"What is he doing?"
"He must have a death wish."
Nervous chatter filled the entrance to the boss arena as Bane took his stance against the towering combined elemental. The massive creature, with a stone body, a head of green leaves, and arms of fire and water, sat unmoving at the center of the arena.
A young girl standing at the edge of her battle party whispered, "He won't be able to win. I wish we could help him." A few others nodded in agreement, their voices low. They had already counted Bane as good as dead and were simply waiting for their turn against the boss.
'Since I watched the two previous fights, I understand a lot more than usual when fighting a boss.' Bane's mind was calm. He wasn't afraid of the beast, even though it stood considerably taller than him and he was alone. He was confident.
'The boss doesn't attack in patterns but simply reacts to your movements.' After observing the previous fights, he noticed that each adventurer's action was met with a counterattack. Every time someone moved close, the boss would swipe at them with an arm.
For the distant archers and mages, the boss conjured magic circles above itself and attacked with a variety of elements. Bane knew far more than the system could ever hope to teach him.
"Gah!" Even without a mouth, the elemental screeched as a few magic circles appeared above it.
"Oh, he's done for now," a strong male tank said in his deep voice as the circles materialized.
A healer from the group began a short prayer in Bane's favor. "To those on high, may the naive adventurer rest in peace and prosperity in the afterlife," the blond young healer said aloud, her hands clasped together.
Shortly after, the magic circles fired off bolts of water and fire. Bane deftly dodged the swift magical spells with a roll to the side. The fire and water met the ground behind him with a sizzle and splash.
"Wow, he dodged!" The crowd behind him marveled at Bane's speed. The beast's magic was not slow by any means. Yet, despite his display, the crowd still heavily doubted Bane and waited for him to make a move.
"You can't win a battle by dodging," the deep-voiced tank said, stating the obvious.
Bane stood away from the beast after dodging, his chipped sword in hand. 'After I beat this boss, it's straight to Old Grey's for me.' Bane thought. He was hesitant to swing; the boss's entire body was made of stone. If he struck wrong, his sword would shatter, leaving him with only his backup knife.
He had a plan. The body was made of stones, and he had seen the last group use that to their advantage. The warriors in the previous group had wedged their swords between the rocks to deal damage.
Bane charged forward, aiming for the gap between the rocks, but he was met with a swipe of the beast's fiery arm. "Guh!" Bane narrowly avoided colliding with it and pushed forward.
With only a few more feet to go, Bane thrust out his sword, and it slid cleanly between the rocks. He retrieved his blade and readied another attack, but the beast began flailing its elemental arms, forcing Bane to retreat.
A dark liquid streamed from where Bane had attacked. He gazed happily at the wound. 'I can win,' he thought.
"He landed an attack?" The group of adventurers erupted in chatter, astonished that Bane had managed to hurt the beast.
The seasoned tank chuckled. "One measly attack like that? He hasn't even seen what the boss can really do yet." As if on cue, the boss's leafy head began to shine.
An incredible light forced Bane to squint and look away. When it faded, the wound had closed. "Tch," Bane spat. It was healing magic.
'So, I can't let it get a chance to heal,' Bane realized. He would need to continually threaten it while dodging all of its attacks.
While the majority of the crowd was hopeless, it wasn't as if they were heartless. Most of them didn't want Bane to die; they simply thought he was a naive young adventurer, like many others who had come before him. They watched eagerly as the fight continued.
Just after healing, the combined elemental summoned a few lesser elementals before Bane to which he easily dealt with them and moved onward.
The beast summoned a few magic circles, and Bane dodged by continuing forward. Like clockwork, once he got close, the beast responded with a swing of its arms. Once again, Bane narrowly avoided it by ducking, then charged forward and slid his sword between the same rocks.
The beast flailed, but thanks to Bane's superior speed and his skill, Danger Sense, he was able to avoid the occasional blows and return them with slices of his own.
"He's doing it!" a girl shouted, quickly covering her mouth. But everyone else kept quiet, watching the fight unfold.
Crunch. Bane managed to make a few gashes in a short burst while dodging the beast's attacks. However, when he removed his sword this time, it was as if the monster had eaten the blade. The old, trusty sword Bane had relied on until now finally snapped in half, leaving him with a blade only half its original size.
"That's not good," the tank said. He had started to believe in Bane, but losing a weapon could be the end for many adventurers.
"Tch," Bane clicked his tongue in annoyance but continued maneuvering around the beast's arms, cutting between the rocks of its body. It may have caused less damage, but it was still enough to make the beast bleed.
The beast's movements turned sluggish. Each attack became easier to dodge as it expended more energy and sustained more cuts.
"Wow, even with a broken weapon, he's done it," the tank called, declaring the fight over before it officially ended, much to the disbelief of many in his party. But sure enough, the boss soon keeled over and faded into ash, leaving behind Bane's broken blade and the energy crystal.
Against all odds and in front of a crowd of doubters, Bane had defeated the boss solo. While the crowd was incredibly surprised by the feat, Bane simply sheathed what remained of his sword and retrieved the crystal.
He turned and saw the crowd in awe, most of their mouths agape or with slim smiles on their faces. A few even seemed jealous of Bane's power.
Without a word, he turned and walked toward the steps leading down. This caused a riot among the spectators.
"Hey! You may be strong, but going down with no weapon is suicide!" the tank shouted, receiving no response from Bane as he descended the first few steps into the darkness.
"No torch or light, no weapon… he's crazy," a girl said, to the group's agreement. Bane was simply insane. If only they knew who he truly was and the power he possessed, it might make more sense.
The next group took their spot in the boss arena as the combined elemental sprouted from the ground. And so, the rumor of The Crazy Dungeoneer began—a solo man who adventured in the shadows and needed no weapon to continue.
However, Bane knew this wasn't true. As soon as he was out of sight, he used fast travel to return to the dungeon entrance. Walking out, he took a closer look at his sword. 'Yeah, I need to go get another weapon,' Bane thought.
Seeing Luna, he ignored her, and to his pleasure, she did the same. However, he noticed her wound from that morning had been patched, and her clothes were mended. There was no bloodstain in sight.
He had questions but chose to save them for another time. He had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time they came face to face.
On his ascent to the surface, he addressed the textboxes:
Floor 6 Completion:
Slay all enemy types on the first floor of the dungeon:
Earth Elemental – Complete
Water Elemental – Complete
Fire Elemental – Complete
Grass Elemental – Complete
Combined Elemental – Complete
Rewards: 25,000 Shill, two Skill Points
Claiming the quest rewards, he was just shy of one hundred thousand Shill—more than he could even comprehend. He assigned his skill points and walked into the Guild Hall to chat with Winter and exchange his energy crystals.
[Bane of the Slums]: LV 36 (4,450/9340)
[Title]: Slimey Slayer LV 1 (72/100), Goblin Dispatcher LV 2 (56/1000), Arachnid Assassin LV 2 (155/1000), Angel Assassin LV 1 (5/100), Mimic Murderer LV 1 (12/100), Elemental Extinguisher LV 1 (55/100)
[Strength]: LV 14
[Dexterity]: LV 4
[Mind]: LV 2
[Agility]: LV 14
[Fortitude]: LV 6
[Magic]: LV 1
[Skills]: Appraisal LV 1, Threat Analysis LV 1, Danger Sense LV 2, Passive Healing LV 1, Magnetize LV 1, Night Vision, Feared Hunt, Proficient Reader LV 1
"Hey Bane! How are you?" Winter shouted as Bane entered the Guild Hall.