Transition.
The movement of a particular concept or substance to another subject. It usually refers to something that occurs after its manifestation, but the current transition seems to refer only to ‘the phenomenon of discarding the existing body and obtaining a new one’.
The body that the Mountain Serpent had initially appeared with had turned into a rotten tree and reappeared as a new body behind us.
‘It’s not a rune.’
I had no memory of a rune with such a special ability. Moreover, when I compiled the dungeon information displayed on the information screen, I realized that it was an ability related to the dungeon’s special ‘gimmick’.
The ability to change one’s body at will during combat… It was undoubtedly a menace to us, especially in a situation where even measuring the opponent’s combat abilities was impossible.
Kaoooo-!!
There was no time to ponder.
The Mountain Serpent charged towards us without hesitation.
Perhaps it was because he could freely change its body.
It seemed fearless of physical assault.
I quickly raised my shield and positioned myself at the front line.
Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook were already quite far away.
Shin Yuna’s [Bullet Defense] wouldn’t be able to withstand the boss’s strength.
I had to block.
‘I must block no matter what.’
The [Goblin’s Bronze Shield] in my left hand was enveloped in magic.
It was a defensive skill that exceeded my limits.
The manifestation of [Iron Wall Defense].
Kang – Kang -!!
Kwaaaah!!
“Kuh, ugh…!!”
“Do Jae-hyun!”
But the opponent was at least an A-grade or higher boss monster.
Blocking just physical attacks was not enough, as I soon found out.
I managed to block the guy’s headbutt, but I couldn’t defend against its magical attack.
‘Earth!’
He used a ground-type magical attack using the earth.
Suddenly, my defensive stance was compromised by the cracks in the ground, and his tail struck my waist with a tremendous force.
As a result, I fell like a ragdoll to those behind me.
Kang Juyeon, who was preparing magic, clenched her lips and looked ahead.
It seemed as if she was about to obliterate the Mountain Serpent.
‘Crazy. It hurts like hell.’
Of course, I wasn’t just lying there.
As soon as the rift occurred, I detected an abnormality and used [Strengthen].
Thanks to that, I could avoid fatal injuries, although I still felt intense pain.
It’s like this, but it’s not to the point of dying anyway.
‘It wasn’t good…’
The situation was far from good, though.
I had already used two of my held skills, and thinking about blocking this kind of attack several more times made my head spin.
Especially the gimmick possessed by the Mountain Serpent.
The ability to change one’s body at will, even if we defeated it, meant we would have to fight it again.
“Juyeon…!!”
“No!”
After completing the preparations for her magic, an impatient Kang Juyeon attempted to use her skill.
I urgently stopped her.
Burn up.
It was clear that she intended to use her ultimate skill, [Inferno].
But now was not the time for that.
“Not now, Kang Ju-yeon.”
“…But.”
“Think rationally. You’re smart, aren’t you?”
The Mountain Serpent had already demonstrated its gimmick once.
The ability to change his body at will, surprising everyone.
Most of the party members, including Kang Juyeon, Kwon Oh-jun, and Choi Dong-wook, would have noticed.
That defeating the boss in front of us wouldn’t be the end.
So, it was necessary to save the most powerful skill we could use.
Jjeojeojeoje-
The Mountain Serpent.
Its body split apart again, making eerie sounds like a tree being torn apart.
It was the result of the combined attack of Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook, followed by Min Chae-hwan’s support fire.
Of course, this time, the split body was also a fake corpse.
“Do Jae-hyun. Can you get up?”
A boss monster that could turn into another tree at any moment.
Because of that, after sharply scanning the surroundings,
Kwon Oh-jun asked me.
I quickly got up after organizing my thoughts.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“The Mountain Serpenti. What do you think its grade is?”
His unexpected question surprised me.
For the first time since the dispatch began today,
Kwon Oh-jun was asking me for my ‘opinion’.
“Can I answer that?”
“Only you have managed to directly block his attacks. We don’t have time. Quickly.”
Kaoooo-!!
Did he hear our conversation like that?
The Mountain Serpent appeared from the side once again.
There was no time to lose.
After organizing my thoughts as much as possible, I answered quickly.
“It’s definitely a monster that surpasses A-grade. But I think calling it S-grade is a bit ambiguous.”
“Ambiguous?”
“Yes. Its gimmick is too absurd, making it feel almost impenetrable, but I don’t think his innate abilities are at that level. After all, I managed to hold my ground against him. It’s somewhere between A-grade and S-grade, just about that level.”
It was difficult to make an accurate judgment at first glance.
If we had to classify it, perhaps it should be called A+ grade.
That answer was the limit.
The Mountain Serpent approached closely and shook us once again with earth-based magic.
Ku-gwung-
Ku-gu-gu-gu-!!
Instantly, cracks appeared on the ground, and the concentration of those who were preparing magic was shattered. This time, even Min Chae-hwan’s arrow attacks went off target.
Hunting down the guy’s duplicates ultimately fell to Kwon Oh-jun, Choi Dong-wook, and me.