Giant Rat.
As its name suggested, it was an enhanced version of the Big Rat. A monster the size of a robust young man, its speed was subtly faster than a Big Rat's. It also possessed a strength that the Big Rat lacked, and its casually swung claws could easily shatter something like a wooden shield.
‘Lee Tae-yeon used an unconventional method to defeat it.’
Her method was simple. She continuously hunted Big Rats on the 1st Floor, and with the money she gathered, she bought oil and firebombs. And then, she would set the entire room on fire and dash out.
The Boss monster cannot go outside. If you returned about an hour later, the Boss monster would be nicely roasted. If one had the time to spare, it was a rather logical method.
In the first place, the Giant Rat was not a monster that a 1st Floor Player could defeat with brute force, so Lee Tae-yeon's approach was close to the correct answer. But Taesan had no intention of doing that. Filling the room with oil.
To buy that much, he would have to stay here for two more days. The monetary loss would also be significant, and since it was defeating the boss with a trick, he would not receive the reward he rightfully should. Therefore, he would defeat it with force.
First, he checked the space. A room about the size of two athletic fields. There was plenty of room to run.
The distance to the Giant Rat was about 150 meters.
Thud.
First, he created distance. Taesan kicked off the ground. The Giant Rat shrieked and waddled after him.
“Kiiiieeeek!”
Taesan watched the Giant Rat as he ran. Even though it waddled, its speed was not slow. As an enhanced version of the Big Rat, its speed was also quite fast.
But there was no significant difference compared to Taesan. It would take a considerable amount of time for it to close the gap.
‘Good.’
Taesan spun around. He put the shield into his Inventory and took out the Staff of Flame. The tip of the staff glowed red.
[You have cast Fireball.]
Fwoosh.
Flames gathered at the tip of the staff. A ball of fire the size of a baseball shot towards the Giant Rat.
Boom!
[Dealt 14 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
“Kiiiieek!”
The Giant Rat let out a cry of pain. Fury filled its red eyes. But Taesan paid it no mind.
He had something else to check.
[Judging for Burn...]
[Judgment successful! The Giant Rat is now afflicted with the Burn status.]
“It worked.”
The status abnormality, Burn. The effect was simple. It deals 1 damage to the enemy every 10 seconds.
The duration of the effect was basically 10 minutes. In the early stages, 1 damage every 10 seconds was by no means small. He had been planning to inflict the Burn status even if it took two or three shots, but fortunately, it worked on the first try.
Thanks to that, he could save Mana.
“Well then.”
It wasn't over yet. Taesan put away the staff and took out his bow. He had already acquired the archery skill by fighting Big Rats before entering.
It was immediately integrated into Airak Martial Arts, but the skill itself hadn't disappeared, so there was no problem with shooting arrows. Taesan took out a Poison Arrow and nocked it on the bowstring. The string was drawn taut.
Watching the waddling Giant Rat charge toward him, he released his hand.
Ping.
“Kiiiieek!”
[Dealt 7 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
[Judging for Poison...]
[Judgment failed! The Giant Rat is unaffected.]
It didn't take. Without panicking, Taesan started to run away again. It was normal to try several times.
It was rare to succeed on the first attempt. Taesan took out an arrow as he ran. This time, it was a Paralysis Arrow.
Ping.
[Dealt 8 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
[The target is now Paralyzed. It cannot move until the next attack lands, or for 10 seconds.]
“Kik, kiik.”
The Giant Rat stopped as if it were a machine. Panic appeared in its red eyes. Taesan created a bit more distance and shot a Poison Arrow.
[Dealt 8 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
[Judging for Poison...]
[Judgment successful! The Giant Rat is now afflicted with the Poison status.]
The status abnormality, Poison. Just like Burn, it dealt 1 damage every 10 seconds for 10 minutes. The damage and duration would increase with Level and Skill, but with nothing right now, it was the basic duration.
“Kiiiieeeek!”
Having been afflicted with two status abnormalities in an instant, the Giant Rat let out a furious roar and charged. Without flinching, Taesan took out another arrow. It was a Paralysis Arrow.
[Dealt 7 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
[The target is now Paralyzed. It cannot move until the next attack lands, and for 10 seconds.]
There was a gap between the Giant Rat and Taesan, but it wasn't enough to make the paralysis status fail. Taesan put away his bow and took out his shield. Holding it with both hands, he charged at the immobilized Giant Rat.
Crash!
“Kiiiieek!”
[The Giant Rat is incapacitated. Damage is increased.]
[Dealt 13 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
The shield pushed the Giant Rat back. The paralysis wore off as soon as it took damage, but the Giant Rat staggered from the impact. Taesan didn't miss the opportunity.
He quickly increased the distance and took out his bow again.
Thwip.
“Kigik.”
The Giant Rat was afflicted with paralysis. He took out the shield again.
Thud!
He took out the bow again. He shot a Paralysis Arrow and struck with the shield. Then he shot another Paralysis Arrow.
He repeated the process. The Giant Rat could do nothing but be pushed around like a toy.
‘It really is good.’
Taesan thought as he drew the bowstring. Both Paralysis Arrows and Poison Arrows were expensive. At 30 Gold each, they were hard to come by on the 1st Floor.
He was having a relatively easy time thanks to finding them in a trap. But this too had its limits. Though expensive, they weren't unobtainable.
If one were to Grind on the 1st Floor for several days, buying only Paralysis and Poison Arrows, it would be possible to clear it. Naturally, the Labyrinth had prepared countermeasures. It was about time.
Taesan began to prepare.
“Kik, kiik…”
The Giant Rat staggered. Its head swayed. Its burnt hide stung.
Poison flowed through its body, making it feel hot all over. All of this was because of the human before it. The Giant Rat let out a sharp cry.
“Kiiiiiiieeeek!”
[The Giant Rat has become enraged. It has entered a Berserker state.]
“It’s started.”
The so-called Phase 2, the Berserker mode. Its effects were immunity to incapacitation and an increase in speed. Paralysis Arrows would no longer work.
He couldn't shoot his bow while running away anymore. But Taesan's expression didn't change. He had defeated the Giant Rat before.
He already knew this would happen. His Paralysis Arrows were running out anyway, and they had served their purpose well enough. The Berserker mode activated when Health dropped below 20%.
From now on, it was a head-on fight. Taesan raised his Tower Shield.
“Kiiiieeeek!”
With a cry, its hideous claws came crashing down. With a loud clang, the shield was pushed back. Taesan grimaced at the force he felt through it.
[You have taken 8 Damage.]
‘As I thought, it’s too much with my current strength.’
His Strength Stat was merely 11. Even blocking with the shield, he took damage. The correct answer was to chip away at it based on his high Agility Stat, not to engage in a battle of strength. Once again, the claws came for him.
Taesan raised his shield. The moment the claws made contact with the shield, he angled it. The claws scraped against the shield with a sharp sound and hit the ground.
[You have taken 4 Damage.]
As its claws got stuck in the ground, the Giant Rat's body was left defenseless. Taesan shoved it with his shield.
Clang!
“Kiik!”
[Dealt 6 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
The Giant Rat staggered and swung its claws. He blocked with the shield and deflected it.
[You have taken 5 Damage.]
The turns were exchanged. This time, Taesan struck with his shield.
Claaang!
[Dealt 7 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
[Proficiency for Combat Sustenance has increased by 1%.]
His breathing grew ragged. His muscles began to tire. He was overwhelmingly pushing it back, but the situation wasn't good.
The fight had already been going on for nearly thirty minutes. Though it had been a one-sided domination, he had been moving non-stop, and his body was thoroughly exhausted. Without Combat Sustenance, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
He had to end it quickly. Taesan dove into the Giant Rat’s range.
[You have activated No Breath Attack. For the next 10 seconds, you are free from the need to breathe.]
The restriction of his ragged breath disappeared. His body, which had been demanding oxygen, was also liberated. No Breath Attack was similar to a sort of complete recovery.
Crash!
[Dealt 8 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
“Kiik!”
The Giant Rat didn't just take it. It steadied its staggering body and lunged with its claws and teeth. He blocked with the shield, but there was a limit when attacking at the same time.
[You have taken 24 Damage.]
24 Damage.
He could withstand five more attacks. Including Fortitude and Deflection, about eight times. He calculated the Giant Rat's remaining health.
It was enough. Taesan gave up on defending. Numerous damage windows appeared over the Giant Rat.
“Kiiiieek!”
The Giant Rat also attacked in kind.
[You have taken 25 Damage.]
[You have taken 23 Damage.]
[You have taken 22 Damage.]
They traded blows, each taking the other's attack. The Giant Rat brought its claws down.
[You have activated Deflection. The next attack will be deflected.]
The claws suddenly changed trajectory. A skill that guaranteed a miss.
Deflection.
The Giant Rat panicked at the movement that went against its will. Taesan pressed on with his shield.
“Kik, kiik!”
The Giant Rat swung its claws. But they didn't connect. This time, Taesan ducked under to dodge and struck the Giant Rat's neck with the edge of his shield.
[You have succeeded in a counterattack. The opponent takes massive damage. You have acquired the Special Active Skill [Counter].]
[Dealt 20 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
“Ki, kiiiieeeek.”
The Giant Rat staggered. It fell into a near-death state, and the Berserker mode wore off. Taesan delivered the finishing blow.
[Dealt 8 Damage to the Giant Rat.]
“Kiiiieeeek…”
The Giant Rat collapsed. Its massive body crashed to the floor with a thud. Soon, its breathing stopped.
“Hoo.”
It wasn't that difficult. His Stats weren't low. He would have had a chance of winning even in a direct confrontation, and since he had chipped away at it with Paralysis Arrows, he was able to defeat it more easily than expected.
He was victorious. A long, long System Window appeared.
[You are victorious against the Giant Rat.]
[You have received a large amount of Experience.]
[10 Health has been restored.]
[You have acquired 153 Gold.]
[You have acquired Giant Rat Hide.]
[You have acquired Giant Rat's Meat.]
[You have acquired Giant Rat's Claw.]
[You have single-handedly defeated a difficult foe. Agility permanently increases by 2. Mana permanently increases by 3.] [Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. Strength permanently increases by 2. Agility permanently increases by 3.] [You have Leveled Up.]
[You are now in Optimal Condition.]
[As a reward for Leveling Up, Health has increased by 15.] [As a reward for Leveling Up, Agility permanently increases by 3. Strength permanently increases by 1.] [You have defeated the 1st Floor's Boss. You have obtained the basic reward [Random Stat Increase Potion].]
[You have uncovered a hidden element of the 1st Floor. You have obtained the reward [???].]