by Way Woo
Growing on what appeared to be its hands were compact bony outgrowths that looked like skeletal gauntlets it used for pulverizing its foes.
That was frightening enough, but it looked like it was about ten feet tall, causing its already fearsome arms to become even more than that – each fist looked like it could take a single adventurer and crush it!
Jake’s wonder had snapped the moment the voice in the sky spoke.
[A Boss Monster has arrived. All adventurers, join forces and defeat the Werecrocodile!]
Another massive roar that almost shook the foundations of Brino later, and Jake was glaring at the beast with eyes containing nothing but distilled anger, bat in his hand in a vice grip.
The monster, on the other hand, saw that this puny human had not been affected by its roar.
It decided to take a more direct approach to things.
The Werecrocodile dropped its tail to the ground, lowered its stance, and charged.
Episode 9
***
Jake Smithson only had a moment to register the monster moving towards him before he could throw himself to the side, the Werecrocodile missing him by inches.
He easily rolled, and when he got up, some of the adventurers who had just finished with the elite goblins were moving in.
Jake was about to warn them off when the beast’s massive fists punched the ground, causing him to wobble – and the would-be attackers to stop in their tracks…
…where they were sitting ducks to the elite goblin archers left.
He could see some of the knights immediately going down from the first volley of arrows.
But the goblins escorting the Werecrocodile couldn’t fire any more arrows as another small group of knights from the opposite side sprang into action, going after the archers themselves.
They made a decent showing, up until the Werecrocodile smashed the ground again, causing cracks and tremors to radiate from where it dropped its fists onto the earth.
That was when the screaming started.
“Damn it!” he shouted, thinking about how his invulnerability to the arrows of the goblin archers wouldn’t mean a thing against the Werecrocodile’s fists. “I should have rolled towards those guys, not away from them!”
But the first deaths served their purpose.
The remaining adventurers were forced to withdraw.
Jake was among them.
This is – I can’t think of how to beat this guy! He’s got me on reach and strength!
As the adventurers were pushed back, Jake fought his way to the front of the group, his defense against ranged attacks coming in handy against the last remaining goblin archers.
All the while, Jake was thinking only one thing: how to take the Werecrocodile out.
Damn it, Jake thought as he turned to the corner of his eye and found the sole option to use if he wanted to have a fighting chance. I have to use the reward here.
After another punch sent several adventurers flying, he made up his mind. Time to use the compensation I got for the damaged package.
[Adventurer’s Thirst for Power: If you require gratuitous amounts of energy, drink this blend of chocolate, strawberry, and raw power. May give you bioluminescent perspiration or cause you to vomit matrimony. You will have so much energy for some time, your base stats will be doubled, but since this is a highly-caffeinated drink, it will put a burden on your body after its effects wear off.]
The Adventurer’s Thirst for Power.
I wanted to save this for another day, but… damn it.
The Adventurer’s Thirst for Power was this game’s version of a high-caffeinated energy drink, made to drive away drowsiness.
For someone who works the night shift, it is less a luxury and more a necessity.
Jake also had an unhealthy habit of drinking energy drinks: when doing overtime, when at the club, and when staying up late buying various things on the Internet.
Now, though, it’s not just an energy drink – it’s an energy drink for adventurers.
The can looked like the ones he’d usually buy, too. But there were some slight differences, and based on this drink’s effects, he’d only have half an hour to do the job before the side effects kicked in.
Jake’s pleasant thoughts of chugging energy drinks and rapping by himself like he was chilling at a club came to a halt as he made his choice.
He had to drink it now.
It wouldn’t make sense if I can’t shop anymore because of this thing. Besides, I could keep the can after drinking it.
His hesitation slowly faded away as he finally realized what he was truly fighting for: he didn’t need to save the world. Or this town. Or the adventurers here.
Jake just wanted to keep on buying from the Hero Shop.
It just so happened that saving his fellow adventurers, the town of Brino, and this world, was a part of that.
And this was why he rolled away, procured a can with familiar black wrapping, tore open the tab, and began chugging.
He couldn’t go to the Hero Shop if he died, and to him, that was even worse than death itself.
The only way he could continue to live to shop was if he took on the Werecrocodile and won.
He went back into the fray as soon as the empty can of energy drink vanished in his inventory.
***
The instant the flaming sword swung at the Werecrocodile’s face, Jake took the momentary reprieve to roll away and bring out the can of Thirst for Power from his inventory, and drank all of it down in one gulp.
As soon as he took the last sip from the can, Jake could feel energy coursing through his body.
He laughed out loud as the sensation filled him.
Haha! This looks like it’s 10 times better than the Blue Wings I used to chug, Jake thought. Even crocodile guy over here looks like a joke.
“Anyone here with long-range attacks?” he asked loudly as the effects of the drink started to kick in. “I need some support! I’ll take on the boss head-on, give me some covering fire!”
Apparently, drinking the Thirst for Power also cleared Jake’s head – he’d normally do all of this himself, but against a boss? He’d need help.
But as he turned his head back for a moment, the battlefield was nearly empty, and what was left of the elite goblins – as well as the Werecrocodile – was beginning to turn to him.
Barring a few adventurers, everyone else had retreated to the main gate of Brino – nobody wanted to come forward.
“Either we die like sheep or we die fighting. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going down without a fight! Let’s take this guy together!” Jake screamed, politely omitting his motivation for fighting.
What came back to him was silence.
Everyone tried to turn away from the battle with their heads down, but someone stepped up – a young man with a cloak and a dagger.
“You, you… and you,” he began, pointing towards several adventurers. “You guys have either magic or bows and arrows. Are you going to help?”
“What? What do you know?” one of them replied. “I don’t have such a skill!”
“Will you shut up?” the other one shouted back at Emmanuel. “You’re putting me on the spot here!”
“I’ve already seen what you can do. If we don’t fight, we’ll die anyway. You saw that guy fight right? If we all help him, we’ll survive."
Despite the mayhem going on outside, Emmanuel was able to speak calmly at the confused and frightened adventurers.
But it seemed his word was not enough to get them to assist.
“What’s this guy saying?” one of them added. “What do you know? How do you know my skill?”
The tension at the main gate began to ratchet up, as the suspicion the adventurers had about Emmanuel overwrote their need to work together and defeat the Werecrocodile, who was by now very close to Brino.
“NEED A LITTLE HELP HERE!” a frustrated yell came from outside, and as Jake looked at the adventurers arguing, he bega
n to think that maybe taking this drink this early was a bad move.
Another tremor rocked the town, and Jake barely escaped this time.
I should probably cut my losses and run if these idiots don’t get their act together! Jake thought, unable to find a solution to this problem as he avoided another punch from the Werecrocodile.
He swung for the wrist joint, but the bat barely made a dent.
But if I did, the village would be lost. We wouldn’t be able to have a space to heal and rest. We don’t even know where the other cities are, and if they’re still standing.
What to do, what to do…
I could stay here and fight until these idiot adventurers pull their collective heads out their asses and help, and that would mean we’d keep Brino going.
But if I left, I could get stronger on my own, enough to take that Werecrocodile out myself!
He looked to the horizon and was about to take the first step away when a fireball smacked into the Werecrocodile’s face.
“If you’re going to leave, I’ll kill you myself and save the boss the trouble,” Liam quietly said, but his voice carried a tension that Jake could hear from a distance away.
Jake gave a humorless chuckle and cracked an elite goblin’s neck with a bat swing.
Oh, NOW they’re showing up to fight when the pretty-boy here tells them to, he told himself. Cloak boy couldn’t get them to help.
I don’t like this situation.
But I’m going to work with what I have.
Besides, I still have the buff from the energy drink.
Party time.
***
While Jake was dodging another hail of arrows and finishing off the Werecrocodile’s escort, he was also taking out his frustration on what had happened.
Just my luck. I do the heavy lifting and hold the line against this big bastard when everyone else is cowering behind that wall, and out comes this pretty boy looking all cool and shit, then everyone is back in fighting form.
Figures. This is just like the time when I paid the lion’s share to rent out a room at a club, and my good-looking, popular friend who just came along ends up grabbing all the girls’ attention.
At this point I wouldn’t give a crap if I knocked pretty boy down a few fucking pegs, chalk it up to a friendly fire accident.
He punctuated that thought by swinging his bat so hard, he pulverized the head of the last elite goblin, visualizing the pretty boy’s head popping like a watermelon.
***
At the same time, Emmanuel was preparing to take to the shadows. He had never shown this skill but this time, he thought it was needed in this situation.
I just needed an excuse. They didn’t help a fellow adventurer. Especially during a boss fight. Back when I was playing these kinds of games, those were valid grounds for a player kill.
Though unsavory, Emmanuel had the idea of killing one adventurer to force everyone else to help, since if they didn’t go out to fight, the whole village was at danger.
It was at that point that Liam appeared, his flame cloak applied to his sword as he stepped forward, his face smoldering with rage.
Emmanuel could sense that he really meant to kill several adventurers if they didn’t listen – and eventually, everyone there was made to move forward.
If you saw Liam in action, you would move, too.
“All ranged attackers take supporting fire positions and attack on cue. Will this work, sir?” Liam politely asked Jake.
Jake couldn’t turn around as he was currently evading the Werecrocodile, so he just yelled back, "yes, it will!”
“I’m going to back you up,” Liam called as he edged closer to the fight, sword already in flames.
"Can you resist the fear attack?" Jake asked as both of them jumped over the ground-shaking attack, both of them striking the wrists and elbows.
"Yes,” Liam said, barely feeling the beast’s oppressive aura, “I think I am pretty resistant to it."
The Werecrocodile howled in pain as he felt SOMETHING give in the monster’s wrists as he swung at it.
We’re getting there! Jake thought. Liam’s pretty good – natural talent, resistance to fear, I think he may have gotten the Magic Defense ability, too!
“Okay, joke time is over, I’m afraid,” Jake said, charging into the fight as soon as he felt the drink’s buff fully activate, bat in both hands. “Your time is up!”
The adventurers could not believe their eyes, like a madman was going towards a fight he could not win.
And then he laughed.
Loudly.
Everyone turned towards him: the adventurers, Liam, even the Werecrocodile.
Except this was exactly what Jake wanted, because as soon as the beast turned, its head was turned back by the power of a swinging baseball bat.
That was the point where even Liam had to smile, as he had an idea to end the fight that much sooner.
Jake’s hit sent the Werecrocodile skidding back a few feet, but when it turned back, it saw that the black bat was now on fire.
He did not pay attention to the sudden orange glow behind him, and planted his foot square on the ground, before letting out a mighty swing with both hands.
The crack that ensued was heard for miles away.
However, one of them didn’t stop: as soon as the bat went free, Liam pulled the flame cloak away from Jake’s bat and returned it to his own sword – the flame did its job, burning away the scales protecting the beast’s throat.
Jake decided to put everything he had into one last attack: he planted his feet again and vaulted to the air in a jump, barely missing Liam charging in and thrusting the flaming sword into the beast’s throat.
The Werecrocodile only had less than a second to thrash about, but that was because Jake was already going down, bat swinging downward as well, gravity powering up his move as he aimed to crack the Werecrocodile’s skull open.
The adventurers who could see Jake’s face were horrified at the smile he was wearing – almost like a serial killer.
Caving in the Werecrocodile’s skull with a baseball bat didn’t help.
***
This time, the tremors from something heavy hitting the ground did not cause the adventurers protecting Brino fear, but rather relief – and joy.
Because the massive and, more importantly, lifeless body of the Werecrocodile finally hit the ground after its throat was cut by a flaming sword, and its head bashed in with a baseball bat.
The crash brought everyone out in force, because it meant the adventurers survived, and that Brino also survived.
“I lived? I lived!”
“We got that crocodile, man!”
With the cheers also came relieved sobs, and adventurers’ legs giving way as they sit on the ground, simply thankful they were alive.
Despite this battle being a lot harder than the previous one, some sort of organization was established within the adventurers themselves.
While Jake, Liam and the adventurers backing them up were busy finishing off the Werecrocodile, the rest of the adventurers were mopping up what was left of the goblins.
Some adventurers kept a count of the casualties from the battle, and after coordinating among themselves, they came up with a number: 26.
Most of those were adventurers who were too overconfident and charged in the first part of the battle with the elite goblins and the Werecrocodile, and ended up overwhelmed, so the surviving adventurers couldn’t acquire the time to heal their wounds… or worse, mourn and bury them.
***
Liam stuck his sword onto the earth and sat down to see the madman with the bat trying to laugh while out of breath.
At this point, nearly all of the adventurers passed off Jake’s odd habits and behavior as a character quirk – he was one of the strongest among them, no sense antagonizing one of their heaviest hitters.
The flame cloak wielder grinned as he felt the flow of power and experience through him as he gained a few more levels for
taking part in this battle. The adventurers nearby also gained the same boon he did, based from the shouts within Brino.
"Level up?"
"So it WAS a boss, after all!"
"I just gained another level!"
Right then and there, all the surviving adventurers gained one or more levels simultaneously – it seemed to be the game’s reward for successfully defeating a boss monster… except one.
Jake Smithson was given a different reward from others.
[For your role in defeating the Werecrocodile, you have been awarded 10000 points. ]
Holy shit, Jake thought. This will be enough to buy one or two upcoming event items!
He clicked on the “Next Tab”, and was very pleasantly surprised.
[But wait, there’s more!]
He had to laugh at the clichéd line.
[Since you have managed to defeat a boss-class monster (The ‘Werecrocodile’), you have also been awarded access to the “Black Label Hero Shop”! ]
[Here in the ‘Black Label Hero Shop’, we are offering amazing items that you have never seen before!]
Eh? So it's some sort of luxury shop?
To the average shopper, even browsing a luxury shop is a rare occasion. Jake knew this, which is why he went to the shop with an almost reverent air about him.
[Welcome to the Black Label Hero Shop.
1. Special Skill Shop
2. Special Item Shop
Current Events:
For those who are new to the Black Label Hero Shop, we are still preparing an event to welcome new and old customers! You will be notified when preparations are complete!]
Though most adventurers were used to it by now, even some of them had to shudder when they saw just how wide Jake’s smile had gotten.
Episode 10
***
The adventurers who had taken part in the defeat of the Werecrocodile boss were looking at one of their hardest hitters smile one moment, and then take a step and collapse like a puppet with its strings cut the next.
A lot of them gasped with surprise, but one of them was already moving.
I can’t move.
Like, I literally can’t move.