Chapter 18: The Main Boss of <DanKatsu>? The <Battle Wolf> Evolves.
Thursday.
This morning, we came straight to the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon>.
Our party is the usual five, including me.
Yesterday, Kalua and Rika safely cleared the <Beginner Dungeon> and even ran it twice.
They managed to reach Job Lv.10, so I taught them how to allocate their stats and skills. Starting today, the two of them will be tackling the <Tropical Forest Dungeon> in the Beginner Low-tier dungeons.
I told them to make sure to practice their skills too, then we split up at the ShouDan. They both waved with serious faces rather than smiles. Would’ve been nice if they'd smiled a little more.
Anyway, the five of us are starting our runs in the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon> today.
I shared everything that happened yesterday at Marie-senpai’s shop, then set today’s objective.
"So, here’s the plan: today we’ll skip unnecessary trash mobs and head straight to the boss room. The focus will be on boss farming. Everyone okay with that?"
"I don’t mind."
"Works for me. I can handle heals, and besides, this is for Hanna’s sake!"
"Understood. No objections here."
Good. I made the plan on my own, but looks like nobody disagrees.
"Thank you, everyone."
"Don’t be so reserved! Just rely on your princess here!"
Lana, surprisingly caring, put her hand to her chest and struck a smug pose.
She’s riding high after her big success yesterday, her mood sky-high.
"So, which one is this <Ability Orb> you were talking about?"
"Ah, this one. See the thing spinning inside the crystal? That’s the <Flame Rod> that turned into an <Ability Orb>."
"Oh, I see, this?"
Everyone gathered around Hanna, curious about the ultra-rare <Magic Ability Orb>.
Hanna held her staff with both hands, showing them clearly.
By the way, she already has the <Manalite Staff> I gave her when she first came to the dungeon, and the <Ability Orb> was slotted in at that time. Just like Hanna said, the orb is embedded in the crystal at the staff’s tip.
In the game, it was just a matter of clicking the "equip" icon, but in real life, we had no idea where it was supposed to go. Turns out you actually put it inside the crystal. And it takes some finesse.
To take it out, you lightly tap the crystal three times, and the orb pops out. Don’t ask me how the structure works—fantasy logic.
"With this staff alone, you can use 『Fireball Lv 5』, 『Flare Lance Lv.3』, and 『Ice Lance Lv.1』. That’s insane performance. And since the abilities are inside the orb, she can slot it into another weapon with open slots and still use them."
"Amazing… Yesterday, your explanation didn’t really click for me, Zephyrus. But seeing it firsthand, I get why you were so worked up about it."
Well, Sierra was clearly at her limit mentally yesterday.
I could tell she wasn’t really paying attention.
"This means Hanna can shine even more, right?"
"Which is exactly why today’s boss farming is necessary, yes?"
"Correct. If she dives into the Beginner Upper-tier dungeons as she is now, even a small mistake could be fatal. At the very least, she needs enough gear to withstand a few hits."
It’s basically Hanna's Big Overhaul Project.
Once everyone understood, we began the dungeon run.
The <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon> is a field-type dungeon.
The setting is a sparse forest—trees without much undergrowth—and <Wolves> attack while weaving through the trunks.
It’s a dungeon with a lot of ambushes.
I take the front, using 『Intuition』 to scout ahead, while Ester and Sierra cover the rear to protect the backline.
In the upper layers, <Wolves> only attack from the front, so our formation works fine here.
From the lower layers onward, they’ll also ambush from behind, so we’ll need to be more careful.
But with me here, who knows every ambush point, there’s no real problem.
We can prepare ahead of time. I also know all the paths by heart.
"Ambush incoming, front side. Battle positions."
"Got it!"
"Want buffs?"
"Just defense."
"Understood. 『Blessing of Protection』! "
A glowing effect spread across the party, giving everyone a defense buff icon.
At the same time, my 『Intuition』 triggered, and several <Wolves> came into view from ahead.
"Woof-woof!"
"Three of them. I’ll take two. 『Provoke』!"
"Then Ester and I will handle the last one. Hanna, Lana, take the ones drawing aggro."
"Got it! 『Flare Lance』! 『Ice Lance』!"
"On it! 『Blade of Light』!"
Everyone was starting to fall naturally into their roles.
They were already moving before I even had to call out instructions.
Hanna was spamming her new spells right away, clearly hyped.
Unlike Lana, though, she doesn’t have 『MP Auto-Recovery』, so I’ll need to remind her not to burn herself out.
Before long, the battle ended.
"Nice work. Shall we keep going?"
"Of course. That was barely even a warm-up."
"No problem here either."
Since the magic duo didn’t need a break, we scooped up the drops and continued forward.
In the lower layers, a special type called a <Leader Wolf> appeared, using the skill 『Command』.
Since 『Command』 buffs other <Wolves>, I’d been a little cautious—but with this team, it wasn’t much of a threat.
Once Ester started chaining 『Long Thrust』 straight into 『Precious Thrust』, she could one-shot a <Leader Wolf> cleanly. After that, the rest of the <Wolves> lost their buffs and were no trouble at all.
Like that, we advanced smoothly. By 10 a.m.—well before lunch—we reached the safe zone on the 15th floor.
The boss of the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon> is the <Battle Wolf (First Form)>.
You’re probably thinking: First Form? What’s that supposed to mean?
The <Battle Wolf> was one of the most iconic boss monsters in <DanKatsu>. From Beginner-level dungeons all the way to top-level ones, you’d end up fighting it again and again. And each time, not only did its strength increase, but its appearance evolved as well.
In a normal game, they’d just slap on a color swap and call it a day. But the developers of <DanKatsu> were obsessive about variety and volume. They actually designed and implemented full evolutions, giving the <Battle Wolf> completely different forms from the first to the final.
By the end, the First and Final Forms are practically different creatures entirely.
This time, though, we’re up against its very first form—the smallest version, just over a meter long. Honestly, it’s kind of cute.
But don’t underestimate it. By the final form, it grows to nearly thirty meters, turning into a raid boss.
…But let’s save that story for another time. Thinking about it gives me flashbacks.
Anyway. The <Battle Wolf> comes with two <Leader Wolves> and two regular <Wolves> as adds. Just like with the <Knight Goblin>, we’ll need to take out the minions first.
The difference, though, is that the <Knight Goblin> didn’t move until it was down to one minion, while the <Battle Wolf> coordinates with its pack from the very start.
That’s why this dungeon, even though it’s just Beginner Mid-tier, is considered one of the toughest. With aggro all over the place, things can get messy fast.
Still, if you split them up, it’s manageable. That’s where having two tanks is so convenient.
The recommended strategy for the <Battle Wolf (First Form)> is a two-tank formation. Split the battlefield in two, divide the enemies, and the fight becomes simple. At the end of the day, it’s still just a Beginner Mid-tier boss—break its coordination, and the rest is easy.
"Alright then—everyone ready?"
"Ready."
"Of course!"
"Understood. Anytime."
"Yep! Perfectly ready."
Everyone was fired up and good to go.
Once I confirmed, we stepped through the boss room gate like always.
Inside, no rare variant was waiting—just the <Battle Wolf>, glaring down at us.
Heh. Long time no see, <Battle Wolf>. Feels like running into an old friend.
Man, back in the <DanKatsu> days, we fought countless times. …Though I usually won.
"Grrrrr…"
The <Battle Wolf> growled threateningly, clearly displeased with my reminiscing.
Well, too bad. I’ll be winning again today. We’re here to farm materials, so I’ll be taking your hide, pal.
"Alright, stick to the plan. Battle starts!"
""""Yeah!!""""
Sierra and I split left and right, charging forward.
"Woof-woof!"
At its command, the <Wolves> rushed first, the <Leader Wolves> second, and finally, the <Battle Wolf> itself came charging.
"『Appeal』!"
I unleashed 『Appeal』, catching the leading <Wolves> and <Leader Wolves> perfectly. Their target shifted straight to me.
The <Battle Wolf> itself, out of range, made for Sierra—who’d entered the room first.
"『Provoke』!"
"Bau!"
The <Battle Wolf> wavered for a moment, almost switching targets.
That was its 『Pack Instinct』 skill activating—an annoying ability <Wolves> have that makes them automatically converge on whoever most of their allies are targeting, ignoring aggro rules.
But if you generate enough hate mid-animation, you can cancel it. Sierra immediately threw in her 『Provoke』 to block it.
The <Battle Wolf> turned its attention toward Sierra after looking my way. So, 『Pack Instinct』.
Good, we split them up cleanly. If we just stick to the plan, we’ll win this.
"Ha! 『Legion Thrust』! 『Long Thrust』!"
"Grr! Grrr!"
Ester was on my side, mowing down the minions. She pulled one of the <Leader Wolves> and started racking up damage.
I held off the other three.
"—Ow! Hey, quit biting! I said stop it, damn it! 『Shine Lightning』!"
"Kyain!?"
My AoE spell scattered them.
…Maybe three at once is still a bit much for me?
"『Blessing of the Lion』! 『Blessing of the Protection』! 『Prayer of Healing』! 『Blade of Light』! 『Pillar of Light」! Keep it coming!"
Lana kept cycling through her spells nonstop.
Buffs, heals, attacks—switching smoothly between them. Impressive.
She’s finally starting to really look like a proper 【Saint】. A huge step up from the beginning.
And her energy’s through the roof. Definitely the type who burns brightest during boss fights. She’s backing Sierra up nonstop. …Wouldn’t mind a little support on my end, though.
"『Fireball』! 『Flare Lance』! 『Ice Lance』! 『Fireball』!"
Hanna wasn’t about to be outdone, spamming her offensive spells. Looks like she was aiming at the other <Leader Wolf> I was dealing with, but the thing was so fast that hitting it from range was pretty tough. So far, none of her spells had landed.
Well, practice makes perfect. These enemies fight in formation anyway, so this first run is just a warm-up. We’ll be farming this place, so everyone can polish their style as we go. …Ow, dammit!?
"It’s down! Moving on to the next one! 『Precious Thrust』!"
"Grragh!?"
Ester, who had already finished off her <Leader Wolf>, came charging back in and went wild.
One after another, the minions dropped. As expected of <Eden>’s ace attacker—her STR-focused build wasn’t just for show. That damage output was insane.
Before long, the number of wolves dwindled. When the last <Leader Wolf> fell to Ester, I switched from tanking to attacker mode and joined in against the boss.
"I’ll open it up! 『Brave Slash』!"
Thanks to my higher AGI, I overtook Ester and landed my unique skill on the <Battle Wolf> first.
"Gwaaagh!?"
It had been focused on Sierra, but my slash tore into its side, dealing huge damage. On top of that, the defense-down debuff stuck. Too bad it didn’t crit, or we could’ve dropped it right there.
"Sierra, hold its hate!"
"『Shield Smite』!"
Since I’d racked up a ton of aggro with that hit, I had Sierra reel it back in.
Her shield slammed into the wolf’s snout, stacking damage and threat.
Oh, nice! She used 『Shield Smite』 this time. It’s a bit harder to land up close, but it deals solid damage, so it’s a great skill to spam in boss fights. Sierra’s definitely improving.
"『Long Thrust』!"
Ester caught up, and from there it was business as usual.
The <Battle Wolf (First Form)> isn’t that threatening on its own. Sierra handled it easily, and with everyone switching to full DPS, we unloaded skills and spells until its HP dropped to zero. The boss vanished in a dazzling shower of effects.
On paper, it’s supposed to be the toughest fight among the Beginner Mid-tier bosses. But if you counter its strengths and mess up its coordination, the fight’s basically free. Total victory! (…Probably.)
This time, the treasure chest was just a <Wooden Chest>. Boo.
Inside was a plain old <Greatsword>, a two-hander. Don’t need it!
Straight to the "sell" pile. I stuffed it in the <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)> I’d borrowed from Hanna, along with the other boss drops.
While I was stashing loot, Hanna came over looking a bit down.
Well, yeah. She hadn’t landed a single spell.
"Uh, Zephyrus-kun, sorry I wasn’t much help…"
"Don’t sweat it. The target’s small and super fast—it’s not exactly easy to hit."
"But Lady Lana managed…"
True. Despite being almost side by side with Hanna in the backline, Lana somehow nailed the <Battle Wolf> twice with 『Blade of Light』. The girl actually has a knack for accuracy.
But it wasn’t just her effort.
"Honestly, that was my bad too. Normally, it’s the tank’s job to pin the boss down so casters can aim properly. The only reason Lana’s spells landed was because Sierra locked its feet in place."
Of course, it still takes plenty of instinct to slip a spell into that opening.
"In my case, I’m still practicing fighting multiple enemies. I’m nowhere near Sierra’s level yet. Holding down several foes at once is tough… So, let’s keep training together, okay?"
Sierra had the advantage of passive skills like 『Shield Guard Technique』 and 『Flowing Shield Technique』, which made it easier for her to stagger enemies.
Me? My only real defensive skill was the active 『Defense』, so pinning enemies down was a lot harder—especially when there were several of them.
That’s the difference between a main tank and a jack-of-all-trades, I guess.
"Y-yeah. I’ll do my best too!"
Hanna perked up a little at my encouragement. We were going to be grinding bosses for hours today anyway. Plenty of time to practice.
"Alright! Once everyone’s ready, let’s start the boss runs again. We’re farming till night!"
And so, the great <Battle Wolf> hunt began.
The poor little wolves got skinned over and over, hunted bald until there wasn’t a tuft of fur left to take.
(Not that they actually go bald no matter how many times they drop pelts, but hey.)
After a lunch break and plenty of MP potions to keep us going, we’d been grinding for about eight hours straight.
By now it was six in the evening, and the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon.
Even inside the dungeon, the day-night cycle worked properly, so it was about time to call it a day.
"Ooooooonnn…"
I’d lost count of how many runs it had been. Hours had blurred together.
Once again, a <Battle Wolf> let out its dying howl and vanished into a sea of glittering effects.
At this point, it was becoming a familiar sight for us.
And yet, it never got old. Games are weird like that.
"Good work."
"Thank you for the fight."
How many times had Ester and I exchanged those words while beating down <Battle Wolves> together?
Honestly, I could do this forever. It was something I never had back in my old gaming days.
Right now, I really feel like I'm playing a game.
"Guess it’s about time to head back!"
"Yes. The sun is setting—it would be wise to return."
Now that I think about it, I didn’t really get the chance to talk with Ester much.
Funny how I only noticed now.
"Hmm? Something the matter?"
"Nah. Just wondering… How many runs did we even do? I got so caught up I lost track."
"Fifty-two. By the end, everyone had improved a great deal."
"Fifty-two!? That’s a new record!"
Yeah, no wonder it felt like such a blur. Toward the end, we were clearing each fight in under five minutes.
I’d gotten much better at handling 『Defense』 against multiple enemies.
Hanna and Lana had gotten the hang of their spells too—landing their hits way more often.
Sierra was as solid as ever. From the start, she’d handled the <Battle Wolf> with perfect poise, and now she was even mixing in damage with 『Shield Smite』 and 『Shield Bash』.
Her growth was steady and reliable.
And Ester, beside me, had clearly gotten much more comfortable with her spear.
After all, I was the one who’d suggested she switch from sword to spear, and I’d pushed her to invest only in spear skills.
If she had any doubts, I figured it’d be better to offer her someone to talk to.
"Ester, you sure you’re not struggling with any skills? Anything you’re stuck on? I can help if you need it."
"No, I’m fine. For now, it’s all about trial, error, and practice."
"…Everyone’s such a prodigy, huh."
"Not compared to you, Sir Zephyrus."
…Wait, she thinks I’m a prodigy? Me? The guy who just spent half the fight getting chewed on as a tank?
"Someone who had no training whatsoever, suddenly thrust into the role of a 【Hero】, shouldn’t be able to move that precisely. You definitely have talent, Sir Zephyrus."
Ah—yeah, that’s all thanks to <DanKatsu>.
If I had any "talent," it was just my obsessive drive to improve at games.
Still… being told I had talent for that made me genuinely happy.
"Thanks, Ester. That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten."
While I was chatting with her, the rest of the party gathered around.
"Alright, let’s wrap it up for today."
"What!? Already? I wanna keep hunting a little longer!"
Lana, after eight hours of nonstop farming, still wasn’t satisfied.
If the <Battle Wolf> could hear her innocent enthusiasm, it would be quaking in terror.
But I get what Lana means. Hunting is fun! I still wanna keep going too!
That said, while Lana and I were itching for more, Hanna and Sierra calmly started getting ready to head back.
"We gathered quite a lot of materials."
"True. But the most wanted one, the <Battle Lesser Wolf's Large Pelt>, only dropped thirteen times. We’ll have to come again tomorrow."
"Perfect! Tomorrow—let’s come again tomorrow!"
"I’m fine with it, but what about everyone else? Aren’t you tired?"
In a game, it wouldn’t matter if it was a few hours or dozens—we could go on forever. But this was reality.
We used real stamina, and fatigue was real. Still…
"I have no problem."
"Nor do I. I like to think I’m in decent shape."
Strong, confident words from the frontliners.
"I’d like to practice a little more too."
With Hanna also on board, it was decided: tomorrow, we’d challenge the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon> again.
I did wonder if Hanna could really keep up—she was just a little loli, after all. But then I remembered: this was the same Hanna who was addicted to Slime Pop Marathon. I’d seen her hammer away endlessly, brew nonstop, and never show a hint of exhaustion.
Hanna was tougher than she looked.
After returning, I dropped off the contents of the <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)> with Marie-senpai. She gave a baffled shout:
"Wait, this is way more than I expected!?"
Yeah… fifty-two dungeon runs in one day was a bit much, apparently.
I reflected for a moment, then told her, "Don’t worry, Marie-senpai. I’ve gotten the hang of it now—tomorrow I’ll be able to bring back even more."
She let out a shriek of delight.
And then came the next morning.
Like proper students, we all gathered bright and early at 8 a.m.
"Morning. You’re all early."
"You’re too early. What time did you get here?"
"Uh… around seven?"
"You were that excited!? Honestly, Zephyrus, you’re hopeless!"
Coming from Lana, that was rich. But I had no comeback!
If I could excuse myself, I’d say—come on, if you had a dungeon attack planned in the morning, wouldn’t you wake up automatically too?
And it wasn’t just that—it was day two. Do you know how many <Battle Wolves> I’d slaughtered in my dreams last night?
Usually, I’m more composed. But the feel of yesterday’s battles still lingered in my hands, and it had me waking up earlier than ever.
Most likely, it was because I’d "reunited with an old friend," the <Battle Wolf>.
(A very one-sided friendship, and a nightmare for the wolf.)
Anyway, everyone ended up showing up about thirty minutes before departure, so we just started the dungeon run early.
Diving once again into the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon>, we moved much smoothly than yesterday—it had to be the back-to-back practice.
Ambushes? We crushed them without breaking stride. Everyone had clearly leveled up a lot just from yesterday.
When today’s runs were done, if there was time, I’d ask everyone to show me their status screens.
By 9 a.m.—way faster than yesterday—we’d already reached the bottom floor.
Overcome with excitement, I couldn’t resist shouting:
"<Battle Wolf>! I have returned—!!"
"What’s that? That was kinda cool! I’m doing it too!"
"Please don’t, Lady Lana. Shouting like that is most improper."
Lana had immediately connected with the famous line I’d quoted, but Ester stepped in to stop her.
Complaining about "don’t shout" felt way too late coming from Ester. I thought back to Lana’s usual over-the-top energy and couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Alright, let’s go hunt us some <Battle Wolves>! Fired up and ready!"
""Yeah!!""
"…Was that phrasing really necessary?"
"Perhaps a more refined choice of words, like ‘training,’ would be preferable?"
Hmm. Seems my fired-up shouting was a hit with Lana and Hanna, but a miss with Sierra and Ester.
Still, it just felt good to let out a heart-shout like that.
Anyway, we charged into the boss's room. After breaking for lunch and pushing on hard, by the 38th run, something unexpected suddenly happened.
"Ah! Wait—don’t tell me…"
Hanna reacted first. Of course—she already knew what I’d encountered once before.
"What the heck, Balff isn’t here. Where’d it go?"
"Zephyrus, could this mean…?"
At some point, Lana had started calling the <Battle Wolf> "Balff." Now she was looking around the room, confused at the missing boss.
Just as she said, the <Battle Wolf> that always greeted us in the boss chamber wasn’t there.
Sierra seemed to recognize what was happening—she caught on instantly.
Ester quietly stepped closer to Lana, as if to prepare her.
"Yeah. As you guessed—we’ve rolled a rare boss."
It reminded me of the time I ran into the <Emperor Goblin>.
The chance of a rare boss spawning was about 1%.
In <DanKatsu>, where an official "exploit tactic" had made boss farming possible, that was actually a pretty high rate.
Roughly one out of every hundred runs, you’d see one. Easy, right?
Though honestly, if you’re aiming for it, it’s faster to just use a rare-boss encounter item.
Counting yesterday’s progress, this was our 90th run. It wasn’t strange that one finally showed up.
At the far end of the boss chamber, light began to shine.
The effect of a rare boss spawn.
We didn’t have much time, so I quickly gave instructions.
"Everyone, listen up! The rare boss will be a single enemy. Its strength is on the level of a Beginner Upper-tier boss. But don’t worry—at our current levels, we can definitely handle it. Just fight as usual, and we’ll be fine. Sierra, start with 『Guard Stance』."
"Understood."
Since I was the first one through the gate, I’d be the first target. Sierra would need to grab aggro right away.
"Once Sierra’s got its attention—Lana."
"Leave it to me! What buffs do you want?"
"Go with Protection. Then, the attackers pile on like usual, but be careful not to draw too much aggro. Any questions so far?"
"Sir Zephyrus, what sort of boss is it?"
Oh—crap. I completely forgot to say anything about that.
Didn’t even mention the name. Guess I got a little too hyped at the thought of a rare boss.
But it couldn’t be helped. Because this one was…
"The rare boss is <Battle Wolf>—Second Form!"
The light cleared at my words, and from it stepped a wolf-type monster about three meters tall.
Way too big! Seriously, it had grown that much!
It still had traces of the first-form <Battle Wolf>, but its appearance had been drastically "evolved."
Its white fur was now entirely gray. Its size had tripled, and its stats to match.
And the face—no longer the slightly cute young wolf it had been before, but something ferocious, cruel.
With each form, the <Battle Wolf>’s fur darkens toward black, and its head and face grow fiercer and more monstrous.
By the final form, it even sprouts five heads. First time I saw that, I thought it was a hydra. Brings back memories.
For now though, the second form still only had one head.
But its motions and skills were way more varied.
Here was the key: rare bosses often unleash a Unique Skill.
For the <Emperor Goblin>, it had been 『Goblin Style: Deadly Shattering Sword』.
For the <Battle Wolf (Second Form)>—
"When you see a red effect and its tail swells up, watch out. That means it’s about to use its unique skill: 『Battle Wolf Style: Blazing Tail Sweep』. The moment you see the signs, either back away or pop a defensive skill."
Just as I finished my warning, the second-form <Battle Wolf> sprang into motion.
Time for a fun fight against a rare boss!
"Bau!"
"—! 『Guard Stance』!"
At the very instant the battle started, it lunged at me with the fastest burst of speed I’d ever seen from a monster. Sierra was a fraction slow to react.
Rare bosses always had stats one full dungeon rank higher than the norm.
When you’re used to Beginner Mid-tier bosses, your sense of speed gets thrown off in a situation like this.
But Sierra recovered quickly, shaking off her hesitation.
"『Blessing of Protection』!"
Just as the wolf switched its target and charged at Sierra, Lana’s buff landed. Barely in time.
"Grrr!"
"Urgh… It’s heavy!"
Sierra grimaced at the impact—an attack stronger than anything she’d faced before.
Yeah, rare bosses were like that. Strong, overwhelming, and terrifying.
I’d gotten wrecked plenty by the <Emperor Goblin> myself.
But this wasn’t the time to just watch.
I jumped into the fray too.
As Sierra blocked with a shield technique, I followed up with a unique skill to inflict a debuff.
"『Brave Slash』!"
"Grrraaah!"
The strike landed clean, dealing heavy damage and leaving a debuff icon floating over it. Nice.
『Brave Slash』 has a slightly long cooldown, but since it applies a debuff, I usually open with it. Thanks to that, we’ve already got the advantage here.
"Next, I’ll go! 『Precious—"
"Grrrrawwww!!"
"Ah, wait! Ester, fall back!"
Because my heavy opener pulled so much aggro, the wolf’s tail suddenly flared bright red.
Its unique skill—『Battle Wolf Style: Blazing Tail Sweep』.
An area-of-effect attack!
But Ester had already stepped forward. I called out, but it was the worst timing—right in the middle of starting a skill. Dodging from there would be nearly impossible!
"Sierra! Cover Ester!"
"『Cover Shield』!"
Without hesitation, Sierra reacted instantly to my command, throwing herself in front of Ester with her shield skill.
At the very last second—right before the 『Blazing Tail Sweep』 landed—she managed to intercept.
"Bau!!"
"『Defense』!"
The <Battle Wolf> spun its whole body in a wide rotation. Its tail, swollen with power, whipped out in a massive arc, flames exploding outward at the same time.
I raised my shield and used the 『Defense』 skill, bracing against the impact.
I couldn’t parry it—my timing and mastery weren’t good enough for that—but that wasn’t my plan anyway.
"Kyaa!"
I heard Ester cry out, though the flames blocked my vision.
Still, she had high VIT and decent mid-tier gear. Even if she took it head-on, there was no way she’d get one-shot. Not with Lana’s buffs backing her up.
The impact slammed into my <Sky Shield> with tremendous force. But thanks to the skill, I held firm. No knockback. And strangely, it wasn’t even that hot—felt more like sitting in a sauna. I could handle this!
This was my moment to strike back!
"『Sonic Sword』!"
"Grr!?"
Right after using a unique skill, the enemy enters a brief recovery state that makes them vulnerable to crits.
I still remember the rhythm from my fight with the <Emperor Goblin>.
Trusting that same feeling, I cut through the lingering flames and landed a punishing blow on the <Battle Wolf>.
That’s why I endured with 『Defense』—to bait out the unique skill and punish the opening. A perfect counter!
The solid impact rang through my arm—just like back then.
Critical hit! It’s down!
"Now! All-out attack!"
"『Prayer of— Eh, wait! Ugh, 『Blade of Light』! 『Pillar of Light』!"
"『Fireball』! 『Flare Lance』! 『Ice Lance』!"
As the flames cleared, the <Battle Wolf> collapsed onto the ground, toppled into a downed state.
Lana, who had almost started a heal, switched gears and poured on the offense instead.
Hanna had been waiting for an opening all along, so she jumped right in immediately.
She’d learned over these runs to stop spamming spells wastefully—now she was timing her casts properly against wolf-type enemies.
Magic rained down on the downed <Battle Wolf>, carving out huge damage.
I piled on with normal attacks, squeezing out as much damage as possible.
In <DanKatsu>, critical hits, big weak-spot strikes, and several other conditions could knock an enemy into a downed state. That triggered a "One More Time"—our free turn.
And if you landed another crit during the down, you could even stun them—provided they didn’t have Stun Resistance. It was one of the main finishers in the game.
Unfortunately, bosses usually do have that resistance, which makes it harder to pull off a stun chain.
The wolf stirred, rising shakily back onto its feet. It had recovered from the down.
"Sierra, can you grab aggro again!?"
"Yes, I can do it! 『Provoke』! 『Guard Stance』!"
Sierra had managed to shield Ester from the 『Blazing Tail Sweep』, but the impact had knocked her off balance, leaving the two of them tangled on the ground. A slipdown state.
Normally, when an ally goes down, immediate cover is critical. Boss AI sometimes shifts aggro toward a downed player, and if that happens, the follow-up can KO them outright. A deadly reverse-finisher.
But since the <Battle Wolf> itself had been downed at the same time, we’d avoided that danger—for now.
Sierra and Ester got back up from their down state and rejoined the fight.
Because I’d just dealt huge damage and pulled a ton of aggro, the target had shifted from Sierra to me. Time to let her grab it back again.
The <Battle Wolf>’s gaze (target) locked onto Sierra once more.
"I-I'm sorry, Sir Zephyrus!"
"Don’t worry about it! Focus on the fight, not mistakes."
"Y-yes!"
Ester still seemed hung up about going down earlier, but that’s something to reflect on after the battle.
It was her first rare boss fight, and the first time she’d ever been on the receiving end of a unique skill. No shame in that. Don’t sweat it too much, Ester.
"『Prayer of Mass Healing』! Ahhh, I’ve always wanted to use this one! Finally got the chance! Oh, and while I’m at it… 『Rain of Life』!"
Lana was practically giddy at getting to bust out an AoE heal. And 『Rain of Life』? That was pure overkill. She even said, "while I’m at it." A soft rain of light fell down, and now everyone had another regen icon stacked on top. Double HoT effect.
But she looked like she was having fun—totally in her element.
See, Ester? That’s the right vibe.
Once our HP bars were topped off, the <Battle Wolf> lunged at Sierra again. The fight was back on!
"Lana, 『Lion』! Ester, spam your skills!"
"Leave it to me! 『Blessing of the Lion』!"
"Understood! 『Long Thrust』! 『Precious Thrust』! 『Legion Thrust』!!"
We’d already carved off a ton of damage. The <Battle Wolf>’s HP was below half now.
But my debuff icon was flickering—it was about to wear off.
So I had Lana buff us while Ester pressed the attack before the debuff faded.
She had the lowest aggro, so she could go all out safely.
"『Shield Smite』!"
Sierra joined in with her own attacks whenever she spotted an opening. A tank should still contribute damage when possible—that’s what experienced players do. And Sierra was already starting to step into that role.
I couldn’t let her outshine me.
"『Brave Slash』!"
"Grragh!"
Timed just right, my strike landed clean.
The debuff icon reappeared, and the blow was strong enough to knock the <Battle Wolf> back.
It staggered—creating a brief opening!
"『Flare Lance』! 『Ice Lance』! 『Fireball』!"
"Going in hot! 『Blade of Light』! 『Pillar of Light』!"
"『Shine Lightning』!"
"Graaaugh!"
The magic team unleashed a barrage, chaining hits one after another.
Perfect. Even Lana, while juggling buffs and heals, had been waiting for her chance to strike. She let off her own spells too—complaining under her breath, but I ignored it.
I threw in some magic myself to pile on the damage.
After that, the <Battle Wolf (Second Form)> never unleashed its unique skill again.
Without that trump card, the fight was stable.
It still bit, slashed, whipped its tail, and charged, but Sierra’s sturdy stats held firm. She tanked like a wall, keeping its attention locked on her the whole time.
I kept expecting another unique to come—but before I realized it, the <Battle Wolf>’s HP had dropped into the danger zone.
"Ester. You can finish it."
"Hah! Here I go—『Long Thrust』!"
"Grr… ghrhhh…"
As if to redeem herself for earlier, Ester thrust forward with her finishing strike.
The <Battle Wolf>’s HP finally hit zero, and with a cascade of dazzling effects, the beast collapsed, dissolved, and vanished.
In its place, four silver treasure chests gleamed.
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