Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

010.6 | The Five Grand Bosses of the 200th Floor

Old-time players know that both Aries and Clover have poisonous tongues. Aries is the type that would quibble with all his souls, not dreading his career and prestige. On the other hand, Clover might have few words, but his little ramblings are enough to drive someone crazy.

The onlookers on the team looked at the bickering bartender strangely. Shin has been looming over the attitude Aries had earlier and the way he acted this time. Isn't this gentleman the one that wished for Clover's success? Why does it sound like he is bored already?

"This guy has guts." Shin crossed his arms. He leaned, pursed his lip, and gestured it towards Aries. "So brave."

"He must have realized that Clover is stalling time." Leon shrugged.

"Is he?" Shin looked at the time. The battle must have been so intense that he didn't notice that they had been here for roughly an hour. "How are you sure that he is stalling time?"

"There are many ways to defeat the boss, but Clover is showing off," Leon pointed out. "If it is in the past, he would immediately control his golems to crush the boss. Yet, he never used that method."

One of Clover's archetypes is a tamer. He could control golems and goblins whenever he pleases. He picked up the grace of the golems a long time ago so he could freely command and summon golems. Golem tribes would also give him preferential treatment as contrasted to the regular players.

"Why would he stall time, though?" Shin wondered. "To defeat the five bosses, they have to hurry."

"Well, maybe, that is what he is plotting."

Shin looked at Leon with question marks. Leon thought Shin must have spent all the spaces of his brain to store memories and leave only a little for thinking. He had been used by his questioning anyway, so he didn't put it in his heart.

"Clover won't be able to defeat the third incarnation of this boss," Leon concluded.

Shin nodded. "But Aries seems to have believed that Clover can do it."

"Believing is different from being able to do it. That guy got blind eyes for Clover. Of course, he won't admit any losses. But Clover won't lose either."

"What do you mean?"

Leon pointed at the countdown for maintenance. The beta test has limited time, so the countdown is showed since the commencement of the server. Only two hours remained, and they have to go offline or continue playing with the fifth server. This time, Shin understood the message.

"The next boss would have doubled his level, so he would require our help. Still, it isn't enough, and we might settle the second boss in an hour and a half. The system will notify the players to withdraw, so it would be inevitable for Clover to proceed," Leon explained.

"That's a wise move." Shin nodded. "Nobody will criticize him for stopping."

That must be the reason Aries is so confident with Clover. He knows they can't defeat the boss with three thousand plus levels, but they could prove that Clover is undoubtedly the game's top player. As to why they are putting effort into this issue, it must be because of the long-term friendship that they have established. 

Nobody could tolerate people splashing dirty water on their friends. 

Clover must have been fed up with Aries's continuous banter that he took time to turn around and tossed a bomb towards him. Aries comically evaded the attack while yelling curse words. He is done with his part and now bored from watching; thus, he wanted to mess with Clover. 

"Twenty seconds," Aries announced. "Don't waste my effort giving you support."

"Nobody needs it," Allen sneaked beside Aries and muttered. "You're only slowing him down."

"Am I?" Aries thought it was ridiculous. "Do I have the ability?"

The two weren't able to continue talking when a vivid light suddenly flashed. Clover is standing a few meters away from the centaur, withholding no scythe. Instead, a flaming bow is replaced. He lifted the bow at an angle and yanked the string that condensed an arrow made up of mana. He directed it to the position of the billiard balls. 

On the fifth second, Clover let go of the string. The arrow rushed in a whistle that struck the billiard ball at the eleventh time. The first ball is hit, touched the second ball, then the third, until all balls created a chain of explosion. The centaur wasn't able to escape since Clover locked its position. 

The area is filled with bright light, just enough to blind someone if they stare directly at it. Aries and Allen already had some black sunglasses to hinder the painful light. The broadcast covers a broader scope, so it wasn't totally affected. Instead, a ball of light can be seen burning in the middle of the field. 

The billiard balls contained various attack spells that are not necessarily strong. But with the accumulated detonation generated a sonic blast explosion that could sink an entire island down if it ever took place in real life. Clover also added firepower that strengthened its effectiveness. 

After a few minutes, the explosions ended while the stunning light gradually weakened. What is left behind is the charred ground where the boss earlier stood. Seems like their attack entirely disintegrated the boss's entirety. 

[TWO HUNDREDTH FLOOR BATTLE ROYAL, ULTIMATE BOSS 1 BATTLE]

[CONGRATULATIONS! FOUR LEAF-01, ARI-05...]

The system repeated the announcement three times. There is silence at first. No people are chattering in the world chat, and just let the system highlight the results of the boss battle. Only after the system completed the procedure did the area become wild again. 

The players are ecstatic. They haven't seen a good game for a long time. The feeling of suspense while dealing with a mighty being brought them a novel experience. It is both exciting and tense - both giving them the grasp of life. It truly made them realize they are still alive.

Big shots that were impressed by the game started using speakers. Speakers work the same with the system announcement feature. The difference is that the players are the ones composing the terms. The speaker will be broadcasted to the entire game world and will remain in the space for a certain length of time. It costs real-life money, so most people having speakers are wealthy players.

The speakers were used one after another, congratulating Clover and Aries for the excellent game. There are even confessions and some jeering remarks of marrying someone once they're out from the cave. The people on the boss floor could see the glowing comments in their interface.

Aries smirked. He is about to deliver a dozen speakers when Clover slapped his shoulders. Aries reacted exaggeratedly by dropping as if he was really hurt. Allen took a step away and watched the bartender with loathing, then strode towards Clover. They ignored Aries without second thoughts.

"The second boss will come out after five minutes," Clover confirmed.

"Five minutes is enough to prepare," Allen called his members. "Go, heal Clover. We will be joining in five minutes."

They know that time is crucial in clearing the floor levels, so they need no orders to perform. The healers took their positions and started healing the wounded while the DPS group are planning their formation. Long-ranged players were stationed in hidden areas to deal with sneak attacks.

The players that will deal with the next boss together with Clover would be the other guild masters plus Frass and Aries. Xavier will be the one to take the healers behind, while Shin, Leon, and other members will follow as the mid-lane attack whenever the guild leaders needed to put off time.

The second round of the boss battle came immediately. The players stopped sending speakers and started concentrating on the battle once again. This will be their first time seeing the guild leaders help each other since they are fighting against each other most of the time. Nobody wanted to miss this event!

Clover took the leading vanguard into position. Walking in the front line, he hunched down to pick up the headgear that was flung away earlier. The loose, pointed hat was filled with holes and dirt. There's no time to fix it, so he just wore it directly. The headgear carries a unique defense enchantment that works whatever state it had.

The system announced the arrival of the second boss.

The outer ring illuminated with the vibrant blue light burned for a second, then a couple of lit branched lines penetrated the pavement between the fifth and fourth circle. The line extended from the outside to inside, where it approached the fourth ring. Upon contact, the fourth ring blasted the light instantly.

The countdown ended.

The entire cave suddenly blackened out. The only light left is the blazing blue hue from the rings on the ground. The atmosphere had become cooler, too, as if someone turned the air conditioner to the negatives. The guild leaders become alert as they paid attention to their surroundings.

Unlike the earlier, the stage did not quake this time. There is no smoke covering or any special effects to welcome the boss. They are instead slapped with the darkness that startled them for a moment. It took them seconds to adapt to the blackness.

The light is focused on the two outer rings, so the areas that were out of reach are filled with black. It is also very quiet to the extent where they could hear the breaths of their allies. Clover looked around for a moment before taking a stride forward.

The light steps are intensified by the enclosure that sounded like a clock ticking. Clover's figure can be seen passing over the fourth ring (since Clover went out earlier to meet Aries). The light from the ground illuminated the lower part of his body, where the shadow obscured the upper part. He looked a bit solemn in this image.

He brought out the bow he used earlier. Under the dim light, the fiery red flame brought out a majestic shade like a phoenix dancing under the midnight sky. It exudes a warm glow that somehow dissipated the coldness of its surroundings, though it wasn't enough to illuminate the field.

Clover pulled the string that activated the arrow made up of mana. He then dipped it at an angle, facing the roof of the cave. A distinct thwack sound resounded when he released the bow that brought the arrow to shoot upwards. Upon approaching the maximum elevation that it could contain, the arrow blasted like fireworks.

That minor explosion served as a signal of light that instantly illuminated the entire area. It only lasted for a minute, but it is enough for them to see the state of their surroundings.

The stage - the stage changed completely.

The plane ground and crystal formations resembling a cave are no longer present. Instead, it was replaced with three-foot-tall pointed rocks and marbles covered with moss and poisonous green slimes. In between the stones were large thick nets of clustered webs holding capsule-like eggshells covered with thick wool.

The web and egg capsules can be found everywhere - on the side, on the ground - but the most prominent of all is the clustered egg hanging unto the ceiling. The egg capsules in this area weren't opaque but almost translucent, where they could see some tangy orange and red fluid surrounding an entity. It is also larger and rounder that seems ready to hatch anytime. 

The clustered environment made everyone feel suffocated, like being trapped in a dusty old room. Yet, the one that made them shiver in fear is the giant, hairy, b****y red tarantula residing in the middle position. It immediately made their skin itch. 

The second boss is an arachnid - a thick arachnid. 

The plump legs were covered with smooth-looking hair, but anyone could tell it was filled with poison. Its enormous body also looks cute and lovely to pat, but it is actually made up of thin needles that were sharper than the centaur's needle-like wings. One sting could cause a hundred HP damage. The small face is less prominent, but the eight red eyes glaring at them revealed its desire to consume them. 

It is telling them I am a predator. 

Spiders are cute creatures. Though, most of them are dangerous. The nuclear winter only allowed the survival of persistent animals, so all the docile creatures exited the world quickly. The cute-looking spiders can now only be reminisced through the virtual platform while the wild ones continued to live. 

So, it could be said that most people in the recent generation fear spiders. There are actually more bugs that people fear off, but the majority of them are from the ants and spiders that could easily enter houses. Most cases of bug bites were also from these species. 

That's why many players paled upon seeing the giant tarantula. Suppose the bug is at most five palm-size large is considered dangerous by the federation's animal protection desk. In that case, this tarantula that is a thousand times larger is regarded as an international threat. Fortunately, it is only a game. 

They don't know what they will do if it happened in real life. 

The flash from the light awoken the resting tarantula. The red eyes were glowing menacingly, watching them from a distance. It did nothing, not moving, but it already made some players stop watching. The silence also brought an eerie atmosphere, as if they are casting in a horror movie. 

"Don't move," Clover commanded in a hush. 

He need not say it since nobody really dared to move. 

The eyes can't be used in a dark area, so Clover focused more on listening. The enhanced hearing of a high-leveled player is no joke. With Clover's innate abilities, he could differentiate noises and identify their sources even if combined in a noisy environment. He will be able to detect if the giant tarantula will start moving. 

Clover remained motionless until he heard scurrying noises. It is undetectable at first, but gradually, the sound becomes louder as if a couple of legs are grouping at each other. His ears moved by the stimulation to which he immediately determined the origin. Without thinking twice, Clover swiftly pulled the bowstring and released it in a certain direction where the arrow made a small flashing burst.

The light is blinding. The scenery is blinding too. The thousand palm-sized spiders coming in the herd really make someone scared witless. The accompanying scratch of their thousand legs scurrying the ground made the players feel as if a million ants are crawling in their skin.

It really made their skin itch!

Allen rubbed his arms, feeling pinholes scratching his skin. He took a step beside his cousin to attain comfort momentarily. He has no fear of spiders, but he dislikes insects. The weird squishy feeling of holding them and seeing them made him want to puke.

"This boss is more than a thousand levels. The image is scary enough," Allen complained.

Melon-45 has been used in seeing gory stuff due to the nature of his guild, so he wasn't disturbed. He even thought that the tarantula looks quite appealing.

"Don't worry, it won't bite," Melon chuckled.

"Of course, it won't," Allen nodded hurriedly. "But they suck blood. Do you think that is good enough?"

Melon gave no response. He silently prayed for the survival of his cousin.

The army of tiny spiders is getting closer. Clover raised his bow and pointed it at the startling line of the incoming enemy. The color of the bow suddenly changed from red to violet and ended up in a violet-to-blue hue. The flames licked the skin of the player that seems to extend, eating Clover whole.

He is being consumed by it.

Clover pulled the bowstring gently then released it to the army. In an instant, the thousand of insects are engulfed by the flames. The army is instantly obliterated like dry paper being burned. Nothing is left to the battalion but ashes of the fallen enemies.

Everyone becomes silent.

"Is there..." Allen suddenly called out. He sounded like a scared rat. "Is there still a position in your guild? I want to transfer!"