Fight against the Wolf King
The progression of dungeon difficulty, ranging from Easy to Hard, adhered to a predictable pattern where the monster levels ascended with each tier. However, Nightmare's difficulty defied conventional expectations; it wasn't merely a heightened version of Hard but a unique challenge. In stark contrast to the Hard difficulty, where elite enemies assumed the role of boss monsters, Nightmare dungeons presented a distinct paradigm.
In the realm of Nightmares, elite adversaries that once stood as bosses in Hard mode became integrated into the horde of common enemies; this strategic shift meant that the primary adversary in Nightmare Dungeons now held the prestigious title of a King Level monster. This designation, particularly daunting when dealing with offensive foes such as wolves, marked a substantial departure from the standard difficulty scaling.
Adding another layer of complexity, the boss monster in Nightmare Dungeons emerged with formidable strength. It possessed a randomized buff and a unique skill. These unpredictable enhancements significantly elevated their combat prowess, introducing unpredictability to each encounter. Conquering Nightmare difficulty stood as a remarkable achievement, underscoring the formidable challenge posed by these dungeons and the strategic finesse required for a successful first clear.
David looked at Sarah and the rest of the party members. "As far as I know, Jason might also be entering the boss room."
"Would you like me to lead for the boss?" he asked. He already had an idea after looking at Sarah's team and their dynamics.
This time, Sarah and her teammates agreed.
"Good!" David smiled as he summoned his beloved staff.
The team walked towards the centre of the room, where a giant wolf was sleeping soundly. "A lot of teams try to use their normal skills, and that does work, but given we have to clear it the quickest, there is a much easier way."
"Erina, can you deal damage?" he asked. Erina was silent for some time, then glanced at Sarah, who gave her a gentle nod.
"fine!" she muttered. "I can. The attack doesn't deal much damage but reduces the opponent's defence."
"She has the perfect skill for dealing with single enemy opponents!" David grinned.
"I don't feel perfect", Erina muttered to Sarah as the two watched David grin.
"So here is the plan...."
The team players quickly got into formation.
Erik stood behind the wolf, while Sarah and Joy stood near its two sides. As for David and Erina, they stood in front of the wolf king's vision.
"I think it was a bad idea to tell you my skill", Erina mumbled.
"Do you trust me?" David smirked.
"Of course n-" but before she could finish, David picked her up in the arms before launching a lightning spell at the Wolf King.
For an enemy the size of a king-tier aberrant wolf, a level 1 Lesser Lightning spell was like a scratch on the wolf's head.
"GRRRRR", it suddenly growled, displeased to have its sleep disrupted by someone. They got up and looked in front to notice a puny human standing before him.
"HOWWLLLL", it howled, as it lunged towards David insanely.
With Erina in her arms, David ran towards the gate from where they entered with all his strength.
"NOW!" he shouted, as Joy suddenly activated his 'taunt' skill, causing the wolf king to get confused about who to attack. Taking advantage of this, Erik smashed the ground with gauntlets, causing a wall of fire to head straight for the wolf.
"now!" David said to Erina as she cast her spell, causing a beam of mana to be shot towards the wolf. David joined the fray, using all his remaining mana and cast a barrage of lightning spells towards the monster.
"GRRRRAAGH!" the wolf could sense that Erik's attack was the strongest, as it dodged the flame, only to get hit by Erina and David's attacks.
"SARAH!" David shouted as Sarah leapt in the air, her sword infused with Icy mana, and executed a sword strike, causing the wolf's head to detach from its body.
"YES!" Erik and Joy ran towards Sarah, but suddenly, the wolf's eyes lit up as it tried to land one final slash at Sarah. David leapt in the air as he smashed the wolf's claw with all its might, preventing it from reaching her.
"phew, I knew this might happen." David grinned as he wiped the sweat off his face. The other party members looked at the smashed claw, which had nearly reached Sarah.
"T-thank you!" Sarah muttered.
"It's okay!" David grinned. "After the 'merging, ' when the other races started to interact with us, we learned that Orion gives a buff or debuff only from a pool that can be utilized by that race. Thankfully, wolves don't have the strongest genes. So it was easy to guess what buff he might have had."
[ David has defeated a Level 18 Aberrant wolf (King). You have received 100 exp]
Everyone's system rang, and they realized they received an artefact of some sort. "You can have the monster drops", David said to Sarah, not interested in the drops.
[ Your Party has defeated 'Fang Caverns' at Nightmare Difficulty]
[ You have received 1000 exp, 1x Rare Item, 1x Uncommon Item, 3x Common Item]
[ You are being awarded the First Clear reward ]
[ You have received 2 x level up, 1x Rare Item ]
The party quickly exited the dungeon, finding them back outside the gate where they entered it from
"LET'S GOO. WE WIN!" David jumped in the air as he rushed towards Tom, celebrating his victory with him.
"WOOHOO, My boy", Tom smiled as the two smashed their fists.
While celebrating, Jason and his team spawned in front of the dungeon gate. Jason knew they had lost the challenge, as they hadn't received the reward for the first clear. The condition of his team members didn't look the best either, which signified that they did not have the best experience inside the dungeon.
"DAMNIT!" Jason roared.
"hey Jason", David smirked.
"Your Nightmare's just beginning."