered any other option that doesn’t lead to you maiming your body right past your limits and into the penumbra of death?”
I use [Dimensional Rift] to warp away from the enclosing maw about ready to swallow me whole and crush me between four tons of thick muscle. “Do you have a better idea? I can’t keep dodging forever and we’re not doing enough damage to slow it down. Guessing Hank has some sort of way to use his shadows to sneak his way inside this creature and take apart its internal organs that way, but neither of us have that ability. If it’s possible to do so with glyphs alone, I couldn’t even fathom how complex that must be.”
Chloe hesitates for a moment, throwing around [Scouring Lights] from her aerial position while I keep the beast distracted and on me. “No.” she says shakily. “Just, I know you’re reckless and I can’t think of a better plan than that, but please, try to avoid taking any unnecessary risks.”
“I’ll try.” I say.
One instant, I’m slipping away from the beast’s next charge. The next, I’m reaching into my pouch and drawing out a [Large Ether Canister] to replenish a small amount of my reserves. Every bit helps; I’m going to need to keep us in subspace as long as I can. Filia vanishes back into my [Inventory] as I steel myself for the tortuous session to come.
By now, the beast has grown wary to my warping shenanigans and approaches with a degree of caution. These creatures are not sapient, but they still possess enough intelligence to make the sort of basic calculations and try to judge how I’m going to dodge and where I’ll next appear. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has some way to detect the spatial ripples that precede such a shift.
This time, however, I dodge in the conventional sense, and due to a deviation from the previous norm, I’m actually able to escape the maw of death by the skin of my teeth, making my way past the tooth-lined defenses and right onto the top of the creature’s mouth. It thrashes about in an obvious attempt to dislodge me, but with my ability to fly, I’m able to keep myself in range without exposing myself to inordinate danger as I gather all my [Ether] and prepare to shift.
Reality departs as I drag the crocodile beast with me into the next layer of reality. Even before I fully step into subspace, pain starts shooting through me, some sort of Pavlovian response to being in this surreal and inhospitable plane. The actual injuries don’t take too long to start accumulating. At first, they don’t last for too long; [Saintess’s Cloister] somehow works to patch up and repair the internal injuries I accumulate just the same as it would for any external damage sustained. But the pain comes soon, and it only intensifies.
The one saving grace among all the agony is that the six levels I’ve gained since learning [Dimensional Slip] have had a small but noticeable effect on my bodily constitution and my ability to withstand these environs. And it’s that raw level gap— only three by my intuition— that I’m trying to directly exploit, stats and other Skills be damned.
The creature roars in agony, or at least tries to in the soundless void— its first mistake. Without air, without oxygen, its gasps of pain only intensify the damage subspace inflicts upon its form. I too struggle; all that exertion is making my blood boil and I desperately fight against my bodily urge to take a breath. Rather than gasping for air which won’t come, I just slowly exhale, trying to vent a little bit of the carbon dioxide slowly accumulating and sending the burn of carbonic acid searing my lungs from the inside.
My vision blurs, both from my eyes being dissolved by the antilife properties of subspace and from the lack of oxygen and its effects on my brain. Ten seconds, then eleven, each one filled with intensifying pain that doesn’t relent for an instant. I can scarcely feel my limbs anymore; I don’t know if they even still exist, for I can’t see either way. Only my consciousness itself and my rapidly depleting [Health] are proof that I’m still alive, and as the latter drops to zero and starts dropping in the negatives, I’m no longer sure about that either.
But the damage is adding up to the enemy as well. I can no longer see it, but I can sense its [Ether] dropping like a stone and I can feel its sizzling lifeblood on my fraying form.
I too wish to scream, to make the pain stop. Only [Death Defied] and my indomitable hatred for the System and desire to wrest myself from its yoke once and for all spur me onward and help me cling to life and sanity in this wretched abyss far worse than mere hell. Right up until my [Ether] too reaches zero and I’m forced back into conventional space.
Chloe’s magic regrows my atrophied limbs and restores my slurried organs to a working state. I gasp as soon as my lungs are regrown enough for me to do so. My heart begins pumping blood once more through muscles which again have physical form, and my overwhelming agony is replaced with the lightheadedness that comes with being healed by so many spells in so short a time. I really wish I had the [Etheric Self-Repair] Skill I had in my old life, though the regeneration-boosting effect of [Valkyrion’s Body] helps a small amount.
Tears are in Chloe’s eyes as she stares into my own, now again working properly, a few blinks to adjust my mind to the restored perception. I’m sure this must’ve been absolutely torturous for her as well, to see my body reduced to the state of having negative eight thousand health, little more than an animated husk kept in motion by sheer willpower. If there were another way that could have reasonably worked to take care of the monster, I definitely would have done so.
“Sorry, Chloe,” I say. “I’ll apologize again later, but the fight’s not quite over yet.”
Another thing I’ve learned about transporting objects and living beings into subspace is that, unlike with my [Inventory], they don’t stay there. If I pull myself back into conventional space and don’t do the same for those I travel with, said things will only remain in subspace for a few seconds before being forcibly ejected back to conventional space as well. I suppose it would be too easy to just throw enemies into the garbage dump and wipe my hands clean of them.
The giant monster emerges back onto the battle arena, though in its current state, I’m surprised it hasn’t died already. Maybe it’s like me, having some sort of Skill that allows it to remain tethered to life despite its torn body, exposed flesh, and the fact that it seems to literally be collapsing under its own weight. It seems to be trying to breathe and is now succeeding, if only barely. Poor creature, getting stuck fighting against the two of us.
Unfortunately, I’m not able to put it out of its misery, instead having to float in the air with Chloe to help me as I slowly recuperate my [Ether] and regain the ability to fly under my own power. The creature does demonstrate the expected anti-air ability, and a horrific one at that— literally leaping dozens of feet into the air with an alacrity unbefitting of such monstrous girth. Fortunately, its movements are sluggish and telegraphed and its aerial maneuverability absolute ass, allowing Chloe to dodge the occasional attack even while carrying around the currently useless hunk of flesh and metal that is yours truly.
The battle comes to a close not with a bang, but with a whimper. The movements of the crocodilian behemoth come to a halt as whatever Skill it was using to keep itself alive through such torturous conditions expires and it finally releases its grip on life. I exhale deeply, only to have my momentary collapse be stopped by the addicting surge of new power rushing through me. Another level gained, and finally, a chance to take a breather. Right after whatever chastisement Hank has for me.
“Seraphina Mortensen,” Hank says. “I’m not going to pry into your life or Skills. And I’m not going to demand you tell me all the details of your plan, or more likely, lack thereof. However, for the sake of strategy on the next floor, I need to know exactly how much damage you can take and still survive wounds that should have been physically unsurvivable.”
“I can’t. It’s a Skill, but it comes with… costs and restrictions. I can’t use it consecutively; that’s all I can say. However, without enough [Speed] to outrun the creature or the ability to make yourself intangible and attack the creature from the inside as you implied you could, I judged the only reliable way of winning the fight was to drag that beast to an environment more inhospitable to it than it was to me.”
Hank actually chuckles. “You are reckless, Sera. But I can’t deny that your methods were effective. With that said, there is still a line between your cavalier approach to your [Health] and gross negligence for no gain, and I can tell that you are in no position to fight further for the time being. As such, we shall rest until we are prepared for the final trial. Let us take two hours; I shall stand guard in the meantime.”
[You have slain Dilorth, Primordial Crocodile (Level 70). You have gained a boosted 333,333 Experience.]
[You have gained enough Experience to reach Level 74. [Strength] +1, [Vitality] +1. Please assign free stat points (Remaining: 11).]
[Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x 2 + Current Level + Rand[1,3] = 412]
[Maximum Ether increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0,2] = 290]
[Level: 74; Experience: 8,747,877; To Next: 61,308]
[Current Stats: [Health]: 5,378 / 15,479; [Ether]: 401 / 11,535]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 324 (Base: 135); [Speed]: 338 (Base: 141); [Vitality]: 403 (Base: 168); [Mind]: 518 (Base: 216)]
[Your [Dimensional Rift (Rank IV)] has upgraded to [Dimensional Rift (Rank VI)].]
[Your [Dimensional Slip (Rank IV)] has upgraded to [Dimensional Slip (Rank VI)].]