Ding...the elevator doors slid open.
“Come to think of it,” I said, “what was the Limited Dimension Wave event to obtain the Prado Desert like?”
“We wandered endlessly through the Desert of the Lost until we stumbled upon a strange ruin,” Emoji explained. “Then, after braving trap upon trap, we defeated the Ancient Weapon Calderon to lay claim to it.”
“Hmm... Once development’s done here, it’ll probably open up as a Memorial Quest.”
Will it drop a powerful weapon like the cutlass?
“Quests are important, right? I’ll try to tackle it with L’Arc.”
“Should I take a crack at it too?”
“I’m sure you’ll clear it on your first try, island lord.”
I’m not so sure about that... With Cal Mira, I managed to get through by coincidence.
“And now, the boss.”
Emoji pointed ahead to a throne. In front of it lay the sad remains of a dragon. The large-scale boss had to be around fifteen meters in length.
Yep...she wasn’t wrong when she called it a variant of the Dragon Zombie.
I swapped my Hunting Gear to fishing rod mode, intending to use it as a projectile weapon.
Gear of the Great Blue Sea ☆
□ (Harpoon-Exclusive Slot) Lizardman’s Spear
■ Munagi Bone Rod
■ Blue Shark’s Ice Knife [Sinner of Thieves]
■ High-Density Enhanced Energy Blade Attachment V
Unique Effects: Water Attribute Boost, Harpoon Weapon Scaling Up, Guidance of the Great Blue Sea.
It’s been a while since my last battle.
I could switch out my Energy Blade for a proper bow. The issue with doing that was the arrows—since I was stuck in an environment without Romina, I’d have to make them on my own.
Hmm...yeah, I’m better off subbing in the rod and lures.
“I will start by taking aggro,” Emoji declared. “Once it’s locked onto me, you two attack at will.”
“Got it.”
“Understood. If we’re short on manpower, I can fill in our numbers with Pekkles. C’mon Pekkle.”
“Pen!”
I’d already dismissed Brave Pekkle to help out on the surface, but...surely it’d be fine. These boss battles were where he shined brightest.
“With Kizzy around, we can make up for any missing party members. It’s super convenient.”
“Island lord... Does that not mean you can solo any content you please?”
Yes, but it’s incredibly depressing to think about.
Sure, I had cleared Cal Mira’s lord quests almost completely on my own, but that didn’t mean it was a fun thing to do. During the demon lord’s invasion event, I’d also formed a Pekkle raid team with Yamikage.
“You’ll get there too, Emoji... Eventually.”
“I’d imagine so... Well, I was growing tired of dealing with those people anyway. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for a fresh start.”
“You’ll end up as loners if you lean too much on NPCs,” Therese cut in. “You both need to keep it in moderation.”
Well yeah...that was where we would end up if we took the idea of fighting alone too far.
“First, the buffs. Magic Up! Maximize Power! Speed Clock!”
Emoji began to cast support spells on me and Therese.
Ooh...so this is what buffing is like in this game.
Thinking back, Shouko and I were just powering through everything with our own abilities without any of this kind of support. Support? Coordination? Isn’t that supposed to be part of the fundamentals?
As Emoji closed in on the Devil’s Dragon, the corpse lurched upright with the same recycled animation from the Dragon Zombie.
“GAAAOOOOOO!”
Like that, the battle had begun.
I slipped into combat mode, the flow of time around me slowing to a crawl.
“Holy Ball!”
Emoji immediately chanted some form of light magic, striking the Devil’s Dragon with glowing blasts in rapid succession.