Confronting Frigmentum

The air inside the boss room was thick, suffocating even. As the enormous gate creaked shut behind us, my heart pounded in my chest. My crew and I stood at the edge of an open arena, a dim blue glow radiating from the center. In the middle stood the floor boss—a humanoid figure with a translucent, water-like body. It was as if the creature was a living vessel of liquid, shimmering with an eerie golden aura that pulsated with power.

My APW (All Purpose Weapon) hummed softly in its gun form as I stared at the creature. The system's familiar voice echoed in my head.

[Frigmentum – Rank: B]

A powerful water elemental with regenerative abilities. Capable of reviving defeated allies.

Before I could even digest the information, a second alert followed.

[Reviving defeated entities… Mid-Bosses detected.]

I gritted my teeth as I watched four familiar forms materialize around Frigmentum: the Swamp Chief, the Shadow Stalker, the Siren Queen, and the Rockjaw Troll.

"What the hell is this?" I muttered.

Tsuki stepped forward, her tails swishing confidently behind her. "It's reviving the mid-bosses we defeated earlier. This isn't just a fight—it's a test of endurance."

Wogg grunted. "A test we'll pass, my lord."

I wasn't so sure. Fighting a B-tier monster while handling four C+ mid-bosses wasn't my idea of fun. But there was no turning back now.

The floor boss raised one of its watery arms, and a volley of water bullets shot toward us with terrifying speed. I dived to the side just as the stream smashed into the ground, leaving a jagged crater where I had been standing.

"Those things could punch through rock!" I shouted.

Tsuki smirked, her blades gleaming in the dim light. "Good thing you're not made of rock, master."

Wogg charged forward, engaging the Rockjaw Troll with a ferocious battle cry. His massive axe met the troll's stone-hard fists, sparks flying with every clash. Tsuki dashed toward the Shadow Stalker, her movements so swift she seemed like a blur.

That left me with Frigmentum.

I adjusted my APW, shifting it from gun to blade form. The weapon's edge gleamed as I lunged toward the boss, aiming for its torso. The blade sliced through its watery body with ease—but something was wrong. The creature's liquid form reassembled almost instantly, and the golden aura surrounding it flared brighter.

"This isn't working," I muttered.

Frigmentum retaliated with another volley of water bullets, followed by a larger, green-tinged shot. My system chimed in.

[Warning: Poison Bullet detected.]

I leapt back just as the poison bullet struck the ground, the acidic liquid hissing as it melted through the stone. My heart raced. One hit from that, and I'd be done for.

Meanwhile, Tsuki and Wogg were struggling to keep the mid-bosses at bay.

"I just killed this thing!" Wogg growled as the Rockjaw Troll got back up, its wounds mending in seconds.

"The floor boss is regenerating them," Tsuki shouted, dodging an attack from the Shadow Stalker. Her blades flashed as she counterattacked, driving the shadowy creature back temporarily.

The Siren Queen loomed nearby, singing a haunting melody that sent waves of dizziness through the arena. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to stay focused.

"We can't keep this up forever!" I called out.

"We don't need forever," Tsuki replied, her voice steady. "Focus on the boss. If we take it down, the mid-bosses will fall too."

She was right, but the problem was how. My attacks weren't doing any real damage to Frigmentum, and its golden aura made it practically invincible.

I dodged another poison bullet, my mind racing. There had to be a way to beat this thing. I focused on the golden aura, trying to pinpoint its source. That's when I noticed it—a faint glow at the center of the creature's chest.

"The core," I muttered. "That's it!"

I switched my APW back to gun form, taking aim at the glowing orb within Frigmentum. The boss seemed to sense my intent because it shifted its body, making the core harder to target.

"No, you don't," I growled.

I fired a volley of bullets, each one narrowly missing the core as the boss unleashed another wave of water bullets. One of them grazed my shoulder, the impact sending me staggering back.

"Master!" Tsuki called out, her concern clear.

"I'm fine!" I shouted, shaking off the pain.

I needed a clear shot, but Frigmentum wasn't giving me one. Its attacks were relentless, forcing me to stay on the move. Then an idea struck me.

"Tsuki! Wogg! Distract the mid-bosses!" I called out.

"On it!" Tsuki replied, diving into the fray with renewed vigor.

Wogg slammed his axe into the Swamp Chief, sending the creature flying into the Siren Queen. The distraction was just enough.

I sprinted toward Frigmentum, weaving through its attacks as I lined up my shot. My APW hummed in my hands, the barrel glowing with energy. The boss fired a poison bullet directly at me, but I jumped to the side at the last second, landing on one knee.

"Got you," I whispered.

I pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck the core dead center. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the golden aura shattered like glass, and Frigmentum let out an ear-piercing screech. The mid-bosses froze in place before disintegrating into blue mist.

Frigmentum's body began to collapse, its watery form splashing onto the ground until nothing remained.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of our heavy breathing.

"We did it," I said, rising to my feet.

Tsuki walked over, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Told you it would be interesting."

Wogg nodded, resting his axe on his shoulder. "That was a good fight, my lord."

As the adrenaline wore off, we turned our attention to the treasure chest that appeared in the center of the room. Inside, I found a gleaming sword.

[A-Tier Sword Acquired.]

"Not bad," I said, inspecting the weapon. But there was something else in the chest—a strange, cube-shaped object.

"What's this?" I asked, holding it up.

Tsuki frowned. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it."