“Was this common? I never heard Andrew talk about a fleeing boss monster.” Sanders nudged Kaina.
“No. I have never seen a monster flee from Kouki either, even though he pretty much fought alone in the trial dungeon.” The trio sprinted toward James.
“Stop talking! He is leaving us behind!” Anderson interrupted them as he ran with all his might. He realized that if James were ever separated from them, their lives would be in danger. Not only was the ship sinking, but the monsters were also getting progressively harder.
“Come on! You are a fucking floor boss! Why the fuck are you running!?” James cursed. A golden glow shone from his axe. Lightning engulfed it as it flew out from his hand, chasing the fleeing monster. The axe embedded itself in its fleshy body as blue blood seeped out from it. It pulled the axe out with its arm, but it didn’t drop it. It roared before taking the axe with it.
“Damn it! It’s smart!” James cursed again as he bit a wooden bolt and prepared his crossbow. Instead of removing the axe and dropping or throwing it, the octopus held the axe with one of its tentacles. It knew that if it dropped the axe, James could use his skill again to harm it.
The cruise ship was large, but no matter how large it was, there was an end to it. The octopus ran through the winding corridor from the middle deck to the upper aft. It was about to leap out from the deck into the ocean below, but a purple translucent wall blocked its way.
“Hah… Hah… Something blocked its escape!” Kaina panted as she reached the upper deck with the other two soldiers. James was already next to the giant octopus. He grinned maliciously.
“Hm… I see. The system blocked your way, huh? I guess it’s time for you to get the short end of the stick. Only one of us shall leave this ship alive. Either you or me!”
The ship rocked again. This time, the ship was tilting toward the bow. James stabbed his sword into the deck, steadying himself while the octopus held the fence firmly. The beast roared as it used its remaining tentacle against him. James lit himself on fire as he froze his feet to the ground to hold himself steady. He then drew his sword and parried the tentacles that came after him. James cursed as he imagined the octopus grinning while holding his lightning axe with one of its tentacles. The new skill worked against him this time.
Nevertheless, James was a jack of all trades. He had his poison on top of his weapon skills. While holding his sword and parrying the incoming tentacle with his right hand, he loaded the poisoned bolt into his crossbow, held by his tentacle.
A golden meteor flew through the cephalopod; its soft and muscular body prevented the arrow from going in too deep. Blue blood splattered again from its wound.
But the arrow had already wounded it. The life-leeching poison had seeped in and inflicted continuous damage on the kraken.
James bit another bolt and loaded it into his crossbow. He cursed again as he realized this might turn into a long battle. Using his right hand, he deflected the tentacles that were coming at him. Thanks to the new arm, he could now dual wield his sword and crossbow, as his new tail could handle the reloading process.
Moreover, his flaming tail could ward off some of the tentacle attacks. The flaming tail looked like a red whip parrying pink flesh that came after him.
“We must help him,” Kaina said. “He is struggling!”
“I would love to, but James didn’t want us helping him, remember? Besides, how can we help him? That octopus is stronger than any of us. A single whip from it might send us flying, or worse, kill us. Moreover, we can’t even stand because the ship is tilting,” Sanders answered. He then looked at Anderson, who had a gun. “Do you think you can hit it?”
“Yes.”
“Its head is between the eyes, not that huge lobe at the top. Understand?” Sanders said. He had seen people cutting up octopuses at meat markets as a child before.
“Yes. I know.” Anderson nodded as he drew his gun and sheathed his daggers. He only had one shot at this, and he didn’t want to waste it.
Nevertheless, his shot was not necessary as the kraken died soon after James put his third poison bolt into its right eye. It sent it into a roar. Seeing the chance, he froze the ground, creating a rough surface on it while running toward it. Then, he used his sword skill. The golden arc sliced through the octopus. Blood gushed from the wound.
Seeing it was not enough, he grabbed his hand grenade and inserted it into the gash he had made using his new tail. Moments later, the grenade exploded, sending blue blood and meat all over the place. The explosion was fatal as it hit right between the eyes.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 43. Your Attacker class has leveled up to Level 16. You have obtained 100 coins.]
“Nice!” James grinned. “Any upgrade?”
[Would you like to modify your body? Y/N]
[Available Body Part:]
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Kraken’s Flammable Ink Sac (Skill: Flammable Ink) (Extra Slot)
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Kraken’s Siphon (Skill: Ink Spray, Swimming) (Extra Slot)
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Kraken’s Arm Tentacle (Reach: 5 meters, Negative Trait: STR -10%) (Extra Slot)
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
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Kraken’s Gills (Skill: Water Breathing, Negative Trait: Air Asphyxiation) (Extra Slot)
“Hmm… well, I will take the tentacle," James said after spending about a minute analyzing the body parts.
It was an easy decision. The ink sac might be useful, but he already had his flaming fur. The siphon was useful too, but he was already going to the next floor. James didn’t want to part with his shield yet, so he took the tentacle arm. It was a direct upgrade—he didn’t have to think about it.
Dark motes of light consumed the octopus. Before it finished consuming the beast, the ship rocked again. James started to panic as the golden portal had not appeared yet.
“System, where is the portal?” James asked. Fear crept up within him. “Was this giant octopus not the boss?”
[The portal to the next floor will appear on the bridge. This floor is unstable; only the bridge will still have air once this ship sinks.]
“Shit! What about us?” James began to run before his Chimera skill finished consuming the octopus. He didn’t forget to pick up his lightning axe that slid conveniently toward him.
[Survivors are encouraged to make a run for the portal immediately. The ship will fully sink in ten minutes.]
Seeing the blue box made by the system, the trio went ahead of him and ran toward the bridge. The massive cruise ship was sinking; the waves from the ocean splashed on the top deck as the abyss below continued to suck in the metal behemoth.
A crack was heard from the ship as one of the sealed compartments on the lower deck was breached by water pressure. The compartment door on the lower deck was breached, letting in more water. On the bright side, the ship had leveled out, but on the other hand, the water had risen, reaching even the topmost deck.
Thanks to the blue arrow in their vision, James and the team didn’t lose their way. However, they had to swim their way toward the door. After climbing a set of stairs indicated by the arrow, they found themselves in the control room. Through the glass panes, they could see the dark ocean beyond. A school of fish swam around, creating an enigmatic view. A golden glow from the portal lit the room.
“Well, here it is.” James sighed. “Well, it didn’t go exactly according to plan, but we made it. Want to sleep here first before going?”
“That was crazy! I totally feel like we are in a Hollywood movie!” Sanders jumped in excitement. “Boss! Please give me some small fry mobs! I want to be useful! Teach me!”
“Learn on your own. If you want to ask, ask the system first.” James plopped down as he examined his equipment. His armor was dented all over. It might be useless against weapon skills, but it had proven itself against normal attacks such as that octopus.
His body ached all over due to the lashing from that kraken. A nice nap before going to the next floor would be great, but the atmosphere here was unsettling. As the ship was sinking, he could feel the boat rocking back and forth, making him nauseous.
“What floor is the next one? I see. You can’t tell me, huh? Why?” Kaina muttered to herself. From her words, James assumed she was talking to the system. Thanks to his improved stats, he could feel the pain lessen somewhat. While not as good as the kraken, James’s stats improved his metabolism, making him heal faster than normal humans.
“Alright. Let’s go.” James stood up after dozing for several minutes. The group followed him soon after to the waiting room.
“Ugh… we still have three floors to go? This is endless.” Kaina complained.
“Well, this dungeon exploring is certainly hard. That’s why we need to work together to clear it.” Anderson nodded.
James ignored the peanut gallery as he stared at the loading screen. Soon, the loading screen filled up, and they were transported to a mountain range. A blue sun shone in the sky, casting an eternal orange glow across it.
James suddenly felt a chill on his spine as the cool wind blew over him. He quickly unloaded his cloak and wore it over his armor. He scanned the surroundings—there was nothing. Not even a single strand of grass lived in this barren wasteland.
James sighed as he saw the snowy mountaintop in the distance. Eternal storms gathered around it. That was all he needed to see before knowing his next destination. His gamer instinct told him the boss was in that place.
Without any further ado, he ventured into the new floor dungeon while carrying three new baggage behind him: Kaina, Sanders, and Anderson.
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 43
Coins: 380
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STR: 141 (↑3)
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DEX: 136 (↑2)
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MAGIC: 92 (↑3)
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MANA: 920 (↑20)
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Novice Axe Mastery Level 5 (Powerstrike, V-slash, Boomerang) (↑1)
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Beginner Sword Mastery Level 8 (Hurricane) (↑1)
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Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
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Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
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Mind Flay
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Sense Alteration
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Mana Sonar
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Attacker (Level 16) (10% bonus when attacking, STR & DEX +1 per level) (↑1)
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Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
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Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
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Orc’s Left Arm (STR +10%) (Arm Slot)
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Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
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Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
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Ratking's Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
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Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
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Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
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Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
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Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
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Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
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Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
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Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
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Kraken’s Arm Tentacle (Reach: 5 meters, Negative Trait: STR -10%) (Extra Slot 3)
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Rock Crab Shell (Physical Resistance +90%) (Extra Slot 4)
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Land Shark's Ear (Echolocation: 10 meters) (Ear Slot)
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Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
- Lightning War Axe
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Longsword
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Crossbow (x12)
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Waterspout Dagger
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Mask of Identity
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Leather Bag
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Sphere of Fethusiane
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Cloak of Dark Night
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Thompson Center Contender (x2)
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Frag Grenade (x1)
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Flashbang (x1)