Chapter 60

"Wow... There are so many rabbits over there. Look, Tohka, there's a rainbow rabbit over there!"

"Saku, I can't see them."

"Oh, I see."

A great river flowed before her, connecting Toria and Feas. This great river was apparently called the "Fearia River." It was a straightforward name, but it was quite common in reality to have names that took the middle ground between two names.

Tohka had mentioned that the river was kilometers wide, but from my perspective, the width at this point was probably around 500 meters. It could widen as it approached the mouth, so in some places, it might be about a kilometer wide.

However, swimming across was probably impossible. This wasn't a matter of skills or SP. It was because I could see the shadows of several aquatic monsters, about 30 meters long, moving in the deep water. The monsters, which were as large as blue whales, were swimming leisurely. They seemed to be aware of my presence, indicating they had high intelligence or sensory abilities. If I were to be meta about it, this was probably the game's silent message telling us to use the bridge.

Yes, the bridge. As Tohka had told me, there was a huge bridge connecting the two ends of the river, and we had just arrived at its entrance. If asked why we were looking at the other side of the river, the simple answer was that we were waiting our turn for the boss room.

The bridge, which was at least 100 meters wide, only allowed one party to enter during a boss fight. The boss here was so strong that it was called a "gateway to becoming a full-fledged player," and not many of the first wave of players had managed to defeat it and progress. Only about 30% of them had succeeded.

Not only did they need to level up, but they also needed to repeatedly challenge the boss to understand its patterns. This place was reportedly very crowded during peak hours and holidays. However, during the daytime on weekdays, the wait time was minimal, as the previous party had just started their challenge when we arrived.

There was also an NPC standing there, probably to avoid trouble, handing out numbered tickets. This was proof of our place in line. Incidentally, showing the "Pass" obtained by defeating the boss here would allow us to use the warp point.

"Ah, it's open."

"We can't tell from here whether they won or lost."

"I wonder which it was."

The gate at the entrance to the bridge opened, and the NPC was looking at us. While chatting with Tohka, I handed over the numbered ticket to the NPC. I thought I might be able to peek from the side, but the battle inside was strangely invisible, so I assumed there was some kind of barrier.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Good luck!"

"See you later~"

"Good luck!"

"Is this a battle between gorillas...?"

"Who's a gorilla?!"

☆

"Really, it's so wide."

"How does it maintain its shape?"

"Is it magic?"

As I had seen, the bridge was indeed massive. I could run around freely. I lightly gripped the handle of my golden staff and confirmed that the aftereffects of my battle with Kohaku were gone.

The gate closed with a loud sound, as if to signify that the trial was about to begin. This was a common trial for both the NPCs living in this world and us players. As I took a deep breath, I saw the Armored Mount Gorilla pop up in the distance, near the center of the bridge.

The fully popped Mount Gorilla was indeed far more intimidating than any dungeon boss I had faced before. The sound of its massive drumming, "Boom! Boom!" echoed painfully in my ears, a clear warning to us.

The Mount Gorilla remained still, as if waiting for us. I took out the weight I had received from Haru some time ago. I calculated the distance, the force, the wind, and the angle, and threw the weight in a parabolic arc. It hit the Mount Gorilla's right eye as intended.

"Oops? It hit."

"You're as unpredictable as ever."

I was surprised by the unexpected hit, and Tohka's response was rather lighthearted. Perhaps the distance made the reaction slow. I had expected it to be deflected, so the hit felt like a lucky break. Even though it was a critical hit, the damage was minimal. Still, I thought I had created an opening.

"Let's go!"

"Okay!"

Tohka and I agreed to close the distance with the Mount Gorilla. As a melee fighter, I needed to get close to deal damage, and Tohka's support magic was only effective at close range.

"I'll charge in first to draw aggro, and you cast buffs when you can."

"Got it. I'll time it, so please move as you see fit, Saku."

"Understood."

The Mount Gorilla, either freed from the pain in its eye or because we were getting closer, entered a combat stance. Its massive fists, at least five meters high, clashed with my golden staff.

"Whoa!?"

The moment I realized I was about to be overpowered, I changed the direction of the force and deflected the punch. The deflected punch hit the ground, creating a large crack in the bridge, a testament to its incredible destructive power. The Mount Gorilla didn't give up after just one deflection. I dodged and deflected its punches, which whistled through the air, with backsteps and my staff.

After deflecting about five punches, the Mount Gorilla took a step back.

"Definitely a boss."

"Saku! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

The Mount Gorilla seemed to be a rather clever monster, as it stopped its continuous attacks. It likely had a stamina system and didn't want to waste its attacks.

This time, I had something I wanted to try. The fighting style Kohaku had pointed out as my strength—using my keen eyes to defend. While I couldn't compare to Kohaku, the boss in front of me had stats that were more than sufficient for me to test this.

I dodged the Mount Gorilla's next attack completely and struck its hind leg. The damage was minimal, but the Armored Mount Gorilla, as its name suggested, had fur as hard as armor. I managed to land three quick strikes before its next attack, then shifted its direction with a side strike and hit its slightly exposed jaw from below.

"Cheer Up! Protect!"

Tohka must have judged that the hate wouldn't be split, as she cast the buffs "Cheer Up" and "Protect," which enhanced strength and durability, respectively. Both were very useful in close combat.

I dodged the Mount Gorilla's hammering punches and struck its hind toes when it paused. The increased damage from "Cheer Up" and the activation of the hammering skill dealt a good amount of damage. I took advantage of the Mount Gorilla's hesitation to land several more hits and dodged its press attack.

"Armed! Haste! Armor! Sensitivity!"

Buffs to increase agility, dexterity, attack power, and damage reduction flew my way. With these enhancements, I felt as if my entire body had become lighter. I closed the distance with the Mount Gorilla, which was trying to back away, and struck its surprised face with a new art.

"Destroy!"

The art "Destroy" from the "Blunt Weapon" skill. It looked similar to a hammering strike, but this art could ignore the target's durability if my attack power was higher. It was an art suited to blunt weapons, causing internal damage rather than cutting. Thanks to "Cheer Up" and "Armed," my attack power was high enough to surpass the Mount Gorilla's defense, dealing a significant amount of damage.

"Whoa!"

I was caught off guard by the Mount Gorilla's swinging arm, which I hadn't fully recovered from the stun. I was knocked down, but the damage was minimal, and I was just a bit surprised.

"Strong! Accelerate!"

Tohka must have judged that my attack had generated more hate, as she cast the composite support spells "Strong" and "Accelerate." "Strong" enhanced strength and durability, while "Accelerate" increased agility even more than "Haste." Despite the hate management, the Mount Gorilla's hate remained on me. With the buffs constantly active, I could fight very comfortably, and I was definitely performing better than usual.

I glanced at Tohka, who waved back with a smile, showing that she still had plenty of room to spare. Having her support from the back gave me peace of mind, allowing me to focus on the front. She was handling the hate management, which I was not familiar with.

It felt good to fight not alone but with a partner. I continued my one-on-one battle with the Mount Gorilla.