MTLNOVEL Chapter 366: part 2
At this rate, it doesn't seem like the threat was high enough to be seriously worried, but from the 91st floor onward, we reorganized, Slime-san and Dancing Girl-san, both high in defense, would take the front, while Armored Pres-san and I moved to the wings as high-mobility types.
I threw myself into the fray with my body already starting to self-destruct. Slime-san and Dancing Girl-san halted the oncoming swarm of baboons at just the right moment, and I sent in the Shoulder Guard funnels ahead of me to pierce into the crowd. Then, gripping the 『Staff of the World Tree』 I waltzed in, activated『Magic Wrap』, and slashed through the baboons using 『Kyojitsu』, tearing into their right flank as I slipped behind them. From the left, Armored Pres-san jumped in, while Slime-san and Dancing Girl-san spread out to the sides, shifting from defense to offense, and now the baboons had to deal with attacks from four directions. Even if you have shields, getting hit from the sides or rear makes them useless. Without a commander, the horde fell into disarray, unable to coordinate. They crashed into one another, and one by one, were wiped out.
『Ultimate Baboon Lv 91』, may be ultimate, but in the end it's still a baboon? I mean, maybe it's the strongest of its kind, but it's not even the strongest of all monkeys, just baboons? And this was the first baboon-type monster we've ever met, so I've got nothing to compare it to? First baboon acquaintance?
Still, with 『All Resistances』『Slash Immunity』 and 『Magic Immunity』and level 91 on top of that, it was no joke. Even targeting its weak spot with blunt damage was tough, since it had shields and armor, and its physical stats, especially PoW and SpE, were both well into four digits. If the classmates had only brought two parties, this would've been impossible. With monsters like this, if they coordinate as a group, they can overpower you with sheer numbers. If you don't run, they'll wear you down and tear you apart.
But we had a plan. Not just a tactic, we had both a plan and a countermeasure. Since they only had 『Magic Immunity』 I threw oil into the middle of the mob and set it on fire. No fire immunity meant instant panic. And with that it became impossible for them to coordinate their actions. Still, the real threat was their overwhelming numbers. And the countermeasure is 『If they want to overwhelm us with a violence of numbers then we will overcome their numbers through overwhelming violence』 If they bring 100 monsters, we respond with 10,000 attacks. Yep, a flawless plan.
Still, once combat shifts into high-speed movement while using 『Magic Wrap』both the Shoulder Guard funnels or Sword Rain become too much of a burden, making things too hard to manage. And once I lose control,『Magic Wrap』 goes berserk and starts breaking the body down from the inside. But even so, by the time we're dealing with enemies this strong on the 90th floor, holding back could get me killed at any moment, so I have to go in with everything I've got.
But even if self-destruction begins, ever since I acquired 『Great Sage』,『Regeneration』 has been working better and healing much faster. I'm probably also benefiting from shrouding myself in『Healing』 and 『Recovery』 effects, too. If that's the case, then I should have 『Resurrection』 applied as well, right? So maybe dying just a little bit isn't that big of a deal? I kind of hate the way it sounds though!
Against a single foe, the balance holds, if I don't mess up my movements, I can fight without risking self-destruction. But once I start layering on remote control-based mass attacks like 『Mobile Shoulder Guard Funnels』 or the 『Infinite Magic Hands』 with 『Magic Thread Wire Cutters』, or even Infinite Magic Hands wielding weapons for a full-blown Sword Rain, then I exceed my processing limit. It might seem reckless, but I want to understand the breaking point, the limit where I can just barely maintain the equilibrium. Because if I rely on only one thing, I'll eventually hit a wall.
Of course, the only reason it becomes unmanageable is because I'm leaping into swarms of enemies with only a handful of allies, so it puts a strain on me. In more sparse encounters, like those on the 92nd floor, I've started getting better at handling everything at once. Perhaps it's because fewer remote-controlled elements and fewer enemies make it easier to process? Well, iron-scale armored『Scale Ostriches Lv 92』make perfect targets for Magic Thread. By releasing threads during high-speed dodging maneuvers, I could slice right through them. Turns out armor, if it has any gaps at all, is surprisingly vulnerable to 『Magic Thread』.
These ostriches are hyper offense-focused, with minimal defense or defensive skills, easy to bring down if you can dodge them, but if you go head-to-head, even at level 100 you could get killed. That's exactly the kind of match-up I don't want the classmates getting involved in. If one of these birds, with a 『Penetration (Defense Nullification)』 trait, stabs them with its beak or slashes with those taloned feet, the attack might go straight through, and that could be fatal. I sort of feel like the lower floors of the Dungeon seem increasingly filled with monsters designed specifically to counter high-level adventurers.
Once we hunted down the last of the ostriches, we go for the hidden room. Slime-san, all jiggly, looked absolutely delighted, it must've eaten a lot of ostrich.
As expected, the treasure chest had no lock. And of course, no traps either. Inside was a set of 18 『Enchanted Throwing Blades – Slash(Greater), Throwing, Homing, Mana Conductive, +ATT』, a nice bundle of hidden weapon. Basically a set of throwing knives, though the handles were ring-shaped, allowing them to be used like short swords, but they also could be tied together with a tread or cord and swung like chained weapons. But… what if we attached these to the ends of Dancing Girl-san's chains? That might let her 『Slash』with them too?
Anyway, judging by the feel of『Space Perception』, the next floor is the bottom. Dungeon Master-san's room awaits.