The 10th Level, where the Boss waited for explorers to challenge it, differed from all the preceding Field Area floors. Its territory comprised the area around the stairs leading up to the 11th Level, which meant that you had to defeat it if you wanted to ascend any farther. Unlike on the 2nd to 9th Levels, no monsters prowled the 10th. There were some herbivorous creatures wandering around, but they were all the Boss’s prey. The Boss was so overwhelmingly powerful compared to the other monsters below that the dungeon had given it an entire floor so it wouldn’t descend to the lower levels and ruin the ecosystem.
“GRAAAAAAHHHH!”
Its roar echoed through the room, and Sumire flinched back from the noise. We were standing at the exit near the stairs and observing what was happening on the 10th Level. Before us stood an enormous shadow; smaller shadows rushed around it.
“Aaaahhhh!”
“H-Help!”
“We need to reorganize ourselves! Anyone who can fight, stay where you are!”
“Captain, don’t be ridiculous! We need to retreat!”
“We can’t! This time, for sure... This time, for sure, our country will get past the 10th Level!”
I recognized the combatants as the Blue Sea Union explorers who’d bullied their way past us at the Dungeon Elevator. Looked like they were having a hard time against the Boss.
“Let’s get closer so you can observe another team fighting a Boss,” I suggested. “It’s safe so long as you don’t get too close.”
“R-Really?!”
The relaxed expression that Sumire had worn while we explored the lower levels had vanished. This should serve as good experience for her. Since she was still trembling, I took her by the hand and led her closer to the Boss.
As the Blue Sea Union’s exploration team continued to engage the Boss, I could see a glowing white line around them. This was the Challenger’s Border. So long as we stayed outside of the line, the Boss wouldn’t attack us. Ostensibly, anyway. If we needlessly taunted the Boss or attacked it from this distance, it would still retaliate. That was why explorers who weren’t interested in or prepared for a fight never crossed the line.
I won’t so long as those guys aren’t getting wiped out, anyway. From my observation, several members of the Blue Sea Union team were injured, but fortunately, no one had died yet. They were at a disadvantage, so no one would blame them for retreating. Explorers could challenge a Boss as many times as they wanted. They didn’t have to defeat it today. However, it seemed that their captain was the stubborn type.
“Gah!”
The Boss tossed another explorer into the air. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground. The dust that rose from the impact reached Sumire and me where we stood watching.
Not everyone had to fight the same Boss. Sometimes, it would be a Giant guarding the stairs; on other days, it would be a Dragon. After an explorer defeated a Boss, a new one would appear to take its place the next day. If an explorer tried to take advantage of the lull in between Bosses, the stairs leading up to the next level would disappear. The only way to ascend to the next floor was to defeat the Boss. Currently, the Boss of the 10th Level was a vicious black-hued Troll.
A black monster, huh? Those usually had highly aggressive personalities. Even worse, it was a Large Boss. Bosses were categorized into different sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and Colossal. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
“H-Hey! You’re that student explorer we saw on the 1st Level! Help us out!” the captain said after he noticed us.
Easier said than done... As an outsider, I’d receive a penalty if I walked into the Challengers’ Area.
“E-Eugene, you won’t help them?” Sumire asked, tugging on my sleeve.
“I’ll receive a penalty if I interfere in a Boss fight without an official request or permission,” I explained. “People outside can observe this fight through the Satellite System.”
I looked up at the round machine floating above us. It was responsible for streaming the fight to the Satellite Systems outside, and I was sure that the dungeon staff and supervisors were watching over us through those screens.
“Wh-Why won’t you help us? You plan to just watch us die?” the captain yelled.
Does this guy not even know how to ask for help? The dungeon staff should’ve explained all this before they went in. But then...
“We are members of the Blue Sea Union, and we request your aid!” another explorer exclaimed, raising the flag to indicate their need for reinforcements. That one over there knew the rules that explorers had to follow when inside Babel.
All right. Now they’ve officially requested my help. However, it was still up to me to decide whether I actually wanted to lend them a hand. These guys were pretty rude to us when we met them in front of the Dungeon Elevator, but... I sensed Sumire looking at me with a mix of expectation and anxiety. I guess I don’t have a choice.
“Sumire, I’ll go help them. Stay here,” I said.
“O-Okay! Be careful!”
With that, I walked inside the Boss’s territory.
♢ Sumire’s POV ♢
The massive Troll stood at around five meters tall, and the entire floor rumbled each time it took a step. My body trembled at the sound of its terrifying roar. Eugene’s expression never wavered from his usual calm, but would he really be all right against such a horrifying creature?
“Aaaahhhh!”
The Troll sent yet another explorer flying. Oh my God, it broke his leg. I’m so scared! I’d never realized how dangerous dungeon exploring really was. Our journey up to the 9th Level had been so peaceful, so I’d had no clue what it was like at the higher levels. The Troll was holding a large log like a club, and he swung it down on the captain. Oh no, watch out!
“Captain!” a member of his team cried.
“Run away!” yelled another.
“A-Aaarrgh!” The captain couldn’t escape; he was tripping over his own feet in his panic.
I-If that Troll hits him, he’ll die!
Boom! The club hit the floor so hard that it was like an earthquake. I’d squeezed my eyes shut on instinct, and I slowly and fearfully opened them to see...
“You all right, old man?”
The captain was sitting on the floor, knees still knocking together, while Eugene, expression relaxed, blocked the club with one hand.
Huuuuh?! “Wow, amazing, Eugene!” I blurted out. Now that I was paying closer attention, I could see a white glow emanating from Eugene’s hand. He had cast a magical shield between his palm and the Troll’s club. H-He blocked the blow with such a small shield?
“Old man, hurry and get out of here,” Eugene said.
“S-Sorry!” The captain, who had been so high and mighty when we first saw him, scrambled to safety on all fours.
“The rest of you, flee the Boss’s territory!” Eugene barked.
“A-All right!”
“Thank you so much!”
“You saved us!”
The explorers hurried to obey Eugene’s order, pausing only to help their wounded.
“GRAAAAHHHHH!”
The Troll roared, furious that he’d stopped its attack. It raised his foot high into the air, prepared to bring it down on Eugene!
“Barrier Magic: Greater Lightshield.” A larger shield of light appeared on Eugene’s arm.
No, why aren’t you dodging it?! I thought. Then I realized he was staying there until all the explorers could make it to safety. In other words, Eugene was acting as bait to keep the Troll occupied.
The Troll stomped down to crush Eugene, but a dull clang, like the sound of cars crashing into each other, rang out through the air.
Before I knew it, I was screaming, “Eugene!” But when I saw what had happened, I blinked. Huh? The Troll’s foot hung suspended in the air. Meanwhile, Eugene was standing stock-still in the same spot where I’d last seen him. The only difference was his expression. He was furrowing his brow a little, as if the attack were on a par with a pebble striking his foot. Uh... That’s insane, Eugene...
The explorers, who’d fled from the Boss’s territory, were staring back at Eugene and the Troll, their mouths hanging open.
“Amazing...”
“No way!”
“Just who is that guy?”
“GRAAAAHHHH!” the Troll bellowed, as if letting out its frustration at Eugene and his meddling. It raised its fist and brought it down, over and over. Bang! Clang! Boom! Bang! Clang! Boom! It punched and stomped Eugene as well as striking him with its club. The ground shook and the air trembled as it continued its rampage, each attack sounding like a miniature explosion.
Eugene continued to stand there, not moving a single step, as he endured the attack with a pained look on his face. Um, actually, can I describe that expression as “pained”? His expression looked more like he was thinking, Man, it just started raining, but I forgot my umbrella at home.