NOVEL WEB Chapter 724: Battle against Andrey (1)
The team had at last come face-to-face with Andrey. An opponent who blocks their pathway to the floor beyond 80th.
(Sure enough, we had fought him before, and it even remembers us, huh? Its status is... almost the same huh. Oh wait, it's age has increased by 1. Wow, so they have a proper birthday!)
[Name] Andrey
[Age] 142781
[Species] Soil's Incarnation
[Strength] 280000
[Spiritual Power] 250000
[Strength] 230000
[Endurance] 300000
[Intelligence] 210000
[Luck] 260000
[Attribute] Earth
[Attribute Resistance] Earth, Physical Resistance (strong), Magic Resistance (strong)
The first thing Allen did was using Kuwataro's appraisal skill. The status saw no changes, as he compared them with the status written on his note of Grimoire, saving the change in its age by one.
It was a trivial detail, but it took up a small part of his mental space. However, on closer inspection, Andrey's immense durability of 300,000 was something even a demi-god level spirit beast didn't possess.
Additionally, both his physical and magical resistances were listed as "strong." There's no doubt Andrey's subjugation would be the power booster Cecile required.
(Alright, enough with the useless thoughts. Time to stick to the plan. We need to take this guy down in under two hours. It's going to be tough. If only Haku were here, we could just let him rampage and finish this with one blow.)
All of Allen's mind was now focused on the necessary information to defeat Andre in the allotted time, hogging his entirely of intelligent stats.
*Squeak.*
*Squeak.*
*Squeak.*
Meanwhile, while belatedly, the remaining Bird A's continued to descend onto the floor one after another, gathering at the vast plaza-like space.
Among other summoned beasts, he only brought in one Bird E so as to spend much of his resources for the dungeon campaign. Bird E used «Hawk's Eye» and Allen synchronised their vision to grasp the situation of the entire place.
Everyone, including his teammates and summoned beasts, assumed battle stance as they anticipated the incoming battle.
"Hmm, I heard you've made progress in the dungeon, but give up if you believe you can invade my body and steal the key again. "
Andrey, the giant turtle in bipedal form, remarked as he jerked its head, and along with it swayed their target---the orichalcum key intertwined in adamantite chain. This was the key to open the colossal gate behind it.
Then, Andrey casually hooked the valuable key onto one of his front claws, lifted his head and gulped it down.
"There's no time left. You all go ahead!!"
Before they came here, Cecile, Sophia, Luck, and Formar were already on the back of 100 meter Kuwataro.
"But what about you, Allen-sama!?"
"The orichalcum is just ahead. You should be able to make it in time if you fly right now!!"
"Understood. May fortune favor you!"
With that, Sophia and the others put Allen behind as they began moving toward the door leading to the next floor while the Great Spirits positioned them around Andrey to cover for them.
«Again with that strategy? ---I see, since your exploration is about to end, you're prioritising Orichalcum huh. I didn't expect you to immediately jump into my mouth."
In their previous campaign, the party had split into two; one that would steal the key, while others would be standby near the door, awaiting the moment for the key to be thrown into their way. The former role had fallen on Merus's shoulder last time, who sacrificed himself to retrieve the key from Andrey's mouth.
Learning from the past experience, the 300 meter tall Andrey gave a cautious glance, surveying Allen along with his S-rank summons in anticipation of who might jump into his mouth this occasion.
(Alright. Its focus is on us. It's not a good idea to jump behind the enemy's back, but this is what it is. Moreso when Roselina isn't here.)
With 8 Great Spirits all placed around Andrey, Allen looked at his team. They'd been one to break through the trial of god, and while this should be just a minor probability, Andrey's attack should not be a deal breaker even for Luck and others.
Once everyone was sure Andrey's gaze was on Allen and others, Kuwataro, who was supposed to be rushing toward the door, suddenly took a U-turn, rushing toward Andrey's back with a minimal flap of wings.
"Great. It's on you, Merus, Luvanka! Do not die in vain! Pectan, start with «Protection Mushroom»!"
«Ploop!!»
The first step was to ensure everyone's safety. After all, once any of the summon dies, it would be impossible to re-summon according to the rules of Earth Labyrinth. They're also lacking the stats buff Roselina could've provided, and without Keel, there was no assurance their current healing method would last long.
«Protective Mushroom» skill was effective in raising endurance.
With its characteristic chirp, Pecktan wobbles its mushroom cap, releasing luminescence spores. Protection Mushroom's effect was to increase allies' endurance by 10,000 in the one kilometer area, while it also provided the additional benefit of halving any damage from physical, magical, and breath attacks.
Kuwataro stopped precisely 50 metres behind Andrey.
Andrey, and Allen's team had just taken a step ahead to initiate the battle when Luck jumped from above Kuwataro's back and swung the sacred artifact «Arc Jewel of Spirit King».
«Curse Strike! Haaaaa!!"
*Clink*
The curse power oozes out of the sacred artifact as it clashes against the spiked orichalcum carapace of Andrey, leaving a minute scratch. And the next moment, darkness spilled out of that scratch and formed a giant skeleton projection.
«Ahhhhhh!!»
"Wohoo! We got it in one try! I knew it, Andrey's just a muscle brain!!"
«Geh! What the heck is this skeleton... and this formation!! You, you never wanted the key. Your target was me all along?!!»
Belated, but Andrey realised the team was here for no one but himself as he noticed that Allen and his team had caught him in pincer.
(Well, he's got low intelligence compared to durability. And the debuff immunity is definitely not as great as Nestirad.)
Allen immediately concluded the intelligence stat of Andrey. The activation of «Cursed Strike» at the first try was a sign Andrey was strikingly lacking in it.
It could also be that Andrey had strong debuff resistance, and it was by a luck stroke Luck's skill proc'd at first try, but resistance was only effective in reducing the effect. If the target's intelligence was low, debuff would only apply, just with lower potency.
The higher the intelligence, the more exponentially effective the debuff resistance becomes. Andrey's vulnerability was in quite contrast to the Nestirad who had less than a 1% chance of being debuffed in absence of Peromas.
"Alright. Muton, rust him up!!"
«Hmm!»
«Rrgh!»
An amber-colored slime like being---Muton, the Great Spirit of Poison, spit out acidic liquid from above Luck's head.
The acid directly fell on Andrey, and it caused the resplendent glow of orichalcum to dim down. Suddenly, it was as if Andrey had weathered a long passage of time, his turtle shell gaining the rusty outlook.
(Nice, there's no problem cleaving its endurance either. Alright, this means we should be able to make-do somehow even without buffs, hopefully.)
The only hindrance that posed the team in defeating Andrey within the time frame was his physical and magic resistance. So Luck's debuff was the axle to keep the situation spinning.
"The setup's complete, everyone! You can roll out! No need to hold back. You, too, Magla! Go unhinged!"
Allen gave his command to summoned beasts---they're specialised in combat, though rarely had gotten the chance to be the main actor in battle---and pushed them forward.
«Hmph, I know! Dragon King's Soul! Haaaaaaaa!!»
While Andrey was seized by the confusion, Allen and team unleashed their onslaught.
Magla was the definition of so-called The Dragon---with the size reaching 100m, he boasted incredible muscles under the scales, with milky white belly, and wings expanding from his back, from beneath which his arms extended out. The wings span 300 metres in size, and talons as long as the half-length of leg. The head was adorned with three horns, like a crown, albeit the one in the middle was broken.
After Allen had absorbed Dragon God Magla in his broken horn state as his summoned beast, this had remained unhealed. Incidentally, dragons were the paragon of strength in Allen's perspective.
Without further ado, Magla invoked «Soul of Dragon King» skill. A glow enveloped him, and soon, he appeared in his armored appearance---he was equipped in platinum breastplate, with claws on both hands, and a spiky blade akin to morning star at the end of his tail.
*Fwoosh*
«Grrraahhh!!»
Magla performed a spin tail attack, and the blade at the tail's end slammed into Andrey's abdomen, blowing him tens of metres away.
«Hang tight, Sophia-san, Formar-san!»
Kuwataro warned the members on his back as the battle between turtle monster and dragon heated up.
**Magra's Stats (with Soul of the Dragon King)**
[Strength] 119,600 + 100,000
[Mana] 106,600 + 100,000
[Attack] 132,600 + 100,000
[Endurance] 106,600 + 100,000
[Agility] 132,600 + 100,000
[Intelligence] 132,600 + 100,000
[Luck] 106,600 + 100,000
(Note: Includes stats from strengthening buff, Golden Egg, Protection Mushroom, Great Spirit's Blessing, and Spirit God's Blessing.)
(Sure enough, it wouldn't be possible to shave off that tanky endurance in a short time. Magla is strong, and Luck's debuffs are also working, but it's not game-changer.)
"Magla! Use Extreme Blaze!!"
«I know. Just let me deal with him in my way!! Haaaaa!! Extreme Blaze!!»
Reaching the rank of Dragon God level, and with the experience of tens of thousands of years, Magla wasn't fond of Allen's command, nevertheless he carried out as told, and breathed «Extreme Blaze».
«GRAAAH!?»
Andrey hadn't even managed to stand up properly, after receiving the earlier blow and getting knocked back, and Magla's high temperature breath struck him, causing his distressed shriek to echo in the area.
Kuwataro and the Great Spirits immediately move away from behind Andrey's back to avoid Magla's breath attack.
(Ohh, it appears Andrey has no resistance to breath attack! If I remember correctly, Dragon King's Soul increases the might of breath attack when stats crosses 100,000 mark.)
«Ggh... This isn't good. Earth, grant me healing power...»
"Ahh, my skill effect is disappearing...!"
"Hey, Luck's debuff disappeared!"
Apparently, the healing skill of Andrey wasn't only about healing one's endurance, but even from all the negative effects.
The skeleton from Luck's skill turned into black mist and disappeared. In the same rhythm, the acid effect of Great Spirit Muton also disappeared, bringing back the shine of orichalcum.