The Class A Dungeon “Underwater Crystal Cave” Boss, Mother Sphere Splinter – its strength is mid-B rank.
It’s a bit much for Kiraboshi right now, but even so, she’s heard the teacher explain the tricks to fighting monsters countless times.
Monsters are like programs in a game.
Their actions follow patterns, and if you can figure them out, you can win even against stronger opponents.
Equipping her brand-new Brass Knuckles, Kiraboshi creeps towards the floating boss.
The first thing to deal with is the enemy’s attack bomb, the “Attack Sphere.”
One step, two steps… as she slowly approaches, the boss reacts.
The small star bombs floating around it draw an arc and come hurtling towards her.
Without even looking, Kiraboshi “Detects” them and smoothly dodges to the left.
Everything in the dungeon, without exception, possesses Magical Power.
If you properly read and use “Detection,” you can even predict trajectories without seeing the enemy.
Kiraboshi approaches the boss, wary of the Attack Spheres curving behind her, using “Detection.”
Naturally, the boss also controls its defensive bomb, the “Guard Sphere,” deploying it as a wall.
She plants her feet firmly just before impact, braking hard.
Forcibly shifting her weight, she jumps to the side, feinting at the gathered Guard Spheres, and goes for the inside.
Just like Goto from the Labyrinth Agency did earlier, she puts power into her fist and aims with all her might at the boss’s torso,
“Seiya—!”
She swings, and a dull sound, “Goin,” echoes—
“Ouch… it’s, it’s hard!”
She can’t help but shake her wrist and cry out.
Hard!
It doesn’t work at all! It’s like punching concrete!
Goto cracked the outer shell with one blow, but Kiraboshi can’t even damage the Splinter.
What should I do? The teacher said I could win, but if my attacks don’t work, there’s no point.
Stroking the back of her hand, Kiraboshi glances at Kageichi.
The teacher’s favorite weapons are mines and bows.
But mines probably won’t work well against this enemy, and bows might not penetrate the hard outer shell… that question is,
Bwuuuuuuuu—Grind, grind, grind, grind—
Instantly resolved by the large hammer drill, grinding and making a distorted noise, held in Kageichi’s hand as he straddles the boss.
H-He’s using a drill!?
“~♪”
Humming a tune, Kageichi drills holes in the Sphere’s outer shell like he’s doing DIY.
The Mother Sphere is trembling with terror, and the surrounding Attack Spheres rush at Kageichi in a panic.
Naturally, they hit Kageichi, who was drilling.
A blast and smoke rise, and she widens her eyes, wondering if he’s okay… but
“…~♪”
Kageichi continues working, unharmed.
Covering his entire body is not his usual suit… but
The silver-white armor that the man who unfortunately exploded earlier was wearing.
The explosion-resistant armor, White Armor… he’s shamelessly scavenging…!
A man in upper-body armor and lower-body slacks, humming and turning a drill with a “hmmm” sound, is an odd sight to behold.
But it’s terrifying how efficient he is.
“Before death, they’re the enemy’s target; after death, they’re my armor. A two-bird-one-stone, two-for-the-price-of-one deal. A Hunter makes effective use of valuable resources, down to the bones.”
My master is scary, too scary… I definitely won’t imitate that…
While Kiraboshi is sweating bullets, the drilling work seems to be finished, and Kageichi throws pebbles into the opened hole and escapes.
Immediately after, Dooooon!
The Mother Sphere Splinter explodes from the inside, emitting blue smoke as it disappears.
“Even if it uses explosion Skills, it can’t withstand being blown up from the inside. Cleaning complete.”
“That was fast…”
“How are things on your end, Kiraboshi-san?”
“Well… here I go!”
Snapping back to reality, Kiraboshi ducks to avoid an Attack Sphere coming from behind.
She stands up and runs in a zigzag pattern, tricking the enemy while adding a feint, and lands a second blow, but all that comes back is the pain of hitting rock directly.
This is no good, let’s reset my thinking.
My available weapons—the chainsaw seems ineffective, and the Brass Knuckles lack power.
The items I have stored in my Inventory have attack power buffs, but…
Wait, am I stuck…?
No. Kageichi said, “You can defeat it as you are now.”
The teacher doesn’t lie. Then, there must be a way I haven’t tried yet.
—In times like these.
She puts a large distance between herself and the enemy and “Detects.”
First, observe the opponent’s actions.
Remember the Ice Dragon fight. If you don’t lose yourself and properly observe the opponent’s actions, you’ll find an unexpected way out… huh?
“…Looking closely, the amount of Magical Power they contain is different…?”
She hasn’t found the boss’s weakness, but she feels something is off about the “Attack Spheres” flying from the enemy.
The red, confetti-like things are currently floating with multiple star-shaped entities intertwined, but looking closely…
Some contain abundant Magical Power, while others are as empty as a hollow wafer.
…Could it be. Dummies?
But it’s scary to touch them directly to confirm… that’s right.
“The teacher used it too… here goes,”
Kiraboshi picks up the explosion-resistant shield, White Shield, that the man who exploded earlier was holding.
I see.
Humans can be effectively used even before death and after death… Kiraboshi thinks the same thing as the teacher, holds the shield in her left hand, and tackles one of the Attack Spheres that doesn’t have Magical Power.
There’s a dull sound, “gats,” but no explosion.
Unlike the original “Mother Sphere,” the Splinter has little Magical Power. Is it using dummies to compensate?
Which means…?
Kiraboshi hides behind the shield and observes the Guard Spheres floating around the boss.
As expected, there are individuals with Magical Power and those without.
And further inside—looking closely, even the outer shell of the Mother Sphere Splinter has a marble pattern.
There are areas with thick Magical Power and thin areas…?
“…Ah.”
I see. I found it. I understand. This is… a school classroom.
The mixed strengths and weaknesses of Magical Power floating in the classroom.
The bullies, the indifferent kids, the bullied kids.
The air where those three types coexist, creating a delicate power balance, is packed into that star-shaped monster…
Then, there’s only one thing Kiraboshi needs to do.
Avoid the strong ones and strike at the weak points—suck up to the strong, ignore the indifferent ones, and bully the weak ones to death, relentlessly and thoroughly. Striking at the weak points means doing that.
…I hate bullying the weak, but the opponent is a monster.
It can’t be helped for the sake of work. For the sake of peace. For the sake of justice, right?
Kiraboshi, making excuses, sticks out her red tongue, holds the shield in front, and charges again.
Of the gathered Guard Spheres, she deliberately crashes into the Sphere with thin Magical Power—swings the shield with both hands, and forcefully sweeps the Sphere away.
She’s closing in. On the boss. In the shortest distance.
The boss panics and concentrates Magical Power.
I can see it. It’s hardening a part of its body in response to Kiraboshi’s attack.
Clenching her fist tightly, Kiraboshi shows the enemy a punching motion while…
Deliberately not hitting the part hardened with Magical Power, she lands.
Continuing to kick off the ground, she quickly dives under the Sphere and unleashes a full-force uppercut at its feet.
If the enemy is guarding its face, punch its stomach.
Nettily attack the weak points, without being noticed, relentlessly—
Now, it’s bullying time.
I’ll bully you thoroughly…!
A crack ran through the Mother Sphere Splinter.