Chapter 100: First Boss

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze.]

A bright flame lit up around James. He immediately doused himself in fire.

[The infection has been sterilized.]

“Shit,” James cursed. Every nook and cranny of the cave was infected with black ooze. Some of it had dripped onto his unprotected head, which caused the infection.

The flickering flames echoed against the walls, amplifying the growl that came from within the cave. With how heavily the black ooze had infested the place and the unnatural sounds it made, one would think the cave was alive. In a sense, it was. James could no longer tell what creatures had once inhabited this place. Fully infected beasts had merged into the sea of ooze, forming some sort of hive mind and ecosystem. From any crack or shadow, a creature could emerge—yet it was all futile against James.

“Die!!” James roared, unleashing fire breath whenever he saw—or thought he saw—movement. He had already been ambushed once, right at the entrance of the cave. The monsters were strong. Luckily, the fully infected couldn’t use weapon skills. Without skills or ranged attacks, they couldn’t break through James’s defenses. Even when ambushed, his firefur protected him, preventing instant death.

James was a natural enemy of the black ooze. Knights would pay double or even triple the usual price to hire fire mages because of the ooze’s weakness to flame. James had lucked out with his fur and lungs.

“Aren’t there any chests here?” James muttered as he looked around. The cave was linear—there was nowhere to hide anything.

As he squeezed through a narrow crevice, black ooze evaporated because of his firefur, the cave suddenly widened. Ahead, a massive maw opened in the stone wall. Black ooze gathered inside it. Like a pudding or jelly being devoured, the maw relished the ooze as it oozed into its mouth.

James blinked several times at the scene. The cave suddenly trembled as the black ooze shrieked in pain. His flames had disturbed the slumbering dungeon, awakening its wrath against the intruder. James drew both swords, dual-wielding them. He looked left and right, searching for the enemy.

It came from the massive maw in the wall. The ooze gathered, and from the wall, a shape slowly emerged.

“...What is that?” James stared at the vaguely humanoid figure taking shape before him. What he thought was part of the wall had formed into a new monster.

Towering over five meters tall, the creature loomed in a vaguely human shape, but it was anything but human. Black ooze seeped continuously from its slick, misshapen skin. A gaping maw—jagged fangs jutting outward—grinned grotesquely from its stomach. Its legs were short and stumpy, and each step made the cave quake. Its long, gangly arms held a black club, each swing sending a gust of wind through the cave. When James looked up, its head was yet another horror—a toothy maw with red, glowing eyes and eternal streams of white saliva drooling from its lips. James nearly gagged at the sight.

“A boss monster, huh? It sure made an entrance. As expected of a medium dungeon,” James muttered. “Let’s test its strength.”

He inhaled, launching the first strike. A fiery torrent engulfed the monster.

Feeling the heat against its skin, the monster dragged its short legs toward James. But it was slow—its legs, barely a meter long, couldn’t keep up with James as he circled around. The creature roared, shaking the entire cave.

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze.]

Black ooze dripped from the ceiling, splattering onto James. Infection seeped into his skin.

Knowing he couldn’t run forever, James turned to fight. Golden motes of light began to emanate from his black sword.

“ARGH!! Take this!!” James roared as he leapt toward the monster.

The creature raised its black club. James swung with full force, expecting to cleave it in two with his sword skill—but the monster held firm. James’s all-out strike only managed to push the creature back a few inches.

The creature completed its swing, sending James flying toward the wall.

He hit the wall with a wet plop. The black ooze coating the surface acted like a cushion, softening the impact.

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze. Infection at 15%]

Thanks to his Firefur, the infection didn’t spread far. Still, James had to rub his face with his hand to clear the ooze clinging to his head.

[Infection sterilized]

“What the heck? It parried a weapon skill without using any skill,” James muttered. He had never—no, he had met monsters capable of stopping weapon skills. The golems in the trial dungeon had similar abilities. Was this monster’s stat so high it could just swat James’ sword skill aside?

The creature jogged toward him. Golden motes of light gathered around its club. James felt a spike of dread as the monster rotated its body, winding up to send him straight into the afterlife. James leapt—golden motes of light flared from his own sword as he dashed again.

He’s slow, even when using a skill. I have to dodge it.

Time seemed to slow. The giant club, glowing with the golden aura of a weapon skill, inched closer.

James leapt forward, propelled by the force of his sword skill. The black club whooshed past just inches above his head. The gust of wind—and the sheer weight of impending death—sent goosebumps rippling across his fur.

His weapon skill found its mark at the monster’s knee. James rolled away after the strike, but black ooze on the floor splashed onto his head, triggering another wave of system notifications.

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze.]
[The infection has been sterilized.]

James was about to ask the system to mute the notifications, but he hesitated. If he ever forgot to sterilize the infection, especially on the head, it might cause irreparable brain damage. The Chimera skill couldn’t replace a brain.

The monster stumbled after losing its leg. James thought he could do this. But his hopes were dashed as black ooze gathered around its stump, rapidly regenerating the limb. The damage from his earlier sword skill was repaired in the blink of an eye.

“Shit. Does this monster have any weaknesses? Is my fire not strong enough?” James racked his brain. The monster had to have a weakness. Fire seemed the obvious one, but James’ firebreath had done minor damage because of the Leidenfrost effect—the black ooze on its surface evaporated, creating a layer that protected its body from heat.

As James gripped his sword, he realized something.

“So this sword is for this, huh?” he muttered, staring at the firesword—the Sword of Khine. Golden motes of light turned orange, then red. It was the first time a weapon skill had glowed with any color other than gold. The change indicated that the sword’s physical damage had been converted into fire damage.

James dashed toward the monster. It stared at the red-glowing blade.

Danger.

The maw on its belly opened wide. A pink tongue, covered in blisters and pus, lashed out.

James’ body was wreathed in flames. The monster had avoided using that tongue attack before—it knew it would hurt itself more than James. But the balance had shifted. The firesword James wielded posed a greater threat. It was willing to sacrifice its tongue if it meant protecting the rest of its body.

The gamble paid off. James was caught off guard. The tongue whipped at his foot, sending him face-first into the black puddle.

The monster tried to capitalize on the opportunity, but failed. Its steps were sluggish, its arm lumbering as it swung downward toward the small creature before it. James recovered quickly, rolling away just before the black club smashed into the ground where he had just been.

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze.]
[The infection has been sterilized.]

Golden motes of light gathered on James’ firesword. His sword skill, Hurricane, carved a deep gash into the monster’s flank. The wound sizzled from the firesword’s heat. Unlike before, the gash remained unhealed.

The creature roared, lashing its tongue in a desperate attempt to stop James from launching any more strikes.

The tongue coiled around James. Though it sizzled and roasted under the flames of his firefur, it pressed on. With a whip-like snap, James was hurled toward a wall.

Even though the ooze softened the impact, the force still knocked the air from his lungs.

A pull. He felt a pull from the tongue.

James swung his sword at the tongue, slicing it just as it started to drag him again. The pull stopped, and he skidded across the floor. A rush of wind passed over his head—the aftermath of a black club swing that would’ve crushed him.

“ARGH!!”

Instead of retreating, James surged forward. His instincts chose fight over flight. Red light flashed from his sword—he had activated his sword skill faster than ever before. The monster had just finished its swing and had no time to counter. The blade connected, cleaving through part of its head. James tumbled across the floor after the strike.

[You have been infected by parasitic ooze.]
[The infection has been sterilized.]

From the wound left by his slash, a black gem emerged. Its surface gleamed in the flickering firelight.

James fired an Ice Spear at it. He didn’t think—he just acted, sensing its importance. The beast raised its sticky hand to shield the gash. The ice spear struck its arm and bounced off… or so it seemed.

“I see. That’s your weak point. Should’ve known.” James smirked. Now that he knew where to strike, the rest would be easy.

He took a few deep breaths. The massive troll lunged at him. Haste makes waste. Patience was key. If James moved first, the monster could parry. Its strength alone was enough to deflect his sword skill without even using one of its own. If it did activate a weapon skill… James didn’t want to imagine the result, even from a glancing blow.

Luckily, the monster was stupid. It was a monster and it obeyed its instinct. It charged recklessly. Its club glowed golden as it raised it high, aiming to turn James into paste.

James rolled to the side. Ignoring the system message about infection, he leapt up. His firesword blazed red. The troll panicked. It shielded its head with its arm. But that wasn’t enough to stop a sword skill. The world flashed white as James’ blade cleaved through the arm and struck the gem. A fiery explosion followed, launching James into a wall. He crashed into the sticky wall witha plop. Despite the soft cushion, the accumulated damaged made him gagged.

The beast roared one last time. Its body disintegrated as light purged the evil and pestilence from this world.

James had won—his first victory against a medium dungeon boss.