I rematerialize in the arena, reeling from warp-induced nausea. Despite the pep talks looping in my brain, my nerves haven’t settled, and my fingers grow clammy around my spear. Antoine ports in with a swoosh at my back.

“The minute you step forward,” he says, flanking me, “The [Final Boss] will spawn. Valeria chooses a different monster for every examinee. Whatever challenges await you reflect your strengths and weaknesses--so much as I want to advise you, my wisdom’s useless here.”

Nod, nod. I swallow a knot in my throat.

I suspect Antoine’s been chatting with her the whole time. I cringe, imagining how he must’ve described my encounters with the 「Mother Caterpine」 and my inelegant discovery of [Makeshift]. I draw my pistol. I’ll just have to compensate with a solid performance.

The starfield pulsates underfoot with every forward step. Sweat grows cold at my scalp. My breaths quicken, slow, and quicken as I fight for my composure.

Then, with an aura of dread descending:

FWOOM…

The [Final Boss] fades into spacetime. A wireframe first--glowing white outlines bright against the void--followed by spasming polygons that smooth into crystalline masses. I retreat on instinct. My back collides with something that sends a hot, unpleasant jolt through my body.

“Gah!”

“Careful, now. Mind the fence.”

Antoine’s warning pulls my attention past the forming monster, to a crackling boundary woven of stars. Of course there’d be limited space--I was too busy staring at the emerging [Boss] in terror to notice. Ha.

My heart thumps a rhythmic bass as my foe solidifies. It loudens while my eyes travel from the [Final Boss’] massive, angular feet to its even broader torso, and up to the blue「Slime」 hovering where I expected to find its neck.

A little crown sits askew upon its head.

My eyes grow round as the moons floating through the void.

LESSER SOUR JELLY GOLEM

&

PILOT KING SLIME

~First Class Trial Dungeon Final Boss~

You’ve gotta be joking.

My heartbeat grows louder than should be possible, and a faint melody creeps through. Wait a minute! That’s not my pulse, that’s… a battle theme!? I get a soundtrack? Okay, this is more serious than I expected. My heart batters against my ribs as though intent on breaking free.

“Damn it, Val! Don’t mess around too much.”

I blink. That’s the most impassioned I’ve ever heard Antoine. I throw him a worried look.

“W-what?”

He shakes his head, expression tense. “Nothing. I thought aloud. Go.”

A familiar female voice resonates through the arena, and a five-minute timer replaces the ten-minute countdown on my HUD.

“The final battle commences~!”

“Ready? Set? Go!”

Haha…

I’ll die here, won’t I?

The 「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」 slams angular fists against the ground, sending out a shockwave that throws me a pixel shy of the barrier. The 「Pilot King Slime」gives an undulating roar. The thick-lashed eye embedded in the 「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem’s」chest flies open.

I squeeze my pistol, pull myself upright. Breathe in, breathe out. Spin it around my finger and level the crosshair with the 「Pilot King Slime’s」crown. It flashes red. My eyes narrow, world shrinking to the towering creature.

Fool me once, shame on you…

【CONCENTRATED STRIKE】

Tink!

The golem throws up an arm. Light glints off its crystal planes as my bullet ricochets clear of the 「Pilot King Slime’s」 weakness. Small fragments fly from the impact and fade out of reality.

「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」’s HP -1!

It lumbers close, arm whirling like a windmill, and I dart mere feet out of striking range. The shockwave trips me, but I recover before the golem straightens. 「Pilot King Slime」 picks up the slack. Caught unaware, I suffer a shot of blue fluid that nails me under the ribs. I collide with the floor, breathless and stunned.

Careful! HP -3!

Oof, I feel that 3. This useless newbie armour might as well be unequipped. Though struggling with the ache of my midriff, I right myself while my opponents’ [Skills] cool down.

What’ve we got here…

【Observation I】

PILOT KING SLIME Lv. 1

HP: 30/30

MP: ???

SP: ???

The First Class Trial Dungeon’s「Dummy King Slime」 equipped with [Puppetry] [Mastery]. A creation of Valeria Fullbright for NPC-RND-4394’s [Drifter] assessment.

This monster shares many moves with its tutorial arena counterpart. However, its 「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」 thrall shields its crown, making [Critical Hits] a difficult maneuver.

LESSER SOUR JELLY GOLEM Lv. 2

HP: 39/40

MP: ???

SP: ???

When 「Jellies」 unite against a common foe, they may sacrifice their individuality and fuse into a rough, tough 「Jelly Golem」. These crystalline creatures have incredible DEF and STR values, though their SPD and DEX suffer.

The wisest Heroes approach fights with 「Jelly Golems」 as tests of patience, rather than strength.

Sweat soaks my hairline. Useful information, but how patient can I be with a 5-minute timer looming? Landing repeated [Critical Hits] should snag me success. For a newbie like me, though, easier said than done.

“Guooooh!”

The 「Pilot King Slime」 growls. I fire at the crown, but my arm wavers from the adrenaline swimming through me. A few bullets sink into its wobbling mass.

「Pilot King Slime」’s HP -1!

「Pilot King Slime」’s HP -1!

MISS!

「Pilot King Slime」’s HP -0!

Argh, I forgot how low my DEX is. The bass pounds in time with my heartbeat while the 「Sour Jelly Golem」 spins at me, arms outstretched. Hot air gusts towards me. I swipe my hair from my eyes and run. Sparks fly from the boundary when its fists scrape the stars.

I can’t waste time running and rolling. What are my options, though? The golem deflects every shot to its master’s crown. I unequip my spear for greater mobility, scurry to the side, and aim a [Concentrated Strike] at the golem’s eye.

KSHH

The golem thrashes in pain, black veins spreading over the sclera.

CRITICAL HIT

「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」’s HP -4!

A burst of blue nicks my leg as I put just enough distance between me and the golem to evade another world-shaking slam. My thigh stings, but I’ll survive.

Careful! HP -3!

Its red pupil spasms into a slit. I align my crosshair. The golem emanates a high, drawn-out buzz...

Hold on. I think it’s aiming at me.

I hesitate for a nanosecond before aborting my shot. Spurred on by instinct, I sprint off--just as the buzz becomes a deep, undulating noise. I glance over my shoulder and find the golem turning, a wide beam of neon light streaming from its iris.

That was close.

The laser runs out of juice long before it catches up to me, though, and I circle the creature. The 「Pilot King Slime」 bounces in place. I sidestep another stream of goop, fire a [Concentrated Strike] for the crown. The golem’s arm flies up. Despite its humanoid appearance, the shoulders possess a wider range of motion than any person should.

Experiment, says Valeria of my memories. Potential strategies flash through my brain.

… Aha.

With the timer blinking 2:45, hope surges shines anew. I consider my status.

NPC-RND-4394

No Title

No Class

No Party

HP: 34/40

MP: 0/0

SP: 22/40

I don’t have time to root around my inventory for [Potions], but I won’t need it. Conserving [Stamina], I retreat and set my crosshair on the crystal ball attaching one massive arm its torso.

The crosshair turns red. Bingo!

【CONCENTRATED STRIKE】

【CONCENTRATED STRIKE】

【CONCENTRATED STRIKE】

My SP plummets to 10. Fatigue weighs on every limb, and I take a knee as the golem’s left arm detaches. It dissolves into yellow dust on the way down.

CRITICAL HIT x 3

「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」’s HP -12!

There, that’s the stuff! I might be two steps from collapse, but oh, that was worth it. The golem’s HP drops to 23. I heave a grounding breath--

Bad idea.

「Crystallized Sour Jelly Fluid」 is poisonous, right? If a 「Sour Jelly Golem」 is nothing but one giant crystal, its dust…

You have been poisoned! HP -1!

A dull ache resonates through my gut, while a green ‘skull and crossbones’ icon appears beside my HP bar. My Health drops 1 point per second. This is embarrassing and painful.

I manage to stagger out of the golem’s ground-slam AOE, but the 「Pilot King Slime」 compensates once more for its sluggishness. My [Poisoned] status prevents SP regeneration… I take the brunt of another blue blast. The impact to my chest throws me to the ground.

“Gah--!”

Careful! HP -4!

I claw my way upright. Losing Health in combat feels nothing like losing it to clumsiness. For one, it hurts more--or is that the poison skewing my interpretation? Either way, I’m starting to panic. While the 「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」 and 「Pilot King Slime」 cool down, I summon my [Inventory] and apply every [Potion] in possession.

My muscles come alight with restored energy. Although the pain gripping my stomach doesn’t vanish, my HP stays steady. The [Healing Potion]’s regenerative qualities cancel out the poison’s effect for now.

“Stay focused, Quinn! It’ll wear off.”

I didn’t expect Antoine to root for me this vocally, but I appreciate it. By now I’ve memorized the pattern to my opponent’s attacks. Golem attacks, cools down; slime attacks, cools down. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The [Healing Potion] lasts longer than I expect, but not long enough. The poison skims a few more pixels from my Health bar before losing potency, and my insides burn from the aftermath. So many things hurt. I check my status, set up another [Concentrated Strike]. Can’t keep my arm steady…

NPC-RND-4394

No Title

No Class

No Party

HP: 25/40

MP: 0/0

SP: 30/40

25 HP, huh? No matter. I’ve been in worse shape. I aim for the slime’s neglected crown while the golem recovers from throwing its remaining fist against the ground.

【CONCENTRATED STRIKE】

CRITICAL HIT

「Pilot King Slime」’s HP -6!

The crown shatters with a satisfying noise. While its owner roars in despair, I fire a second [Concentrated Strike] into the golem’s eye.

MISS!

「Lesser Sour Jelly Golem」’s HP -1!

Eh!? How’s that possible? Aren’t golems slow? I pour 4 SP into another activation. I can’t be sure, but it looks like my bullet phased through its body.

… Uh oh.