Its strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Goliath. Finn burst free of the dust, eyes locked on the jet-black Goliath. When the monster abruptly ceased its sonic barrage and lunged across the ground toward him, his brows knit tight.
Huge body, yet faster than a normal Goliath.
Finn felt the headache coming on. Strong offense, tough defense, ranged attacks, sharp reactions, and rapid regeneration—this Goliath was beyond what a typical Level 4 could handle.
A large-scale, high-destructive spell might outpace its regeneration and deal a lethal blow. Without magic, they would have to strike its magic stone directly. In those brief seconds, Finn finished his assessment of the black Goliath.
He stopped at once. Left foot forward, right hand reversing on the spear shaft, he leveled the point at the creature's center. Drawing a deep breath, he shouted—and hurled his spear with everything he had, invoking the throwing magic he could use only once per day.
Blue light sheathed the weapon. The instant it left his hand, the spear tore the air, racing faster than sound straight for the Goliath's core.
"!?"
Sensing mortal danger, the Goliath thrust both palms forward to catch it.
Clang!
The moment metal met flesh, the spear sank through its hands and kept going, the piercing force unstoppable. It punched through the palms—then through the monster's chest—pinning the giant in a heartbeat's "pause."
When that suspended instant ended, the towering body shattered, collapsing into white ash that scattered across the ground. A massive magic stone slammed down with a thud. At its crown, a small, clean hole showed where the spear had gone through. That hole was the true cause of death.
"Haa—"
Kill confirmed. Finn let out a quiet breath.
"Here."
A spear was suddenly held out beside him—his own, the one he had just thrown.
"Thanks, Tsunayoshi."
Taking it back, Finn looked again at the giant magic stone before them.
"The Dungeon's abnormal incident gave rise to a Goliath this distorted… it's a real problem. Even a first-class adventurer would find that thing a headache."
"I'd say worse than a headache," Tsunayoshi replied. "If you hadn't gambled everything on that throw, even after piercing its body your strength wouldn't be enough to damage the magic stone inside. A monster's internal stone is far tougher than its outer hide."
"…That's the shortcoming of the Pallum," Finn admitted with a wry note. "In strength and endurance, we don't have much advantage. With that Goliath's defense and regeneration, ordinary wounds recover in seconds. If it isn't a one-strike kill, a drawn-out fight will wear me down."
This aberrant Goliath was exactly the kind of enemy Finn least wanted: overwhelming defense and relentless regeneration. Drag the battle out, and any party would be bled dry.
"In raw power, Gareth wouldn't lose. And in destructive force, Riveria's magic can achieve a one-hit kill—only…"
"Only Gareth's destruction may not keep pace with its recovery," Tsunayoshi continued, comparing the two. "And Riveria's spells need time to chant—time a Goliath with ranged sonic attacks won't allow."
Finn picked up where Tsunayoshi left off, stating the conclusion plainly.
"Each of us has a clear limit. If we cooperate, the three of us can handle a monster like that much more easily. Split apart, we'd spend far more effort to bring it down… right?"
"Mm." Tsunayoshi nodded. The trio complemented one another perfectly across different specialties; together, their power spiked. Separate them, and their effectiveness dropped. Target them appropriately, and their output plunged further.
"Even though this Goliath's done, floor bosses are clearly being affected," Finn said. "This abnormal incident might be touching other bosses too."
Troublesome. He had to factor that possibility in, especially after facing a fully aberrant Goliath whose abilities far outstripped the norm. Without that all-in throw, they would have needed Riveria or Gareth to finish the job.
"Are you sure the Amphisbæna at the Great Waterfall hasn't reached its refresh date yet?" Tsunayoshi asked again.
"It hasn't," Finn answered. "The Guild tracks those times carefully. The last Amphisbæna was hunted a week ago by the Ishtar Familia—three weeks remain until its next refresh."
Before the expedition, Finn had reconfirmed every floor boss cycle. Goliath and Amphisbæna are the regularly hunted bosses—the upper-layer terminus and the middle floors—so their timers are the most accurate. There's no mistake.
"In that case, we should make for the second safe floor as soon as possible," Tsunayoshi said. "But I really want to know what's happening inside the Dungeon to affect the bosses like this."
He truly was curious. It had happened in the story—but only after gods entered the Dungeon, triggering its backlash. What, then, had happened now to provoke such a response?
"We'll have to wait for the results of the investigation," Finn replied. He was curious as well—more than that, he wanted to know who or what had thrown the Dungeon into such an abnormal state.
(End of Chapter)
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