𝑜𝒱𝓵xt.𝒞𝑶𝓜
Ding!
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[Eir, Great Goblin Pyromancer (Uncommon Elite)] (Level 15 | Mini-Boss)
HP: 450/450
MP: 650/650
Stats: 36 VIT, 23 STR, 23 AGI, 23 DEX, 53 INT, 39 WIS, 23 PER, 23 LUK
Remarks: I mean… the title already says it all.
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Once he was done admonishing himself for forgetting that tidbit of dungeon knowledge, he then refocused his attention on the status screen before him, finding it slightly refreshing that the mini-boss he was about to fight specialized in magic. Aside from that, he also noticed that the mini-boss had a proper name and title, unlike the goblins he faced earlier.
For a monster to have a name, that meant that their level of cognition was on par with a human, which meant they had the ability to converse with humans and other beings of higher intelligence. Generally, monsters with high INT and WIS were more likely to have a name, which was the case for the mini-boss in this room.
As for titles, these operated similarly to how players and NPCs gained titles, requiring one to achieve a feat that was significantly difficult for others to do. In the case of Eir, who had the title of Great Goblin Pyromancer, Valyr speculated that the goblin’s feat had something to do with the fine control over flames.
Once he was finished checking Eir’s stats, he then used [Analysis] on one of the four smaller goblins, swiftly finding out that they were inferior versions of the large goblin in the middle. Aside from the fact that they were one tier lower than Eir and were all Level 11, the distribution of their stats were more or less the same, being focused on VIT, INT, and WIS.
With this knowledge in mind, Valyr went ahead and took a few steps forward, catching the attention of Eir and the four smaller goblins as they all looked at him. However, rather than charge at him with all their might, small magic circles giving off faint red light appeared before the four smaller goblins as Eir opened his mouth. “Human, what is your reason for being here?”
“To reach the end of the dungeon.” Seeing that Eir decided to initiate a conversation, Valyr went ahead and responded in kind, replying in a somewhat calm tone.
“Ah, yes. The end of the dungeon, where the ancestor resides.” Surprisingly, instead of being outright hostile towards Valyr after hearing of his reason, Eir instead had a longing expression on his face, seemingly reminiscing over memories of his youthful past. “He has taught me many great things, introducing me to the world of magic and flames, allowing me to become who I am today.”
“Although I understand that you want to meet the ancestor, he has given me the mission of making sure that no outsider reaches where he resides.” Saying these words, a magic circle at least three times larger than the ones the four smaller goblins created appeared before him, a crimson light emanating off it as faint battle intent radiated from his body.
“Though, if you are to defeat me here, then who am I to stop you from meeting with him?” Eir said soon after.
Hearing those words, Valyr grinned from inside his helmet as he got into a battle ready stance. Gripping tightly onto the True Tideblood Spear, he responded to Eir’s words before dashing towards the latter. “If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to defeat you.”
“In my eyes, you’ve made a foolish choice. But since that’s the choice you’ve made, witness its consequences.” Seeing as Valyr was heading towards him, Eir went ahead and completed the magic circle before him, sending out a large crimson fireball towards the former as four smaller fireballs accompanied it.
“[Crimson Blaze]!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seeing the fireballs come at him, Valyr responded to all of them by executing a series of evasive maneuvers, making use of his greater AGI and DEX to make sure he wasn’t hit by any of them. Just as he had dodged all of the fireballs sent at him, another wave was already in the midst of arriving to where he was, prompting him to activate one of his skills in a bid to turn the tides in his favor.
“[Elusive Dash]!”
As if all of the bones in his body didn’t exist, Valyr deftly bypassed through all of the fireballs shot at him by contorting his body in various ways as he appeared a few meters forward, shortening the gap between him and the five goblins. Noticing that the next wave of fireballs were still in the middle of being formed, Valyr used the entirety of his AGI and went all out, his targets being the four smaller goblins accompanying Eir.
“[Strong Pierce]!”
“[Descending Fang]!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Channeling all of his strength into the spear, Valyr pierced through one of the goblins’ heads, causing it to burst as he used the momentum left over from the attack to swing his spear in an arc. With the spear tip landing directly on top of the second target’s head, the difficulty of avoiding the fireballs had been reduced by 50%, with Valyr avoiding the three fireballs shot at him with a simple duck.
Then, with great haste, he attacked the two remaining smaller goblins with another combo, leaving Eir the last remaining goblin in the room as the latter shot a [Crimson Blaze] at him.
Whoosh!
Finally noticing that all of the fireballs shot thus far had a straight trajectory, Valyr stepped to the side, avoiding the fireball altogether before closing the gap with an [Elusive Dash]. After that, he sent a [Strong Pierce] directly to Eir’s chest, causing the latter’s eyes to widen in shock as he looked at Valyr, his gaze seemingly filled with regret.
Nevertheless, the vitality in Eir’s body gradually disappeared into nothingness as his body turned limp, prompting Valyr to retract his spear. Recalling the goblin’s earlier words at him, Valyr could not help but scratch his head. “So much for all that talk about making sure no one reaches the end of the dungeon.”
Lightly shaking his head, he then went ahead and searched through the five corpses to see whether any of them had a Dungeon Key Fragment. After becoming unsuccessful in finding one, Valyr speculated that the Dungeon Key Fragments might only be found in rooms where only normal monsters resided.
With that in mind, he made his way to the door that led to the fourth room, hoping that the next dungeon room had goblins that could cast magic to add a bit of variety to his subsequent fights. Though, just as he was about to start moving, he felt a searing heat swiftly approaching his way, prompting him to turn around before ducking, his eyes wide with incredulity as he wondered where the fireball came from.
Looking at the direction where the fireball originated, Valyr’s eyes widened even greater as he saw Eir standing where he originally was unscathed, with three of the smaller goblins already in the process of casting fireballs that would accompany Eir’s. Just as he wondered where the fourth smaller goblin was, he noticed that its corpse laid there on the floor, with the injuries Valyr inflicted on it still there.
With that, it did not take long for Valyr to recall a certain mechanic some dungeon bosses had, dodging the four crimson fireballs sent towards him with an [Elusive Dash] before letting out a light sigh.
“So you’re telling me I have to kill you three more times, huh?” Valyr asked Eir, to which the goblin responded with a light smirk and a crimson fireball.
“As long as I stand, you shall not have your way.” While Valyr dodged the fireballs shot at him once more, Eir opened his mouth to respond.
Hearing Eir’s words, Valyr could not help but lightly shake his head as he let out yet another sigh.
“Ah yes. The boss with multiple lives mechanic. Some may find it a challenge. Others may find it amusing.”
“I… find it a nuisance.”