Chapter 147 (1/2)

Chapter 147 — S- Something Amazing Appeared

After teleporting to the 30th level we found ourselves in an immense domed room maybe 300 metres in diameter. On the other side of the room from where we arrived was a gigantic monster, a rhinoceros-like dark-skinned creature about the size of a trailer-truck with a gleaming horn on its nose.

“Gruo-o-o-o-o” It instantly let out a cry, we had been spotted.

That creature, what was it? It seemed to be alone but every other level had several monsters for us to defeat. However this monster was on a different scale to anything we had encountered before, could it be…

“That monster over there is Behemoth.” Fer said with both satisfaction and excitement in his voice. “Be careful everybody.”

So it WAS Behemoth. But why were we being thrown straight into a fight with the level boss, the dungeon boss in fact? I thought it was going to be the same as all the other levels, we’d arrive at the start of a level and fight lesser monsters on the way to where the boss would be waiting for us. Facing Behemoth right away like this, it’s way too early! Damn, I had planned to feed everyone lots of food from the Net Super to gain status bonuses before we fought the dungeon boss but now that was impossible, the battle was imminent.

The huge figure of Behemoth across the room pawed at the floor with a forefoot like the beginning of a bullfight, preparing to charge at us.

“It’s coming.” Fer said. Yes, I can see that Fer…

“Gruo-o-o-o-o” Behemoth roared again and then it rushed towards us, its hooves crashing like thunder on the stone floor of the room. It wasn’t fast but its rush looked unstoppable.

“Dora, Sui, listen to me!” Fer said quickly, never taking his eyes off the charging monstrosity. “Physical attacks like ramming and magic attacks are not very effective against Behemoth. They work a little bit but it’s a very tough monster and can regenerate so you have to keep your attacks going, don’t stop until it’s defeated. Its own attacks are powerful but it can’t defend itself well or dodge easily. Don’t get trapped against the sides of the room, fight it in the centre so you can manoeuvre around it and dodge any of its attacks.” Fer tensed as Behemoth approached the middle of the room, then sprang forward to meet it. “Let’s go!”

“So just attack it and then attack it some more?” Dora-chan said, lifting off my back and flying after Fer. “Sounds good to me!”

Sui-chan popped out of her bag and pyonged after the other two battle maniacs. “Sui will buzz buzz and and use Water magic on it too!-”

Fast-flying Dora-chan was first to reach the approaching monster, bombarding it with Lightning magic, Crash! Flash! but with no perceivable effect as the magic bolts seemed to bounce off Behemoth’s shiny skin.

“Uwaah!” Dora-chan cried as he swerved away from the monster. “This guy’s skin is way too hard!”

Just how difficult was it going to be to penetrate that skin, I wondered. Fer had made a point of warning my other two companion monsters about it but his own Lightning magic had dealt a one-hit kill to a Mithril-skinned Metal Lizard. Did he think even his ultra-strong attacks couldn’t easily defeat this monster? Behemoth was going to be the toughest foe we had ever encountered by far, it seemed.

Next to attack was Sui-chan, firing Acid Bullets from a distance, Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! All the Bullets hit Behemoth which didn’t even try to evade them but as it got closer it was clear to see Sui’s incredibly strong acid had little or no effect on Behemoth’s shiny hide. What was it made of?

“Ah? It didn’t melt-” Sui-chan complained, pyonging off to one side out of the line of Behemoth’s charge as Fer finally got in range, firing off his super-powered Wind and Lightning magic in continuous bursts — Whoosh! Crash! Whoosh! Crash!

“Gruuuh, Gruoo” Behemoth came to a stop and shook its immense body, obviously hurt by Fer’s attack but it still didn’t seem to have taken much physical damage.

“Dora, Sui, don’t stop attacking!” Fer commanded as he launched another series of his own Lightning and Wind magic attacks at the monster’s giant head.

“Oyah!”

“Got it-”

Dora-chan unleashed a flurry of Ice Spears at Behemoth but they shattered ineffectually on Behemoth’s hard skin while Sui-chan fired off more Acid Bullets, Pyu Pyu Pyu! trying to concentrate her aim on a smaller area of the monster’s hide. This time there was some effect as smoke rose from where the cluster of Acid Bullets had hit but it was still not enough, I could see, it was barely a scorch. Sui-chan changed to Water Cutter, precisely hitting the smouldering section of Behemoth skin with her Water magic and YES! I could see a slice appear in the beast’s thick acid-scarred skin.

“Gurruuuh!” Behemoth was hurt now, bellowing and pawing the ground in anger as it tossed its head, looking around for its attacker, then it opened its mouth wide.

“Its breath!” Fer shouted. “Watch out for its breath!” I saw a red glow develop in Behemoth’s open mouth and we all dodged away from its direct line of fire, guessing what was coming next.

“Gruaaarrr-” Behemoth spat out a terrifically hot flame from its open mouth. I could feel the heat even at a distance from where the scorching flame hit the floor and wall of the room. If it had caught me even my bones would have been cremated. As the fire petered out and before Behemoth could launch another such attack I spoke quickly to Fer.

“Behemoth skin that’s been damaged by acid can be cut more easily!” I pointed to the area on Behemoth’s side where Sui-chan’s Water Cutter had sliced through the creature’s hide. It was healing up as I watched but it had been cut at least slightly. Fer turned his head to look then issued orders to his subordinates.

“Sui, fire Acid Bullets at Behemoth, a lot of them at the same spot! Dora, attack that area with your Wind magic and cut into it!”

“Yoh!” Dora-chan swung round to the same side of the monster Fer and Sui-chan were positioned, to concentrate their efforts.

“Sui, fire lots of Acid Bullets now!” Fer ordered.

Sui-chan trembled for a moment as she used her Growth skill to suddenly become a Big Slime before she fired off dozens, hundreds of Acid Bullets at Behemoth which stood frozen in the middle of the room, obviously surprised at the appearance of the new form of one of its opponents. Pyu, Pyu, Pyu- Behemoth roared in pain as an area of its side was coated thickly by Big Slime Sui-chan’s machine-gun delivery of Acid Bullets, its skin steaming and bubbling from the assault.

“Yes! Now, Dora, hit it right there with your Wind Cutter!” Fer ordered as he launched his own magical assault at Behemoth’s weakened side.

Slash! Whoosh! Slash! Whoosh! Dora-chan launched Wind Cutter attacks at the smoking side of Behemoth as Fer unleashed his Claw Slash, chopping into the acid-weakened skin and dealing significant damage to the monster at last.

“Gruaah, Gurwaaaaa” Behemoth cried in pain, shaking and stamping its feet but neither Dora-chan or Fer relented in their attacks.

“Sui, shoot more Acid Bullets! Now!” Fer commanded. Big Slime Sui-chan complied, spraying Behemoth’s side with a storm of Acid Bullets again, Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu! Pyu!

“Groooo-o-o-o-o-o-o” Behemoth groaned, it was weakening! Yes! I suddenly understood Fer’s plan– Sui-chan’s Acid Bullets were driving deeply into Behemoth’s body through the gaping wounds in its skin caused by the continuous Claw Slash and Wind Cutter attacks of Fer and Dora-chan. Behemoth trembled, its head dropping and Fer stopped his Claw Slash attacks, bracing himself before he unleashed a mighty Lightning magic attack that hurt my eyes and ears, directed straight into the wounded side of Behemoth.

CRASH!!! Flash flash flash flash— the lightning bolts left a purple afterimage in my abused eyeballs as Fer’s maximum effort knifed into the giant monster’s body and then Behemoth, the mighty near-invulnerable final boss of Doran’s famous dungeon… collapsed to one side, dead. I let out a breath I didn’t realise I had been holding.

“Yatta-! We beat it!!!” Sui-chan, still a Big Slime was pyonging in triumph around the fallen Behemoth, an amazing sight given their comparative sizes.