I watch the Boss Room portal turn a darker shade of grey after the eerie energy pulses out from it. I can’t feel it, but my All-Seeing Eye picks up a reading of a nearly invisible mana shoot out in all directions.
More importantly, there are two Mutant Golems guarding the boss room portal with dual cores.
The landscape below is less dry and flat than up here. Small green and yellow shrubs grow out from the bases of high orange rock structures scattered along the desert floor. A bright blue sky shines bright behind them in all directions.
Arie’s last shot just confirmed that if both cores in the mutants aren’t broken, these monsters can regenerate back up to their full unaltered forms using just one.
That’s my best guess.
I look over to my teammates, then ignite my sword into flames. The rest of them all activate their active battle skills and we all jump from the high ledge down into action.
Both of the vicious-looking monsters watch us fall, and they let out roars that vibrate through the air.
Abby activates her earth magic for Maria and Arie to use as stepping stones while I free-fall with my eyes locked on the two now-approaching Golems.
Less than 5 meters from the ground, I decide to activate some of my un-tested combat magic.
If necessary, I can use my wind magic to slow my descent, but I know it won’t be a problem. Although I haven’t used these skills much yet, I can feel what they’re capable of.
Activating my Earth magic, along with Mana Manipulation I easily liquefy the ground below me.
In my perception, with my All-Seeing Eye skill active, the ground below me looks like a bright white and pink glowing malleable form of pure mana to shape into whatever my heart desires.
To anyone looking from the outside, the orange rock below me rises up in the shape of two thin pillars to touch the soles of my boots. The mana-imbued stone collides with my feet and instantly begins to climb up my legs as I fall to the floor.
Instead of a loud thud and the cracking of stone, my impact is silent.
The energy from the fall disperses across the stone floor and it ripples as the orange rock melts off my legs back into the ground below.
I deactivate my two combat skills, stomping on the ground with my right foot to make sure it’s really solid. The dust and sand that flies up confirm my answer.
I turn toward the two mutants to see they’ve already shortened the distance between us considerably.
I use Appraisal on the closest one.
_____________________
Active Items:
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core] +91% Mental Strength
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core] +91% Mental Strength
Active Skills:
Combat Magic [Earth Summoning]
______________________
Above, Arie jumps in to join as I run at the monster charging in.
Both of its cores glow brightly.
The layer of shielding over its head and chest thickens as it makes the ground shake with every step.
The glowing orange eyes match its core. Fragments of rock float in the air around it shifting and reforming into its arms and legs as it gains more and more speed.
I charge my sword and let out a 500MP attack aimed at its chest. Arie charges this bow up for a few seconds, then lets a white arrow fly, shooting at the monster’s forehead.
The moment we release our shots, the mana shielding around the beast’s weak points gets denser. The orange energy all throughout its body retracts to protect its power sources.
The massive body of stone shrinks. Its arms and legs get shorter and chunks of rock fall away as it focuses its energy elsewhere.
Both attacks make contact with its newly improved shielding. Mine glides through, being much too dense and thin to be bothered by the increased power of its defense.
Arie’s arrow collides just like before letting off a bright white light and throwing stone chunks off in all directions before destroying the core.
The golem’s lifeless body crumbles to the floor and shatters into hundreds of smaller prices by our feet. Two black shattered orbs roll to the ground as well.
Behind the monster we just defeated, Abby and Maria take on the second Mutant. I’m curious to see how their attacks will hold up against this slightly stronger shielding.
They run in glowing bright, but don’t go in straight for the offensive at first.
Maria runs around the slow-moving golem’s feet, summoning thick layers of cold magic to hold it in place. Large blue walls of ice grow larger and larger as the orange glow coming off the monster’s head gets increasingly brighter.
While holding the golem in place, she charges an attack up in her sword, glowing darker blue and preparing for the best moment to strike.
Abby runs in, jumping from summoned stone to stone, gracefully making her way through the air toward the beast. She activates her Earth magic. I watch the face of the Mutant Totem begin to bend and shift.
The shoulders and neck of the beast start to liquefy as Abby temporarily takes control of the monster made of stone.
The dark orange creature made from stone strains its body to move, focusing its energy on the affected areas of Abby’s Magic. It’s struggling to gain back control while the green-haired hunter exposes its weak points.
Maria takes her opportunity to let out a dark blue crescent of ice-imbued mana straight at both of the glowing cores.
Both of them jump backward to avoid the white and blue flash of light that follows. I cover my face with my left arm to shield myself from the incoming debris.
Fragments of stone and shattered cores rain from the sky, while Abby and Maria walk out from the settling dust without a single scratch on them.
The Ice Wielder speaks up while powering down her sword.
“Those Mutants were pretty strong, I almost had to use my full power!”
Abby twirls her Daggers and agrees.
“Yeah, I can tell they didn’t have Advanced Earth Magic from the start. Even so, their mana control compensates for it.”
I raise an eyebrow and the green-haired healer continues.
“A higher level of mana control can overpower any skill if it’s strong enough, even if it’s an upgraded version of it.”
I nod slowly, as this makes sense, but I never really gave it much thought…
Abby turns to the portal, then it pulses again…. Another wave of mana comes out and runs through all of our bodies.
It doesn’t feel like anything, just like last time. It can’t be perceived with any normal senses. The portal behind the approaching girls gets slightly darker.
The 4 of us regroup and try to collect the fallen fragments of cores left behind by the two mutants. Unfortunately, they dissolve into the rocky dungeon floor.
“Still… no drops…”
I turn to the twisting grey boss room portal in the middle of the rocky desert, then back to my team.
“Ready to clear our first dungeon break?”
With a resounding yes from all of my teammates, we waste no more time and jump through.
The 4 of us activate our active combat skills and charge our weapons, ready to fight.
Once transported through the boss room portal, anything can happen.
We’ll be facing a Mutant Boss.
Once through, a dry heat wave hits me and I activate my Enemy Detection, Inspect, and Appraisal skills while squinting to try and take in the view.
The sky is bright white and the ground beneath my feet feels like it hasn’t felt rain in years.
My eyes adjust to the light, and I see the readings my skills have picked up in my mind’s eye.
_____________________
[100m]
[Lv. 443]
_____________________
Active Items:
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core] +105% Mental Strength
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core] +105% Mental Strength
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core] +105% Mental Strength
[Enchanted Sand Golem’s Core][Bonded] +120% Mental Strength
Active Skills:
Combat Magic [Earth Summoning]
______________________
“It has, four cores….”