Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 60

Look, you knew it was going to go down something like this.

Chapter 60 – Announcements

The stairs spiraled down into darkness, but that was no problem, as [Radiant Armor] and [Radiant Aura] had everyone shining like a torch. Of course, I also put [Profane Armor] on everyone, as a precaution. I was planning on ending the lich as quickly as possible, but that was no reason not to be prepared. There was no way of knowing where in the fifteenth floor this passage would end up. The chance that we would have to fight monsters before we got to the boss room was not small.

The mix of golden light and blood-red aura surrounding everyone was surreal. More importantly, it was something that would cause anyone who saw it to ask questions. Questions that I would rather not answer. Which meant that I couldn’t use this all the time. That was a pity, since it was currently adding 2037 to everyone’s Defense, since Krenrena’s Blessing basically doubled the effect of [Profane Armor], since it was a spell, not a skill. For a Level 30 in Tier 1, that was an insane Defense stat, but the price you paid for that was all eyes locking on to you.

After twenty minutes of descending the spiral stair, we finally came to a landing. The room we were in was nothing special. In fact, other than the staircase, there was nothing here, except for a slab of stone in what looked to be the doorway, and a lever next to it.

“No need to hide the secret door from people on this side, I guess,” Astruth muttered.

“Indeed,” I said. “But we should be cautious all the same. Jewell?”

“On it,” the Rogue nodded, moving forward to check the area for traps. I didn’t expect there to be any, but it never hurt to be sure. A moment later, she looked back, and signaled no traps. I nodded, and she pulled the lever. We did not need words for that level of communication. Making it this far through the dungeon had hammered out any problems in our communication and teamwork.

The stone slab slid down, into the floor, revealing a wide room beyond. Astruth led the way through the door, with me right behind him, and the rest following. A group of four Death Knights were there, but they had been facing the hallway, with their backs to a silver door. Probably the boss room.

As the knights turned towards us, I opened fire with both of my guns. The knights were Level 38, but with our defenses boosted, I had no doubt we could win. As Astruth and the others charged forwards, I invoked [Radiant Blades] on him, Linette, and Jewell, causing their weapons to become light. That cost me 800 MP per second, but it was worth it, as the three tore through the undead.

The battle was fast, and furious, but the Death Knights couldn’t overcome their defense. What few wounds my pets suffered, Angelina healed instantly with her magic. And I continued using low-cost magic bullets from my guns, even if it made my MP keep dropping. Thirty seconds later, and I was almost out of MP, but the Death Knights were dead.

Your party has defeated 4 Death Knights.

You each gain 28000 XP.

Loot:

900 pp, 300 gp, 20 sp

Diamond x4

Death Essence x4

Deathtouched Shield x4

Deathwalker Armor x4

That one fight had been almost enough to get us to Level 31. Fortunately, I was overpowered, which meant that my minions were overpowered. A normal group at our level would have most likely been slaughtered, or forced to retreat while suffering heavy losses.

After a half hour to rest and recover my MP, we opened the silver door. Beyond it was an massive open chamber, which I recognized immediately as a ritual space, complete with a stone altar in the center. A silver light shone down from the ceiling, centered on the altar. As we entered the room, I saw that there were hundreds of statues, kneeling in supplication around the altar. No, not statues, but the remans of Tarez’s betrayed followers.

Akkras the Eternal

Archlich Human Male

Level 38 Necromancer / Scholar

Titles: Broken One, Boss

Menorath

Daemon Male

Level 22 Fatespinner / Master Scholar

Titles: Seer, Roaming Boss

Two forms came into the circle of light about the altar. One was the lich, clad in ceremonial regalia and carrying a staff. A bloody crimson haze burned around him, and in his soul. No doubt that was the result of whatever turned him into a Boss. His soul looked as though it had been strengthened, reinforced, almost.

However, his soul was nothing compared to the Daemon beside him. It was a pink-skinned thing, with clawed feet and hands, a tail, and tentacles coming off its head and shoulders like a mane. In one hand it held an ancient tome, and in the other a staff with blue-white flame circling it. Given the strength of his soul, and the class and profession he had, that had to make him a Tier 2. And then, the thing began to speak.

“So, the mortals have come, as foreseen. But so soon? No matter, I will leave you to Akkras while I go to prepare the next—”

“[Annihilation].”

I knew better than to let some asshole monologue before escaping, or whatever, so I shot from the hip. Didn’t need to aim with big booms, after all. Just to be safe, I dumped 40 MP into [Annihilation], giving everything in the four-meter radius centered on those two a taste. And, since they were both Bosses, my Roaming Boss title tripled my stats temporarily, so they were splitting 2.6 billion damage.

Global Announcement:

Akkras the Eternal, Boss of the Necropolis of Akkras, has fallen! His chaotic soul now empowers the one by his side as he died! One fewer threat to the realms remains!

Global Announcement:

Menorath, Herald of Change, has fallen! His chaotic soul now empowers the one by his side as he died! One fewer threat to the realms remains!

Your party has defeated Akkras the Eternal and Menorath.

100% XP bonus for defeating an opponent above your Tier.

50% XP penalty for a Boss killing one or more Bosses.

ERROR: Number out of range.

Recalculating.

XP total set to 780000.

All individuals gain +10 to all stats as compensation.

New Title Gained

You have slain a creature from a higher Tier without higher-Tier assistance. You gain the title: Ant Kills the Elephant.

You have slain a Boss. You gain the title: Boss Slayer I.

You have slain a Boss. You gain the title: Boss Slayer II.

Ant Kills the Elephant

You have proven yourself against a foe that should have destroyed you. Higher Tier creatures gain no bonuses against you based on Tier.

 Boss Slayer I

When fighting a party including a Boss, increase all abilities by 50%.

 Boss Slayer II

When fighting a party including a Boss, increase all abilities by 100%. Replaces Boss Slayer I.

You have absorbed your second Chaos Orb!

Chaos Orb of the Lich

Gain [Necrotic Touch] and [Death Armor] as free skills.

+10 INT, +2 INT per level!

You have absorbed your third Chaos Orb!

Chaos Orb of the Fatescribe

Gain [Minor Prophecy] and [Scribe Scroll] as free skills.

+10 INT, +2 INT per level!

You have leveled up!

You are now Level 31.

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

…

You have leveled up!

You are now level 40.

You have 780000/820000 XP to reach Level 41.

+110 CHA, +30 STR, +20 DEX, +30 WIS, +50 INT, +10 CON

40 Attribute Points to spend.

40 Skill points to spend.

You have reached Level 40. For this achievement, you gain two new spells for each magic category you have unlocked. Spells may still be learned by finding them in the world.

Enchantment Spells

Spellblock – Target creature cannot cast spells for the duration. Does not affect spells already in place.

Skillblock – Target creature cannot use skills for the duration. Passive skills temporarily suppressed.

Illusion Spells

Phantasmal Killer – Conjure an image of the target’s worse fear, potentially killing them instantly from fright.

Babble – Target cursed with being unable to speak coherently. May prevent the use of spells.

Shielding Spells

Suppression Field – Shroud an area with psychic static, preventing the use of telepathy, and reducing the power of all mental effects.

Suppress Effect – Temporarily suppress permanent mental effects (such as insanity) in the target.

Spellshooter Spells

Piercing Shot – Fire a magical bullet that ignores 50% of the target’s defenses.

Delayed Shot – Fire a magical bullet that waits up to 30 seconds to deal damage. Multiple [Delayed Shot]s going off simultaneously count as a single attack for all purposes.

Known Rituals

Gladiator Binding Ritual – Bind a creature and compel them to fight for you.

Guardian Binding Ritual – Bind a creature to act as a guardian for a place or object.

Divination Magic

Discern Location – Reveals the exact location of a creature or object.

Legend Lore – Lets you learn tales about a person, place, or thing.

Sensing Magic

True Seeing – See through all forms of disguise, concealment, or illusion. See the true form of creatures using [Shapeshifting] and similar effects.

Greater Scrying – As [Scrying], but takes effect quicker, and lasts a longer duration.

Healing Magic

Mass Cure Wounds – Channel positive energy to heal (Level/5) living targets’ wounds. Cannot regrow lost limbs. Deals damage to the Undead. Has no effect on Constructs or Objects.

Restoration – Restore damage to all ability scores, remove all permanent drain from one ability score. Remove all magical and nonmagical diseases, poisons, and maladies. Remove (Level/10) negative levels from energy drain or similar effects.

Castigating Magic

Mass Inflict Wounds – Channel negative energy to deal damage to (Level/5) living creatures. Has no effect on Constructs or Objects. Can heal the undead.

Destruction – If (Caster’s CHA >= Target’s Highest Ability), target is instantly destroyed. Otherwise, target takes (CHA) damage. Once used on a creature, cannot be used again on that creature, even if they were destroyed and resurrected or raised as an undead.

Protection Magic

Repulsion – Create a field preventing creatures from approaching you.

Antimagic Field – Create a field 2 meters in radius that negates all magic within it.

Loot:

10000 pp, 50000 gp

Demontouched Warpfire Staff

Twisted Goggles of Future Sight

Catastrophic Bracers of the Prophet

Robes of the Undead King

Staff of Necromancy

Ring of False Life

Two black orbs flew out of the brilliant blast that consumed both of the bosses, and smacked me in the chest. Fortunately, I knew what these were, so I wasn’t as surprised as the first time I’d experienced something like this. A wave of blue boxes appeared, including a couple global alerts, and a System Error. My WIS, enhanced by the error’s compensation and gaining ten levels at once, told me that the XP from killing a creature thirty levels and one Tier above me probably overwhelmed the System. That wasn’t something that was supposed to be possible, after all.

As I cleared the blue boxes away, I found that, yes, the two bosses were indeed gone. As were the altar, the closest statues, and a hemispherical slice of the dungeon floor. It was only due to the fact that the ceiling was fairly high that it didn’t gouge out part of the ceiling, as well. In other words, the spell lived up to its name.

“Mistress,” Astruth started, “please do not ever use that spell while I am in the middle of fighting.”

“Indeed, Mistress,” Linette added on. “I must also caution you not to use that spell where anyone not bound to you may see it, save in the most dire of need. And if you must use it, eliminate or enslave all witnesses. The amount of danger it will put you in, if word were to get out, is not something that mere bodyguards like us can protect you from.”

“Yes, well, I wasn’t going to let a Tier 2 Boss keep talking, and maybe decide to end us. But, I agree, this is not something we should spread around. If anyone asks about the global alerts, say only that we found a spell scroll in a hidden part of the dungeon, and it contained a powerful spell which destroyed the bosses.”

“Of course, Mistress,” Linette nodded.

The sound of stone grating against stone ended the discussion. Looking towards the far end of the massive ritual chamber, I saw a concealed door sliding into the ground. No doubt, this was where the core was.

Moving forward, I saw a pedestal with a prism of glowing crystal the size of a small child hovering above it at head height. Surrounding the pedestal was an engraved magic circle in the stone. At one point, it had been the basis of a divine barrier, but freeing the angel had erased it. Now, with the last protector out of the way, nothing stood between me and the crystal core.

I took a moment to look around the room before I dealt with the core. I noticed a second magic circle engraved nearby. This one, though, was not a barrier, but a teleporter, likely taking those who entered the circle to the surface, if game logic still existed in this world. That’d be our way out.

Turning back to the core, I raised both hands at it. [Arcane Ritualist]’s knowledge of the Arcane told me that my normal spells wouldn’t be as useful here. Raw magic, however, from different sources? That was another story.

Hellfire burst from my left hand, and Radiance shone from my right. The two types of magic clashed as they struck the crystal core together, the reaction further eating into the crystal’s side. And then, all at once, it shattered.

Global Announcement:

Zerat, God of Undeath, has been freed! Let all those who seek the power of the undead pay homage to him! Let the followers of the God of Death, who forsook himself, quake in fear!

New Title Gained

Zerat, the God of Undeath, thanks you for his freedom. In gratitude for this deed, he grants you the title: Divine Blessing.

Divine Blessing

Through your actions, you have caused one or more of the gods to smile upon you. This manifests itself as a blessing that cannot be removed save by the god or goddess themselves.

Krenrena’s Blessing: The Succubus Queen smiles upon you. Add your CHA to the effect of all spells. If a spell already uses your CHA, double its effect. All your weapon and natural attacks deal extra Divine damage equal to your CHA.

Zerat’s Blessing: All undead treat you as a friend and ally unless you initiate combat with them.

Dungeon Announcement:

The dungeon core has been destroyed. The dungeon will collapse, with all inside, in twenty-four hours.

Time Remaining: 23:59:15

I sighed as I read those last boxes. “Well, I’m sure that won’t cause any problems for us at all. Right, let’s get in the teleportation circle and get out of here before any other insanity happens. Or at least where we can get a bit of distance between us and it. And I damn sure don’t want to be inside the dungeon when it collapses.”