Polyopus. That name was not in the reference materials.
It’s three meters tall and it has one, two, three… tentacles that push it past ten meters.
“Will long range attacks not work?”
I ask without thinking.
No, we don’t have enough information to make that call.
Let’s remember the rules of the dungeon before thinking about polyopus. Monsters that appear in this boss room derive from monsters of this dungeon.
There are two answers. It looks like a kraken, so it could be an evolution or variant species.
It could also be a monster that hasn’t been discovered in this dungeon. After all, this dungeon has unexplored lands.
It’d be trouble if it was the former, but how is it actually looking? We could retreat, but we’d be done if it also appeared next time.
We need to start by collecting information.
But staying still and cautious isn’t good either. We don’t know how bosses spawn.
It would be fine if another one came after this was defeated, but if another spawns with time, it might be more than we can handle.
I can’t see us fighting this polyopus and a new monster.
“We need to check what attacks work. That one was just an attack from the front. Let’s split up and attack!”
Argo takes the initiative, most likely thinking what I’m thinking.
Instead of blindly charging forward, we need to think about collecting information.
What will the polyopus do when attacked from multiple directions? We might learn how it defends.
Argo, Rick and I stand in front, and Hikari and the others split to the left and right.
I hold up my shield and cast Provoke, but the polyopus doesn’t look at me. I have to draw its attention by attacking.
We spread out and face the polyopus, and each of its tentacles attacks like they have minds of their own.
One bare fangs to bite, another uses breath, another uses magic. And some just strike.
I step firmly forward in face of this fierce attack, and slowly fall back.
I block attacks while thinking this thing is trouble, sweep tentacles away with my sword, and deflect breath.
Argo and Rick also focus on dodging, and are slowly pushed back.
Hikari and the others move in from the sides, and match their timing as they throw weapons.
The polyopus uses two tentacles on both sides to block.
This time, throwing knives’ magic effects activate, but they don’t seem to have caused damage.
Still, it eases the pressure on us, and we manage to move forward.
I put the shield in the Item Box and step forward to slash.
The slash is stopped by a tentacle, and we clash. There’s a metallic sound, and I feel the impact on my hands. It repels me and tries to attack with another tentacle, but I stop it with my sword on the rebound.
This tentacle is the opposite of the other, and feels elastic when my sword touches it.
It bends when I push my sword against it, but it doesn’t cut.
In fact, when I push my sword, it pushes back. This recoil throws me back, where another tentacle is attacking.
The face in the tip looks at me, and opens its mouth wide. Is it going to bite or use breath?
I quickly recover from my posture breaking, take the shield from the Item Box, and prepare for an attack that doesn’t come.
Why? As I wonder that, Argo and Rick are attacked by tentacles after stepping forward, and go back.
Are they okay, I think as I look at them, but their expressions tell me they’re in trouble.
I thought they suffered damage, but they don’t seem to be particularly hurt.
I need to check, and as I cast Appraisal on them, I see status effects.
“Recovery!”
They’re cured of paralysis and poison.
“Thanks.”
Argo blocks a tentacle with his sword, and cuts half of it when he swings back.
I figure they’re going to push forward, but Argo retreats as the cut tentacle regenerates and sweeps where he was standing.
“You knew?”
“Yes, that’s how it got me before.”
I see, he experienced it already.
And we’ve learned that each tentacle has different peculiarities… Abilities.
We’ll have to deal with that as we fight, and we’ll learn more about them as we do.
Thanks to my Memory skill, I just need to see them once.
Thankfully, their faces and subtle differences make it easy to remember.
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