Grifear, King of the Forest

The appearance of the towering bear put everyone on high alert, including Kieran. Like the party's reaction, the stream was in a similar uproar.

Of course, Kieran didn't have the stream chat open, or it would just be one massive distraction.

However, he couldn't just turn off his party member's mouths. Therefore, he was forced to listen to their articulated astonishment.

"Damn, this thing is like a bulldozer or something. How in the hell can a bear get that big? Surely it hasn't taken some kind of mutated Viagra, right?" Altair murmured while also analyzing the Boss.

The towering bear's appearance was a mixture of Guraha and Shibak amplified a few times over. As a genuine Boss, it released a fearsome presence. 

The crystalline armor surrounding its body was already a deep amber color, forming sharp blades that made the bear's limbs far more lethal. A low growl sounded from its throat as the colossal bear revealed its sabertooth tiger-like fangs.

This monster was the boss exclusive to this difficulty.

「 Lv.13 Grifear, King of the Forest (Rare)

Dungeon Boss

Beast Type

Health: 11,000/11,000 (100%) 」

"Oh wow," Sithik muttered in awe, teeth chattering and knees buckling. An urge to release the contents of his bladder overwhelmed Sithik when he locked gazes with Grifear.

"D-does anyone else feel that?" Sithik asked, squeezing the words through pursed lips.

"Feel what?" Altair glanced toward Sithik, noticing his unusual behavior.

"It's suffocating. It feels like I'm a zip lock bag being dipped in water to vacuum seal the bag!" Sithik choked while speaking.

However, Kieran joined the conversation with a peculiar expression. "You're experiencing Boss Suppression. Boss Monsters are different from regular monsters. Some of them possess pressure strong enough to debuff certain players."

Kieran was naturally a player unaffected by such suppression. After all, it was a state that originated from a player's spirit. The stronger one's spirit, the less likely one was to be affected.

"Relax and breathe through it. The pressure is designed to destabilize you. If you let that happen, Grifear will most likely wipe us all out," Kieran directed.

Grifear's name held a hidden warning. If one showed fear within its presence, it would mark the beginning of the end, starting with a near-unavoidable party wipe skill.

A second later, Kieran lifted his Novice Greatsword and began to speak. "There isn't much for me to coach you on here. It's a new Boss, but it's an amalgam of every monster faced in this dungeon."

With his Novice Greatsword raised, Kieran glanced to the side. "Sithik. Cygnus-"

"Yes?" Cygnus called out, clutching her small cross between her thumb and index finger. Although she trembled faintly, she summoned the courage to stand straight and listen attentively to Kieran's orders.

"I'm listening, boss!" Sithik exclaimed.

"Make sure you focus. Pay attention to our Health at all times and maintain a decent distance, preferably at the cusp of your healing range."

Both of them nodded solemnly, conveying that they understood the message clearly.

While Kieran was delivering his instructions, Grifear growled menacingly. Although it wasn't a loud growl, the nearby trees and ground rumbled in response.

'My first Boss since I have returned,' Kieran inwardly remarked. An excited gleam flashed within his gaze as his hand twitched with anticipation.

Understanding that Grifear was an opponent that required all his attention and utmost ability, Kieran made the necessary preparations.

〈System: Strength has risen from 55 to 60.〉

[Attack Power has increased to 152.]

〈System: Agility has risen from 50 to 55.〉

〈System: Control has risen from 30 to 40.〉

His remaining 20 UAP vanished, increasing what Kieran felt was most important in the battle. Next, Kieran used his previously earned SP to improve a crucial skill in his current fighting style.

〈System: You are using 8 SP to increase «Warrior's Aura» from Lv.3 to Lv.5. Continue? [ Y | N ]〉

Once Kieran agreed, the dense blue aura billowing from his body deepened in color and presence, giving off an increasingly overwhelming feeling.

「Warrior's Aura (Lv.5)

Skill Rank: D 

Skill Type: Active

Mastery (00.00%)

Skill Description: Manifests the aura of a Warrior by stimulating their tenacious will. While this skill is active, the user's attack damage increases by 30%. There is a 5% chance of attacks triggering the «Knockback».

Consumption: 3 Mana Points every 5 seconds

Prerequisites: Warrior Class

Cooldown: 50 seconds (Only begins after deactivation of the skill.) 」

…

Once Kieran's Warrior's Aura appeared, Grifear released a deafening roar and rushed toward the party with speed rivaling Hrulhar. Watching a colossal figure move at a velocity that was contrary to its size dismayed the party.

Nevertheless, Kieran's expression grew cold as he dashed forward and intercepted Grifear's advance.

Clang!

Kieran swung his greatsword against Grifear's defending paw and lost some Health, but it wasn't dangerous. However, when Grifear tried to follow up with a second strike, Kieran seemingly vanished.

Altair appeared in place of Kieran's vanishing figure, lashing out his dagger. Due to his movements, Altair spun like a black tornado, unleashing a series of light attacks, garnished with a final Concussive Strike.

The hit-stun effect didn't apply, but Kieran suspected as much. Grifear's DEF and physique were too robust for Altair's trivial STR to be enough.

Furthermore, Altair felt a throbbing pain in his elbow, as if it would snap. 

When Grifear moved to swat Altair out of the air, Kieran intercepted again with a Directional Slash performed in a downward motion.

Tang!

'As expected...' Kieran thought while shaking his hand with a tense expression. 'Grifear's Hardened Trait is stronger than Shibak. If not for my Medallion of Growth, the situation could have been worse.'

In a situation like this, although they were incredibly high but far from their peak, Kieran's combat standards couldn't offset the disparity in attributes.

Grifear's attributes were too absurd, and while players weren't affected by abnormal states induced by the pain of their actions inside Beginner Zones, they could perceive that pain.

Swoosh! Bang!

Before Kieran could contemplate their current situation, Grifear's large paw smashed into the ground and split it apart, launching many rocks in every direction.

Kieran dodged most of the rocks that flew from this attack, but some blocked his vision.

Boom!

Kieran quickly reacted to Grifear's large paw, which tore apart the rock debris, by bracing his Novice Greatsword against his body.

"Ngh!" Kieran groaned.

After landing, he slid across the ground and glared at Grifear, who unleashed another deafening bellow.

As a boss, Grifear's primary instinct was to assert dominance. So emerging triumphant in a clash led to its prideful roar. But, this behavior naturally sparked a subtle reaction within Kieran.

Whoosh!

After two Healing Lights landed on him, Kieran sped toward Grifear. Grifear tried to attack Kieran, but he could easily read Grifear's actions and avoided them.

'Ah. Grifear is a mere low-level Dungeon Boss, yet because of my lacking stats and physique, it feels confident enough to consider itself superior. How far I've fallen...' Kieran inwardly thought. 

"Truly a shame," Kieran muttered to himself before arriving before Grifear a few seconds later.

Usually, Kieran would begin his combination with Charge, for the additional damage, but Kieran decided there was a better and more prudent option. 

Kieran jumped and aimed a Savage Break at Grifear's head.

Bang!

Grifear's head snapped back from the force of the Savage Break and the effects of the Warrior's Aura.

-435

The damage wasn't amazing, but the battle alerts that followed were.

〈Battle Alert: «Grifear, King of the Forest» has been «Dazed». [Duration: 5 seconds.]〉

〈Battle Alert: «Grifear, King of the Forest»'s DEF has fallen by 25%.〉

Dazed was one of the abnormal states players could inflict upon monsters, which differed from Stunned. Whereas Stun robbed a monster's ability to move, Daze also increased the chances of inflicting a Critical Hit.

Although they didn't have a tacit understanding, Altair understood that Grifear's lack of movement meant it was time to unload his skill arsenal. 

In the meantime, Kieran initiated his onslaught as well. Upon landing, Kieran slammed into Grifear as he ignored the budding pain.

"Charge!"

-250 «Stunned»

Kieran wasted no time in following up with a Force Slash that kicked up a few turbulent winds.

…Boom!

-1,459! «Critical Hit»

"HOLY SHIT!" Sithik screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my lord…" Aspaira muttered as she chanted Flame Wave's spell.

Although Sithik and Aspaira witnessed Kieran's earlier damage, the current situation was a shock. It was over 1,000 damage against a Boss Monster, after all.

Of course, they weren't aware that Kieran had increased this skill to Lv.5, which greatly bolstered its damage percentage. Furthermore, they also didn't understand that anyone could achieve such damage.

Why? Because Kieran accomplished this with a mere E Rank Skill!

Following this shock, Kieran, Aspaira, and Altair unleashed a combined total of 4,500 damage before Grifear recovered from its daze.

However, once it recovered, Grifear released a menacing, bloodthirsty growl. Most of its animosity was aimed at Kieran because he was responsible for most of the damage it suffered.

All of a sudden, Grifear's body began releasing an amber glow.