Chapter 19 - Boss Fight

You obtained one coin.

Congratulations! The skill Power Shot has leveled up.

Power Shot Lv 3 ➞ Lv 4

Effect: Increases the dexterity temporarily by four points per second.

Cost: 2,5 Stamina per second

You obtained 01 status point.

Congratulations! The skill Accuracy has leveled up.

Concentration Lv 2 ➞ Lv 3

Effect: Increases the chance of dealing a critical hit by one percent per level.

You obtained 01 status point.

"I guess this is it… slimes are good to let people understand that their lives are on the line now," Ryan muttered. "But only at the very beginning."

Three hours had passed since Cole, Anna, and Carter left the dungeon. They were probably heading back, so it was time for Ryan to see if he could kill the big slime. Trying to level up Power Shot to the next level would probably take five to six hours, so Ryan made his choice.

"Maybe I should have left the slimes scratch me with their Water Arrows at least once," Ryan said and then sighed.

That was one way to learn another skill, but since Ryan wasn't skilled enough, he might end up dying or losing a limb. That level of madness was beyond him… at least for the time being. Ryan could always try again as long as he manages to escape. There was also the option of hunting other monsters. His Power Shot would level up faster against a pterodactyl or velociraptor based on what he saw and heard. That being said, Ryan didn't want to change his initial plan all that much. If that could really be treated like a tutorial dungeon, he was supposed to kill the boss after spending almost five hours there. As long as the boss wasn't more than ten times stronger than the ordinary slimes, Ryan would be able to pull that off. But if that weren't the case… Ryan didn't want to even think about it.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained…" Ryan said and then sighed. "To deserve that treasure, I will need to put myself at risk."

Ryan began to walk toward the end of the dungeon. Before reaching the end, he had to kill five slimes. At that point in time, killing those was like breathing to him. So, Ryan even had the chance to make some math. Shooting a full concentrated Power Shot would be like if Ryan had forty-five points of dexterity. Considering that hitting the core of the big slime would be equal to cause critical damage, perhaps that damage caused would duplicate or perhaps triplicate. However, by shooting four of those, Ryan would be able to cause damage that would be equal to one hundred sixteen points of dexterity. However, if the slime's body were stronger than he had imagined, he wouldn't be able to cause any critical damage…

"I guess I will have to make a bet in this situation," Ryan concluded. "Slimes aren't like animals that can suffer when wounded. So, the boss won't stop attacking me even when it is close to death."

That kind of thing was terrifying since Ryan was unable to do the same. Still, Ryan was aware that a beast could be even dangerous when wounded. So, perhaps that was for the best. The boss was in the same position; Ryan found a few hours previously. It was hard to tell if the creature was sleeping or awake since slimes didn't even eyes, but Ryan concluded that the creature was sleeping since when he stepped on the last part of the dungeon, the creature didn't move, even though he was fifty meters away from it.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Ryan said and then took a deep breath.

In the end, Ryan decided to take his chances against the slime by trying a single concentrated Power Shot. After attacking with that, he would only have two points of stamina remaining, so he would probably feel exhausted, but he would have to make it do with that much energy remaining.

Since the slime didn't move, Ryan had a lot of time to aim. He still had five iron arrowheads that weren't damaged, so he would use them first. After nocking the arrow, Ryan aimed and then pulled the string, he begun to feel his stamina being drained at a rapid pace, and his body got heavier, but he also could feel his power being concentrated on the arrow.

Suddenly the big slime twitched, Ryan didn't know why, but the creature probably felt that its life was in danger, even slimes had good instincts, after all. Regardless, Ryan couldn't stop aiming, he still needed to concentrate for two more seconds before attacking. However, he only had time to concentrate for one more second since a Fireball as big as he appeared in front of the slime.

Congratulations! The skill Fear Resistance has leveled up.

Fear Resistance Lv 1 ➞ Lv 2

Effect: Decreases the effect of magic attacks that may cause fear by one percent per level.

You obtained 01 status point.

Ryan fired his arrow before the shivers could control his body. At the last moment, Ryan lowered his stance in order to not let his arrow being damaged by the Fireball. He actually succeeded in preventing that, and he threw himself to the side because at the very moment he shot, the Fireball was shot toward him.

Congratulations! The skill Heat Resistance has leveled up.

Heat Resistance Lv 1 ➞ Lv 2

Effect: Decreases the damage caused by all fire-type attacks by one point per level even when they don't damage you directly.

You obtained 01 status point.

Ryan managed to evade the direct hit, but the power of that Fireball was the real deal. The air around it even vibrated and almost made Ryan's clothes burn. Ryan ignored the heat and readied himself again, only to find another Fireball being created when he aimed. Unlike ordinary slimes, the boss didn't have to wait five seconds to use magic.