Nico was in deep trouble.

He was stuck inside the dungeon with no way of escape. In front was Hena and Root, and behind them on the far side of the cavern was the looming giant growing closer by the second.

It stepped with tremors as it walked closer and closer, dragging behind it its giant club. The giant stepped out of the shadows, its features now apparent against the glowing mushrooms nearby.

It held a green wicked face, scarred and smeared with scars from past battles. It stood five times their height, almost as tall as the cavern itself. Its green skin was dotted with red tattoos and bone necklaces, with a worn-out garb covering its body. It looked more like a fierce orc than a goblin.

"You idiot!" Hera shouted, pushing herself against the wooden debris on top of her. Root crawled to her with only one leg, lifting off the wood pushing down her and helped her stand. "Why didn't you go out the portal!?"

Nico let out a deep sigh, then called forth his green mote beside him.

"Bless me with living armor."

A green shroud seeped out from his mote and obscured his figure. The green mist then seeped into his skin, revealing greenwood armor from his crumbling skin.

Nico glanced to Root. She was in no shape to fight, given the treant's broken leg. "Take care of Hena."

Nico then dashed towards the giant goblin, throwing the bomb fruits from behind him to the goblin's face. He wasn't the best pitcher out there, and so most of the fruits missed the goblin's face, instead hitting the cavern walls. Those that did hit the goblin only served to anger it further. The giant goblin retorted by throwing shards of rocks towards Nico.

Nico felt the stones hit his body like bullets. He staggered, however kept his momentum towards the giant as the holes in his body regenerated with the glowing vines repairing them. He was now in melee range, staring off the red gaze of the giant upfront. He didn't stop his momentum, but instead turned the force into a forceful jump towards its face, shapeshifting both his hands into wooden maces.

He whirled his mace into a spin, then slammed his mace hard into the goblin's face.

"What?" Nico blinked. He then shapeshifted his limbs back to hands, then dodged the lumbering hand heading to him, pushing off against the giant's nose before landing back to the ground.

"What happened?" Nico stared at the giant stumbling back from Nico's hit.

Nico was dumbfounded. His jump was enough to reach the giant's head. Moreover, despite the size of the giant before him, he landed a clean hit easily without any counterattack. The only counter was the hand that threatened to slam into him earlier, but that was slow- too slow.

Nico then remembered back to his fight with Jason. Even though Jason was stronger and more muscular than he was, he won nine out of ten every time they practiced against each other. That was the key. The giant was slow, painfully slow. Its power was no good if it couldn't land a hit in the first place.

Nico smiled.

"Can I… actually win this?"

A giant club then slammed straight into him, sending him zipping to the nearest cavern wall. Nico felt the strongest pain he had felt in his lifetime. He felt himself flattening against the stone wall, his bones crumbling with the hit.

Nico spewed out blood.

"Nico!" Hena shouted from the distance. She couldn't use her magic, so she had no choice but to stand there and watch the fight unfolding before them. Coupled with her broken ribs, she hardly could even stand the pain.

"I'm okay." Nico said, pushing himself off the wall with cracked arms. He stumbled to the ground, his body covered with glowing vines and wooden roots whipping back and forth as they attempted to regenerate Nico's broken bones and limbs. His greenwood armor now lasted longer than when he first got it. He could take a beating or two and still his living armor would regenerate him back to full health.

"Right, I shouldn't underestimate it." Nico stared at the giant starting towards him. "It's still a dungeon boss, keep a cool head Nico."

Nico stood up. He wasn't fully healed yet, but it was more or less enough for him to move about. It was that or stay there waiting to get crushed by another hit from the giant's club. He was sure his greenwood armor wouldn't last another hit from it.

He then stared at his hand, clenching them into a fist before glancing towards the giant. "Claw. Mace. What else can help me in this situation?"

Nico's eyes then landed to his feet, giving away a hint of smile before facing the giant.

He then dashed towards the giant, careful not to get hit by the club the second time. He jumped towards the giant's head again, only to see the giant's club already heading his way from the side. The giant tried to predict Nico's move; it already knew what Nico was aiming for. Nico was dead. He didn't have any way to dodge the club midair- not until he pulled on the vine connected to his feet.

Nico ricocheted back to the ground with a heave of the vine. He shapeshifted his feet into vines earlier, anchored to the ground.

Nico grinned; his plan worked. He then jumped again towards the giant's head, shapeshifting his arms again to maces before slamming them both to the giant's head like a jaw closing shut.

The giant stumbled back towards a stone wall, crashing into it before slumping into a still state; unmoving with its eyes dead and blood flowing from its head.

Nico stood on top of its nose, unsure of what just happened.

"I… won." Nico said, staring in disbelief at the corpse beneath him. He turned left and right, making sure he was safe from any incoming clubs or hands threatening to crush him. There was none. What there was, was only the corpse he was standing on. He then turned back to where Hena was at, giving her a warm grin.

"Hena!" Nico beamed a smile, the widest it had ever been. Taking down a boss monster alone of the same rank was typically unheard of.

"I did it!" Nico shouted to the top of his lungs before staring at his clenched fists. "I did it."

Nico then started down, climbing down the giant's body. He used the bone necklaces and worn-out clothes as a foothold until he was finally on the cold ground. His heart settled, his breathing now back to normal. He couldn't believe it. He actually fought and killed a boss monster.

"I can't wait to see the look on Kai's face when-"

A giant hand slammed from beside him. Like a truck, it sent him tumbling along the stone floor and into the hard wall.