Crazed civilians, driven mad by the floral scent, lunged toward Ivan.
Having been alerted by Drake and other officials, Ivan took it upon himself to intercept them. The young hunter struck the civilians with precise blows—his only available combat method—even though it wasn't an official hunter skill.
"I'm sorry," Ivan whispered after knocking every one of them down. Those who remained conscious could only groan in pain.
He dragged them to the pillars of an abandoned building roughly three hundred meters from the flower fields and bound them tightly. Then, he drenched them with water from his bottles. To his surprise, the civilians calmed down almost instantly. As they regained their senses, they looked around in utter confusion.
Seeing this, Ivan's mind raced. He immediately called Commander Drake. "Sir... I have an idea."
["Go ahead,"] Drake replied, waiting intently.
Ivan looked at the empty bottle in his hand. "Right now... do you have access to aircraft and the chemicals used for cloud seeding—artificial rain?"
…
…
[You have discovered a Plant-type Dungeon Boss: Flowinee, Lord of ███ █ ████][Status: Awakening (Time Remaining: 03:49 minutes)]
Rosaline watched the countdown on her status window while she and Zenis sat side-by-side, poised for the breach.
Their plan was simple: strike before Flowinee fully awakened. According to three centuries of hunter lore, attacking a boss during its awakening phase significantly weakens it. It was like dragging someone out of bed before their alarm went off—their body simply wasn't ready for the day. This "Early Awakening" tactic was a staple for hunters looking to seize the upper hand.
Doing this, even with just the two of them, would buy enough time for Regen Humour to arrive.
If Drake follows the Association protocols, Regen has to come... the question is, where is he? Will he make it before we're spent? Rosaline thought, peering through the hole they had bored. But if he can make it at all, he must be close.
"We have to wake it up before the timer hits zero," Zenis said, peering through his own observation hole. "I'll take the first shot."
Rosaline looked toward the ceiling, where the pollen tubes converged into a thick cluster above the vessel. "Aim there."
"Got it." Zenis sliced through the floral tissue with his Spirit Sword. Seeing no obstacles, he drew his spectral bow. This time, he notched only a single arrow to ensure maximum destructive power.
WHIZ!SHATTER!
The spectral arrow severed the main pollen conduit with surgical precision. The vessel holding the Dungeon Boss shattered like glass, sending Flowinee plummeting to the floor.
CRASH!
Translucent mucus flooded the floor from the broken vessel. The female figure hit the ground hard before shakily using her vine-like roots to steady herself.
[You have awakened Dungeon Boss Flowinee prematurely. Enemy Debuff Applied (360m 00s): Attack Power and Agility reduced by 10%.]
"Perfect! Knight of the Warhorse! [Skill: Knight of the Lancer!]" Zenis didn't hesitate, summoning both his steed and a heavy lance to end this quickly. "Rosaline!"
"[Domain Skill: Prairie of Honor!]" Rosaline raised her staff.
Inside the floral womb, a vast grassland manifested, accompanied by warm sunlight and a gentle breeze—an endless field of freedom.
Zenis smirked, gripping his lance. "Let's ride!"
"[Domain-Specific Skill: Freedom of Zephyrus!]" Rosaline chanted, spinning her staff before slamming it into the ground.
The whisper of the wind hissed in Zenis's ears. His horse's speed surged exponentially. His stats skyrocketed, doubling in an instant!
Zenis leveled his lance forward and roared: "[Skill: Blade of the Dawn!]"
Man and horse were enveloped in a blinding light. A brilliant, sky-blue radiance surged forward like a meteor.
[Domain Effect: Prairie of Honor active. Speed Limit broken: 300 km/h ➔ 450 km/h.]
The blade of light moved faster than the eye could follow, colliding head-on with Flowinee.
BOOM!
The boss was nearly cleaved in half before she could even stand.
["Success!"] Zenis shouted as the light faded, leaving only him and his spectral horse.
This was the Prairie of Honor, one of Rosaline's six Domain Skills. It tripled speed and doubled stats, even breaking the limits of certain speed-based skills. For Zenis, this skill was the ultimate catalyst, enhancing his ultimate move to its absolute peak. It was the reason he was famously known as the 'Knight of Radiance.'
Nothing could withstand their synchronized assault. Nothing.
"Zenis! Use your second skill, now!" Rosaline screamed in alarm.
Confused, Zenis looked back. Flowinee's body was already knitting itself back together. "No way... she heals that fast?!"
Before Zenis could strike again, vines lashed out, intercepting his path.
"Tch!" Zenis swapped his lance for a sword, hacking through the vines as he spurred his horse forward, weaving through Flowinee's chaotic lashings.
"[Skill: Fearful Presence!]" Rosaline cast a fear-inducing skill on the boss while maintaining her distance. She slowly backed away, preparing an escape route if they couldn't hold the line.
A wave of murderous intent surged into the boss's consciousness.
"Despair!" Rosaline shouted. But her status window flashed a warning that made her eyes widen behind her mask.
[Dungeon Boss is immune to pain. Pain-based skills are disabled. 'Fearful Presence!' failed!]
"Shit—" Rosaline hissed, her back hitting the wall.
Thud!
Startled, she reached back. The hole they had used to enter was gone. The tissue had sealed itself and hardened to the same density as the rest of the womb.
They were locked in.
Zenis struggled to reach the boss, but the relentless vines kept him at bay, preventing him from initiating his ultimate move. Zenis's finishing strikes required a specific distance; if interrupted, they were useless.
Rosaline dispelled the Prairie of Honor and summoned a new domain. "[Domain Skill: The Colosseum!]"
A thunderous roar of an invisible crowd echoed as a circular arena rose from the floor. The Colosseum was Rosaline's domain for one-on-one duels. It massively buffed an ally's stats under specific conditions. Against a Dungeon Boss, its primary effect was a massive boost to Attack Power.
Zenis felt a surge of strength, his strikes cutting through vines with newfound ease. Meanwhile, Flowinee fully righted herself. Her wounds were almost healed, and her white floral head had reformed.
"[Skill: Decay!]" Rosaline cast again.
The regenerating vines stalled, turning grey and brittle before rotting away and falling to the floor. That should slow her down for a bit, Rosaline thought.
At that moment, the partially-healed boss turned her attention toward the support hunter. Flowinee had finally realized she wasn't facing just one enemy.
Rosaline felt a primal chill as a wave of bloodlust crashed over her.
A hundred deaths flashed through Rosaline's mind, her psyche fracturing under the psychic assault as if she were drowning in a hell of darkness and pain.
["Rosaline!"] Zenis's roar snapped her back to reality.
"Dammit—!" Rosaline gasped. She looked up just in time to see a massive vine inches from her face.
CRACK!
Rosaline was sent flying across the floral womb. It took her several agonizing moments to stand, her right arm hanging uselessly at her side. She could feel the bone was fractured, nearly broken. She couldn't even lift it.
If not for Aethernum, the bone would have punctured the skin, Rosaline thought, staggering to her feet.
Heh... heh... heh... The boss let out a chilling, mocking laugh. Flowinee was enjoying this. Meanwhile, the 'Decay' skill had worn off, and her regeneration accelerated once more.
"Kill her, Zenis! Now!" Rosaline shouted through the earpiece. "We're trapped. If the boss doesn't die, we can't get out!"
["Easier said than done! Dammit!"] Zenis roared as he closed the gap. He leaped from his horse, diving through the swarm of vines toward the boss's unhealed wounds.
He slashed through the right side of her chest, leaving a jagged, gaping maw in her torso.
SLASH! The blade bit deep, tearing through the boss's form.
Zenis smirked. "Not so tough after all!"
At that exact moment, a vine impaled Zenis's torso, hoisting him high into the air. The hunter coughed up a thick spray of blood.
"Zenis!" Rosaline cried, using her shadow-flicker skill to rush toward him.
"I'm... fine. [Skill: Dragon Soul!]" Zenis wheezed. He summoned the spectral dragon beside him. "[Burn!]"
Phantom fire erupted, engulfing Flowinee in a scream of agony. Seizing the moment, Zenis sliced the vine impaling him and tumbled to the ground.
SCREECH—!! Flowinee writhed in the spectral flames, thrashing her body to extinguish the spirit fire.
Zenis collapsed, gasping for air. He dispelled the Dragon Soul, his own internal healing skills beginning to work at a snail's pace. "My energy... is almost gone."
Rosaline dragged Zenis away from the thrashing, screaming boss. The high-pitched shrieks felt like they were going to shatter their eardrums.
"Can you stand?" Rosaline asked.
"I'm okay... but that was close," Zenis admitted. "I didn't miss my mark... she's just too strong."
"Do you think Regen will come?" Rosaline asked. She was mentally preparing herself—if things got any worse, she would have to use the full power of Aethernum to save them both.
"Who knows?" Zenis replied. "No expectations, no disappointments."
Rosaline gave a small, weary smile and nodded. She helped him up, then dialed Drake. "Where the hell is that show-off Regen?! When is he getting here?!"