Chapter 249 – Easy one on one.

“That takes care of the chamber guards.”

Roland relaxed while looking at the victorious Agni that was standing over two monsters that looked like crabs covered in volcanic armor. The ruby wolf wasn’t much behind when it came to fire resistance and with the added armor, the volcanic decapod had no chance.

The creatures in this part of the dungeon were randomly chosen and these were not the best of guardians in a tighter corridor. The most dangerous part about them was the high-pressure projectile spit. But thanks to his magical shields he didn’t even need to worry about dodging.

“You’ll have to sit this one out Agni.”

“Awoo?”

It was time to face the boss, this time around Roland decided to try a more direct tactic. Usually, his tactic involved using his golems to seal the big dinosaur’s movement before he delivered a devastating blow. It was a safe way to go about things as the monster had a few patterns that could be seen through.

Yet his level had progressed past this monster’s. He had achieved his second tier 2 class and was already hundred thirty. The Bladed Volcanic Xornotaurus which was behind the door would usually spawn at a slightly lower level than that. Even though boss monsters were considered stronger than adventurers at the same level, this wasn’t always the case.

“Let’s go Agni, just stay in the back and don’t engage the monster unless I tell you to.”

Even though he intended to have a proper one-on-one battle with the monster he wasn’t stupid. Something always could go wrong so he needed to have a backup plan. Thus he opened up the mule golem and let six of his spider drones outside. After opening the boss chamber he ordered them to surround the area and stay at the edges.

There it was, not long after everyone got in place the large monster descended from the ceiling. Even now this boss looked ferocious, the size difference was tremendous. It was somewhat strange but he didn’t feel that he was in any danger. Even though normally that mouth should be enough to devour him in one bite, the monster felt below him.

Previously when facing this monster he felt a strange pressure weighing him down. It was his survival instinct kicking in and trying to force him to flee. Yet this time around there was none, it was as if he was up against a regular dungeon monster.

To the side was his enlarged kite shield that he had rammed into the ground. For the time being he decided to hold his large hammer with both his hands. Right as the monster descended to the ground he initiated a spell effect.

The head of the hammer began releasing a blue glow that enhanced the runes. It started with a pale light that continued to darken. Soon enough a chilling energy wave escaped from the focal point at the tip. This energy looked like a simple cone of cold but it had gone through several enhancements.

Just as usually the Xornotaurus variant had been caught off guard the moment it descended down. The chilling spell started to quickly drop the temperature around its body. This as per usual caused the monster to go into its enraged state. While in it, it was able to produce a high amount of heat to counter the cold.

“Hm… it doesn’t look like it can oppose the cold spell fully.”

Due to Roland’s stats, the Xornotaurus was faltering. The magic that not only intended to freeze the monster was also damaging it. Sharp ice crystals along with torrents of wind were slowly chipping away at the fuming dinosaur’s body. In the past when he faced it, his spells were not able to counter the volcanic flames but now the monster was faltering.

“Is it due to the difference in stat multipliers?”

It seemed that he wouldn’t even have to do much to win this fight. Just using his hammer to freeze the Xornotaurus was working well enough. The monster was trying to gain some momentum by running towards him but before it reached his location it would be frozen or severely weakened.

Yet before he could cheer for his victory the monster’s back spikes began to glow red. They quickly dislodged themselves and traveled upwards. This gave Roland enough time to grab the shield that he placed down on the ground. The hammer’s handle gave out a metallic noise as it shortened itself.

The spike missiles that the monster gave out were all focused on his location while ignoring anything else. It was clear that the monster realized that its main enemy was the armored man. Usually, it would use this attack as a way of suppressing a larger number of enemies but it apparently could also aim it at one.

However, even though the missiles rained down onto his location they only collided with a large shield of ice energy. A few large explosions caused the whole area to shake and even some of the rocks on the ceiling began falling down.

“Awwoo!”

“I’m fine, just stay there Agni.”

Agni called out to his master as he got ready to jump on the Xornotaurus’ neck. Yet after hearing Roland’s voice he quickly backed away. He was fine, the shield and his stats were enough to only take minor damage from this attack. Something that could have previously killed him instantly was now a minor inconvenience.

“Not bad… what will you do now… rushing in?”

The monster was usually quite smart but even it would lose itself to rage. After seeing that its attack didn’t work it decided to rush forward. Its body was engulfed in even more flames than before. Each step it took caused the ground to shake and also left a searing claw print behind.

‘Is it banking on those flames resisting the frost spells during the charge?’

It wasn’t a bad tactic, even Roland’s ice spells would take some time to take effect. A high enough temperature could be enough to keep them in check. The monster hoped to devour him at close range with its advantage in strength.

Roland decided to take the monster up on its offer but before it got here, he swung his now one-handed hammer in an arc. This produced a blade of cold energy that flew forward. The Xornotaurus didn’t dodge it and allowed it to collide with one of its legs. The timing was just right to throw it off balance. Coupled with a stomp that produced a small rock obstacle, the tactic was complete.

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The Xornotaurus was charging forward with its toothy mouth opened wide. Its intent was to chomp down on the iron human as fast as it could. Yet this fast pace was a double-edged sword, by forcing it off balance it wasn’t that hard to dodge the chomp. Almost instantly the hammer was used to smack the large jaw that missed the mark.

A loud sound of the monster’s head being hit echoed through the whole cave. It’s head jolted back as it was smacked away, its maddened charge only adding to the devastating effect of this hit. With Roland’s current strength and addition of buffing effects, the damage was real. Sharp teeth that riddled the creature’s mouth along with magma flew in all directions

It was still too soon to celebrate his victory, while the hit caused a lot of damage the monster was not dead. Instead of falling to the ground, the monster dinosaur caught itself with the help of its powerful legs. Quickly it shifted its weight to use its last trump card, the huge tail that had the shape of a sword.

Roland defended himself yet even after putting up a strong barrier he could feel it. The monster might have been below him in stats but it was still several times heavier. With the added weight behind the attack and momentum, it was several times stronger.

He could feel the swordtail smashing through the barrier spells and finally connecting with his shield that was blown to the side. His left hand felt like it was close to falling off but he somehow managed not to be flung away.

Even though the Xornotaurus’ mouth had fewer teeth it didn’t stop it from charging once more. After doing a spin around it glared at the enemy that caused it so much pain. To its surprise, the armored man just stared back. This enraged it, a massive shout of intimidation was followed by a buildup of fire energy in its mouth. The monster was intent on burning this troublesome enemy to ashes.

Roland on the other hand didn’t budge and remained silent. His shield was blown to the side so he could not use it to defend himself. Instead, the cannon on his shoulder took aim, as the monster opened that maw a concentrated bolt of energy interrupted it. The monstrous dinosaur had a special organ that was responsible for producing those flames. This was something he knew and this same organ was the one that was now damaged by the blue sphere of mana.