Chapter 6: Intermediate-Level Dungeon, Mid-Boss Begins. Field Boss Incoming!
"As expected of an Intermediate-Level Dungeon… the monsters are really strong."
"Indeed. And compared to beginner dungeons, the MP consumption is much higher. If I don’t consciously conserve it, I’ll run out of MP in no time."
After our first few battles, we were now on the third floor of the <Hill Dinosaur Dungeon>. As the dust settled, Sierra let out that observation almost reflexively.
Ester agreed, and the two of them started discussing their impressions from the recent fights.
"Especially when those fast <Tortors> show up together with those strong <Sauguses>. That combo is a real pain. Maybe it’s just me, but… doesn’t it feel like the monsters are coordinating their attacks?"
For context, <Sauguses> are bulky, four-legged, dinosaur-type monsters. They’re slow, but hit incredibly hard—even Sierra had a bit of trouble handling them.
Still, I had to hand it to her; Sierra’s observation skills were spot on. Joining in on the discussion, I replied.
"That’s not your imagination, Sierra. Monsters in Intermediate-Level Dungeons start showing signs of coordination."
Well, to be precise, it only looks like coordination. They’re not actually working together, but there are monsters that really do later on, so technically, I wasn’t lying.
Even back in the game era, the fast-moving <Tortors> and the strong <Sauguses> often spawned together.
<Tortors> are fast movers that like to leap at you from a distance, while <Sauguses> are slower but rely on powerful charge attacks.
In battle, it’s usually easier to take down the slower <Saugus> first and leave the <Tortor> for later, but if you stop moving too long, the <Tortor> will lunge at you from afar.
That’s why Sierra’s been struggling—it’s a nasty setup.
I gave her a few pointers on countering those kinds of attack patterns and formations. Sierra said she already knew some techniques for dealing with monster coordination and would try them out next time.
Then, turning to Ester, I added:
"Also, as Ester mentioned earlier, monsters get stronger from the Intermediate Dungeons onward, but that doesn’t mean you should rely solely on skills. Still, not using them enough isn’t good either. We’ll have to find the right balance with normal attacks as we fight."
"Yes."
"For now, you should focus on using 『Long Thrust』 more often."
"The first-tier skill, 『Long Thrust』?"
Ester asked, looking a little uncertain that I’d suggest such a weakest skill.
However, 『Long Thrust』 actually has excellent cost efficiency.
It’s a first-tier skill that only costs 4 MP, and since hers is already at Skill Level 5, the damage output is decent.
In comparison, her second-tier skill 『Precious Thrust』 costs 7 MP, making it a bit harder to use frequently.
Using 『Long Thrust』 twice deals more damage overall than a single 『Precious Thrust』. It’s also easier to weave in between normal attacks.
Even upper-floor monsters can’t be taken down with one 『Precious Thrust』 anyway—it takes two hits, which means 14 MP total. That’s a lot for one enemy.
If she alternates 『Long Thrust』 with regular attacks, she can still finish an enemy in two skill uses for just 8 MP.
A difference of 6 MP may not sound like much, but over time, it adds up. Efficient MP management will become crucial later on. I explained all of this to her.
"I see. Understood. I’ll build my strategy around 『Long Thrust』 for now," Ester said with a nod.
"Well, I’m not saying don’t use 『Precious Thrust』 at all. Just find a balance between them."
Intermediate-Level Dungeons really are a world apart from Beginner ones. The scale, the enemy strength—everything’s on another level. For now, we’ll take it slow and get used to the new rhythm of combat.
"Hey, Zephyrus, this dungeon’s really big, but how many floors does it have?"
Lana called out from behind, apparently waiting for the conversation to finish before asking.
Oh! She’s asking me? Nice. Ask away, Lana—I'll tell you everything!
"The <Hill Dinosaur Dungeon> has 30 floors. I might’ve mentioned this before, but every 10th floor has a teleportation circle that connects back to the Dungeon Gate. Also, around the 10th and 20th floors, there are what we call Field Bosses. You can still move on without defeating them, but unless you take them down, you won’t be able to use the shortcut teleportation circle—"
"Wait, wait, hold on, Zephyrus! You’re talking way too fast! How am I supposed to follow all that at once!?"
Ah, whoops. Guess I got a little carried away—Lana actually asked me something, after all.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry."
"Geez..."
After that, I slowed down and explained properly.
"One of the biggest differences between Beginner and Intermediate Dungeons is the appearance of Mid-bosses—they’re called Field Bosses. They show up every 10 floors and guard the shortcut teleportation circles. Once you defeat them, you can activate the shortcut circle that teleports you to the area near the entrance on the first floor."
These bosses are different from the final-floor bosses, but the rewards aren’t much less impressive. They drop treasure chests, materials, and activate teleportation circles.
And the best part—once you’ve activated one, you can temporarily return to the surface every 10 floors. Fantastic, right?
"But that’s not all! You know why they’re called shortcut teleportation circles? Because—get this—they’re two-way!"
I declared it with the energy of an announcer cueing up a drum roll. It’s amazing—unlike Beginner dungeons, Intermediate ones let you resume from where you left off!
In other words, you can start again from the 10th floor. Super convenient!
Lana’s reaction to hearing my explanation was—
"Oh, that? Yeah, I know about that. It’s kind of famous."
"Oh. You do, huh?"
Well… yeah. Fair enough.
"But a Field Boss, huh? I wonder how strong they are?"
"Ahem. They’re pretty strong. There are lots of types of Field Bosses, but none of them are pushovers. For example—oh, right. Everyone, listen up! Be especially careful of roaming-type Field Bosses. That’s one thing you absolutely need to remember."
While answering Lana, something important came to mind, so I made sure to tell the whole group.
"‘Roaming-type’? What’s that?"
"That’s a boss that doesn’t stay in one place. It just wanders around the area. Encounters with these types usually happen suddenly, when you’re not properly prepared, and that’s when they can really mess you up."
Unlike the guardian-type bosses that appear at every 10th-floor interval, roaming types constantly move about and will attack on sight. Be careful, because if you don't regularly heal your HP, you might end up challenging the boss in a critical condition from the start and get wiped out instantly.
I learned that the hard way back in the game day. I used to be lazy about healing and only restored my HP right before big fights, so I’ve had more than a few painful run-ins with roaming bosses. Sometimes we’d just get totally annihilated. So yeah, I drill this lesson into everyone. That said, roaming types only start appearing on lower floors, so we’re safe for now. Still, better to be aware.
Because roaming types are such dangerous bosses, I'm explaining it thoroughly.
"Also, the trickiest roaming bosses are the small ones. Big ones are obvious—you see them and go, ‘Yup, that’s a boss.’ But the small ones? They look like regular mobs, and before you realize it, you’ve picked a fight with something you really shouldn’t have. So if you run into a monster you’ve never seen before, always assume it might be a boss."
In the game version of <DanKatsu>, you’d notice right away from the boss music, but this is real life. You might not realize it in time.
I gave that little lecture as we kept descending, step by step.
Our first goal: the 10th floor.
After walking for a while, we finally reached it around 2 p.m.—the 10th floor, our target.
"We finally made it to the 10th floor!"
"Lana, you’ve still got so much energy. I totally get how you feel, though."
Well, yeah—playing a game like this just naturally gets your blood pumping.
It’s probably the same kind of magic that makes girls instantly cheerful the moment they eat sweets.
Even though we’re only on the 10th floor, it’s already two in the afternoon. That’s because this Intermediate Low-tier Dungeon layer is ridiculously wide. Exploring just one floor takes quite a bit of time. Plus, since this is our first time in an Intermediate dungeon, we’ve been taking things slow—getting used to the monsters, the traps, and the overall pace.
It kind of reminds me of the first time I ever played <DanKatsu>.
Along the way, we also found a few treasure chests.
Even in Intermediate Dungeons, chests can spawn at dead ends.
Based on experience, I had a good sense of where to look, and sure enough, we found three chests so far. They were all just wooden ones, though. Only one of them was trapped, which I neatly disarmed using the trap-removal item I’d practiced with back at the Trap Removal Division.
The girls’ reactions when I pulled that off? Oh, man, that felt good. Total admiration. Wouldn’t mind another chance to show off, honestly.
We’ve also been unlocking hidden doors smoothly.
There’ve been two so far before reaching the 10th floor, both with treasure chests—silver ones, at that.
One of the <Silver Chests> contained a map of this dungeon, found on the second floor.
The other had a fishing item: a <Durable Rod>. I’ll save that for when we go fishing someday.
Gathering materials has been going great, too. It seems the rumors were true. This dungeon isn’t very popular, and there are tons of untouched gathering points left. Actually, scratch that—completely untouched. Jackpot.
Normally, the <Hill Dinosaur Dungeon> isn’t that hard as long as your stats are high enough, and it’s loaded with gathering spots, making it a really good dungeon in my opinion. But here in this real-life version of <DanKatsu>, there aren’t many people with high-ranking jobs or boosted stats yet.
So yeah—it’s kind of a hidden gem right now.
Once the first-years catch up, this place’ll probably be packed. I should take advantage while it’s quiet and gather as much as I can. With my <Gentle Shovel>'s 『Double Yield』 skill, I’ll haul in tons of loot.
"Hey, Zephyrus-kun, there’s supposed to be a boss on the 10th floor, right? But… I don’t see any boss room."
Hanna looked around curiously.
"Ah, right. Like I said before, this floor’s boss is a Field Boss, so there’s no dedicated boss room. It’s stationed as a gatekeeper near the entrance to the next floor."
The 10th floor looked the same as all the others—just another regular level.
Only the deepest floor has a boss chamber and a safe zone. The middle floors? All standard.
That means we have to fight the Field Boss out in the open—definitely a bit more intense.
As expected of an Intermediate Dungeon.
I unfolded the dungeon map we found in a hidden room earlier and pointed to a general area.
"The boss should be around here."
"Hey, I wanna fight the Field Boss! Let’s go already!"
"Hold up, Lana. Like I said, it’s at the end of the floor. We should explore a bit first."
"But I can’t wait! Skipping one floor’s worth of exploring won’t hurt anyone!"
Ah, there it is, Lana’s good old impulsiveness. Then again… that’s kind of her usual vibe, isn’t it?
Lately, I’ve stopped even thinking of Lana’s whims as actual selfishness.
Maybe, just like Ester and Shizu, I’ve been a little captivated by her charm?
I found myself staring at her.
"…W-what?"
Her silver hair fluttered as she flinched slightly, looking flustered.
It’s true—Lana’s cute, cheerful, and that smile of hers fits her perfectly. She really is wonderful.
Apparently, at the academy, there are even groups like the "Princess Guard" or the "Protect the Princess’s Smile Squad." People just keep falling for her charm one after another. She’s got this strange kind of magnetism about her.
Actually… hasn’t her charm level gone up since the first time we met?
"Well, fine."
"Really? Great! C’mon, Ester, Hanna, Sierra—let’s go!"
Yeah… I might be one of those people who’ve fallen for that smile, too.
In the end, I gave her permission.
I’m probably just as soft on her; I can't really criticize Ester and the others.
When I see Lana all smiles, running ahead so happily, I can’t really bring myself to stop her. Maybe I’m getting a little too relaxed… I’ll need to stay sharp.
"Ah, hey, Lana, not that way. The field boss is over here."
But of course, some things never change—she’d gone the wrong way again.
Lana, looking flustered, hurried back with her face bright red.
"I-I just got a little flustered, that’s all! I realized it right away, so it’s fine!"
"What kind of excuse is that?"
Pretty sure it’s not fine, actually.
Anyway, I pointed her in the right direction, and she quickly headed that way—probably to hide her embarrassment.
"Shall we follow?"
"Yeah. She probably doesn’t actually know the route."
Prompted by Sierra, we started after Lana.
And, just as expected, she came back again soon after—to ask for directions.
If you don’t know the way, don’t take the lead.
Same as always, Lana’s still a clumsy tsundere. But that’s part of her charm.
After about fifteen minutes of walking in a straight line, with a few battles along the way to warm up, we finally encountered it.
"H-Hey, Zephyrus? That thing looks really scary…"
So much for her earlier energy. Lana was clearly intimidated by the dinosaur-like boss.
Well, can’t blame her, though. Those huge dinosaurs are pretty intimidating, aren't they? It's way bigger than I expected.
"That must be the field boss we heard about, right? Probably the evolved version of those <Saugus> we ran into earlier," said Sierra.
"Right on. Be careful—it's charge power’s way higher. Its attack strength alone is no joke."
The 10th floor’s field boss was a <Saugus>-type monster called <Jura Saugus>. It was a quadruped with a body like a triceratops, but its neck stretched long like an ostrich’s, scanning its surroundings warily.
We were still a good distance away, but once we got close, it would turn aggressive and attack us.
Also, unlike the small fry on the way here, bosses rely heavily on skills, so we’d have to be careful. Skills hit a lot harder than normal attacks.
I gave everyone a quick rundown of its known skills and behavior patterns to prepare for the fight.
"I see. Got it."
"Alright then, let’s go in once everyone’s ready. Lana, handle the party’s recovery."
"Leave it to me! 『Prayer of Healing』!"
Once our preparations were complete, we began our assault on the field boss.
"Gyurarararara!!"
<Jura Saugus> let out a low, earth-shaking roar.
It had noticed our approach.
The once-docile monster turned its whole body toward us, letting out a full-bodied threat display. It looked like it could charge at any moment.
Yeah, we’re being treated as enemies, not prey. Not sure why.
We’ve never fought this thing before, but maybe it could just sense that we were here to kill it.
"Pretty sharp one."
"Zephyrus, quit joking around and focus. 『Provoke』!’"
With Sierra’s taunt skill, the battle officially began.
Field bosses pick their first target at random, so the tank has to pull aggro immediately—standard procedure. Well, nothing new there.
"Gyurarararara!!"
"Spread out!"
The boss locked onto Sierra, and <Jura Saugus> roared. Then, its massive body glowed with a faint yellow aura. That glow meant one thing: a skill activation.
A 『Charge』-type skill, common among quadruped monsters.
<Jura Saugus>, wrapped in yellow light, lunged forward with tremendous speed.
It was a very telegraphed beginner-level move, so it was easy to dodge.
However, Sierra deliberately took it head-on with her shield.
"Urgh… that’s heavy…"
A loud clang echoed through the field as Sierra gritted her teeth, her boots sliding back slightly under the impact.
She didn’t use a defensive skill; it was just a plain block. It was a dangerously simple move against a skill attack, but despite her words, she absorbed the blow with ease. As expected of Sierra.
"Buffs incoming! 『Blessing of Protection』! 『Prayer of Healing』!"
Seeing that, Lana began her buff and healing routine. As usual, Sierra had told her earlier to let her tank the first hit unassisted, so the timing made sense.
With buffs applied to everyone and Sierra’s minor damage instantly healed, the fight stabilized.
"Gyurarararara!!"
The boss, frustrated that its charge was stopped, swung its neck in a whip-like motion. Another skill—『Head Strike』. Sierra quickly raised her shield and stepped back, narrowly avoiding the blow.
"It’s open! Attack in intervals! 『Lightning Slash』!"
"Roger! 『Long Thrust』!"
"『Flare Lance』!"
"Gyurararagaah!!"
Since this was everyone’s first Intermediate boss monster, I had the team start cautiously—probing its movements before committing to offense.
Ester, still on high alert, attacked from mid-range with 『Long Thrust』, a fast, low-cost spear technique—smart choice for quick retreats.
As for me, I already knew <Jura Saugus>’s behavior pattern, and even if I took a hit, it wouldn’t be fatal—so I opened with a heavy attack.
Hanna used the power of <Maholitan R> to cast offensive spells, but she was clearly ready to switch loadouts at a moment’s notice. Her adaptability in boss fights was impressive.
"Uh oh—area attack! Evade!"
"Got it!"
"On it!"
"Gyura! Gyuragh!"
The moment Ester and Sierra reacted to my warning and leapt backward, <Jura Saugus> began swinging its head and tail wildly, spinning half a turn on the spot, then another half turn. Anyone standing close to the boss would’ve been sent flying.
That spin attack might be a basic move, but it’s notoriously tricky to dodge. Thanks to my callout, though, everyone managed to get clear in time.
The spinning attack knocks you back if it hits, and you have to move away to avoid it, so melee attackers have to reposition themselves—it's a rather annoying attack.
But for ranged attackers, it’s the perfect opportunity. After all, the boss just spins in place, and with the front line retreating, their line of fire is wide open.
"This is my chance! 『Shining Blade of Holy Light』! 『Sacred Tree of Holy Light』! 『Blade of Light』! 『Pillar of Light』!"
"Gyurara-gagh!?"
Lana’s barrage of spells lit up the field—four powerful holy magic attacks in rapid succession. Judging by the boss’s pained roar, that did a lot of damage.
As expected of our ace magic attacker.
But it wasn’t over yet—because our backline had another threat.
At some point, Hanna had set her <Manalite Staff> down on the ground. In her freed hands, she now held two alchemical weapons—one shaped like a cannon tube, the other like a short wand.
"Fire awaaay!! Alchemical Cannon! Alchemical Staff!"
When Hanna aimed both arms at the boss, a pop! Rang out as a yellow-green energy ball shot from the cannon tube, while a beam of fire blasted from the wand-like item—both landing clean hits.
"Gyuraraaaagh!?"
BOOM! BOOM!—Two massive explosions followed. That was Hanna’s signature <Bomb>-type attack.
Her big reveal.
The cannon-shaped one was a <Tube Cannon: Energy>, and the staff-like one was a <Flame Ray Wand>.
Both are offensive items with limited uses.
They might not look like bombs, but <Bomb> is the general item category for attack tools—so yes, both the <Cannon> and the <Wand> technically count as bombs.
Incidentally, she did have a more traditional <Bomb>-type item, but Hanna’s throwing skills were so disastrously bad that she shelved it until she gets a 『Throw』-type equipment enhancement. Hopefully soon.
For now, since she doesn’t have 『Throw』 gear, she’s sticking to ranged bomb-types like the <Cannon> and <Wand>.
Still, Hanna’s got good aim; she can even hit fast <Wolves> with her shots, so it’s a smart choice.
The materials and crafting costs are steep, but the firepower is incredible—comparable to Lana’s 『Blade of Light』. And with no cooldown, she can fire as much as she wants… until the usage count runs out.
After Hanna’s full bombardment, <Jura Saugus>’s HP dropped visibly—a big chunk gone in an instant.
"S-so strong!!"
Hanna was stunned by the sheer power of her own attack. It was easily the most serious damage she’d ever dealt.
By the time her ammo finally ran out, her total damage output had nearly caught up to Lana’s. It was crazy stuff.
Even better, one of her hits landed a critical, sending <Jura Sauguss> into a critical down state. Every follow-up blast hit perfectly, one after another.
Meanwhile, I fired off long-range spells to keep up the pressure, and when Hanna’s barrage ended, Ester and I closed in to unload our strongest strikes.
The burst damage scrambled the boss’s aggro list, but Sierra quickly pulled all the aggro back under control. Thanks to her tanking like a rock, never flinching even against the boss’s heaviest hits, the fight stayed steady from there.
Then, with its HP deep in the red, the boss roared and entered rage mode.
"Gyuraraaaaaagh!!!"
"Its power and speed just went up by fifty percent! But it’s almost down, everyone, finish it with everything you’ve got!"
""Yes!!""
From Intermediate Dungeons onward, bosses in rage mode don’t just hit 50% harder, but they move faster, too.
If you can’t adapt instantly to that speed, you’ll be wiped out, which is why the difficulty of bosses increases significantly from the Intermediate Dungeon onwards.
"Not happening! 『Fortress Shield』!"
Sierra cut in front of <Jura Saugus> as it charged toward the backline, planting herself like a wall.
"Gyuraraaaa!!"
The monster slammed into her full force. Unlike before, this was a far stronger blow. An unprotected Lana would’ve lost over 70% of her HP from that hit. But Sierra wasn’t bare this time. She had both the 『Protection』 buff and the 『Fortress Shield』 defense skill active.
So then… which one won?
"Huff!"
"Gyura!?"
Sierra didn’t even flinch. It was a complete defensive victory for Sierra.
Despite launching the attack, the <Jura Saugus> was the one repelled instead, stumbling backward in confusion.
"Attack now! 『Lightning Slash』! 『Falcon Strike』!"
"『Precious Thrust』! 『Flash Strike』! 『Long Thrust』!"
"Gyurara-gaaah!!!?"
"—Watch out! It’s doing an area attack!"
"Got it!"
Having taken heavy damage from Ester and me, the <Jura Saugus> tried to drive us back with a desperate spinning attack, but that was a bad move.
"Now’s our chance, Hanna! 『Shining Blade of Holy Light』! 『Sacred Tree of Holy Light』!"
"Yes! Please go down already! Alchemic Cannon!"
Just as Ester and I jumped back to clear the area, Lana and Hanna’s devastating attacks struck the boss head-on.
"Gyuh… gaa… raa…"
At last, its HP hit zero. And with a burst of massive visual effects, <Jura Saugus> let out a final groan and dissolved into nothingness.
And in its place… a golden treasure chest gleamed brilliantly.
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