Chapter 47

Zero and the others entered the boss room and looked up at the last boss that appeared before them.

The High Oak standing there was vastly different from the one they had seen before. Its body, which was about 2 meters 50 centimeters tall, had grown to easily exceed 3 meters, and its flesh had become as rugged as rock. Furthermore, it held a massive iron axe in its hand. It was clearly several times more powerful than when they had fought it last.

"Ho, this is surprising. It certainly looks strong... Sakura, can you appraise it?"

"Only the recommended level for defeating it. The recommended level for defeating this High Oak is 3000!"

Upon hearing the number 3000, tension spread among everyone. Even Fuumi, who had the highest level among the King of Uniques, was only level 2300. Facing an overwhelmingly higher-level opponent, everyone was filled with fear.

Except for Fuumi.

"Haha, this is great! Only by defeating an enemy far stronger than us can we become heroes! There's no need to be afraid! We've defeated many higher-level enemies before! Believe in yourselves!"

As if inspired by his words, Sakura and the others changed their expressions.

"Yes, that's right. We've overcome such strong enemies many times!"

"Great, I'm fired up!"

"Let's do it!"

"......"

Unlike the others, Zero, who was only level 400, could only quietly watch from the back.

And so, the fierce battle between the King of Uniques and the last boss, High Oak, began.

About 10 minutes after the battle started, the situation was becoming one-sided.

"Haha! Is that all you've got at level 3000—Thunder Strike!"

"Roar!"

"Now, everyone!"

With Fuumi's powerful strike, the High Oak stopped moving. The remaining three unleashed their maximum firepower on it.

A grand explosion occurred with the High Oak at its center, and when the smoke cleared, the enemy was there, battered and bruised.

The recommended level for defeating the High Oak was 3000. At first, it seemed uncertain how things would turn out, but the unique skills possessed by Fuumi and the others were so excellent that they had almost effortlessly dominated the High Oak from the start.

(I didn't expect we could dominate it to this extent.)

Zero, watching from behind, felt this way. It was as if he had reaffirmed the true value of unique skills.

"Yuya! Seal it now!"

"Got it—Fortify Seal!"

Dozens of poles sprouted from the ground, instantly creating a prison that sealed the High Oak. Now, the High Oak could no longer move.

Seeing this, Fuumi nodded in satisfaction.

"Yeah, now we can breathe a sigh of relief. It's not dead yet, but a few more hits should finish it off. It's a bit disappointing that it's not putting up much of a fight, but that's fine. Let's finish it off."

Standing in front of the imprisoned High Oak, Fuumi raised his hand. With one more full-body, full-soul thunder strike from Fuumi, they would win.

Just as Zero thought this, the next moment—

"Roar!"

Suddenly, the High Oak let out a loud roar. The boss room shook violently.

(What's going on...)

At that moment, Zero felt an indescribable sense of unease. However, Fuumi and the others didn't seem to notice, and they just frowned in annoyance.

"Really pitiful, is this your last stand? Unfortunately, it's already decided that you'll die by my hand..."

Fuumi stopped mid-sentence. An unexpected phenomenon had occurred.

Suddenly, an unforeseen presence appeared in the boss room. The presence was clad in silver armor and held a long sword. There were five of them, seemingly matching their numbers.

Fuumi, unable to hide his shock, shouted loudly.

"Hey, Sakura! What are those things!?"

"I'm appraising them now! They're called Nameless Knights, and their recommended level for defeating them is 1500 for all five!"

"Damn, they're enemies. I didn't hear about any other enemies besides the last boss! But at that level—Thunder Strike!"

Fuumi's thunder strike hit all five. However, the knights continued to advance without flinching, despite taking damage.

"One hit isn't enough to kill them? They seem to have quite the durability. But how many hits can they take? Yuya and Kousuke, hold them back!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

Fuumi thought that if the tank and the swordsman could hold them back, he could easily defeat them with a thunder strike. However, the knights moved unexpectedly.

One of the knights broke through Yuya's defense and charged straight at Fuumi.

"What! Do these monsters have the intelligence to target the mage first!? Damn!"

An enemy capable of taking his life was attacking him. For Fuumi, who had mostly defeated monsters from a distance with magic and left close combat to Yuya and the others, this was a first.

As a result, his timing to dodge was a split second late. If this continued, he would be hit by the knight's sword.

"Magic Sword!"

Seeing this, Zero immediately activated his unique skill. Of course, he didn't think he could defeat the knight. So, he extended the blade made of wind and tripped the knight's foot.

The knight fell forward, and the tip of the sword barely missed Fuumi's nose.

"—Don't underestimate me, you low-level! Thunder Strike!"

Fuumi, visibly angry at the enemy that had nearly hurt him, attacked. With that one strike, he successfully defeated the knight.

"Haha, see that! This is what happens when low-levels get cocky!"

Fuumi, looking triumphant, didn't even thank Zero and set his sights on the next target.

(I'm glad I could help.)

Zero, relieved that he had contributed to the battle in some way, felt a sense of accomplishment.

The battle continued as the party had planned, and they defeated the knights one by one. Just as only one knight remained—

"Alright, only one left! Let's finish it and end the High Oak—"

Fuumi's words were cut off. A massive tremor, as if a large-scale earthquake had occurred, shook the room.

"What!? What's happening!?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't look good. Let's defeat the High Oak and return quickly! The High Oak... is..."

Sakura, looking at the High Oak, lost her words and took a step back. Her expression was filled with shock and fear, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

Zero and Fuumi, who had been a bit slower, also looked at the High Oak and understood why Sakura had reacted that way.

"No way, the prison is broken..."

"It's not just that! The wounds we inflicted earlier have healed, and it's even grown in size!"

The High Oak, which had been imprisoned, had somehow broken free and was now free. Moreover, all its wounds had healed, and its body had grown by nearly a meter.

No one present could accept what was happening before their eyes. However, the overwhelming pressure from the creature made their bodies shiver, cruelly confirming that this was reality.

"Are you kidding me, what is this...?"

"Is it much stronger than before?"

"No way, that can't be..."

Sakura and the others tried to speak, hoping it was some kind of mistake.

Zero could only try to keep his trembling legs from collapsing. In his fear, he tried to grasp the situation.

(It's clear... the dungeon boss's strengthening due to the labyrinth collapse hadn't ended when we entered the boss room. It continued even during the battle, and while we were dealing with the knights, the High Oak was left alone...)

However, knowing this didn't change anything. Now, they had to defeat the enemy that was truly there.

"...Sakura, tell me the recommended level for defeating that High Oak."

So, Zero mustered his courage and asked Sakura, even though he understood the despair that would come with the answer.

A few seconds later, Sakura answered with a trembling voice.

"That's not a High Oak anymore. It has evolved into a higher form, an Oak General. The recommended level for defeating it is—4000."

That was a death sentence.