With the duo of Jared and Hayes launching an attack on Gapagis, the battle began to unfold in the passage as well. The demons, sensing the intruders, started to gather one by one toward Gapagis's chamber. The five team members who were stationed there had a solemn duty: they must hold off the demons. If these creatures managed to breach the defensive line, they would trigger the alarm, waking Gapagis from its slumber.
Before the battle commenced, all team members were tense. They understood the magic stones embedded in the ground would continuously renew their buffs, but they could not guarantee how effective those would actually be. However, as the conflict broke out, and they traded blows, the data started to accumulate, revealing that "there is no break, even for a single second; buffs keep coming! I feel so secure! Plus, the small injuries can be healed by the healing magic circle, which has relieved much of the burden!"
Rena was in awe. No, it wasn’t just Rena; all the team members present expressed their amazement both internally and externally. Strength enhancement, agility enhancement, continuous stamina, and wound recovery. Standing on the magic stone felt like their combat power had more than doubled. The oncoming demons were no longer terrifying. Moreover, every now and then, from the throne, Jared would cast spells to bolster their firepower.
Hayes would occasionally need to rest for mana recovery, and during those times, Jared needed to rest as well. Simply standing idle wouldn’t help, so he continued to support them with ranged magic. Given that they faced the most powerful demon from the fifth underground floor, each demon they brought down felt like a moment of tremendous growth both mentally and physically. Thus, they fought with gritted teeth, especially for the sake of Jared and Hayes, who were walking a fine line in tackling Gapagis! They had to stand firm.
"My lord, this is no ordinary challenge," Hayes remarked.
"Honestly, exchanging blows feels more straightforward, doesn't it?" Jared replied.
"Yes. I wish I could fight like that… but you said Gapagis is not a monster to take lightly, right?"
I nodded at Hayes's words. "To confront Gapagis head-on with our current numbers would be insufficient. We need at least thirty hunters, all of whom must be B-grade or higher. And that’s the minimum. In fact, one might expect half of them to fall in battle."
Once Gapagis awakened, it would summon every creature in the shelter. What does that mean? All the demons from the first underground floor would charge into the room. On top of that, the barrier surrounding Plere’s chamber would be lifted. The insane warlock with the mace would come rushing to protect its master. There would be no hunters surviving such a calamity, other than perhaps a great mage like Berhard.
"If we plan to tackle this straight on, it’ll take us at least five years," I calculated coldly, conceding to that harsh truth.
"That can't work. We need to finish this now. Only then can we reap the honeyed rewards from this initial challenge."
I brushed off my hands and prepared to continue my attempt to conquer Gapagis. The trick was simple. There were two main conditions that would wake Gapagis from its deep slumber: First, the alarm line must be triggered, summoning Gapagis awake; second, damage exceeding three health points must hit it at once.
We were being careful with the first condition; the second, however, was troublesome. To kill Gapagis, it was necessary to inflict damage. The caveat was that my magical attacks could reduce its health by five or more. Even using the most basic of spells, the Magic Missile, would wake Gapagis up.
But with Hayes’s advanced healing spell, the situation changes. The advanced healing spell restores 2.5 health points per second. There are slight variances, but it never goes lower than 2.2. Thus, when I unleash my magical attacks alongside Hayes’s advanced healing, I could balance the total damage below the threshold that would awaken Gapagis.
I aimed for that very point. What I planned was the so-called "Deal & Heal" trick—adjusting the total damage so that it never met the conditions for awakening Gapagis while slowly draining its life away. And the target spot, if penetrated just slightly, would connect to the brain, the center of human life. There’s a skull in the way, but using Acid Point, one of the two-class spells, I could easily dissolve the bone.
Of course, this needed to be synchronized with Hayes’s healing spells, requiring an immense amount of patience. If I rushed it out of anxiety, Gapagis would surely awaken.
"Lord, um… am I doing alright?" Hayes asked.
"Yes, you are doing excellently. You have a fantastic rhythm going. Keep it up just like this."
"I can’t believe it! That by slowly siphoning the life out of such a colossal monster that countless hunters struggled against, we’re actually making progress—it’s absolutely fascinating!"
"That’s the beauty of being clever! Just trust me. We will surely catch this creature and reap tremendous benefits."
"Yes, my lord!"
I wiped the sweat beading on Hayes’s forehead with a handkerchief. She was working harder than I was.
A long time passed. On the throne, the two of them diligently drilled a hole into the head of the boss monster, while continuous back-and-forth battles unfolded in the passage. Thanks to the consistently renewing buffs and the stamina and mana potions they had brought, they were well-prepared for a prolonged battle.
Every now and then, as the appearances of demons dwindled, the team would look toward Jared and Hayes on the throne. Among them, the one most filled with wonder was Lakis. Having served in the military, he gathered various pieces of information, including tales of hunters tackling dungeons. Yet, he had never heard of anyone managing to take down a formidable boss monster in such a manner. It exceeded all imagination.
When Jared first announced he would tackle Gapagis, Lakis's expression turned ashen. He figured that if the seasoned hunters had difficulty, Gapagis might be a world of trouble. However, that turned out to be a miscalculation.
Despite spending a long time “working” above it, Gapagis remained peacefully asleep. Meanwhile, the other five team members were buffed right there, defeating swaths of demons. It certainly felt they had experienced significant physical and mental growth several times over.
"The lord is truly remarkable; he sees through everything," Lakis thought, filled with admiration. Jared had never once miscalculated regarding domain operations, dungeon challenges, or war preparations. If one were to unfold a mat and predict the future, it would not be far from the truths he already knew. This conquest was no different. From paths used as shortcuts to the systematic approach of quietly whittling the enemy down… he had conceived an overwhelming number of ingenious solutions.
"My lord, just how far can your boundaries stretch?" Lakis gazed at Jared on the throne with a look of awe. For Lakis, Jared seemed like a god, a divine figure who had descended in human form.
Five hours later.
Gapagis, lost in a deep sleep and dreaming sweetly, was suddenly jolted awake by the red flash that filled its dream world. What once were peaceful and quiet scenes were instantly marred by a nightmare of red light and blood.
"RRROOOOAAAAHHHH!" Gapagis awakened. From the moment it witnessed the flash, an unbearable agony struck its head. In that fleeting moment, Gapagis thought. What on earth was happening!?
It had set alarms via soul connection to Plere, and of course, there were alarm lines in place before the throne. But why was someone attacking from above? Such a thing should be impossible.
Yes, this must be a dream—a dream within a dream. It must be one of those dreadful nightmares. Gapagis blamed this irrational pain on its dream. But what it did not realize was that it was now in an hour of golden opportunity to secure its life.
Moments later, a heavy sensation swirling in its head accompanied the shock.
"…!"
Suddenly, everything turned black. No, it became completely invisible.
‘What nonsense is this?’
Gapagis realized that something hot was melting its brain. Not its hair, not elsewhere, but inside its head! Its brain was melting!
This was completely absurd. It had prepared numerous alarm systems and prayed for a deep rest, assured of physical recovery. Yet, an unknown intruder had turned its plans upside down.
"Let’s end this, now!"
In the next moment, Gapagis couldn’t see, but it felt. The human mage was wickedly using a level five spell, Wind Cutter, deep within its brain.
Screeek! Crackle!
Horribly, the sound of its brain being incessantly cleaved echoed on the left and right sides.
"Ugh…"
Gapagis rolled its eyes back, its head slumping down. It was the end. An unprecedented tale of swift demise for a boss monster in the history of dungeons in the Nas continent!
Gapagis was dead. Watching the unfolding scene of its awakening and ultimate death, Hayes and I could no longer contain ourselves; laughter erupted between us. This was a far cry from a dignified end for the ‘king’ who had been resting grandly on the throne.
The lifeless body of Gapagis quickly began to disperse into ash, and soon a beam of light descended upon all the team members. It was a permanent buff known as Gapagis's Will. When it also took effect on me, I checked the options and found the added benefit of a 25% experience gain.
The more you collected, the more beneficial it was, making it a highly useful buff.
"Finally…"
Yet, my mind was entirely consumed by a much more important prize. It was none other than:
[Special Will – Exceeding Amplification]
"This implant will fuse the will of Gapagis into one hand of the target. This will enhances a capability classified as B grade or higher from the subject's unique abilities. The target is of the mage class. Therefore, from the moment the will is implanted, the 'Transcendence Magic' can be used through Exceeding Amplification."
Transcendence magic! The enhanced magical attack option known as exceeding magic was finally in my grasp!