Chapter 280
"You have defeated 1 Mithril Golem. You have acquired 1,600,000,000 (billion) in Experience."
"Holy shit! That was a blow!"
A-rank Stone's awakening skill, [Convergent Bombardment], struck directly, smashing the Mithril Golem's body violently, and was able to defeat it.
''Yeah, that's right. Maybe the Mithril Golem's stats were focused on [Agility] and [Attack]."
I analyzed why we were able to defeat the Mithril Golem in just one shot.
The A-rank Stone's special skill [Absorption] absorbed damage taken by long-range attacks.
There was a limit to how much it could absorb, and if it absorbed more than the limit, the A-rank Stone would start cracking and eventually shatter.
No [Recovery Magic] or items could heal the A-rank Stone in that state. Not even [Blessing of Heaven].
The only way A-rank Stone could heal was through its special skill [Revive], it's other special skill.
Once [Revive] was activated, the absorption limit was reset and the cracks in the A-rank Stone disappeared.
And [Absorption] continued.
The probability of [Revive] triggering was 10%, and it activated automatically, but when it did, the power of the [Convergent Bombardment] was doubled as it could accumulate twice the damage it would have normally accumulated.
The awakening skill [Convergence Bombardment] was an attack that had two characteristics: a physical attack and a magical attack.
The metallic spheres of Hihirokane acted as physical attack, and the magic power gathered to absorb it acted as the magic attack.
It was immensely effective against enemies that were weak against physical attacks or weak against magic attacks.
The fact that there are few enemies with strong resistance to both physical and magic resulted in the awakening skill, [Convergent Bombardment].
(Maybe the Golem was weak to physical attacks. So, it was running away all the time.)
If the Mithril Golem was confident in its [Endurance], I didn't think it would have needed to run around like that.
I believed that one's actions revealed the advantages and disadvantages of one's status.
(Even so, [Absorption] and [Convergent Bombardment] are perfect for future battles.)
My Stone summons had been excellent so far.
But the A-rank Stone had the special skills and awakening skill that perfectly matched what I was looking for.
[Absorption] protected who I wanted to protect from long-range attacks that could cover a wide area like a rainstorm.
[Convergent Bombardment] was a single attack.
I was able to fight against a large army without any problem, but I had problems with single-target attacks.
I was thinking about Demon Generals.
The one drawback was that A-rank Stone couldn't completely absorb an S-rank or higher rank enemy's attack.
A-rank Stone was able to absorb 70% of the long range attacks of the Mithril Golem.
The remaining 30% of the attacks had been blocked by Merle's Tam-Tam and Sophie's Spirit.
"Oh? We did it. It's a Silver Chest!"
Kiel exclaimed in delight.
A Silver Chest had fallen at the location where the Mithril Golem was.
Kiel opened the Treasure Chest.
There was a Ring inside it.
(What? Another Ring.)
When I equipped it to check, my [Attack] increased by 5000.
After coming to the 5th Floor, one new thing that I had learnt was that the Rings that increased a status by 3000 were not of highest rarity.
A higher rarity Ring could come out of a Silver Chest on the 5th Floor.
The chance of a Silver Chest dropping was 10%, just like it was in the Academy City's dungeons.
We hadn't gotten a Gold Chest yet.
My friends and I had defeated 100 Iron Golems a day for some time.
We had found a lot of Rings that increased status by 5000.
We had about 20 Rings each that increased one status.
Then a cube appeared at the back of the hall, with a Wooden Chest.
The Wooden Chest contained a Mithril Medal.
"We're here at last."
Cecile muttered as I took out the Mithril Medal from the Chest and had finally obtained all the pieces and were qualified to fight the Dungeon Boss.
"Yes, I suppose so. Let's get out of this hall for now."
With that, I spoke to the cube and returned to where we were before we had been sent to the Mithril Room.
"What are we going to do now?"
"We won't find it. But let's do some scouting."
I answered Kurena's question.
I replied that we wouldn't challenge the Dungeon Boss, but would scout it.
I put the Mithril Medal that fitted into the depression in the center of the pedestal in front of me.
The depression was quite deep.
"Oh!"
When we fit all three medals on the pedestal, the lights of all four magical tools in the hall begin to glow strongly.
(Does this indicate that the conditions have been fulfilled?)
My friends and I went straight to the cube that would teleport us to the Dungeon Boss.
"I don't think it'll be a problem, but stay alert."
I was not planning to challenge the Dungeon Boss.
I just wanted to talk to the cube to check the situation and gather any information I could.
The cube had always provided some information no matter how little or more since I've been at the Academy.
"Yes."
Dogora held his axe and shield powerfully in both hands.
I spoke to the cube.
"Excuse me."
"Yes. I am the Dungeon Boss Transition System, S505. You only have 1 Medal in each pedestal, do you want to challenge the Dungeon Boss with only one party?''
(Huh?)
""!""
"What do you mean, only one party? How many parties can challenge the Dungeon Boss?"
Cecile, who was supposed to just listen to the exchange between the cube and me, couldn't help but shout.
Everyone else felt the same way.
The cube had implicitly worded that it wasn't just one party that could challenge the Dungeon Boss.
"Up to 4 parties, or a total of 50 people can challenge the Dungeon Boss at the same time."
The cube answered Cecile's startled and rambling question.
"Does that mean that we need to fit four of each Medal on the pedestal for 4 parties to challenge the Dungeon Boss at the same time?"
"Yes."
(Is that why the depression in the pedestal was so deep?)
"Let me ask you something else."
"Go ahead."
"Does the strength of the Dungeon Boss change in relation to the number of parties challenging it?"
"No change."
"Will the rewards for defeating the Dungeon Bosses change?"
"No change. Defeating the Dungeon Boss will give you 4 rewards matter how many parties challenge it. However, this dungeon has not yet been conquered. Therefore, in addition to the 3 rewards for defeating the Boss, the fourth one will be a special reward. The special reward will be negotiated with the Dungeon Master Digragni."
"Can we decide who gets the first reward here?"
"Of course. We are not concerned about the rewards here, so you can decide as you like. However, it is necessary to set up a Leader to go to the Dungeon Boss room. This is necessary because of the transition, so please decide on it beforehand."
(We can decide who will get the special reward beforehand. And then there's the Leader setting to prevent people from transitioning in and out as they please, probably.)
"Let me think about it."
I knew how to challenge the Dungeon Boss.
I also found out about the mechanics of the rewards.
If you go with 4 parties, you share 1 reward each.
If you challenge the Dungeon Boss with one party, you can collect all four rewards for defeating the Boss, including the special reward for the first time.
"Of course. Take your time. We will follow you."
Kiel replied that he would follow the party leader's idea.
I silently turned away from the cube and started thinking.
"I still think this is the best way. Sophie."
"What is it?"
"Actually, I need a favor."
"Okay."
"No, I haven't said anything yet."
"No, I will do everything Master Allen asks of me. It's something I can and should do as the Princess of Rosenheim."
Sophie agreed to do me the favor without knowing what it was.
I looked at Sophie, who was staring at me with a serious look on her face with no sign of any joking around.
"Oh, yeah. Well, then, please do me a favor."
"You saved Rosenheim, Master Allen and Rosenheim will return that favor. Please tell me anything."
Sophie knew that I had asked her for a favor because it was something that only she could fulfill because of her status as the Princess of Rosenheim.
Allen, who could do anything, had asked her for a favor.
Sophie felt that it was enough to make even the country that gave birth to her proud.
"Well, here's what I'd like you to do."
After saying that, Allen asked Sophie for a favor in order to conquer the Dungeon Boss.