The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 113: Blue Plague, Aosa (4)

Every gamer out there could relate to the dread of pouring everything they had to beat a boss only to watch the boss enter a new phase and become even stronger. During moments like that, a sense of defeat would wash over their entire being, making them want to sit the developer down to ask why they would do something so sadistic.

The Pegasus developers... Can I meet them if I go to the US?

Looking up at the giant monster before him, Kai felt a strong urge to visit their headquarters.

However, he understood why this situation had occurred.

...Sure, even if it fell for my taunt, Aosa in human form was too weak.

In terms of rank, Aosa was on the same level as Veghas, the king of looters who had brought every guild to their knees for months. Of course, even within the same rank, the difference in strength was entirely up to the developers.

Ha. So I’m supposed to handle this alone now?

The creature was so enormous that it was as if several buildings had been combined together! Moreover, its HP had already regenerated to 30%.

If more time passes, raid parties and rankers from other guilds will hear about this and come.

Currently, the teleport gate was destroyed due to Aosa causing a disturbance, but they could still travel to a nearby city's teleport gate and rush over here.

If I can't land the finishing blow on this thing within thirty minutes, I'll have to share the rewards.

Even though the best rewards would go to him based on contribution, he still wouldn’t feel the best.

After doing all the hard work, I have to watch others come and take the glory? I can’t let that happen.

As a gamer, this was a situation more unbearable than death!

Kai quickly analyzed Aosa's weaknesses.

It’s huge. Overall appearance-wise... it looks like a slime.

Slimes were low-tier monsters in MID Online. They typically inhabited damp forests or the sewers beneath cities and were characterized by their acidic nature. They looked squishy and harmless like jelly, but they were dreaded by warriors because attacking them damaged equipment durability!

Aosa probably won’t be much different.

In fact, this one was even worse than a regular slime. Instead of acid, it emitted a terrifying poisonous mist that could instantly poison those with low magic resistance.

And no matter how much it transforms, the core weakness should remain the same.

Kai sheathed his sword and firmly gripped the chain.

—Kroooaaaar!

Aosa’s roar echoed through the city still asleep at dawn and the players watching the scene covered their ears.

“Aaahhh!”

“Damn!”

“Is this 7.1 surround sound or what? My eardrums are going to burst!”

“On top of that, it's got the Intimidation skill in effect...”

Aosa's roar wasn’t just to show its rage. It was also a skill!

Fortunately for Kai, it had little effect on him.

[Due to your high Dignity stat, you partially resist the Intimidation effect.]

[Due to your Courageous buff, you significantly resist the Intimidation effect.]

[You have completely resisted Aosa's Intimidation skill.]

The Courageous buff was a buff Kai hadn't learned yet, but fortunately, it was currently active on him.

I’m lucky. I can’t believe Enhanced Summoning comes in handy at times like this.

Enhanced Summoning was a skill necessary when summoning Blizzard. Every time it was used, it granted a random buff to both the caster and the summon! This time, it granted the Courageous buff when Blizzard was summoned.

[Courageous]

Gives resistance to status effects such as intimidation, fear, confusion, provocation, and dispiritedness.

Thanks to this, Blizzard was able to face Aosa.

It was the reason why Blizzard, who was initially terrified at Aosa’s presence, could put up an even fight.

And now, it was useful to Kai as well!

Aosa swiftly slid through the city's streets, dashing toward Kai.

Damn, at least in human form it had some sense of reason...

Now, it seemed to ignore such notions, bulldozing through every building in its path!

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to get crushed by it though.”

Kai quickly turned and began to run.

However, Aosa’s body was much larger than Kai's. Naturally, the distance between them closed rapidly.

Well, this is bad. In that case...

Kai’s holy power quickly dropped. At the same time, Holy Chains extended out dozens of meters and wrapped around the clock tower in the square.

“Argh!”

Kai yanked the chain and kicked off the ground.

Simultaneously, Aosa’s massive body landed where Kai had just been.

Thud!

Even glancing back at the sight sent chills down his spine!

Even if I have Undying Will, it wouldn't be useful if I got crushed by that.

Even with five seconds of invulnerability after resurrection, he would surely die again soon. Realizing this, Kai understood how he needed to fight.

I have to get to higher ground. Fighting from below would make fighting impossible.

Perching on the clock hand of the clock tower, Kai looked down at the city and Aosa.

I think I understand how Pegasus intended for this monster to be defeated now.

This was the middle of the city. Though Aosa was huge, being atop the buildings would bring him to eye level with it.

In other words, the ideal way to tackle this beast would be...

A group of players should position themselves on the buildings and take turns drawing its aggro while attacking.

That was the way to minimize damage and take it down.

Being somewhere lower than it means the fight isn’t even possible.

However, the problem was that Kai was alone. He could see other players watching the fight, but he had no intention of asking for their help.

I can do this alone.

While Aosa had become a formidable beast in its second phase, it had sacrificed much for its massive size.

First, it lost its hands and feet.

This meant that if Kai positioned himself higher, Aosa could only attack him with its tentacles. Luckily, Kai had also become quite accustomed to those tentacle attacks through their fight!

Kai took note of the positions of several clock towers and tall buildings within the city.

There’s another clock tower over there, and that library and church are pretty tall. And...

“Ugh, Ayana did say I’d regret drinking this...”

He reluctantly opened a bottle of purple potion from his inventory.

[High Concentration Potion, Higher Way LV.8]

Greatly enhances concentration upon consumption.

Side effects include fatigue and exhaustion for several days, with possible headaches and various other symptoms.

Phew, I really don't want to drink this because of the side effects... but without it, this will be impossible.

He realized that the best way to compensate for his lacking physical abilities and stat differences was through increased concentration. Once he realized this was his best option, he drank the potion in one gulp without hesitation.

Ayana's brilliant potion-making skills and his high-quality ingredients made for a perfect collaboration, but his expression still twisted in discomfort as soon as he drank the potion.

“Blegh...”

He felt as if every cell in his body was awakening, pounding throughout his entire body.

Even though he was equipped in the thick and sturdy Tyrant of the Sea set, it felt like he was wearing nothing; all his senses and nerves became sharp and heightened as if there was nothing between him and the air.

I feel like I can even sense the flow of passing air.

And that wasn’t just an illusion. As soon as his entire body perceived the shift in the air flow,

his gaze was already fixed on Aosa.

It’s moving.

—Kroooaaar!

Aosa fiercely charged toward the clock tower where Kai was positioned. In just a few seconds, the clock tower Kai stood on began to tilt.

Thud!

With a single body slam from Aosa, the clock tower began to collapse. Then, dozens of tentacles whipped toward Kai, who was now hanging from the tower.

... I can dodge them.

Dozens of tentacles flew toward him, and being in mid-air, there was no room to avoid it.

This was the most dangerous moment since the battle began!

Kai’s pupils constricted to better discern the objects in front of him.

Focus, focus. Concentrate.

Even in a game, falling felt terrifying. In such a situation, most people would shut their eyes tightly until they hit the ground.

However, even amidst this, Kai’s awareness became even sharper. It was as if he was willing to use all his lifelong concentration for this single moment, this battle.

In his vision, there were only the tentacles flying toward him and the debris from the broken clock tower.

That way.

He swung the Holy Chain to wrap around a particularly heavy piece of debris and yanked it hard. Using the momentum, Kai propelled himself forward, landing on the shattered piece of the clock tower.

Vwooom!

Aosa's tentacle narrowly missed him by coincidence as he moved forward.

Wriggle.

The now fully monstrous Aosa showed signs of displeasure. Yet, the tentacle attacks continued relentlessly.

Vwoom, vwoom, vwoom!

Calculating the trajectories of the incoming tentacles and the locations where the clock tower debris would land in a few seconds, Kai's brain felt like it was burning up from the intense mental effort.

Step by step, he moved from one piece of debris to another.

It was a simple, repetitive action, but the players watching in real-time were too stunned to even let out words of shock, admiration, or alarm.

They remained silent, as if a fuse in their brains had blown.

After a long pause, one player finally managed to mutter, "... This is more shocking than the first time I saw E.T."

"Oh, that was a great movie."

The movie E.T., directed by Steven Spielberg, had made him a legendary director in Hollywood. The scene where E.T. flew toward the full moon on a bicycle was still considered an iconic moment.

However, the players watching Unknown were now certain.

Now, if you search for the best full moon scene on Google Images, this moment will show up.

Even witnessing it in real-time was that thrilling, and they could only imagine how spectacular the video would be with added effects and sound.

Before those exhilarating thoughts could fully even play out, Unknown, who had evaded all the tentacles, began to descend.

"This feels amazing."

Expressing his genuine feelings, Kai landed on Aosa's massive body. A ripple spread across Aosa's back, sounding like something landing on a rubber tube.

At the same time, Kai activated the skill at once.

"Spring of Restoration."