"Here it comes!" you yell as the Magma Wyrm charges at you and the expedition team.

You all move out of the way in the nick of time, but soon realize that playing the long game may not be in your favor.

"O-oi, the platform it's..!" Grimdal points at the spot the monster burrowed away.

"Crap... it's trying to sink us..!" Leronil informs the elven soldiers.

Like a ship with a hole in it, the stone island you stand atop begins descending, lava leaking through the aperture left behind by the behemoth. It is only a matter of minutes before you're completely submerged in the volcano's lifeblood.

That is until Golimar saunters up to the hole and waves his hammer at the dwarven soldiers.

"You know what to do men!" he grins. "Let's show that accursed worm who's boss!"

And the dwarves cast a spell that manipulates the rock and seals the opening, saving you all from certain doom.

"W-wait... you can do that?!" you goggle at their magical act in disbelief.

"We're not called the Stoneweaver Dwarves for nothin', elf," Golimar puffs his chest out.

Interrupting the man's moment of pride are bellows of frustration from the Magma Wyrm, and the creature disappears into one of the many holes scattered throughout the chamber.

Sensing the beast's anger in the dwarves undoing its plan, you get an idea.

"Golimar, can you and your men cover up the magma below with stone?" you hastily ask.

"W-what?! Uh... yeah..! It may strain our mana reserves a teensy bit but..." the man clearly lies through his teeth, but you take his word for it regardless.

"Alright, I'm counting on you to do just that!"

You turn to the elves and instruct them to defend the dwarves from the wyrm while they bury the lava under a layer of rock.

And the serpentine creature catches on to your scheme and rushes at the dwarves with all of its strength. Leronil quickly reacts and hurls his spear at the Magma Wyrm's eye. The shot lands and the beast retreats into a burrow while writhing in pain.

"Not a bad attack, kid," Grimdal commends the man. "But how are you going to fight without your spear?"

"Ah... I didn't think that through did I?" Leronil strokes his beard.

When the monster returns, it finds the lava lake entirely encased in stone. Seeing its dwelling in such a state, the Magma Wyrm, blinded in one eye, goes ballistic and smashes the cavern walls to crush you with falling rocks.

You do well to dodge the oncoming debris, only to see his looming shadow enlarge.

"He's closing in for another attack! Hit him with all you got!" Golimar and Leronil both give their men the same command.

But when they strike the beast with their many swords, axes, and spears, their blows ricochet off the wyrm's scaly body. Grimdal's Lunar Glaive barely makes a dent, and where you'd expect Golimar's hammer to shine, it disappointingly does no damage.

The creature once again vanishes beneath the earth, giving you ample time to conjure up your next course of action.

"What do we do now?!" Silvain inquires. "That thing's practically wearing a suit of armor with those hardened scales!"

"That damned worm didn't so much as flinch at my attack!" Golimar complains. "It must have cast some protection spell on itself!"

"Or, years of feeding off the Fire Crystal's energy has rendered its scales impervious to attacks. Regardless, I don't see ourselves beating it with weapons alone. And that woman's fire spells won't do a thing against a fire-type creature!"

"Only thing I know is that its eyes are susceptible. That elf got a pretty good hit in. But once it's blind I don't know where to go from there. How do we kill this thing?"

You ruminate on the question yourself. As the elves and dwarves discuss amongst themselves, your line of thinking sends you down a rabbit hole that eventually leads to a question that could determine everything.

"Hey, you guys," you raise your hand. "Does that thing have a butthole?"

Your inquiry is met with silence. First by the elves, then by the dwarves. And Silvain gives you the most vacant stare you've ever witnessed.

"W-where did that come from?" the now-unmasked man asks, genuinely confused.

"You keep talking about how this Magma Wyrm has been feeding off the Fire Crystals and volcano matter and stuff... but doesn't all that waste have to leave its body? Do monsters poop like me and you?"

"I don't know what that has to do with..."

Then the man understands where you're coming from.

"Of course..!" he exclaims to himself. "The butthole! The answer was right there all along!"

"Oi, I'm starting to think you're the one affected by this heat, magic man," Golimar says to Silvain, concerned.

"Don't you understand?! There are only so few parts that are actually protected by the scales! One of these undefended areas has to be... the butthole!"

The dwarven champion's eyes widen as he takes in his words. "S-so... the only way to beat this thing is to quite literally kick its ass?!"

"Exactly!"

"And how are we going to do that..?"

"Hm. True, there are very few windows of opportunity to strike this decisive blow..."

You shift your attention to the elves and briefly tell them about the wyrm's crude weak point.

Celia naturally cracks up at the idea. "Bwahahaha! That's our only ticket to victory?!"

"When you say it like that," Fidri takes this news a little more seriously, "I suppose it makes sense. But if that and the eye are the only two spots why not focus on his eyes?"

"It's because," the monster appears behind you as you give your explanation, "I think I have a talent that can beat him! And it can only work if his wound is big enough!"

And immediately your instincts take over.

"Grimdal! Your sword!" you hold out your hand.

"Again?!" the old man yells.

"Just give it!"

He reluctantly does so as the Magma Wyrm prepares to lunge again.

[Lunar Glaive]

Description: A remarkable sword forged from Lunarite. When wielded in darkness, the blade glows a brilliant blue that mimics the night sky.

Quality: Epic

Weight: 5.0

"Fidri!" you call the boy. "I'll also need one of your daggers!"

"E-eh?! But my dual daggers won't bet dual daggers with only one dagger!"

The beast rapidly approaches. "We don't really have time for this!"

A panicked Fidri tosses the dagger to you. "F-fine!"

[Elven Dagger]

Description: A simple steel knife with a curved elven design.

Quality: Normal

Weight: 0.75

Without missing a beat you hold both weapons and run toward the speeding wyrm. And subverting everyone's expectations, you instead hop into a jump kick and knock the beast back. Your Martial Arts talent, when unhinged, is unbelievably devastating.

"Golimar!" you shout. "Can you and the other dwarves construct a stone shelter to protect everyone from any oncoming rubble?!"

The dwarf, still stunned by your power, inclines his head. "I-I'll think of somethin'..!"

While the impact from your foot sent the Magma Wyrm crashing into a wall, its health would not budge an inch.

Asmodeus

Magma Wyrm [♀]

Level: 95

HP: 1427065/1500000

And the monster recognizes you as its biggest threat. It rebounds and slithers toward you with burning animosity in its remaining eye.

Its movements, however, have slowed considerably due to the blunt trauma it received, and you take this opportunity to avoid its attack and swiftly grab onto the behemoth's scales.

It lets out a horrible screech as you climb its side, and it wildly swings from side to side, trying to shake you off.

The wyrm repeatedly bashes itself against the walls, causing the lower chamber of the volcano to collapse on itself. Thankfully, the dwarves had eked out a shelter in the wall for your crew, and nobody was injured.

Confirming the safety of your friends with your Echolocation, you now fully focus your energy on scaling this scaly beast. It is not an easy task, as the beast tries its hardest to get you off its back, literally. You use the Lunar Glaive and the Elven Dagger to hang onto his body.

But you soldier on, determined to defeat the one obstacle keeping you from saving the dwarves' home.

When you reach the wyrm's tail, you find the unprotected spot in question. Looking at it, you grow to become apprehensive.

"I didn't want to do this," you say to the Magma Wyrm. "but you leave me no choice. Unfortunately..."

And you plunge Grimdal's sword up the beast's behind, prompting it to flail around in a frenzy. It is this move that propels you forth in your quest for perfection.

You've maxed out your「LONG BLADE」skill!

Talent Unlocked: Dawnbreaker

Description: A magical beam shoots from the tip of your blade, allowing you to attack opponents from afar.

The wyrm flies up toward the orb as if to regain health from it, only to have its insides eviscerated as you scream these words, "Dawnbreaker!"

And a laser pierces through the creature and penetrates the ceiling of the volcano, reaching the heavens. The shockwave generated by the sword's beam causes all of the beast's scales to fall off, and what remains is basically a naked snake.

In spite of the destructive force of your talent though, the wyrm somehow lives, barely clinging on to life. It attempts to whack you against the jagged rock walls, only to remember it's too weak to do so.

Asmodeus

Magma Wyrm [♀]

Level: 95

HP: 25601/1500000

Taking pity on this monster, you decide to end its life in one fell swoop. Wielding Fidri's dagger, you take aim at its abdomen, and utter a familiar line. "Critical Strike!"

And with that the Magma Wyrm is no more. It fizzles into dust, leaving behind 5 of its valuable scales. You would fall to the ground if it weren't for the Fire Crystal you happen to land on.

"So, this is what we've been looking for," you breathily say, exhausted from today's adventure.

Holding the large stone, you can sense the energy of the volcano slowly dying out.

And that's when a massive hole opens up the ceiling.