In the depths of the low-level dungeon <Gloomy Forest>, a massive serpent peered its head out from the cave.
Confirming this creature to be the boss of the dungeon was easily deduced from memories of past lives. With its long tongue flickering in and out, the golden eyes of the Venom Serpent stared intently at the intruder (me).
“You’re quite cautious for a monster. Come at me more aggressively, like a true creature,” I said as I drew my sword.
With the tip aimed just above the ground, I observed the opponent’s movements. Recalling memories from when this world was still a game, the boss of <Gloomy Forest>, the Venom Serpent, had high stats in all aspects, particularly excelling in agility, AGI. Its bouncing charge would be difficult to react to on first sight, leading to multiple attacks taken. Hence, to gauge the difference in the real world, I decided to take a defensive stance.
However, perhaps the cautious Venom Serpent shared the same idea, as it hesitated to launch an attack. Over a minute passed since our mutual gaze locked. Sensing a drawn-out battle ahead, I reluctantly began to chant a spell, targeting the Venom Serpent’s weakness, <fire>.
“—<Heat Haze>!”
The distortion caused by magic slightly altered above my head, from which bright white flames took form. It was the intermediate fire magic <Heat Haze>, an upgraded version of the lower-tier <Ignition>. While Ignition could only shoot fire arrows, Heat Haze, through manipulation of magical energy, could form shapes other than arrows. In this case, it was just a warm-up, so I unleashed multiple arrows simultaneously towards the monster. Sparkling flames resembling shooting stars surged towards the Venom Serpent. The battle commenced.
The Venom Serpent was quick to react to the impending meteors. Swiftly emerging from the cave, it swiftly maneuvered on the ground to evade the magical arrows. Opting for quantity over power, several arrows managed to pierce the Venom Serpent, but its high Vitality (VIT) mitigated much of the damage. With a composed expression, it continued its approach towards me.
The Venom Serpent lunged with its mouth wide open, sharp fangs bared in attack. Naturally, I dodged the assault by leaping to the side. With a clang, the Venom Serpent’s mouth closed. While I didn’t know the exact value of its Strength (STR), a direct hit would likely cause significant damage even with my divine magic-enhanced buffs. Careful and efficient defeat of the enemy without letting my guard down was key.
“<Divine Possession>”
First, enhancing my stats with intermediate divine magic.
Next,
“<Scorching Sun>”
I chanted the advanced fireball spell. A massive ball of flames descended rapidly towards the Venom Serpent. Due to its high agility, the attack was evaded, but the prediction of which direction it would dodge was anticipated. Closing the distance, I approached the Venom Serpent at a speed matching the boss. Holding my sword in a high position, I struck down.
It cut through.
My sword easily sliced through the Venom Serpent’s skin, a testament to my dedicated swordsmanship training and leveling achievements. Although the damage was not significant, drawing blood shifted the enemy’s focus to my right hand. I communicated that blade attacks were also a threat alongside magical assaults, making my magical attacks more effective.
As if in retaliation, the Venom Serpent recoiled and launched a fierce strike with its tail. Dodging it by kicking back, the air sliced by the attack made a sharp sound, but evading it rendered it harmless. Without changing expression, I remained calm and composed.
The rest of the battle became one-sided. Knowing the opponent’s attack patterns from the start allowed me to avoid taking hits from the Venom Serpent, relentlessly striking with sword and magic like a demon until the beast was defeated.
I gained a substantial amount of experience points, but unfortunately, there were no drop items. I knew that monsters in dungeons dropped materials, just like in the game. While I hadn’t verified whether bosses dropped items, it made sense if other monsters did, then bosses should too, right?
Moreover, the item I desired was relatively rare. I didn’t expect to obtain it right away.
Leaning against the nearby wall and thrusting my sword into the ground, I pondered during the brief respite until the Venom Serpent revived (respawned). This moment continued until the very last minute before heading back…
Hours had passed since I began the boss subjugation in the low-level dungeon <Gloomy Forest>. Finally, the moment arrived.
After surpassing three hours without the boss dropping a single item, frustration grew within me at the sight of the boss’s lifeless body. “Are you not going to drop anything today… just give it to me already, damn beast!” My muttering increased. However, upon seeing a large fang drop to the ground, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Yes!!” in excitement. This fang was the crucial piece I had been searching for in this dungeon. Carefully picking it up so as not to lose it, I examined the item.
The item’s name was <Venom Fang>.
Contrary to its straightforward name, it was quite a useful item. In fact, it could be said that ninety percent of the reason for visiting <Gloomy Forest> was to acquire this item. This dungeon lacked incentives for normal exploration, except for this particular item.
With this, I could find openings even against stronger opponents. It was effective against the very creature I wanted to defeat. This had been proven in my past life.
I cherished the newly acquired drop item and made my way back. I planned to take a shortcut straight through without engaging with any enemies along the way. Experience points were negligible, and if necessary, I would use my sword to swiftly fend off any threats. With a determined mindset, I utilized the slightly boosted stats from defeating multiple bosses and sprinted through the dungeon at full speed. Tomorrow would be a day of leveling up. I would hunt down undead and ghost-type monsters to harvest their experience.
